Hives Heroism by Benjamin Medrano (z-lib.org)

by Unknown

  “I don’t claim to understand why the gods made them look like pretty women and men, but who am I to fathom the mind of a deity?” Duke Dorma replied, shrugging as he pondered the apis yet again. “They aren’t harmless, that’s for certain. If one of their hives wished to, I suspect they could overrun the duchy. Even the small hives are reported to have fifteen thousand apis at a minimum, and as far as I can tell, all of them fight. That exceeds our army by a large margin… but at the same time, I don’t think that will happen.”

  “Why not?” Laila asked, frowning. “You’re usually more concerned about dangerous neighbors. Like the Dark Kingdoms.”

  The duke smiled at the question, as it was at least rather astute, and he nodded in approval. “I see you’ve been paying attention to those lessons. Yes, if they were like most neighbors, I would be far more concerned than I am. However, the difference between them and the apis is simple. Our land is rather inhospitable to the apis.”

  “What?” the two chorused in tandem, then glared at one another, prompting a chuckle from Duke Dorma.

  “How is our land inhospitable? They seemed happy enough as they approached the city,” Ethan said after a moment, obviously trying to get a step up on his sister. She scowled at him, which made the duke want to roll his eyes. The two always were trying to stand out from each other, yet the moment one of them was threatened by an outsider, they closed ranks. He found it a bit frustrating at times.

  “The three sources of food that they prefer are nectar, pollen, and water. Though they primarily turn the nectar into honey. Some of the local beekeepers have mentioned that sugar water can also work with normal bees, so that would likely be a food source for apis, but sugar is rare around here,” Duke Dorma explained, and shrugged. “It’s likely the same reason that giant bees don’t exist everywhere. There simply aren’t enough flowers in most regions to allow them to survive. The Flower Forest, the Teeming Jungle, and the Shimmerwood… those are all of the areas in the duchy that the druids think apis can comfortably survive in. Due to that, I don’t see any reason that they’d try to expand into the rest of the duchy.”

  Ethan nodded, looking a little thoughtful as he tapped his chin. He opened his mouth, but the moment he did Laila chimed in, as if she’d been waiting to interrupt him.

  “Does that mean you’re looking at them as potential allies, or subjects?” Laila asked, her eyes shining brightly. “I mean, the goblins venture near the Flower Forest frequently, and there are the Dark Kingdoms near the Teeming Jungle and Shimmerwood.”

  “Not subjects,” the duke said quickly, wincing at the idea. “I doubt they’d take that idea very well, and they don’t do thing by halves from what I’ve heard. Allies, though… that I’m hopeful for. We’ll see what happens, though. His Majesty will make the final decisions, but I think he’ll listen to my recommendations.”

  His children nodded in understanding, and looking at them, Duke Dorma thought they truly did understand, which helped him relax a little.

  “I have a few more meetings to attend to, so I think it’s time to get going,” Duke Dorma said, standing at last. “I’ll try to arrange for the two of you to get out into the city if you do well in your lessons, alright?”

  That got a much more enthusiastic response from them, as Laila cheered and hugged him. “Of course, Father! I’ll do my best!”

  “Good, good,” Duke Dorma replied, chuckling as he looked at Ethan, who simply had a smile of satisfaction on his face.

  Now he just had to make sure they didn’t find out how grim the situation really was. They didn’t need to know that he’d already made preparations to have them evacuated to the capital if the worst occurred.

  For now, he preferred to give his children at least the illusion of normality. That didn’t stop the worry that Duke Dorma felt, but it helped.

  Chapter 13

  “Congratulations, you survived your meeting with Duke Dorma,” James said, raising his mug slightly, then he took a sip of the foul-smelling liquid within, the hubbub of conversation through the inn making it a little harder to hear him than normal. Joy didn’t care what he’d told her, ale smelled terrible. Instead she focused on what he said, frowning.

