by Unknown
“True enough. I bet that’s why most adventurers retire before they reach level thirty or so,” Brianna agreed, looking around cautiously.
Joy paused at the thought, tilting her head as she considered the idea. Retiring was a little like what she was going to do if she became a queen, but it didn’t feel quite right to her. After a moment she asked, “Are you going to retire? You, Cora, and Stella. I guess I’m going to kind of retire…”
Brianna paused at that, looking at Cora and Stella for a few seconds, then she shrugged.
“I don’t know,” the human said, letting out a sigh as she shook her head. “While I don’t think I will at the moment, who knows what will happen in the future? We could have a terrible fight which scares me enough that I change my mind, or I just get tired of the danger. I don’t know, Joy.”
“Agreed. I know I will retire at some point, assuming I don’t die permanently before that,” Cora said, rinsing her hands off as she stood, looking at Joy thoughtfully. “Elves live too long to do anything else, as far as I’m concerned. That said… I have no idea what circumstances would convince me to retire, since I have a lot of goals for the future.”
Stella laughed, shaking her head as she looked at Joy and grinned. “Whereas the only reason I can see for me retiring is if I manage to find a place I want to found a new temple of Mother Moon. Until then, my duty is to bring light to dark places and show others that not all darkness is the domain of the Dark Gods.”
“But… the moon isn’t dark. It shines silver!” one of the workers objected, frowning slightly. “I don’t understand.”
Joy nodded, and Stella laughed again, her smile widening as she spoke. “This isn’t where I intended to explain my faith, so I’ll keep it short. Drake probably will appreciate that, too.”
“Damn right, I would,” Drake said, his head turning back and forth slowly as he kept watch, and Joy giggled softly.
“The moon is dark, at least for large parts of the month, portions of it are shrouded by darkness. Yet Mother Moon is the goddess of all of it, and by extension she’s also a goddess of the night,” Stella explained patiently. “She gives light in the darkness and eases the fears of those who must travel by night. She’s a duality in many ways, for there are no other members of the Gods of Light whose domain is the darkness, just as few of the Dark Gods have light as their domain.”
“Oh! I understand now!” the worker said, looking thoughtful as she looked at the attendant, who nodded at her, smiling warmly. Joy could smell her approval regarding the question, as well as how pleased the apis as a whole were. They all liked learning, as it added information for the hive to use.
“Good. Now, let’s get moving. We’ve got miles to go, and are burning daylight,” Drake barked gruffly.
“Um, how can we burn daylight?” the same worker asked, and Joy giggled as the man sighed heavily.
Chapter 28
“Sir, the army is ready to march!” Minna reported, her gauntlet clanging against her breastplate as she saluted, her eyes glittering with excitement.
“Indeed? Excellent.” Alethus turned his head to look, and as he did so smiled in satisfaction, looking across the field and the soldiers that were assembled in glittering, orderly ranks.
His army wasn’t at full strength, as much as he hated the fact, but even so he had just over seven thousand soldiers present, along with nearly a hundred combat beasts, ranging from a pair of wyverns to manticores to a dozen stone elementals. The combat beasts would be in trouble if they faced the enemy without support, but that was why he had an entire army, and Alethus looked at the contingent of trolls in their armor and massive weapons with satisfaction, then glanced at his handful of sky knights, ready to take flight on their riding drakes. He wished he had more than twenty of them, but it was incredibly difficult to raise riding drakes.
But they were assembled, and that meant it was time to start moving. Alethus marshalled his thoughts, looking across the men and women who served him again, then spoke at last, raising his voice so that they could hear him. Most of them, anyway.
“My loyal soldiers, it is time at last. Our preparations have been made, and they have not been in vain. Today we march toward our goal, the destruction of Astonia! All that stands in our way is the army of Dorma and their adventurer allies, and we outnumber them better than two to one,” Alethus told them, smiling broadly, but allowed his smile to fade after a moment as he continued. “Unfortunately, like a cornered rat, they will likely fight viciously to stop us. Expect them to throw everything they have at us, and prepare accordingly. Nevertheless, we shall prevail! Accompany me on our way to victory!”
