Hive Queen

by Sinclair, Grayson

  I’m stronger now. I can handle this. Probably.

  Chitin Armor held up to its kick, though I didn’t think my organs would relish a repeat performance. I stood from the pew and clenched my sword tight.

  What if I run in between its legs as it attacks? It took a second or two to recover from that last smash, so I’d have at least a few seconds to kill the mage before the golem turns and crushes me to a pulp. It was the best plan I could come up with that didn’t involve me maxing my fatigue.

  I raced headlong to the golem, my sword raised.

  Glass crashed from above and drew my attention. A figure jumped through the window and swung down on a rope. As the stained glass broke against the ground, the figure hit the floor and rolled, his katana blade glowing an exquisite, ghostly blue.

  Mika stood and slashed through the golem, his blade phasing through it like it wasn’t even there. When his sword passed through the entirety of the golem, it dissolved, turning back into nothing but a pile of lifeless rock and stone tile.

  As the mage and the dwarf whose neck I’d cut stared at Mika, I just laughed.

  “Null Blade, really? You’re still rocking the primordial swordsman class?”

  “Saved your ugly, bug-lookin’ ass, and besides, if it ain’t broke...”

  “I had it under control, but let’s deal with the rest of them and get out of here.”

  We charged the remaining dwarves.

  “Dibs on the mage!” I shouted as Mika engaged the one with the slit throat.

  “Fine by me, I got Bleedy!”

  I tuned his fight out as I focused on the woman. She backed up, her hands going in front of her face, but I knew she was close to mana depletion. She had to be after summoning a golem of that size and strength.

  A muddy brown Script circle flared to life, but it was small; she didn’t have the time to build a proper spell. She recited a short incantation, but my sword cut her voice off before she could finish it.

  As the light from her circle fizzled out, so too did her life.

  I ripped my sword from her neck and turned back to the first dwarf, the one who’d gotten away.

  He was in half, both sides glowing cherry red and smoking as Mika withdrew his glowing white sword. The sharp tang of burning metal and roasting dwarf stung my nose, and I coughed.

  “Sorry, Mika. I forgot to bring anything to the barbeque.”

  He laughed, waving his hand in front of his face. “Shit, I forgot how nasty it is to use Volcanic Thrust indoors.”

  “Well, let’s get the hell out of here. We need to be far away before the alarm is raised. We’ll never get out if that happens.”

  Mika sighed, sheathing his sword. “Too late for that. Guards already on the way. I came in here to warn you while I left David and Johns to guard the gate,” he said, heading for the door out of the vault.

  I followed his lead, sheathing my sword and heading out. As soon as I housed my blade, the Aspect decided that I was no longer in danger, and Chitin Armor faded back under my skin. Mika glanced over and whistled. “Seems like we’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

  “You’re telling me. You think the rent-a-thugs are okay?” I asked as our footsteps echoed in the empty cathedral.

  “I’m guessing they’re already dead or will be soon enough.”

  “Harsh. Accurate, but harsh.”

  He snorted, a laugh bubbling from his chest. “They were insufferable—and not very good at their jobs. I was going to ditch them after this quest anyway.”

  We reached the entrance to the cathedral and pushed the heavy wooden doors open. We were alone, but that wouldn’t be that way for long. The gates in the distance opened, and dozens of guards poured in from Gold Hightown.

  “I’m guessing they didn’t make it,” I said, deadpan.

  “Five silver says you’re right.”

  We looked over at each other, and I grinned despite the situation. “Just like old times.”

  He nodded. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  We turned and booked it off the stone path and toward the wall. If we could reach the wall and climb over it before the guards saw us, we could escape and head back to the surface without incident.

  We rushed into the night. Once we got off the road, the ground became rocky and dangerous, as there were protrusions and dips at random. In the dark, with only the faint glow from the mana far above us, we could barely see.

  I banged my knee on something at least five times and nearly fell into a hole, but the inky drop was just darker than the rock next to it, so I hopped over it at the last second.

