Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Finally, the first light of civilisation any of the marching bugs had seen in months was visible just over the horizon. The ringing of the bells halted, as the group’s leader stopped. A sign infront of them had only one character they understood, and even then it was written in a foreign style. But the character revealed that they had finally reached their destination: The Kingdom of the White Wyrm.

The veiled bugs picked up the runed cage again, and the bell chimes continued in rhythm to their march.

The gate of the kingdom was guarded by a knight in full armour.
“Halt. What business do you have?” The knight said with a surprisingly soft spoken-voice, despite his stature and authority he commanded.
The veiled bugs looked at one another and back at the knight. The leader spoke up.
“We have orders from our Queen to bring her the transgressor residing in your Kingdom. They of our lands, and of our kin. We do not wish to interfere with your kingdom.”
“A transgressor? What had they done? I’m sure our king would not want them wandering in our lands anyway, if they are anyone dangerous.”

“They committed the ultimate sin, sir. They betrayed their creator.” The veiled leader clarified “we have come very far, if you could let us in to talk to the Wyrm, this will be very easy for all parties.”

The knight responded.
“The King? Oh, no.” The knight laughed. “He does not speak with common bugs in such matters. How about this. I can let one of you within the kingdom, but the rest of your and your um-“ he looked up at the runed cage. It was a very powerful spell, even he - someone who didn’t mess around with that kind of thing - could recognise this, “…cargo… you may set up camp in the village.”
He pointed to the small cluster of homes within the gate, but on the top of the kingdom itself.
He continued “You may go to the City at the Heart of our great kingdom. It may be locked up now but you may give them this at the gate, and tell them that Hegemol sent you.”
The knight - whose name was apparently Hegemol - handed the leader a simple pass.

The leader looked back at the cage and up at the knight.
“Very well, thank you for your help.”

The now lone, veiled leader bug wandered through the kingdom. They were forced to leave their bell staff behind with their journeybugs and their cage. This new kingdom seemed dying. Like a harp with serval broken strings. All this the bug assumed typical of a society outside the great powers of the Citadel. Of course these bugs had no concept of true song, nor the true majesty of real power. A shame he could not bring all these bugs back to allow them to bask in the great glory of the Citadel.

When the bug reached the gate of the grand city, they handed their pass to a guard, and was allowed through after they briefly unveiled themselves to reveal their eyes.
How odd.

As they were rather tired by then, he found a place to rest between the large towers, which seemed to be a flattened area in preparation of a small structure. He opened up the map he had traded previously in his journey. The tradesbug was after something called ‘geo’, but was intrigued by the currency of faith the veiled bug had brought. They said something about how it would be “a pleasant gift to impress a warrior lady”. Although the veiled bug held some reservations about giving away beads for a secular purpose, he justified it by acknowledging that the task he was given would ultimately bring honour to the Citadel, so it was a holy cause overall.

Just as they were collecting their thoughts, they were approached by a fancily dressed bug, in some sort of servant attire.
“Sorry to bother you sir, but my master requests your presence.”
“Your master?” The veiled bug asked
“The watcher of this city, loyal servant of the King. He requests an audience in his spire, if you would be so kind as to follow me.”
The veiled bug nodded and followed the servant bug toward what seemed to be the tallest spire of the city. Hopefully, this ‘watcher’ individual may be able to help him, with such a title.

They walked past some guards, and entered into an elevator.
When the elevator reached its destination, the veiled bug was escorted off it and down a long hallway that’s walls were made of glass. He was not at the spire’s peak, but he felt he could see the whole of the city from there. If this was the ‘Heart of Hallownest’ it was no wonder the kingdom was dying. The residents seemed to make some attempt to keep society as it was before, maybe trying to scrape onto some time of previous prosperity. But something in the air seemed off. The whole of the city’s air felt heavy. It was like he could feel the hushed absence of bugs that were there before. Like an unspoken murmur of some horrible danger that was to come.

