Chapter 31

Bette, Nat and Gazza were surprised by just how busy the third term was.

With, getting Jenifer settled in at the University, looking after the growing babies, keeping tabs on Stix, checking on Mr Carson and Asha and then their high study workload, they didn’t have a lot of time to themselves.

They were all pleased that Jenifer was showing a lot of promise. She was very shy the first few weeks but as she gained confidence, she really started to shine. Bette was amused when a month after starting at the University, Jenifer asked her if she should encourage Perry or not. Bette told her to, go with her heart.

She was not surprised when Perry and Jenifer started spending even more time together. The interesting side-effect was that Perry had started to be a lot more serious about his study. Bette didn’t know what Jenifer had said to him but it must have had the desired effect. He also tried to temper his know-it-all attitude, as he had worked out that he didn’t know it all, even if he was rather clever.

He had even decided Gazza was a sage and took everything he said as gospel. Gazza found this a bit disconcerting. Bette pointed out that everyone in their group and most of the Professors also thought he was a genius. Nat just chuckled and told Gazza that he would worship him later when they got home. Gazza smiled because he liked Nat’s form of adulation very much.

The trio agreed that Jenifer was very good for Perry. It didn’t hurt that she and Lady Vassar got on very well. While politically, it was a great match, it didn’t hurt that the young couple seemed to be quite taken with each other and it hadn’t been arranged in any way. The trio were pleased that the grumbles of war and take-overs seemed to be dying a natural death. Bette suspected Lady Vassar was also responsible in squashing this line of thought.

Half way into the term, they had been invited for dinner at Lady Vassar’s residence in Avilla City. While some of the topics centred on the coronation ball at the end of the year, most of the Lords and Ladies were more interested in what was going on with the Ants. It seemed that Stix’s little virus was spreading like wildfire.

Most of the people were shocked when some of the ants they employed, particularly guards and envoys, started wearing what they called house colours and changed their form to a female human when it suited them. Nat chuckled when he heard a Lord explaining to his friend that the ants were affected by the bloody Shifter virus just as they were.

The Lord went on to explain, “I was told that the Queens had a meeting and determined that since most of their Guards and Envoys could change to female humans, they did need some sort of clothing. So they picked a set of house colours and then an emblem that represented their nest. Many of the nests now also fly a flag that looks like the sarong their ants wear. Very odd behaviour I say.”

“What about the worker ants?” Bette asked.

Lord Weatherspoon answered, “Well, from what I’ve heard, it seems a bit hit and miss.”

“Silly man,” one of the Ladies replied. “Shows what you know about ants. I had a chat with the Black Ant Queen on my property. She now calls herself Queen Black Foot. Her people now wear a black and white checked sarong and it has a little black ant foot in the large white checks.”

“Anyway, she told me that her workers who do the most menial tasks, like those that pull carts, forage or clean up trash, don’t seem to be affected. However, she suspects that the workers are carriers of the virus and she can’t stop it affecting any new larvae. Also, the more intelligent the worker, the greater the chance that they can change form. Her nursery ants and drones, for example, can.”

“Have they started to produce more drones?” Linda asked. She had come as Nat’s date, much to her amusement. She did love being included in the outings with her favourite mages. The new three gem vambrace that Bette had given her had given her a new lease on life and she felt as if she was barely fifty.

“Why in the void do they need more drones? We aren’t due for them to swarm, are we? Isn’t that a couple of years away?” a very pompous Lord Janson queried in his nasal voice.

“Well, if they now have human genes and are acting like humans when they change form, then they will most likely want male companionship unless they are all gay,” Linda replied tartly.

This comment caused those around the table to quietly contemplate what Linda said. Lady Waterway then gasped, “Oh my! What will happen if they mate with a normal human or a human based Shifter?”

“They have good or bad sex depending on who they pick to mate with, just like the rest of us,” Nat commented. Quite a few of the people sniggered at his comment and Bette just glared at him.

To the surprise of many, Perry replied, “Workers and Guards are sterile females so it will be as Nat suggests. Our Soldier Queen Ant, Queen Sword, has watched the changes carefully in her nest. She told me that the workers and guards could only change to a female human if they can change. They can’t change to male or any other animal form.”

