Chapter 27

Stix was not impressed by the current High Queen Lillian when she did finally meet her.

After the long trek to get to Mt Ant, Stix, Jagger and Stone had to wait for four weeks to get an audience with the Queen. Every time they asked, there was some bureaucratic reason why it couldn’t happen sooner. Stix was not happy to see the increased presence of soldier ants as the weeks went by and suspected the Queen was more preoccupied with the thought of war.

As much as Stix enjoyed Stone and Jagger’s company, and learning about how the palace and the ants in this city operated, she was champing at the bit to get this mission over with and to go home. Regrettably, she was quite sure that, while she was allowed to access anywhere she wished to in the city, she might not be allowed to leave when she wanted to. She had noticed the constant surveillance even if Stone and Jagger hadn’t.

Late autumn weather in the mountains irked her as well and she had taken to wearing one of the heavy cloak-styled coverings to keep warm. The cloak was also handy for covering her chitin so that she didn’t stand out so much. Stone had offered to sleep with her to help keep her warm but for some reason; she was reluctant to get that close to him. He still had an odd effect on her when he did touch her.

Stix wasn’t surprised that the Queen didn’t seem really impressed by her either. For one thing, Lillian couldn’t take her genetic material directly since Stix was female and not an Ant-shifter. She had learnt that over the centuries, they’d had the odd sailor or passenger from a ship who would wash up on shore, which they could gain fresh genetic material from.

When the huge summer storms came, they battered the sea-side of the shield. The occasional ship that sailed around the east end of the island could get pushed into the shield and some of the survivors were able to come through. These survivors had to have magical abilities to get in but they could never leave. Some even had a magical item that always went to a princess after they died.

The ruling Queens were more than happy to use the men to add to the pool of genetic materials. The odd woman they got was allowed to live out their life near one of the sea villages. Interestingly, they had never had a Taran woman mate successfully with an Ant-shifter be they a drone or a lady who could shift to male form.

While magical items picked their owners, those chosen by an item did tend to prosper better than those ladies who didn’t have items. While greed wasn’t a strong trait, they did have pride and they did maintain their provinces ruthlessly. These territories were mostly maintained to ensure the families had sufficient food and equipment to maintain its occupants with comfortable lifestyles.

The ladies did fight over resources and even differences in management, as this was also the only way to expand one’s holdings so they could increase the size of the family. Such skirmishes were often fast and brutal, and were a winner takes all type of affair.

Here, a matron who did manage to possess a magical item could challenge a queen or a princess, or she could try to claim the province if the ruling lady died. More often than not, it was a princess challenging a queen or another princess. It was not unusual for these daughters to fight each other to claim a throne.

If the matron or princess won a challenge against her better, then Lillian allowed her to claim that throne or province. The victor could also hand her own property down to one of her daughters to manage. She could keep or kill the workers and soldiers of the deposed lady. Some did, some didn’t. A simple spray of pheromones on the deposed rivals’ workers had them change allegiance. Drones were generally kept or swapped if closely related to the new ruler.

Lasses were not bred to have strong desires or inquiring minds, so for the most part, few of them paid much attention to the goings on of their ladies and just got on with the jobs that were assigned to them. These lasses lived in burrow style bunkrooms and only changed to human form when the need to slake their human lust became a problem or the use of human hands had an advantage.

Drones had little choice if they were kept, passed along, tossed out or killed if they were passed their use-by dates. The favoured drones were lucky enough to die of old age. Interestingly, many drones spent more time in human form than ant form. Again, their breeding was such that it was very rare for a drone to quibble about having a new lady to screw since that was their primary job in life.

However, drones were educated in the social graces and they could read and write. Their intelligence and conversation capabilities were indications of good breeding and increased their worth. Height, strong bodies and ample endowments were also traits highly prized when in human form. Because they could fly, once bonded, they were often used as messengers and spies but they made poor assassins.

Stix was determining that these ants, while they seemed to be civilised in looks and behaviour, were still ants. She was also quick to pick up that politics was a big deal here. They even had rituals that they followed to oust a competitor for the resources they wished to possess for their family or if they didn’t want to follow their Queen because she was lousy at the job or just plain getting old.

Murder in the night was fair play as far as the ladies were concerned. Ladies could also challenge for satisfaction for a slight, jealousy or out of spite but these were rarely the reason for a fight. Champions were often used and the reward or forfeit was determined by negotiation. Older drones were often used as the seconds in these cases and were well versed in the laws.

While ants have a kill or be killed nature, they did prefer a clean kill.

Stix had hoped that Queen Lillian didn’t hold the same views of conquest that Queen Star did.

It didn’t take Stix very long to ascertain that Lillian was nuttier than a fruitcake. On the day that they were told to appear, they had to wait in the receiving chamber for most of the day before they were finally ushered in to see the Queen. She was seated in a similar manner to that of Queen Star when she had received Stix. Various courtiers and servants were also in attendance.

Stix observed that Lillian was of similar size to Star but not any bigger. She noticed that Lillian’s chitin was showing the age spots that very old Queens started getting not long before they died. The Queen looked tired and disinterested.

“What do you want of me lassie, make it quick,” Lillian barked before the attendant could state why Stix was there.

“Greetings, your Majesty, I have been sent here to find a mate,” Stix started.

Before she could say more, Lillian had frowned at her and said, “You have claimed a mate, why are you bothering me with your domestic issues? What province are you from matron?”

