Chrysalis

Coolant looked out from her perch next to the upper sally port of the great gate and felt nothing but confusion.

"Do you want to go tell him, or should I?" she said to Sloan who was clinging to the wall next to her.

The general shook her head, bewildered.

"I mean. They have to know, right? There's no chance that they don't know."

"I assume they know. I mean, what are the odds the two forces aren't communicating to this extent?"

"Almost none, surely. Such a lack of organisation in our foes would throw our plans way out."

"Hasn't this thrown them way out anyway?"

Sloan hesitated.

"That's… true."

The two of them looked out in silence for a few more moments at the totally unexpected scene before them.

"What do you think we should do?" Coolant asked, her scent as calm and unruffled as it always was.

"I don't know!" Sloan fretted. Why would these idiots perform this sort of moronic action now of all times? It didn't make any sense!

strange, undirected mental communication washed out over them, rippling through the ambient

here, or this one, a friend of that creature,

with one of their own forced to kneel on the ground at sword point whilst an elaborately armoured figure reclined in a chair next to him, watching all that

the Eldest… Who else could they possibly want?" Coolant

no idea, but the Eldest isn't here. There is almost a zero percent chance that they don't know

some reason, why not let them do it? One less for them to fight when they made a

is involved, there might be some element at play that we don't understand," Sloan sighed. "Anytime

Eldest gobbled down trouble like a Queen taking

"I'll need to move a little closer, I don't think

"I'll arrange an escort."

thousand ants ready to escort the mage closer

think a thousand may send the

"What do you mean?"

she counted quickly, "eight golgari over there. If we

antennae. A thousand didn't feel like many to her. Then again, she was

toward the golgari delegation, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Sloan had considered things carefully and the delegation contained a healthy mix of mages, for raising shields, scouts, for detecting foul play, and soldiers, to hold the line in the event the others needed to retreat. Once they had covered half the ground toward the first gate, they very obviously stopped and parked themselves for a moment. Acting with great caution, Coolant wove together a mind bridge and extended it

she started off formally, [I have come to clarify exactly what it is that you

stone-people all communicated with each other for

ant. We want you to bring them here so that they may duel the High Blade Balta. He wishes to

the Eldest? For what? Some imagined insult? She couldn't possibly comprehend the meaning behind