am. And I’ve demonstrated that I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
Alun felt out of his depth and glanced around the room, as if her father would suddenly materialize and spare him this conversation. “With respect, that isn’t the point.”
“And what is?”
“You— You’re the Queen. We only have one of you. Warriors, drones, however you might call them, are expendable.”
Even as he said the words, he wondered how he could. The idea that the lives of men were cheap when it came to matters of war was hardly unique to the aliens. Humans had always thought much the same way and still often did. And yet, he realized as he spoke that his thoughts were based on the hive mentality of his alien hosts. Annika’s existence was a miracle to these beings and he couldn’t help but wonder if the hand of God was at work here, even if the aliens had no concept of Him.
He leaned toward her as he said, “Beating Dracul will have little meaning to Alex and the others if you are lost in the bargain. Merlin…” He paused then swallowed hard. “Everything my son is doing is for love of you.” He was sure of that. He’d watched the boy transform into a different person under her influence. His devotion was visible in his eyes and every expression.
“I know.” Annika stood and paced with unusual agitation. She ignored, too, the whining pup who stuck to her side. “And he knows that I will be making this journey.”
The news surprised him. He stood as well and waited for her to stop and face him again. “He can’t be pleased with your plan.”
“No. He trusts me, though, to know what I’m doing. I thought you did, too. Remember our conversation minutes ago about how well I can work out future events?”
“You said you can see pieces and put together logical conclusions. You specifically also said that you can’t predict the future. That means you don’t know for certain that you’ll survive this assault. What do you expect your hive to do if you die?”
“Make another Queen, of course.”
Alun openly scoffed, his fear for the girl making him bold. “How long did that take the first time? Do you truly believe your father would survive your loss that easily? ‘Oh well, that daughter’s dead, best get started on making another one’.” The sarcasm came easily, because he could imagine how Will would feel to lose her. It was the same wrenching feeling he had churning his gut at the very moment.
“I understand it wouldn’t happen right away and it could prove difficult, but that is the nature of our species. Making a Queen when only males survive is what we’ve done for many millennia. It’s not like I want to die, either,” she added in a soft voice and with a teary expression. It reminded Alun that he was dealing with a child.
So, he changed tactics. “Tell me why it’s necessary for you to go. I know that I want to help Merlin, even though I also know that I’m not really going to be the one to rescue him. Whom do you think your presence benefits?”
She hesitated long enough that he thought she wasn’t going to answer at all. “My own. Or, rather, my plans for the hive. I’m really not at liberty to do what pleases me. If that were so, I’d lie around eating ice cream and watching movies.” She gave him a watery smile that demonstrated clearly how much of a burden she was living under.
“I’m not very smart. You’re going to have to explain in more detail, I’m afraid.”
“Who says you’re not smart? Dracul?”
Alun almost smiled. “No, I doubt he even noticed me at all. It was his warrior, the one that enslaved me, who always said I was a slow learner.” He didn’t add that the message had usually been delivered during a brutal beating. Queen she may be, but Annika was still young and, in some ways, innocent of many things.
“You believed him?”
Alun shrugged. This was really a pointless distraction from the conversation. “I suppose. It’s not as if I’ve had any kind of education. If I hadn’t been captured, I would have spent my life in the coal pits. There’s not much call for thinking down there.”
“That shows how much he knew and that you sell yourself short. Everyone here assumed you were broken and in need of caring for. You’re hardly acting like a cowering idiot at