Chrysalis

[He's close! We need to get all minds on the job. Try and find his mana signature. It'll be hard, he's good at hiding, so we need to get on this now!]

[Anthony…] Sarah's mind hesitantly reaches out to mine.

[Later,] I tell her brusquely, [I can hear what you have to say later. The Colony won't be dissuaded on this, not after what he did.]

I switch my mind directly to my allies.

[Crinis, reach out through the shadows, cover as much ground as you can.]

I reach back and pat her with one antenna.

[This will be a huge strain on you, so be careful. It's important, but not more important than you are.]

[I understand, master.]

[Al, I need you to help track down this worm.]

[I do not understand. Confusion. What is a worm?]

[It's a type of creature that’s long and burrows through the ground. Just try and find the damn traitor, please?]

[I will try.]

As I've been talking all of my minds have already bent themselves to the task of tracing the mana that Jim wove with such cunning. I refuse to believe he's so good that he can hide all evidence of his weaving.

Wherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewherewhere?!?!

AHA! A sniff!

[This way!] I roar over the mind bridge to my team and we rush northwards. [Crinis! Let's go!]

call to her before I dash forward like a terrier on the trail. He covered his tracks as carefully as only a

who we simply knock to the side, unwilling to waste time fighting them. A

he is travelling down a pre-dug tunnel, master. I can sense

in the first place. Any chance we can use

believe it's collapsing behind

[Dammit!]

and I sure as hell am not going to let him off that easy. Run! Like the wind, Anthony! A thousand thoughts try to intrude on

emotions run cold.

Do you

I'm not able to catch

he doesn't get too far ahead then we can

his core despite the fact that I should be able to sense it at my level of mana sight.

all that surprising, considering he's a

sense something change. I screech to a halt as I cast my senses about, trying to determine what has happened. My sense of Jim is fading, but not in the way

up! He might be going to breach

Crinis asks,

be

for us, as we run and climb our way out of the tunnels our hold on the trail grows ever more faint. By the time we reach the plains I can barely sense him at all,

[Thissss way.]

[You're sure?]

[Alwaysssss sure!]

enough for

plains now, the ground beneath our feet carpeted in battling demon larvae, we continue to run as somewhere ahead of us, just below

may not even reach him. [Didn't you have something to say? Come

anger to bubble up within me but under the effect

taunt, [you sure you don't want to let her know why you betrayed her? Did you know she almost died because of you? Why don't you come on back and apologise? My mandibles

mind and I turn my head a

[… sorry,] I mumble.