332: Travelling

‘Tell me about your sister, Thryss.’

‘Tell you what?’

‘Everything. And Sythera. Why are there only two Daughters? What is their relationship? Was it normal, that Thryss watched over you when you were young?’

It transpired it wasn’t normal. Most Hornets were not minded by a Daughter. Serrin said it had begun after the Ripper took him.

‘Until we are around ten years of age, Hornets have no wings or Cultivation. We perform menial tasks and train in combat, but are not considered true Hornets. When we grow wings, and begin to grow Nodes, we start to be given Symbiotes. I always excelled in combat, but still my life wasn’t that different. But shortly after I grew wings, I encountered the Ripper.’ He shook his head. ‘The worst of them. He would’ve killed me, torn my Soul apart for what he found in it. But the Queen stopped him. After that, Thryss watched over me.’

Thryss apparently hadn’t been overly happy about this, but over years something had developed between them. A mutual fondness. Serrin said those were calm years and the best of his life.

The reason for the initial unhappiness, Nicolai gathered, was because of the competition between Daughters. There were only ever two in a Hive. The one who performed best would be allowed to leave and start her own Hive. Thus they were rivals, always seeking to surpass the other.

Minding Serrin would’ve taken from Thryss’s valuable time, which she could’ve spent advancing her interests and sabotaging her sister. Or so Nicolai inferred, from what Serrin told him. The young Hornet seemed barely aware of the power struggles his words revealed.

As to the change in Thryss’s behaviour, he could understand easily enough. The Queen wanted Serrin to obey her. She considered him a valuable investment, that was why she posted one of her valuable Daughters to watch over him and guard him from this Ripper. When he first refused to kill on her command, she would have been furious at the realisation of a possible bad investment.

Thus, Thryss would have been punished and pressured. Her new goal from the Queen: Make Serrin obey me at all costs!

A goal she’d failed, as the task had now been passed onto him. Nicolai kept his guesses and inferences to himself, as Serrin spoke on and on about past events. Sythera he already knew as an enemy. Thryss he would have to be wary of, because she had failed for years to make Serrin obey the Queen. Him succeeding would highlight her failure. It would be in her interests to see him fail as she had.

He guided the conversation toward the poison, asked if Serrin knew of it.

‘I’ve never heard of it. But… I can search. I’ll find out. There’s a library in the Hive. And Arcritch—my mother’s adviser—he knows much. He’s always been friendly toward me, more than any others.’

‘Arcritch?’ Nicolai frowned. ‘You told me you hate all your kind.’

‘He’s not a Hornet, he’s a Spider.’

Nicolai blinked. ‘Intelligent?’

‘Yes. Arcritch is old and powerful. He knows a great deal—and spiders are said to be experts with venom and poison, though I doubt he made it. Likely… likely it was the Ripper.’

‘Tell me about this Ripper.’

‘My mother’s old consort. The only other Tier 3 in the Hive, a Hornet from a far land.’ Serrin shifted from foot to foot, steps slowing. ‘I do not visit him. He is dangerous. He wants me, ever since he took me when I was young. But if he made it… I will have to investigate. But he…’ Serrin trailed off, stopping and staring at nothing. He was exuding something Nicolai had never yet felt from the Hornet. Fear. ‘He is the worst of them. The others are evil but at least in a way that can be understood. But the Ripper… he even scares my mother. He does things to the prisoners. And the way he looks at me…’

The Mask settled firmer onto Nicolai’s face, and all of a sudden his hand was reaching out. He rested it on Serrin’s armoured shoulder. ‘There is time,’ he said, tone as comforting as the Mask could make it. ‘Our highest priority is that our plans remain undiscovered, even if that means we learn less. Don’t take risks. I’ll search for other routes to knowledge. Perhaps we won’t need to bother with this Ripper.’

Serrin nodded, but he was still somewhat slumped, still emanating fear. The Mask knew just what to say, or at least what it wanted to say, but it wasn’t sure if it should, wasn’t sure if the words would be true. Nicolai pushed it to speak, but it held firm.

If I say them, then you must hold to them. I will hold you to them.

Nicolai nodded internally. He needed Serrin, simple as that, and was willing to make the first overtures to cement matters between them.

‘If we do need to deal with the Ripper,’ said the Mask, smiling now because he’d agreed, ‘then we will do it together.’ His grip on Serrin’s shoulder tightened in a way the Mask hoped was comforting. ‘My friend.’

The way Serrin looked at him was astonishing, in just how much his flat black eyes and the hard flat panes of his face managed to convey. Nicolai had never seen such a happy looking Hornet.

‘Come on,’ he added, settling once more into a jog. He wanted to get back before the Queen was done subjugating the Greybugs.

