Vaila opened her eyes

to find herself

in a small, round,

golden-colored room

constructed out of

honeycomb shapes.

She realized she was

somewhere inside

the Bee People’s

giant hive —

but she did not know

how she got here.

She did a quick survery of herself —

other than the sharp ache

in the back of her head,

she only had a few bruises

and abrasions,

and most importantly,

her rapier was still attached to her hip.

Her gaze turned to her environment,

and she saw a young Bee-man

in a white robe

standing half-asleep

by the door.

“Hello?” Vaila said.

The Bee-man’s

big, oval blue eyes

threw themselves open in shock.

He looked at her

and fled from the room.

“Huh,” she said to herself.

After a moment,

the door opened again,

and an aged Bee-man,

dressed in red, and with a tall cap,

entered the room

with two Bee-man attendants.

“Ah,” said the old Bee-man,

“You are awake.

We are most pleased

you are not permanently damaged.”

“What am I doing here?”

Vaila asked accusingly.

“We apologize,” said the Bee-man,

“But we brought you here for your

safety.”

“The crowd outside the Hospital?”

Vaila asked.

“We protected you,”

the old Bee answered,

“and brought you here.”

Vaila was beginning to understand

how the Bee-People

spoke of themselves.

Still, her father,

Zolantos the Merciless Cripple,

had taught her well —

the old Bee

was a different species of man,

but she could still read

that he was not telling

the whole truth.

They wanted something from her.

“Thank you,”

said Vaila.

“I am in your debt.”

“If it would please you, Champion,”

said the Bee,

“Our Queen

would like to speak with you.”

“Lead the way,” said Vaila,

as she got to her feet.

She followed the old Bee-man

and his two attendants

down a round corridor,

and into a vast,

noisy hall

filled with Bee-men

hustling to and fro,

some buzzing overhead

beneath the cavernous ceilings.

It was quite a sight,

and Vaila knew

she would have found it

more fascinating

if the back of her head

were not pounding in pain.

But,

she thought,

it was nothing compared to

that time

when she crawled

three miles

across the Laser Deserts of Kom

with a broken fibula.

At one end of the hall

was a long, open-air

colonnade

that looked down upon the Hive,

and far below,

The Hospital of the Sacred Blue Nectar.

Vaila felt the sunlight

upon her

for a revitalizing moment,

and followed the Bees

through a tall set of doors

into a throne room.

A circular skylight

opened at its top;

on the dome underneath

were colorful frescoes

aglow in the sunlight.

Sitting on the throne

was the majestic Queen,

larger than the other Bees,

with azure eyes like

jeweled water.

Surrounding her

were a myriad of attendants,

guards,

and administrators.

“Well,” said the Queen,

in a haughty, syrupy voice,

“We did not know you were a

black female.”

Vaila’s gaze bounces around

to all the Bee people in the room.

“Is that a problem?”

“No,” said the Queen,

smiling,

“We enjoy surprises.”

“Alright,” Vaila said,

curtsying before the Queen,

“I am deeply honored

to be received by your Royal Highness.”

“Yes,” said the Queen,

“As we are honored

to receive a Champion

of the Imperial Court.”

“I wish to extend my gratitude to you,

for providing me with your protection,”

said Vaila.

“Think nothing of it,” said the Queen.

“We have heard many things

about Imperial Champions,”

said the Queen.

“The stories proliferate

like seeds in the wind.”

“I am afraid many of those tales

are exaggerated,”

said Vaila.

“You are modest.

The deeds of Imperial Champions

linger in eternity.

The Taking of the Abyssal Fortress of Gan Li Gi,

the Conquest of the Interdimensional Cyclops Men,

the Excavation of Hell Dragon City —

but

what interests us the most

is the legend

that no Imperial Champion

can refuse

A Serious Request.

Is that true?”

“Yes,” said Vaila, knowing where this was going.

“You see,” said the Queen,

“We have A Serious Request.”

to be continued....