Finnakynne clung to the back of Bumbly as the bumblebee soldier carried them home. Home. Finnakynne had always been able to read people from their mana, but now her new blessing had driven that power to new heights where bees were concerned. She could read them now as well as their own queen.
Bumbly arrived back in the bumblebee meadow and crawled back down into the bumblebee nest. She shook herself, Finnakynne took the cue and jumped down from her back. She found herself crowded by bumblebees, the First Bumblebee Queen herself crawled forward. The queen tapped Finnakynne several times with her antennae, each time releasing the pheromones and mana of the hive…and Finnakynne could clearly hear the intent within them.
“One of hive, one of hive of hives!”
Then the bumblebees all began running circles around her, all over the hive, while Bumbly and the queen tackled Finnakynne and started to groom her. Finnakynne laughed and rubbed the two bees’ fuzz.
And with her new blessing, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that the bumblebees had accepted her. Fully, completely, without hesitation or caveat. They didn’t keep their distance or view her with suspicion. Their parents didn’t hold them back and tell them to be careful around her. They didn’t act nice to her to try and work out her mother’s intentions. They weren’t stuck in an endless game of trying to trick each other. And not just the bumblebees. All of the bees had come to accept her presence, even Miss Scary Conduit didn’t buzz at her anymore! And Beely too…he was perhaps the first person to ever express sincere gratitude for her presence.
So…this had become a place where she could truly belong, because she helped instead of tricking. She smiled to herself as she embraced Bumbly once more. Now that she was here…she realized perhaps that was what she had wanted all along.
The next day, Belissar stood in the battle meadow. As with the previous day, they conducted a small+ purification so they wouldn’t have any interruptions later on. A turtle shade arrived…and was promptly stung by the digging assassin, after which they just had to wait for the poison to run its course.
With purifications concluded for the day, the Tower was free for its next order of business. Belissar stood next to the memorial, where Beero and the hive of the fallen stood guard by the beehouse where they placed the dead. The bee army hovered overhead in neat formations and were joined by legions of workers from the hives beyond the battle meadow. Each queen arrived as well, the entire hive of hives had assembled at Belissar’s request. Hirkolos and Sehfitis stood at attention off to the side, with the spiderkin children lined up behind them.
And then, they waited in silence. Belissar watched as the proceedings began elsewhere in the Tower. The entire karnuq tribe gathered in their village around a huge monolith carved from stone. They surrounded the stone and lifted it with their own hands, then Chief Rohsuak led them out of the village in a slow procession.
They did not come directly to the battle meadow, but took a longer path Belissar had arranged at Chief Rohsuak’s request. They began by travelling to one of the Lava Fields, for it had been a Sacred Den devoted to the God of Fire where their sojourn began. Chief Rohsuak recounted their life there as she remembered it, a life of struggle where karnuq lived and died at the whims of their Sacred Den Master, an Inferno Empress who never hesitated to burn anything that displeased her.
From there, they traveled to one of the Dirt Tunnels and walked through its entire length, working together to navigate the monolith along the winding paths. And as they walked, Chief Rohsuak recounted their journeys and trials in the Underway…and all of the sacrifices made along the way.
And then, finally, they arrived in the battle meadow. The karnuq walked through the fields of flowers and came to a halt just before the memorial. Chief Rohsuak turned to face her tribe and smiled.
“And now, we live in a land of plenty where none of us go hungry. We live under a Sacred Den Master who does not take but gives to us. Where steadfast allies fight by our side and ensure the safety of our home. So, let’s remember those who died to bring us here.”
The karnuq stepped forward to the memorial and began to dig a hole in line with the pillars. Once the hole was deep enough, they brought forth the monolith they had prepared and set it down within the hole. After it was fully settled, Chief Rohsuak stepped up to it, holding a piece of mana honeycomb. She sighed and let her shoulders droop, her back curling as she gently placed a hand on the newest pillar.
