Madris Ulaven considered that maybe she should have simply stayed home, not for the first time. Not her actual, original home, of course; the halls of the Eternal Dark were not welcoming to her, and ever since she had decided to leave, she was rarely struck by the urge to go back for a visit. But she had made a nice little life for herself elsewhere, with comrades she could tolerate and just the right amount of adventure.

And I suppose I have been swayed to their creed more than I would have thought, she mused.

Not that she hadn’t always admired the Ancients. It would be hard to live in this world with any knowledge of what had been and not feel that way. Perhaps that had been part of why she’d been relatively comfortable joining the humans. Looking back, she’d certainly changed her outlook somewhat, even if she was not one of those ideological or zealous Seekers she’d met.

And now they had met someone who might be an actual, living Progenitor. Of a sort, anyway. Madris was not even sure whether she wanted it to be true or not.

Either way, it was a frankly ridiculous claim. She’d rejected it, of course. Her comrades would have had words for her if she hadn’t.

What reason would Galatea have to lie, though?

Madris chewed on her lip, a bad habit she never quite managed to get rid of, and tugged on the side of her hood. Dark elves were a rare sight in these parts, and she would prefer not to attract as much attention as her appearance usually invited. It was tiring, she knew from experience.

“Taking in the sights? I’m afraid it’s only a little town and not very suited to impress,” a voice reached her.

Madris sat up straighter and turned around. She’d been sitting on a veranda built into a low hill and leading into the upper story of one of the Delver compound’s buildings, though it was only a side wing that did not see much traffic. It allowed her a good vantage point over both the town and parts of their headquarters. Now she was approached by a local Delver she recognized, although they had not talked much.

“Gwen, correct? Don’t sell it short, it is different enough to where I am from to make for a quite interesting sight.”

The young human Delver, most likely only twenty to thirty years old, smiled as she came closer and leaned against a stylized pillar supporting the edge of the veranda. Madris made herself return the smile and reached up to push her hood down.

“The summer sun must be irritating to your eyes, Eminent Mistress, please do not forgo your covering on my account,” the Delver said.

Madris paused and left it in place, though pushed back slightly so the human could better see her expression.

“I was not expecting any local to know of my people’s customs,” she said. Or to use them if they did. Although this is simple enough. “But as it happens, you are after all a noble if I recall correctly, Lady Cern?”

The human huffed, sounding both amused and disgruntled. “Technically, but please do not call me lady. It makes me sound like my mother, or worse.”

“Alright,” Madris agreed, “if you will drop the formality as well.”

Few humans she had met since joining the organization knew that she was what would be counted as a noble of high standing to them, and fewer still cared. She did not find that she missed it. Sometimes, she felt it was half the reason she found it more tolerable under the open sky at all. Perhaps if I had been born to great standing, she mused, then shook her head lightly and focused on her interlocutor again.

Some commonality established, Gwen edged closer to her, expression shifting slightly. Madris noted it with a bit of internal amusement. Just because she preferred not to focus on this did not mean she had forgotten such lessons.

Her mind was decently shielded, Madris also noticed. Not enough to ward off an intrusion by a halfway competent psychic, but that was to be expected, given how rare those were, especially here. Madris peeked at it more out of habit than anything else, just enough to get an impression of the human’s surface state of mind. Gwen was a little more nervous than she appeared - which was, again, not unusual - but otherwise, nothing stood out. Anyone could have guessed she was curious.

“I’ve been told I have good mental shields,” the young woman commented lightly, turning a bit so Madris could see her playful smile. “I admit I’m curious if you share that assessment.”

“Among the best I’ve seen from humans, unless I trained them myself,” Madris replied, exaggerating only slightly. She mentally raised her estimation of the young noblewoman a bit, but made sure not to appear flustered or surprised by the comment.

“You’ve trained people?” Gwen asked. “Could you be persuaded to take another student, perhaps?”

“Unfortunately, we will not have time for that,” Madris replied calmly. As if I’d just train any pretty face that asks.