With his final words, Alethus thrust a hand into the air. In response his soldiers began to cheer and roar, and Alethus smiled in satisfaction, turning to face northwest, nodding to Minna as he spoke more quietly. “Onward.”
“Yes, Milord,” Minna said eagerly, and pulled out her signal horn to get the army moving.
It would be a day or two before they engaged the enemy, Alethus knew, but he didn’t mind the wait. Duke Dorma couldn’t stop him, if the duke was even present.
Sir Wilbert looked at the message and his fingers tightened, crumpling the parchment before he forced himself to relax, swallowing a curse. He only hesitated for a moment, then stood, abandoning the now-empty message tube as he circled the desk and stepped into the hall. His guard snapped to attention and saluted, prompting Sir Wilbert to give him a nod before he continued down the hall toward the marquess’s office. The two guards outside the door stiffened as they saw him, and Wilbert forced his worry down, trying to make his expression less worried. He wasn’t sure he succeeded, but he stopped as he stepped close to the guards. Each was equipped with good-quality breastplates and weapons, appropriate for soldiers of their level. They were likely around level fifteen, which was fairly high for guards in the region.
“If she’s available, I’d like to speak with the marquess,” Wilbert said, nodding to the guards respectfully. “I’m afraid it’s urgent.”
“Of course, Captain. Let me see if she’s available,” the female guard replied, knocking on the door, then slipping inside when she heard a murmur of assent. The male guard looked at Wilbert, concern in his eyes.
“They found the invaders?” the elf asked, his gaze drifting down to the message in Wilbert’s hands. Wilbert debated for a moment, then shrugged.
“Yes, but don’t go spreading it around just yet, if you would? I figure the marquess will let the army know soon enough,” Wilbert told him, and the guard nodded in response. Then the door opened and the other guard stepped out, nodding to him politely as she gestured to the door.
“The marquess will see you,” the woman said, moving to the side, and Wilbert nodded to her.
“Thank you,” Wilbert said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
The office he stepped into was nicer than his own, with a view of the small garden adjacent to the courtyard through large glass windows. That was a fair expense, but one which he didn’t blame the marquess for making, assuming it hadn’t been something inherited from her father. Cabinets to either side of the large desk held numerous books, while a map case rested on the left wall. A few paintings of the last four generations of marquis and marquesses adorned the walls, while the rest were covered by tapestries to keep it warmer.
Behind the desk was Marquess Elmira Clarion, and the woman sat back in her chair to look at Wilbert with a level gaze. She had almost no expression, which Wilbert found a touch unnerving, but he didn’t let it get to him. She was an ordinary-looking woman for the most part, not especially pretty, and with normal brown hair. It was her commanding mannerisms that really set her apart, as well as the fine clothing she wore, from a sky blue tunic with gold embroidery and buttons to the leather trousers that Wilbert suspected cost as much as his armor.
“Captain Wilbert,” the marquess said after a moment, her voice sharp and pointed. “I take it your scouts found the invaders at
last?”
“They have, and in a spot I didn’t expect,” Wilbert said, bowing his head politely, then stepped forward to offer her the message as he continued grimly. “They somehow crossed Broken Horse gorge. I’m not certain how, but it explains the delayed reports from the scouts in that region until now. I suspect they must have been captured.”
Elmira took the message and read it herself, her eyes narrowing as she did so. The woman didn’t react any further at first, then looked up at Wilbert. “That puts them two days away, Captain. I thought we would have more warning than this.”
“As did I. I thought they’d have to maneuver around Broken Horse, and had placed more scouts in those areas,” Wilbert agreed, nodding unhappily. “If they remain where they are, I might be able to gather a few hundred more soldiers by recalling my detachments, but they’re out of position.”
