There was a termite in the city, and it was alive. I had seen it in the soldier’s barracks, at the training facility on the fortieth floor.

Could it be responsible for the ant’s death? I asked Princess. What if that termite killed our guy?

I know what I found. She scented, antennae quivering. And it was definitely the scent of a termite. Nothing else emits that wet wood odor. I have no doubt.

Not a single termite’s life had been spared on the tower. The soldiers had killed everyone. I know because I was among those who dragged the bodies to the treasury afterward. The soldiers still gorged on their meat; the pit was filled with their skeletons.

However, to imagine one of the termites had slipped past all the soldiers and workers and invaded so deep into the underground city…

It could have harmed the Queen! It could have taken the incubation chambers hostage! And no one would have been able to stop it.

But instead of doing the aforementioned, it killed one specific ant from the hundreds and thousands? The nature f the question itself raised alarm in my mind. Princess was hinting at a conspiracy larger than her and I. I didn’t like where she was going with it.

I know it’s absurd, but what if the termites only raided us to kill the ant; and if so, why?

We discussed but nothing came to mind. It was an absurd thought anyways, not worth mentioning twice. We would need to ask the termite to be sure. More important was the proof that the explorers weren’t completely honest with us.

Can you imagine the explorers missing the scent? I was elated but also worried. I only wanted Princess to stay away from them. I didn’t want to imagine them working behind our backs to harm the city.

Princess wasn’t pleased by my sarcastic comment. Let’s ask them. She said, making me wish I had approached the topic sensibly.

The idea of confronting the explorers gave me goosebumps, but when we reached the chamber they were nowhere to be found. The chamber was abandoned, the body moved; and the explorers were long gone. Only a worker worked inside, scrubbing the lingering scent of death and disinfecting the chamber for future use.

I questioned her. Do you know where they went? Since she was working I wasn’t expecting an answer and was surprised when she did.

A few soldiers came to get them. She said. They took the carcass with them. That’s all I know.

That was more than I was expecting to know.

How many more coincidences are they going to have in a single day? I blurted out. More likely they had found out about Princess's discovery and ran away before they could be questioned.

That’s enough. She said. We’ll confront them when we come around them. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us, for now. We can figure out our next steps once we have the truth from the termite.

For some reason, she felt really lonely at that moment. She had trusted the explorers and opened up to them, considered them allies. Losing them was bound to hurt.

You can trust me. I let out in a rush. Something throbbed inside my chest, something that didn’t belong to me. It was her feelings, her heart, and I sensed them. How I did that wasn’t the question. All I knew was that I hadn’t made an empty claim. I hoped she would trust me like she had trusted the explorers like she trusted the Queen. She had saved me when I was at my lowest point in life. My trust was the least I could give her.

Can I — trust you? She asked.

Yes. I said.

She’s going to question you about the notifications, friend. My inner voice jumped in. Are you ready, yet?

I wasn’t ready, and it seemed, neither was she.

Okay, She said. I trust you.

And it wasn’t an empty claim, either. The phenomenon came down upon me with fanfare the like of which I had witnessed only once before when it had crowned me a loud-mouthed traitor.

It's official! He, who was once a measly worker is now a Royal guard. His ascension proves that even fate can be changed if you act at the right moment and strike when the iron’s hot.

[Royal Guard][Title]

[Be elated, for have found the complete trust of a royal heiress and officially become her royal guard.]

[Effect: You will know when your mistress is in mortal danger.]

[You can find her anywhere in a fifty head radius.]

[You can agree to exchange your life for her one time. The exchange can only be made between two life-forces of equal standing.]

***

The tunnels were lively again, but nervous tension in the air.

On the fortieth floor, the soldiers trained vigorously. They had waited the night, now it was time to work. A few were leaving to join the hunting parties. War or no war, the city needed to be fed.

Among the ruckus was a group —quite a large group— that had formed around the pit. Scents ranging from astonishment and amusement to pain and anger hung around them. And they were all pretty elated.

I pushed a few soldiers around to get a clearer view of the commotion. They weren’t happy, but the sight of the Princess behind me made them reconsider their approach.

The termite was still in the pit —that was a relief— but it wasn’t alone. There was a soldier fighting with it, a bulky one with red striped limbs and dotted chest. He was getting beaten black and blue.

What are they doing?

