How am I supposed to attune myself to the truths of the world with all these distractions? Clan, duty, and even my own dreams all pull me from my own Path and impede my climb to ascendency…but how can I say no when my grandson wants to share a meal with me? -Elder Lao of the Yun Clan

* * *

Pollen surveyed the crowd from the branches of a tree, worry growing in her heart with everybody that was added. Five thousand humans lived in the greater region of Saikan, of those, four thousand lived in the town itself. Four thousand people, each one in direct danger thanks to that monster, Shen Tori. Each one was under Pollen’s care, and she was sure she wouldn’t be able to save them all.

Wet water qi filtered back to her through her connection to the Honey Hive. It had begun to rain in her domain, meaning the hive was grounded until the storm passed…if it ever did.

Old fears returned to her, memories of the old days. Twenty years ago, Pollen was barely aware of her surroundings. All she could remember was an endless rain, terrible thunder, and the flowers being washed away in a relentless torrent of water that reshaped the land and devastated the soils. She’d spent years cultivating it back into a fertile state, and now…

I won’t let it be for nothing, she swore to herself. Her hive would survive. They had to. Unlike the hornets in Hanai, her hive was not supported by some greater outside force. She was on her own. If the hive perished, there would be no trace they were ever there, no one left to remember they lived at all. As Queen, Pollen could not allow that. It was unacceptable.

She jumped down from the tree, very nearly landing on the still body of the blond hornet who was still pressing his hands to his temples in pain. Suzume had joined them, and was kneeling next to her brother, dabbing the sweat from his brow. Nearby, Zumi was busy soothing the fears of those nearest.

“How many have gathered?” Suzume asked softly. Pollen shook her head.

“Not enough, but if we don’t leave now, we risk being caught in the tidal wave.”

The walk to the Honey Hive was long, and no roads connected it to human civilization. With so many people, it would be slow travel, and Pollen could only hope that the stragglers would catch up to the back of the march before they could be left behind.

Pollen raised a hand, channeling her qi and the connection she had with her dominion. The air shifted and the smell of flowers overpowered the rain. Her shoulders relaxed slightly. Flowers fixed everything; this she’d always believed. As the scent grew stronger, a thin line of glowing green and pink appeared in the air. It pointed towards the northwest, drawing a solid connection between Pollen and the source of her power and her life.

“People of Saikan!” she called with a clear voice. Though she spoke a normal volume, she was certain that all those gathered could hear her through the qi she infused in her words. “I’m sorry to say that the festival is being cut short. As many of you heard from Masters Tenri, Tsuyuki, and Kansi, an old enemy has returned. The Tide Serpent is waking as we speak.”

Pollen could see the eyes of those closest to her widen with fear as a terrified chorus of soft whispers and whimpers washed over the crowd. She couldn’t blame them. Even she was terrified, and she was Iron. These mortals had no hope of withstanding the Serpent on their own. Still, Pollen kept her own fears under a tight leash. She was a leader, and they needed her guidance.

“Even now, our friends have gone to face the beast, but those of you who remember the last time the Serpent reigned will understand that we must prepare for the worst. Administrator Tenri asked me to guide you all further inland, and I am prepared to host as many as I can in my dominion until the threat is over.” She paused, looking over the crowd’s reaction. They were still afraid. “It is a long journey to the Hive. It is my hope that our friends will resolve the issue before we even get there, but knowing that you all are safe will surely help them to fight without concerns and without worries.”

Then, she lowered her voice, dropping the qi from it. “Zumi, will you lead them? They trust you most.” The administrator’s assistant nodded.

“Come on, friends, this way!” he shouted. Then he began marching in the direction of the qi line. Pollen watched them for a long moment, taking in the eyes of the fearful and the hopeless. She doubted she could save them all. How many would be picked off by yokai and hostile beasts along the way? How many would be left behind to drown?

Pollen’s misgivings were interrupted by Suzume. “Pharyx, brother, you need to stand. We need to go, now.”

The hornet was trembling and sweat joined with the rain that dripped down his face. His hands were still pressed to his head. Pollen put a hand on his good shoulder, the one that wasn’t stained with blood from his injury. Despite the rushed job, Lian had stitched the hornet’s shoulder fairly well. In time, there wouldn’t even be a scar, but that didn’t stop the voices from raging through his head.

“Just force them back, Pharyx,” she whispered. She’d taken a glancing blow from Shen Tori during the first fight, and even that had been enough for her. She was sure she’d have trouble sleeping…if she weren’t already exhausted with a long trek ahead of them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I…I c-can’t,” he whispered. “They’re so loud, and…and…” he broke down, grimacing in pain as he squeezed his eyes shut.

“And what?”

“They speak truths,” he answered. Pollen pulled back from him just as tendrils of void qi seemed to seep from under his skin, wrapping around his head and hand like barbed ropes that dug into him. He grunted in pain.

Truths? He’s listening to that nonsense? Pollen couldn’t believe her ears. Pharyx, the normally cheerful, determined sun artist who would flirt with anything with a pulse besides Pollen herself, was being dragged down by this? When had his faith in himself and his friends been cracked?

“They speak only lies, Pharyx,” Suzume insisted, taking her brother’s hand in hers. “You have to fight them back.”

