Queen Celeste took a slow breath. Her wings fluttered once behind her, then settled. She leaned forward slightly, her fingers pressing against the edge of her throne.
"So you're saying a termite colony was found near one of the training routes?" she asked.
"Yes. One of our recruit squads was nearly wiped out by an assault from three termites," Valeria said, bowing to the Queen. Her eyes remained closed.
"Ari happened to be with them. He and another recruit each took down one termite and severely injured the third, saving their lives."
The elders turned slightly toward one another. Low murmurs spread across the chamber.
"I see…" Queen Celeste said.
"In any case, we should be grateful some of our recruits made it back alive. And now we know there's a termite colony hidden within our vicinity."
Her wings shifted slightly behind her.
"Termites are dangerous. Their acid can harm if not kill almost any insect. If we leave them alone, they'll become a serious threat to our colony soon."
One of the elder ants straightened.
"My queen, that is preposterous. Termites take months, sometimes years, to establish a colony. There is no way such a force could appear suddenly or go unnoticed, not with our scouts patrolling the terrain beyond the colony every day," he said.
"Then that means the scouting troops are failing in their duties," another elder said. "How does a threat capable of wiping out the entire colony go unseen?"
Valeria shifted her weight slightly and exhaled.
"That is not the case. Before the new recruits began their training, the scouts carried out their checks and deemed the area safe. They are not at fault," she said. "I should have ensured that every zone was thoroughly inspected. If I had done so, we would not have suffered so many casualties."
Queen Celeste leaned back in her throne.
"There is no use blaming yourself for what happened, Valeria," she said. "Let us focus on addressing this threat before it endangers our existence."
Valeria's antennae twitched as she straightened.
"That's right. Which is why I brought Ari with me to lay out our strategy for eliminating them".
One of the elder ants clicked his teeth.
"That outsider again?" he said. "Why should we let him take the lead on a matter that doesn't concern him?"
"After his plan saved our colony from Helena's army, you still call him an outsider?" she said. "I care little for your titles. Council, show some respect where it is due."
Valeria ignored the murmurs of the elders and fixed her gaze on Queen Celeste.
"I placed him in charge of our deployment and formation. Just give the word, Your Majesty," she said.
"I do not oppose your judgment, Valeria. Ari has proven himself invaluable to our colony," Celeste said. "I will entrust him with command of this mission and grant him authority to determine our course against this threat."
"Very well. Ari,new recruits"
Valeria gestured.
Isla shuffled in with a pout, her mouth tightening.
"Captain Valeria is so cruel… she didn't even remember my name," she said. "That's just unfair."
Lancelot stepped in behind her. His eyes widened as he took in the chamber and the line of elders seated in silence.
"So this is the council's hall," he said. "The chamber of the great elders. I've never set foot here before. I never imagined it. And it's all thanks to Ari."
Ari leaned in, his voice low near Valeria's ear.
"Thanks for sticking up for me."
Valeria's antennae flicked. Her face tightened. She jabbed him in the ribs hard enough to make him grunt.
"Shut up," she said.
Ari rubbed his side, a crooked grin still on his face. One eye closed.
Man, she still packs a punch.
Valeria straightened and cleared her throat.
"Enough. Back to the matter at hand. Here is the plan," she said.
After the elders and Queen Celeste approved the strategy, a force of four hundred ants was assembled under the joint command of Ari and Valeria to purge the termite colony.
The journey was long and punishing.
They moved through the underbrush in formation. Armored feet pressed into damp moss and leaf litter with each step. Tall grass rose overhead, casting shifting shadows across their path.
Thorny vines crossed the terrain, some thick enough to block their way, forcing them to cut through or move around.
After seven days, the soldiers reached the far edge of the training route, the site of the ambush.
Ari crouched and ran his hand across the scorched ground. The soil crumbled between his fingers as he rose.
"This is where they attacked us," he said.
The clearing was marked by damage. A wide blackened scorch mark cut through the grass. The edges were curled and dry. The soil beneath was cracked and brittle.
