[Chapter 12]

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  The queen turned sharply.

  "KiAera," Zesza replied, her tone laced with annoyance. "You have arrived at an inconvenient time. I do not recall extending an invitation for you to meddle in these affairs."

  "Yes, and I haven't forgotten that you agreed to assist us. You promised to power the engine's current. Why are you now holding the threads hostage? You know I could have easily severed your connection instead of coming here, but dialogue preserves more than force ever could." Every Voltwasp in the chamber stiffened as her voice filled the space with a controlled sharpness.

  Zesza rose from her throne with a slowness that suggested she believed patience would intimidate her opponent. "Preserves?"

  Her antennae angled toward KiAera with a predatory aggression. "You claim preservation, yet you stand in my hive and expect obedience from me."

  KiAera held her ground. Stepping back would concede a victory she could not afford. "I expect cooperation."

  She released Liozel's hand so the boy could retreat behind her legs. "I expect you to honor your agreement to jumpstart the ManaNet so that communication remains stable during interspecies migration. You know the currents affect more than your hive. If the engine destabilizes, the entire quadrant will pay the price."

  Zesza scoffed. "Your precious engine does not dictate the laws of Vesperia."

  "Yet, the laws of mana do," KiAera retorted.

  A hush swept across the chamber as Voltwasp nobles exchanged glances, the words carried consequences that even Zesza could not ignore.

  KiAera felt their attention shift like a tide, drawn toward the queen's reaction.

  "Your assumption is bold," Zesza said, and her wings fluttered with irritation rather than hostility. "Explain yourself before you continue spouting riddles about shared fate."

  KiAera lifted her hand, {Spectral Flame} ignited and a controlled pulse of mana flared across her palm. She realized a demonstration would cut through stubborn pride faster than another speech. The glow spread in thin, clean lines that formed a miniature globe of the ManaNet, each strand reflecting a frequency the Voltwasps used.

  The web shimmered and narrowed until it revealed a fork that represented the queen's deliberate obstruction.

  Liozel stared at the illusion with fascination, and several nobles drifted closer.

  "This is your hive's connection point." She drew a thread of light that matched the signature of Zesza's currents. "When you flare your energy at this frequency, the ManaNet interprets it as a disruption. It rebounds. The rebound amplifies. It cycles through the voltfields. And every cycle pushes the core engine toward instability."

  She shifted the {Spectral Orb}, expanding it so the chamber could see the result. The lines fractured, and the illusion dimmed until a sharp ripple cut through its center. The nobles recoiled as if the mana surge had reached them physically.

  Zesza's eyes widened, but she masked the reaction with a tilt of her chin. "We have survived unstable currents before."

  "You survived them alone. You will not survive them when linked to eight other territories. The crash will not stay contained."

  The nobles turned toward their queen, and the growing fear in their movements made it clear they understood the impending danger. Zesza, however, showed no sign of wavering.

  "You are suggesting that this outcome hinges entirely on my refusal," she said. "You wish to blame me for your network's fragility."

  KiAera straightened. Clarity right now mattered more than pride. "I am suggesting that we face a danger only you can prevent."

  Zesza's gaze hardened, but she did not interrupt, and that small shift in her posture gave KiAera permission to continue.

  "You fear the ManaNet because you believe it will make your hive vulnerable. You fear you will cede control of the one thing your hive prides itself on: independence."

  Zesza's wings narrowed into stillness, which meant the words had struck closer to truth than the queen would admit.

  "So let me show you why those fears do not reflect reality," KiAera finished, and she formed a second {Spectral Orb} beside the first.

  This sphere was shielded, cloaked in an interwoven veil that muffled signatures of identity and location. Only private nodes shone through, flickering like lanterns behind frosted glass.

  "This is your hive’s configuration," KiAera said. "Your routes remain private. Your signals remain encoded. Your autonomy remains intact. Nothing leaves your hive unless you choose to release it."

  Zesza studied the protective veil with a slow, deliberate stare that revealed curiosity behind her rigid posture.

  "Your network does not touch our private channels," Zesza said, and her voice lost some of its bite. "That is what you intend to claim."

  "That is what I can prove,” KiAera replied, and she folded the second {Spectral Orb} into a contained sphere she offered for inspection. "If you allow it, I can demonstrate the shielding on your own frequencies."

  The chamber fell into silence. The nobles waited. This was going well.

  Zesza took one step toward KiAera, her heels clicking softly against the honeycomb floor. Her fingers hovered above the sphere but did not touch it. She inspected it with an intensity that suggested she was seeing much more than mana.