At the end of the hallway, both the servant and the veiled bug entered into a larger room, which had paintings on the wall, a small table and a few chairs, as well as a tall, masked bug in a long cape, that draped down from the seat his was sitting on.
The tall one spoke slightly awkwardly, almost like he wasn’t all that used to it. But the way he carried himself portrayed subtle nobility, if the grandeur of his tower was not enough to go off of.
“Ah. welcome… please… take a seat.” The tall bug gestured to the seat infront of him, that had a couple pillows placed on it, to accommodate for the height difference between him and his guest, “Would you care for some tea?”
The veiled bug shook their head.
“Oh. Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I am Lurien: the watcher of this city, I keep my eye on all that goes on in the heart of Hallownest, and I noticed your outfit seems rather peculiar. Not saying it, um, looks bad… You see, it’s not typical nowadays to see bugs from outside the city, let alone outside the gates Hallownest. Forgive my impertinence in calling you up here but I am curious about where you are from, and what you have come to Hallownest for? Please feel free to explain as much as you can. Don’t worry about time… I have nothing planned for today.” Lurien took out some ink and paper from his cloak. He seemed to be at the edge of his seat, leaning towards the veiled bug.

The veiled bug looked up at Lurien’s single eyed mask, slightly overwhelmed by Lurien’s sudden enthusiasm.
“I agreed to join you up here as I hoped you could help with my task, if I explain what it is, and where I am from. Could you help me speak with your ruler?”

Lurien seemed slightly taken aback by the mention of the ruler of his kingdom.
“You… wish to speak with His Majesty?” Lurien had frozen up now, but seemed to start fidgeting with his quill. “Of course I understand… His Grace truly is the most benevolent, majestic ruler of all the lands. Who wouldn’t want an audience? I mean, I know I - aswellasI’msureeveryoneelse - would do anything for even the slightest glance from His Holiness~.” Lurien was staring into space, so the butler - who has been standing silently by the door - cleared his throat unnaturally loudly.
Lurien almost fell out of his seat when he came back to reality.
“Oh yes! Sorry. The audience with His Majesty. I um… don’t know if I can guarantee that. You see, he doesn’t meet with um…” Lurien looked at the veiled bug once over “…regular bugs about matters. But I’m sure I could help you if you need any advice about this Kingdom. I like to think I know it quite well. It would be nice to share my wisdom… while I still can…” Lurien looked off emptily in the distance for a second, but then returned a second later. “If it is a message you’d like to pass on, I’d be more than happy to deliver it to His Majesty himself. Yes, that sounds like a good idea…”
Lurien was about to shout over to his butler to arrange an audience, when he was stopped by the veiled bug.

“That may not be necessary, if you have information I need. I have been sent on a holy quest from the great Citadel of Pharloom to retrieve an eternal transgressor of our kingdom. A bug guilty from the sin of their mothers, who’s betrayed their creator.”

“Pharloom… I feel like I have maybe heard that somewhere…” Lurien pondered, taking a sip of his tea through his mask.

“I am here to find the decedent of the Weavers, and bring her back to face the wrath of the great Pale Queen whom her foremothers turned their back on.”
The veiled bug looked up at the sound of the crashed tea cup, and the butler rushing to sweep it up.

Lurien started emptily at the veiled bug, not moving an inch even though he was covered in tea.
“The… weavers…?” Lurien said, with an attempt to suppress his growling disgust.

“You have heard of them? This is good, where are they?”

Lurien tried to regain his composure,
“I’m afraid… this is impossible, as they are no more …living… weavers in Hallownest. I have been personally assured of this.”

“But there are. My Queen speaks of so. She cannot be mistaken. There is at least one of their line remaining in this Kingdom.”

