It's been a hot moment for this story. I apologize for that, but life has been kind of a disaster for me lately. Having wisdom teeth taken out, too, is a lot more painful than I expected. All I do is sleep.
The royal science lab, located in the palace, was a place of wonder. Everything Cricket could ever want lay before here on desks of polished wood. Microscopes, slabs, previous reports… oh, it was a scientist's dream! Cricket temporarily forgot the seriousness of the matter and spent at least ten minutes just… floundering in the excitement of it all until one of the attendants came in with a vial of Wasp's blood.
It was disgusting to see. The vicious, green fluid was more like sludge than actual blood. She was no stranger to non-red blood, as IceWings had blue, but this was… something else. Tainted was an apt word.
"That's gross." Bumblebee – who had joined, as Cricket felt bad for neglecting her – commented as Cricket swirled it around.
"Indeed, it almost looks like sludge." Cricket placed it down, grimacing. "Not sure how it flows in her veins, but it's like she's not even a dragon anymore. Internally, anyway."
"The notes say she has uh… the blood cells and everything." Bumblebee read off the notebook on Wasp. "The Breath of Evil particles – jeez, when did we learn this stuff? – were inert. Kinda looked like… sharp triangles?"
"If there was one good thing Wasp did, it was spur technology." Cricket took the blood of someone who had donated. They were under control of Wasp since she was first tainted by the Breath of Evil. If anyone was going to have active particles, it was them.
Sure enough, Cricket saw the Breath of Evil residue in the blood. Bumblebee was right; they did kind of look like triangles if one squinted. But, it was all sharp edges to pierce the cellular membranes and replicate themselves into every cell. Only the red cells that bumped into the BoE were infected, and they were quickly attacked by the white.
"So, are they like… part plant?" Bumblebee stood upright, placing her claws on the table to look up at Cricket.
"Kinda seems that way. But, it's more of an infection than biological change." Cricket muttered, removing the slide and pulling in Wasp's.
This was it, the moment of truth. Admittedly, Cricket was a little scared to know. If Wasp had active BoE, that may mean some of her powers are still around. But, nobody seemed to be under her control. It was hard to miss blank white eyes. But… communication may still be possible. Influence.
But, given the nature of Wasp's blood, it may also mean nothing. She may forever be like this and be, for lack of better term, completely innocent of her biology. There was no way to know.
Not unless Cricket willingly infected herself, and that was not happening.
Once Cricket slid the culture in, she let out a quiet sigh. Sure enough, the BoE cells were quite active, injecting itself into the blood and giving it the green tint they knew. Very much like an infection. These cells were larger, too, and had additional points. Cricket grimaced at the revelation. The most disturbing part, however, was how it was replicating.
"I'm guessing it's active." Bumblebee frowned.
"It is." Cricket pulled away, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "This isn't surprising. I don't know what it means, of course, but the possibilities are not good."
"And the other blood?"
"Stagnant. But the cells themselves are alive, so to speak. Only, the body can fight back against it." Cricket adjusted her glasses. "It's like they're waiting for a transmission of sorts. So long as they don't move or anything, it's as if the body doesn't recognize them being there. There's still so much we don't know about microbiology, much less the BoE."
"Uh oh, if you don't know, I sure don't." Bumblebee let her jaw gently hit the table, leaning on it. "What does this mean, though?"
"I dunno what Queen Jewel is going to want to do, but if I were to hazard a gues, she's going to kill the former queen." Cricket sighed.
"Is that such a bad thing?" Bumblebee raised a brow. Cricket blinked with surprise. "I mean, she kinda killed a lot of Snoodoo's tribe and enslaved dad's. Enslaved ours, too. We were lucky to not be infected."
"You've been hanging around Sundew too much." Cricket chuckled.
"I mean, if she's dangerous, we gotta protect ourselves." Bumblebee averted her gaze. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt. I don't need to read minds to know the peace talk went bad."
