26. Calvin

CALVIN

I 'm taken deep within the hive by two yellowjacket grunts, down a golden stairwell slathered in honey. I don't recognize this part of the palace. As we descend the lengthy stairwell, my captors don't seem to mind when I'm thrashed against the wall several times, nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process. I wail in agony as I'm manhandled until we get to the bottom of the stairs, entering what I can only assume is the dungeon.

Rows upon rows of hexagonal chambers line both sides of the hallway, and we walk past dozens until we reach the end. The yellowjackets drag me by my arms, then stop in front of a hexagon. One of them knocks on it, and it slides open. Then they toss me in like yesterday's garbage. I land with a thud, and I swear I hear a sick crunching sound from my ribs as I smash against the ground.

"O-Ow, hey!" I groan, and try to scramble into a sitting position before they have time to retreat. "You don't have to be so rough!" But they're already sealing the door with a ruby-red bolt of light from their claws.

Fae magick. There's no way I'm going to get out of here once that closes. I have to stop them. I bolt forward, and my ribs howl in pain as I knock into one of the yellowjackets, surprising them both.

The other yellowjacket clicks his black mandibles together as he reaches for me, while the one I knocked into staggers and falls back onto his slender abdomen. I thrust my hand into the yellowjacket's face, ignoring the pain of having his mandibles in my flesh.

"H-Hey!" he croaks. "You said this one had no fight in him!"

His buddy reaches over to grab me, but I roll out of the way before he has a chance to get near me. "I did," the other yellowjacket says flatly. "It appears I was mistaken. He is much scrappier than the majordomo implied."

They unsheathe their stinger blades and lift them into the air, and I suck in a deep breath as I readjust my glasses. Hoo, boy. Okay. I'm fucked. There's no way I can fight them off with just my fists. I'm pretty sure I got lucky before. They rush toward me, and I throw up my palms.

"W-Wait! U-Uh…" My knees wobble. "What did the honeybee's wife say to her husband when he came home with a bouquet of flowers?"

The yellowjackets slide to a stop and look at one another, blinking. One of them scratches his head, then asks, "What?"

I lower my hands a little and say, "I-I hate it when you bring work home, honey."

They don't laugh. In fact, they aren't reacting at all. They're simply … staring at me. So much time passes between the punchline that I start to wonder if I broke them.

Then the yellowjacket on the left plants his hand on his hip and says, "That doesn't even make any sense."

"Right?" The other one says, clacking his mandibles. "Don't they impregnate the queen and die? How would he come home with flowers for her if he's supposed to be dead?"

I need to use this moment to my advantage, somehow. "Hey, isn't that the same for you guys? Don't you die after fucking, too?"

The two yellowjackets stare at me. Hard. "Yes," one says. "But you didn't have to be so crude about it."

The other cuts in, "The majordomo says that we won't have to do that anymore. That we can live in this nice, cushy palace so long as we take care of a few pesky problems for her. Like you, for one thing." He laughs.

So that's how it is, huh?

"What does she get out of all of this?" I ask as I inch backward. My steps are so subtle they don't even seem to notice I'm moving.

"The majordomo rules the hive, and then we, the men, will no longer be kicked out before winter! We won't have to die in order for the colony to survive." They both clack their mandibles together as they wobble on their skinny, fuzzy legs. Unlike Polina, these guys are all sharp angles and … ugly. Really ugly.

I lick my bottom lip and glance over my shoulder. Several more rows of hexagons to go before I'm back at the stairwell. I've to keep them talking somehow.

"That's not what I heard," I say. "Before you guys invaded, I overheard Majordomo Elza talking to Florian about her true master plan."

This is a long shot, but if it works? Then I just might make it out of here alive. Luckily, these two don't seem like the sharpest stingers in the hive.

They glance at one another and blink again. "Why should we believe you? You're probably lying."

I shake my head. "No. Don't you know anything about humans? We can't lie. It's impossible."

The two fae stop moving toward me. "Seriously?" the one on the left says. "Then what did she say?"

I hold my hands up again and shake my head. "I don't want to tell you. It's too awful."

It seems they're taking the bait, because they both look at one another again. Their antennae flick back and forth erratically, as do their wings. They must be having a silent conversation, one I'm not allowed to be included in. I can only hope it means they believe me.

The yellowjacket who I believe is the smarter of the pair turns back to me and says, "You will tell us or be skewered on our stingers, the majordomo's plans be damned."

I gulp. "Okay, okay. Look, just don't shoot the messenger, all right?" I say as I rub the back of my neck, hoping to appear sheepish enough. This plan of mine better work, because I don't doubt their threats.

"Puny human, we do not ‘shoot.' We stab. Talk quickly. Our patience grows thin," he says in a reedy voice.

"Majordomo Elza told Florian she plans on taking him as her king and getting rid of all of you once she's crowned. She doesn't want any other men in her hive, but she's happy to use you," I say. Please believe me, please believe me.

The one on the right lets loose a chirp of anger that makes my skin crawl, while the smarter of the two slams his fist into his palm. "I will end her. I will remove her head myself and place it upon a pike!"

"And then the hive will be ours!" the other screams. "No longer will we have to sleep in the dirt with the other bugs and vermin!"

"G-Good, that's good," I say, still holding my trembling hands up as I cower. This is pathetic of me, yes, but I'd love to see anyone react differently in the face of monstrosities like these. But if I want them to help me get rid of Majordomo Elza and Florian, I need to convince them I'm on their side. I pump my fist into the air. "Death to the majordomo! And long live the … er, yellowjacket … empire?"

"Kingdom," the yellowjacket on the right corrects me. "But yes, the sentiment is appreciated."

"Onward, my comrades!" the one of the left roars. We must inform our brothers and sisters of the bee fae's treachery. And then we will mount our attack. She will be powerless to stop us!"

