Hive Queen

by Sinclair, Grayson

  “Duran and I had an account to settle, but after, we got to work planning the heist. We work the town, make sure there are no hiccups and the time comes to pull the job and D and the shifter infiltrate the Iron Cathedral─”

  “Shifter?” I asked. “A shapeshifter? Who?”

  “Girl’s name was Raven. Gorgeous, black hair, pale skin and blood-red eyes.”

  Her description told me nothing. I hadn’t had much experience with shapeshifters or the fae. Mother always warned me never to make a deal with a faery. That they couldn’t be trusted.

  “Anyway,” Mika continued. “They were in there for a while, and I thought everything was going well before dwarven soldiers started flooding the streets. I left the guys I was working with and went to warn Duran. He fought off nearly six of Lachrymal’s Chosen by himself.” He paused, and a smile form at his lips before he started talking again. “He was a beast, but one of them summoned a stone golem, and I stepped in. We took care of the rest, and I helped him get out of there. We spilt up, but that was over a week ago now, and I thought he’d have been back by now.”

  “What happened with the Heart?” Gil asked.

  Mika shrugged. “Duran said Raven had it, was taking it back to their employer.”

  “Magnus,” I hissed.

  “No idea. Never learned their name, all I know is that they paid incredibly well.”

  I sat back in my chair and drank the rest of the water. Sam had once again shut off our connection, and even though I could have broken through it at any time, I didn’t want to know what lay beyond. I was didn’t want to know what he was feeling right now.

  “Duran isn’t answering, but his contact card is still available so it’s going through. Gil filled me in on where he’s at, but I still don’t like leaving him in there. It’s not a forgiving place.”

  “Well, the guild leader, while he may be a complete imbecile, is capable enough, and I’m sure whatever situation he’s managed to get himself stuck in, he can get himself out again,” Evelyn said, standing up. “Is that all, Shadow?”

  Wilson raised his glass to his lips and nodded. “Until Duran gets back, there isn’t anything else to go over.”

  “Very well. Little queen, samurai, come with me. Right now.”

  Evelyn’s tone left no room for disobedience, and I got up immediately.

  “Don’t break them,” Wilson called as Evelyn strolled from the room.

  I followed her, while Mika lagged behind. Evelyn led us to the second floor, and after passing a number of doors, she stopped and motioned us inside.

  The room was sparse, but not barren. Padded mats littered the floor with humanoid training dummies placed at random throughout the room. On one side of the room was rack after rack of nearly every kind of weapon I’d ever seen before.

  “All right, newbies. I’m going to find out what you’re made of. I already know the little queen’s strengths and weaknesses, but I need to find out how capable you are, samurai.”

  Mika scoffed and walked up to Evelyn, who was shorter than him by half a head. “I’m game, though don’t say I didn’t warn─”

  Evelyn lunged forward and slapped the blade of her palm against Mika’s neck. As Mika gasped and spluttered, Evelyn shifted on the balls of her feet and turned, bringing him with her. Evelyn lifted Mika over her back and slammed him against the mats.

  With one hand still pinned, Evelyn calmly placed the arch of her foot against his throat. “I believe I am victorious.”

  Mika struggled viciously against Evelyn, but the more he fought, the more pressure Evelyn applied. After a minute of fighting, Mika ran out of air and started choking. He surrendered quickly after that.

  Evelyn stepped back and returned to the center of the room. “As I was saying. Let’s get started. Samurai.”

  Mika picked himself off the floor. “That wasn’t us getting started?”

  “That was just to put you in your place.”

  He chuckled and bowed low, keeping his eyes on her. “Forgive my conduct. That was incredibly rude of me.”

  Evelyn laughed. “You’re forgiven.”

  “Just go easy on me next round. Please.”

  She smiled, her frosty eyes chilling the room. “I refuse.”

  Chapter 22 - Mice in a Maze

  Sampson

  After the fourth day in Tombsgard, my body simply couldn’t handle it anymore.