  “Was it likely we’d die? Were we walking into a spider’s web or something?” Joy asked in concern, causing James to splutter slightly, then pull the mug away from his mouth, coughing and pounding his chest with a free hand. “You didn’t warn us…”

  Helen helpfully patted James’s back, a smile on her face as he regained his ability to breathe, while Eda shook her head and answered for him. “No, you weren’t. Unless you did something incredibly offensive, the worst that likely would happen would be him dismissing you with nothing. What James said was a turn of phrase, much like your comment about a spider’s web.”

  “Oh, another expression, right!” Joy said, smiling broadly as she sipped her water. One of the servers had tried to convince her to try the apple juice, but Joy had refused firmly. Her experiences with most juices so far had been poor, to say the least. Most humans and elves didn’t seem to have a good sense of smell, and to her most of them smelled spoiled.

  With his throat finally cleared, James coughed once more, then spoke breathlessly at last. “Eda’s right, that’s what I meant. The duke is one of the better nobles I know of, but he’s still fairly strict.”

  “That’s more than I could tell you,” Cora said, sitting back in her chair as she nursed her cup of wine. “Where I’m from we don’t even have a king or queen. The forest is governed by… what did you call it, Bri?”

  “A republic,” Brianna replied simply, using her dagger to spread some soft cheese across a slice of bread. “Your villages each choose a person to represent them in matters of state, and the resulting council organizes your defenses and negotiates with other countries.”

  “Right,” Cora said, nodding in satisfaction. “Some other elven nations have kings or queens, but not where I grew up. The only nobles I met before the duke were Bri’s parents, and they’re landed knights.”

  Joy’s eyes went wide at that, her mind boggling at the idea of a country being run by someone who wasn’t a queen, but then she calmed down as she made sense of it. It would be like each hive choosing to have their queen organize defenses with other hives, she reasoned… or maybe it would be like their attendants meeting with one another to negotiate. It still was strange to her, but that idea didn’t make her eyes cross.

  While Joy thought, James nodded, leaning forward and setting his mug aside. “Yeah, that’s fair. From what you’re saying… I’m guessing your parents have land on the northern border? If the two of you are childhood friends, I can think of a half-dozen villages that are just across the border from one another.”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Brianna said, nodding agreeably as she thought, then shrugged. “Bakersfield, as a matter of fact. Nothing too impressive, really.”

  “Ah, I’ve seen that one on a map,” James mused, and Marilyn rolled her eyes before interjecting.

  “So, what’re you four planning to do, now that you’ve met the duke and gotten your new gear?” Marilyn asked, resting her elbows on the table as she leaned forward.

  “We got a letter from the duke that should allow us to purchase iron ore from the Clarion mines,” Cora said, patting her belt pouch as she smiled a little more. “The next step is to go arrange for the purchase.”

  “Then we have to get Joy to level twenty,” Stella added quietly, frowning thoughtfully. “With the likelihood of a war breaking out while we’re there, I suspect we’re going to gain more levels than we’d necessarily prefer just getting there.”

  “Damn Alethus anyway,” Jean groused unhappily, slamming her mug down on the table, her cheeks a little flushed. “Why can’t the Kingdoms of Darkness just leave us alone?”

  “I’ve been curious about that. I mean, as long as we have enough flowers to feed our hives, I don’t see why we’d need to get more space,” Joy agreed, toying with her mug han
dle idly.

  All of the others looked at one another at that, seeming to hesitate, but it was Stella who sighed, then spoke.

  “Because greed is a powerful motivator, Joy,” the human said, her voice soft. “Some people desire coin, enough that they can get literally anything they want. Others want land, others want to be the strongest… and some wish to rule over everyone else, and are never satisfied if someone has what they don’t possess. I wish I could say that was unique to the Kingdoms of Darkness, but it isn’t. You’ll see adventurers who will do anything to grow stronger for the sake of their goals, even betraying others. While unfortunate, it simply is what it is.”

  Joy opened her mouth, then paused and sighed, shaking her head as she murmured, “They’re like wasps.”