“And worse, neither the seal piece nor the shrine are inside the city walls,” Elmira said flatly, a finger tapping the desk slowly, setting the map aside. “I’ve been erecting defenses around the shrine, but they are quite limited. The chances of the army stopping Lord Alethus at this point are poor.”
“I agree,” Wilbert said heavily, taking a deep breath, then let it out. “The only way I see us winning is if they make a major tactical blunder, or if the apis come to our aid. If we could kill Lord Alethus and retake the fragments that would also help immensely, but we can’t count on that.”
“No, we can’t. Nor can we count on the apis choosing to aid us like they did with the army ants in the Teeming Jungle. Unlike then, their hive is not in immediate danger. I give high odds that the spider ignores the Shimmerwood entirely as it destroys the rest of us,” the marquess said grimly, sitting back in her chair. “Creatures of that power and level are not fools, and it will destroy us to ensure we don’t seal it away again, even if we aren’t capable of doing so.”
Wilbert bowed his head, not having the heart to try to disagree with her. He hoped that the apis would be more amenable than the marquess was suggesting, but he didn’t dare say so aloud.
“May I have permission to rally the army? Or will you be taking command?” Wilbert asked instead.
“I will be in command of the army; you will lead the knights,” Elmira said, scooting back her chair to stand, and she smiled coldly. “Even if we’re to die, I will ensure that we make them bleed for every inch of ground.”
“As you say,” Wilbert said, bowing to her.
As he did so, he deeply hoped they were wrong about the apis.
Chapter 29
“You’re foreign apis!” the worker said from her perch in the tree, looking down at Joy and the other apis in surprise, and everyone else stopped abruptly, looking up at the apis in shock. Joy really pitied how poor of a sense of smell the others had, since she and the Shadebough apis had known the worker was there as they approached.
The worker was a little different than Joy or the Shadebough apis, too. Where the Shadebough apis had a slightly darker coloration than Joy, with a little more black than yellow, this worker had a lighter coloring, and her shoulder-length hair had a few locks of pink hair and glittering lines across her armor to help it blend in more. Mostly, it was impressive that she’d managed to hide at all, but Joy took it in stride. It was easy to hide in the Shimmerwood, as far as she could tell.
“We are! I’m originally from the Tulip Hive, now I’m an independent apis, and they’re from the Shadebough Hive!” Joy replied happily, smiling in return as she added, “My name is Joy, and I was sent to be an ambassador to your hive!”
“Oh. You named yourself?” the worker asked, causing Drake’s jaw to work a little. “Why?”
“No, Brianna, Cora, and Stella named me,” Joy said, gesturing at them. “Names are useful for telling each other apart for them. They can’t smell the difference between our pheromones.”
“No wonder they’re so weird,” the apis said, tilting her head to the side and looking at the group, then focused on the attendant. “You’re an attendant, and you have drones with you. Why are you here?”
“Our queen wishes to exchange drones with your hive if possible,” the attendant replied, giving a friendly smile as well. “She also wanted to learn about other apis hives in the region. We can’t survive entirely on our own.”
The worker nodded, then took flight as she replied. “I’ll tell the guards you’re coming. No attacking, or we’ll stab you!”
The apis quickly darted off, her wings buzzing as she quickly vanished from sight.
“Okay!” Joy called after her, then grinned as she spoke more normally. “That went well!”
“What was that?” Drake demanded. “Every time I’ve seen the apis before this, they’ve just looked at me once and ignored me! She actually talked.”
“We weren’t giving off hostile pheromones, and she wasn’t being territorial,” Joy told him with a shrug, grinning as she continued. “Besides, how am I supposed to know what they’re thinking? They’re not me!”
“Beyond which, the two apis hives we’ve encountered were both different,” Cora said, edging around a root carefully. “Joy’s former hive was built mostly underground, but they were building a palisade with buildings a little closer to those that humans use above ground. Comparatively, the Shadebough Hive was more like the beehives I’m used to, the ones with a papery covering on the outside, even if it was at ground level.”