  “By the nine kings of hell, I’m so tired,” I muttered to myself.

  My trembling hands slipped, and I dropped my pickaxe. It clanged loud against the stone and drew the nearby worker’s gaze.

  “The fuck you looking at?!”

  They jumped and quickly got back to mining. I left my pick where it lay and dragged myself over to a nearby table. I sagged into the chair and nearly passed out from exhaustion. The king of the mine, and I’m withering away to nothing.

  “You look like hell,” Maus said.

  Maus sat beside me, and checking the coast was clear, pulled a bit of bread from his inventory.

  “I feel like it,” I replied as he stuffed the crust in his mouth.

  “You should get some sleep; I’ll keep watch for an hour or so.” Crumbs of bread stuck to his lips and scattered to the stale air as he spoke.

  “Thanks.”

  I leaned my head over onto the gray stone and was asleep before Maus could dry swallow his next piece of stale bread.

  “Hey, get up. It’s time to go,” Maus said, roughly shaking me awake.

  It seemed like I’d gotten less than a second’s sleep before I had to open my bleary, sleep-encrusted eyes, and they stung as the dim light of the mine shaft came into focus.

  “I’m up, godsdamn it.”

  “Good, ‘cause it’s dinner time.”

  I got up from the creaky wooden chair and shuffled in behind the growing line of prisoners filing out of the tunnel. The faint ring of the dinner bell sent a hypnotic miasma over everyone, and like rats to cheese, they followed without question.

  As we reached the common area, the guards were all lined up on the railing overlooking us, bows at the ready while two soldiers stepped onto the stone elevator with today’s meal. Even from here, with the packed reeking bodies, the strong aroma wafted from the steaming cauldron. Lentil soup—vegetarian, if my nose was leading me straight. I’d have killed every last prisoner in here for a nice, juicy steak, or ye gods, a godsdamned ale.

  The inmates lined up as the platform descended, and the guards cupped soup into tiny metal bowls for them. As the line thinned, Maus stepped up to receive his bowl, but as soon as his fingers curled around it, one of the soldiers, a wiry, pinched-faced man, knocked it from his hands.

  “Oh, my bad, Maus. Don’t worry, I’ll go fetch you a fresh cup right away,” Bayln said.

  Maus hung his head and walked over to where I was sitting, which didn’t go unnoticed.

  “How about you, king? You look hungry, your majesty, please, let me go fetch our finest suckling pig for your refined palette.”

  “Keep laughing, Bayln,” I said, holding up my hand. Without even needing to voice it, black chitin formed a wicked-long set of claws over my hand.

  I drummed my talons over the table rhythmically, carving shallow divots in the wood each time my fingers struck down. “You won’t find it so funny when my hand is writhing in your guts, rearranging your intestines.”

  Bayln paled a tad and took a step back, visibly stopping his hand from going to his sword. He realized what he was doing and stood ramrod straight, putting a false mask of confidence over his features. “Whatever, king. You’re stuck in the hellhole. You can’t touch me!”

  He glanced up and nodded to one of the men. Within a second, the platform rose once more, and Bayln spared once last sneer at me before leaving.

  “What a fucking prick,” Maus said, leaning back in his chair.

  “Yep, but most of them are that way. Bayln isn’t special, he’s just an ass. Speaking of, thank you for the assistance, Aspect.”
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  “You’re welcome, knight. Though I expect to be repaid in blood.”

  I promise, I’ll get you as much as you want—within reason—when we get out of here.

  Maus looked at me sideways. “You have a weird fucking class, Duran.”

  “You’re telling me, but it beats out infiltrator,” I snapped back with a wry grin.

  He couldn’t help his smile. “Screw you.”

  Our rumbling and aching stomachs stole the smiles from our faces. It had grown from hunger pangs to gut-ripping agony as the days wore on. The little bits of food we snuck staved off death, but only just. We were going to die if we didn’t do anything. Either from hunger or one of the prisoners.

  “We need to leave tonight if we’re going,” Maus said.

