Chapter 206: Blessed Bee the Contrite
Hirkolos walked over to the karnuq apiary. One of the karnuq, Paisijik, smiled and waved him over once she saw him. He returned her smile and joined her as she checked on her hive.
The bees had buzzed at him at first but a flash of mana from Paisijik had apparently calmed them down. He could thus now stand and watch as she checked the brood, smiling as he watched the worker bees crawl about and continue their tasks even as Paisijik lifted their comb. Paisijik finished up and then gathered the daily tray from the hive, breaking off a piece for him.
He tried to refuse, but as usual she just shoved the piece into his hands and went about with her day.
Hirkolos’s gaze followed her to the rest of the karnuq village. There, he saw the supposedly vicious beastkin assembling a village not unlike his home. He saw them work and chat and walk about with smiles on their faces. He saw one of those giant bumblebees that tanked fireballs and knocked soldiers right off their mounts playing with laughing children, tickling them as one climbed on top of it. He saw those soldier bees that stung soldiers and wyverns to death now working together to lift a beam of wood on top of the roof of a home.
One Tower Lord took the honorable Tower Guard and set them to pillage and burn villages. Another took vicious beastkin and monsters and used them to build a happy one.
He thought of what might happen if the two should meet again.
He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.
The next day, Belissar found himself without any urgent tasks, so started to catch up on some previous ideas. He asked for the Third of the Third and brought her over to the karnuq. There, he put her in contact with Chief Rohsuak and Muuraqi, asking them to provide any construction materials she needed for her projects, in exchange for her help coordinating bee assistance for the karnuq’s own.
Just as he was leaving, though, he heard someone call his name.