Chapter Three: The Dream

Gorz slammed down his fifth cup of grasska. He could drink a lot, almost as much as Strom. Kourey sat across from Gorz, in a dim corner at the Inn on the Edge, Gorz’s favorite pub. It was a worker’s pub, where merchants, builders, traders, and miners went to relax after a day’s service to the Empire. Gorz enjoyed the noise and the grit of the common ant. The pub was located on the lowest level of the vertical city of Hornblende. The city spilled out of the cave in the cliff like a frozen waterfall made out of wood and stone, which pooled into the immense Grand Market on the lowest level. The Grand Market was still a ways up from the ground, though. It was a twenty-minute hike up the winding roads to get to the market, or a much faster and less exhausting five minute ride up one of the lifts.

The Inn on the Edge jutted out of the city, just above the Grand Market. It provided a spectacular view of the forest, though it was off-putting to Kourey, knowing that the only thing separating him from the ground below was an old creaky wooden floor. The Inn and the Market were also the only two structures in the city that were within catapult range. The Grand Market was reinforced with black granite stones, but the inn was built some years ago on a low budget by a non-royal landowner who couldn’t afford any materials besides wood. It shouldn’t have mattered to Kourey, though, since the city hadn’t been under siege in almost fifty years, but the knowledge that the Inn could be so easily destroyed made him uncomfortable. 

Kourey nervously fiddled with a small vile under his tunic, and humbly sipped his second cup of grasska. He didn’t care for the drink. It was bitter and it burned, but a Royal’s drink such as nectarwine couldn’t be found in the lower levels of the city.  He watched as Gorz slowly turned in his seat to get the attention of the bartender. He raised one of his arms and signaled for two more drinks.

“You had better hurry up with that one, Kourey,” said Gorz, turning back around. “You’ve got nerves, I can tell, but you’ll need your sleep for tomorrow, when we begin the journey to Feldspar. Besides, you’ve got four days on the road to be nervous.”

Kourey stopped playing with the vile and tried to calm down, but he couldn’t. “What if something goes wrong? What if this poison doesn’t work?” He went back to fiddling with the vile.

“Hush,” said Gorz, leaning forward. “Remember where you are. Be careful which words you choose. There are only five ants that know about the plan. Stom and Zidney’s guards don’t know about it, not even the Her Elegance’s guards know. But you shouldn’t worry so much, it-” Gorz stopped speaking and leaned back as the bartender brought two more glasses of grasska to the table. Kourey closed his eyes to down his last bit of grasska and handed the empty cup to the bartender. Gorz continued when the bartender left, “It isn’t a difficult task. Just empty the vile into his cup. It’s tasteless and colorless. He won’t notice a thing.”

            “And what if he suspects something?” asked Kourey.

            “He’ll undoubtedly suspect something,” said Gorz, casually. “The offer we gave him was of course too good to be true. But he won’t expect anything from us personally. I don’t think he believes the Queen of Queens would attempt such a risky move.”

            “So, our plan is to create distrust amongst the Sodden Pontiff’s closest followers, and so with no organization, The Order will crumble, right?” asked Kourey.

            “Exactly,” said Gorz. He swallowed a big gulp of grasska and wiped his mouth with his upper left arm.

            “And what if the plan doesn’t work? What if it is us they suspect?” asked Kourey.

            Gorz smiled at Kourey. “You’re like your father, you know? You try to calculate every single possible outcome before you make a move.”

            Kourey frowned. “I feel like knowing the many outcomes of this particular plan is a reasonable concern.”

            “Indeed it is,” Gorz chuckled. “If they for some reason suspect it was us who killed the Sodden Pontiff, it is but a simple matter of asking the coastals if they would rather be ruled by us, or the Mud King,” said Gorz calmly.

            “And if the Mud King reaches the coastals before us, and stikes a deal? They can be easily manipulated. What if the Mud King lies to them just like the Sodden Pontiff did?” asked Kourey.

            “Impossible,” said Gorz. “If there was the slightest movement from the Mangrove Swamp, we would know. Nearly all of Muscovite’s forces are either blockading the fork, or guarding the frontier in the forest, not to mention a handful of spies inside the Mud King’s city posing as traders from the Distant Lands.”