  That prompted a ripple of laughter from the others, and Joy relaxed, smiling warmly at them. She didn’t always understand why she caused them to laugh so often, but she rather liked how it relaxed them.

  “Anyway, I was wondering… we’re thinking to try to help defend Clarion if Alethus’s army gets there. Considering the situation, the guild is offering a rather large reward to any adventurers that help, and with the risk of the seal on the monster getting released… I really want to keep that from happening,” James said, visibly shuddering for a moment. “I was just thinking, do you want to team up for the trip? I heard that a caravan got wiped out by one of Skyfish Valley’s raiding parties, so I think we should be trying for strength in numbers.”

  “Those Skyfishers are mean,” Joy said, frowning heavily, and Marilyn laughed in response. Joy paused, looking at the others as she asked, “What do you think? I don’t know what to do. The idea of a war is just… I don’t think it’s like the fight with the ants.”

  “I don’t know… a pitched battle isn’t much different, except that the opponents tend to have ranged weapons and can think as well,” Brianna said, shaking her head slowly. “It means you have to be careful not to overextend yourselves, especially since high-level members of either side can devastate you if you aren’t careful.”

  “Sounds accurate to me,” James agreed, nodding. “The ants just had sheer numbers going for them, as well as being utterly fearless.”

  Joy nodded in understanding, while Cora toyed with her mug for a few seconds, thinking, then asked, “What do you think, Bri? You too, Stella.”

  “Teaming up seems like a good idea to me,” Stella said simply.

  “My main concern is that even nine of us aren’t that many people. A caravan would’ve had a lot more than nine guards, so if we’re ambushed by the same people…” Brianna said, letting her voice trail off.

  It definitely didn’t make Joy happy, as she considered, then offered, “The apis were planning to go to the Shimmerwood, though. I’d guess there will be twenty of them? Maybe more or less.”

  “That would probably help, but it wouldn’t necessarily be enough,” Cora said, considering for a few more seconds, then looked at James. “Do you think that there will be a caravan from the Adventurer’s Guild soon, one that we could join?”

  “Probably,” James said, tapping his mug handle idly as he thought, then shrugged. “I couldn’t say for certain, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t form a caravan or something. No one likes getting picked off piecemeal. It’s that or hunting down the raiders, which I don’t see happening right now. Better to form a tempting target for them and draw them out than to reduce the forces available at Clarion.”

  “I hate being considered bait,” Brianna said, her expression turning sour as she sighed. “Still, I suppose it’s better than the other options, and there’s no guarantee that’s what they’d want to do.”

  “So, is that a yes?” Marilyn asked, nursing her drink. “A smaller adventuring party makes sense when you’re dealing with a delve or exploring, but when it comes to these big battles, I don’t think it’s nearly as safe.”

  Joy nodded firmly in agreement with that. In the battle against the army ants, she’d seen how having plenty of others covering their backs had helped keep them from getting ambushed from behind.

  “I don’t see why not,” Cora said, smiling a little more. “We have to go there anyway, after all.”

  “We might even be able to convince the apis there to help!” Joy said, so excited that her wings buzzed involuntarily behind her. A barmaid who’d been behind her yelped and almost dropped her tray.

  “Could you not do that? I thought a giant wasp had gotten into the inn somehow!” the barmaid protested, prompting Joy to blush in embarrassment.

  “Sorry, it’s habit!” Joy apologized while the others laughed.

  “I… well, just try? Please?” the barmaid asked as she continued past, heading toward a cluster of merchants in the corner.

  “I will!” Joy assured the woman, and turned back to the others, still feeling a little guilty, but protested plaintively. “My wings don’t sound that much like a wasp’s, do they?”

  “Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference,” Brianna replied, and smiled guiltily as Joy gave her a hurt look. “I’m sorry, Joy! It’s just… your wings sound like insect wings to me. All I could tell you is that something like a fly has a bit higher pitch.”

  “I… well, I guess you just don’t hear things like me,” Joy said, a little crestfallen at the explanation, and she felt her antennae droop. “I didn’t think I sounded like a wasp to you.”