  “Yeah, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m betting it just leads to a dead end.”

  “Let me be the judge of that. Besides, what else do I have to look forward to in this pit of decay? A slow, painful death by starvation or a shiv in my back. I’ve been here six months already. I’m not going to survive another six months.”

  “Fair point. We’ll check it out on night duty tonight. We’ll have a couple hours before anyone comes and checks on us.”

  While the other prisoners got to sleep in bunks in an antechamber connected to the mine, we had to stay awake and keep working, and every so often a different prisoner was voted to come and check on us. Some would keep their mouths shut, but I knew at least a few would spill their guts at the first opportunity, so it was constantly a gamble to try and get some sleep.

  “Oi! Get back to work, your highness. Enough lollygagging!”

  I glared up at the guard but sighed and stood. “Looks like our break’s over with,” I said before shouting, “Food was delicious as always, Bayln. But next time use more spit, really adds to the flavor!”

  “Fuck off, king. Get back to work before I have you beaten.”

  Maus and I left the common area and headed back into the shaft. I snagged my pick where it had fallen and started swinging away at the rock. After an hour of chipping away at the wall, soft footsteps echoed from further up the tunnel. Right on schedule.

  A dwarven girl with short brown hair and a missing ear peeked her head ‘round the corner and glared at us before popping back under cover and scampering back to the others. As soon as she was out of sight and her footsteps faded away, I traded grins with Maus.

  “Give me five minutes, and we’ll switch,” I whispered.

  He nodded and took my pickaxe, hammering in a stilted chaotic cadence while I ducked into a small shaft near us and sank against the wall until I hit the ground. I pulled out a large portion of meat and my waterskin and downed them as fast as I could while I gathered what remained of my strength.

  The five minutes passed like seconds, and with a soft whistle, I groaned and picked my weary body back up and shambled over to Maus. He handed me the pickaxes and went to rest. I broke the rock apart and collected what ore I could in a large wheelbarrow that rested beside me. Normally there were rewards for bringing in a good haul, but per Balthazar, I got none of them no matter what I brought up.

  When Maus’s time was up, I whistled and handed him back his pick. We contoured the slog until the next prisoner came and checked up on us. As they departed, and the coast was clear, I dropped my pick.

  “Let’s go. We don’t have long.”

  Maus smiled and tossed his tool next to mine, and we headed deeper into the shaft.

  The tunnel we were heading for was at the deepest part of the mine and had been abandoned when there was no ore to be found. It was closed off by a slab of smooth stone that set it apart from the rest of the craggy and uneven rock surrounding it.

  Maus and I had taken turns going at the stone until we’d broken through the day before. A rush of moldy, stagnant air rankled my nose, and I knew we’d found something that hadn’t been touched in years. Maybe it led to nothing but a dead end, or maybe there would be something hidden inside.

  It took us over ten minutes of walking till we reached the tunnel. It was decided that this section of the shaft was barren, and as such, there were no tools or digging equipment around. It was just endless gray rock. We took a right when we reached the cavern, and in another few minutes, we were at the sealed-off tunnel.

  Maus peered into the crack I’d made and recoiled. “Told you this would lead somewhere!”

  “Yeah, but we still don’t know if it’s an escape. This could just be a waste of time.”

  “Oh, ye of little faith.”

  “Then let’s take a look,” I said and reached into the crack. As before, chitin crawled from my pores, and I gripped the hunk of rock and yanked hard.

  It crumbled under my fingers, bringing loud chunks crashing to the floor with a cloud of rock dust that clung to our throats as we inhaled. I spluttered and coughed to clear my airway, and when everything finally settled, we got a good look at what was behind the sealed door.

  It was pitch black; we couldn’t see a thing.

  Maus laughed as we stared into the abyss. “Got a light?”

  “Well, if we’re breaking the rules anyway, might as well break them completely.”

  I pulled a torch from my inventory and got it lit. The biting flame illuminated the wide corridor and chamber behind us, but only banished a couple dozen feet of darkness before it curved.