“Of course.” Gwen dipped her head. “You will be leaving soon, then? I would be sad to see you go.”

“We should already have left,” Madris pointed out.

“Perhaps, but I do hope you found more interesting things here than you may have expected,” Gwen replied with a smile.

Madris finally turned to face the human fully. This conversation would likely require her full attention. After a moment of internal debate, she lowered her hood as well. Since she had her back to the sun now, it was tolerable, even at midday in summer.

“You have certain things in mind, I’m sure.”

Gwen sighed. “Look, could we please stop doing this dance? I’m sure neither of us actually enjoys it.”

“I’m all ears,” Madris said drily. After a moment, she decided to throw her a bone and move the conversation along. She was right, after all. “This is about the Hivekind, I take it?”

“Yes, but especially about Regina.”

Madris nodded, her gaze going distant as she thought back to the encounter, and what she’d learned.

She suspected the young ‘Hive Queen’ had been trying to evade her, but it had not been all that hard to track her down. The peculiar psychic phenomenon she seemed to be so intimately connected to would have been hard to miss, she suspected, unless she’d been a far more considerable distance away. It was truly remarkable, and intriguing. Even now, thinking back, Madris was not sure she understood it at all. Certainly a connection to all other members of her hive. Perhaps even her species? she mused. No, that seems too wide if there were many of them. Especially since it’s clearly a deep connection. And magic is all bound up with it, anyway.

Either way, it was clear the young woman was at the center of it. If you took her out, she suspected the whole edifice would collapse. The question is how much control over the rest of them it affords her, though, she reflected. Sensing any of the other minds with the young woman, even the ones who were clearly aware and intelligent, was practically impossible without also sensing the part bunched up into this link. It made it harder to attempt to read any of their minds. Or at least, that was the impression she received, although she had not had the time or spent the effort for more than a comparatively cursory probe. It would need more investigation to be sure.

Attempting to read or even control their minds would have been unnecessarily hostile, anyway. She tried not to do that sort of thing. Despite what some people might say.

“You have met her before, I take it?” she asked, refocusing on the woman in front of her. “Several times?”

“You’re well informed,” Gwen said with a raised eyebrow.

Madris just shrugged. Even if she hadn’t sought that information, it made sense for the Delvers to send Gwen for any talks to be had. One of the things Bards were good for, in her opinion.

“She’s a curious woman, and I don’t say that lightly,” Gwen continued after a short pause to invite further comment. “I’ve seen a lot of people, what with my Class and all, but never one quite like that. It’s almost like she’s from an entirely different culture.”

Madris shrugged. “Or a member of an essentially unknown species with unknown traits, which is rather monstrous in appearance and with a clearly unusual social structure,” she pointed out.

“Granted,” Gwen acknowledged. “But she does know an awful lot, and does not talk like someone who’s grown up in the wilds, and only for what must have been a very short time. To be clear, she had been growing at a visible rate even in a short timeframe. If that rate holds true, she couldn’t possibly have been born more than a few years ago.”

Madris frowned. That was interesting information, indeed. Although she did get the sense Gwen was driving at something. What that might be was obvious.

“You cannot seriously believe she was a human in a previous life?” she asked, sounding more dismissively skeptical than she now realized she really felt.

Gwen hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. “It might sound absurd at first brush, but when you think about it, it would explain quite a few things,” she replied cautiously.

Madris sighed. She hadn’t gotten quite as good a look at the Hive Queen’s mind as she’d have wished, she had to acknowledge. She very well might have a human mind, twisted by whatever might have happened, hidden in there. It couldn’t be ruled out, at least on the basis of what she’d seen. Still.

“Have you ever met Galatea?” she asked.

Gwen frowned. “Who?”

Madris examined her expression. Unfortunately, the human seemed to be good at controlling it. If she recognized the name, she did not let it show. “Never mind,” she finally said.

“Wait, is there someone similiar you have met?” Gwen asked.

