I Became an Ant Lord, So I Built a Hive Full of Beauties

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Lirien's jaw worked. She swallowed and kept it together. "What do you need from me," she asked.

"Heat, water, traps and tools ready at the mouth," Kai said. "When we come back, I want the steam on and the cot warm. If she is sick, you will keep her steady while I go back out."

Vel blurted, "I can run," then looked at Luna and shut her mouth.

"You will run inside the mountain," Luna said to her, voice still even. "You will carry stuff where they must go and keep the work to a minimum."

Sha's tail flicked and her eyes were wet. "If anyone steps into our space I will break their shins," she said. "Then I will kill the ones who fight."

Naaro did not move from the egg chamber door. "If someone tries this door," she said, "they will leave their life behind."

Shadeclaw touched the map shelf with two fingers. "All the scrapes are almost set," he said. "If a hand knocks with a blade, it will find a hole. If a foot tests a stair, it will slide. I will use scrapes and not graves until you call for graves."

Kai contacted Alka and silvershadow with his soul mastery. When he was talking about Miryam to everyone.

Silvershadow's voice came from the desert where he had half disappeared into a darker stripe of wall. "I am going," he said. "I will send the location when I can see her without being seen."

Alka's voice came from the air like a soft drum, she was somewhere in the desert. "I will ride the high edge," she said. "Call me when your spear needs wings."

Akayoroi's mouth tightened. "If I stay," she said, "I will not stand still. I will work the inner ring with Luna. I will not let anyone slip."

"Good," Kai said.

Then Luna's voice broke. It did not break loud. It broke like a plate laid down too hard on a table. She stood very straight and spoke with a small tremble that made the words hit harder.

"She is our child," she said. "I raised her when you weren't here. I hold her when she sleeps. I hold her when she shakes. Do not ask me to stay while you go to the desert to face hands that will touch her again."

Kai stepped close. He set his forehead to hers for one breath. He spoke so only she could hear. The whole hall heard with their hearts anyway.

"I do not ask this to hurt you," he said. "I ask because this is how we win twice. I will bring her home, and you keep the home standing while I do it. If I take you, It will split our strength. What If you got hurt? I will lose focus if you are with me. But If I leave you, I make our center stronger. I need a center. I need you here."

She closed her eyes and breathed once, deep. When she opened them, the fear was still there, but it had a place to sit now.

"You bring her home," she said. "You do not chase glory. You do not chase names. Just kill whoever stands in our way. I will wait for you and Miryam. Bring her home."

"I will bring her home," he said. "I swear it."

She clenched her fists, then let them go. "Then take something of hers with you," she said. She pulled a small ribbon from her wrist, a plain strip she used to tie Miryam's tail. "So you do not forget which path to choose when there are two."

"I will not forget," he said, and tied the ribbon around his left wrist without looking away from her face.

Akayoroi put a palm on Luna's forearm. "I will hold this house with you," she said. "He will go faster if he knows you hold it."

Luna nodded once, sharp.

Azhara stepped between them and the door. "We should go now," she said. "Words are a warm blanket, but the wind is still cold."

Kai turned to the room. He pointed and gave orders like nails.

"Vel, Sha. Set all the traps. No gaps."

"Yes," they said together.

"Lirien. Heat and water trap ready. Tools set. No clutter."

"Yes," she said.

"Naaro. Door."

"Yes," she said.

"Shadeclaw. Scrapes only until my call."

"Yes."

"Silvershadow. Move in shadow only until my call."

"Yes."

"Alka. Stay above the clouds. Don't come down until I say so."

"Yes."

"Kai," Luna said, and took his jaw in one hand so he would not look at the door instead of her. "Tell her that, we love her. If the situation goes bad. Call us. We must save Miryam at any cost. Even if we had given up the mountain."

"I will," he said.

He turned to go. A dozen throats made a dozen small sounds and then shut. The sound of his steps on the stone rang like a hammer. Azhara fell in behind him, strap biting into her shoulder, eyes narrow and clear. Skyweaver was on the other side. Walking for now.

They moved down the ramps, past the ring and then looked away on purpose so tension would not spread like powder. At the last turn, Skyweaver flew just fast enough to see their faces and then climbed the shaft with a hop that put him into the wind like a fish into water.

Luna stepped into the passage as he reached the turn. He did not slow. She matched his pace for six steps, looked into his eyes, and stopped herself from asking questions that did not need an answer.

"Bring her home," she said.

"I will," he said.

He reached the outer lair and took the fast ramp down the east face. While his feet moved, he sent his voice along the thin lines he had spun to his best fighters.

"Azhara. Follow me from behind. East side. Now."

"Coming," she said at once. He heard the scrape of a bowl and then her feet biting stone. No joke. No tease.