The Heartstone Saga

by Archibald Bradford

  The tearful queen nodded as she cradled her daughter along with Milly.

  “My darling Avita, my proud Avita! Live! You were forming a legacy of your own! You had plans, such grand plans! An underground network to connect all of our family’s colonies together! You used to draw them, do you remember? Now please, please drink!”

  A tense silence fell as everyone waited, hope in their throats.

  At her mother’s urging, Avita managed a single swallow, the rich cream from Milly’s breast reinvigorating her almost immediately, colour returning to her cheeks as she swallowed again.

  Ophelia gently pulled Nameless back to take his placed so that she could reach the Antlion Queen and check her over for injuries, at least as far as she was able while the critical girl was still cradled in Milly and Julia’s arms.

  “Not too much dearheart. She is starving. If you give her too much too quickly she might get sick. One mouthful at a time.”

  Milly lowed in compassion at the thought of having to deny the hungry mouth on her teat, but she trusted Ophelia’s judgment above just about anyone’s and so pulled it away.

  Avita swallowed again, stronger this time, then gasped in a ragged breath.

  “What about the workers?” Erica asked as she looked back at the girl who had broken her tail.

  Despite the pain she felt, it saddened her to see her unmoving on the floor.

  Queen Julia shook her head.

  “Focus on Avita, her workers cannot survive without her. And while it pains me to say so, it is what they would want.”

  “My queen speaks true.” A nearby soldier agreed quietly; “Our lives are inconsequential compared to that of our sovereign.”

  It was the first time any of them had heard one of the other Antlions speak, which made the words that much more impactful.

  While Milly, Ophelia, and Julia tended to the fallen queen, Miranda looked to Nameless.

  He sighed when he saw the expression on her face, desperately hungry for information.

  “Jonathan isn’t pulling girls into his mind anymore, or invading theirs. He found a better way. A faster way. He’s forcing them into Evadne’s, twinning them like he did before with the Lambda and Lapine you rescued in Oakridge. By burying their psyches with hers he is forcing them to feel her pain at the loss of her children as if it were their own. Her grief... it’s unbelievable. Like nothing I’ve ever felt.”

  What Nameless didn’t say was that her pain was as disturbingly familiar as Volka’s at the loss of her kin, but Evadne lacked the Valkyrie’s selfless courage and indomitable will and so had crumbled before it.

  The angel’s expression was pensive as she followed his thought process.

  After a steadying breath, Nameless continued.

  “I knew that she lost her people, but this? Now I understand exactly why she became a Tenebrae, why she hates everything.”

  “To experience what she did, I too understand.” Volka shook her head to cast aside any doubts; “But what she is now, this thing that she has become... the last Chimera must be stopped. And the demon within her heart must be expelled from this world.”

  Nina shrugged in the midst of splinting Erica’s tail, unable to ignore the way her bond-sister’s chin was trembling from the pain.

  “Sounds to me like nothing has changed. Regardless of how tragic her back-story is, I plan on hitting her so hard everything inside of her is going to be expelled from this world.”

  They had all heard her make the same promise many times, so they were used to her blatant bloodlust by now when it came to Evadne.

  “The big question then, where the hell is she?” Miranda asked, looking around at the crates of supplies that Jonathan had amassed to feed their growing army.

  “Gone.” A coarse voice whispered, causing all eyes to turn to the downed Antlion Queen; “They... left me here. Made my workers hide the entrance from within... I couldn’t-”

  “Avita! Save your strength my daughter!” Queen Julia urged.

  The girl’s eyes were bleary as she took in the faces of those fretting over her.

  “M-Mother?”

  “I am here, darling!”

  “I heard you... calling for me. They left... that way. The human and... her. Cold. She was so cold.” She finished in a whimper, one emaciated arm pointing towards a narrow doorway leading out of the room.

  Inevitably though, she didn’t have the strength to keep the arm raised, and it fell to her side as the young Antlion Queen slumped into unconscious.