Madris snorted and shook her head. “No, this Regina would be the first.” Which was technically true. After all, Galatea had never been human, she had simply been created by the Ancients. And warped by the magic of the Cataclysm, if what Madris had gathered was true.

“We don’t know much about the Hivekind,” Gwen pointed out. “If any people could have kept someone alive for a thousand years, it would have to be them.” She shrugged. “And a little over a year ago, the notion that Hivekind had survived and we would encounter one would have seemed quite absurd.”

As absurd as the idea that their leader was a former Progenitor, Madris surmised. She didn’t let it show, but she supposed Gwen might have a valid point. Somewhere in there, at any rate; arguing that because one improbable thing had happened another one would happen as well was an obvious fallacy.

“Even if all this was true, why would they have waited this long to show themselves?” she asked instead.

Gwen shrugged. “Who knows? I’m sure there’s some reason, but unfortunately, when it comes to the Hive, the most we can do is guess, far too often.” She paused for a moment. “That is why I am trying to acquire more information about them, and why I have invited the Hive Queen to visit, for instance.”

Madris only raised an eyebrow slightly. If Gwen was looking for a more open sign of surprise, she would be disappointed. She did make a note that the young woman seemed to be higher in the local Delvers’ hierarchy than she’d thought, though.

“You appear to have made up your mind already, Gwen,” she said drily.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Gwen replied. “I did have a question for you, anyhow. You met her, didn’t you? What did you think of her mind?”

Madris hesitated. She had not come to a conclusion on that herself, much less decided how much of it she wanted to share with the young human. “It was odd,” she finally said. “The Hivekind are like nothing I have encountered before.”

“Oh?” Gwen didn’t sound particularly surprised. If anything, there was an expectant note in her voice.

“Your theory could be correct,” Madris noted. “I have not seen anything that would constitute specific evidence for it, however.”

Gwen nodded. “I see. Thank you for the answer, at least.”

She didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. Madris suspected that she hadn’t changed her opinion appreciably. Which is fair, I suppose. I have not given her much information after all. I wish I had more myself.

They both fell silent for now, thinking about the conversation, presumably, or what they had seen.

“The civil war in Cernlia is likely to heat up soon,” Gwen finally broke the silence. “I am sure the Commander would appreciate any power that might help. We are not intending to get involved, at this point, but there is never a guarantee for this sort of thing.”

Madris continued staring absently out at the landscape before her for a few seconds. “I may need to make a few arrangements. I had been thinking about extending my stay, anyway.”

Gwen smiled. Madris wasn’t intending to do much fighting here, although she supposed she would be obligated to help them out occasionally if asked, but it still promised to be an interesting vacation.

She could not quite shake wondering if she might have made a mistake. Or, for that matter, might still be making one.

I was too aggressive, Madris acknowledged to herself. Teleportation would have allowed them to run, in either case, but she was not sure she could have won that fight.

There was a reason baiting someone, stoking their anger, was the most stereotypical path for a psychic to get into someone’s head, metaphorically or literally. That was because it worked, most often. But it was a blunt instrument. And this Hive Queen had much stronger self-control than one might expect, and had not offered Madris any easy points of access. The approach had, she now had to admit, rather thoroughly burned some other options, however. She might have fallen into the trap of the powerful, those who had been strong for too long. I may have lost subtlety, Madris told herself quietly, though the admission rankled.

“What will you do if we encounter the Hivekind again, or if Her Majesty should deign to pursue another settlement?” Gwen asked.

Madris shrugged with affected ease. “I suppose I will see when the time comes,” she replied. “I am not planning on fighting anyone, at least.”

Gwen nodded. Madris pressed a little harder against her mind, still careful to keep her touch light and very hard to detect. What she could sense were roughly the same, partly contradictory emotions as before, which was not surprising. Instead of being banked, the curiosity burned even brighter now. It might be joined by some apprehension, but Madris had the impression the Cernlian was looking forward to what was to come.

And, if she was honest, she sympathized with the feeling a little. For all the headaches there were likely to be.