Chrysalis

"How was I supposed to know he was going to escape?" Granin said. "You think he was likely to admit such a thing right before he attempted it?"

"I've had reports that much of the mental communication between yourself and the ant were shielded from prying. Why would that be?" Gravus rumbled, uncharacteristically keeping his temper in check.

Granin's eyes widened.

"Because, as my charge, and as a reincarnated individual, Anthony had those rights within the cult. I swear by the Worm, you boneheads don't even remember what he is!"

"He was a monster under the control of the cult," Gravus growled.

"He was an individual under the care of the cult," Granin ground out.

The two old Shapers glared at each other, openly indulging in their mutual dislike. Granin felt his knuckles itch with the desire to punch this sorry sack of a stone right in the face again, just to prove a point, but he restrained himself. He was being interrogated and didn't particularly want to drag the rest of his triad down with him.

"And I suppose the frequent meetings with the other reincarnated individuals under our care, leading to the escape of one of them, had nothing to do with your machinations?"

"Machinations?" Granin snorted. "The only plotting here has been going on in the vast space between your ears. It's natural for them to want to communicate with each other, given their shared history. Each of those meetings was approved, by your triad, and, just maybe, James was eager to escape because he feared being forced into combat to the death. You know, like you did to Anthony, and then to Sarah."

Gravus puffed up with indignation.

"You know very well that the specimen known as Sarah volunteered for the role. She has relied on the Shapers for many years, it's little surprise that she wants to give back."

a few long seconds as Granin stared his adversary in the eyes coolly. It was hard to believe the old blowhard would be able to spit those lines with a straight face. If it were Granin, he expected the shame would be enough

rumours. People are talking about Sarah, about how scared she was of returning to the

He leaned forward conspiratorially.

third strata and leave her there if she didn't agree to participate in the Dungeon and murder one of her

said through gritted

through his own rictus grin. "It's this kind of disgusting

help himself, this leader of theirs. If he wasn't so busy sticking his nose into messes and stirring the pot, he'd have been inducted to the leadership decades ago. But, if he was able to practice that kind of restraint, he

of ants, the entire city had exploded. A few things had begun to happen at once. Officials scrambled to put together

Noble circle had, to this point, been mercifully silent, but for how long nobody could guess. Yet another reason to find someone to

on her desk and her

the city that you had no knowledge of what was going to take place, Granin," she managed to sound regretful. "If or

pressed intelligent and dangerous creatures against a wall, forcing them to

think we'll be saying

being honest

stepped forward and inserted herself into the

to have to give us a compelling reason.

bring themselves to care. Not to say that the threat to their own freedom and safety wasn't real, it absolutely was, but these individuals no longer held any awe or fear for them. They now saw them as

too was tired of

a big word to

current situation calls for