Chrysalis

Freehill is buzzing. The Folk seem to love music, dancing, and fighting in pretty much equal measure. As tall as I am, I can see over the roofs of the buildings that line the wide street I’m led down, and pretty much everywhere I look there is either an impromptu hoe-down, or a group of cheering Folk watching some brawlers throw down. In fact, I catch glimpses of straight up fighting pits in the distance, with rows of wooden benches circling a sand-filled arena.

At the end of the dock, Eran introduces herself to two tough-looking individuals, each bearing large blades on their backs. The first is dressed in loose black robes with a dog-like snout and a nasty scar, the other seems… rabbit-ish? She doesn’t have the ears, but there’s something about the nose that speaks to me of whiskers.

Without a word, to me at least, they fall in beside me, one on either side, and Eran continues to lead the way. Her own brathian guards, along with Marzban and the rest of her family, are with her, of course, but plenty of locals have wriggled into the entourage as well. Like a conductor, Eran Thouris deals with each of them in the correct timing, reassuring this one, placating that one and dismissing the third.

For my part, I just keep my eyes open… metaphorically… and take in the sights. My two guards appear quite bored as they stroll along by my sides, but the people on the street give us a wide berth, which suits me just fine, I’m not trying to stand on anyone.

Eventually we come to a nice-looking building, three storey’s high, constructed from polished beams of a wood I don’t quite recognise. The best thing about the place is that it adjoins one of those gaps between the various clusters of habitation that make up Freehill. Which means my ant brethren and I have somewhere to stay. Only a thousand of us are allowed off the ships at one time, so numbers will have to be rotated. I feel bad, but I’m not going back on board, which means twenty-one slots are more or less permanently filled.

[So… do we just sleep out in the open, or are we allowed to whip something up real quick?]

I ask Eran, but it’s Marzban who answers.

[Let me talk to your security.]

He walks over to one of the guards and respectfully engages them in conversation. The rabbit lady doesn’t seem to care that much, pointing to the field and shrugging, then pointing to me.

[As long as you don’t tunnel below ground level, and as long as you specifically aren’t out of their sight, they don’t mind.]

Oh, nice.

Good thing Cobalt is around. She and a few other ants have followed along in my wake, waiting to see where the rest of our siblings would be allowed to stay.

if detected

nest in this field apparently. We aren’t allowed to dig below surface level,

relieved. “I was worried we

The other ants have been comfortably packed below decks, but I’ve had to suffer under the open sky! Given the choice, I’m sure all of them would rather

with a workforce of several hundred carvers. As soon as they arrive, they get to work, conjuring up the

to one of

allowed

to,] the dog-guy

extremely relaxed for people on guard

White? They

thinking, then replies

of. There are

Grey is a

a blademaster, on

sounds a little

his student, White. Why are you looking at

surprised he didn’t kill

he kill us? We’re

one of the main ways we make our living,] he says, looking at my carapace in a decidedly mercantile way. [And you look pretty valuable for

your butt all