  “Well, let’s get a move on. Once it’s discovered we aren’t working, they’ll come looking for us.”

  “Good point, let’s scout it out and get back.”

  We both stepped into the cavern and began our descent. It was wide enough for several people to move side by side, so it held with our theory of being an abandoned mineshaft, but I hadn’t seen one purposefully boarded up like it was, so I was wondering what the warden was trying to keep hidden. Signs of heavy mining littered the walls as we went deeper in, but after about three minutes of walking, the excavation slowed and then stopped all together, by the time we reached the end.

  “Look at that,” Maus said, pointing upward.

  Just above my head was a pretty large vein of iron, completely untouched.

  “Well, we know they didn’t close it because the shaft ran dry, so there has to be something here they didn’t want discovered.”

  “But what?” Maus threw up his arms and spun in a semi-circle. “We’re at the end, and there isn’t anything here.”

  A thought struck me. “Maus, what abilities do you have for infiltrator?”

  “A few,” he replied warily. “You know I’m not going to tell you them, though.”

  “No, man.” I shook my head. “Screw game etiquette, do you have Layout?”

  “Oh! You think something is hidden away here.”

  “Has to be something along those lines.”

  He nodded and knelt, holding his hand out, palm facing upward. A subtle brush of wind licked at my skin for a second before being whisked away by the stale, still air in the bottom of the mine shaft. Maus chuckled as he stared at the invisible map in his hand, which quickly turned to full-blown raucous laughter. “You were right. There is something beyond the rock.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

  He closed his fist and stood up. “I don’t know what lies beyond it, but Layout showed empty space, and that means there’s something other than rock. That’s all I care about. Whether it leads to freedom is another story, but it gets us the hell out of here.”

  He walked over to the back wall and rapped his knuckles on the stone. “That’s hard rock, though. Getting through it is going to be a bitch.”

  I smiled. “Well, we best get started.”

  ***

  With one last heavy swing of my pick, we carved a hole just wide enough to squeeze through.

  “That was fucking miserable,” Maus said, as he doubled over, panting.

  “Yeah, no kidding.”

  It had taken us most of the day to excavate the wall. We took turns wailing at the unyielding stone
until it relented and bent to our desires. We’d worked in shifts, mining until exhaustion to get the hole cleared. We’d been gone for hours, and the prisoners were sent into the mine looking for us, but thanks to Maus’s Chameleon ability, we were able to disguise the hole we’d made in the start of the shaft and stayed quiet until they left.

  But after twelve hours, we’d knocked a hole four feet wide and five feet deep and finally broke through to the other side.

  The downside was that we were both utterly spent. I could barely move, let alone fight, and whatever lay beyond the hole was uncharted territory.

  “If we go through right now, we go at our worst, and I don’t like our chances,” Maus said.

  “If we stay, we risk capture by the prisoners and being turned over to the guard.”

  “Both just terrific options,” he replied with a weak chuckle.

  There weren’t any better options. Either we stayed and recovered, risking being found and captured, or we took a chance on the mysterious hole to nowhere.

  “I vote the hole, but I’m not going to fault you on your decision.”

  Maus wasn’t my friend, wasn’t part of my guild. I owed him as much as he owed me: nothing. We were tied in mutual bondage, but what he chose was his will, as was my own. I wasn’t going to stay one second longer.

  I stepped through the hole and looked back. “Your choice, Maus, but I’m getting out of here. I’ve been away too long. I refuse to stay when freedom is right here.”

  He glanced back up the tunnel and back at me. “Fuck, you’re right. Let’s get the hell out of here, exhaustion be damned.”

  He followed behind me, and we slid through the crack. The tight wall brushed on my chest and back, making breathing difficult. For a few seconds claustrophobia tempted my heartbeat, but then I was through and standing on the other side.

  It was just as dark, and I’d had to stow my torch to make the climb. I pulled it out and relit it. The darkness recoiled in surprise, and the biting orange flame illuminated our surroundings and danced along the walls.