Chrysalis

“Do not discuss what we have seen or heard until we return home,” the Eran warned her people as they made their way out of the grand ant fortress.

Here on an expedition, her word was law and even her daughter knew better than to cause trouble for her mother at this moment in particular. The brathians were silent for the remainder of the journey. They marched in silence through the enormous tunnels of the fortress, didn’t breathe a word as they exited the vast gates and continued to keep their mouths shut as they were escorted by the ants through the monsters and down to the shoreline.

With dignity, they bowed to the ants, turned and walked into the water, their clothing floating around them as they walked deeper and deeper.

Once they were fully submerged, Eran Thouris gave her people a significant look and began to swim, weaving her magic to propel herself and the entire group through the water at an incredible speed. Enormous monsters churned through the water, closer than any would like, but the song of the siren filled the lake around them, and the monsters ignored them completely.

On they swam, through the murk and out into the brathian territory, passing through the barrier without difficulty.

“May we speak now?” Theraz asked cautiously.

“You may converse,” came the terse reply, “but no details about the negotiation or what we’ve seen. The Satrap will want our unfiltered thoughts.”

“That was so exciting!” Piris exclaimed. “An entire empire of ants! It’s incredible! And that fortress? How long did it take them to build it? Almost no time at all!”

Theraz swam closer and nudged his cousin with his elbow.

“We aren’t meant to be talking about it yet.”

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him.

“But it was so interesting! Have you ever seen anything like it?”

“No, I haven’t, but I know to keep my mouth shut before we meet the Satrap. You can talk all you want about it once we arrive.”

her excitement, but she managed to bottle it up long

smooth expression twisted in anger as she ripped the necklace from around her neck and blasted it

she roared. “Forty percent! FORTY PERCENT! I haven’t felt this

expression growing faintly terrified as his wife showed her rage so publicly.

all sorts of things, and they served us incredible cakes, and tea, and the fortress was unbelievably huge, and there was an ant there who was

smiled at his daughter before turning his concerned expression back

delegation and

was immune to all of my Skills. A mutation? Some sort of evolution? We were

water around her, fingers tearing gashes through

Umizan flinched on his throne and turned

that bad? Do we

thought they’d demanded

up. “There was a negotiation for the rights to trade the Colony’s goods to other markets, and they demanded a high percentage of the final price. My honoured Aunt did extremely well against the initial

Eran managed to get control

to put it,”

was powerfully built for a brathian, who tended to

said, his deep voice reverberating through the water. “I would like to hear about the threat

about these trade negotiations first. Mages, Eran, gather

sat, pensive, considering what he had

be produced cheaply and in mass quantities. In such variety? This is

over her face. “The final terms are dreadful for our people. I will accept

then jumped when she raised her head to glare at him. “I mean it! Against a monster who was immune to your Skills, you achieved the best deal that you could. In fact, I would

puzzled, as the Satrap rose from his