Tag: Hive

Flights of Death and Glory

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Image credit: Tomás Saraceno / Guido Limardo

The Alliance’s call to retreat rang out beneath the approaching shadow. All land and air forces, except the Freelands bees, pulled back to the Hive tree, beating away the closest attackers to defend and hold the royal residence to their deaths if necessary.

Ripping away from its parent darkness and speeding toward them, a smaller shadow became Sam and Clifton leading their company in a desperate race to reach Central Fen ahead of the growing darkness. Sweeping past the swarm still tormenting the enemy vulture, Sam yelled, “Retreat! Run! Get back to the Hive!”

“Captain,” Clifton called, “those are Freelands bees—”

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Party of Two

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Photo credit: Chris Hornaman

“Run!” Trevor yelled. Eyes sparkling, he grabbed Barry by one wrist and dragged him into a tangle of undergrowth, turning to thrust his fang into the twitchy eye of the first bird to ram into the brush behind them. More Flyers crunched into the Knights’ refuge, jamming those in front of them further into the twiggy scratchiness, where they screeched and clawed to extricate themselves. The frogs hacked a path to the other side, escaping in a cloud of laughter, every muscle thrumming with life.

They emerged at the base of the Hive tree, out of sight of their pursuers. Breathing fast and hard, Trevor danced from foot to foot, until his joy couldn’t stand it any longer, and exploded in a whoop of glory.

Grinning, Barry shook his head. “Youse’re gonna bring ’em down on us.”

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They’re Here

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Photo credit: Mark Hamblin

Dawn’s tender light bled across a sky of beating wings streaking, diving, charging crimson, brown, and gray toward the Hive, glinting off the snapping, stabbing beaks, battling members of both Aero Squadrons and the Hive Elite, ripping at the Queen’s home, skewering the drones who shielded its narrow entrance and swarmed to fight them off.

Trevor vanished into the melee yelling something Barry couldn’t make out beneath the buzzing-squawking din tumbling overhead that muffled but didn’t mask the tearing, shredding rasps that screamed the inexorable destruction of Fen’s soul.

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Guarding the Future

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Photo credit: rockrose

“Knights!” Cyrus called as he flew into the Bower, raining a trail of herbs. “Creepers and Flyers are attacking the Hive!”

The Knights sprang into action. Trevor ripped off his sling, and retrieved his weapons while Barry drew the sleeping infants from their carrier to lay them beside their mother.

Wide-eyed, Cyrus asked, “Twins? You had two?”

The Princess nodded. “A girl and a boy,” she said, love and hope shining through her exhaustion.

Surveying the chamber, Cyrus hovered over Arturo as he scummed a dusty pool of the beast’s blood from the floor.

“What happened here?” the young Guard inquired as the midwife left her plastering to retrieve the Assassin’s stinger from a high shelf and hand it to Barry. “What’s wrong with the Prince?”

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They’re Coming!

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Photo credit: Kimballstock.com

At the Hive, Captain Avery’s screeching alarm yanked Vernon from his troubled dreams of nameless shadows creeping in from all sides, and threw him into a harsh reality of impending doom and death. How Lilian had remained asleep he couldn’t fathom, but leaving her to enjoy a few more moments of peace, he flew outside to find out what the hell was happening.

The Captain of the Dark of Night Aero Squadron flapped through the dwindling spatter, stark against the lumpy sky, lit in a final blast of lightning. Spying the Queen’s Liaison, he landed on a branch above the Hive.

“Sir,” his breath burst hot on Vernon’s face, “a patrol of grounded Flyers has discovered five slain Guards right here in Central Fen.”

“The General’s henchmen?”

“It looks that way, Sir. They’re too far apart and too recently dead to believe there was only one killer.”

Vernon closed his eyes. “And Cyrus? The Guard outside the Bower?”

“I’m not certain. If he’s one of the victims, he’s been dragged away and hidden. But we found another body — an enemy’s — close to the Bower.”

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It’s a New Dawn

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Photo credit: Sorin Petcluescu

While dawn raked its way through depleted clouds, Trevor returned to the Bower to find the Princess on the floor beside the Prince, his head cradled in her lap, her tears falling onto his face. The Knight’s heart dropped to his stomach.

He jumped when a hushed voice at his elbow said, “Sir?”

It was Miranda, pale and shivery, but on her feet and ready to work.

“Miss Miranda,” Trevor breathed. “Am I glad to see you. Are you really well enough to be up?”

“Yes, Sir,” she nodded, “I’m a mother. Now, if I might have those herbs? I’d like to start on the medicine and tea.”

Clark called out from across the room where he was playing with his sisters and brothers, “Knight Trevor! Did you see? My mama’s awake!”

“Yes, I did. That’s great news for all of us, Clark.”

Barry, carrying both babies in a sling he’d contrived for himself, took his brother Knight by the elbow and led him away from the Prince. Lowering his voice, Trevor asked, “Am I too late?”

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Up Like Thunder

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Image credit: S.T. Ranscht

The Runners left and Lilian sobbed into Vernon’s chest. “How could this happen? They were under my protection and I failed them!”

The Queen’s fiancé held her. “Bog’s finest healers are working to keep the King alive. Lieutenant Terrance continues their search for the Princess, and Hive Elite teams are helping. They’ll find her. We’ll get her back.”

The Queen’s Guard announced, “Deputy Minister of the Alliance, Freelands’ Ambassador Arturo, requests an audience, your Magnificence.”

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Back Channel Communications

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Photo credit: wisawa222

Holding up both arms, the Assassin moved into the open and stopped well away from the Prince. “As you can see, I also am un-armed. Or un-clawed, to be more precise, thanks to your dear friend Randall. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you? He ran off before I could thank him properly.” Elliot said nothing. “No?” Anthony asked. “Ah well, if it’s meant to be… So, Elliot the Faithful. How good to see you again.”

Neither of them moved.

“What do you want, Anthony?”

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So It Begins

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Photo credit: Tim Fitzharris

It began with a single word served like a fine meal at the end of a soul-cleansing fast.

“Now.”

~~~

“Psst!” Sam’s hiss cut through Clifton’s dream, replacing a glowing image of endless flower fields floating in a lake of nectar, with sharp-edged silhouettes against an infinite spangled night that shone too brightly.

“What?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes to wake his sleep-addled brain.

“It’s time to go,” she said.

He was instantly alert.

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Captain Harper

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Photo credit: National Park Service

Captain Harper of Fen’s Hive Elite left The Arids the same way she’d arrived a week ago: hidden in plain sight among a cloud of desert bats. At the border, deepening dusk covered her departure from the colony to deliver her covert mission report to Queen Lilian.

The Queen granted her an immediate audience.

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