Cricket hadn't told her what happened. She didn't know how. She remembered being Bumblebee's age, thinking her mother – grandmother – had everything all figured out. Now that Cricket was in the same position, she realized that adults also had no idea what they were doing.
"It did." Cricket nodded slowly.
"And if Wasp is the thing holding it back, I really dunno what's stopping us. She did so many horrible things."
Ah, the mind of a dragonet. So black and white it was at times. "Taking a life is not easy, Bumblebee."
"It should be when it comes to clearly evil dragons." Bumblebee countered.
"It's not like stories. Even if you are right to do so, it's not something some can just… do." Cricket scooted over to the other side of the desk so she was meeting her daughter's gaze. "Sundew has killed dragons. She never talks about it. We both know that Sundew is the type to boast about anything, so why hasn't she about that?"
That seemed to get to Bumblebee, as she shifted uncomfortably. "To spare me?"
"Exactly." Cricket offered a sad smile. "Even if you are defending your home, death is a serious matter. That's someone's dragonet. Potentially a parent. When you kill someone, you send ripples that cannot be quelled. The HiveWings Sundew killed may have been upstanding citizens normally. Think about BloodWorm hive, too. How many died there that wanted nothing to do with the war?"
Bumblebee didn't have an answer, fidgeting with her wing talons.
"The world is a shade of gray. It's not black and white, and while Wasp is a clear villain, she did bring a lot of stability to the tribe. Dragons want her back, and killing her may spark a rebellion."
"Why would they ever want her back?" Bumblebee hissed out.
"Like I said, stability. Everyone knew their place. They may not have liked it, but there is comfort in complacency. Sparking a rebellion and creating a whole new government requires change. Some are resistant to it. If it went back to how it was, they could regain control over their lives. Or… the lack of it. Someone else to make their choices."
"That's cowardly behavior." Bumblebee squinted at the last part.
"True as that may be, you get my point now." Cricket patted Bumblebee's claw.
"I do." Bumblebee nodded slowly. "But… what now?"
"Now?" Cricket stood up, cracking her back. "I have to write a report and present it to the queen. Once I do that, things are out of our control."
Bumblebee only nodded again. Cricket saw no point in delaying, writing the report. It was short and to the point; Cricket doubted Queen Jewel would understand everything if she'd written a detailed paper. Still, she managed to make it a page long.
With that, Cricket went off to present it to the queen. She was on her throne, deep in thought. When Cricket approached, she reached for the paper, reading it over. Scarab was also there, and she too was given a chance to look at it.
"This is troubling." Scarab adjusted her glasses, her wrinkles much more apparent with her squinting. "We don't know what powers she has retained. We know she lost control, but if she can speak or influence others still…"
"There's no way we can know for certain." Queen Jewel rapped her talons on her throne in thought.
"What do we do, then?" Cricket asked them.
"There really is only one option." Queen Jewel let out a huff of defeat. "She has to die. I cannot, I will not, risk my tribe to her control again."
"If we inform her of this plan, we risk her breaking out." Scarab said.
"Then we have no choice but to do it quickly." Queen Jewel hissed out. "But, the issue now is finding an executioner. I'll not risk us to do it, and I am certainly not subjecting you, Cricket."
Well… that was a relief, Cricket thought grimly. "And what if there is a rebellion for her death? I haven't had any experience with the sympathizers, but I know they're still around."
"Compared to Wasp massing an army, that is paltry." Scarab dismissed the concern.
"And if Wasp is dead, then perhaps that will show the Leaf and Silk tribes that we are serious." Jewel added on. "They will have no more excuses."
"And so peace is born through blood…" Cricket found herself murmuring.
"All peace is won by wars." Scarab eyed Cricket critically. "Don't tell me you feel sympathy for my niece."
"I know she was terrible before the BoE infected her, but I just… worry is all." Cricket bit at her talon nervously. "I feel like if we try and do something like this, it'll go disastrously."