Lurien responded, with an fright to his voice, “…if you believe so confidently… then… feel free to venture to the land they call Deepnest. That is where they were said to live. If there are… any left.. they will there. If you’d like I can send a messenger to the Mantis Tribe to allow you to pass in. I cannot guarantee any of your safety once you enter that place, however. I hope it is not too obvious, but I am rather disturbed by the news of a Weaver remaining. I’m sure many of us - including His Majesty - would be happy for you to remove it.”

“That would be appreciated, thank you for your help and your time.” The veiled bug nodded, and was escorted back to the elevator.

“Oh, you may want to change out of the veil, small one. It represents you an outlier” Lurien remembered to say, just before the veiled bug left.

Chapter Text

The Pale King stood over the balcony, watching as his Pure Vessel train. It was swift with a nail: muscle memory somehow imprinted into emptiness. So many sacrifices have been imposed for this final product, but no cost was too great for how extraordinary this vessel was. It would only be a handful of years, maybe months, longer for the King’s plan to come into fruition. The Pure Vessel looked up, and for a brief second, caught the Pale Kings gaze.

A royal retainer came into balcony where the King was.

“Your highness, your Watcher is sitting in the meeting chamber.”

The Pale King nodded and lead into the large meeting room, which had a tall bug suddenly stand to bow when he noticed the King’s arrival.

“Your highness… thank you so much for accepting my request to meet.” Lurien said, rising up from his bow but keeping his eyes fixed on the bright marble floor.

“Lurien, my watcher… my most loyal servant and friend. Never view your presence as an anything less than an honour. For what you have agreed to do for this Kingdom, all my subjects, my family and I are forever in your debt. Now what did you need my assistance for? You know anything of my power is yours for the asking.”

The Pale King seemed to be really laying it on that day, which he knew always worked in ensuring Lurien as an eternally loyal subject. Some subject’s loyalty is bought for power, others for material wealth, some for knowledge. Lurien gave his away for the small price of holy praise.

“My king… I…” Lurien’s mind wandered yet again before forcing himself to focus, “I have come to your presence to tell you of a visitor I had in my spire. He was a small, veiled bug, not of your great kingdom, but of a distance land he referred to as ‘Pharloom’.”

The King looked up at Lurien, “Yes, my watcher, many bugs leave behind their lands in search of higher thought, only possible under my reign. I believe I have heard of Pharloom mentioned before, as well as the being that rules it.”

Lurien continued: “This is where you may be more interested, my King, he said that he had received insight from his Queen that a single living Weaver remains in your great Kingdom. This bug was sent on a journey to capture this being and bring them to their homeland for judgment for some eternal sin.”

The Pale King looked up, eyes going dark.

“But there are no living weavers in Hallownest.”

“Of course, my King, the Weaver tribe has fled, and the Queen Beast has began her slumber. I sent the wandering bug to Deepnest, where I assume the claws there will allow him to meet his fate. I was worried at the bug’s declaration, but your assurance has brought me upmost confidence, yet again my King.”

The Pale King looked pallid for a moment.“Pharloom’s Queen is the Grand Mother of Silk, my watcher. The mother of all Weavers, whom she turned from common bugs.”

Lurien spoke up with smugness ringing in his voice. “A weaver is a common bug infused with the soul of some false God, whom they ultimately betrayed? Sounds consistent with my knowledge of their behaviour if I dare say, my King,”

The Pale King chose to ignore the impertinent of Lurien’s comment, and continued,

“Because silk of the Grand Mother is produced within the shell of a weaver, she is able to identify and track all of weaver heritage, no matter how thin the strand. I should have guessed… that’s why that request was made of me…” The Pale King’s voice teetered off. 

“I apologise, my King, but I do not understand what you mean.”

The Pale King glanced up at Lurien, and then a million miles down the hallway.

“Lurien… my watcher… my confidant… I am afraid I have not been entirely honest with you. But I wish to remedy this and reveal to you the truth, as I know you can be trusted with this great secret.”

Lurien straightened his back at the sudden seriousness, but bowed to his knees under the eyes of the King.

