“I don’t like this,” Dilo growled once Rex had arrived back to his companions and told what he and the crazak had conversed about.“A hive queen that wants to meet sounds…” Cassius said, trailing off as his mind started working.“Like an easier way to eat Grub,” Grub said, grabbing his elbows and shuddering as the thought of crazaks tearing his flesh from him entered his mind.“That did cross my mind,” Rex said, inhaling deeply and holding it for a few brief moments before expelling the air.“But you’re feeling something different, aren’t you?” Kiri asked, noticing Rex’s surprisingly relaxed posture, even with the imminent danger they could be putting themselves in.“It's hard to explain,” Rex started with a slow nod. “I get this strange tingling in the back of my head that has been quite effective at warning me of danger. During the conversation with the crazak, even though there was easily enough to overwhelm us, I had no tingling of danger, and none even showed hostility.”“Relying
“Uh…” Rex moaned as his darkened vision finally cleared and he was able to take in his surroundings.“Welcome back,” a familiar and calm voice wafted into Rex’s consciousness.“Cassius,” Rex groaned as his eyes opened fully and he saw a slender man standing over him with a broad friendly smile. As he began to sit upright, he could still feel slight dizziness and he inhaled sharply as a bout of nausea struck him.“Slow and steady Rex,” Cassius said, kneeling and steadying Rex. “You were out for half a day after opening the gateway. I think it may be due to the amount of people who passed through the arch. At the time I didn’t think about how much effort and energy it would take to allow so many through, for that, I am sorry.” Cassius continued, his chin dropping slightly in shame.“I didn’t think of it either,” Rex said, smiling as the nausea and dizziness passed and he was able to look around. “Where are we?”Smirking at the admission of shared fault, Cassius looked up, glad for the c
“I sense something is off today visitor Rex,” Hussin said, his small black eyes focused on Rex and the two sleeping companions a short distance behind him. “We usually celebrate the coming of another sun as one, but I can see something bothers you.”“One of your smalls almost attacked us last night, so we just stayed prepared, just in case,” Rex said, standing to greet Hussin.“Ah,” Hussin sighed with a slow, knowing nod. “I should have foreseen this. I apologise,” he continued, clenching his two lower claws while keeping his upper two straight, placing them between his eyes.“Foreseen what?” a slightly bleary voice called from behind them.“A small has yet to receive the gift of shared consciousness from our queen, so they still have slight impulsiveness which sometimes leads to rash decisions,” Hussin said, looking at the small contingent of crazaks all lined up, kneeling all facing the mountain. “I must join them for welcoming the new sun, you may join us if you wish. Or not, the c
After an hour of Grub’s complaining about the trek, Rex finally gave in and caught up with Hussin who was leading the group around the base of a huge mountain.“How far from the entrance are we?” Rex asked.“Ah Rex, in mere minutes we will be entering the mountain, and back onto familiar ground,” Hussin replied. Rex could have sworn if the giant insect could have smiled, it would have done it then at just merely mentioning getting to re-enter the nest. Rex was just about to slow and allow Grub and Cassius to catch up when Hussin called to him, “Please Rex, come. I would like to be seen returning with you beside me.”“Uh, sure,” Rex replied, a little stunned. But after a quick shrug, he caught back up to be beside Hussin.“Even in our hive-minded colony, there is social status,” Hussin said. “I cannot have you be seen following behind me when the queen herself requested your presence, like a common worker. Therefore, you must be seen leading with me.”“Even in a colony led by a queen a
Taalook had only led the group a few hundred metres toward a large archway leading into a dimly lit tunnel when Rex stopped two paces from the doorway. “What’s this?” Rex asked, tracing his eyes over the archway, one eyebrow raised. “What’s what Rex?” Cassius asked, halting beside Rex and staring, confused at the arched doorway. “There is another film of magic over this doorway. Another shield?” Rex asked turning to face Taalook and Hussin. “You can see the zone magics?” Hussin asked, his small beady eyes growing a little larger in surprise. “Zone magics?” Cassius asked, snapping to look at the archway once more, squinting heavily before sighing and turning to Rex. “I don’t know how you do it. Is it something you can teach?” “The queen has the zetas set zones that allow certain types into certain zones, preventing those from going into places they shouldn’t be,” Taalook boomed. “Hussin can tell you about it once we meet the queen, and if you are allowed to continue living afterwa
“Balrog!?” Rex spluttered, his mind whirling. “But Fafnir said she was…”“A demon?” The hive queen said, her voice almost like a low growl sending a tingling sensation down Rex’s spine.“Uh, yeah,” Rex sighed, hoping his admission did not seal his fate earlier than expected, “I believed it because he was a dragon and she didn’t look anything like the crazaks that attacked earlier on my journey, or now I’ve seen you, doesn’t resemble you either.”“Do all humans look the same?” The queen asked, raising two eyebrows over two eyes on the left side of her face while looking down at Rex.“Well, no,” Rex replied. Then it dawned on him, “Same race, look differently. I must admit I’m now curious about how that happens. Our looks differ due to quite a lot of things like race, gender, and heritage of the parents, is that the same for you?”“No,” the queen replied with a quirk to the edges of her mouth. “You are tempting and intelligent, quite the tantalising mix indeed. Our looks depend on our l
Doing his best to keep his heart rate and thoughts on the correct path, Rex took a step back out of instinct, causing the hive queen to stop one step above where he stood and raise the two eyebrows on the left side of her face.“Do you not intend on agreeing to our deal?” she asked, her voice going flat.“Uh, sorry. Old habit to give myself room for a fight if needed,” Rex said, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead as he realised he had also unknowingly taken an unarmed fighting stance.“Hold out your hand,” the hive queen said, smirking seeing Rex relax from his fighting stance in seconds.Doing as requested, but keeping his muscles taut and ready to react at a moment's notice, the hive queen strode forward, striking the tip of his thumb with one of her claw tips so fast Rex did not even see the queen move her hand. After feeling the pinch, he looked at his thumb, seeing the blood now slowly trickling out from the tiny wound.“Uh, that’s strange,” Rex said, still staring curio
“Now now Dorian,” the younger, gentler female voice said in an almost sing-song tone before Rex could reply, “I remember, gods quite a long time ago now, where a man once told me, ‘A man’s secrets are his very being. The ability to strip a man’s secrets and lay him bare is a travesty to his core.’ With that in mind, how could you allow any of us to assault his mind and take away that which doesn’t belong to us?”“Sounds like Tillian has found herself a young interest,” the older woman’s voice said, almost mockingly.“I can admit, unlike some of us, that this young…I am sorry, Rex was it?” the voice from Tillian said.“Yes, my name is Rex,” Rex nodded, finally being able to have a voice amongst the seemingly ending squabbles of beings unknown to him.“I had forgotten if you classed yourself as an adult or child still,” Tillian’s voice said softly. “I know so little about your race I’m afraid. I doubt even Gillart could shed any light on this.”“Hullans would be the closest to his race