“She has determined that the lower casts cannot change because the ant needs a certain level of intelligence, a desire to do so and some magical ability, which most don’t have. I’ve also learnt that her brooders can’t change form. She stimulates them to produce specific types of workers when she needs them. They are little more than dumb, baby-making machines.”

“However, Drones, Queen’s Guards and Envoys are her children. She determines their level of intelligence. To gain the level of intelligence envoys have, the Queen has to make them fertile, although few people realise this. Also, not all of these children have magical potential. The magical skill is still very hit and miss, like it is with our children.”

“Drones are of course fertile and they are not as stupid as many think, they just have very short lifespans when compared to the rest of the nest. She told me that the ants that can shift form do enjoy sex in their human form even if they are sterile. She and the other Queens are more worried about what will happen when the drones and envoys that can shift, interact with humans and each other.”

“So far, it seems that Ant-shifter to human interactions doesn’t produce offspring in either form, but this is not conclusive as they have only been able to shift for a couple of months. We also don’t know if any humans can change to ant form. I’ve not heard of any cases so far.”

“So, yes Lady Waterway, they believe they might have to produce more drones to service the ants that can shift unless the human population provide for this need. As you may have noticed, most of the ants do turn into pretty girls and they seem to have the look of the Genteli or Pix races. So far, I’ve not seen any of their drones in human form. I have been told the Soldier Ant Drones look a lot like Genteli males but they have darker skin and hair tones.”

“One thing that worries the queens is how they can keep the drones from the envoy ants. Apparently, envoys can act a lot like princesses, stimulation by a drone can make them come into season and they will fly. So, if they mate, the envoys can produce offspring and they may want to leave and form a new nest.”

“You should write a paper for your studies Perry,” Gazza replied impressed with his knowledge.

“I have been contemplating doing this. I do find the Ants as a people fascinating,” Perry replied with a nod. He was pleased that Jenifer and the mages had been listening to him so intently. The rest of his audience, he didn’t care so much about.

Jenifer added, “Well, we do have to live with them. They are a race of sentient beings and if I do become the Queen of the Island, I will make sure their rights are taken into consideration even if they can’t shift form. I think we need to change how our council works, so they get fair representation. We will have to add the Flicker race too.”

“What? Those pesky little fur balls,” Lord Janson exclaimed. He visibly shuddered when eight very intense people glared at him.

Jenifer said in a very frosty voice, “I’ll have you know that the Flicker race is capable of doing magic. That makes them not only sentient but also bloody smart as far as I’m concerned. Where have you had your head? We have had two of them attending the University all year.”

Gazza cringed as they got a variety of looks shocked and disbelieving from around the table. ‘We might want to increase the shields around the property, Bette,’ he sent to her.

She nodded back at him, as she too was concerned by the responses. Like him, she had thought the magical flickers were general knowledge. They had not realised that their classmates had not informed their parents of the extent of the flickers abilities of if they had; the parents hadn’t understood the significance.

Jenifer also noted the variety of looks she received and she noticed the discomfort of the mages and guessed why. She stood and looked at everyone else before she focused on Lord Janson. “For your information Lord Janson and for anyone else who gets some not very friendly ideas. If one hair on the head of one of Mage Whites flickers is harmed, you will regret it.”

“I know four powerful mages, four very dedicated Soldier Ant Guards, an Envoy Ant and sixteen budding novices that will seek you out and destroy you if you hurt the flickers. I will also gladly let the rest of the palace guards help them. I have it on good authority that the Ant and Flicker races have treaties and neither race will look kindly on anyone harming the mages of either of their races.”

“Flickers may look cute and cuddly but they are very intelligent and some of them can wield quite powerful magics just as some Ants can. Both races will have the same rights as any other sentient race on this island if I have any say in the matter.”

“While the Ant races have to adopt major reforms in their societies, we will also have to change. As magical beings, we are supposed to conform to the belief of serving the One People. Well, the Ants and the Flickers are also our people. So live with it.”

She blushed and sat down when most of the people at the table clapped and cheered her little speech. Fortunately, the servants came in with dessert and everyone was distracted as they picked or rejected from the selection being offered to them. As they ate dessert, they went back to their smaller discussions.

Unfortunately, one man at the table didn’t take Jenifer’s promise of retribution seriously.