Chapter 109: Bee-ting Your Limits!

    Belissar awoke to a new day. He walked over to the farmhouse’s table and began a breakfast of honeycomb and a cave potato cake the karnuq had given him. Meanwhile, Niobee brought in a number of worker bees, the ones he had shared his thoughts with. They each reported to him on whatever topic he had asked them to remember, sending his Tower sight around as relevant.

    “Fourth of Seventh preparing to build mini-hive for scouts.”

    Belissar nodded and turned his attention to the Orchard, where the Fourth of the Seventh was gathering a group of soldiers and workers. He frowned just a little when he saw her leave as well. A queen leaving the Tower seemed a bit dangerous to him, but he trusted the bees to know what they were doing. He knew that ultimately a hive’s workers were even more protective of their queens than he was, so they would keep her safe.

    “All wounded soldiers can use lightning sting now, practicing together.”

    Over the past few days, Belissar, Niobee, and Beero had finished imparting all the wounded soldiers with lightning. From then on, Beero had begun disseminating her magic to them. Belissar briefly glanced over at the Memorial...then froze and turned his full attention there. He had expected to see a bunch of soldier bees all practicing their magic.

    Instead, all the wounded soldiers were now gathered in the field off to the side of the Memorial, and assembled into a circle. Beero lead them in a dance and each of them formed the lightning honeycomb pattern of their magic. But then, Beero had them began moving all in a circle, moving their lightning honeycombs as well. Some lightning trailed behind from each of the honeycomb patterns...and then started to link together, until a hexagon of lightning formed in the air above the soldiers.

    Beero then changed the course of the dance. One hexagon became two, and then three, and so on and so forth until there was a larger honeycomb pattern formed from the lightning trails of the smaller ones. The pattern locked into place and then flashed.

    A huge stinger of lightning appeared and shot from the pattern into the sky, traveling much further than the individual bee’s versions did...or than even Belissar’s could. Belissar’s jaw dropped.

    That...that was an attack that could actually threaten a shade, and at a distance long enough that the wounded soldiers’ lack of mobility might not matter. It wasn’t anywhere near what Chief Rohsuak had displayed just yet, but it was a powerful, magical attack his bees had not yet had access to. It was exactly the sort of thing the Tower needed to expand its options.

    “King, King ok?”

    At that point, Belissar felt Niobee land on his back and tap a dance on him. He brought his attention back to the farmhouse, where the worker bees had ceased their report and were watching him as he zoned out. He flushed a bit and nodded.

    “Ah, yeah, sorry. Beero and the wounded soldiers just did something incredible, so I got distracted. They figured out how to cast magic all together, and it was much more impressive than before. I think they might be able to participate in a fight now if we can keep them safe.”

    Niobee began a celebratory dance.

    “What do you think, Beero? I figured if you and the others climb up there, you should be able to attack safely.”

    Beero stared at it for a moment before breaking out into an incoherent and rapid dance. Belissar got the sense that she was very much happy, however, so he chuckled. He then turned to the Firstborn with a frown.

    “The thing is...I’m not sure how well this platform would hold up if a shade attacks it, so they might need to evacuate. Would your soldiers be able to carry Beero and the others away if they needed to?”

    The Firstborn saluted. Niobee then began to dance.

    “King! Orchard bees can help! Make more stems to help carry!”

    Belissar’s eyes widened as he nodded.

    “Ah, that’s a good idea. If we weave slings of some sort, that should make it easier. Thanks for reminding me, Niobee!”

    The King then carried all of the wounded soldiers to the platform so they could all take a look and practice their dance. After that, he and the Conduit had left to arrange things with the Orchard queens. The Firstborn had gone to inform the rest of the Flower Meadow queens of the new developments. Soon, they would begin training to carry Beero and her comrades.

    Beero and her comrades crawled up one of the wooden pillars supporting it until they were up on the platform itself. Beero stood completely still at the top, feeling the breeze brush past her antennae and her remaining pair of wings as she looked out over the Flower Meadow. She had not seen it from this height since the day she had been wounded. But now, thanks to the King, she could. She glanced around and saw all of her comrades standing still as well, likely all sharing in her thoughts.

    And more than that, she and her comrades had done it. They had found a way to rejoin the fight and participate in the battle once again. No longer would they be the soldiers who just had to be fed and kept safe. No longer would she gaze upon the Memorial and numbers that represented the fallen sisters who left her behind, wondering if she should have joined them.

    No, now, once again, they would defend their queens, their sisters, the King, and the hive of hives. They would repay the King and the other bees for all the resources and efforts they had expended to save their lives. They would all become true soldiers once again, no longer defined by their injuries but by their will to defeat the invaders, same as their unwounded sisters.

    Beero slowly began a dance, once she had never performed before and that did not match any in her instincts. It was reminiscent of the dance the Conduit lead them in whenever the King brought fallen bees to the Memorial, but with elements of a celebratory dance mixed in. Something that matched her present feelings. One by one, the other wounded soldiers began to join her in it, until all of them danced as one. They were not sisters originally as they had come from different queens and different hives but now, now they were united in experience and purpose. They were linked by a bond beyond blood, comrades now who had overcome the impossible together.

    For they had lost much, but now, finally, they were going to take some of it back. And they would stop at nothing to defend and repay the King who had given them the chance to do so.