            Kourey sighed. Gorz seemed to always have everything figured out. He always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone he met. Annoyed, but a little more calm, Kourey closed his eyes again and downed a big gulp of grasska. He swallowed, and for a moment he thought the drink was going to come right back up, but he held it down, and then his mind began to wander.

            “Good job, young ant!” said Gorz. “That was a big one.”

            “Gorz,” said Kourey after a pause. “What ever happened to my father? Why did he disappear?”

            Gorz took a deep, solemn breath. “That is a question best left unanswered.”

            “But why?” asked Kourey, unsatisfied. “You were good friends with him, weren’t you? Don’t you know what happened to him?”

            “He was half my age when he disappeared, but yes, we were close back when I lived in Feldspar,” said Gorz. “He was a good ant, a fine trader. Always did his duty to the Queen of Queens.”

            “So then why’d he disappear, Gorz?” asked Kourey, drunkenly distressed. “If he was such a good ant, why did he leave? Was he taken?” Kourey had a very vague memory of his father. He must’ve been only three years out of larva when his father disappeared, but he could never forget the last time he saw him. I love you, child, and so does she, though she’ll never tell you. Those were his last words before he left. Shortly after, Gorz showed up and carried away the young crying Kourey.

            “Those are tough questions to answer right now, Kourey. It’s best they go unanswered for now. Perhaps one day, maybe in more stable times, you’ll learn,” said Gorz. “Now, I think it’s time we get some rest.” Kourey and Gorz exited the Inn on the Edge and took a mouse carriage up the narrow winding roads of Hornblende.

            The Royal Councilant of Feldspar and his Royal Guard parted ways at the entrance to the Gold Palace. Gorz went inside the Palace to his private quarters. Kourey walked down a block from the Palace to his quarters near the Royal barracks. He walked through the Old Market, and stopped to buy a light snack before he got home.

            Kourey loved the noise, smells, and energy of the always-busy Old Market. It was smaller and less industrial than the Grand Market. Merchants sold small goods at the Old Market, like trinkets, and toys, clothing, even armor, and of course, food. He found a food stand that he liked, and grabbed a salted half-minnow on a stick. He turned around quickly to head home, but ran straight into another ant and knocked him over, causing a box he’d been carrying to fall and shatter into a stinky pile of powders and perfume oils. The ant slowly began to pick himself back up. A red and green cloth covered the ant’s face, and he wore strange red and green robes. Kourey coughed at the overwhelming scent of perfume and began to apologize as he knelt down to try and help the ant pick up what remained of his goods. “I’m so very sorry, about that, let me-“

            Just then, the ant grabbed a hold of one of Kourey’s wrists and leaned in close so that only Kourey could hear him speak. “Don’t kill the queen,” muttered the Stranger. The ant had a strong Muscovite accent, like Zidney’s.

            “Hey! A worker does not grasp a Royal Guard!” shouted Kourey, and he yanked his arm away. The strange ant from Muscovite let him go with no resistance. He stood up and walked away briskly without even picking up his shattered mess on the ground. Kourey watched the ant leave, confused about what had just happened. He shrugged, and continued home.

            Later that night, Kourey lied in bed on the verge of sleep. He thought about his father, and who she might have been. Kourey assumed his father was talking about his mother, but he had never met her. Gorz said she died giving birth, but Kourey always doubted that. He never knew how much he could trust Gorz when it came to talking about his parents. Gorz was oddly secretive about the past.

Kourey finally slipped into a slumber. He dreamed a strange dream in which he was flying over the ocean with the ghost of his father. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but water. Suddenly, he began to fall. His father’s pale ghost hovered in the sky, watching Kourey plummet downward toward the water. Kourey tried to reach out for his father to save him, but he did nothing. Right before he crashed into the sea, however, Kourey was caught by the stranger from the Old Market. His red and green robes had turned completely red. There was an intense and terrifying anger behind the cloth that concealed his face. Everything turned pitch black. Then, Kourey heard the stranger scream. DON’T KILL THE QUEEN!

            Kourey jolted awake. He was out of breath, and his back was sore.  

Chapter Two: The March

How stupid did the Queen of Queens think the Sodden Pontiff was? Her offer was too good to be true. It had to be a ploy to discredit, or even assassinate him. The Royal Council with all their wisdom was even allowing the Savior to bring his army with him, the fools.

