Erlea's wings beat rapidly as she flew above the wreckage of the hive. She was flying harder than normal in hopes that the hum would drown out the sounds of the destruction but the crackle of flames and the hiss of boiling honey managed to still reminder her that everything she had known, her entire life, had been destroyed in a single night.
She sniffed and wiped the soot from her face. Her tears burned in her eyes but she couldn't tell if it was from her sorrow or the black smoke that choked her. It didn't really matter after the first hour. No matter what she looked at, all she saw was dead bodies, detached wings, and destroyed homes.
She came to a promising mass of half-melted wax chambers. Smoke surrounded it until she flapped her wings faster to push the billowing darkness and reveal its contents. She didn't know what to expect but she hoped to find someone—anyone—still alive and needing rescue.
The wind revealed the ruined homes filled with broken knickknacks and outfits. At the sight of a dead Honningbie, she let out a sob. The poor bee had her arms and legs broken. A gaping chest wound had bled out on the paper, staining it crimson.
Sick to her stomach, Erlea shot away. Fresh tears burned in her eyes as she scanned for the next possible spot for a survivor. It took her only a moment to realize she was back where she started hours ago. Billie was in a makeshift camp, surrounded by savaged supplies. The beetle girl was working with her head ducked slow as she shoved contents into one large pack made of shaped and hardened paper.
Erlea hummed as she landed nearby. “I'm back.”
“Miere should be here too.” Billie sounded exhausted as she finished her bag. “She came back but you weren't ready so I asked her to look for more honey that hasn't caramelized in the heat.”
Erlea's wings quivered with a memory. “I saw a large pool of it over…” She turned to point and realized that she wasn't sure where anymore. The destruction had ruined everything. Her wings pressed tight against her back as she lowered her head. “… never mind. It's just… everything is gone.”
Billie sniffed and looked up. “I'm sorry,” she said for the countless time.
Looking at her friend, there was a brief surge of anger that Billie had prevented Erlea from sacrificing herself but it faded quickly. It didn't matter how she survived, only that she, Billie, and Miere would last long enough to slaughter Cararas and his arm. She tightened her fist for a moment and felt the energy gathered inside her fists. Turning her back to the flames, she knelt down next to Billie. “What can I do?”
Billie gestured to a large pack. “That's mine. I'm stronger and don't have to worry about flying. I have two smaller bags for you, something you can drop easily if we are attacked but won't prevent you from flying. The only problem we'll have is… running out of honey.”
Erlea tensed as ice ran through her veins. She had never considered starving before. Her entire life—less than two weeks now—was in a single place where there was unlimited food, comfort, and shelter. “What… what will do if we run out?”
“Hope we find another insect city or hive before then. In the worse case, we'll have to go into one of the monster cities—”
Erlea paled.
“—and either steal or fight our way to get more.”
“M-Monster? They have villages?”
Billie shuddered. “I've heard of a few but I've never been to one. I really, really don't want to ever to even get within sight of one. The idea of thousands of creatures all in one place is enough to make my insides squirm.”
Erlea's body responded with a mixture of fear and desire. What would it be like to have an endless stream of creature breeding her? Was that happening to the bees that were stolen from the hive.
“For breeders, going into a monster keep is just asking to be raped unless you prove yourself by killing every single creature that even looks at you sideways. However, if we are starving, killing might be an option.”
Erlea had never thought about starving. Her entire life, though less than two weeks, had always had a free supply of honey everywhere.
With a sigh, Billie started to reach for another wrapped packet but then looked at her overstuffed bag. With a groan, she stood up. “Fuck Cararas. I don't think I can carry much more and keep up with you.”
Erlea's wings sagged. She looked up at the sun. It was well past noon; they hadn't broken free of their shelter until mid-morning. “Do you think we should head out now? To get free from….”
Her voice trailed off as she looked at the burning wreckage. A short distance away, she could see Miere flying toward them. The crafter had two buckets dangling from her hands as she swept around one column of black smoke and then the other.
Seeing her lover gave Erlea a little hope. Her wings fluttered.
Miere landed smoothly and set down her buckets. Without a word, she rushed up to Erlea and they both embraced tightly. Miere's mouth pressed against the side of Erlea's neck as she ground their breasts together. “Love.”
Erlea smiled softly and felt some of the horror fade away. Closing her eyes and squeezing out a few tears, she squeezed Miere tightly. “I missed you.”
A sob shook Miere's body.
Erlea glanced at Billie as she held her lover tight. “We need to leave now.”
Billie, her face grim, nodded. She pointed in on direction, north. “After Cararas?”
Erlea glanced at her lover, and then back to the beetle girl. “You're the leader.”
Billie's face fell. “That… probably isn't the best thing.”
“W-What? Why?”
Tugging on her straps, Billie rolled her eyes for a moment and shifted from one foot to the other. “I don't really do strategy. I mean, I'm good at killing things in front of me but when it comes to forks in the road? I don't my left from my right. I can't see the big picture.”
“Kill Cararas,” said Erlea.
“Yes, but how?”
Erlea tightened her grip on Miere's shoulder as she shook her head. “But you're older than us. You know more.”
“Not by much and I haven't done more than grow up at Alder's Log before coming here because I like bee girls more.”
“But… we need someone.”
Miere shifted. She lifted her gaze Erlea. “You.”
More ice ran down Erlea's spine. She pulled away from Miere and shook her head. “No, no. I can't.”
Billie said, “Why not? You are more powerful than us.”
“My affinity is a goblin. I can't get any more powerful and I can't get strong enough.”
“Really?”
Before Erlea could ask about Billie's sarcastic tone, Miere spoke up. “Please?”
Trembling, Erlea looked at her lover.
“Please? We both know you are stronger than both of us. You can Summon, RKA, and Barrier. If someone is going to kill Cararas, it's going to be you.” She slipped her hand into Erlea's palm and looked at her pleadingly.
It took Erlea a moment to realize that they were both right. She tensed her wings for a moment and then sighed. “O-Okay, but if I do something wrong, just tell me.”
Miere smiled broadly and kissed her. She leaned up tight to Erlea until their breasts were once again grinding against each other. “I will, I promise.”
Erlea kissed her back. When they finally broke the embrace, she turned to Billie. “Are there any breeder towns going north?”
Billie's face grew sad almost instantly. “There is the Mohiran Branches and the Aged Grace Stump. I-I was heading to the Mohiran when the ambush. No one made it there.”
Erlea reached over to caress Billie's face. “I'm sorry.”
Billie sniffed and looked away. “They have good moths there. That's an Estori camp. The stump is a Kever keep.”
“Where you were born?”
“No, I'm from a zone to the south. Nothing there for us right now and, besides, it is too far to make before we run out of food.”
“The Estori will shelter us? At least for a little while?”
Billie nodded.
Erlea thought about the massacre in the Queen's Chamber. “Then let's head there first and see if we can get help. I think we aren't going to defeat Cararas by ourselves.”