91 - What Are You Louts Thinking?

The assassin’s head was suddenly encased with a thick ball of bees and he froze. He could not see, his hands came up toward his head, knives tumbling from lax fingers, bees flowing down over his shoulders, arms and torso, enclosing his hands..Millions of bees balled the assassin as if he were a wasp or spider attacking the hive. The man fell to his knees unable to scream without drawing bees into his lungs.

The Rasheem, unafraid, reached through the seething insects, seized him and the bees let go, spiralling up in a waterfall reaching to the ceiling. But the man lurched against the Rasheem's brutal hands and began to convulse, foaming out of his mouth until he went limp though they tried to save him for questioning.

The Emperor collapsed back against the high back of this throne. “Physician...” his voice was a croak. Thriti folded her fan tight around the dart, Shashi slid her fan back into her sleeve.

Thriti nodded at Diryish and he, barely, at her. The physician elbowed his way out of the Hive Lords, standing with their ineffectual knives in their hands. “Radiance, let your little sisters test me,” he said, holding his hands out to Diryish.

“My healer, Brienz, I trust you. Please.” Diryish tried to sit up straighter. “Mother, Shashi, go to Mariush. She needs you.”

“And you do not? Diryish don’t be an ass,” Thriti snapped.

From the Sun throne he raised his head and smiled at her. 

She raised her fan before her veiled face. “Don’t die old man. Not yet,” she said softly.

“Never, Thriti.”

“You should have made me your Sun Crystal, Diryish.”

The fading whisper from his lips as he finally let go his fading consciousness. “I... shou...”

**

Mariush paced back and forth slowly in her enclosed rooms in the Sunrise Loggia. The shutters were pulled tight against the sun and the baking heat. The vents set deep into the central core of the city breathed cool stone air up into the room.

She accepted a cool towel handed in to her by a servant at the door. Since she was supposed to be in disgrace there was no servant with her, not one. She paused as another tightening shook her body. She hoped that Mother would come soon.

The cool towel felt so soothing on her forehead and wrists and neck. Mariush put both hands, the one with the towel and the one empty on her belly. “It’s all right little one. The Emperor truly knows... I think. I think he does know you are his. Boy or girl, you’re the old one’s blood.”

She sank down on the bench that would have been by the window and put the towel over her face. “Mother, come. Please.”

Squeezing through the cracks around the screens a honeybee buzzed up and landed upon her head. One. Then two. Then three. Her little sisters buzzed about her head the way they had crowned her on Diryish’s balcony. “Shh. Shh. Little sisters,” she paused as her body tightened again.

“I am just birthing a little larva. I am young and have never done so before.” Around the edges of the room mordant ants built glittering towers of amber bodies, antenna waving gently.  Dragonflies made of gemstones and gold wire zipped and snapped around the ceiling.

The bees buzzed up and hummed in the curtains as Mother and Shashi came quietly in. Shashi eased her heavy, pregnant belly as she sat down. “I’m sorry Mariush, I’m a little winded.”

Mother briskly took over, flinging the door open to reveal the startled faces of servants at the door. “What are you oafs thinking? Louts, the lot of you. A woman endeavouring and you take His Radiance’s displeasure to this degree? Shame on you all.” She stripped off her veil and her oversleeves, rolling up the undersleeves. “We need ice and more water. Tea with the birthing chutneys and honey. She needs the propolis due an endeavouring woman! Quick now!”

The servants scuttled away like so many beetles under the lash of her words. “What happened?” Mariush said, sinking down next to Shashi. “The bees were disturbed, I got data saying there was a wasp in the Hive.”

“Someone tried to kill Diryish—sh sh..." Her raised hand went with the soothing sound.  "We -- and he -- dealt with it. It was crude, direct and clumsy. One of the generals I believe but we will find out, even if the assassin had a bad reaction to bee venom.”

“His Radiance? He’s all right?”

“Yes, dear. He just needs to rest after expending all that energy. His little sisters will help... oh, good.”

The servants came in laden with birthing supplies, chattering. As the activity in the room increased the bees flew up, more agitated. “He’s sent them to you, sweetheart.” Shashi whispered under the noise. “He’s worried about you and the baby.”

“I’m all right...” she paused again. “Thank Light and Dark you weren’t demanding that I lie down!” She climbed up back onto her feet, restless in her labour.

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Sorry, I missed my deadline.  There will be another post later today.