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

“Yeah,” Tegen replied.

“Okay, but if you need anything, I’m just over there,” I said and pointed to the storehouse. “And don’t be afraid to ask Gil for help. He’s a good human, I promise.”

They nodded emphatically, not paying me any mind. I smiled at them. It’s good to see things have changed. The old Hive wasn’t like this. Makes me hopeful for the future.

 I got up and left the heated shop. The cool breeze was soothing on my skin; it swept up small leaves and dust that swirled in little clouds as the breeze rolled through. The storehouse was easy to find, as it was the only other building besides the stables and Gil's shop. The wood old and worn, but well-kept, and the thatch roof looked fresh and damp.

I opened the pine door and was bathed in darkness.

To my surprise, I wasn't alone in the building. Adam looked up from one of the many shelves that ran through the large building. It was filled with more items than I'd ever seen in once place; even the store that Sam took me to paled next to this. Nearly a dozen rows of wooden shelves were stacked in a neat and orderly fashion. Potions, tools, clothes, and boxes upon boxes of things labeled in small, neat handwriting that I couldn't make out from this distance. Oh, this is a lot of stuff. I don't have the first clue what I need. Thankfully, Adam noticed my utter confusion and graciously decided to show mercy on me.

"What are you looking for?"

I smiled sheepishly at him. "I haven't the faintest idea," I admitted.

He laughed to himself and sat the blue vial in his hands back on the shelf and walked over to me. He looked me over, noticing my clothing, and gave me a nod of approval. "I take it you're needing supplies for the trip?"

I nodded at him.

"What kind of supplies do you need?"

One of the strands of my hair had fallen loose, and I twirled it around my finger. I was a little embarrassed about how utterly clueless I was about so many things. "I'm not sure."

He smiled a tight smile and started looking around the room, using his finger to count the aisles, looking for something in particular. He shook his head and muttered to himself. Almost so quiet that I couldn't hear it. "No, that won't work." He rubbed his hands together and clapped. "I've got it!"

Adam ran over to the wall and grabbed a large backpack. Well, it probably would have been average on anyone else, but it would look ridiculous on my slight frame. He seemed to notice that very thing as he grabbed for it. "Definitely not."

He went through the many bags that lined the wall until he found a small bag that looked like it would fit nicely. It was made of worn leather but seemed quite sturdy. He smiled, and his eyes glazed over and ran through the tightly packed aisles at random, grabbing things by the handful and stuffing them in the bag. I tried to keep up but was almost immediately lost as to what he was putting in the bag. It took him next to no time to fill the bag up completely. In less than five minutes, he returned to me and handed me the bag. I went to take it from him, only for him to snatch it from my hands.

"I forgot something," he said in a rush and went over to the racks of potions on the shelves. He snagged a small red vial and a blue one. On his way back, he picked up what looked like a piece of leather.

"You probably won't need these, as we tend to carry them in excess, but it won't hurt to have them just in case."

He stuffed both vials into the leather cloth, which had pouches sewn into them. He rolled them up and tied them with a thin cord before dropping it into the bag and handed it to me once more, though this time I was much more careful about grabbing for it. "There you go—should have ample supplies for the trip."

I opened the bag and peeked inside. "What's all in here?" I asked.

Adam paced back and forth, scratching at his head as if he couldn't remember what he had placed inside the pack either. "Um, should be your typical adventurers' pack. Tent, pillow, and blankets. Along with two weeks’ of dry rations and spices. Flint and steel with tinder. Dungeon delving kit. Fifty feet of tightly wound rope and two torches. Hunting kit with a knife. Along with a first aid kit and one health and mana potion. Should be more than enough."

I tried to cram my meager bundle of clothes in with the bag and just managed to squeeze everything in and close the bag. I hefted it on my shoulders and found it cumbersome, but manageable. I had to untie my cloak to secure the bag to my back, but once I had done so and retied the cloak, I found the thick leather concealed the bag nicely and that it didn't jostle or clank when I moved around. I beamed at Adam. "Thank you so much!"

He looked at me, confused. "For what?"

"For the backpack…"

His eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah, right, right, right. Of course, you're more than welcome."

At that moment, the door to the storeroom opened in haste. It banged against the wall outside with a heavy thump. Evelyn stormed in. She didn't look angry, but the force of the door slam suggested she was. Her posture was one of aggravation, even if she kept it off her face. Her long silver hair whispered behind her back as she strode through the storehouse. The sharp clack of her shoes on the stone echoed, and her bright golden