The Stained Tower

Terra, Earl, and I talked for a while longer, discussing both the Hex Church and the one hundred tokens I am meant to be handing out soon. Terra tells me she has already given out four hundred of the lesser tokens and has awakened forty people, two of which went ‘comatose’ from complications.

After the morbid discussion, Earl decided she would return to Tenebrous since what Terra wanted to show me is a few hundred feet outside of my Domain. Terra did ask if Earl and I shared a connection like Spirit Scribes are supposed to have with their spirits, meaning Earl could leave the Domain as long as we stick close to one another. Earl said she might but went on to say, ‘This one isn’t totally certain, and madness becomes a nuisance after a while, so this one is going to return to Tenebrous.’ With that, we said our temporary farewells, and she left to resume her search for the beast spirit.

At this moment, both Terra and I are preparing to both meet and attempt to escape from the masses of people gathered outside of the Tower.

{Art thou certain we should not do something about the Bishop?}

Terra nods. “All in all, the Hex Church’s Manhattan branch is over two thousand strong, and they still manipulate the Galtry Syndicate. If we managed to turn the crowds on him, all we’ll have accomplished is public hostility with the Hex Church. Not to mention, the worst thing that could happen is they replace my ‘father’ with one of the other Bishops. Then that new Bishop would act in secret, we’d be incapable of predicting their actions, and we’d lose our only bargaining chip—my life and our contract.”  

Her face reddens as she once more grows heated. She continues, “That’s all assuming he doesn’t do something unexpectedly insane and ruin everything. He’s powerful, and I wouldn’t put it past him to try to take everyone down with him, so he’s not someone we can casually trifle with. ...That’s why, for now, we should watch him, participate in his little popularity contest when we have to, and learn what ‘game’ we’re playing before attempting anything.”

{Aye, I suppose thou wouldst be the expert on the subject… I am sorry to have dragged up old feelings.}

“...I’m sorry, he crawls under my skin like no one else ever could. Let’s just forget about him for now.” Terra smiles dubiously and begins tying her hair into a bun. “So, yeah, I fenced off Cherry Hill a week ago and also hired a handful of people from the camps to work security and help keep everyone out. If we can make it to Cherry Hill, we’ll be home free.” 

I point to the southwest. {Cherry Hill, where the smaller fountain is located? That is only around five hundred feet from here; I believe we shall be fine if that is as far as we need to go.}

Raising her Speaker of Speakers helmet above her head, she tucks her hair bun into it and then wiggles it over her noggin. “If that’s what you believe, then let’s see how well it goes.”

I tilt my head and then command the door, ‘Please, open.’

“Let’s just hope the token holders are outside like they are supposed to be,” Terra adds.

{Token holders? Are they meant to be here at this moment?} The teeth of the Arcade’s arched entrance slide apart, revealing an enormous crowd that makes the red Terrace look as if it does not exist. 

{Yeah. I instructed each of them to be here to help the Fairy fight off the crowd after the Tower arrives,} Terra says into my head using her telepathy.

Staring at the crowd of commoners that are all staring back at me, I wave at them by wiggling my fingers while responding to Terra, {I believe I should return the night after tomorrow. Would that be acceptable?}

“It’s the Speaker of Speakers, and she’s with the Fairy!” someone finally yells.

{No.} Before I can do anything, Terra grabs my forearm. {No, it’s not acceptable. I think you should experience what I’ve had to deal with these past two weeks. It’s also a good time because the Hex Church is busy preparing their church for all the people they invited to take shelter there, so let’s not waste time. The people have been waiting all this time for the Fairy that makes giant glass trees grow in front of everyone.}

{Thou art still upset I made a spectacle before hibernation?}

She shrugs.

The crowd of people slowly moves forward. All of them shout various sentences, but they are all variants of the same thing. “Please, please!” numerous people scream. “We need to get into the Beta! We can’t wait. We need in now!” hundreds yell.

