Chrysalis

Solant knew, of course she knew, how could she not? But the task before her didn’t change, no matter what was going on behind her back.

“Focus your fire forwards! Don’t pay any attention to what’s going on behind! Hold the line!”

The fighting was still intense, though it had slackened, thankfully.

“Are you sure, general? Things are… rather dire back there.”

“Leonidant, I don’t care if the fortress collapses behind us, we will achieve victory here, in this tunnel, at this chokepoint!”

“But the fortress may well have fallen behind us, Solant! We don’t know what’s going on back there!”

For over an hour, reports had flooded to those fighting on the front that any and all communication with the central planning chamber had been lost. The fighters here in the tunnel had been cut off from central command completely.

That didn’t bother Solant so much, she had a job to do, as did every other ant here, and if there was a problem in the nest, that was for others to deal with. The Eldest was back there, for The Queen’s sake! If the Eldest couldn’t deal with it, she assuredly couldn’t.

And so, the fight had gone on.

Then the reports had changed. Not only was the central command chamber enshrouded in darkness, but the shadows were advancing down the tunnels.

Solant had glared at the scout and told her to get back to fighting.

“Rotate!” she demanded, and then twitched when she realised that the next line of soldiers was gone. There was no one to rotate forward.

Instead, all that lay behind her was a black wall of shifting shadows.

“Well… that’s not ideal,” she muttered.

“Yeah, don’t stress about it,” came a familiar scent, followed by the giant head of the Eldest. “You did a good job holding the line. Well done.”

She was pleased for the compliment, but felt it wasn’t deserved.

“We only held because the number of monsters encroaching on our position diminished significantly. If it weren’t for that, we would have… lost.”

her on the head

into your head or anything. I’m the one who arranged that,” the Eldest pointed a leg at the darkness behind them, “and I’m also the one who arranged that,” next they

sure what you

they’ll be here

waited, the Eldest swatting the occasional monster that came down the tunnel as the remaining troops, those

enough, they saw a different type of movement down the tunnel, as a mix of large and small tree-people

a favour from that stupid tree to cover the nest for us while

specimen of a tree waved back before they turned and settled in to defend the

mother is a bit of a jerk. Alright, they’ll take things from here,

are we going, Eldest?” Leonidant asked,

Straight into this infinite void of

“What?!”

making sure you

taught to

take proper care of yourself, then your work gets sloppy and all the ants

giant ant had rounded everyone up and cheerfully led them

unlike you well behaved members of the Colony, there are those who routinely push the limits, who skip a torpor period here and there, or go for multiple days without resting. When that happens, someone needs to make them see the error of their ways and ensure they get

happening here?”

The Eldest laughed.

ants

the hulking form of the Eldest in their midst. Then, suddenly, shockingly,

light and deepening the shade. Inside, Solant saw something unbelievable taking place. Ants were everywhere, crawling over every surface, on the room, on the walls, but even more than those ants who were moving, were those

row, upon row of neat beds formed of shaped stone filled the space, each occupied by a member of the Colony, adrift in torpor. Thousands upon thousands of them.

ant within and apply the contents of their containers to special cloths that they then rubbed over the slumbering ant’s carapace, leaving it gleaming. Then another ant, a carver, would go over the cleaned area

it all. How terrible. She

course, noticed her

gleefully, “if you don’t take your rest on time, then you get the full

continued to work without making a sound or a scent, collecting slumbering members of the

over the fortress?” Solant asked,

course. Everyone is getting the

them?” Solant wondered,