  Julia cried out in alarm, but Ophelia was quick to reassure her.

  “She should recover. But we need to give her time for her body to rest and absorb the nutrients before we can give her more.” She looked to Milly and nodded to reassure her as well.

  Meanwhile the others spread out and began to search the place, and they did not at all like what they found.

  “The crates in here are empty now, but it looks like they were full of food.” Jan remarked.

  Jez held up an empty can, the preserved fruit within long since having been eaten before it was cast aside.

  “They were! Apricots!” She agreed; “The ones that they grow special for canning!”

  “Jez, that isn’t- never mind.” Miranda gave up immediately on correcting yet another of the frog’s misconceptions; “The amount of supplies they’ve gone through down here... if this was their base of operations we need to report on it, and soon.”

  “You think they intend on coming back?” Nameless asked with some concern.

  “No.” Nina answered as she came back into the room; “Pretty sure I found the way out that the little queen was pointing at. The ants sealed it up, just like with her colony. It’ll take me a few minutes to clear it.”

  Volka nodded, taking a moment away from helping the Antlion soldiers tend to Avita’s surviving workers.

  “By all accounts they have been using this place for a long time, and it concerns me greatly that they no longer feel that they need it.”

  While the others searched the place Ophelia milked Milly into a number of bottles that the Antlions emptied of water to help with the young queen’s recovery, Queen Julia watching over them until they finished.

  While her soldiers carefully loaded her precious daughter onto an improvised stretched, she stood to her full height before the Minotaur, her eyes inscrutable.

  After a few moments she settled her hands upon her shoulders and slowly shook her head.

  “Minotaur... Milly, that which you have done for my daughter this day, I-I will never be able to repay you for it. When I return to my colony my workers will carve your likeness in stone that you shall be remembered always by the house of Longinus.”

  The bashful cow blushed, her cheeks reddening as she blinked at the prospect.

  “Oh, well gosh. You don’t need to do that! It was my pleasure, I’m just happy that my milk could help at all!”

  The queen leaned in and kissed her once on each cheek before pulling her into a fierce hug.

  “All the same, thank you.”

  After their embrace, they soon followed Nina as she led them out of the secret bunker, climbing a long narrow tunnel that she’d cleared to emerge into daylight through a hinged piece of stone, designed to blend in seamlessly with the cliff-face.

  “And I thought I was sneaky.” Erica remarked when they looked back on the secret hatch.

  Once all of the Antlions were clear, Nina swatted it once with her hammer, taking it off its hinges just as easily as she had the door in their apartment.

  “You are. And now Jonathan and Evadne have one less place to hide.”

  While they had been underground the afternoon had waned on and now the sun was high in the sky.

  Standing in the light, Queen Julia looked towards Nameless and Volka.

  “Just as promised, you saved my daughter. You have saved my heart and my hope.” Her words were heavy with emotion as she spoke; “If I was not already bonded I would beg you to wear my crown, yo
ung Aegis.”

  Nameless smiled wanly, familiar by now with being so popular amongst monster girls.

  “It’s alright, it’s why I exist.” He shrugged helplessly; “It’s why the Valkyrie created the Empaths. It is my duty. But there are so many more monster girls that need saving and we can’t do it alone.”

  She nodded at the implied request in his words, her eyes shining with grateful tears as she knelt before them, her soldiers and workers doing the same.

  “The legions of Longinus are yours to command, Aegis. And yours Dominar.”

  “Better let her do the commanding.” Nina said with a sniff; “He’s a bit of a boob.”

  Despite her sarcasm she felt pretty smug having so-called royalty bow down before her bond-mate.

  Ignoring the Gigas, Volka reached out and settled her hand upon the Antlion Queen’s shoulder.

  “Thank you. I fear we will soon have need of your aid. Though we learned much this day, Evadne and Jonathan are far from defeated.”

  Julia nodded again as she stood to her full height.