Thit marched in anger with her column of half a thousand ants. She held her longpike proudly, the polished, armor-piercing head glimmered in the morning sun along with the other hundreds of longpikes. Her column looked like a shiny forest of death. Thit was dressed in brand new bronze armor, trimmed with pure white, and wore a matching helm, which covered her head and cheeks, but had two holes on top that allowed her antennae to pop through. On her back, she carried her heavy round shield, which had recently had the white tower of Halite painted on it.

  She turned around to get one last look at the White City. The rising sun gave half the city a heavenly white-yellow glow, while the other half was still hidden in the dark blue of dawn. Thit had lived in Halite all her life, and she knew that she might not see it ever again. She would gladly give her life for her city, if that was what it took.

Behind her were dozens of columns just like her own, and those were only the ones in her field of vision. Thit was one of a hundred thousand pike soldiers, which made up the core of the Sodden Pontiff’s army. Fifty thousand cavalry mice supported the core, along with almost eighty thousand archers and various other missile soldiers. There were ten thousand siege engineers following up the rear who would construct catapults, towers, and ladders. Twenty five thousand specialized climbing soldiers also accompanied the army, who were prepared to make a dangerous free climb up the tall cliff if the army had to besiege Hornblende. The war would be over far before they reached Hornblende, though, if the inland ants knew what was good for them. Two hundred sixty-five thousand soldiers marched northeast with the Sodden Pontiff toward Feldspar. Another thirty-five thousand soldiers traveling upriver by warship from The Island of Basalt were going to meet them under the City on the Bridge, bringing the army’s total up to three hundred thousand.

The Sodden Pontiff’s plan was simple. He would walk straight into the Royal Councilants’ ploy in Feldspar, and turn their ‘negotiation’ around on them. He would show them his army, and should they make even a hint of aggression toward him, the army would immediately besiege Feldsapar. The coastal army was much larger and better equipped than the skeleton of the inland army. The Queen of Queens would have no choice but to surrender her empire to The Savior, but if she was foolish, the army was fully prepared to kill the Royal Councilants and cleanse the entire inland of non-believers all the way to the capital city on the cliff.

This attempt at a negotiation, or perhaps an assassination, had to have been an act of desperation by the Queen of Queens, the slow and overly cautious crusty old ant. She was afraid. She was afraid of Halite’s power, and she was afraid of The Order, even though the Sodden Pontiff was the one who saved her and her precious Empire. It was Halite’s blessed filtered water that kept the Empire breathing during the Great Drought, but the inland river cities never learned to respect it. They were too stuck in their old ways of the Old Queens, too dependent on the Feldspar River. The river used to be the lifeblood of the Empire, but now the river was sick, and the Empire was weak. It was time to convert the inland non-believers, and to liberate them from suffering, and from the tyranny of the Old Empire.

Chapter One: The Plan

Goldfinches wearing light bronze armor engraved with the royal sigil swooped down toward the capital city in a chaotic fury. Hornblende was under siege. The Old Queens, who had been out of power for almost a decade, were back to reclaim their rightful throne with their enormous black and gold army. The crazed warlord who called himself the Mud King occupied the Royal Capital, which was built into a shallow black granite cave inside of a tall cliff. The Mud King had fortified himself within the magnificent Gold Palace, the highest point in the city. The highly trained birds and their skilled and battle-hardened riders came down on the city with force. The riders wore their signature black and gold capes, along with polished bronze armor, trimmed brightly with the colors of their home cities. The Mud King’s poorly equipped, and half-starved army of criminals, mercenaries, and outcasts didn’t stand a chance against the elite soldiers and their deadly birds-of-war.

            Kourey wondered what it was like to fly on the back bird as he stared upward at the giant mosaic of the famous aerial assault on Hornblende. The tall dome ceiling of the Royal Council chamber located within the Gold Palace was covered in mosaics originally made from brightly colored gemstones that came from every corner of the empire. The mosaics depicted the famous and glorious victories from the War for Unification.

Most of the mosaics were fragmented and faded. Several had large chunks of their gemstones taken out and replaced with duller, less valuable stones. The Great Drought put an enormous strain on the economy over the past four years, forcing the antministration to dip into their extraordinary display of riches. Even parts of the Gold Palace, such as the once extraordinary spiral towers, had been removed and melted down into coins.