“Of course, your highness, anything my king speaks to me I hold with as much sanctity as I hold my King himself in my heart.”

“Lurien, my watcher, rise and follow me,” he led him down a long hallway, and through many sets of doors as he began to explain, “you are aware of the bargain I made with the Weaver Queen Herrah? In exchange for her to take up the role of Dreamer along with yourself,”

“I am afraid I am, my King. In your eternal care for your people you accepted her request of the unthinkable. To um-“

Lurien got a bit embarrassed at the thought, so the Pale King mercyed him with an interruption:

“Now I’m afraid there was an additional clause to this bargain, and as a result, Weaver blood will remain in Hallownest eternal, under my sworn protection.”

At this point, they had gotten to a part of the palace so far from the King’s typical route that the royal retainers were startled at the sight of him there. Lurien was unfamiliar with this part of the palace, and noticed the root iconography on the decor.

“I don’t fully understand, my King, why are we going this far into the palace? Is this not my Queen’s domain?”

Finally, the two entered a room with many royal retainers inside, all surrounding and paying attention to something in the middle of the room.

“Lurien, I’m sure I do not need to explain to you what may happen when two bugs with the right anatomy perform the ‘unthinkable’… as you described it.”

Lurien’s head was swimming, of course he knew what could happen. I mean, that’s what his parents had done to create him. He never thought himself personally interested in the ‘unthinkable’. He was always too busy watching over his city to worry himself in such trivial matters. The only time he had thought about it more was when it was revealed what Herrah the Beast had demanded the great King for. After this, he was so overcome by anger at the Beast for the audacity of proposing such a request to the great King, Lurien couldn’t bring himself to stop thinking about it. Especially when it came to the King. But he was sure it was just out of the sheer respect he held for his Majesty, nothing else.

“A…” Lurien swallowed, “child…”.

The second the words left Lurien’s jaws he was shocked what he dared to insinuate. Surely the great King did not conceive one with a weaver. For the king to even perform dalliance with such a common bug disgusted Lurien to his core, but the thought of this bastard child, one bred from God and Weaver. It was near inconceivable. In both ways.

The Pale King gestured to the cot in the middle of the room, after parting the royal retainers huddled around it.

Lurien walked towards it apprehensivly, scared of what he was about to see and racking his brain in reasoning all of the information he had just learnt.

That means the remaining weaver of Hallownest was… a child of the King… it would be a demigod, a royal of the Kingdom, a being that would live for as long as the eternal Kingdom itself The King’s line will be continued with a bend sinister; A creature whose generational line was thick with both sin and holiness.

Lurien looked down at the creature in the crib. It was sleeping, its body oddly still. Its tiny shell was shaped like Herrah’s, but it generally resembled the King’s own. There was no denying their relation. It was wrapped in a red blanket, crafted with a technique unfamiliar to Lurien. He imaged it a weavers’. Its tiny arms grasps onto the blanket, as if it knew this was the last of what their tribe left behind.

This little creature was the living proof of the unholy alliance. Would it know of its past? Of the threads that make it? As much as Lurien despised the Beast and her vulgarity, he had to acknowledge how clever she must have been to weave this out the deal. Did he just commend Herrah? Was this all actually happening?

The tiny creature was startled awake by the sound of Lurien’s fainting body crash on the floor.

After Lurien had left for home, the White Lady came out of her room to meet her husband.

“It’s not typical to hear you away from your work, let alone ventured to side of the palace, my Wyrm. Who was your guest?”

“It was my Watcher, he informed me of a journeying bug from Pharloom: the birthplace of the Weavers. This bug was said to be on a task given by their Pale Being to abduct the remaining weaver of my Kingdom, for some generational transgression.”

“Well, my Wyrm, I am aware you are far more intimately familiar with Weaver-kind than I am.” The White Lady had a certain playful suggestion to her comment that the Pale King detected, but did not appreciate.