{Good lord. If they come any closer, I am closing the door before I perish from being breathed in by this mass of people!} I look at Terra. {I cannot think of a more humiliating way to go.}

{Well, that won’t do.} She laughs quietly so that only I can hear. {I’d be hard-pressed to explain to the man who was on oxygen just ten days ago and had to get a skin graft that the Fairy left because she was afraid of being torn apart and snorted.}

{Aye, that shall be fin— Wait, man?} 

I look back toward the arch. A familiar man with bandages wrapped around one half of his face, his neck, and both of his arms walks in front of the arched door. This man is Noah, an escort who was seriously injured by a trap before my fight with the Wretched Rat. Following Noah, two other escorts walk out, and together, they block the doorway.

Noah glances back, showing a scarred face, and then performs the thumbs-up gesture. 

‘It is good to see Noah up on his feet, but where are Summer and the other escort? Perhaps they are busy with something else Terra has them doing?’ Returning Noah’s thumbs-up gesture out of politeness, I straighten my back and prepare to meet the crowds with Noah and the other two escorts. ‘Though I am still concerned I shall perish by mass inhalation, I shall stand by thee, Noah. More importantly, I doubt Terra would force me outside if she was not sure I would be fine.’

With Noah and the other two escorts blocking the door, more and more people join them in securing the way out of the Tower. Men and women, old and young, tired and energetic, people in suits and people in rags, all gather, forming a half-circle around the Tower’s exterior. Before long, there are hundreds of people holding back the crowd that wishes to charge through the Tower’s entrance.

{Ah, good, good they arrived. I was afraid they’d all be drunk on wine.} Terra begins hurriedly walking to the door. {Sorry about the late warning, but I’m about to put you on the spot, so be ready to play your part, Fairy.} 

{Wait, what?}

Terra turns to me, performs a half bow, and then speaks as loudly as she can. “Miss Fairy, these are the four hundred people that this…” She almost scoffs as she shouts, “That ‘this one’ chose to reward the lesser tokens. I hope that these fine men and women are acceptable and please both the Fairy and the Tower’s Mistress.”

The word ‘Mistress’ begins to be whispered amongst the crowd. This is the first time they have ever had a hint toward who the Tower’s owner might be. 

Of course, it is me, but they do not know that.

---

Two hours later, Terra and I circle back to the RV after we manage to slip past the majority of the crowds with the help of the token holders. Moving around the corner, I discover where all the Consortium’s fences that once surrounded the Terrace made their way to. They veil Cherry Hill, where Terra has erected her own camp, so I suppose it is now the Galtry Stronghold rather than the Consortium’s Stronghold.

Terra slips past, and just as I am about to follow behind, someone grabs my arm. ‘Good lord. I cannot even respond, just, prithee, give me a moment’s peace!’

I look over to find an elderly woman. She has curly white hair, an oversized scarf tied around her neck, and a long, tattered coat. She gazes at me with blue eyes that are heavy from bags, but in them, a spark flickers as she peers into my glass helmet.

“Please, Fairy, just listen to what I have to say!” she says, gripping my arm tighter. “My granddaughter, please just give her a chance like you promised! I’m an old bird, but she’s only just left the nest. Didn’t you promise us, if we came, you’d help us? Please, she wants to live, give her a chance to freely experience life as a young woman should be able to.”

“Hey, hey, the Fairy’s doing the best she can!” a man, one of the token holders, I think, steps in between us and puts his hand atop the woman’s own. “She only just got back, and everyone’s just gonna have to wait their turn. We’ve all got people we care about too.”

The spark in the woman’s eyes dies. She lowers her head with a hard sigh, releases my arm, and then walks away. “Just forget it,” she says aloud, pushing someone out of her way. “Coming here was a mistake!” While she disappears, she shouts, “Liar! The Fairy is a liar! She’ll see us all dead at the bottom of the Tower!”

I look back at the man and notice a token with the number “222” written on it is penned to his coat. “Alright, Fairy, better run for it if you want to get away,” the man says. 

‘Is this what my life shall be like from now on?’ I nod at the token holder and then rush through some fences. ‘That elderly woman… Aye, it is as it always has been. Everyone has their own story, and I have not had the opportunity to hear any of them.’

