by D. W. Vogel
Three more made Gardener. Chen’s face fell that he wasn’t among them.
“I thought I’d get it,” he whimpered.
I wanted to throw an arm around him, but there were only a few of us left, now, and the Masters were watching.
The Master pointed at Chen, and he snapped to attention.
What would it be? Where would my best friend spend the rest of his life?
“Caretaker.”
My throat closed up. Beside me, Chen sobbed a quick cry from deep in his belly.
“No . . . not that. Please . . .” But there was no begging with Masters. Our personal wants were deep beneath them. All served the Hive.
I watched Chen slump toward the entrance. He turned back and took a long, deep breath, eyes wandering across the rocky edge toward the sea. This was his last moment of sunlight. He would be taken to the Mothers’ Hall, to live the rest of his days in the dim caverns, surrounded by females and crying babies.
Oh, Chen. I’m so sorry.
My view of him got blurry for a moment and I wiped my eyes on the back of my hand. When I looked back, the entrance was empty. Chen was gone.
Five more of us waited outside.
“Divers,” clicked the Master, and my ears perked up. This should be me.
It wasn’t.
The two boys named hugged each other and raced for the Hive door. Divers had the best sleeping chambers, and extra shellfish and bug rations. They were made.
The remaining three of us looked at each other. Me. Jerome. And Gil.
My heart pounded in my dry throat.
What was left? Had they forgotten us?
The Master clicked for attention, and pointed at us one, two, three.
We each straightened as its pincer aimed our way.
I stared into the setting sun, with the tall, graceful silhouette of the Master in front of it. I breathed deep, as Chen had done, savoring the clean, salty air in my nose. In moments, my life’s fate would be revealed to me.
The Master’s mandibles clicked.
“Queen’s Service.”
I looked at Jerome and Gil, whose faces held the expression I knew I wore as well. Did it just say what I think it said? Is it real?
Gil gave a loud whoop and pumped a fist into the air. A whooshing laugh escaped my throat. Jerome just looked dumbfounded. He wasn’t a great diver, or a fast runner. He wasn’t strong like me. But something must have told the Masters that he was worthy of the highest honor in the Hive. We would pass through the boundary where no other Lowforms were permitted. We would enter the service of the Queen herself. Beyond that, we didn’t know. Queen’s Servants never returned to the main Hive. They were far above the rest of the Lowforms. Hardly as exalted as a Master, but . . . Queen’s Servants.
All around, the younger boys cheered for us.
Now the tears streamed from my eyes, as I joyfully followed the Masters into the Hive.
I had done it. I was entering the Queen’s Service. My heart still broke for Chen’s dismal fate, but this moment belonged to me. I had barely dreamed it was possible, and yet here I was, descending toward the glorious unknown.
“Can you believe it?” Jerome whispered as we paraded past the other Lowforms waiting in line for their evening meal. “I can’t believe it.”
Gil answered, “Of course I can. Never had a doubt.”
I said nothing, basking in the admiring glances of all the Lowforms we passed. We were better than the Gardeners, with their fungus-stained hands. So much better than the Cleaners, who always smelled sour. Better even than the Divers, who nodded as we filed past.
Noah, Queen’s Servant.
I lifted my chin and followed my Masters deep into the Hive, where my Queen waited to command me.
Chapter 7
Chen
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Caretaker.
The worst of all possible jobs in the Hive.
I lunged toward my best friend Noah, who was standing there with his mouth open. Giant Digger claws grabbed me from behind and pulled me toward the opening to the Hive. It had always been my home. Noah and I had dreamed about our futures here, how we’d be important men, respected by all the Masters for how hard we worked. He was going to be a Diver, and I was going to be a Gardener. Together, we would provide food for the whole Hive, securing our honor among the Masters and the Lowforms.
Everything crashed down in that instant.
I shook off the Digger that was hauling me toward the Hive, and clicked to it. “I go.”