“My watcher sent this unarmed bug to Deepnest, of course this being nothing short of a slaughter attempt.”

“I’m sure you know what’s next,”

“Yes, my Lady. I’m afraid I do. My watcher, as blindly faithful as he is, is not privy to our train of thought. Of course, this bug did not come alone, as I heard from Hegemol, who is watching over the fellow journeybugs and a large runed cage by the Grand Gate. I too know that once the Kingdom learns of his death, more will be sent, increasingly heavily armed and less patient than the ones before.”

“Oh your watcher, he means well. Though I don’t understand why you don’t just allow him the same treatment as the Beast. I’m sure he will be anything but resistant.”

“He is a very helpful, loyal subject. I have no need nor wish to subject him to a premature slumber, as I bargained with Herrah”

The White Lady laughed.

“You misunderstand, my Wyrm. I wasn’t talking about that side of your bargain.”

The Pale King looked up suddenly at his wife in shock, then bashfully back to the floor. But forced his voice a sheer of professionalism.

“Even if I may be able to interpret what you are implying about my watcher, when it comes to those sorts of relations, I sincerely believe that once was more than enough, twice was necessary for the sake of my Kingdom, but thrice would be indecent.”

The Pale King looked back up at the Queen, which caused him to at sudden to remedy what he said before.

“But that’s just for me, though. I know your nature is different to mine. Rather… I better get some troops to rescue that poor bug from the tearing jaws of Deepnest. Goodbye, my Lady.”

“Farewell, my Wyrm.” The White Lady faintly curtsied, before listening to the Pale King’s steps fade from earshot.

Chapter Text

The White Palace was silent except for the Queen of Hallownest’s steps down the hall.

She entered into a room and found a sleeping infant surrounded by the passed out bodies of the royal retainers. The infant had been screaming all day, so it was no wonder the exhausted carers snatched this moment of respite when they could. Screaming and sleeping seem to be the only two things the child has done since moving to the Palace. The environments must be too different, especially without her mother. Possibly they could add more comfort to the room, to make it more reminiscent of the Distant Village. Unfortunately, however, this child was not the priority of the palace at current; Her voiden sibling had assumed that role.

The White Lady reached one of her roots into the cradle, tucking the infant into her blanket. Then, the white lady began to speak, barely above a whisper.

“Oh, spider’s child. Your nature seems to have already brought conflict to our lands. I knew when I agreed to the bargain that your life would be one of great difficulty, but I promise we will protect you until you can fend for yourself.”

The White Lady bent down and placed a kiss on the tiny shell of the infant,

“I hope you can forgive us for that, my spider.”

Then, ever so silently, the Queen slipped back away into the halls.

Meanwhile, in the damp caverns below, the seeking bug was startled at the scuttling sounds around him. The mantis at the entrance of this land they called ‘Deepnest’ had allowed him entry, but with mourning in their eyes.

The dark caves with walls of bug carcasses felt never ending, he was sure it was a labyrinth, designed specifically to grind his mind down to insanity.

Even the light held in his shaking claw was no help, it just helped highlight how doomed he really was.

Was this really where the weavers lived? The beings once considered gods of their kingdom, created by the Queen herself, able to produce the holy thread, made these trenches their home?

Surely not. Surely this was just a death trap given by the tall, slightly queer bug in the tower on behalf of his King.

His death was all but inevitable at this point. He was lost, alone, and amongst the worst terrors he could dream of.

Suddenly, he could hear voices coming through the cave towards him.

“Sir veiled bug, we have come to protect you, please allow us to escort you to the Kingdom.”

There was a group of armed bugs, coming to find him.

They seemed to be of the guard of the King,

When they found him, trembling in the corner of the cave, one of them spoke.

She was about the same height as the bug from the tower, and was dressed in all white,  with a tall shell somewhat evoking a white flame.