  "You claim neutrality," Zesza said, and her voice held a curious blend of resentment and interest. "Yet you stride into my hive as if you already lead it."

  KiAera kept her answer steady. "I stride into your hive because I refuse to lose a city we both worked to build."

  The queen's antennae flicked, and the chamber leaned closer in anticipation.

  Zesza finally touched the sphere.

  The protective veil shimmered, adapting instantly to her signature, and she froze as the lattice obeyed her commands without revealing a single hidden line.

  Liozel whispered loudly, unable to contain himself, "Big Sis, look! She's not breaking it!"

  The queen ignored the boy and lifted the sphere higher so the nobles could see it respond to her touch. None of the private threads shone through the veil. None of the connected routes flickered into exposure.

  "Fascinating," Zesza murmured, and the word carried the first hint of respect KiAera had ever heard from her.

  She lowered the sphere slowly. "Yet your words are far from the truth of my concerns."

  "That is?"

  "I have no need for your platitudes," Zesza retorted, her wings unfurling to loom larger. "You presume to come here and dictate what is best for my people, but I have ruled my hive for decades without your meddling!"

  "Got it. So, what else is bothering you, Ze?" She struggled to stifle a smile as the queen's eyes narrowed dangerously when addressed so casually. The room fell into an almost palpable silence, the hum of Voltwasp wings hushed as if they feared drawing Zesza's ire.

  "How dare you presume familiarity with me, insect!" Zesza hissed. "You tread a precarious path, thinking you can speak to me as if we are equals."

  KiAera squared her shoulders, unwilling to let the queen's fury intimidate her. "I'm not trying to be your equal, Zesza. I'm here as a collaborator. You may rule your hive, but I lead the Chimeron Sanctum, and we have common adversaries."

  The Voltwasp queen's antennae flickered with irritation before settling into stillness. "You speak of threats as if they are tangible. What is it you fear? The prospect of losing control over your precious sanctuary? Or perhaps your fear is that the rest of us will see you as just another ambitious leader on a power trip?"

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  KiAera took a deep breath. So that was Zesza's problem. "You are right. There's always a risk in sharing power, but isolation brings vulnerability. Would you truly prefer to face outside threats alone? Why not fortify your hive with allies instead of enemies?"

  Zesza's wings were folded tightly against her back, and her eyes closed in contemplation. "Allies are often disguised enemies, KiAera. I've seen goodwill morph into betrayal too many times. Trust is a currency I possess little of."

  "Then who's breaking this goodwill, Ze?"

  "Tch! If you're so adamant about knowing—fine." She glanced at her subjects. "You are all dismissed. Leave. You as well." She pointed a sharp finger at Gilbud, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange.

  "Yo! You don't have to tell me twice!" Gilbud exclaimed as he eagerly bounded out of the room.

  Zesza snapped her attention to Liozel. "The child goes as well."

  "I refuse!" Liozel said. KiAera felt a tremor of amusement. Liozel had a stubbornness inherited from her, and in moments like this, it was both a gift and a curse.

  "Liozel, it’s okay," she said softly, crouching down to his level. "I need you to trust me. This is between the queen and me. I want you to wait outside with Gilbud. Can you do that?"

  He hesitated, casting a wary glance at Zesza, who regarded him like an intruder in her sanctum. "But what if she tries to hurt you? You said we have to work together."

  "I know, but I need to earn her trust. Without you there, I can speak freely."

  Liozel bit his lip, clearly torn. "You promise to be safe?"

  "I promise," KiAera said, giving him an encouraging smile. She stood up and glanced back at Zesza. "Can we talk?"

  Zesza looked amused, but it was the kind of amusement that came from feeling superior. "He reminds me of Wazeke—when he was a larva. Very well, Chimeron Chief. We shall speak. But mind your words carefully; I am not patient with those who waste my time."

  Liozel reluctantly nodded and backed away, finally turning to follow after Gilbud, their footsteps echoing down the corridor as they left the queen and KiAera alone.

  Once the chamber was cleared, Zesza turned her full attention to KiAera. "You've made quite the bold entrance today, haven't you?" she said, her tone shifting from contempt to a cold curiosity.

  "Sometimes, boldness is necessary," KiAera replied, crossing her arms to steady her nerves. "You've built a strong hive, Zesza. I can't fight against that, nor do I ever want to. But I don't want to see it crumble because you refuse to accept help."

