It was a long time before my sister was out of range of the Vestibule. The last flickering embers of her Will reached me hours later. How many hours, I honestly can’t say. Unable to do anything else after my failure, all I could do was sit and listen as she Willed for freedom, Willed for escape, Willed for it all to be over.
When at last the range was too great, or her Will was too thin, or perhaps she had finally experienced release, I swear I felt something inside of me break.
Once again, I triggered the healing gland once it had filled up. The flames of the Phoenix lingered within my carapace even now, trying to chew through my body, refusing to be extinguished. I didn’t see what I could do about it other than heal myself over and over again until finally they ran out of juice. It’s painful, but nothing compared to what my lost sibling was forced to endure.
The ants on the expedition are not filled with jubilation and triumph, as they should have been after such a successful outing. Once word of what occurred spread across the ships, there has been a simmering fury bubbling away inside the Vestibule, a grief and an anger that only serve to magnify my own.
Normally, I’m not a huge fan of the Vestibule allowing the Colony to affect my thoughts and emotions, but this time we are united, and our feelings are perfectly aligned.
With a silent command, I reach out through the Nave and contact the individual I’m seeking. She appears shortly after, popping into reality with a burst of energy and landing nimbly on the deck next to me.
“Have no fear, Brilliant is he—what the heck happened to you?!”
It takes a little while to explain what had occurred, and when I’m done, she’s just as furious as the rest of us.
“Why didn’t you call me, Eldest? I could have wiggled my way in there, no problem.”
“Too risky. It’s impossible for us to say what kinds of defences they might have had against that type of intrusion. If you’d been caught, we’d be mourning two lost siblings right now instead of one.”
Brilliant simply scoffs.
“I would have found my way in and out. Are you forgetting who I am?! I'm BRILLIANT!”
Of course. That level of insane confidence is one of the things that makes her who she is. There’s no point arguing about it, what’s done is done.
“I know you have a lot on your plate, but I have another project for you.”
Immediately, the little mad scientist snaps to attention.
“I’m intrigued, go on.”
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“I want to know everything there is to know about the Church of the Path. Everything. Their history, their alliances, their strength, their eating habits, all of it. They have put their hand up as our main enemy in this part of the Dungeon, and we have to be prepared.”
The energy leaks out of Brilliant as I go on. She’s not interested in this sort of thing.
“Leave that to the diplomants and historiants to figure out. That hardly calls for me to employ my vast talents!”
“There’s more,” I tell her, “I want you to look into every site in our territory where the Church of the Path might have operated.”
The way the Will had… drained out of the captive was locked in my mind. It wasn’t right.
“I believe they were conducting some strange sort of spell. Some magic that I don’t understand. They were doing… something.”
The little ant rubs at the top of her head with one antenna, pondering.
“That’s… a little vague, to say the least, Senior. You’ve got a feeling they were doing something odd to our sister…. Well, I don’t have a reason to doubt you, so I’ll investigate. If there’s something there, then there’s something there. I’ll look into this thoroughly.”
She chomps her mandibles angrily.
“I have to say, this kind of research leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I’d rather be looking into something else altogether. Did you know that they asked me to help them look into the mana of the fifth stratum? It really is different to every other type of energy I’ve ever seen. The way it propagates itself, the virulent properties it possesses. It’s almost as if the mana itself is alive.”
Well, that certainly is interesting to hear.
“I want you to keep on that, but make investigating the Church of the Path a priority.”
I know who the enemy is. The krath and the monsters of the fifth are enemies of everyone, and we will need to overcome them if we want to push deeper into the Dungeon. The Church though, they are only enemies to monsters, and have clearly announced their intentions towards us, and they are malevolent.
It’s a shame that after an escapade in which we made so many unexpected friends, we finish by making a mortal enemy.
Because there will never be peace between the Colony and the Cathedral, not so long as I live.
“Thanks for coming out, Brilliant,” I say to the little ant. “I know you’ve been busy lately. I’d much rather call you out for something a little happier.”
The little ant waggles her antennae.
“Don’t think too hard about it, Senior. That’s my job. After all, you know what my name is.”
I wish I could roll my eyes.
“Yes, yes. We all know what your name is. No need to shout it every time you leave. Or arrive. Or in general conversation.”
“Not everyone is as smart as me, so I need to make sure I remind them. After all, I’m BRILLIANT! MUAHAHAHAHA!”
“Hey! That’s my evil laugh!”
But she’s already gone. Dammit. She’s always been a cheeky one, but she’s quickly becoming one of the most important ants in the entire Colony. I know she’ll investigate as diligently as she can with all of her fierce intelligence.
Suddenly, I just feel tired. I want to see my friends. I want to wrestle with Tiny, talk with Invidia, poke fun at Crinis. I want to see my mother, the Queen, and tickle the grubs.
With an internal sigh, I trigger the healing gland once again. At this rate, it’ll take a few days to put these fires out, then I can start to properly regenerate. Rammon the Phoenix of Light. He’s a tough customer, but I have to thank him. By holding back, he literally saved my life.
I owe him one.