28. Calvin

CALVIN

I guess it's lucky that Florian and Majordomo Elza aren't exactly creative when it comes to hiding spots. Or maybe they weren't trying to hide at all.

The banquet hall is still filled with the corpses of the unfortunate bees who were caught in the stampede. Left to rot. Majordomo Elza and Florian stand at the head of the room, in front of the main dining table. It still has bowls of day-old nectar sitting on it.

The smell is unbearable. I pinch my nose as I follow Ser Beatrix, who already has her stinger blade out at her side as she stalks forward. She steps over the bodies without even a glance, but every time I gingerly tip-toe over one of the corpses, I can't help but look at them. At their opaque eyes, still staring up at the ceiling.

They didn't deserve this. Any of it. They were hard-working members of the hive, drones and foragers, who just wanted to enjoy the evening with some food and drink. And this is how they were repaid for their efforts? My heart gives a lurch, and Polina's face appears in my mind. My Po. My Sunshine. I'm going to avenge her fallen bees for her, and I'm going to wipe that cruel smirk off her majordomo's face.

"Traitorous wretch," Ser Beatrix says, her voice booming through the room.

Florian lets loose a hysterical giggle that makes me want to charge at him, but Ser Beatrix positions herself between us, like she knows what's going through my mind. I run my fingers through my sweaty hair and let loose a growl.

"I know how you feel, Caretaker," she says, "but we need to remain calm. Anger will make our movements sloppy."

Majordomo Elza sneers at us as she lifts a goblet of red liquid to her mouth and drinks deeply from it. "I see you've managed to get past the yellowjackets somehow. Impressive," she says, and sets the goblet down on the table. Florian continues to stare at us with his vacant black eyes. Majordomo Elza raises her hands and claps twice. "But you won't be able to take on their entire army all at once."

"No, you are correct about that," Ser Beatrix says. Her mouth tightens into a thin line. I inhale sharply as I wait for the onslaught of yellowjackets…

…but they never come.

Majordomo Elza tilts her head to the side and blinks. Then she claps again. And again. And then a third time, until she lets out a shriek of frustration. "Yellowjackets! To me!" she barks.

I rub the back of my neck and let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah. I don't think they're coming."

Majordomo Elza's brows slam together, and she shares a look with Florian.

Florian lets out a nervous laugh before bolting for the door on the left side of the room. "I'm out," he yells, and tears through the door before Ser Beatrix or I have a chance to figure out what's happening.

Majordomo Elza shrieks again, and I clap my hands over my ears. "How dare you! Pathetic little pill bug! No, worse than a pill bug! You are nothing but a slimy, gutless worm!" she roars. It takes every ounce of willpower within me to not crack up. She whirls on me and the captain and unsheathes her stinger blade. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

Ser Beatrix steps forward, lifting her blade. "You never had a chance. And you never will."

I gulp, unsure of what to do. Do I help Ser Beatrix? Do I go after Florian? Or should I move off to the side so that the two can have their epic throwdown? I'm about to open my mouth to ask when all three of the banquet hall's entrances fly open and yellowjackets spill in like a deluge of water from a faulty spout.

Majordomo Elza smiles triumphantly and sheaths her blade. "There they are. A little delayed, but better late than never, I suppose," she says.

But the yellowjackets ignore me and Ser Beatrix as they rush forward, buzzing madly like a kicked hornet's nest. I cover my head with my arms and make a mad dash to the wall, trying to get out of their way.

"No!" Majordomo Elza screams. "You missed him! The Caretaker, he's right there! Grab him!"

But they continue to ignore me and surge forward like a wave until they're on top of Majordomo Elza, muffling her cries.

"No!" she howls. " Noooo ! Get him, not me! Are you stupid! You ingrates!"

Ser Beatrix takes a few staggering steps back as her mouth falls open. Dozens upon dozens of yellowjackets form a pile on top of Majordomo Elza as she continues to scream. They buzz violently, and the air gets warmer. So warm, sweat beads on the back of my neck. My jaw falls open. Wait, I'm pretty sure I saw a docuseries on television about this once, didn't I? Majordomo Elza's screams die down to a whimper until she goes silent entirely.