  Zesza paced her throne room. "What you call help, I call a threat. This 'ManaNet' you tout has brought nothing but dangerous attention from others. You are putting too much trust in something that is yet untested."

  "Others?" Now that was intriguing. "Elaborate. Who are these dangerous individuals that threaten your hive over the ManaNet?" KiAera pressed, her curiosity piqued. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she studied the queen, searching for any hint of vulnerability beneath the queen's stoic facade.

  Zesza's wings twitched, a flicker of unease crossing her features. "Darn you, KiAera. You troublesome thing! It's about my ex-mate! He has his eyes on the ManaNet!"

  Ex-mate. So wasps are able to have exes. "You mean ex-husband? And what does he have to do with preventing the Net from going live?"

  "Please. We Voltwasp don't do that marriage thing—it's too limiting. Relationships among my kind are more fluid, alliances formed through mutual interests and, when necessary, discarded without hesitation."

  Zesza took a moment to gather herself. "But this particular monster is more than just a past fling. He possesses a formidable power beyond the hive, and his ambitions do not end with our separation."

  "A Hive King?"

  "Worse!"

  "Oh?" That confirmed Yzarluzz III was another Emperor like his father. "So he wants control over the ManaNet for his own purposes?"

  That prompted Zesza to lean forward, her voice low and exasperated. "You know my son is a unique breed of Voltwasp: a Hive Prince. My ex is more magnificent. He is a Hive Emperor, ruling his own hive, an empire that surpasses even mine. Once this ManaNet is live, it will become a beacon, a signal that will draw his attention. It will put my hive at risk, and I cannot afford to jeopardize my people's safety!"

  KiAera processed Zesza's confession. A Hive Emperor was no ordinary threat, as demonstrated by the elder Yzarluzz; if he sought the ManaNet, it could mean war between their territories. "But Zesza, perhaps we could collaborate with him, or maybe seek peace with—"

  Zesza stumbled back, collapsing hysterically onto her throne. "Not in the slightest. Not with him being a potential successor to the 9th seat of Lord Lorgagore, the Crimson Menace."

  KiAera clenched her chest; the phantom wound was acting up. She needed the next breath to settle in her lungs because the revelation shifted the meaning of every hostile flare Zesza had thrown since her arrival. Lorgagore was the monster overlord who brought destruction to her homeworld, leading to her demise with his own hands. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have arrived in Zeldritzon.

  She forced the breath in anyway, since allowing panic to disrupt her focus would hand Zesza's fear the victory it craved. The queen watched her intensely, as if searching for the meaning behind KiAera's sudden stillness. "So that is the true reason. You are not trying to protect your hive from me. You are trying to protect it from him."

  Zesza bristled. "Do not twist my words. His ambition predates our separation, and if he senses an opportunity to exploit, he will seize it. I refuse to give him a path into my hive."

  KiAera exhaled slowly. She understood the strategic fear more deeply than she wished. "A Hive Emperor connected to Lorgagore cannot be ignored, but halting the ManaNet will not conceal your hive. It will isolate it."

  Zesza shot her a piercing glare. "You presume to understand his reach."

  "I do," KiAera said, and she let the truth settle between them without embellishment. "Because I survived him once." This was not the moment for recounting her death or the way Lorgagore's grip had crushed the last breath from her life, yet offering nothing would create more suspicion. Zesza's antennae lowered with calculation as she studied the tremor in her posture.

  "You speak of him as if Lord Lorgagore had shaped your fall," Zesza said. "Is that why your heart twisted like a wilted blossom when I spoke his title?"

  KiAera straightened, not to deny her reaction but to anchor herself in the reality she now inhabited. "He destroyed everything I knew. I do not fear him, but I remember him."

  Zesza paced again. "Lord Lorgagore's attention is a calamity. When his eyes fall on a territory, the land buckles under conquest before the first hour ends."

  KiAera nodded. "Which is why we must build alliances before he arrives."

  "Is it true…?" Zesza asked, hesitantly.

  Piqued by the question, KiAera arched a brow. "The certainty of Yzarluzz II's death? Yeah, I had slain in combat. Does that raise your confidence in the Chimeron?"

  Zesza narrowed her eyes, as if evaluating KiAera with renewed purpose. "The death of a Hive Emperor would mean upheaval, but such chaos seldom leads to stability. A power vacuum attracts vultures. You assume my confidence rests solely upon your past triumphs, but I have lived through the consequences of vacillation."