It released me and I turned back to the sunlight one final time. Noah stood there across the sandy plateau, along with Gil and Jerome. The pity on Noah’s face made me want to throw up. Beyond them, waves crashed into the shore, throwing white foam up against the rocks around the beach. The air smelled of salt and shellfish, fresh and wild. Sunlight played on the ocean as far as I could see.
Never again.
I took a last, deep breath and turned into the dark doorway for the last time.
The walls closed in around me as I trudged deep into the Hive, the Digger at my back. It had never felt like this before. I’d always welcomed the safety of our thick walls, and the protection of our brave Soldiers. I’d be safe in the Mothers’ Hall for the rest of my life. Safe in the dark, underground chamber full of screaming babies. Safe from the fresh air above, from the sunlight, from the water. Safe from everything that made it a life. Forever.
The turnoff to the Mothers’ Hall was guarded by two more Diggers. My protectors, now. I hadn’t been beyond this tunnel since they brought me out as a little child. I had no memory of my mother or father. Were they still here? Would they know me when I came back? I’d soon find out.
The Diggers let me pass. I entered the dark tunnel.
Along each side, smaller rooms held women with babies. Up ahead, sound echoed out of a larger chamber. I didn’t know where to go or what to do, so I just walked ahead. The corridor was dark, lit by the occasional glowstone. Dim light filtered from ahead, and as I passed the side rooms, women came shuffling out. They wore long tunics like me, and had their hair braided into elaborate coils. They were every shade of skin color, just like the Lowform boys I’d grown up with.
At the end of the hallway I entered a large, open room. A few open shafts obviously led to the surface, sunlight beaming in through narrow shafts, making bright points on the smooth, hard floor. Toddlers ran around, and babies cried from every hip.
A man blocked my way.
“You the new one?”
I shrank back from him. He was old, maybe twenty-five. Brown like me, with a single long braid of hair down his back. He looked strong and his eyes held no welcome.
“I’m Chen. Caretaker.” I tried to act proud about my Ranking. Taking care of the women and babies was important. Without babies, there would be no Lowform workers. And we did so much around the Hive.
“Chen,” the man said. He turned to the women clustering around me. “It’s Chen!” he called. “Anybody know Chen?”
A girl a little older than me squealed and ran up to me. She wrapped her arms around me, squishing the baby she carried between us. It cried and I pulled away, staring at the girl.
“Chen!” she cried. “You’re my brother!”
I didn’t even know the word.
“We had the same mother,” she explained. “She was older, and was taken up a few years ago, but she remembered the names of all her children.” She beamed at me. “I’m Glenna.” She hoisted the baby up to my face. “And this is Lee, who’s your nephew.”
She ushered me farther into the room. Everyone wanted to be close to me, hands reaching out to touch me. I realized this must be the most exciting thing that ever happened down here . . . when a new boy was sentenced to life in the darkness. Next time someone was Ranked as Caretaker, it would be me pressing forward with the women and babies, wanting to see the new arrival, maybe hear stories of the outside world I was locked awa
y from.
Glenna hugged me again. My sister. Holding my nephew. I still didn’t really understand what that meant, but it seemed important to her.
“Come and meet Shari,” she said, pulling my hand. “She’s your sister, too.”
A very pregnant woman waddled over and threw her arms around me in a sweaty hug. I tried not to squirm, but I’d lived my whole memory with other boys my age. We weren’t huggers. The woman’s belly pressed into mine and the horror on my face must have shown.
“Chen,” Shari said, hand on her stomach. “I’m so glad you’re here. We needed a male with your bloodline.” She glanced at the man who had met me at the entrance. “Need to keep track.”
There were a few other men around, and an older boy I remembered from a few Rankings back.
They looked happy.
I’d expected a miserable bunch, withering away in darkness. But their faces shone with joy and welcome.
