At last the time felt right for Lucan and Duva to test the ritual. Everything was right in their lives. Now they wanted what promotions and friends couldn't provide.

Lucan and Duva took a day for themselves. They made love many times, rekindling their passion and desire all at once. Two days later Duva laid an egg. Immediately they could tell something was different. It looked firmer than the others. There were slight yet distinct and defined ridges along the shell. When the lights were put out at night they could see a tiny red glow from within, flickering like a tiny heartbeat. They wept with joy in each others arms. It worked.

The egg was carefully moved to a cushioned basket. Duva never went anywhere without it. Her heart swelled with love watching how gently Lucan would touch the shell and speak to the egg when he thought Duva wasn't around. Letters of announcement were written and sent out to their families with the good news. Duva's tea ladies were all a-tickle for a new baby. Who would it take after? What would an even split of a beetle and butterfly look like? Strapping little boy? Precious little girl? Lucan and Duva had asked Marissa, and wrote to one of Lucan's brothers, Nacus, to be the child's godparents. Marissa was a nightmare. No one in the history of families was more excited to be an auntie. She expressed it in about every imaginable way. Most everything a family expecting could need was gifted by the diva.

A few days prior to the hatching the red light grew brighter to the point where it could be seen with the house well lit. The morning of, the light was gone. But now the shell was so thin and clear the little one could be seen beginning to move inside. Lucan stayed home that day. All that morning he spoke words of encouragement and promises of love and protection. Duva sang quietly the entire time.

At long last the grubling nibbled free of its egg and squeezed out. Not used to all the free space it wriggled and twisted haplessly for a time; trying to figure out which way was up. Once the babe was able to stay righted, Duva cupped one side of its shell with one hand. Lucan took the other. Brand new eyes saw their parents for the first time. Then,

POP!

A tiny red flame flickered above the infant's head! It was barely the size of a candle flame, couldn't be blown own and didn't burn anything. In fact, it barely had any heat. They reminded themselves Madam Todsol had said the power of the ancient red flame might manifest in unknown ways. How would they explain that? Would anything come of it? Valid questions, but questions for another day. Right now was a time of joy.

They had a daughter.

They were a family.

Yes, the infant was Calidae. Throughout her life most would call her Callie. Her parents remembered Madam Todsols suggestion to name a girl Caligo. Not fond of the name they found a way to meet halfway.

After several days devoted to bonding, Lucan and Duva started accepting visitors. No surprise that Marissa was the first in line to see the new baby. New letters were sent informing friends and family about the hatching and the little girl's name.

Lucan became an entirely different bug when with his baby girl. Duva often laughed out loud at how he doted on their daughter but she loved and adored this part of him too. Motherhood brought out the best in Duva. Her heart had never felt so full yet light at the same time.

A few times a week Duva would bring Callie to the barracks in a basket to visit her father. It served as a point of great interest to her how rough-and-tough soldiers of all ranks could be reduced to coos and soft voices in the presence of a baby. The tea ladies didn't hold back their coos, giggles and baby voices at all. During visits the mother held the baby the least. Needless to say little Callie would grow up with a lot of doting aunties.

As it does, time marched on.

The Pale King had finished his pilgrimage for locations of stagway hubs and their construction was well underway across Hallownest. The kingdom would be connected in ways it never had before. Bugs everywhere were excited to see what that could mean. What had not yet become public was on his return journey his pale majesty discovered a lush paradise on the edge of his kingdom. This Eden was claimed by the Pale Being to be part of his domain. Later it would be known as the Queen's Garden when he declared it to be a gift for his bride. When presented with this gift the White Lady was given complete control of how it was to be settled and tended.

In the Weeping City of Hallowcrest Lucan's method of agility training was slowly being worked into higher levels of the curriculum.

Duva frequently shared the stage of the Pleasure House with her cousin Marissa.

Lucan's brother, Nacus, finally had a chance to come and see his sister-in-law and niece. Nacus and Duva became immediate friends. Though there were plenty of differences, side by side anyone could tell Lucan and Nacus were related. By comparison, Nacus had more of a nub rather than a horn at the end of their face shells. Though the same height Nacus was built slightly broader of torso with more heavyset arms. Like all his siblings Nacus had a furry collar around his neck and shoulders. Though his was slight under his chin and got bushy over his upper shell.

He also proved to be the male equivalent of Marissa the way he took to his niece and goddaughter.

