Chrysalis

“Congratulations,” Enid smiled down on the still recovering young woman.

“Thank you mayor,” Lilin replied, radiantly happy despite what she’d just been through.

“We’re very happy,” her husband Phillip said as he stared lovingly down at his wife.

“And how has the care you’ve received been?’

“Oh, just perfect,” Lilin said.

“We couldn’t be happier, mayor. Thank you,” Phillip said.

“That’s good. After the effort we put into building this place, I’m glad it’s all come together.”

[We told you it would be fine,] the on-rotation ant-medic said. [I still don’t understand why you doubted us in the first place. When is the Colony anything but first-rate?]

[I should have believed in you,] Enid admitted, [but even I wasn’t sure how well you would be able to run a maternity ward. You don’t know anything about human reproduction.]

[Bah,] the ant groused, [our queens give birth hundreds of times every day. You think we can’t heal someone who has given birth only once? Don’t be ridiculous. Now get out of the way, I need to check the patient.]

Healers, medics and doctors always managed to be rude and ill-tempered. Even the non-human ones! In some ways, Enid took comfort knowing that this fact of life was even more universal than she’d thought.

head just barely high enough to see over the top of the bed Lilin rested in. Even if the eyes didn’t quite reach, the antennae certainly did. The recovering mother was lightly tapped and brushed by those curious feelers as

brightly as they imparted a quick burst of healing mana to

began to make

said, [the baby has been cleaned up and checked. It

how bizarre it was that she

is,] the new ant said cheerfully, and Enid could only assume it was a younger, less evolved healer. She hadn’t had time to

arms. As Phillip leaned in to embrace them both, Enid brushed a tear from her eye. Such a touching

leave you

and she smiled at them

was less than a year ago that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they

the facility, doing her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She stepped out into the streets of Renewal, and finding herself in

of mage-work was laborious, and expensive, which made it rare, at least, rare before the catastrophe. Every street in Renewal was formed this way, crafted by the carvers with exacting

there, the influence of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly, it was rare to see someone waiting more than a

questions were on their minds. She welcomed it. Where not long ago these exchanges were a never ending series

In fact, the people were

in time, her own office situated in the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary

for a few minutes. They were so stiff these days, and healing magic didn’t help at all. It wasn’t possible to heal

a letter. It wasn’t overly long, but she carefully pondered each word, which dragged out the time. As it turned

it in an envelope and seal it, but decided against it. A waste of paper. Too inefficient,