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.

in judgement. I think people were just excited after Torpin’s

tried to stop

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

wouldn’t have burned their city

“Yes… that.”

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 back before he picked up his

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

Jagtown really

big as he was, people tended to avoid him at the best

Alis sniffed.

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

the pilgrims had received a normal welcome, then none of this would have happened. He wondered if the hostile reaction they

such an enormous and prosperous nest of monstrous ants right next to your city probably wasn’t great for your nerves. In some ways, it might have been better if

got here,

and came to rest against the

this one is definitely not our 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 from the gates. Beyn did everything he could to appear

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

just said so, then Jern was pretty sure the

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

on the city. If the ants had found out what was said…. Jern