  “We will face them together. Once I have secured my daughter and the safety of her surviving workers, I shall muster the rest of my family and stand beside you as my forbears once did.”

  She embraced Volka, and then scooped up a surprised Nameless to plant a firm kiss on his lips, his legs dangling awkwardly beneath him.

  “And when my daughter has recovered from this ordeal, you should seek her out.” She murmured into his ear in a husky voice; “You are worthy of her heart at least.”

  “Oh dear, here we go.” Ophelia sighed.

  “Nope.” Nina said flatly; “He’s capped at six, assuming Escrya ever gets her ass back to us.”

  Julia set him down with a slight pout.

  “A king ought to keep as many concubines as his appetite allows, but I will not press the issue. Regardless, I must take my leave of you now. Until we meet again, dear friends.”

  As the Antlions left all eyes turned to Nameless.

  “I’m not calling you ‘majesty’.” Miranda said drily.

  Milly giggled.

  “The Nameless King and his Nameless God.”

  “Heh, I forgot about that.” Erica said as she sidled up to him, though she winced when her splinted tail brushed up against his leg; “You okay there lover?”

  He nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist and hugging her.

  “Just tired. Evadne’s memories kind of knocked the wind out of me.”

  Miranda nodded her head sympathetically.

  “No rest yet kid. We should report back with what we’ve learned. I know it isn’t much but every ounce of intel we collect on her makes a difference. I know some Undines in Algrade, we shouldn’t be too far from there.”

  “Good. Because I can’t sit down right now, and for all the wrong reasons.” Erica complained.

  Chapter 25:

  The Baking Queen

  While Garland was swarming with monster girls, both locals and refugees, Algrade was bristling with mechanists and lost-technology.

  As such when they arrived they discovered that it was not the same city from just a few weeks ago.

  It was the very center of lost-tech research in the world, and the university students and faculty had set to work like nobody’s business to ensure the safety of the city.

  “What is that noise?” Milly asked as she looked around.

  A strange crackling buzz permeated the air, making their whole bodies tingle with strange nervous energy.

  Miranda frowned, but then her eyes lit up and she pointed upwards.

  “Looks like those loonies at the university have been busy. Look.”

  At first none of them could see what she was pointing at, seeing nothing but blue sky, but then a different hue of blue caught their attention as a current of lightening sparked from one wire to the next in the grid that powered the lights above the city.

  “An air defense web.” Volka noted with a look of distaste; “The means by which the Divine Republic countered flyers such as myself during the war. Ophelia, it would be best if you kept your feet firmly on the ground while we are here. I can tell you from experience; it is not a pleasant sensation.”

  She took up a nearby stone and casually tossed it upwards, causing all of them to flinch when multiple sparks of electricity shot towards it with a sickening pop, reducing it to powder.

  “Goodness!” The Flutterby exclaimed; “They’ve been trying to get it working on and off since I was a child to better understand the-”

  “Oi!” Someone nearby shouted; “You scamps stop messing with that! I swear I’ll sick the Aegis on- holy smokes!”

  A man wearing university overalls, instructor orange rather than student beige, came storming towards them but pulled up short when he caught the culprit who had thrown the rock.

  “My apologies.” Volka said mildly; “I was merely demonstrating the danger to my bond-sister.”

  His embarrassment was obvious given his blush, causing Miranda and the others to smirk at his distress.

  “Right, er, yeah, that’s fine then. Just don’t do it again. Makes me jump out of my skin every time I hear that sound. The slum-rats have been throwing everything but money at it since we turned it on.”

  As they entered the city proper they saw that it wasn’t just the air defenses that the university had activated.

  Ancient fortifications, built into the very streets of the city, had been refurbished and put to use; the walls that separated the city proper from the slums now bristled with all manner of mechanisms, many of which Miranda and even Volka knew nothing about.

  “This is what happens when you let a bunch of bright boys loose.” The Aegis operative sighed as she examined some of the contraptions; “I think this thing here is meant to spit out some kind of liquid, but no idea what.”