Shari and Glenna ushered me to a seat on the ground near one of the sun rays. The rest of the people sat around in a circle. Older toddlers ran around the group, playing with the hard-shelled remains of the waterbugs that must have been their breakfast. Maybe the ones Noah had helped me collect.
I thought about him, outside awaiting his fate. He’d make Diver for sure. My heart filled with pride for him. My best friend, a Diver. I would think of him with every shellfish I ever ate.
“Oh, Chen,” Glenna said. “We’re so happy you’re here. There’s so much we need to tell you.”
I looked at my sister. The sunlight cast long shadows under her eyes. In her arms, the baby slept, tiny hands gripping one of the skinny braids that hung from Glenna’s head.
“I’m happy to be here,” I lied. “Here with my nephew.” I thought that was the right word.
She beamed down at the baby for a moment, before her eyes turned serious and she met my gaze.
“Down here, we remember,” she said. “Chen, what we’re going to tell you won’t be easy to hear. But it’s the truth, and it comes straight from the stars.”
Her eyes held mine. “Everything you’ve been told your whole life has been a lie.”
Chapter 8
Noah
Down and down we walked. A basket of glowstones had been thoughtfully set at the edge of the boundary, and when the Masters indicated one of us was to carry it, I jumped fastest and grabbed it. The tunnels grew darker, and we followed the clicking sound of the Masters’ hard feet on the floor. The glowbasket only lit a few paces in front of us, and we huddled together in its light. Masters had no need of it, and skittered ahead of us.
The quiet pressed in on my ears. No hallways bisected ours, and no chambers branched off. There was only this long, twisting corridor, ever downward into the forbidden heart of the Hive.
Up ahead, I could feel the corridor widen. The light of the glowbasket reflected off the walls around us, but the Masters left us behind and entered into a chamber that emitted its own glow from the damp blue slime. One of them turned back to us and clicked in its elegant language.
“Prepare for Queen.”
I had no idea what it meant. The Masters scuttled around us, pulling at our tunics and adjusting our loose pants. The tunics were long and loose, worn with a sash around the waist, which the Masters bit straight through and pulled away, dropping them into a pile of cloth at the edge of the room. They touched us all over with their soft feelers, and I held in a sneeze when the feeler tickled my nose.
Finally it was time.
“Come. Silent.”
The Hive’s highest honor was upon us. I doubted any of us could make a sound even if we wanted to.
They led us across the room to a round, open doorway. I left the glowbasket where it sat, because the room beyond the doorway emitted enough light that I wouldn’t need it. The sound of trickling water reached my ears from somewhere beyond, and the air was damp and still.
The Masters entered the room before us and we filed in behind. They blocked our view, pressing us back into the walls.
When they moved, my eyes filled with a glory I couldn’t imagine.
The Queen.
She took up almost the entire chamber. Her body was shaped like the Master Soldiers around her, which I had always thought were enormous but now were dwarfed by her magnificence. She had a tiny head at the top of her thorax, which lacked the hard armor of the smaller Masters around her. She sat rocked back on a wide rear end that disappeared behind her so that all eight of her legs waved toward us. Her thorax was almost white in the dim glow.
One by one the three Masters approached her. They bowed their heads before the soft, pale thorax, honoring the Queen. The first stepped forward, and she lowered her head. The Soldier rubbed its head against the top of the Queen’s. She wrapped four of her legs around the Soldier’s body, two Masters wrapped together. When the Soldier stepped back, a white, waxy sheen of oil covered its head, and it sagged for a moment, forelegs limp in awe. The Queen clicked at it and it backed up, allowing the next to receive her moist blessing.
I ached to follow them. I could almost feel how it would be to rub my own head into hers. She would fold her legs around me as she did them, and I would belong to her forever. Was this the secret? Was I worthy of such glory?
The smallest Master I had ever seen scuttled around the edge of the chamber. He crawled right over the Queen’s back without a glance at us. The King. Father of the whole Hive. His head only came up to my waist, but I wanted to bow before him.