My knees buckle as they barrel past me, leaving me in their wake. They scramble up the stairs, not even glancing back to check if I'm following or not.

Oh. Okay.

I swallow the lump in my throat and slump to the ground on my knees. "Holy shit. That worked? That … that worked! I'm alive. I'm alive!" Letting out a loud, maniacal laugh that startles even me, I thrust my fists into the air like I just won the Super Bowl. "I'm not dead! I'm not dead!"

A muffled voice yells from behind me, "Can you keep it down? Or else you're going to be dead the second I'm out of here."

My entire body tenses, and I scramble to my feet. I know that voice. "Ser Beatrix?"

"Yes," the terse voice says. That's definitely Ser Beatrix, and she sounds annoyed as ever.

"It's me!" I yell. "Calvin! Er … the Caretaker. Where are you? I'll get you out!" Immediately, I'm running up and down the hallway in search of the right cell when another voice cries out.

"Down here!" Sylvie says. "The last two on the left! Or was it right? Oh, by the sun … I can't remember."

I stop in front of one of the last two cells on the left and look the hexagonal door up and down. There's no handle. No way to get inside. Panic rises in my gut, and my vision blurs. Deadlines at work I could white-knuckle no problem. But an actual life or death situation? I'm hopeless.

"W-What do I do? How do I get you out?" I sputter as I pace the hallway, looking for anything I can use to break open the door. But there's nothing. This stupid hallway is completely empty save for the sticky honey lining the walls.

"Caretaker, relax," Ser Beatrix's voice calls out, firm and steady. "I can hear you pacing. Panicking is not going to make the situation better."

I grip the ends of my hair and pull. "I know that! But I have to get you two out before the yellowjackets take out Majordomo Elza and the rest of you!"

"The Caretaker is able to open every door in this hive," Ser Beatrix says calmly. "Go up to the cell walls and place your palm against them."

Sounds untrue, but fine. I'll give it a shot. I stride up to Ser Beatrix's door and place my palm against it. After several seconds of nothing happening, my heart sinks. Of course this wouldn't work. It was too outlandish to think that my hand would be the key to open anything around here, and?—

There's a soft snick , and then the cell door slides open, revealing an exhausted Ser Beatrix on the other side. She stands there without her armor on, gaunt yet elegant with her high cheekbones and large black eyes. Most of her facial features are hidden behind her mask, the only stitch of clothing she's wearing.

Immediately, she steps out of the cell and rushes to Sylvie's door. "Open it, please. Hurry."

Nodding, I go to Sylvie's door and repeat the process of opening the door. It slides open three seconds slower than Ser Beatrix's. When it does, Ser Beatrix rushes inside and lifts Sylvie into her arms. The smaller bee fae lets out a giggle as the two kiss and nuzzle one another.

I look away to give them a shred of privacy. "Ah … I'm glad you're okay, Sylvie," I say.

Ser Beatrix finally sets Sylvie down, then makes her way toward the stairwell. "Come. Our armor is being held up these stairs, inside a trunk. We will don it and hopefully find the majordomo before the yellowjackets do."

"Okay, and then?" I ask as I rush after her. My lungs are already screaming in pain as my pulse thunders in my neck. Yeah. Definitely signing up for the gym when I get back home. More cardio is needed.

Ser Beatrix mounts the stairwell and glances back at me and Sylvie. "And then we will end her and take back the colony once and for all."

Despite the adrenaline urging me forward, I can't stop thinking about Polina. Is she safe? Did she manage to talk to Kyle? Or did he … did he smash her against the concrete like a bug? My mouth goes dry at the thought of her lifeless body out there, shriveling in the sun.

No. No, I can't think like that. Polina would tell me to get my head back on straight and save the hive.

But my steps falter behind Sylvie as we reach the last step. She turns around, frowning. "Caretaker? Are you all right?"

I shake my head and look down at my feet. "N-No. I'm worried about Po—Her Highness. I'm worried about Her Highness. There's a human outside, and I'm afraid for her safety."

Ser Beatrix whirls around, fury etched on her face. "Why did you not mention this before?" she hisses.

I flinch and try to look anywhere but her face. "Yeah, that's fair. Um, because I was a little busy busting you out of your dungeon cells?"

Ser Beatrix growls and spins back around, nearly hitting me in the head with her abdomen. "Then our first priority is finding Her Highness and securing her. Then we will kill the majordomo."

Sylvie clears her throat. "Ahem … Bea? If I may, Petal?"

Petal? I blush at the display of the intimacy these two obviously share. It's cute, but also … strangely voyeuristic. Like I shouldn't be a part of this. Ser Beatrix doesn't seem bothered by Sylvie's term of endearment, however. No, instead she looks like she's about to melt into a puddle of goo as she turns around and takes Sylvie's hands into her own.

"Yes, my sweet?" she murmurs. Wow. It's like when I shake a bag of treats for Bonnet. Suddenly, the tiger queen turns into a fluffy kitten. "If you have an idea, I wish to hear it. Your ideas are usually much better than mine."

Sylvie snickers. "True. Why don't we split up? I'll go find Her Highness, and you and the Caretaker can find the majordomo."

At first, I think Ser Beatrix is going to chastise Sylvie for even suggesting such a thing, but then she surprises me with a curt nod. "Very well. Sylvie will go and find Our Highness and bring her to safety. Caretaker, you're with me. I hope you still remember your training, as meager as it was."

I swallow thickly. "Uh … yeah."

Ser Beatrix levels her gaze at me.

I straighten. "Yes. Yes, I'm ready to confront Majordomo Elza and Florian. F-For the hive."

One of the corners of Ser Beatrix's lips twists upward. "Good. That's what I like to hear. Now, let's go find this traitor and make her pay for what she's done."