"Damned if we do, damned if we don't," Scarab responded simply. "I would much rather her be a non-threat than waiting for her to die of old age."
"I see what you mean." Cricket nodded. "I was never disputing that. I couldn't stop you anyway. But just…"
"You have a good heart, Cricket," Queen Jewel said kindly. "I respect that. I try to be a good and kind queen, but once you rule over a kingdom, things become a lot greyer. There is often no right answer. There is only the lesser of two evils most of the time. Will you doom one to save many? Once you are on the throne, that isn't even a question anymore."
"I was not judging you. I know you mean the best for your tribe." Cricket offered a small smile in turn. "I would just be careful."
"We will be." Queen Jewel assured her. "Go, rest. Spend time with your family. I will let you know when we are to execute her if you want to witness. I will also inform the other queens of my decision."
Cricket left, an uneasy feeling in her heart. Something was going to happen. She wasn't sure what, but whatever it was, it was going to happen in the next few days.
Blue followed his sister and Swordtail into the throne room, feeling uneasy. Luna was stressed, it was written all over her face. Blue's words had clearly affected her very soul, but she hid it well. The mask she wore was fracturing at an alarming rate. Blue was disappointed in her with the lack of awareness, but he still hated seeing Luna like this.
She was a good dragon. A good queen. She just got… misled. There was time to fix this.
"You've never met the council, have you?" Luna asked Blue as she ruffled her wings, calming.
"Not formally," Blue answered.
"Right. Okay. It'll take a bit for me to call the meeting. Usually about a day to get everyone gathered and able to set aside time." Luna nodded rapidly, Swordtail rubbing her shoulders to keep her calm. "I don't plan on dropping the whole thing on them yet, but I want you to see what I am dealing with."
"Alright." Blue smiled reassuringly. "Again, Luna, I don't think you did this out of malice. But it's time to show everyone we can achieve change without violence."
"I know." Luna bristled and then let out a deep breath. "Okay. I'll need to find where Dusky put the more recent notes…"
"I'll go get them." Swordtail offered. "I know where they are."
"You do?" Luna raised a brow.
"Uh, honey, I do pay attention sometimes." Swordtail frowned with disapproval. "I'm not a complete himbo."
"I'm shocked you know what that word is." Blue commented.
"I'm shocked that you know what that is." Swordtail shot back playfully.
"Sundew explained it to me." Blue laughed quietly. "I am going to assume the word got back to you at some point."
"She shouted it in front of me before." Luna chuckled. "When you all last visited."
"That tracks."
Swordtail left, leaving the two siblings alone. Once he did, Luna's façade fell a bit.
"Luna, after this, don't hesitate to reach out to me." Blue approached her, entwining his antennae with hers. "I'll leave the Dreamvisitor here for you. Anything at all you need help with, you contact me, okay?"
"I will." Luna promised. He knew she meant it. "It's been hard, Blue. I know you're doing good things across the sea but I'm… drowning here. It feels like I am being swept away once again."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more." Blue held her claws in his. "That'll change."
"I don't want you to uproot your life, Blue, but I need you here. I need my friends and family." Luna averted her gaze.
This was the first time Blue ever saw his sister vulnerable. Yes, he knew about the mask she wore, but it was always fastened. This time, the straps were loose, and he saw Luna's real face. It was a scared, yet determined, look that was crushed under the weight of expectations and society. She wouldn't break, but she was bending in awkward angles.
"I'm here now, Luna." Blue reassured her softly. "And I won't leave until things stabilize."
Luna embraced him tightly with her wings and claws, letting out a shuddering breath. She didn't cry, but Blue could tell she wanted to.
"Right." Luna pulled away, sniffling. "Okay. Once Swordtail comes back and you review some of the council meetings, we'll go from there."
It didn't take long for Swordtail to come back. Blue was left to his own to review the documents, which he didn't mind. Truthfully, he liked the quiet when he was trying to read. Maybe he should invest in a set of spectacles later on from how often he read.