“The trees couldn’t hold the hive in the air. It weighs too much!” the attendant volunteered.
“Ah. That… is interesting. The hive ahead was more like the second, at least before they changed into apis. I haven’t gotten close enough to see it since then, not when the priests said not to provoke them,” Drake said, frowning at the attendant and Cora, then shrugged. “Either way, let’s go. The sooner we’re there, the sooner we can leave.”
“Sure!” Joy said, bouncing in place, and the moment he started moving, Joy followed, though she was mostly following the faint trail of pheromones the worker had left… and the scent of the hive itself, of course. That was potent now, with as close as the hive seemed to be. Joy couldn’t be certain, but she thought that it was smaller than the Shadebough hive, and bigger than the Tulip Hive. Thirty or forty thousand apis, she was guessing, but she couldn’t be certain.
As they moved forward, the trees grew a little less common, then they entered a clearing of glittering purple grass and green flowers, among which dozens of apis were moving, collecting nectar efficiently. And beyond them was the hive.
It was far different than either the Tulip Hive or Shadebough Hive, which didn’t really surprise Joy at this point. Each hive made their own decisions, and it was mostly a question of how they’d differ, rather than if they would or not. This hive was far more… orderly, she decided after a moment, looking at the vast structure.
The hive reminded her of the walls around Clarion or Irador, in at least broad strokes, but in other ways it was very different. It was a vast, wax hexagon that thrust upward from the soil at a slight angle, rising to slightly more than the height of four apis. While the view of the structure was somewhat warped by the air, Joy smiled to herself, happy to see something she understood, even if the hive looked far larger than it needed to be.
“That looks nothing like what I remember. It was more like a blob near a bunch of trees!” Drake protested, looking at the building in shock. “How did that get there?”
“They built it, obviously,” Cora replied, looking only slightly surprised by the sight as she leaned on her staff. “When I visited the Tulip Hive with Brianna, they’d built a palisade and a half-dozen decent-sized buildings in less than a week. It’s been a lot longer than that, so it makes sense that these apis could’ve built something like this. That said… am I mistaken, or are they expanding it more?”
“Looks like it!” Joy said after a moment, spotting a cluster of apis on the roof, adding what looked like walls to her. “They’ve been working hard!”
“They hav
e. I’ll have to ask why they chose this design. The queen will probably want to hear about it as well,” the attendant agreed, looking at the apis, then started forward again. “We’d best go meet them!”
“You do that. I’m going to stay right here, if it’s all the same to you,” Drake said, not moving forward even a step. “I’ve seen what happens to people who poke their heads into a beehive, and I don’t want any part of it.”
“In which case, we’ll see you soon, Master Drake,” Stella said, bowing courteously to him, then looked at Joy. “Joy, if you would lead the way? You’re the ambassador.”
“But… they’re leading the way!” Joy protested, pointing at the Shadebough apis, which she’d already started to follow.
“Perhaps, but you’re our friend, and if anyone can keep the local apis from overreacting to us and stabbing us a lot, it’s you,” Cora replied dryly. “I’d rather not get killed by them again.”
Joy glanced back at Drake, who was watching them dubiously, then shrugged, looking forward again.
“I don’t think they will! They’re watching us, but they don’t seem afraid. If they’re not afraid, they won’t attack us without fair warning, unless we do something stupid,” Joy said cheerfully.
“That’s the hope,” Brianna muttered softly, her hand near her sword hilt, but carefully not on it.
That was good, Joy thought. Having her hand on the hilt might have been seen as a threat.
“Other apis?” the queen said, sitting up a little more as she focused on the worker. “And one of them is named? Along with their hives? How fascinating.”
“It is, Your Majesty! They’re approaching the hive now,” the worker replied from where she was kneeling, her excitement palpable even though she was trying to hide it. “They wish to meet with you, both groups!”