《Epitaph of Everything》Chapter 12. Hive
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The Hive seemed large from a distance but as they approached Naive came to realize just how big it was. Naive craned its neck to try and see past the bee legs and take in the sight but a scolding and a threat of a free fall descent kept the skeleton still. As they approached a particularly ornate orange wall, it revealed itself to be a massive door. With a deep rumbling groan the Hive opened itself to its bony guests.
Dropped off inside, the three bees which had acted as the skeletons wings now zipped to the far side of the room. Naive and Cognate gawked. Inside was a hall which reached so high that the details of the ceiling were beyond Naives sight. Pillars reached from the floor to the ceiling, running in two rows all the way down the hall. At the end was a tall staircase which flattened out high above the ground.
Naive strained at a sound, struggling to pick up its source. A whisper of buzzing was echoing from down the hall, a whisper that was growing louder. All at once that whisper turned into a roar as the hall filled with bees. The sound of buzzing came from all angles as bees flooded the room. They filled the room as though they were replacing the air and brought a buzzing that was deafening. Naive felt as though the sound was starting to crawl into its thoughts. Just as suddenly as it had come, the chaos stopped. Every bee landed on the ground as one, settled into rows. Every surface of the floor was covered in bees, except for a straight path down the middle of the hall.
“Announcing the arrival of Queen Joanna!”
Thousands of voices shouted together as a new bee entered the room. Drifting down from the end of the hall, it landed atop the staircase. The queen was almost indistinguishable from the other bees, the difference being her larger size. Unlike the ant queen, who has a towering giant of an ant, Queen Joanna stood only a skull height larger than the rest. After some silence and much staring, a bee flew out of line and quietly addressed the skeletons.
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“Go greet her majesty.”
Following the advice, the two skeletons walked up to the bottom of the staircase and did a traditional skeleton greeting. Two hands shot up next to two skulls and spoke in unison.
“Hello. I’m Naive.”
“Hello. I’m Cognate.”
Queen Joanna erupted with laughter. It was light and airy, a sound that felt weightless.
“Hello Naive,”
After dipping its head towards Naive, the queen continued
“Cognate.”
Another dip, this time directed to Cognate.
“I am Queen Joanna, the queen of the bees. To what tidings do I owe the grace of your visit?”
Naive, certain in its uncertainty, answered without hesitation.
“I don’t know what that means.”
Laughter chimed.
“Why have you come to me?”
As Naive considered, Cognate answered.
“We’re here to investigate.”
“Investigate? What truth are you seeking?”
“Are you going to fight?”
No laughter. Naive wondered what prompted the noise. The queen drew a heavy breath and let it go.
“So the ants got to you did they?”
Waving a clawed leg, the queen gestured.
“Look around you. Do you think this all sprung up from nowhere?”
Naive looked at the hall around it, grand and ornate.
“We are artists. We don’t surround ourselves in corpses but in beauty.”
Naive once again found its vocabulary lacking.
“Beauty?”
“Artists?”
Cognate apparently also found a confusing concept in the queens words.
Naive briefly wondered why they asked different questions when Queen Joanna launched into her explanation.
“Beauty is all that you see before you now. It is in our grace, our dedication. Beauty is perfection itself. It is that what makes a bee a bee! We, the artists, bring that which is innate to every bee to the blissful insects. They dare only to look on from afar, ever fearful of our beauty. How could they? How dare they! To vilify my work when I want only to share the bees gift.”
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“Share it with me.”
The raving queen was stopped short by Cognates request. With a soft laugh the queen took on Cognate’s request.
“Well that expedites things. Joanna.”
Queen Joanna lifted and with the click of a claw, called over a bee who delivered into that claw a cup.
“Drink deep from this chalice and you too may know what it means to be beautiful.”
Cognate ascended the staircase, one wobbly step at a time. A claw offered the chalice and a bony hand took it. For a silent moment Cognate stared at the object in its hand. Stillness broke as Cognate’s jaw dropped and in one motion, it dropped the chalice into its mouth. The chalice promptly fell through the skeleton, passing through ribs, pelvis, legs and shattering on the floor. A thick orange liquid dripped down the steps.
“Oh. That's a shame.”
Queen Joanna's voice lost all inflection.
“Kill them.”
Naive felt a stab pierce its skull as the sound of buzzing went quiet and darkness returned.
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