  “You don’t sound like a wasp. You sound like a giant insect,” Eda quickly assured Joy, the half-elf smiling gently at Joy, while Cora took her hand and squeezed it. “For the most part we can’t tell the difference, so I’m not sure why the barmaid used a wasp as an example.”

  “Well… I guess,” Joy said, letting out a soft sigh as she slumped in her chair. “I hope the apis are friendly, like the Shadebough Hive was.”

  “We’ll see when we get there,” Cora said calmly. “For now, I think we should finish our food and head back to our inn for the night. There’s no telling whether we might have to leave tomorrow or not.”

  “True enough,” James agreed, and quickly added, “Oh, and don’t worry about paying for the meal. It’s the least I can do for all of you.”

  “Thank you, James. May Mother Moon bless you,” Stella told him, glancing at Brianna. “Are you almost done?”

  “Just about, yes,” Brianna said, picking up the slice of bread she’d spread cheese on to eat it quickly. Cora laughed and let go of Joy’s hand as she stood up.

  “In that case, I think I’ll head back now. Care to join me, Joy?” the elf asked, smiling warmly at her.

  “Sure!” Joy replied, quickly standing as she waved at the others, adding, “See you tomorrow! Most likely, anyway!”

  “Good night, Joy,” Jean replied, nodding to her.

  With that, Joy followed Cora out of the inn, humming happily under her breath as they emerged into the cooler air of the night. The streets weren’t completely dark here in Irador, unlike Bearton, where only a handful of buildings had lanterns to illuminate them at night. Instead, there were frequent lamps along the street that burned some type of liquid to light the streets. Joy didn’t much like the smell, but she didn’t mind the light. Neither did the handful of people who were traveling along the street at night, most of them in well-made clothing.

  There were also lights illuminating many windows as she and Cora walked along the street under the night sky, more in the wealthy district than in other parts of town, and Joy looked up at the stars, considering them for a little while. She’d never paid them much attention as a giant bee, since they weren’t important to her. It was only on exceptionally bright nights that she’d gone out foraging, after all.

  “Do you look forward to becoming a queen?” Cora’s question almost surprised Joy, as quiet as she had been.

  When Joy looked down at the elf, she noticed that Cora didn’t look entirely happy. About what, Joy couldn’t honestly say, but that concerned her. The question, though… that was harder to answer, and Joy pursed
her lips, thinking for several seconds, then shrugged.

  “I don’t know,” Joy said honestly.

  “What do you mean?” Cora asked, looking at Joy in surprise.

  “I just… if I become a queen, I’ll live longer! That idea sounds nice, but I don’t expect it,” Joy said, trying to work through her thoughts, which were being a little odd. “It sounds nice… but at the same time, I don’t really want to settle down, but I’ll have to. A queen needs to found a hive. I’ll miss traveling with all of you, and figuring out what else there is in the world. So… I don’t know.”

  Cora stopped, and Joy paused as well, curious as to why. Cora studied Joy for a few seconds, then murmured, “You are… so you, Joy. I don’t blame you. I’ll miss you, too. But at least we’ll be able to visit, hm?”

  “Yep!” Joy said, smiling broadly at the elf, who laughed and slipped an arm through Joy’s and continued down the street happily.

  It really was a pretty night.

  Chapter 14

  The street in front of Irador’s Adventurer’s Guild was chaos, and Joy looked around in interest as Viper looked up at them, adjusting his spectacles again. There were twenty-three wagons which bore the symbols of the Adventurer’s Guild, Joy noticed, and as they watched men and women were loading the wagons with supplies, including a familiar-looking crate that made Joy twitch. She remembered how one of them had exploded in Bearton and made specific note of the wagon it was being placed in, resolving to keep plenty of distance from it.

  “Yes, we’re preparing the caravan to reinforce Clarion. I expect the caravan to depart around noon,” Viper said, glancing around in dissatisfaction as he added, “I’d hoped that it could leave earlier, but logistics turned out to be somewhat more difficult than anticipated.”