  "Then let us not allow Lorgagore to perceive a vacuum in your territory," KiAera insisted. "Rather than isolate yourself, why not leverage your strength, your storied history, to unite with others who have also faced him? We could form a coalition… a wall of resistance against his advance."

  Zesza paused, her wings quivering slightly at the edges. "You presume much, Chimeron Chief. Inviting others into my domain feels like inviting a swarm of mosquitoes to a feast. They bring only erosion of my power."

  "And yet, Zesza, your people thrive under your reign. They trust you. By extending your knowledge and protection to others, you consolidate your own position among the hives. They would see you not just as a ruler but as a leader—a visionary."

  Zesza regarded her with a calculated stare. "You speak eloquently about unity, but do you understand the intricacies of managing alliances? What assurance do I have that your ambitions do not mirror those of Lord Lorgagore—that you will not seek to undermine my rule once you gather your allies?"

  "I cannot control how others view alliance or power, Zesza. What I offer is an opportunity for mutual defense. I am no tyrant; my efforts have always been towards preservation, not domination. We are allies against a greater threat."

  The queen's wings twitched. She was not immune to the lure of cooperation, despite her apprehension. Finally, she relented, though the ambivalence lingered in her gaze. "Perhaps I should listen a bit longer, but understand this: your words alone do not bind my decision. My hive comes first. If I sense treachery, I will not hesitate to sever our ties."

  "Fair enough," KiAera nodded, appreciating the cautious nature of the queen. "But first, let me help you see the strength of our alliance through action rather than words. I can guarantee the shielding functionality of the ManaNet—"

  Zesza raised a hand and cleared her throat, interrupting her. "Another condition. Once all of this is said and done, I seek to elevate my son to Hive Emperor status in a manner befitting his abilities. If your alliances stand firm and prove beneficial, I will help you establish a means of protection against outside threats led by Lorgagore."

  KiAera's brow furrowed in concern at the unexpected twist in Zesza's proposition. "Your son? You mean Wazeke?" She wasn't sure if there were others, given the rarity of crowned male Voltwaspians. It was true that Zesza had daughters, and one of the princesses was a friend of Liozel and Denji.

  Zesza's wings quivered with annoyance. "Do not confuse him with the others. He has potential—intelligence and military prowess beyond that of a Hive Prince, but perhaps more importantly, the heart of a leader. It is a rare combination. I will not allow his destiny to be dictated by the likes of that fiend."

  "Are you suggesting I help you raise him to a position of power?" KiAera asked, incredulity spilling into her tone. "You are aware of the risks involved in that as well, aren't you? Placing Wazeke in such a spotlight could draw even more attention from Lorgagore and those loyal to him. The last thing we need is to paint a target on his back."

  "You underestimate my capacity to protect what is mine," Zesza replied, her voice icy with resolute pride. "But understand, a powerful ally against Lorgagore is more valuable than you realize. If my son can rise and command respect, it will send a message to all other hives, including the new Emperor. It will demonstrate that I will not be intimidated or bullied. Strength and fortitude—those are the foundations of my throne."

  KiAera chose her words carefully; the queen's desire to elevate her son could serve both their interests, but only if she understood the depth of the danger surrounding them. "I don't disagree that Wazeke has the potential to be a leader, but it's crucial that we discuss his desire for that role with him—not let him become a pawn in this game of power."

  Zesza's expression softened for a fleeting moment. "You think me a fool to so easily place my child in harm's way?"

  "No, Your Majesty," KiAera said cheekily. "But I know what happens to those who wield power without proper guidance—I've seen it before. We can't allow anyone to become an easy target. If you want to elevate Wazeke, then let's start by ensuring he understands the dangers—especially the ones stemming from his heritage."

  A tense silence settled once more, and KiAera watched as Zesza shifted from annoyance to a contemplative state. The flicker of doubt in the queen's eyes was a small victory for KiAera.

  Zesza folded her wings, the weight of her concern still palpable in the air between them. "Then let me see actions to accompany your words. We will convene the council of the hives, and you will present your arguments for the ManaNet. If my fellow queens see the merit in your case, then perhaps we can mobilize a united front against Lorgagore. But mark my words, KiAera—failure will not be tolerated."

  "I wouldn't have it any other way," KiAera replied, her heart swelling with cautious optimism. Now she just hoped that Endigo and Xetra could hold up against Yzarluzz's forces mobilizing in the western territories. The stakes were rising, and securing Zesza's support would not only bolster their defenses but also potentially stabilize the entire region against Lorgagore's looming threat.