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“I am sorry, all of you. I wish I could have brought you here too, if only I had been stronger. If only I had been wiser. But know, at the very least, that your friends and family are safe now. Rest at ease, your deaths were not in vain. See now the bounty your sacrifice has brought”
She placed the honeycomb at the bottom of the monolith and stepped away. Metsaitti then stepped forward, carrying the prime cut of a wolf-mole he had hunted with his blessing. One by one, each of the karnuq stepped forward, bringing forth something they had gained since arriving at Belissar’s Tower. Juosiutik brought her mother’s reborn potion, now boosted even further by mana honey. Noigakkuq brought maddening mana honeycomb, the prize she had won with her victories. Toivenaq the smith brought the latest shield he had forged with his own hands, made with metal from the Tower and with guidance from Tamosmed. Muuraqi the mason brought a sculpture he had carved from the Tower’s stones. Leijaliuk the quartermaster brought a basket with one of every plant and mushroom the karnuq now harvested from the Tower.
The day wore on as each karnuq took their time, saying their goodbyes as they placed their offerings. Once the last one had finished, Chief Rohsuak nodded at Belissar. It was now his turn.
He walked over to the new pillar of the memorial and looked up across it. He saw the mana of the Memorial begin to flow within the pillar and the karnuq’s carvings curled before his eyes, transforming into the letters he knew. He reached down and picked up Juosiutik’s potion.
“Susiguk, Parantamik, parents of Juosiutik, welcome to the Tower. Thank you for bringing your daughter here.”
He then moved to carry the potion to the central beehouse, as he would with the body of a fallen bee. But as he turned, something he did not expect occurred.
The Underworld Phlox flowers all around the memorial began to glow with a soft light. The bee carvings on the other pillars began to stir and crawl about. They beat their wings and flew to the edges of their pillars…only for new bee carvings to then appear on the karnuq’s pillar.
The new carvings began to dance, conveying the names Susiguk and Parantamik to the bees as they had during previous bee memorials. But they did not stop there, as before. The bee carvings began to glow with the same light as the Underworld Phlox all around…and then the light lifted off from the pillar. Two ephemeral bees made of light flew into the air and landed softly on the potion in Belissar’s hands.
Belissar and the karnuq all stared with wide eyes. Chief Rohsuak whispered into the silence.
“Tower Keeper…is that you? Or the bees?”
Belissar slowly shook his head.
“No…I think it’s the Memorial.”
Chief Rohsuak slowly nodded back and fell silent once more. Belissar stared at the two bees on the potion, both gently lifting their wings and abdomens up and down but otherwise standing still. Belissar eventually came to himself and resumed his task. He walked over to the central beehouse and gently placed the potion within. The two bees took off and landed on top of the beehouse. They turned to face Juosiutik and then stood still.
Belissar had no idea what was going on…but it didn’t feel bad or harmful, so he carried on with the ceremony.
“Vihrujak, sister of Leijaliuk, welcome to the Tower…”
As he spoke the name, the bee carvings danced again and another bee of light formed, landing on the offering as with the previous two. Again, the bee landed on the central beehouse as Belissar placed the offering inside, this time facing Leijaliuk. The same thing repeated for every name and offering Belissar moved. By the time he placed the last offering, the beehouse was covered in glowing bees, covering it like little stars across the sky.
Belissar then stepped back and bowed his head.
“Thank you all for bringing your people here. May the gods watch over you in death as in life.”
When he had finished speaking, Niobee took off from his head and began to lead the bees in their memorial dance, filling the sky with soft buzzing. At that point, the light bees took off from the memorial. Each one flew to the karnuq they were staring at and danced a little circle around them.
And then, three bees lifted off the pillar carvings…and headed straight for Belissar. Belissar’s eyes widened as they came to a stop in front of him. They did not move, hovering there and staring at him. Belissar began to tremble as he realized what they wanted.
He walked over to one of the pillars, the one with the first bee numbers he remembered carving himself. There…he found three new names. He shuddered as tears filled his eyes, but he brought up his shaking hands. He stirred up his mana as best he could and created a honeycomb.
“Grusinos, Amlissa, Imkomos…parents of…Belissar. Welcome to the Tower. T-Thank you…for bringing me here.”
The three bees happily danced around him once he had finished speaking. Belissar’s tears burst forth and he began to sob, but he managed to turn and carry the honeycomb over to the beehouse and placed it inside.
He left the honeycomb inside and stepped back. The bees around him did one last happy dance and then flew into the beehouse, vanishing from his sight. The bees around each karnuq began to do the same. Once all the bees had entered, the beehouse and all the pillars of the memorial lit up and launched a column of light directly into the sky.
Niobee and the bees finished their dance and the light cut off, the beehouse, the pillars, and the flowers all around ceasing their glowing all at once. Belissar and the karnuq stood there and continued to cry for a while longer…