As we gave up on the pursuit of the deserters, whispers of discontent began to spread among the swarm. I couldn’t tell what they were, exactly, since the malcontents went silent as soon as I was noticed, but I knew that something was brewing since they went deliberately and obviously quiet as soon as I approached. It wasn’t long before I noticed their continuous avoidance and went to Sybil. She simply laughed at my concern.

“I know exactly what they are talking about. Follow me.”

“I’m well aware of what you do here and your specialty, I just thought that it might be good for me to let you know that they have become very obvious about whatever it is.”

“I know, I know what you are concerned about, and I know what they are talking about, just follow me.”

“Well, I just mean that since they have become like this, I should let you know, I don’t need to hear from them what’s going on.”

“I recognize that you are worried about what is happening in the sociopolitics of the swarm. I just think that it would be best if you–”

“I don’t need to talk with them, I just wanted you to know what was happening within the swarm–” I caught myself. Sybil’s previously smiling face had gone stony.

“Are you ready to listen to me?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

“Thank you.” Sybil’s face relaxed slightly from tightly constrained irritation. “Now, I think it would be best for you to speak with some of the concerned members directly to better discern the apparently noteworthy conversations.” She began to stalk off and I followed.

“I’m sorry Sybil. I should have listened more carefully to you.”

A curt nod.

“I wasn’t trying to underestimate or undermine the work you do.”

Nod.

“So…”

“So we can talk later.”

I took the hint.

While I could see and count the steps that it took for us to get to the small group of keelish, not khatif, that seemed to be our goal, each step seemed to extend into multiple seconds, the distance stretch and multiply in length, and the silence deepened to such a point that I could hear my own heart’s beat. Finally, we approached close enough to the group for them to notice our approach and they went silent. I looked over at Sybil, who looked back at me, unblinking. Finally, I turned to speak.

“So, I’ve seen several keelish talking and immediately going silent when I come close. Tell me what’s going on.” The three keelish whose names I didn’t know began to panic and look at each other, seemingly telling the other to speak up before all three erupted in apologies, whimpers, and fear.

Sybil sighed and interjected, “Our Swarm Alpha does not doubt your loyalty, he simply has a question that needs answering. What is it that you have been trying to do recently?”

One stepped forward, and he began to speak, voice trembling, “I’m sorry, Lord Alpha, us keelish, being smaller and weaker than you, have been worried about being killed as an example, so we were trying to find out how to become more valuable so we… wouldn’t be killed.”

I had to consciously keep my jaw from dropping as I cocked my head and looked at the three cowering keelish before me. Sybil nodded and began walking away as I thought of how to respond to my panicking subordinates.

“Well, why would I have any reason to kill you?”

“To keep the others from running away like the other deserters.”

“That doesn’t work. Any deserters would just become more sneaky about their escape.”

“... What?”

I sighed. “Look, I’m not going to kill you. Do you know how Sybil, Took, Vefir, Foire, and Silf ended up in my pack?”

All three shook their heads. “We were all outcasts, not accepted by the three Alphas of our brood. Tieran, Percral, and Shemira. You know what happened to Shemira, but have you met Tieran and Percral?”

They shook their heads again, and one piped up, “Are they members of the swarm now or did they flee?”

“No, they were killed.”

The female keelish perked up, “Were they killed in the Great Sacrifice?”

“The what?”

She wilted beneath my question. “The… the Great Sacrifice? When… when your previous swarm… sacrificed their lives… so you could live?”

For a moment, I stood, confused, then I realized that Sybil had been even busier than I’d thought if she’d created a mythology out of our fleeing for our lives from just seven High Speakers. I shook my head with a chuckle, “No, they didn’t live that long. Tieran and his whole pack were slain on a hunt. I put Percral down myself when he tried to take my packmates from me.” The three keelish didn’t seem to like me explicitly mentioning a time when I killed a keelish, but I continued. “The strongest have not always been where they are, nor will they always be. So long as you continue in your loyalty, you might end up one of the top members of the swarm before long.”

The two males slowly nodded along with my words while the female, after a moment of gathering her courage, again spoke up, “What would you do, if you were in my position?”

I thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re best at, but I would focus on that. Sybil is my Beta, not because we have mated, nor her strength, but her intelligence and ability to control the swarm. You may prove your value in hunting, magic, combat, intelligence, or any other number of things. Distinguish yourselves with your excellence and you’ll find yourself progressing.”

The female nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. The males didn’t seem to care about anything more than the absence of immediate doom, but there was a chance that this female would take my words to heart.

“And what was your name?”

“I… never was given one. Many of our swarm, err… the newest members of the swarm, that is, have named themselves since you took control, but I didn’t think I would live long enough for it to matter.” The female was downcast in every way, but I thought I could pick up on the slight hope.

“Would you like a name?”

She looked up at me and nodded once.

“You are hope. Welcome to the swarm, Yamal.”