Chapter 41: Two Star Rank
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She glanced down at Kai’s limp form, lips pursing. "Yes," she murmured. "I see. Place him on the bed. Then leave us."
The cloaked ant did not argue. He strode forward, stepping carefully across the thick plush rug, and laid Kai gently among the pile of pillows. A single droplet of healing gel dripped from the tip of Kai’s antenna and splashed onto the blanket. The cloaked ant bowed again.
"I will take my leave," he said, turning sharply and exiting the chamber. The heavy door closed with a solid clunk, leaving Princess Mia alone with the unconscious worker ant.
She sighed, stepping closer to the bed. Her gaze traveled over Kai’s battered but healing body: the cracks in his chitin, the partial bruises that still dotted his arms, and the faint hiss of breath escaping from parted mandibles.
She could see the slight signs of evolution even in his unconscious shape—perhaps an unusual thickness to his exoskeleton, maybe an unexpected aura swirling faintly around him. She reached over to a small table near the bed, grabbing a ceramic bowl of steaming liquid with one hand and a wooden spoon with the other.
"Kai..." she whispered as she spooned a thin, milky mixture. "If you can hear me, open your mouth. This should speed your recovery."
But Kai was not in the realm of awareness. In his mind, everything remained a swirling haze of half-formed dreams. Memories of the cliff fall, the raging water, Roddick’s mocking laughter, the desperate attempts to breathe, the faint sense of being carried... It all churned in the blackness of unconsciousness.
He did not stir, but his parted mandibles allowed a little bit of the warm liquid to slip inside. Mia carefully fed him a few spoonfuls, the herbal brew trailing down his throat. Its taste was bitter, with a faint aftertaste of sweet mint. She suspected that if he were awake, he would probably wince.
A small, wry smile flickered over her lips. "Please survive, you foolish ant," she murmured. "I have...high hopes for you."
Deep within Kai’s mind, Where darkness reigned, flickers of colored light danced. Suddenly, an alert sound chimed: