Chapter 8
It was early in the morning when Swallowtail woke up.
She was starving, she hadn't eaten in days.
She lifted her head to gaze at the treestuff roof above her, the flamesilk lanterns blazing like tiny suns far above.
She was curled up on a pile of dusty rugs behind a boarded-up building marked COCKROACH CARPETS in faded writing. The small cube shaped cell had weird symbols along the sides and a rough wooden door for the entrance.
No wonder it got shut down, what with a name like THAT.
The building sat amongst rows of other, equally drab treestuff cells, with narrow entrances and conjoined walls.
Three days had passed since Swallowtail had met with the Chrysalis. She'd travelled towards Wasp Hive as fast as she could, wind whistling through her ears as she raced along the silk bridge.
It had been dawn when she slid through a window in the side of the Hive that opened up onto the webs.
Sliding through the streets and wandering through the tunnels, she eventually found her way to the abandoned clinic, finding a spot behind it where she wouldn't be seen.
She'd spent the past two nights coming up with a plan to get her brother back and sleeping.
So, yeah, she hadn't exactly eaten.
I hope Whitespeck is alright. He must be so scared.
Her stomach rumbled, and she tried to think back to when she'd last eaten. Was it three days ago, at recess? It felt like a century had passed since she'd left Jewel Hive to rescue her brother.
Swallowtail needed food, and fast. She glanced at the back door of the clinic. It was made of battered metal with black cockroach imprints along the edges.
Is it worth the risk?
From the looks of it, no one's been in this store for years. Maybe I can steal some food from a market store, and then hide out in here until sunset.
Shaking her head at how much trouble she was getting herself into, Swallowtail crept out from her hiding place and headed towards the nearest tunnel.
-
It was midday when Swallowtail broke into the carpet store.
She was carrying a basket of various fruits and vegetables, different colours and scents clashing with each other as the basket was moved through the city.
Reaching for the doorknob, she turned it, but the door wouldn't budge. She fiddled with it in a silent fury for a few minutes before she noticed the keyhole below it.
I'm an idiot, Swallowtail thought grumpily. Of course there's a key!
She looked around on the ground next to her, which was hard, since she was holding a massive basket, but she couldn't find a key anywhere, not even under the mouldy, moth-eaten door mat.
An idea popped into her head. Putting down the basket, she flipped through the pile of rugs she slept on the past few nights. There had always been a lump near her hind legs...
There! She pulled out a half-finished rug, threads still left dangling. Attached to one of them was a large needle that was the perfect size for the keyhole.
She did a little victory dance, triumphantly flicking her tail, before she remembered why she was there and stopped.
She sincerely hoped no one had seen her.
Crouching down, she inserted the needle into the hole and then started to twist it carefully. Her hands started to shake, and she was starting to regret not breaking in before she went to get food.
Suddenly, there was a click sound and the door swung open slowly.
Creeeaaak.
Swallowtail jumped and was about to run away before she realised that nothing was there.
Wait, not nothing.
Something.
Grabbing the basket and a flamesilk lantern she'd also stolen, she started to move further into the building.
Now that she had light with her, she could see the husk of what must have once been a happy little shop: stacks of rugs were everywhere, covering so many surfaces it looked like the place was being slowly eaten by silk. Beautiful tapestries hung on the walls, and a counter sat in the corner.
Behind it, several rickety looms were positioned in an orderly row, some with half-finished weavings on them. Shelves filled with rolls of silk watched over the whole scene, different colours shining under the thick coat of dust that hung over the place like a miserable cloud.
Swallowtail stood in awe, her jaw slightly agape as she gazed at the beautiful images rendered in silvery threads. In that moment she saw what the HiveWings had stolen from her tribe, all these beautiful hopes and dreams raked through the mud and forgotten.
Suddenly, the door snapped shut behind her with a loud bang.
She raced up to the door, snapped out of her happiness as she tried to shove it open. Surprise surprise, it wouldn't budge.
Who trapped me? She thought in a panic, even though she knew who it was deep down. It was the same dragons who'd captured Whitespeck, who burned all the library books that told the truth, who killed an entire tribe.
And now they were coming for her.
Hope you liked that cliffhanger ending! I won't be uploading for another two weeks, so just keep that in mind.