"Oh … holy shit," I mutter. "That was … effective."

Ser Beatrix hurries to my side and grabs my wrist, getting ready to pull me to safety. "Quite. It's a rare maneuver we bee fae all have. We can cause an enemy to explode through intense vibration. She literally boiled alive."

I let out a whimper of shock. Boiled … alive? The more I learn about bees, the less I want to be their Caretaker.

Ser Beatrix jerks her chin to one of the doors. "Come, I must get you outside before they turn their attentions to us."

The yellowjacket swarm, however, doesn't seem to be in any hurry to move again. Ser Beatrix yanks me along behind her, and I nearly trip over a dead body. She stops, scoops me up into her arms, and runs with me instead.

"Y-You didn't have to do that! I could have made it!" I protest. Ser Beatrix makes a sharp left, then right, then left again, past the cells upon cells that make up the hallway walls. How any of the bees know where they are or where they're going is still a complete mystery to me, because everything looks the same.

"No offense, Caretaker, but yes I did," she says as we reach the end of the hallway. The double doors in front of us look familiar, at least. The entrance to the hive.

Ser Beatrix sets me down and rushes to the doors to smash into them with her shoulder. They fly open immediately, and the scent of wildflowers rushes forward with an intoxicating aroma. She doesn't have to say anything. I make a beeline for the gardens and don't stop running until I come to the gates.

Ser Beatrix follows behind and looks up to the sky. "I do not see my Sylvie anywhere," she says. The worry in her voice is unmistakable.

"She must be flying around, still looking for Po—Her Highness," I say.

We keep our eyes glued to the sky, waiting for any sign of Polina or Sylvie. But after several minutes of waiting, Ser Beatrix lets out a frustrated growl and beckons for me to follow her.

"Where are we going?" I ask. The bee captain turns around, snatches me by my waist, and kicks off into the air before I have a second to register what's happening. My heart catches in my throat as my stomach threatens to bottom out. "W-Wait!"

The yellowjackets from earlier burst through the front entrance of the hive and begin swarming the courtyard where we were standing only seconds ago. I swallow hard as I watch them take over every inch of Polina's hive.

"H-How did you?—"

Ser Beatrix squeezes me tighter as we zip through the air. Soon, we land on the concrete ledge of the rooftop. She sets me down behind one of the potted tomato plants, obscuring our hiding place from the rest of the world. "I felt their vibrations through the ground and could hear their conversation," she says. "A useful skill to have … one that you do not possess, I suppose."

I shake my head, then brush off my shirt and pants. "No. Definitely not. Um … now what?"

The door to the rooftop swings open, and Kyle steps out.

"Ah! Kyle!" I yell, and I'm so excited I nearly step over the ledge. Ser Beatrix yanks me back by my shirt collar before I have a chance to become pavement goo. My cheeks burn red. "Thanks. Was just excited. That's my friend! Polina was with him before I got taken by the yellowjackets."

Ser Beatrix's eyes narrow as she stares at Kyle. "She's with him now, look," she says, and points to the teeny-tiny shape on his shoulders. Her eyesight is much better than mine, because I can barely make out Polina's iridescent wings as they catch in the sunlight. Behind Kyle, a man in his late thirties steps out, lugging something clunky and metal in his arms.

Wait. That's … that's my Shrinkatron!

When Polina sees me, she flies straight for me. The tears in her eyes trail through the air in silvery arcs behind her as she reaches for me. I step forward, opening my arms wide for her. "Come here, Sunshine!" I yell. Polina slams into my body, sending us both toppling backward, then she lifts me into the air and embraces me with all four arms.

Polina nuzzles the crook in my neck, and I can feel the wetness of her tears against my skin. She's so, so warm. Being held by her is like being hugged by a mug of tea after a long, hard day, and just as comforting.

"Hey there, honey," I murmur in her ear. She buzzes with delight.

"Thank the sun you're okay. I was so worried," she murmurs back. "What happened in there?"

