"Gone… how…?" Entoma looked around the room, there was no way in… 'Of course magic makes everything complicated so that doesn't mean much, if somebody had a strong enough caster…'
"You will come with me." Their guide said, his stinger was up and claws held level and battle ready.
Inta set himself in front of Entoma, he slid one foot back, his teeth bared, his hands out and open with claws extended. "You're not accusing my Entoma, are you?"
The clicking of the scorpionman's claws stopped with the claws in an open position. "That is not my job. But you will speak with the Father and Mother. It is for them to accuse or acquit."
Entoma felt the icy cold tendrils of failure creeping up her spine as the disaster loomed before her in the form of the empty room. Her breath caught as she saw Inta take up his battle posture, ready to fight their way out from the darkest pit, surrounded by tearing creatures of uncertain strength.
"Wait." She said and put her hand on his shoulder, he never averted his eyes from the stock still scorpionman. "We had nothing to do with this, but maybe we can help, we should go to your leaders, as fast as we can, there's no time to spare."
The claws of their guide lowered, as did the stinger at his back. The reversion to calm was nearly instant and he skittered past them both seemingly indifferent or oblivious to the possibility of an attack from behind. Entoma's many eyes focused on Inta, she didn't need to say it.
His open hand closed into a fist and then went limp at his side as they rushed after their guide.
It was a blur of time as they rushed all the way back up through the pitch dark of the confines of the underground farms.
While they made their way back, Entoma began running through the possibilities.
That was the problem.
There were none. 'Which means anything is possible… we know so little about these people, beyond knowing that they exist and occupy a series of great desert canyons between the beastmen and ourselves. What enemies could they have outside of this place other than the beastmen? Could they have internal dynastic disputes? Are they lying about the ant Queen's intelligence? Is this an internal affair?'
With no knowledge to go on, all things were possible, 'The only way to salvage this is to convince the two that we're not involved. How could we be, why would we be?' It seemed absurd to consider on the surface, they came alone, clearly, and had neither an immediate border nor even an outpost nearby.
But then…
'We are outsiders, unknowns to them and from what Professor Chora said about cultures that don't see many guests, they're good hosts but quiet and untrusting.' Entoma recalled the statement made over dinner, and was at once fearful of failure and longing for the simpler days of teaching Entomancy and dining with her colleagues, she glanced at Inta, seeking his support with all her eyes at once.
He nodded to her.
That was all it took.
She steeled herself for the confrontation and was hardened and ready for whatever they would ask, striding back straight and long steps across the allotted space of ground between the entrance to the throne room to the place that was designated for her to stand or kneel.
She stood, her hands folded in front of her waist and inclined her head toward the royal pair.
Their guide stood in front of her, and not a word was said, as far as Inta could tell, but Entoma stepped closer to him, probably without thinking about what she was doing. 'Pheromone speech. I'll never get used to that.' He thought, and watched in silence as it went on.
Their gestures were antsy, legs tapping on stone and if the scorpionman was all but unreadable, the face of the spiderwoman was a mask of raw fury. She parted her lips in a snarl that exposed teeth that were closer to a vampire's fangs, if somewhat more curved, "What had you to do with this, outsiders?" She demanded and raised an accusing finger to point at them both.
"Nothing." Entoma swore. "We have done nothing here but accept your hospitality and bear the true words of His Sorcerous Majesty, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown. I swear to you in his name, we are not involved in this. We have no reason to steal from you and knew nothing of your lands before coming here."
The Father of the Chasm raised his large left claw and placed it on the arm of the Mother of the Web, and slowly lowered her accusing arm. "She makes a point. If they come desiring permission to cross our land, why would they try to cross us before negotiations have even begun?"
His claws clicked and sharp legs tapped on the stone beneath him, but his words seemed to reach his counterpart.
"Nonetheless, what a strange coincidence. You arrive here, and within the span of the passing of a single sun across the sky, the Queen of the ants is taken?" Her arms crossed in front of her bare chest. "I do not believe in such strangely troubling coincidences. Myself and one of my children dining on a leg belonging to the same ant would be odd, unlikely, but a coincidence. Father of the Chasm and I having had the same teachers in our youth… that I could believe. But this belies mere chance."
She held a long steady stare at them both, but Entoma's eyes met all of hers and did not turn away when the Web Mother said, "Explain it."
"Perhaps we were an opportunity?" Entoma suggested, "Nobody knew we were coming, but perhaps someone planned to do this eventually, but our arrival offered a convenient cover that they took advantage of?" Entoma spread out her arms at her side, her lungs expanded as she took a long, deep breath, "How can I answer for the goings on of a place I've never been? Do you have internal enemies, struggles over succession? Are there those who would benefit from harming you? I don't know. I only know that we are innocent of this crime and that it is very likely our presence enticed a third party to act, hoping you would do what you are doing now."
"And what is that?" Father of the Chasm inquired.
"Blame us. And let the guilty get away with it." Entoma answered with finality.
It brought thoughtful silence to the room, the guards along the wall, who had been twitching with hostility before, now became pensive, their tense bodies relaxed a little, and for minute after trying minute, that pensive quiet held.
"It may be that you are innocent." The Mother of the Web acknowledged, "you will be guarded and escorted by the guide who took you below, and kept under observation. If you are innocent, no harm will come to you. But no agreement can be made until the Queen has been returned. You are also forbidden to leave until this situation is resolved."
Entoma felt herself bristle and made ready to protest, but the Father of the Chasm spoke where the Mother left off, "You will instead be charged with 'assisting' us in the recovery of the Queen. If you should succeed, and we find that you are not involved?" His claws clicked rapidly at his side before he held the oversized right one in front of his body as if offering them something, "You will be granted your mad request."
That settled it.
Entoma bowed to the royal pair, "Then with your permission, we will go, we will find your Queen." She felt the touch of their guide fall on her shoulder, then straightened, and made for the exit with he and Inta hot on her heels and ready to hunt.