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.”

tapped her on the head

leg at the darkness behind them, “and I’m also the one

sure what you

it a second, they’ll

tunnel

of movement down the tunnel, as a mix of large and small tree-people came into

in a favour from that stupid tree to cover the nest for us while everyone catches up on

a tree waved back before they turned

nice to have a group like them on our side, even if their mother is a bit of a jerk. Alright, they’ll take things from here, you lot

are we going, Eldest?” Leonidant

Straight into this infinite void of darkness

“What?!”

been diligent in making sure you hit

“We were taught to always get proper rest in

if you don’t take proper care of yourself, then your work gets sloppy and all the ants around have to pick up the

the giant ant had rounded everyone up and

Colony, there are those who routinely push the limits, who skip a torpor period here and there, or go for multiple days without resting.

what’s happening here?”

The Eldest laughed.

The entire fortress is getting put into torpor. Way too many ants not doing the right thing. The

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

smothering the light and deepening the shade. Inside, Solant saw something unbelievable taking place. Ants

of shaped stone filled the space, each occupied by a member of the Colony, adrift in torpor. Thousands upon thousands of them. As they drew closer, Solant could see that each was

they reached a new bed, they would carefully uncover the 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

it all. How terrible. She

Eldest, of course, noticed

don’t take your rest on time, then you get the full treatment. So much time

to work without making a sound or a scent, collecting slumbering members of the Colony, tucking them into

happening all over the fortress?” Solant

Everyone is

them?” Solant wondered, indicating