 Below the deteriorating mosaics, within the now less-decorative Gold Palace, the last surviving member of the Old Queens sat at the head of a long, intricately carved black granite table. She was the largest ant in the empire, with an abdomen almost twice as long as Kourey’s entire body. She was also the oldest ant in the empire, at the age of seventy-seven. She was still relatively healthy, but much slower than she was almost fifty years ago when she was crowned.

The Queen of Queens was accompanied by three of her five Royal Councilants. To her left, sat Councilant Zidney of Muscovite. He wore a humble old cloak, which matched his pale brown body. The cloak was tattered and torn, and frankly unfit for a Royal Councilant. He insisted, however, that it was lucky, and vowed to never get a new one until his old one deteriorated completely. His cloak aggravated several royal ants, including Astor Gorzae of Feldspar, the last surviving Royal Goldfinch Rider, or so most ants assumed. Gorz never talked about his past. Astor Gorzae sat at the right hands of the Queen of Queens. He was almost as old as her, at the age of seventy. His antennae hung tiredly low. Small cracks and battle scars covered his face, arms, and thorax. His once vibrant maroon color had faded into a pale pink from years of warfare and stress.

Gorz took guardianship over Kourey at a young age after his father disappeared, and enlisted him in the Royal Academy. Ironically, Kourey grew up to become Gorz’s sworn bodyguard, even though Kourey was not technically a soldier. He was a Royal bodyguard, even though he was not a soldier, and he was also allowed into Councilant meetings, even though he was not a Councilant, but Gorz insisted on allowing him inside. Many believed he was grooming Kourey to become his successor. Kourey watched the old ant from his post near the entrance of the Councilant chamber. Gorz seemed more and more tired each day.

Hunched over next to Gorz was Councilant Strom of Galena. His four black hands gripped a tall cup of nectarwine. He seemed particularly bitter on this day, with his silver cloak wrapped tightly around his shoulders, in an almost defensive demeanor. He had held a constant frown from the moment he walked into the chamber. Kourey watched as Strom took a long gulp of his nectarwine and made an effort to slam a silver vambrace on the table as he set down the cup.

“We need to kill them, all of them,” said Strom, interrupting Councilant Zideny, who was saying something about the city’s water supply. Strom’s voice was deep and smoky. He always sounded displeased, even when he was entertained.

“Why should we kill them when all we need to do is get rid of one?” asked Gorz, in a calm and patient manor. Strom and Gorz hardly ever agreed.

“They’re all traitors, Gorz,” said Strom. “They’ve lost their devotion to their queen in Halite, and therefore, their loyalty to her Elegance the Queen of Queens!”

“You’re wrong,” countered Gorz. “Their devotion was taken from them, and replaced with lies.”

Strom stared at Astor Gorzae as he took another big sip of nectarwine. “The Sodden Pontiff killed her. He killed the Queen of Halite, and what did the Halitions do? Nothing. No, worse than nothing, they believed the Pontiff’s lies and they began to follow his radical order.”

“We don’t know for certain that the Sodden Pontiff killed the Queen of Halite,” said Gorz.

Strom gestured gently toward the Queen of Queens with two of his black arms. “Then how come her elegance can’t make contact with her? Her elegance the Queen of Queens is connected to the queens of Galena, Feldspar, Muscovite, and even the religious radical queen on the island of Basalt! He killed the Queen of Halite, Gorz, face it."

“We don’t know that for certain, Strom, and we surely don’t want to make any reckless decisions before we know the whole truth,” said Gorz. “I think it’s more likely that the Sodden Pontiff removed her antennae, and is now holding her hostage.”

“And do you think that’s any better?” replied Strom. “Either way, the Sodden Pontiff removed the Queen of Halite from her rightful position of power in the White City, and the citizens of Halite did nothing. Nothing, Gorz. And for that, they need to be punished. All of them.”

“And what do you suggest we do, execute the entire city?” asked Gorz.

“That would be a start,” said Strom.

Zidney leaned forward and took a deep, irritated breath. “As I was saying, about our water supply-“

“My city of Galena can provide all of Hornblende’s water,” interrupted Strom.

“For now,” said Zidney, dismissively. “But if the Feldspar River continues to get lower and more polluted, we will have to rely completely on the coastal cities of Halite and Basalt to bring us filtered seawater. How do you expect the rest of the coastals to cooperate if we punish their largest and wealthiest city?”