Serrin joined him, initially keeping pace eagerly. But after a moment the Hornet’s eagerness faded. ‘But where else could you find the information?’ he murmured, suddenly dispirited. ‘There’s no one out here.’

‘I have access to the Phantom City.’

‘The Phantom City!’ Serrin cried, like he’d just found the answer to all their problems.

‘What of it?’

‘It’s important. She is obsessed with getting into it. Two of my brothers are spies there already. It sounds like there are all kinds of great things there. It’s good you have access, very good!’

‘Do you know what it is she wants from there?’

‘No, but I would guess it has to do with the Binding. She wants to send me, too. But I know what the Ripper does to turn a human into a skinsuit. I’ll never wear one!’

Nicolai gazed at the Hornet. That was problematic. A number of his directives from the Queen revolved around Serrin. If she saw him spending time with the Hornet but no progress was made, bad things would happen. He could take Serrin to the City as his plus one, but without a human disguise Serrin would draw too much attention.

‘What does your refusal actually change, except that you will limit your ability to fight back against her?’

Serrin turned to stare at him. ‘What?’

‘What does it change?’

‘Well, she would have no reason to kill humans, if I refuse.’

‘Won’t she just send others? More like Drekhul and Xyrrith?’

Serrin tensed. ‘I suppose.’

Nicolai shifted his jog, coming a little closer to the Hornet. ‘Nothing meaningful is accomplished easily, nor without sacrifice. If you want freedom from her, or even to bring her down… you will have to make some choices. The City would be a very good place for you to be, considering our aims.’

‘If I agree to go, she’ll think I’ve given in! It’ll encourage her!’

‘And what’s wrong with that?’

Serrin stared at him, uncomprehending.

‘As things are, she will be keeping a close eye on you,’ Nicolai continued. ‘She’ll be wary you might try something. But if you start to move as she desires, she’ll relax, give you more room. If you want to escape from her, you’ll need that room.’

Serrin just shook his head, avoiding Nicolai’s eyes. ‘You’re talking like one of them,’ he muttered. ‘The same stuff as always. Obey her.’

‘To survive in a den of monsters, you must be monstrous yourself.’

‘Must I?’ snapped Serrin. ‘Then I will just be another Hornet!’

‘No. Because once you are out of the den, you can be different. But while you are there, you can only do what you must.’

‘How do I know I won’t change, and become one of them in truth? That once I get away, I’ll just be a wandering monster?’

‘You don’t. All you can do is try.’

Serrin didn’t reply to this, gazing ahead. He seemed unhappy, but also thoughtful.

Nicolai, in turn, found it extremely odd to be saying all these words, though he was pretty sure it was all thoroughly human. It would not be inaccurate to define him as a wandering monster. If so, he was reasonably happy as one. But Serrin had put humans on some pedestal, seemed to expect him to be a Better Man purely because of his race. Seemed to believe he was a Better Man. The Mask clung to this, but that was expected.

What wasn’t was the weird feeling he had, vague and uncertain inside of him. Almost as though he didn’t want to let Serrin down.

###

They emerged at last from the jungle, the hill coming into sight. There were many Hornets flying above. Pressing up the hill, their view broadened, Greybugs coming into view. A long train of them moving off into the jungle.

A few Hornets hovered around, exchanged some ripples with Serrin. Nicolai realised then that he’d been communicating almost entirely in ripples ever since he’d met the hornet. Since the Modules had helped him master it, the language had begun to feel more and more natural.

A shape was descending towards them. The Queen. She landed softly and looked them over. ‘What happened?’ spoke the Queen in a snap. ‘Why were you two out there? Where have you been and what have you been doing?’

He and Serrin had discussed what they would say, shortly before exiting the jungle.

‘I was hunted down by… certain individuals,’ began Nicolai. He glanced around with apparent wariness, a method of asking whether he was safe to speak.

She looked up and flicked some irritable fingers. Sounds and ripples of the world around abruptly cut off, leaving them in a pocket of silence. She gestured impatiently for him to continue.

‘I had to fight against two of them together, which wasn’t ideal. Armed only with a Silent Knife rather than my Blade…’ he allowed a Significant Pause to stretch, ‘…I struggled to fight against them. However, I was able to kill one of them in spite of this, but would have been overwhelmed if not for him.’ He nodded to Serrin, and the Queen followed his gaze, suddenly interested.

‘I happened to stumble upon them,’ spoke Serrin. ‘When I saw those two attacking the human, I had to help.’

The Queen nodded approvingly.

Nicolai nodded. ‘Not only that, but they made no effort to hide their intentions. They wanted to kill both of us. In fact, one of them even seemed gladdened that he had arrived, because it would save them the effort of hunting him down. They are looking to remove everyone who could be a threat to them within your hive.’

The Queen’s wings flickered. She looked between them, her anger growing. ‘Is this true?’ she asked Serrin.