“Why?” he opened his eyes. They were bloodshot. “They say…they say…he did this. He caused it all. He must be working for the Darkened Moon.”

Pollen froze, the pieces clicking into place. The voices in Pharyx’s thoughts were no stronger than the ones she’d faced, but they were singing a different tune. They were repeating what he already was thinking, taking advantage of his internal conflict to drive a wedge in his sanity.

“Pharyx, what are you talking about?” his sister’s voice trembled. She turned to Pollen, as if expecting her to have an answer, but the honeybee’s expression was cold.

“He must be here to destroy the shore and free his master,” Pharyx continued rambling. “He must-”

“Enough,” Pollen ordered. She stood, gripping her hands into fists inside her sleeves. “How could you possibly think that? He has done nothing against any of us. He is our friend!”

“Do you really know that? What do you even know about him? Where is he from? Why is he even in the Moon-Soaked Shore?” Pharyx continued. “He’s hiding something!”

“So what?!” Pollen’s voiced raised into a shrill shout. “Every cultivator has their secrets. You hid your entire identity from me for months when we first met! Despite my failure to see your value, you still forgave me for my small-mindedness so we could pursue a truer friendship! Now, look who’s the small-minded one?!” Anger filled her entire being, and she could feel the rest of her hive growing agitated in response, even from this distance.

“‘Small-minded?’ I’m the only one who sees the bigger picture!”

“No, you see only the corner that the void lets you see,” she seethed. “Tsuyuki has done nothing to harm either of us and has saved your sorry, chitinous hide on multiple occasions. How did you thank him for that?”

“I…it’s just…” Pharyx stuttered, trying to find an answer that appeased the voices twisting his thoughts, but Pollen was far too enraged to let him find one.

“In his hour of need, when his back was against a wall and he cried out for allies, you abandoned him!” she shouted. The sickly-sweet smell of every poisonous flower in her garden filled her nose as the feedback from the connection she shared with the hive only enraged her further. “You didn’t just hesitate. You refused to lend your support. And for what?! A half-baked suspicion that is founded on coincidence, and conjecture? Tsuyuki is our friend. He is a moon artist. So what?” A crack of thunder punctuated her words, leaving utter silence as Pharyx stared up at her in surprise. Never before had he seen such a temper on her, so rare was it that she was pushed so far as to lose her serenity. But, even the most graceful of fairies can shake the heavens with their fury. Pollen was no exception.

“Queen Pollen, please,” Suzume begged. “My brother is not well. Temper your words while he has none with which to defend himself.”

Was she right? Pollen had let her anger spread to the hive, which only increased her own. She took a deep breath, mentally soothing the hive. But, once she’d regained her composure, she realized that she didn’t regret any of her words. They were harsh, but they were her truth.

“I’m sorry, Suzume,” Pollen said softly. “But, Pharyx needs to hear my words and my frustrations.”

The brood queen looked sadly at the honeybee, and Pollen wished that what she was about to say was not necessary. She liked Suzume. Where Pharyx was blustery and loud, Suzume was refined and sweet, a lot like Pollen herself. She adored spending time with the woman. They could speak as equals, something Pollen could never have from those in her own hive.

But…if Pollen didn’t speak now, then she might lose the nerve to say what needed to be said later. She took a deep breath, then looked Pharyx straight in the eye.

“I do not know what you go through, being a child of the Dawn Empress,” she began firmly. “I cannot know the stress that she must put on you. But, none of that is my concern. I care only for my hive and what is best for my people.

“If this is how you treat your friends, abandoning them in their time of need, only to watch them suffer while you sit on the sidelines, then I worry for our future. Allies help one another. The pact between our peoples is young, but if this is the kind of ally you are, then I will dissolve it here and now.”

“Pollen, please think about this,” Suzume said.

“I’ve thought about it all it deserves,” Pollen answered. “I would sooner go it alone than hold out for an ally who will fail me when I need them most.” Her voice softened. “You decide what kind of ally you are, Taiya Pharyx. When you do, you know where to find me. I have these people to escort.” Pollen turned and walked briskly away to join Zumi at the front of the column.

I’m not running away, she told herself. I just…have rain in my eyes.

The thunder rumbled overhead as the rain continued to fall. Pollen tried not to look at the humans she passed. She needed to be strong for them. She needed to put on the veil of serenity that would reassure them that she could protect them…

“Queen Pollen,” Zumi greeted when she reached the head of the column. “Thank you for helping us in our time of need. I know my cousin values your friendship beyond all the gold in the Governor’s coffers.”

“Thank-” Pollen’s voice cracked and she bit her lip.

“Your Majesty, are you alright? Is your injury paining you?” Zumi asked, but Pollen wasn’t fooled.

He was smart. Smarter than most gave him credit for. As a mere assistant, he never got any of the glory that Tenri Lin did, but he did far more work for Saikan. He was quick witted, observant, and he knew people. In that moment, Pollen was certain that he saw just how distressed she was, but he gave her face by blaming it on an injury to her body rather than the one to her heart.

“I will manage. Thank you, Zumi.” She breathed deeply of the flower scent that emanated from the technique that would guide them all safely home.

Flowers fix everything, she repeated to herself. But I doubt they can fix this.