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.

a lapse in judgement. I think

tried

have listened,” Alis groused. “Deepward wasn’t that rude to us. Still, a little more manners

we wouldn’t have burned their

“Yes… that.”

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

Alis said firmly, “they let us in, Beyn preached, we rested

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

as he was, people tended to avoid him at the

Alis sniffed.

to bring out some good manners and

of this would have happened. He wondered if the hostile reaction they got was due to the pilgrims, or

wasn’t great for your nerves. In some ways, it might have been better if the Colony had just conquered

we got here, to

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

the pilgrims well back from the gates. Beyn did everything he could to appear non-threatening and harmless.

and the pilgrims had decided that getting into spiritual disagreements and burning down cities was not what the pilgrimage was about, so they’d made every effort

Which was fine. If they’d just said so, then

mocking the Colony. They sang songs making fun of Beyn, of the pilgrims and the Great One. If that had been all, it might have been alright, maybe. When the delegation

the ants had