Entering through the gate, I find a hundred and fifty-foot area with five RV’s where there was once only one. I scan the site, seeing that all along the fence are dozens of stacks of what look like long, rusty metal containers along the fence. Several small tents have been erected that look to have chairs in them with handmade signs that have “Speaker of Speakers’ Security” scribbled on them.

Not seeing anyone in any of these tents, I glance back, finding four men pushing the gate shut. Looking to my left and right, I find a small crowd of men and women gathered around the gate in mismatched uniforms that say things like, “Albuquerque Security,” “NYC Bank Sec. Office,” “San Fran. Business Protection,” and other such things. They do not say anything, but they wave at me, and so I wave back. I can only presume that these are the people from the camps Terra hired to watch over this place. Judging by their uniforms, all of them appear to be from different places but perform the same type of work.

Terra moves into view and gestures at the containers near the edge of the fence. {The shipping containers contain some more urgent supplies if the need arises, but they also help reinforce the fences. So they’re resources and defense at the same time,} Terra says to me.

{Ah, what kind of supplies? Is it food...?} I glance around at the containers, a hunger building in my kiln. {Thou art not worried someone may steal thy food?}

{No, they’re full of things that people may not have, forgot to bring with them, or might someday need urgently.} 

{What is it thou hast stored away here if not food?} I ask.

She tilts her head, thinking, and glances between the containers. Pointing at a group of clean white containers that say “Medical” on the side, she begins to list some of their contents. {There are a few refrigerated containers, and they have things like insulin, EpiPens, antibiotics, iodine drops, birth control, and well, just medicines in general, really.}  

Rubbing the chin of the arc suit’s helmet, I nod. ‘Interesting. I would certainly be interested in learning more.’

Her arm swings toward some red containers that have some rust spots on them.

{The dry containers have things like heating blankets, portable stoves, fire starters, toilet paper, feminine care products, and other stuff like that. Since I don’t have control of my organization, I’ve been using my stockpiled resources, some facilities I erected, and the Helping Hand’s as a propaganda network to maintain leverage over the people and groups here. I hope to take control of the water reservoirs soon, but that one is mostly for defense, though it’ll undoubtedly help cement my position here as well. Anyway, the only thing I still lack a solid foundation of manpower.}

{I see. Aye, people will only care as long as ‘order’ holds out. Thou shall need people to keep these items under thy ownership.} I turn away from her, rubbing the back of my arc suit’s hood. ‘Though I only knew what some of those things she listed were.’

Making our way through the camp, we move toward a pair of brown RVs that are at the far side of the square, separate from the other three. I suppose I have not actually seen that many RVs before, but the rust spots would indicate that these two are rather old. The other three seem in much better condition compared to these two.

Terra pauses when she is about to open the door and says, “Be thankful you can’t smell.” Taking a deep breath, she enters and motions for me to follow.

I tilt my head and follow behind. When I enter, I find that the RV’s inside has been stripped clean and replaced with floor-to-ceiling racks each filled with clear glass boxes.

Removing her Speaker of Speaker’s helmet, Terra undoes the bun in her hair, pulls her silver hair back, and then runs her finger through its strands. “Say hello to the Tower’s future residents and beasts,” she says, waving her hand across the room. 

With eager steps, I shuffle toward the closest glass box. {This is where thou stored the insects that were purchased for me! Some of these shall be the insects that inhabit the Fairy’s Pantry!}

“That’s right, and we have quite the variety in both this RV and the other one, so take your time and shop around,” Terra says with a laugh. “I’m glad to see you so excited. I’m acquainted with the ones near the door if you want to look at those.”

My helmet tinks against the closest box as I lean in close to see big emerald-colored beetles.

Terra walks up behind me and says, “Those are called jewel beetles. They tend to stay on oak trees, I think.”

{It would be hard to think of a better name than that.}

“Yeah, I’d say their name is pretty appropriate. They definitely look like jewels.”

I stand on my tiptoes and peer into a different enclosure. This one contains the ugliest brown insect I have ever seen. ‘Good lord, they are absolutely hideous. I kind of hate them.’

