Chrysalis

“We didn’t really mean to burn Torpin’s rest,” Alis protested. “People just got a bit carried away.”

“We were lucky the Colony was there to keep casualties to a minimum and help rebuild. Things could have gotten very nasty,” Jern said.

“They provoked us!”

The gentle giant next to her frowned.

“Just because someone teases me, doesn’t mean I should punch them in the face. You’re the one who told me that.”

“That’s… true. Of course that’s true. But they shouldn’t have said anything about the Great One!”

Jern thought for a while and then nodded. There hadn’t been any need to insult their saviour like that. It was almost as if the leader of Torpin’s Rest wanted to provoke them.

He stepped over a pile of rubble, and extended a hand to Alis, which she grasped as she clambered over it.

“Then what about Deepward?” he asked.

His friend released his hand and brushed off her dress, trying to pat away the dust and ash.

judgement. I think

tried to stop

“Deepward wasn’t that

have burned their city to the

“Yes… that.”

a beam of charred wood, carvers, judging by the size, so Jern put down his axe and helped them to lift, freeing it from the crumbling bricks that weighed it down. They waggled their antennae at him in gratitude and he smiled

least they were a lot more welcoming when we got to Jagtown,” Alis said firmly, “they let us in, Beyn preached, we rested and

they were really scared,” Jern observed, remembering. “People in Jagtown really seemed to want to avoid me. More than

tended to

Alis sniffed.

manners and hospitality, then that says a

happened. He wondered if the hostile reaction they got was due to the pilgrims, or perhaps because

for your nerves. In some ways, it might have been better if the Colony had just

got here, to

against the face of a statue commemorating the mining city’s founder. Some pilgrims had pulled it down

him in the chest with one finger. “We were super nice. We didn’t show up with any ants. We kept most of the pilgrims well back from the gates. Beyn did everything he could to appear non-threatening and

into spiritual disagreements and burning down cities was not what the pilgrimage was about, so

people of Blackrock really, really didn’t want them nearby. Which was fine. If they’d just said so, then Jern was

of the pilgrims and the Great One. If that had been all, it might have been alright, maybe. When

been forced to let the pilgrims loose on the city. If the ants had found out what was said…. Jern didn’t want to think about