“Zidney’s right, Strom,” said Gorz. “Until we can find the reason for the sudden influx of pollution in the river, we cannot afford to lose the coastals’ supply of filtered water.”

“I have my best officer leading an expedition north as we speak," said Zidney. "I have complete confidence that Captain Fyodir will find the source of the pollution, but until then, we can’t risk cutting ties with Halite and Basalt."

“It is indeed true that we will need the costals’ water supply to survive,” said the Queen of Queens. Instantly, everyone’s attention went directly to her. She had a meek appearance, even with her large size.  Her age showed with small cracks all around her body, and her pure brown color had faded around her face and abdomen, much like Gorz’s color had. She was frail, and couldn’t move well anymore, but her voice could still effortlessly take command of a room. The Queen of Queens continued, “But there is something else from the coastals that we need more immediately than their water. We need their army.”

“How come, your Elegance?” asked Gorz. “The one who calls himself the New Mud King hasn’t made any notable movements in years.”

The Queen of Queens leaned back paused for a moment, almost hesitant. “Zidney, I think it’s time you tell the rest of the council what you told me yesterday,” said the Queen of Queens.

Strom and Gorz gave their attention to Zidney. His usually perky antennae lowered, in a serious fashion. “After I sent Captain Fyodir north of the fork to find the source of the pollution, I sent several smaller expeditions east, following the Mud River toward the Mangrove Swamp. Most never came back. The half dozen ants that did come back shared some alarming news. The floating Mud City in the swamp has grown rapidly, almost tenfold. And in the large open harbor, where there were usually white sails of neutral trade ships, there are now hundreds of warships with the brown and green sails of the Mud King’s army.”

“We don’t know how the Mud City grew so rapidly, but we can safely assume where he’s going to take those warships, and we need to prepare for the worst,” said the Queen of Queens. Though her voice was commanding, she usually spoke with a gentle tone. Kourey had never heard the Queen of Queens speak so sternly before.

“So, we need to build the army back up if we’re going to stand a chance against the inevitable attack,” said Zidney. “The goldfinches are long gone. They were too expensive to maintain. The rest of the royal army has mostly dissipated, as the funding for it was allocated during the Great Drought and the subsequent economic downturn. There is one city, however, which still maintains its army. A city that has twice the population and wealth as all the inland river cities combined.”

“But Halite’s army of traitors is under the command of the Sodden Pontiff, who will never hand over his soldiers to Hornblende,” said Strom doubtfully. “If anything, the Sodden Pontiff will join the Mud King, if he hasn’t already.”

“Which is why the Sodden Pontiff must be killed,” said the Queen of Queens. “I am just as upset with Halite’s actions as you are, Strom, but right now we need their army, and their wealth.”

“So then how do we kill him? He’s holed up in his White City, surrounded by devoted followers,” said Strom.

“We draw him out,” said the Queen of Queens. “We stage a negotiation that he cannot refuse, promising him complete sovereignty. This negotiation will take place at the halfway point between Hornblende and Halite.”

At that, Gorz’s sagging antennae perked up as high as they could go. “Your Elegance, you mean to lure the Sodden Pontiff and his army to-“

“Your home of Feldspar,” said the Queen of Queens, completing Gorz’s thought. “The negotiations will be on our turf, in the City on the Bridge. That’s when we assassinate the Sodden Pontiff, preferably by poison with a delayed reaction. He’ll die in the company of his closest followers, causing suspicion and distrust.”

“What do you mean we assassinate the Sodden Pontiff?” asked Strom. “You would have the Royal Councilants personally poison their threat?”

“No,” she said. “But it must be someone close to us. It can’t be an assassin because an unfamiliar face during negotiations will arouse suspicion. It must be someone on the inside, who is often seen with us. It must be someone very close to us, someone who would never draw the attention of the Sodden Pontiff.”

It was then when the Queen of Queens, and the three Royal Councilants turned their attention to Kourey. Kourey stared as the four most powerful ants in the Empire looked onto him with their full attention. Kourey gripped his spear, which he almost forgot he had. He gazed at the Queen of Queens, and then the three Councilants. He held his gaze on Gorz, and Gorz gave him a nod. Kourey knew he had to do his duty to the Empire.  

Twitter Series # 3 : "how to be single"

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Teaser 3: Observations

What’s wrong?

The groups from the south, near the coast. They seem to be moving in large numbers.

A migration?

No, a war.