Still, the notes didn't read off as anything incredibly alarming at first. The most noteworthy thing was how immaculate Dusky was. The penmanship was incredible, and he was thoroughly detailed. He even made notes of how someone conducted themselves!
And then as Blue read on, he realized his fears were slowly coming to fruition. Luna had indeed built the Chrysalis where she did, but it was done at the urge of the council. A lot of things were. Luna was no weak willed dragon, but the writing here was manipulative. Morpho, for example, used terms and sayings meant to elicit an emotional response rather than a rational one.
For a budding queen wanting to do right by her tribe, it hit Luna hard. Blue doubted he would've even noticed at the time. For example, there was a seemingly innocent suggestion of adding stronger armor to the SilkWings. Made sense. However, slowly weaponry began to creep in. Projectiles that could be tethered to silk and pulled back. Flamesilk itself being used as an augment for said projectiles. All in the means of defense.
Yet, it looked to Blue like building an army. These suggestions were spaced out so no one would get suspicious too quickly. Yet, on a quick re-read, this was impossible to dispute.
Unfortunately, these were all council talks. Blue had not seen it for himself yet. Not to mention there was no way he could track who talked to who and how many were in on this plan.
"What did you think?" Luna asked as evening began to set in.
"We have a problem." Blue laid out everything he noticed. Swordtail and Luna's face turned grim, especially when he showed them the exact wordings of a few statements.
"All this time, and I never noticed…" Luna whispered more to herself.
"I wouldn't come out and address this." Blue cautioned. "If it were me, I would instead bring up the deaths of the SilkWings in Bloodworm hive. I also wouldn't lie about what Queen Jewel said. In fact, bring that up first."
"Wouldn't that just spark something?" Swordtail questioned. "Like, 'ooooh I knew those HiveWings would never want peace!'"
"Exactly." Blue smiled slightly. "Because you hit them with the SilkWing deaths right after, you may be able to see the guilt and change." Blue gestured out the window. "Look at how many hybrids are here now. Would they really pull parents apart?"
"That's crafty." The ends of Luna's mouth tilted up almost sinisterly.
"When will Sunny be here?" Blue questioned.
"Two days, providing nothing goes awry."
"Alright, we'll talk to her then." Blue cricked his neck and stretched. "We won't ask her to speak for us, but she can help us formulate a way to better go with it."
"Sounds good to me." Swordtail poked Luna with his tail. "See? Told you things would go okay."
"It's still not done… but I am hopeful." Luna allowed herself to relax a bit. "Have you heard back from Sundew, by the way?" She asked Blue.
"No. I'll contact her when I go to bed." Blue shook his head. "I'll need to speak to Cricket, too. She's running blood tests on Wasp to see if the Othermind is still active in her blood."
"Didn't you kill it?" Swordtail shifted a glance to Luna.
"Its spores could've easily taken root somewhere else. It'll never be as powerful, I think, but I would not be surprised if it became weaponized somehow…" Luna's brow furrowed in thought. "Especially since plants don't have a single hive mind, so to speak. Its 'offspring' could be somewhere. We'll never know until it's in our face."
"Yeah." Blue nodded slowly. "Either way, we have a lot to take care of. I'll see you two in the morning, okay?"
"Goodnight, Blue." Luna wrapped her antennae with his.
"Seeya around, buddy. We'll get you back to your wife soon enough." Swordtail winked mischievously. Blue merely rolled his eyes and left, although was unable to stop the smile from growing on his face.
Sundew let out a small groan as pain rippled through her body. Her side was on fire, and the wounds from her earlier fight with Belladonna ached. She was aware of tight bindings around her chest and the scent of antiseptic.
Cracking open her eye, she examined her side. Bloodied bandages covered her. She'd fractured her wrist, too. One of her eyes was lidded from bruising.