  A handful of minutes later, and we had reached the wall. It rose from chest high at the gate to at least eight feet of stone that we had to clamber over.

  “How’re we getting over this?” Mika asked.

  “I’ve got an idea.” I grabbed the rope from my inventory and cut about a foot and a half off it. “Boost me up and then wrap the rope around your hand. I’ll fall, and you use the momentum to climb the wall.”

  Mika laughed and crouched. “You always were quick on your feet.”

  “Yeah, too bad I’m an idiot, or I’d be really dangerous,” I said and stepped into his hand.

  He lifted me up, and I hauled myself over the wall and wrapped part of the rope tightly over my fist while Mika did the same. I dropped over the ledge, and Mika climbed over it. When we were both safely over the wall, we jogged a short distance and took shelter in the alleyway.

  “Man, it’s always fun working with you. What are you going to do, now?” he asked when we’d caught our breath.

  “Thinking about risking the surface, but I don’t know how smart that plan is.”

  “Raven has the Heart, right? Where’s she at?”

  “Heading back to the surface to deliver it. If I can just get topside, I can teleport away, but I’m sure humans are going to be stopped and questioned leaving Aldrust.

  “I touched the Heart; it had a curse on it. Even though I don’t have it anymore, I think it left its mark on me. No way I get clear if they stop and check me. I might just head back to the Low Road, lie low for a few days till security lightens up.”

  “I think I’m going to risk it. I never even saw the Heart. They’ve got nothing on me, so they can’t hold me.” He nodded and offered me his hand. “I guess I’ll be going, then, before it gets crazy. It was good seeing you again, Duran, truly.”

  I took his hand firmly and shook it. “Same. I’ll see you around.”

  He took off, but before he rounded the corner a thought struck me, and I yelled at him. “Hey, you looking for a guild?”

  Mika paused and leaned against the wall of a nobleman’s manse. “Not, not looking. You got a spot you need filled in the Gloom Knights?”

  “A few.”

  “Every adventurer worth their rank knows to stay away from Gloom-Harbor territory if they know what’s good for them. Your guild’s got quite the nasty reputation, but I think we’ve come a long ways since our time in the Swords.”

  “That mean you’re in?”

  “We’ll see. I’ll stop by and see what’s what,” he said, walking away.

  “You remember the passphrase?” I asked.

  Mika waved me off. “If you haven’t changed it in fifteen years, yeah,” he replied as he disappeared from view.

  I smiled at his back. He certainly hasn’t changed.

  “I bet his blood tastes bitter. Why don’t you follow and find out?”

  Pass. You already had Raven’s blood. Isn’t that enough for you?

  “Worth a shot. And I did help you today. I do like to be rewarded, you know.”

  Maybe if you were less psychotic, I’d reward you.

  Giving Mika a few minutes to get a head start, I leaned against the stone wall and pulled up my interface to check my notifications.

  Combat Results!

  5 Killed (Dwarf): 9000 Exp!

  1 downed: 1800 Exp!

  Mercy Penalty: -600

  Tota
l Exp Gain: 10200 Exp!

  Exp: 5400/5400

  Level Up! (X2)

  4500/5600

  Level: 56

  20 Stat Points Available!

  Best bet is to keep pushing my sub-stats since I’m still under penalty. I added ten points to Durability and ten to Attack Damage. I changed out of my armor and donned my nicest set of clothes. A set Magnus had made for me. It was the solid white silken set I’d first worn when I met him. And it would at least help me blend in, or at least not stick out.

  I sauntered around Hightown for a while. Even at this time of night, there were still a few places open. I stopped and had an expensive dinner at the restaurant Raven and I had gone to. I had a lovely meal, and after, I took my time getting back to Lowtown.

  By the time I returned to the Low Road, it was late by Aldrustian standards, and the bar had been long closed. I didn’t have any elemental scrolls to enter, so I had no choice but to head back to the safe house and wait until morning.

