POBee 67.1 - A Queen's Debts
The First of the Fifth flew through the air, flanked the handful of soldiers she had. She beat her wings as fast as she could, willing herself to go faster. Every moment she was out of her hive was a moment she could not guarantee the absolute quality of her honey. She might now know that top tier honey was not a path to the King’s favor…but she still could fathom offering anything less than her best to him.
But this trip was necessary. And it was something the First of the Fifth needed to do herself. She had left her instructions as best she could and then set off. She just finished flying through the Apiary and through the empty rooms now separating it from the rest of the King’s domain.
Soon she arrived at the Orchard. The sight of it caused her to slow for just a second. Towering trees rose above her, their canopies filled to the brim with massive fruits and colorful flowers. A land of great abundance. The First of the Fifth wondered would could be made with the nectar of such plants. How much water did it possess, what was its sugar and mana content, did it possess any distinct flavors or compounds with magical resonance?
But she set these thoughts out of her mind and continued on her way forward. That was not the purpose of this trip.
Eventually she reached the end of the room and turned to the side. There she saw a grove of tightly packed trees, so close their branches and canopies crossed together into one. She sensed more than saw the mana of the defensive chasms surrounding the trees, revealing the defenses the King had placed to protect them. She saw streams of bees flying to and from the grove, gathering nectar from the fruit trees beyond. Some of them noticed her approach and flew back towards their home, no doubt to inform their queen of her arrival.
Soon, she arrived. She found a patch of glowing mana flowers at the center of the grove, where a single column of sunlight pierced through a small hole in the canopy above. The hive itself was not on the ground, but high up in the canopy, built upon the intersection of the grove’s branches. The First of the Fifth climbed until she arrived at the entrance. Her daughter stood there waiting, along with the Fourth of the Seventh. Her daughter danced a salute.
“Queen mother, welcome to home.”
The slight twitch of her antenna and her wings indicated her nerves. The First of the Fifth, therefore, wasted no time with her task and began her dance. Her body tried to slow down but she forced herself to go through with it.
“Daughter…I’m sorry.”