Sundew recognized her environment to be the Leaf Kingdom. She was in a healing pod; quite literally, as a plant had enveloped her to give privacy. The gooey substance she lay upon was to promote healing too. Smelled a lot like peppermint, so it wasn't terrible.
The smart thing to do would be to sit here and wait.
Sundew was not smart.
Requesting that the plant open up, Sundew stood and hobbled out. The healing wing was small, and as a result, she was found immediately by a nurse. Thankfully, she recognized this one.
"Sundew, really?" Mandrake approached, a sigh coming from him. Her former fiancé, after the war, had taken up healing and was pretty good at it last she heard. His claws were covered in a sap-like substance that promoted healing, but it was sticky and Sundew immediately recoiled when he touched her.
"You need to rest." Mandrake didn't make his disapproval unnoticeable. "Seriously. You're going to reopen your wound and it took a lot of sap to make sure it stopped bleeding."
"Where's Willow?" Sundew ignored his concern.
"Willow is helping Queen Sequoia try to mitigate the damage Belladonna caused." Mandrake let out a growl. "Half the tribe is gone, and we don't know where to."
Sundew glared at her side. Her mother didn't try to kill her, but there would be no holding back now. If they met again, it would no longer be as family. Not that Sundew could do anything right now. She had internal damage, and who knew how long it'd take for that to heal?
"We have to tell the other kingdoms." Sundew hissed.
"Already on it. Which is why you need to rest, in case we need you to help." Mandrake gently tried to push her back to the pod. Sundew did not budge. "Now is not the time to be stubborn, Sundew. If you end up crippling yourself, you are of no help to anyone."
It was true. But it didn't mean Sundew wanted to listen. Yet… she had to.
"I'll send word to Willow that you're awake. She can fill you in a lot more." Mandrake smiled comfortingly. That was one of the things Sundew did like about him. Still did. He was admittedly just as handsome as he was back then. Whoever he got with would be so very lucky.
Sundew did as requested, laying on her back and staring up at the sky through the pod. She reached out via Leafspeak to see if she couldn't get a sense of what was happening around the camp through the plant network.
Plants didn't really care about the going ons of dragons, but what they described was a panic. Everyone was trying to stop their society from collapsing and working overtime to ensure it. No specific names were mentioned, but some plants relayed information about the queen ordering a lot. Didn't surprise Sundew.
Then, she requested that the plants try and find Belladonna. Sundew described her the best she could, and warned them that if not stopped, Belladonna would bring fire and war. It would take forever to reach back to Sundew, but it was better than sitting there and doing nothing.
"Sundew?" Willow's voice came from outside the pod. Sundew immediately requested it to open, and the moment she did, her mate all but crushed her with a hug. Willow was gentle in her embrace, but it was tight enough to cause pain. Sundew let out a gasp from the sharp, shooting sensation and Willow immediately pulled back.
Next to her, though, was Butterwort. Admittedly, seeing him did bring a bit of comfort. He was still here, and for the time being, he was safe.
"You were out for a few hours." Willow explained to Sundew. "Queen Sequoia has declared a state of emergency. I've reached out to Cricket and Blue about the situation, so they're aware of what's happening. They're telling their respective queens so they can be prepared."
"No sign of Belladonna?" Sundew questioned.
"None. Wherever she is, she is very hidden. Our Leafspeakers can't find them, either." Willow shook her head.
"You were right about her." Butterwort averted his gaze. "She's so angry. But when she attacked you, I… I had just met you. And she said family is everything. She betrayed that."
"How did you get a Snapper to come down?" Sundew turned to face Butterwort. "Those don't respond to anyone but the higher ups."
"I don't know." Butterwort shuffled uncomfortably. "I was just so mad. I reached out to the strongest thing I could find, and it came."
Sundew squinted slightly. Butterwort was a powerful Leafspeak when pushed, it seemed. Much like her, anger was his weapon. He really was her sibling. That rage had to be controlled and refined, lest he get angry and summon down another snapper.