“Those are doodlebugs, and they were actually someone’s pet. They’ll eventually become something known as antlions. They hunt by burying themselves and constructing conical traps in the sand.”

{Doodle… Doodlebugs!} I place my hands against the glass. {They are so ugly, but I believe I now adore them! There is not a better name.}

Moving into a squat, I look into the bottom glass case, finding hundreds of tiny bugs crawling around on top of a few dead mice. ‘...I do not think I want these in the Tower.’

Terra cracks open one of the nearby windows and says, “Those are ‘hide beetles,’ and are used by taxidermists to remove excess fat and meat from animal bones and hides. I didn’t actually order those; they were delivered along with everything else. In fact, the supplier sent me a lot of things I didn’t ask for because...” 

There’s a crash, and someone comes tumbling out of a closet. I look over to see a man with short black hair, a brown mustache, spectacles, and a light blue shirt lying on the ground. In his arms is a big bag full of brown pellets that are spilling out and rolling all around the RV.

Immediately taking on her Galtry demeanor, Terra glares at the man. “Because Byron here closed his bug business, loaded up his car, and brought all his bugs with him... Byron,” she says with a sigh. “I was told you left for the day already, so why are you back here?”

“I… I’m sorry, Miss Galtry, but I wanted to ask Fairy what her intentions were with the bugs, and-and I knew she was coming here so...”

“But you didn’t know she was coming here with me?” Terra says, narrowing her eyes.

“W-why would I think that!? Some people don’t even think you exist. They just think you’re computer generated!” He stumbles to his feet and begins scooping up pellets with his hand, dumping them back into the bag one handful at a time, “Oh god, please, I’m really sorry!”

I lightly kick away some of the brown pellets. {Has he not met thee, Terra?}

{No, I’ve been in hiding. I’m not going to blow my cover to talk to the bug guy. Lorcan can handle that kind of stuff for me.}

The man keeps shoveling up pellets and tossing them into the bag while occasionally glancing at Terra and me. “Oh my god, it’s the Fairy, and… Galtry.” His eyes drift to the Speaker of Speaker’s helmet Terra was wearing. “Oh my god, Galtry is the Speaker of Speakers... and wow, her other eye is green—so green! Is the color of her left eye something you can even find on the internet!?” he murmurs to himself.

“Byron, if you’re here, I want you to answer any questions Fairy or I have.”

He stands up straight so fast that he sends a handful of brown pellets toward the ceiling. “Of course! Bugs are… well, they’re my life.” Byron’s eyes shimmer as he makes a fist and places it on his chest. “‘I genuinely love them,’ that was our motto at Byron’s Big-Bug Emporium.”

Terra sighs. “...That’s great, Byron. It’s not really a motto as much as a confession, but you can love them all you want on your own time when I’m not around.” Terra picks up a pen and paper and hands them to me, and then says to Byron, “Now, stop gawking at my eye and talking to me like I’m your buddy. If you waste another second of mine or Fairy’s time, the hide beetles will have one of your fingers for dessert.”

Byron’s pupils expand, and he nods quietly.

‘Terra can be scary…’ I look down at my paper and read the word “Deputy Clippie.” {...Wait! I stole these from the Consortium; it belongs to me! He is a thief!}

I can see Terra stifle a smile as she says in my head, {‘Deputy Clippie,’ is a brand. There are millions of deputy clippie clipboards.}

{Oh… as long as this one is not mine, it is acceptable for him to have it, I suppose.}

The sound of Byron propping the brown bag of pellets echoes as he says, “So...” He stands and then glances at the two of us nervously. “Would you like me to start with the biggest to smallest, most legs to no legs, number of carapace segments…?”

Staring at the man who came all this way with his bugs, the thought of the elderly woman from earlier rises to the top of my mind. I realize this is an excellent opportunity to hear the story of someone who believed in the Fairy and Tower enough to come to New York despite everything indicating that people should be running away from here.

Using my pen, I write, “First, why didst thou come all this way? Thou stated it was to see me?”