The Hornet shifted, gaze lowered. ‘It is, Mother. They wanted me dead.’

She let out a furious hum. ‘They grow ever more arrogant in their actions,’ she snarled. ‘This has to end.’

After a moment, she looked back up. ‘But it can’t end yet. I do not have the leverage.’ She looked between Nicolai and Serrin again. ‘You told him your mission?’ she asked Nicolai.

‘I did. It seemed relevant information that he should know, considering the danger he is in. And you told me to keep him safe as well.’

She sighed. ‘You see, my son,’ she said to Serrin, ‘this is why I sought to strengthen you. This day would always come, though I didn’t expect it so soon.’ She put a motherly hand on Serrin’s shoulder, ignoring his flinch. The Queen glanced upwards. ‘We will return to the Hive for now. Following that, you two will go together. I must talk alone with the human,’ she added, giving Serrin a gentle shove.

He gave her an extraordinarily suspicious look as he moved away.

A familiar orb of force surrounded them, filled in with inky black, and they were alone.

‘You have some kind of home?’ she asked. Her tone had shifted, all the false love and kindness she’d shown Serrin dropping away.

‘I do.’

‘Good. You will take Serrin there. Tell me, did he kill one of them? The Highspawn?’

‘No, I did. But he struck at them. I think he would’ve killed them, if pressed. It was a difficult situation and I couldn’t risk that they might escape, so I killed them as quickly as possible.’

She nodded. ‘Does he like you?’

Nicolai was far from sure how much to say. Serrin was her ideal weapon, on paper. But the odds of her actually winning her son’s loyalty were currently nonexistent. It would require him to be broken into an entirely new person.

The real issue was he wasn’t sure whether she realised that or not. If she did, then having Serrin befriend someone—like him—then arranging some convoluted method of killing that someone, could be one fashion of breaking Serrin. Thus being Serrin’s “friend” could be dangerous.

But just from what she’d seen, she could probably guess that Serrin was friendly toward him. It wouldn’t do to be caught in a lie.

‘We are getting along well. I have already used my growing influence to suggest that he joins me in the City, should you give him the means. I believe that if you push that matter, he may be more amenable.’

‘Alas, I do not have any human captives I can rip the access Mark from, as of now.’ She gave him a significant look. ‘Except you.’

‘Fortunately for us both, you realise the benefits I can accrue for you in the City.’

‘Fortunately I do.’ She was unreadable. She glanced up, and he felt a pulse of anger from her. The black orb dissolved.

A Highspawn landed beside them, one of a number dropping from the sky. The Queen’s Tier 2 Elites had come down with them to hover over her, and glared at these Highspawn.

Nicolai sidled away as the argument started up. The Highspawn accused her of having him kill the two Highspawn. He watched this with some wariness, but they had no solid proof, and thus they seemed unable to pressure the Queen. She breezily suggested the pair had been killed by nameless Greybugs, which caused a sussurrus of outraged ripples from the group.

Ultimately the Highspawn were driven off, emanating fury, with Vorath promising that more of them would arrive, and that they would be investigating very closely.

Nicolai also learned that they’d searched for the bodies of their slain comrades, only to find that they were buried beneath a collapse. Legal had wisely put the corpses in the tunnels before collapsing them.

No proof, but the Highspawn were definitely aware he’d done it, and from their glares he knew they’d be seeking his death very eagerly. They couldn’t try under the Queen’s eyes, but he suspected that just about anywhere else would be another matter.

He also anticipated that the next time they came for him, there would be a lot more.

The Hornet army rose into the air, flew slowly through the sky. The Greybugs toiled below. Vexira’s Soul Sense tugged him along, and thus he saw as she alighted atop the Greybug Queen—a huge, wide thing, leaking pale blood from numerous wounds, spears dug into it.

She was doing something with her Soul Sense, controlling it like an animal through a combination of painful jabs and promises of treats.

There were no attacks to slow them; the beasts of the jungle quick to move out of the way of the army of bugs. But even so, the pace was far slower than the last time he’d flown with them. The Hornets flew above the Greybugs, matching their slow pace as they herded them.

Nicolai spoke to a few more Hornets who came to fly beside him, but none of them wanted anything much. Just coming to investigate or insult. Drekhul was one of those who came to insult him. Nicolai quickly realised the Hornet was just irritated that he’d failed to score any significant blows in their earlier fight.

He was tempted to kindly explain that this was only natural, because Drekhul was trash and he would’ve annihilated him one-on-one, but Drekhul seemed close to Xyrrith and thus might be a future ally, if he avoided antagonising him. So instead Nicolai agreed with everything he said until the Hornet, confused, drifted away. Serrin and Xyrrith both kept their distance, perhaps unwilling to talk with him while he was so close to the Queen.

Night had fallen by the time they arrived at the Hive.