Both moons waxed and waned several times and Yellow-Spot witnessed further ungodly acts. She began agreeing with the demon, started accepting that these might not be gods. A whole cycle of seasons passed. By the time she had left, she’d been glad to go.
Presently the gods’ flying machine rumbled. Yellow-Spot stopped to watch it, truly mesmerized. How easy life would be to fly! The machine’s spinning wings took it south. An unpleasant sharp smell tickled her nostril; she knew it came from the flying machine. Everything about the gods was so alien.
Yellow-Spot was losing interest when she saw a stick rise up on a pillar of fire to connect with the flying machine. Several people marveled at the giant fireball that erupted.
“You stupid people,”the demon said,
“they’re fighting.”In her mind’s eye the demon currently
After Yellow-Spot had learned the rudiments of the gods’ language, she’d learned that there were two factions of them, each at an uneasy peace, much like her colony was with the other surrounding colonies. With the fireball lighting the sky, it looked like that peace had ended.
Yellow-Spot approached her clutch’s dome, the white of Paste-wax gleaming in the sunlight. She avoided people lest they ask her what had happened. Fortunately most seemed content to accept it as divine wonder.
“Sister!” exclaimed Taste-of-Sweet-Berries, running up to her. The two touched antennae and felt { }. It wasn’t as strong as with the Queen, but Sweet-Berries was her closest sister; their connection was rather strong.
The clutch was currently Pasting up the holes to their dome the hail storm had made a few nights ago. When Yellow-Spot came in, several people stopped what they doing to { } with her. Yellow-Spot loved the community of her clutchsisters and for a time the demon receded just a little.
After several greetings, Yellow-Spot motioned for Sweet-Berries to follow her back outside. “Are you ready for your assignment from the gods?” “from the cursed demon,”she thought-spoke.
“Yes,” Sweet-Berries said.
“And you’re sure you can make Royal Paste?”
“Of course I’m sure. I’m a Nurse.”
“And Electric-Touch-On-Red-Fur? You’ve talked to her?” When Yellow-Spot had walked in a moment earlier, Electric-Touch was atop a people ladder Pasting the highest spots on the dome.
“Yes. Yes. Why all the secrecy? Wouldn’t the Queen at least give us her blessings?”
“Yes, why all the secrecy, demon?”Aloud, Yellow-Spot said, “She did. That’s what the meeting
“No, I mean, why doesn’t she give her blessings to the whole colony?”
“It’s at the gods’ request,” she lied. The gods, whether false or not, wouldn’t have approved either way. Yellow-Spot had seen first-hand the lengths the gods went through to control the colony, had overheard their conversations when they thought she wasn’t listening. They will decide the next Queen, and Yellow-Spot was supposed to be there to help facilitate the conversation. The gods did this, they said, because of The War Against The Gods another colony had started. Yellow-Spot had her doubts that war had even happened.
Sweet-Berries looked off into the distance, as if thinking. Finally she focused back on Yellow-Spot. “Okay. You said the other day we’ll meet tonight. It doesn’t make any sense to leave at night, but … I know, it’s the gods’ request.”
“Thanks, sister.”
“I can’t help but do something for my closest clutchsister.”
“That’s why this betrayal of trust hurts so much,”Yellow-Spot thought.
“But you’ll get away from these false gods!”the demon retorted. “You’ll be free, at last.”
“Free from what? I’m leading my sisters away from our colony, away from everything they love, away from the Queen’s { }. For what? To give a god her own Queen, even though you yourself do not believe them to be gods?”That must be their secret mission. The gods had somehow
“Sister, you all right?” Sweet-Berries asked.
“Huh?”
“You look confused. Your color-face is green.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she stammered, trying to stop thinking about the demon. “Let’s { }, shall we?”
The two { }, which only left Yellow-Spot more anguished.
Yellow-Spot helped out with repairs for the rest of the day, as she was a Builder. She tried to ignore the demon, even though it took on a ghostly form not only in her mind’s eye, but also in her visual field. When night fell, she only pretended to sleep in her cell. In the cell closest to her, Sweet-Berries’ scent tickled her nose, producing a low-level { } in Yellow-Spot, which only increased her anxiety over what she was about to do. When the time seemed right she got out of her cell but didn’t get her sisters immediately.
“What’re you waiting for?”the demon asked.
“I don’t want to do this!”
“Sister, what’s wrong?” Sweet-Berries got out of her cell.
“I’m … just frightened. I don’t know if I can handle any of it.”
“Yellow-Spot, the gods have chosenyou. I know you’ll be an excellent leader. Just follow the gods’ directive and we’ll be rewarded. Okay?”
If she tried arguing, Sweet-Berries might think less of her. “Okay,” she said.
***
“You want me to give you a Drone in the middle of the night?” the Nurse asked, her hands sluggish from stupor. Yellow-Spot hadn’t seen this Nurse before.
“Yes. It’s the gods’ imperative.” Her hands felt numb, as if someone else was saying them.
The Nurse got out of her cell and looked past Yellow-Spot. She saw with her rear eyes Sweet-Berries giving the affirmative to her sister Nurse.
The Nurse didn’t bother lighting any candles. She stumbled around; perhaps the heat-light from surrounding bodies was not enough. After a few moments of looking, Yellow-Spot feared her Paste she’d deposited earlier had been thrown out. She thought about joining the search-she had a Paste-wax torch after all-but then the Nurse found the wax basket. “A strange request, but … Queen’s orders, gods’ orders.”