It was Stix’s turn to frown, she was also tied and sick of the hanging around. So she said in a sharper tone, “Your Majesty, didn’t the messenger tell you that I was from Avilla? I am called Magi Stix and I am an Envoy Ant of the Soldier Ants.”

“I came through the shield from the direction of Red Hill more than eight weeks ago and have been hanging around your palace for more than half of that time, waiting to see you. I don’t know why the Gods sent me here to find a mate and I was hoping you could enlighten me.”

Lillian’s massive head swivelled and she eyed one of her advisors. “What malarkey is going on here? No one had been reported to me as coming through my shield by land. Who is this ant and why is she in my audience chamber? Is this some sort of joke?” she growled at the unfortunate drone.

The drone shivered and replied, “My Queen, it seems that her application was read as a request for a drone from your royal stable for this matron. It came from Queen Star of the East Plains Province. It said nothing of the shield being breached by a Soldier Ant Envoy.”

The Queen fixed her gaze on Stone. “Am I supposed to swap you for one of mine? You are a handsome one I’ll say that. I do need a new Prime Drone, the old fool I had has finally passed on. So who are you drone and why did your matron bring you to me?”

Stone bowed and then looked at the Queen. He stood very still for several moments and then replied in a flat monosyllable tone, “I am called Stone and I am a son of Queen Star. Prime Jagger and I witnessed Envoy Stix coming across the Uvale Plains from the direction of the shield. My mother charged us to bring her to you.”

He was quiet for a moment and then said, “Envoy Stix is a Magi, my Queen. She wears a two gemmed magical band of a design I’ve never seen before. She says it was given to her by a powerful magician. He put a spell on it that let her pass through the shield.”

He halted again and then said, “Jagger is with us because Magi Stix knows the flicker Magi Basil and his healer wife, Petal. They are the flickers that the flickers here have been talking about. Stix had requested his guidance. She told us that the flickers were given their magical items by the same Wizard that gave her the magical band.”

Stix was appalled that Stone had blurted out everything she had told him in confidence.

“Can you contact this Wizard?” the Queen immediately asked Stix.

Stix was instantly on the offensive. “Why, your Majesty?”

“Because I’d like to meet him,” Lillian replied blithely.

Stix felt compelled to answer. The desire became stronger and she knew that the Queen was trying to compel her to comply, that she had forced Stone to obey her and that was why he had a glassy look in his eyes. If there was one thing Stix hated, it was the use of compulsion spells.

Being an Envoy Ant with magical ability meant that Stix was not one who was easy to coerce even before she got the magical band on her leg. She also found that she could defect the spell back on its sender. “What do you expect to happen if I could call him here?” she asked the Queen.

“I expect him to teach me how to alter the shield, so we can come and go as we please and he will mate with me,” Lillian found herself saying not believing that she was in any danger by parting with this information.

“Will visitors be allowed to come and go as they please?” Stix asked.

“Don’t be a silly lass, all visitors will die after we have taken from them what we wish,” Lillian scoffed not realising that she didn’t have control of Stix.

“Does that include Stone and I?” Stix asked tightly as she tried to control her mounting anger.

The Queen looked at the young couple, with condescension she replied, “Yes, first I will get him to breed with you, we need fresh magical blood. Since you are of the Soldier Ants, you can repay the depts of your ancestors and become a brooder for us. Your magical abilities will make your drones more valuable.”

“I can mate them to my offspring from your wizard whom I will enslave. I can then build a stronger army and he can provide the magical items for them so that we can reclaim our Island and rid it of the rest of your kind and the Tarans who imprisoned us under this shield.”

Stix had head enough. “Jagger, up,” she said sharply as she wrapped a leg over Stone’s thorax. She looked up at Lillian, “Since you have informed me with your blessing that Stone is my mate, we shall go. Thank you for your hospitality.”

With that said, she blinked. Stix couldn’t blink far but the Queen didn’t know that. She was pleased that she had at least gotten them to the chamber that they had their personal items in it. Stone recognised the room when he appeared in it, so he was able to stagger to the waste receptacle and promptly vomited. Stix and Jagger started packing while they waited until he was finished.

“What just happened?” he asked once he felt a bit better and came back into the sleeping chamber.

“Your lovely Queen forced you to tell her what she wanted to know,” Stix replied, as she double checked that they had packed everything of value and use. She had put most of it into her magical pack to keep their load as light as she could.

“Wow! That was intense. It felt like someone was trying to squeeze my brain out through my mouth. That really wasn’t very nice of her,” Stone grumbled as he went to get a drink from the bowl they kept in the room.

Stix looked at Jagger when he tapped her leg. She listened for a bit and nodded. “Thank you, yes, I too believe it is not safe for us here anymore and I would appreciate your help getting Stone and me back to the shield.”

Stone blinked at her, “Me?”

Stix chuckled in her fashion, “Yes, you. Apparently, you are my mate; didn’t you hear the Queen say so? She is more than happy for you to breed me.”

Stone frowned and then he grinned, “I could do worse; I think you are going to go places, my Queen.”

“I’m not a Queen, I’m just an Envoy,” Stix shot back grumpily.

Jagger got her attention again, ‘Magi Stix, I hate to force an issue but if you were a Queen, it would make it easier for us to get back to the shield if you have your wings.’