  There wasn’t a single soul on the streets as I made my way to the house and used the specific scroll I had for the house to lower the door. I went over to the fridge and took out an ale. I sighed in bliss as I drained half of it and sat back on the stone couch.

  Shit. Can’t believe we managed to pull that off. Hope Raven got out okay.

  I hadn’t been home for more than two minutes when a knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

  Orryn stood perched in the doorway, hand raised as he tapped lightly on the stone. “Can I come in?”

  I shrugged and finished the ale. The glass bottle clinked as I set it down and eyed Orryn. “What’re you doing here?”

  “Just came to congratulate you on a job well done. It’s not reached the public yet, but Balthazar and his council are abuzz with finding out who took the Heart.”

  I feigned surprise. “Lachrymal’s Heart was stolen? That’s awful.”

  He laughed and ambled over to the fridge, grabbing a beer and offering it to me. I nodded and as he was walking back, I glanced over at the door that he’d left open.

  “Could at least shut the─“ I began but stopped as the clink of metal against metal drifted in from the street. Soft, but unmistakable.

  Orryn noticed my look and squinted, tilting his head slightly, still holding the drinks.

  “You didn’t?” I asked rising from my seat.

  He sighed, dropping his hands. “Didn’t have a choice. They were at the bar less than half an hour after. They took Tel. Had to give ‘em something,” he replied listlessly.

  He released the bottles, and as they clattered to the ground with a torrent of shattered glass, he whistled.

  “You just damned yourself, Orryn. I’ll kill you for this.”

  “Don’t matter. Long as Tel is okay, that’s all I care about.”

  Nearly a dozen armed Aldrustian soldiers stormed into the cramped house with their weapons brandished. I couldn’t have killed them all even with Dance. Could make it to the roof, but once Dance ends, I’m just as screwed, and I’d rather save it for when I know I can use it.

  With a heavy sigh, I raised my hands and let them take me.

  ***

  They’d left me in a dark, nearly airless hole in the wall for hours while they convened the council. The wall slid aside, and several dwarven jailors bound my hands and feet in chains and all but dragged me to the forum. It was a polished building with white marble tile and columns that rose to the open ceiling that looked out to the center of Aldrust. The giant mana crystal hung silently overhead, pulsing with light.

  I was tossed into the center of the floor and chained again to the spike buried in the marble. As I looked up, in front of me was the polished silver panel where the council and king sat. King Baltazar who had fury written plainly across his face as he gazed down at me.

  Balthazar was rough around the edges like his features had been carved from the very stone around us, but there was undoubtably a regal set to his eyes and jaw. His swept-back hair had salt and peppered since the last time I’d seen him, but it gave his statuesque features depth. His sharp blue eyes looked down his small, hawkish nose as he bit his lip in anger.

  A bead of blood rolled down his lip and dripped, invisible on his tailored burgundy shirt.

  “Durandahl, once I called you friend to the dwarves, a man who did what we could not and saved us in a most dire time. If anyone had told me that you planned to betray us like this, I’d have had that man imprisoned.”

  “I didn’t hear an accusation.”

  A metal-plated fist smacked across my face hard enough to rip my skin. My head went sideways, but my chains kept me from falling over. “Insolent wretch,” the guard shouted next to my already-ringing ear.

  “You bear the mark of Lachrymal’s Wrath. But the Heart is clearly not in your possession. Tell us where it is and return it. If you do, in light of your previous achievements, I’ll be lenient with you.”

  It was a generous offer, especially from Balthazar, as he wasn’t known for his kindness. But this wasn’t about me, not anymore. Whatever was going on threatened the entirety of Nexus. It was bigger than me, and besides, Raven was halfway back to Castle Aliria by now.

  I spat a gob of blood onto the pristine white marble and rubbed my aching cheek. “I won’t talk.”

  “He had a girl with him. Pale skinned, red eyes. Not a nocturnal, but definitely not human,” a voice said from the crowd.