With evident surprise, he opens his mouth to say something but then stops. “Yeah, I prepared, but now that you’re here…” He sighs. “Well, I realized it’ll sound kinda dumb if I just say, ‘I’m here because I had an epiphany’ or something, so do you mind if I just tell you a short story?”

I nod. “I have not had much time to interact with the Pilgrims who came to the park, except in large chaotic groups, so I would enjoy hearing someone’s personal story.”

“Y-yeah.” He nods and takes a breath to calm himself. “So… yeah, with the cyclone in the arctic, the weather has been brutal, and an issue with the heater. I lost several of my most prized species and half of my whole supply.” 

For a moment, he pauses, his mouth half-open as he thinks and stares off into space. A breath escapes, and he continues, “As I was standing over bugs, I had reared and raised for several generations, and through some hard times, an order came in. Not only was it my first order in weeks, but it was also a fairly large one for nonagricultural insects. Honestly, I planned to cancel it; there was no way I could fulfill it. Plus, the announcement of the Cosmic System had just come out, and the heater was never going to be fixed. I mean, good luck getting a repairman when the world might be ending, and so I was basically just buying time for the bugs with heat lamps, and… man, I was just trying to come to terms with having to watch my life and passion slowly die in front of me.

But then, while I was emptying yet another enclosure of the remains of my old life, a video was shared by one of the guys from the forum. It was a shaky video of the New York Fairy, dropping a glowing ball onto the stage of the Hotel Casale just up the road from here.” 

He waves his hand across the floor as if he’s trying to show me what he saw. “All over the Casale’s stage appeared flowers and the most beautiful sight to ever grace my eyes—moving glass butterflies. That sight spoke to me on a level few things ever had. When I looked at the order slip and saw it was meant to be delivered to the same hotel, it was like a light went off. I looked back at the video, saw you making what people are calling the ‘Fairy Fist’ or whatever.” 

He raises his hand, tucks his thumb under his index finger, and shows me. “And I just dropped the enclosure right then. Before it even hit the ground, I was outside. I dug my trailer out of the snow, pulled it up to the store, and started rigging it with heat lamps right then… and well, the rest is history.” 

I nod, absorbing his story. My mind once again drifts to the elderly woman and the sight of the light in her eyes dying. ‘I suppose part of playing my part as the Tower’s Fairy, or a Knight for that matter, is encouraging the people.’

Throwing up his arms, Byron lets them hit his side. “Now, I’m here, hiding in a closet and covered in food pellets.” He laughs and rubs the back of his head. “And my dad and stepmom didn’t really understand, but I hope one day they will.”

With the tip of my pen sitting against paper, I take a moment to think about Byron’s story and then write, “I thank thee for telling me. Though I cannot promise anything, I believe that thy passion will make a difference here, and I look forward to witnessing thee flower. It is my hope that the day will soon come that the ones thee loves shall also get to witness thy passion making that difference.”

He smiles. “I… I hope so too… but… either way, this is what I love to do, so I’ll just keep doing it while the world collapses around me… Now!” Taking a quick breath, he swallows something in his throat and says, “What can Byron of Big-Bugs Emporium do for the Tower?”

I nod once more, glance at Terra, and then write, “I want thy recommendation for insects that are delicate but also hearty and can survive without any bodies of water—just water droplets.”

“Hmmm…” He glances around nervously and then says, “It would really help if you could tell me what you want to do with them.”

Raising his hands in surrender, he glances between Terra and me, saying,  “It’s not just because that was what I wanted to know in the first place. It’s because it’s hard to recommend things if I don’t know what they’re for!”

I glance at Terra, uncertain if I should answer Byron or not.

{Just give him a small portion of the truth,} she says to me. {Probably shouldn’t mention they’ll possibly be killed or hunted, however. That might make him wary of recommending some of his rarer bugs.}

Thinking for a moment, I write, “The Tower’s Mistress needs insects that can survive in a redwood, oak, and fog forest environment. My Mistress works in mysterious ways, and I know nothing more.”

