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.

was… a lapse in judgement. I think people were

Beyn tried to stop

really should have listened,” Alis groused. “Deepward wasn’t that

wouldn’t have burned their city to

“Yes… that.”

to lift, freeing it from the crumbling bricks that weighed it down. They waggled their antennae

got to Jagtown,” Alis said firmly, “they let us in, Beyn preached, we rested and

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

was, people tended to avoid him at the best of

Alis sniffed.

a little fear is what it takes to bring out some good manners and hospitality,

happened. He wondered if the hostile reaction they got was due to the pilgrims, or perhaps because these smaller cities were extremely paranoid living right

monstrous ants right next to your city probably wasn’t great for your nerves. In some ways, it might have been better if the Colony had just conquered them so they could find out everything was fine and just

we got

remained of the shattered street and came to rest against the face of a statue commemorating

fault!” Alis proclaimed, jabbing 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

and burning down cities was not what the pilgrimage

Which was fine. If they’d just said so, then Jern was pretty sure the

on their walls 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

let the pilgrims loose on the city. If the ants had found out what was