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

tried

that rude to us. Still, a little

wouldn’t have burned

“Yes… that.”

came across several ants struggling to shift 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

lot more welcoming when we got to Jagtown,” Alis said firmly, “they let

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

tended to avoid him at the

Alis sniffed.

out some good manners and hospitality, then that says a lot more about them than it

welcome, then none of this would have 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 on the

your nerves. In some ways, it might have been better

got

the shattered street and came to rest against the face of a statue commemorating the mining city’s founder. Some pilgrims had pulled it down during

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 from the gates. Beyn did everything he could to appear non-threatening and harmless. How can anyone blame us for…”

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

they’d just said so, then Jern was pretty sure the pilgrims would have turned

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 of Blackrock said regretful things about

the city. If the ants had found out what was