“The Tower has… has a Mistress!” He takes a moment to think and then says, “The Tower having a Mistress explains why the Fairy said she was just a ‘speaker.’ That also explains why the order specified certain insect species.” He taps the side of the closest glass. “I spent two weeks in the redwoods in California, and then a week driving across the country retrieving a few bugs from any hobbyist that was willing to trade. I barely made it into the city a couple days ago, but I’m here and happy to offer my knowledge.”

I nod and then write, “And thy services are appreciated.” 

“‘Thy!’ I’ve noticed the Fairy using words like that before, but... The Fairy must be very old.”

“I suppose I am, in a way.” I pull the top piece of paper from deputy clippie, set it to the side, and then write, “How rare are the insects thou brought?”

“Well, some of these are rare-ish, but most are just uncommon. Compared to the RV next door that are all standard retail species, they are rare, I guess. Especially the ones I gathered from the wild myself.”

He begins going from one glass box to another:

“I have a dozen banana slugs here. They’ll pretty much take care of themselves and love redwood, sequoia, and cloud forests.”
“Over here, I have the Sequoia Pitch Moth! They prefer to lay their eggs in pine trees, but they love the kind of environments you described!”
“I found these two on the same branch of a dead redwood. These beetles are called Redwood Bark Beetles, and the larvae are called Tip Miners. These are just what you’d expect to see in coastal redwood forests.”

I look at the insects he’s recommended thus far and then write, “Are there not any insects that would do better in fog forests? Everything has only been for the redwoods or oak forest.”

He purses his lips and crosses his arms thinking. “If you mean a fog forest like they have in Central America, then we’d be a bit more limited. Mostly because traveling and receiving nonessential packages is far from easy right now, but I do have some that are native to that area.”

We move to a rack in the back where nine glass boxes sit. “The ones I have the most of are the velvet mites, some four o’clock moth caterpillars, and a group of dead leaf mimics… Honestly, it depends on the nuances of whatever your ecosystem is. Just because they aren’t biologically specialized for a fog forest environment doesn’t mean they don’t thrive in them. Bugs generally live in a variety of environments, and fog forests are prime real estate for most of them. Better than sequoia or redwood forests, in fact.”

‘Hmm, I was hoping there would be more diversity for the fog forest, but it’s starting to seem the redwood area will be more specialized than the fog forest. Well, this does make the fog forest more dangerous since the number of insects it can support will be higher.’

Byron taps on one of the glass cases that holds a large number of tiny, green stick-like insects. “Like these common praying mantises that hatched the other day. They would do fine in a fog forest depending on the temperatures and other insects.”

‘Ah, that is true. The temperature was always a big factor in the ecology book I read.’

Terra glances at the praying mantises and then stares straight into my helmet with raised eyebrows. Looking at the praying mantises with their saber-like appendages, I nod, understanding precisely what Terra’s look means.

Nodding, Terra says to Byron, “The Mistress would prefer they not be insects as dangerous and brutal as praying mantises.”

“Dangerous and brutal? That’s fine, I guess, but healthy ecosystems need predators too.”

“It isn’t predators that are the issue. It’s that they are peak predators in the insect world. Anyway, I have more praying mantis eggs in the other RV, but for now, let's avoid bugs that are considered peak predators.”

Rubbing his mustache, Byron thinks for a moment, looks at us with a serious expression, and then says, “Y’know that means no dragonflies, right? They have a 95% kill rate. Highest in the animal kingdom.”

Terra shakes her head. “I guess we’ll just have to make do without dragonflies or praying mantises. The Tower’s Mistress will understand, I’m sure.”

Writing on my paper, I ask, “If the weather is cool, consistent, moist, and without seasons, would insects fare well in such an environment?”

“It’s a bit of an odd environment, but yes. As long as it’s not freezing, cool is fine for most species. It’s things like cold winters, other bugs, food, moisture, and humans that are generally the problem for many bug species.”

‘I shall have to ask Earl, but I assume there is not going to be a winter. I also know there are not any other insects, and humans killing them is part of the goal. Meaning, I could have almost any insect that is capable of eating the fog forest vegetation and living in a moist environment.’