The growth of Callie was most interesting. She molted several times the way one would expect of a caterpillar. Only she outgrew the larval stage much sooner like a beetle grub. Once she had legs she scuttered everywhere until she tuckered herself out. Like her father, Callie's face looked to remain mostly shell with growing nubs that would surely one day grow to be fine horns. Like her mother Callie had two sets of tiny light blue wings. No beetle shell covered them. While present, they had a lot of growing to do before they would be functional.

The red flame above her head gradually grew in size too. Thankfully it didn't burn whatever it touched. The house would have burned down a long time ago. Explaining the flame had been a challenge. The truth would put them close if not in direct violation of their agreement with the fortune teller of the odd circus troupe. As much as they hated lying the safest option they could think of was ignorance. Callie was brought before doctors for an 'explanation'. One physician forwarded them to a Soul Wielder from the Sanctum. All he could confirm was it was harmless because the fire was tied to her Soul. It might have power one day but such things were impossible to test on an infant unless a tantrum set something on fire. A trail of baffled experts made a suitable alibi that neither Lucan or Duva knew where their daughters non-conformity came from.

Now you have met Callie as promised. Her growing up is not the focus of this tale. Though, one more story shared about her childhood wouldn't hurt before we jump ahead.

One day Duva left a sleeping Callie at the training grounds where Lucan was coaching some after hours practice. The nursery basket was left in the open in plain view for Lucan to keep an eye on.

Eventually little Callie woke from her nap. For a moment she groggily watched her daddy, becoming curious about what he was doing. He was sparring with other bugs using quarter staves. That looked like fun and she wanted to do it too. But she didn't have a stick like they did. Now, where to find a stick?

Leaving her basket Callie ran (through, if we're honest, waddled) to the weapons station not far away. Everything stocked there was too big or too heavy. That was until she stumbled over a quiver. An arrow was just the right size. Now she had a stick!

Little Callie scurried up to the nearest paired up fighters and started tapping on of their staves. The trainees thought it was the cutest thing they had ever seen.

Lucan eventually noticed his daughter was no longer in her basket or in the surrounding space. Outwardly he was calm. However, as his wife would testify if asked, he had a tendency to jump to overprotective panic when it came to his daughter. Bubble-like giggles drew his gaze to the sparring soldiers and their new partner. Outwardly? Stoic. Inwardly? Melting.

The 'sparring' was mostly them maneuvering and skipping around her while she tried chasing them and tapping at their staves. Callie tapped one on the foot. His response was an over dramatic display of holding up the 'injured' leg, hopping around and moaning over the severity of his plight. Succumbing to his 'wound' he dropped to the floor. His sparring partner rushed to his side.

"No! You must live!"

"It is too late for me. Save yourself from this terrible fiend."

Then rolled over on his shell with his legs curled up.

Callie giggled hysterically the entire performance. When the second bug made to get up she chased him with her arrow. He switched from a mourning soldier to a nervous yellowbelly running about ridiculously until the little warrior got his foot too. He fell, made one dramatic moan, reached for a non-existent something and dropped face first unmoving on the ground. At first Callie laughed. When he didn't move she nudged his head a few times.

"Psst. I'm okay," He whispered.

Happily she tapped him on the head.

"What is wrong with you two!"

Lucan boomed over them. He snatched away the arrow.

"SIR!"

The soldiers snapped to terrified attention.

"W-w-we're so sorry s-sir!"

"It was, we just-!"

"She's a child! You let her play with this?"

Lucan took the point off the arrow and gave it back to his daughter.

"Back to your practicing. I expect more common sense from you."

"Yes, sir!"

"It won't happen again, sir!"

Callie gave her daddy's leg a hug, tapped him cheekily with her stick and waddled back to her new friends.

By now the entire group was aware of what was happening and had stopped to watch. The seriousness of the session was gone. The class, pretty much over.

When Duva returned Callie wasn't in her basket and Lucan was with his cadets, gathered around something.

"Where is she!"

To which Lucan smiled and stepped back to reveal their daughter showing the cadets how it was done. She had completely stolen the show.

Upon seeing her mother Callie ran to her, arms raised, carrying her little stick. Back in her basket she was fast asleep before Duva left the base. After all that fun it was no wonder. There was also little wonder their girl was going to be very adept with a nail one day.

The next time they gathered after hours the trainees asked Lucan if his daughter would ever be coming back. And she did, many times. An instant favorite, the cadets affectionately referred to her as the Little Captain.