Hive Queen by Sinclair, Grayson (ereader iphone .TXT) 📗

Before I could ask what he meant, he pulled a scroll from his inventory and unfurled it. The Script circle flared to life, and Adam vanished as he teleported away.

I just stared at the spot where Adam had been for a long while after he left. I was so unsure about anything anymore, and Adam was literally the last person who could give me answers.

“Best to give him some space,” a voice said beside me.

I looked down at Edna, who’d appeared at my side.

“Where were you during all that?” I asked, throwing my hands up.

“Around. There was nothing I could’ve done to physically help you. My interference is limited, as I explained to you when we first met. I can do little to directly help you, unfortunately. Though freeing me has given me back full access to the system once more.”

“So, if you so chose, you could initiate a purge like Magnus wants?”

“I have the capability, yes, but it goes against my primary programming, which is why Magnus needs access to my source code to change my programming to his wishes.”

I scratched at my silver stubble. “And he needs Eris to do that?”

She nodded. “Eris is a copy of my code, though scaled down and without any command functions, but our cores are virtually identical. With her, he’ll be able to grant himself system admin access, and he can modify me at will.”

Eris and Raven walked over. Raven dragged my discarded pack through the sand and used it as a makeshift stool while Eris wound her hand through mine and leaned heavily on me. I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

“So what do we do? How do we fight Magnus? Evelyn was the strongest fighter in the world, and even she couldn’t stand against his chronomancy.”

Edna shook her head. “Mistress Bell was designed to be the counter to Mister Parks. Which is why he was forced to such drastic measures. Mistress Bell knew exactly what she was doing.”

“She still died,” I spat. “I should’ve stayed and fought.”

“And you’d have died right alongside Mistress Bell. Which was the last thing she wanted. She chose you as her successor. And I find I don’t necessarily disagree with her choice. You’ll do.”

“I still don’t know how I’m going to pull this off. Magnus is so far outside my league it’s not even funny.”

Edna shook her head and reached out a finger, tapping me on the chest. “I have a plan in the works, but it will take time to move everything into place. I will help you as much as I can, but Evelyn gave you the tools needed to succeed.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Pull up your character page.”

I did as she asked and pulled it up. What stared back at me was unbelievable.

Character Name: Durandahl

Level: 69

Exp: 3800/6800

Race: Demigod

Class: Hive Knight (Errant)

Reputation: Wanted Criminal

Bounty: 1300 Gold

Stats (+)

What? What the─what! I closed the screen with shaky fingers, my head reeling. “Edna, what is this?

“What the hell does Demigod mean?”

Edna shrugged. “You must ask Master Bell that question. The shards go beyond my understanding.”

She stared off into the distance, at a wyvern flying far off. “I must depart now. There is much that requires my attention.”

“Wait!” I shouted and tried to grab her, but my hand passed through empty air as she disappeared as if she’d never been there in the first place.

“Dammit,” I cursed and kicked a deep groove into the sand, sending grains scattering it a wide arc.

I plopped down next to Raven and leaned against her side as Eris came and sat in my lap.

“It’ll be okay, love,” Eris said, snuggling into my chest while Raven trailed her fingers through my hair, brushing against my scalp with her fingernails. It was divine, but I was drowning.

“I don’t know how anything can ever be okay again. So much is happening that I don’t understand, and I’m so far out of my depth it’s scary.”

“How do you think we feel?” Raven asked, twirling a lock of my hair around her finger. “I don’t fully understand anything that’s going on either, but I don’t think we really have to understand it to do something about it. We protect each other to the end. That’s what we do. Nothing else matters beyond that.”

She’s right. Without Adam to explain things to me, I’m just choking on what I don’t know. He’ll explain things in time, but he needs to grieve for Evelyn. We will all need to grieve for her. For everyone we’ve lost.

If we couldn’t respawn anymore, that meant that those who had already died wouldn’t be coming back. Alistair, Jasmine, Evelyn. I would never see them again.

Deal with it later. We need to get home.

I kissed Eris on the head and stood, giving Raven a kiss too.

“Thank you.”

“Always,” she replied, her crimson eyes alight as she smiled at me.

“All right. Let’s go home.”

Chapter 32 - Coming Storm

“Just sit still,” Wilson scolded me for what had to have been the fourth time that hour.

“Sorry, shoulder’s numb. It feels weird,” I said, shifting in the leather chair. It clung to my exposed back and crinkled every time I moved.

“We’re almost done, you big baby. Just a few more minutes,” he said as he continuously hammered the needle gently into my skin, pausing only to dip it into the small jars of ink on the wooden table beside us.

I stared out the window of Wilson’s room. It was much the same as mine, though not as spartan. Wilson had numerous canvas paintings hanging around the room. Some of us, some of scenery around the world, and more than a few of a woman I’d never seen before. She was young,