The Queen clicked at the Masters, and they turned to where we huddled against the wall, stupefied in awe in the presence of the enormous, hulking Queen. One Master stood in front of each of us.
There was no signal that I could hear. No click from Queen or Master.
In an instant, the Masters swung their tails around, digging their stingers into us.
My breath caught in my throat. It broke the spell of the Queen, and I whipped my head around to see Gil and Jerome on either side of me mirroring my posture, hands clutching at the sides of their bellies where the sting had caught them.
I knew what came next. The Masters used those stings to protect us from lesser insects that would steal our food and invade our Hive. My mind got fuzzy as my body weakened. I couldn’t feel my hands or feet. I flopped to the floor, my head banging against Jerome’s knee. I tried to roll over, to cry out a question, but all I could do was flail on the floor. Numbness crept up my arms and legs until my twitching stopped. My heart pounded, and my breathing was soft and slow. My eyes darted around the room, the only part of me I could move.
Was this some ritual? Some final test?
The Masters dragged Jerome away from where I lay, and my head, which had been propped on his knee, banged into the ground. It didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t turn my neck to follow where they took him. I stared at the ceiling, which faded from the bright blue of the slimy walls into a black, featureless cave overhead, and listened to the sounds around me. There was a soft, squishy sound, then the grating of a boy being dragged away.
They came for Gil.
My mind was still fuzzy, drifting in and out of focus. It seemed like no time at all before they came for me.
I couldn’t feel them grab my shoulders, or the rough sliding of my butt on the floor as they dragged me around behind the Queen. What I had seen as her backside turned out to be the start of a huge, fat tail. It reared up around her, and as the tip of it descended toward me, I had a moment to bask in her glory once more. She was going to touch me with her tail. Me. Noah. The Queen was going to touch my skin.
They laid me down and her tail approached me. The tip was round and wet, quivering in the blue light. The Masters pulled my tunic up to my neck.
Her tail dropped beyond my vision. I couldn’t feel her touching me. But out of the extreme lower corners of my eyes, I could see it. The sight should have filled me with rapture as her tail touched my skin. Instead I was filled with horror at the grotes
que sight.
Eggs. Each time her tail contacted my skin, it squeezed out a glistening, translucent egg the size of my fist. Along with each one came a sticky white goo that cemented the eggs onto my skin. One by one she deposited them onto me, covering my exposed belly with soft round eggs.
It lasted forever. The squishing sound of each deposit screamed betrayal into my ears. But this was my Queen. This was the highest honor in the Hive. I’d worked all my life to get here, and the joy I should have felt at her attention warred with the numb fear in my paralyzed body.
Finally it was finished. The Masters dragged me away behind her, out another open doorway.
If I could have screamed, the corridors would have echoed with sound. But all I could hear was the steady trickle of water, and the gritty noise of my body as they dragged me away from the majesty of our enormous Queen.
Chapter 9
Noah
The Master dragged me out through the open archway behind the Queen. I couldn’t move a muscle, just flop along in numb paralysis. My mind whirled. She had touched me. Our majestic Queen had touched me. My stomach was covered in her eggs. But the glory of the moment gave way to my dawning horror as the Master dragged me farther from her exquisite presence.
The caverns on this level were all covered in the glowing slime. Shallow pools of standing water flanked each side of the path I slid across. Although I couldn’t turn my head, I could see to each side.
In each of the pools lay shapeless forms, ringing the edges and extending into the water. In that first chamber, I couldn’t tell anything more than that.
The next chamber held more of the pools. The forms that ringed the edges were more recognizable here. Six or eight to a pool, the great gray water beasts were positioned with their heads out of the water and what remained of their bodies submerged. The beasts were all dead, shriveled husks, thin and hollow.
In the next chamber, the truth became so obvious that even in my confused state I could hardly miss it. The water beasts were still alive. So were the boys.