“Sir bug, we are glad to find you so quickly. I suggest you come under our care. We will bring you to the palace, as the Pale King wishes an audience with you.”

Without hesitation, the trembling bug jumped up and followed her, within the protection (and watchful eye) of the guards.

Much quicker than he expected, the group came back into the light of civilisation.

But it was not where the bug had entered, instead it was at the harbour of some mechanism.

The bug manning the mechanism stopped and bowed toward the leader of the guards.

“Lady Dryya,” they said, gesturing towards the mechanism “not typical of you to be using the tramways.”

“I guess not, I find I journey alone faster on foot, but I am not alone today.” Dryya responded, entering the tram with the guards and the bug, who had now returned their veil to over their head.

When the tram reached its destination, the veiled bug was escorted to the entrance of a White Palace. Its architecture was drastically different to any he had seen in the kingdom before. The rooms were bright and majestic, as if the material itself was giving off light.

Eventually he was taken to a room and sat in a chair. The room was much grander than the meeting room in the tall spire in the city. There were guards and retainers on all corners of the room, including Dryya, as well as another Knight with some form of ragged cloak, or maybe those were his arms. Both of them stood proudly either side of the veiled bug.

The bug sat opposite a gleaming figure, whose very shell radiated a cool light. The figure was in a long cloak, and despite his small physical size, he held a presence magnificent to any.

He was clearly a Pale Being: the same essence as the veiled bug’s great queen. Natural rivals to one another, but as their kingdoms were far enough apart there was no need for hostility. This must be the White Wyrm, though the veiled bug knew not one of this tiny stature before.

“Thank you for meeting me, veiled bug. I am known as the Pale King of this land. Would you tell me what you are called by?”

“I am known as Calet, I arrive from the distant kingdom of Pharloom. I proclaim proud loyalty to my Queen: the Grand Mother Silk, and I have come on a holy mission to retrieve the last creature of weaver’s line living in these lands.”

The Pale King responded, coolly.

“I have heard of your mission from my watcher, whom I believe you met. He told me he had sent you to Deepnest, where the settlement of the Weavers were once found. I decided that for any single common bug like yourself, that would be nothing short of slaughter… not of course to doubt your survival skills. The fact that you and your fellow journeybugs made it this far to my kingdom is impressive, I must say.”

“Thank you, good King. It was a dangerous journey, so long we had lost a few simply to age. It is true I met your watcher. He seemed very… devoted to you. As greatful as I am, I must wonder why you had sent an order to retrieve me. Have you located the subject of my searches? If so I thank you, Pale King.”

“To be honest, I did not want you dying to my lands, as I believed that would cause me some contempt from your Kingdom. In fact, I may be able to help you, if you answer a query I hold. Merely to satiate my own curiosity. How is that you were able to maintain your conscious mind, especially in the barren lands between our kingdoms?”

“My Queen’s holy silk is able to maintain within the soul of her loyal followers. This grants me mind to serve her beyond consecrated lands.”

The Pale King began to move his claws in an intriguing way under in his sleeves, which made the subtle, recognisable hum of pale magic. The more the King strung his claws, the brighter the previously invisible thread of silk connected to the veiled bug’s head became.

“I see,” the Pale King said, more to the thread above than the actual bug, “So your Queen’s power comes from the holy silk connected to you all. This the same as the Weaver’s, as well as her own?”

“It is.” The veiled bug felt there was something about the King’s glow that made it impossible to stop talking, “the thread can manifest as a physical spool. Which is how we will alert our Queen that we have captured her weaver. When the weaver binds to the silk, that we will give it to them while in our cage, our Queen will feel the connection.”

“So you have brought a spool of this holy thread?” The Pale King demanded, leaning toward the veiled bug. If Calet was not is such a trance, he probably would have been terrified at the King’s eagerness.

“Yes”

“Where is it kept?”

Suddenly, the hum stopped and the thread disappeared once more, like some connection had been snapped.