“Oh! Wait, I did manage to get these eggs from an insect that was requested,” Byron says, spinning around. He removes a small plastic container from a drawer, turns toward me, and opens it, revealing some straw and a single green leaf. Taking a glove from the same drawer, he flips the leaf over gently and moves it closer to me. I lean away and look down to see rows of tiny white eggs attached to the back of the leaf. “These are glasswing butterfly eggs that were specially requested in the order.”

‘The butterflies I asked for! These I have been excited for!’

“Luckily, they’re a popular species in some butterfly gardens. They’re pretty hearty too, I think they’ll do okay in an oak or fog forest. Assuming the forest has nightshade plants around for them to lay their eggs on.”

Byron closes the little plastic container and then removes a sheet of paper that reads, “The Glasswing - Greta Oto.”

“That's an old pamphlet leftover from my emporium. I have pamphlets on most of the species you’d find in North America.” Byron reaches for a shelf and pulls out a book filled with what has to be two thousand dusty pages. “This book should have everything you need. Just make sure you read it carefully because getting more bugs of these varieties is going to be near impossible.”

{...Terra, it may be a few months before I exit my Tower.}

{Well, that won’t do. How about I just get you some help then?}

{Help?}

“Byron, are there any other bug experts in this camp?” Terra questions Byron.

Byron nods without much thought. “It’s very likely. There are so many thousands of people, I’d be surprised if there weren’t others. I also made friends with that Shriek person Lorcan told me I should meet. His group might have some bug enthusiasts in it.”

Hearing the name Shriek, I look at Terra with narrowed eyes. {Is this conversation going where I believe it to be? Thou art about to tell me I should have him do chores for me?}

{You wouldn’t mind, right? You could use him to get things off the ground. Also, he’s seen us together, so he knows that Galtry is the Speaker of Speakers. Meaning, I need to get rid of him until we reveal the truth ourselves.}

{I mean, I would not mind. There is naught in Fairy’s Pantry, so he cannot get into any trouble… But truthfully, I would rather pick someone else to be the first to go into the Tower than the insect salesman I just met. Not that I have anything against Byron, but…}

{I understand. When we leave here, I’ll give you some documents, and we’ll begin selecting some of the one hundred. When we have some pre-selected, we'll take them on a quick trip. They could also help carry supplies.} 

{That is a tad better…} I stare at Terra, and continue, {buuut…}

She stares off into space, waits a moment, and then responds, {I’d also like to go in sometime soon if you’d do me the honor.}

{Of course! I would be honored to host thee as the first into my new home!}

I notice her glancing at me before turning toward Byron. “I want you to start getting ready for an expedition then, Byron.” Pointing toward the metal containers outside, she continues, “The kind that requires tents and supplies. You’ll be going away on a little field trip for a couple of weeks.”

“Uhm, I-I....” A drop of sweat rolls down his cheek as he adjusts his glasses and says, “I’m afraid I don’t really understand what you mean.”

“Fairy, please put together a list of what you want while I have a chat with Byron.”

I glance at Byron and then nod. ‘I shall only ask for enough to experiment with and then more later if things go well.’ 

Taking deputy clippie and a pen in hand, I begin to record what I want for Fairy’s Pantry.

Constance’s Big-Bug Emporium Shopping List:

☑ A quarter of the Glasswing Butterfly eggs.
☑ Half of the Banana Slugs.
☑ Half of the Sequoia Pitch Moths.
☑ 5-dozen Velvet Mites.
☑ A dozen Jeweled Beetles.
☑ A quarter of the Four O’clock Moth Caterpillars.
☑ Half of the Dead Leaf Mimics.
☑ Nine Field Crickets.
☑ Nine White-Kneed King Crickets.
☑ Fifty Pill Bugs.
☑ Eight Monarch Butterflies.
☑ Six Earthworms.
☑ A hundred Ladybugs.
☑ A hundred Lacewing Larva.
☑ One Rhinoceros Beetle.
☑ Two Doodlebugs for the laughs they shall provide me.