Sundew would have to train him herself. But, not in this condition.
"We need to get you out of here." Sundew pushed herself up despite Willow's protests.
"What!?" Butterwort's eyes widened. "No! I'm staying here and helping!"
"Butterwort, listen to me, and listen to me carefully." Sundew lowered her head to his level. "War is coming. You have not experienced that, and you never should. I was forced to be a dragonet soldier. Do you know how badly that messes you up? I'm not going to let that happen to you."
"But I have to protect you! Father! Everyone!" Butterwort retorted.
"And how can you protect us if we are too busy worrying about your safety?"
That got Butterwort to pause for a moment. "T-then I'll get better! That way you don't have to worry about me."
"No." Sundew shook her head. "Someone in our family has to be the normal one. Mother is… mother. Father hides his pain. I'm a disaster. You're normal, so to speak. You must survive this intact."
Sundew noted Willow slant her eyes when she called herself a disaster. Ooh, she'd be in for it later, but right now, Sundew had to convince Butterwort.
"That means you too." Willow interjected to Sundew. "You can't be here."
"Excuse me?" Sundew snapped her head to Willow, staring dumbfoundedly.
"This is a war zone now," Willow said flatly. "You can't fight. Not in your condition. Meaning you need to go to the Silk Kingdom and rest. They will gladly accept you."
"And what about you, Willow?" Sundew bared her fangs. "Will you be staying?"
"No." Willow shook her head, smiling. "Someone needs to keep you in check."
"I can't run from this, Willow." Sundew lashed her tail, getting the peppermint smelling substance all over it. "This fight between us has been brewing since the day I hatched."
"And you will get killed for remotely going near her in your condition." Willow snapped back, jabbing a wingtalon into Sundew's chest. "Sundew, half an inch to the left and your heart would've been pierced. You have internal bleeding, and your lung has all but collapsed. If you try and fight, you're dead. Right now, the best thing you can do is to get out of here and help the other tribes stop your mother!"
"Okay, how am I getting there?" Sundew asked. "I can't really walk there. Flying?"
"I can carry you!" Willow puffed her chest out. "I'm way stronger than I look. If not, I'm sure your father will."
"I'll go if he goes." Sundew relented after a moment, pointing at Butterwort.
"If it means you'll be safe, then I will." Butterwort stood prouder, giving her a determined look. Sundew groaned internally; she had hoped he would be as stubborn as her.
"Fine." Sundew grumbled.
"Plus, Bumblebee will absolutely take care of you." Willow nudged her.
"Who's that?" Butterwort raised a brow. "That sounds like a HiveWing."
"She's an annoying brat who stalks me everywhere." Sundew muttered under her breath.
"And Sundew would absolutely sacrifice herself for her." Willow added on teasingly. Sundew went to swipe at her, only to stumble. "Hey, none of that."
"Oh, okay." Butterwort nodded understandingly. "I'll go find father, then. Then, we can move out."
Butterwort left, leaving Sundew alone with Willow. The moment he did, she all but collapsed. Her breathing accelerated, shuddering. The pain of her wounds magnified now that she wasn't putting on a front.
"Thank you for agreeing to go." Willow held Sundew's claw. "It's the best for both of you. And, we can coordinate with Blue and Cricket easier."
"Yeah, I know…" Sundew grimaced. "A storm's coming, Willow."
"Agreed." Willow nodded slowly. "But, we've weathered every storm before. We'll make it through this."
Sundew didn't say anything, closing the pod and leaning against Willow, who stroked her back. Sundew didn't bother fighting the pleasured growl that rumbled from her throat. She wished she could stay in this pod forever with Willow and forget all the pain that existed outside of it.
However, she'd take this moment, as Sundew had a feeling there wouldn't be another any time soon…
Not sure when the next chapter will be out, per usual. I want to get to the halfway point of Jade, and then I can really start focusing on these stories again.