Had the soldiers fallen in the pit? No. The others were cheering it on, not trying to rescue it. That meant the soldier had voluntarily jumped in the pit with the termites.

He’s training? I thought.

No. Princess, scented. The soldier’s fighting the termite.

Fighting the termite alone? In a close-range when poison didn’t work on them? It was insane!

And such was clear from the soldier’s condition; his days would be numbered if he didn’t get help soon. He was bleeding from the chest. His exoskeleton was broken in places. Not cut but broken, caved in, and he was limping on his left side; his middle leg was missing. No, it was dangling from the termite's jaw.

The termite was still healthy in comparison and was showing no sign of slowing down any sooner. It was bold and powerful. The fleeting sight of him had sent a shiver down my back last night; up close it gave me goosebumps —the hair raising and urging to flee kind. I had seen and fought one of them before, but this, though looked the same, was a different kind of beast. It was ferocious.

The soldier was pulled out of the pit when the termite got another solid hit into him. The onlookers helped. The termite was literally drowned in poison that surprisingly paralyzed it. Turns out it wasn’t immune to poison. The soldiers had already found a way. Where quality hadn’t worked quantity had. Though the effect wore off soon, the paralysis gave them enough time to pull the soldier out. The termite was more aggressive once it started moving again. Its effort to escape increased, making the soldiers work harder to keep it in the pit.

Everyone, Princess scented, but there was no response. She tried again but there was again no response. Our surroundings were simply saturated with too many scents and emotions of the kind that forced a high upon everyone, making them forget their burdens. This place was a riot waiting to happen, and with no leader of any position in sight, it was a wonder how they had managed to stay calm for so long. Princess couldn’t get through to them — even with her sexual signals. I told her to back off a bit and blasted a wave of pheromones amidst the crowd.

EVERYONE! I blasted and the soldiers stopped moving.

Last time this maneuver had overwhelmed the soldier chasing me and sent her into a frenzy. This time I didn’t dump all of my chemical pheromones into the wave, so it only got the soldier's attention. The effect wore off a snap later and they were bubbling with curiosity again. Just that this time their antennae were toward me.

What was that?

I felt like someone had poked me in my brain.

Yeah, and taken my brew.

—And made me drink poison instead. Yuck, I can still taste it in my mouth.

The voices were many and rowdier than before. Princess wasn’t any help. The commotion was too much for her to take.

Everyone! Their attention fell on me and the commotion hushed. It was the perfect time to say my piece.

Does anyone know where this termite was caught? I waited for a response. There was none. I continued, more out of desperation than need. It’s very important that we know this information. We believe this termite is responsible for the death of a guest from the far-city.

The soldiers stated scenting again, making conversation, but not the kind I wanted to hear.

Hey, isn’t he the one who barged into the barracks last night and scared everyone? There was a hushed whisper, but it found wind when others started recognizing me.

Yeah, and I recognize the princess. She shoved the prison guards in a rush. One even got hurt. What was she saying? No one had gotten hurt! And it was an accident, a coincidence. Princess hadn’t wanted to push the guard.

Then someone made a comment that instantly pacified me.

Can you smell it? He has the smell of the stuff: The thing that the slaves eat. Is he one of them?

A few antennae turned toward me. I pulled away as they touched and felt me, caressed my face and body, and then they pulled away as if scared of touching me.

The smell is faint, but it’s there.

He’s one of them!

He’s not, but I know them both. They like to go down there.

He even looks like them with his ugly mug and limp, mean and green.

My heart thrummed. They had found out! This was why I was scared of associating with the slaves.

That’s enough! Princess bellowed out. Answer or I’m complaining to the commander.

And what will he do? Send us to war? One gibed. The others let out amusement.

They didn’t anger but stupefied me. I had always seen the soldiers as these disciplined, battle-hardened figures that could be relied upon. For the first time, I felt like they were not better than the workers who had outcast me.

What I didn’t consider was the stress they were under. The night had been hard on them. Not everyone wanted to go to war. War and revenge sound good in stories, but in reality, are things that should be stayed away from. Many must have felt that way and were bound to let loose in some way. Brawling with the termite was an extreme way of letting loose, and I was an easy target.

However, not everyone shared the sentiment.

Who’s asking? A drunken scent rose from amidst of the cursing and the sarcasm.

I’m the royal guard of Princess Tinbuji. I let out in desperation, eyes, and antennae focused to locate the scents source. I found her.