"Majordomo Elza's been dispatched by some very pissed off yellowjackets," I say. She pulls her face back and arches an eyebrow. "I … may have tricked them into thinking she was the bad guy."

"She was the bad guy," she says.

"Yes, but to them," I clarify. "But I'm afraid Florian got away."

Polina rolls her eyes. "I'm not exactly worried about him. I was concerned about you. Are you hurt?"

We hover in the air as she inspects my body to the best of her ability while holding me tightly against her. Once she's satisfied that I'm not injured, she lowers us both to the ledge, next to Ser Beatrix. But the captain's mouth is a tight line, and it's clear she's not as elated about the reunion as we are.

"Where is Sylvie…?" Beatrix asks. "Isn't she with you?"

Polina frowns as she releases her grip from my body, letting me go. "No. Was she supposed to be? I haven't seen her. I've been with Calvin's human friends."

Kyle approaches us, his hands in his pockets as he saunters up to the ledge. "Hey. Uh, we got your shrink-thing," he says. "Just tell us how to power it on and we'll get you back to normal size, I guess?"

I smile up at Kyle, then nod. "Okay. Uh, we seem to be missing a friend. Have you seen another bee fae around by any chance?"

Kyle shakes his head, then looks over at his friend as they set the Shrinkatron down in front of the hive. "No, sorry. I'll keep an eye out, though."

Ser Beatrix grinds her teeth so hard we can all hear it, apparently, because we all look at her at once.

"It's going to be okay, Ser Beatrix," I say. "I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just scouting the area to find Polina."

But the bee captain doesn't look convinced. If anything, she looks even more worried than before. "Then why do I have such a bad feeling?" she mutters as she paces the ledge, then hops down into the tomato planter to search it.

Kyle leans over and puts his hand down, palm facing upward, to allow me to step into it. "Come on, bud. Let's get you big again," he says. Once I've sat down in his palm, he curls his fingers over protectively to escort me over to where his friend is setting up the Shrinkatron.

Even though the guy looks like a viking-biker, he doesn't seem to be any stranger to tech. "Who's your friend?" I ask.

"My former boss, Maurice," Kyle says, and sets me down on the ground in front of the Shrinkatron's ray. "So, what now?"

"Plug it in and make sure the gauge is set to thirty-five—not negative thirty-five, or it'll make me even smaller. Very important," I say, adjusting my glasses.

Kyle gives me a thumbs up and heads behind Maurice to mutter my instructions over his shoulder. Maurice fiddles with the gauge, then shoots me the okay sign.

"Okay, and now?" Kyle calls out.

From above, Polina hovers anxiously. She knows she can't afford to get too close, but I can feel her anxiety all the way from down here. I look up at her and smile. "It's going to be okay, Sunshine!" I yell up to her. But that does nothing to soothe her nerves, it seems, and she flits back and forth, buzzing loudly.

"Protective little thing you got there," Maurice says gruffly, but not unkindly. "Wish I had me a woman who gave as much of a shit."

"If only any woman would look at you, period," Kyle says with an eye-roll.

I cross my arms and snicker. "Just hit the red button when you're good to go," I yell.

But just as Maurice is about to hit the red button on the Shrinkatron, something big and black whizzes past, catching our attention. Ser Beatrix lets out a strangled cry, and Polina gasps. The sun's rays are directly in my eyes, making it impossible for me to see what's going on up in the air.

" Florian , stop !" Polina shrieks.

Florian. Here? Now? I had hoped the yellowjackets would find and take care of him, but I guess our luck has run out. It was fortunate enough that they were there to take out Majordomo Elza. Florian cackles as he somersaults through the air, knocking into Polina and sending her spinning.

"No!" I yell, and race forward to catch Polina in my arms before she can hit the pavement. "Po! Are you okay?" I brush my thumb across her cheek. Tears streak her cheeks, but not from sadness.

Angry. My sweetheart is pissed off. I set her down gently on the ground, but she launches herself into the air before I have a chance to stop her.

"Po! Wait!"

It's too late. She's already launching herself at her ex-fiancé, and this time, she's brandishing her stinger blade.