“I’m afraid, good king I must not tell you that.”

The king cleared his throat in suprise, and ceased his claw movements. It made sense that the spell had broke: the King had gotten too greedy with his questions. He had more than enough, though.

He looked over to Dryya and nodded, who then bowed and left the room.

“Well, thank you. About your weaver, infomation do you hold on it?” The Pale King continued.

“The order specifically mentions a Weaver in half part.”

The Pale King’s stained black claws dug into the exoskeleton on his palm,

“I see.”

“This means the creature I am looking for’s weaver strand was entwined with a different bug, however the holy silk would still be present in the spawn, and the generational sin they are soaked in remains unatoned.”

Calet lowered their voice in thought, but remained loud enough for the King to hear:

“…however, the Weavers posses a curse making reproduction into a hugely challenging and time consuming task, from what I hear.”

The Pale King was grateful for the passive expression he conjured up when thinking:

Oh don’t I know it.

“As a result, good King, I am afraid I am unsure of the optics of how this creature came to be, so all I know is of its hybrid nature.”

You’d be surprised what sheer will and determination can achieve.

Is what the King caught himself thinking for a moment.

The veiled bug continued, “Whichever non-weaver sired this creature must have been under some kind of spell or trance. I pray, King, you do not take any wrath on them if you find out who they are. They were surely subjected to the wills of the weaver, and had no chance knowing the blasphemy they had committed in continuing a line so bathed in cursed blood. They must have been a simple, common bug with no power to their name.”

“Well,” the Pale King cleared his throat  louder than necessary, interrupting the now very awkward conversation.

“Veiled Bug Calet, was it? You surely have come very far, and I am certain you are very tired. From what you have told me I am sure that this Weaver-Spawn resides in the dark corners of Deepnest, and is one that had been left behind when their race fled. I suggest you take a short break before you return into Deepnest with a few of my guards in search of the Weaver spawn. My guards will protect you, so do not fear for your shell, and they will ensure you will find the creature you are looking for.”

Calet felt a bit rushed out, but was thankful for the swiftness of the operation.

“Oh, thank you, good King. If I may reunite with my fellows to at least inform them that the mission is underway, I would be most grateful.”

“Oh no, do not worry, I have already sent my good knight Dryya as a… messenger to the settlement above. Please, take time to recuperate in the hot springs in the City, you room and food will all be covered.”

“If you’re so sure, good King. Thank you very much for your hospitality. I will tell my Queen of your kindness in the time of my return.”

The veiled bug got up and left, escorted out by the ragged cloaked guard with slightly sickly eyes.

When the guard returned to the room, the Pale King spoke up before he had a chance to.

“Thank you Xero. I am aware you will ask on your request but I pray you save it for our meeting later. I am afraid I must go.”

“Very well, King.” Xero said, with slight undetected venom, before hearing the King cough violently into the freshly black stained inner elbow of his robe, as he left for his chambers.

Dryya looked at the small spool of thread in Hegemols’ claws.

“Are we sure this is the holy thread? It just looks like common silk.” Dryya said, cleaning her dirtied nail.

“Well they seemed to be protecting it pretty hard, must be… I do feel bad about this though.” Hegemol sighed, looking at veiled, whimpering bodies of Calet’s fellows that surrounded the two. They had all taken quite a few blows, more than the two knights were expecting.

Dryya knelt down at one of the them.

“Oh, they’ll be okay. Sorry about that all. We’ll send you to the clinic, while we get the holy thread back to His Majesty…

Oh! Forgot to mention to you all that your friend is okay, and under the protection of his King’s guards.” Dryya said, yelling to any injured bug in the room that could hear her. She then lowered her voice as they left, speaking to Hegemol directly,

“The King’s sent the veiled bug on a bit of a wild vengefly chase across Deepnest, as we figure out what to do with him and… this.” She said, gesturing to the spool of silk, that now in the light seemed to be glowing.