Chapter 28: How
As the black knight raced toward the Red Swarm Tyrant, the stronger members of her brood already sprang into her defense.
Silken fibers wrapped around the charging knight, slowing him down. It was a precaution of her knights that acted like a barrier. The once invisible lines thickened like thick ropes as they bound her attacker.
The Beetle King, her Anchor, launched himself like a meteor and smashed into the sole invader of her colony. Meanwhile the Wolfguard knights all quickly formed a defensive line around her and began shooting balls of sticky silk to immobilize the enemy in front of them.
The Red Swarm Tyrant normally felt a million thoughts and feelings all at once. It was a given since she and the swarm were one. But the emotions that coursed through her were not the ones she expected.
The ground shrieks! Where is the queen! The Queen is in danger! Ah! It hurts! Pain! Where is the queen? Where is the enemy? Pain! My feet broken! The floor ate them!
Any other time, she would feel the worry of her guards and the righteous fury of her brood. Subservient granted the ability to merge consciousness but removed the ability to make rational decisions. Each and every member of the Red Swarm adored her without question.
Even if she ordered them all to self-terminate, they would follow with smiles on their faces. Thus, what happened now greatly shook her. Rather than come to her aid, they all screamed in panic.
What in the world is going on? I must restore order.
The queen had her plates vibrate and released her pheromones from her back. She flexed her wings and rubbed them together to call to her brood. A rhythmic chirp resounded, one only she could make.
"My Swarm! I am here! Defend me!"
Yet the pheromones that should have spread to the entire colony froze in midair like amber. It then fell down like hail and shattered. In disbelief the Red Swarm Tyrant looked up and saw yet another human covered in a white dress.