  She gestured at a series of pipes in the wall that came together at a number of ominous protrusions that each resembled the barrel of a gun.

  “Adhesive foam.” A familiar voice called from nearby.

  They looked to see Christine Loskins coming towards them, a clipboard in hand and grease smeared across her nose.

  “Foam? Not gel like the goo bombs?” Jan asked.

  “No, this is different. We suspect it was the precursor to the substance in your adhesive grenades. It hardens on contact, and there is no easy solution to clear it up. It took a work crew three hours in shifts to free the first dumbass that tripped it.”

  “Seems... drastic.” Nameless observed.

  “Maybe. But after we heard about Lipton Falls-” Christine’s voice caught and she rubbed at her eyes suddenly; “Anyways, what are you guys doing back? Also hi.”

  Though Nameless and his girls were familiar with her sister, they didn’t know Christine very well.

  Which was why everyone was glad when a pair of Hornets landed beside her after they had exchanged greetings, cutting short the need for small talk.

  “Greetings from our Queen!” One of them declared; “If you have no other business, she would like to extend an invitation for you to visit our hive.”

  Miranda was about to respond, but Nina cut her off.

  “Quite the fashion statement you bugs are making.” She nodded her chin at the Hornets.

  The pair of them were wearing strange shiny metal hoops on their wrists and ankles.

  One of the Hornet’s eyes went a bit distant as her antennae wiggled, her queen now addressing them through her surrogate.

  “Yes, not very fetching.” She agreed somewhat sourly; “But it’s preferable than getting struck by multiple bolts of lightning just for stretching our wings. You’ll need to go to the university if you want some, it’s a whole process.”

  “It shouldn’t be necessary.” Volka said; “We aren’t here for long. Aegis Holt?”

  “Yeah, we’re just here to send a message along, grab some grub and bunk down for the night. Then back to Garland first thing in the morning.”

  �
��Oh? That’s a shame, I know my Queen would love to see you all.” Her looked turned coy as she examined her nails; “And I also know of a certain Lapine who would love to see you, Miranda.”

  Miranda’s cheeks turned pink and Nameless and the others had to hide their smiles; the gruff woman blushing was a rare sight.

  “Oooh, can we?” Jez hopped off of Kala’s shoulder to make her plea right in front of her bond-mate.

  “Pretty please?” Jan echoed with her tongue lolled out in amusement.

  But Miranda shook her head at them.

  “This isn’t a social call. We’re on duty girls.”

  The Hornets each quirked one eyebrow up as their antennae wiggled, but they said nothing.

  The Aegis operative huffed as the weight of her bond-mates’ disappointment fell down on her; even Kala was looking crestfallen.

  Rebecca the Lapine courier had made an impact on all of them, but after Lipton Falls they had only been able to exchange a couple of letters to check up on her, too busy with their duties.

  “Maybe we’ll go say hi. But only if we have time!”

  They could all hear Jan’s tail wagging.

  “Is she staying with you still?” Erica asked the Hornets; “I didn’t really get to meet her much.”

  “Yes, she is. She keeps trying to leave, but my Queen won’t have it. Who knows though, perhaps she’ll find a new home for herself soon enough.”

  “You’re getting way ahead of yourself.” Miranda sighed; “I thought I was past the point of chasing skirts.”

  “Maybe you are mistress, but I’m not.” Jan said with a broad smile; “She’s so easygoing and fun, when her life isn’t in danger anyways, plus she’s a bunny, and I would love to chase me some bunny!”

  Kala laughed at her bond-sister’s zeal, nodding in agreement.

  “She demonstrated true courage in dealing with that wretched Sinclair woman. She is worthy of any lover, even ours.”

  “I like her big floppy ears!” Jez proclaimed with enthusiasm, then continued defensively when she got some odd looks; “What? You two already said the important stuff! Now let’s go and get her!”

  Christine threw in her two bits, feeling a little left out of the conversation.