  I jolted up at the voice, and my eyes scanned the crowd until they locked with Thrayl. His normally well-groomed locks were in disarray. Must’ve raced up here. He stared me down, betrayal clear in his eyes. I opened my mouth, but nothing would come. I didn’t have an excuse to justify what I’d done.

  “How could you?” he asked.

  I hung my head as my stomach dropped and shame flushed in my cheeks.

  The council members all started yelling at once at Thrayl’s revelation, but Balthazar sighed deeply, looking like a disappointed father. “Find her. Meanwhile, question Orryn again. Make him tell us what we need to know. Remind him the consequences of lying.”

  Balthazar spoke quickly, issuing commands left and right as his men bustled around the room, rushing to fulfil them. It took a few long moments before the forum quieted enough for him to speak again. “Don’t make me do this, Duran. You, more than most, know that we have ways of making you talk.”

  “And having performed several of your methods myself, you know that by the time I break, it’ll be too late. If it isn’t already.”

  “Just be honest with us. This isn’t you.”

  “Yeah.” I fingered a loose canine in my skull and just decided to pull it. It clattered to the ground as I hawked another thick stream of blood onto the floor. “You’re right about that, but I didn’t have a choice.

  “And right now, you think you have a choice. A choice about what to do with me. You think you can get me to talk, but we both know it won’t be quick, and it won’t be easy.”

  He snapped his fingers, and several guards strolled in. “Fine, then. I can make you talk. But I also know just how strong your will is and how long that might take. If what you say is true and the gem is lost to us for now, then I’ll just have to settle for making your life as miserable as I can. And we both know I’m well-versed in making misery.

  “Take him to Tombsgard Mine!”

  Chapter 20 - Tombsgard

  Once again, I was manhandled and dragged from the room and loaded into a wagon. Whatever small discomforts they inflicted at that moment were nothing compared to what waited for me in the depths of Tombsgard.

  It took a few more hours after my impromptu trial to reach the entrance to the mine. It was always in a sequestered portion of the city, miles away from civilization in an unmapped location away from prying eyes. Only a select few had permission to enter. I was kept in the dark, but I could tell when we descended by the drop in temperature. It was just above freezing at all times in the mine, and that was just the first of the torments t
hat awaited me.

  When we finally stopped moving, I was unloaded. Torches lined the walls and continued as the road curved and disappeared into the black abyss.

  The guards here wore heavy, fur-lined cloaks and gleefully smirked at me when I was told to strip.

  “Fuck you.”

  One of them stepped up and whipped a thin knife across my chest. It was shallow, an expertly placed cut that stung like hell but did no actual damage to my muscle.

  “Strip!” he commanded.

  My impertinence would only lead to blood loss, and down in the mine, I needed every bit of strength available. I did as the dwarf demanded and stripped completely. After a rough, incredibly thorough and unneeded cavity search, I was handed a thin and itchy pair of beige trousers and a matching tunic one size too small.

  I winced as the guard shoved me and led me down the tunnel to a gate manned by a team of guards, and then once we were through, we stopped at a second gate with even more guards. By the time we were through, I was exhausted and chilled to the bone. I shivered, and the guards laughed.

  “Get used to it. You’re in for much worse.”

  We went through the last gate and entered Tombsgard Mine. Aldrust’s maximum security prison.

  The gate slammed shut behind us and locked with an ominous click.

  Tombsgard was a wide cavern that branched into dozens of other smaller tunnels. Hard at work were nearly a hundred prisoners, dwarves mostly, but there were humans and even a few elves in the mix. Each was dressed as I was and carrying pickaxes as they hammered away at the iron ore buried in the rock.

  We were high above them, and the only thing separating the guards from the prisoners was about twenty-five feet and a stone railing. The guard motioned for me to step onto a solid stone platform that would lower me down.

  I peered over the edge at the prisoners who’d stopped working to watch the new guy.

  “Don’t get comfortable. None of them are your friends. They all know what you’ve done and have been promised time off their sentences if they catch you doing anything. So you better not use your magic storage while you’re down there.”