Book 3: Chapter 16: Hivemind

Book 3: Chapter 16: Hivemind

Maria’s hand was once more in mine as we strode through the lush forest. She rested a watermelon-sized rock atop her other hand that was so big I’d almost call it a boulder. Bumblebro and Queen Bee sat on my shoulder, their wings twitching nervously. I reached up and patted the top of their heads with a finger, trying to reassure them.

“Sure you don’t want me to carry that?” I asked Maria, pointing at the mass of stone she carried.

“Are you calling me weak, Fischer?”

I gave her some audacious side-eye, only for her to wiggle her eyebrows back and shoulder pressed the rock with her enhanced muscles.

“Point taken,” I replied.

Shooting a glance back at Snips and her layer of shifting clothes, I recalled my conversation with Bumblebro and Queen Bee’s children before we’d left. Because I’d mentioned their renovation of the honeybee’s hive, they originally thought I wanted them to build some things for New Tropica. While they could surely help on that front in the future, I’d had something else in mind. Thankfully, they’d been happy to go along with my plans—ecstatic, even. It had been at least a quarter hour since they’d agreed, and they still buzzed their wings in excitement, making a pleasant hum wash over the surrounding trees.

When we arrived back at New Tropica, the cultivators that noticed us showed the same level of respect they had earlier. This time, though, their gazes one and all drifted toward Sergeant Snips. She walked with her carapace held high, pride radiating from her. Eyebrows rose, muttered conversation sprung up, and all eyes remained mostly pinned to Snips, completely fixated on my guard crab and her enthralling outfit.

Extending my senses, I found Barry.

“This way, guys,” I said, turning left at the main crossroads and striding for the new headquarters.

As we entered, Theo and Barry turned my way. Borks, who was sleeping beneath an artifact, lifted his head, yawned, wagged his tail, and made to relax again. But then he saw Snips. He did a double take, his ears going alert as he stared at her noisy outfit.

“Oh, hello,” Barry said, smiling at us. “I thought you’d be off fishing by now. To what do we owe the...” He trailed off, his forehead creasing as he caught sight of Snips.

“Snips...” Theo pursed his lips for a long moment before continuing. “Are you aware that you’re wearing bees?”

She blew affirmative bubbles, bobbing her head happily.

The bees, who’d been churning over one another atop their crabby steed since we left their hive, finally stilled. They turned their heads toward Barry and Theo, moving with perfect synchronization as they nodded and buzzed their wings in greeting.

“Bees?” I demanded, adopting the air of an indignant noble. “Not mere bees, my well-intentioned yet misinformed friend! These humble insects are the progeny of one Bumblebro!”

He puffed up on my shoulder, unable to hide his satisfaction with my words.

“And that’s not all!” I continued. “Their blood—wait, do insects have blood?” I shook my head. “Their lineage is so regal—so powerful—that I find my thoughts addled! I ask that you brace yourselves, dear friends! When I reveal their mother, you might need to pick up your jaws from the floor! In your wildest dreams, you would never guess—”

“So Queen Bee and Bumblebro had kids, huh?” Theo asked, projecting his voice to cut me off.

“Congratulation,” Barry said, smiling at Bumblebro and Queen Bee as they took flight from my shoulder. “Are they all awakened...?” Barry’s chi spread out, and when it reached the army of bees Snips was currently wearing as a hat, his eyes flew wide. “They are! Amazing...”

I’d begun scowling when my monologue was rudely interrupted, and it had only deepened as they continued ignoring me.

“They feel strong for their size. How powerful are they?” Theo asked. “Ellis is going to absolutely lose his—”

“Hey!” I yelled, hamming up my petulance. “I was mid-diatribe, you devious disciples!”

Barry snorted, giving me a smirk. “Disciples would imply that you were the leader of this church. Are you sure about that terminology?”

“Pshh!” I waved both hands dismissively. “I’m busy improving my dao. Consider yourself lucky that I haven’t left for some closed-door cultivation.”

“Okay,” Barry replied. “You lost me.”

My brain short-circuited for a moment, but then I realized he was talking about the bees. He must have heard me when I projected my chi earlier, and as I considered him, his eyes only grew more intense. Ellis had always been thirsty for knowledge, but of late, he’d seemed almost manic in his information gathering. He visibly fought down the urge to demand an answer again, shivering as he stared at me.

“Ellis... are you all right, mate?” I asked, holding his shoulders. “You seem...”

“Batshit crazy?” Maria suggested, quirking an eyebrow at the former archivist’s shaking form.

I laughed. “I was going to say intense, but that’s not far off.”

“What? I am fine.” He took a steadying breath, his composure seeming to return. “I just wish to learn who the scouts are. Has someone else ascended?”

“Uh, kind of?” I pointed at Snips and the carpet of bees lining her carapace. “It’s no big deal. Bumblebro and Queen Bee had a bunch of children. They’re all spirit beasts or whatever.”

“They’re what?” Ellis dashed over to them and leaned in close. “Remarkable...” He removed his pad and began scribbling notes, muttering something under his breath about their features.

“For what it’s worth,” Theo said, “Ellis has always been so... passionate. It’s likely just the fact that he’s learning secrets he’s dreamed about his entire life.”

“I can hear you,” Ellis replied, not looking up from his note taking. “But I agree. You are the batshit crazy ones, as Maria so eloquently put it, for not being excited about everything we are learning.” He turned his back to us, adding a physical element to his verbal dismissal. “Perhaps you should reassess how blessed we are.”

I raised a finger and opened my mouth to reply, but came up short. “Huh. He might have a point...”

Bumblebro nodded sagely, landing on my shoulder and giving me a reassuring pat.

“Ah well.” I shrugged at Barry. “That’s all I really wanted to show you guys. Is it okay to leave the planning in your hands?”

“Absolutely.”

“Wonderful. Snips—are you gonna stay with our new bee pals or come with Maria and I?”

She blew questioning bubbles.

“Agreed,” Maria said, looking at me in confusion. “Where are we going?”

“Fishing, of course. I thought we could invite a new friend to try out our heretical lifestyle...”

Snips nodded fervently, shaking some of the bees loose.

“Oh! I’m in!” Maria said. “Who are we inviting, though? I’m not sure if you’ve looked around recently, but we have a lot of new friends.”

“Deklan.” I gave her a wide grin before turning toward Barry. “Do you know where he is?”

“Why am I not surprised?” Barry shook his head with a smile. “Last I saw him, he was at the smithy.”

“Perfect. Catch you guys later.”

The sound of Borks’s claws scrabbling on the stones came from the headquarters, having slept through the demonstration but never one to miss out on a little fishing. Bumblebro and Queen Bee chose to come along too, riding on my shoulder.

With Maria’s hand in mine and a handful of my animal pals along for the ride, we headed off toward the smithy.