Chrysalis

“Your brogue is beginning to show again.”

“T’aint nothin’ of tha’ sort.”

Isaac took a second, realised what he’d just said, and frowned.

“Told you so,” Cavalant said. “You’re too tense. Try to relax a little bit.”

And how exactly was he supposed to do that? The atmosphere in this chamber was so thick he could cut it with his moustache. No blade required, only a bit of wax. He was so on edge he’d mounted up and ordered the rest of his squad to do the same. Now they scuttled around the outer edge of the space, watching, waiting. At any moment, one of the hundreds of powerfully built golgari could whip out one of the oversized weapons they held and start cutting into them. So far, nothing had happened.

So far.

“I don’t like this place,” he said to his partner, Cavalant, “we’re too exposed. It’ll be too difficult to use our mobility to our advantage.”

“So you’ve said,” she drawled, “several times. And I told you that it’s going to be fine. The Eldest is with us.”

Isaac restrained himself from pointing out that the Eldest was not in fact ‘with them’. Anthony was stuck on a boat outside the fortress! If the golgari started swinging in here, what exactly was he going to do from out there?

Questioning the supposedly all-powerful capacities of the oldest and biggest ant was simply not done, however, so he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut on the subject. Better to keep his eyes peeled and spear held ready.

The trade mission occupied the centre of what appeared to be a wide, circular welcoming chamber. There were only two openings in the walls: the way they had come in and the entrance opposite, through which the silver soldier had made his exit. The space itself wasn’t cylindrical either. The gap between the roof and floor was wider in the middle and narrowed at the outside edge, like two plates, one flipped over and laid on top of the other.

Around that narrow outside stood the warriors the golgari had so ‘generously’ left to watch over them, while in the middle, the brathians and smaller ants laboured to unpack their various goods. The stalls were going up at a rapid pace, a small market taking shape under the watchful eye of Eran Thouris, but every minute in this pressure cooker felt like an hour to Isaac.

making stew, but he was beginning to understand just how it felt to be exposed to such unrelenting

see it in their eyes, the same anxiety

the young man’s own mount. “Another hour and we’ll be out

close to each other. It was hardly necessary for the ants of the Colony to do it, they could smell each other just fine without getting that close, and could ‘talk’ from a good distance apart, much like a person shouting, but nevertheless, some parts of their base

has been illicitly taken; should you find it

him, drawing in a shaky breath. “They keep watching us. Have you noticed? They barely seem

the golgari warriors, of course. It was true, they were disciplined, unmoving and unflinching in their observation of the ants and their escorts. Despite how they appeared, Isaac was certain they

inside your own head. What did your partner

said I was

“She’s right.”

would take care of

Besides, Pharlant is a hell of a lot

man rolled his eyes and managed a wan smile. Isaac chuckled and stroked his moustache

you go, lad. It’s not that bad. Go tell the others I want them riding in groups of four, no more of this aimless drifting one by one. Half

ones to help steady the riders’ nerves, but this was one of those moments when they weren’t necessarily on the same page. Not all of the

wasn’t sure if

instructions to the others, things began to look a little more organised, the cavalry straightening in their saddles, not wanting to

too green, Isaac thought. The cavalry had seen a little battle, but not enough to inject the required iron into the backbone. Probably because they were still too

work, Captain,” a pheromonal ‘voice’ reached Isaac, bumping

turned to see the general coming

are just a little tense in here is all, some of my people were getting

of warriors surrounding them. “The golgari are planning something. What, I’m not sure, but something

felt a chill run down