Chapters
-
Amie woke in an infinite, featureless wasteland.Unbroken gray stone extended as far as she could see in all directions, covered only with a thin layer of swirling mist. She stood awkwardly, barely stable on four legs. "Hello? Is anyone... there?"The nest was gone, along with Tailslide, Mrs. Sobol and the mine. Where am I? "The end," said a voice. Amie recognized it, though she had only heard it once before. She turned and found a towering figure looming over her. The Alicorn was even more frightening the…-
195.0 K •
-
-
Tailslide did not run when he saw the true state of Amie's body. Maybe it was his feelings for her—or maybe it was his experience with the royal guard, imparting an unusual tolerance for biology. Either way, he remained by her side through the subsequent days.Amie didn't rely on loyal campers to help construct the nest, as much as she believed she could trust them. There was enough to do to build the upper levels of her little colony to keep them all busy, and potentially very little time to do it. But…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie woke to uncomfortable pressure against her real body, jostling her back to reality. She blinked, then opened one eye. A bug stood nearby, bouncing with nervous energy. It took her a moment more to recover—back to her bloated body, and the cramps that came from a long time holding still."What is it?""Food's here!" he said. "I mean... the hunters' food got here. And there's a horse with them. Wants to see you.""Pegasus?" she suggested. "Stallion? Big wings? Tailslide."The bug nodded. "Said you would…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Albrecht’s words hit her harder than any attack could've. From the instant she'd decided to move against him, she imagined all the terrible ways for it to end. She had suffered sieges, poisonings, campers armed with sharp sticks rushing in under some hideous threat.Instead, the old camp director stood right in front of her, helpless. Maybe he had a radio in that bag, but he wouldn't reach it before Amie did. Fortunate for him that she wasn't the bug he claimed her to be. "Surrender," she repeated.…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie could not return with Tailslide to walk the entire route back to Stella Lacus. Sending him with the food delivery team might as well be a requirement to strap flares to his back and show every step. But there was one step he insisted on taking, one so dangerous that Amie couldn't let him go alone. "I'm going to tell the agent I'm leaving," he said. "The forge won't miss me—and I won't miss them. But that pony should know. I'm not running away; I'm not foalnapped. I'm going because I choose to."Amie…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
A ripple of fear passed through Amie's fresh hunters. A few stood up, shifting towards the doors. Only Rick and Beth were unaffected.Amie inclined her head to him, then gestured at the hall. "Outside. Everyone else, I'll be right back."Pachu'a followed her from the room, then down the hall to where Rain Fly had once made her bedroom. Inside she found a space more or less as she left it, with the possible exception of a few fresh claw marks on the wood. So Beth had been using it with her hippogriff…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
"Did we do good, Amie?" Danelle asked, standing in water up to her knees. But this deep underground, every surface was gently warm, kept at a constant temperature by the planet's own heat.Amie nudged the rocky tunnel, shoving as hard as she could. The wall held, and nothing tumbled down to crush them alive. She settled her leg back down a second later, relieved. "Fantastic, Danelle," she said.Little remained of the ancient well, save for a few flat stones used to mark the edge. The cavern behind her was…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie watched from the gift shop as the first groups of hungry campers arrived. It was late afternoon by the time the first procession finally appeared. These were not bugs who had prepared for a long trip or were used to traveling far while hunting. What she saw were the ordinary campers of Stella Lacus, many exhausted after going so far. And these were just the bugs at the front. Even if she couldn’t see them physically, she could imagine many more behind them, scattered up and down the freeway.She was…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Weapons clattered against each other, jostling on their straps as several of the assembled guards pointed them in her direction. She was surrounded by workers, so there would be no clear shots. Even so, she kept her attention sharply focused on their emotions. If one of them was about to pull a trigger on her, she needed to know.“We don’t know that,” said Armando, frustrated. “We’ve seen some of her campers copy her now. You can’t just shoot someone.”Would you be okay with killing me if you…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie stood from her makeshift ritual chamber, surrounded by watchful bugs. By then some had distracted themselves with other tasks or wandered off completely. But not all—the orange bugs remained, along with a handful of the smaller ones. Most of them had been given other assignments at one point or another—but Amie wasn’t going to get upset over it.These bugs were too young and small to contribute much to whatever tasks she’d given, those were always about making them feel useful. If they would…
-
195.0 K •
-
- Previous 1 … 50 51 52 … 222 Next