Remains of the fallen were scattered along the perimeter. Shattered mandibles lay half buried in the dirt or caught in the roots of nearby weeds.
Isla's gaze moved across the remains, then she turned away.
"There's nothing left of them… just their mandibles," she said. "Not even bones."
Her hand tightened briefly at her side before she turned her head away.
"Judging by the path it took, their colony should be that way."
He moved forward without waiting for confirmation. The soldiers followed in formation, armored feet thudding in steady rhythm over the forest floor.
The air grew heavier as they advanced. It carried the scent of wet bark, decay, and something sharp underneath it.
Eventually, the forest thinned. A grim shape stood ahead.
At the center of a hollow glade was a massive rotting tree stump. Its surface was hollowed out and lined with tunnels and vents. Thin streams of air passed through the openings.
The surrounding ground was covered with stripped plant remains.
Ari stepped closer and pressed a hand against the bark. It broke apart under his touch.
"Just as I thought," he said. His eyes narrowed. "The colony is massive… and fortunately for us, it is flammable."
Valeria looked at the stump, arms folded.
"You were right. A direct charge would have gotten us killed," she said. "So what is your plan, Ari?"
Ari scanned the area.
"Gather every stick, branch, and log you can find. All of it."
Isla shifted her stance and looked between Ari and the stump.
"Um… Ari? What exactly are we doing with all that wood?" she asked.
A small grin appeared on his face.
"Simple. We are going to start a fire," he said.
A ripple of shock moved through the soldiers. Their antennae twitched and quiet murmurs spread.
Valeria's eyes narrowed.
"Of all the ideas you have presented, this is the most absurd. What do you mean by starting a fire?" she asked. "That is impossible. Only fire ants are capable of such a thing."
"It does not surprise me that you do not know how to start a fire. Let me show you," Ari said.
He pressed two sticks together and rubbed them rapidly.
When I was human, I tried this before. It never worked.
Smoke rose in thin trails. It thickened as he kept going.
What if it fails again?
A small flame appeared between the sticks.
Ari's grip tightened. He held steady as the flame grew.
The soldiers leaned forward. When the fire strengthened, they stepped back at once. Murmurs spread through the ranks.
Valeria's antennae twitched as she watched him. Her eyes narrowed in focused curiosity.
"Well, would you look at that. He actually made fire," she said. "Just who are you, Ari?"
Ari's gaze moved over the stacked branches and logs. With a swift motion, he scattered the small flames across the pile. The fire caught and began to spread.
"As I said earlier, we're going to flush them out of their colony," he said. "Anyone who tries to escape the flames… we slay."
Heat pressed against their faces. Smoke filled the clearing. The soldiers stepped back as the fire grew with each ember.
The first scream came from within the hollowed tree stump. Another followed, sharp and frantic. Then dozens more rose in quick succession, filling the clearing.
Ari stepped back from the blaze and watched as the smoke thickened and the flames climbed the bark. The fire hissed and popped as it consumed the dry wood.
From within the hollow trunk, frantic scratching grew louder. Then the termites burst out.
Dozens poured from the tunnels in a panic. Their bodies were scorched and peeling. Some still burned as they fell into the open, clawing at the ground.
Beatrice stepped forward.
"Take them out. Don't let them escape," she said.
She unsheathed her mandibles and pushed ahead.
Flames lit the area. Shadows shifted across the charging ants and the stumbling termites.
Acid cut through the air.
Streams of corrosive fluid shot from the termites' claws. It struck the ground and ate through the dirt.
The ants kept moving, dodging and spreading out, using rocks and exposed roots for cover.
"That rookie was right," a soldier said. Smoke stung his eyes as he pointed toward the advancing termites. "They can only fire in straight lines or tight angles. They're exposed if we scatter."
Valeria moved first.
She crossed the battlefield in a blur.
Acid shot toward her. She shifted and avoided it without slowing.
She spun and drove a kick into a termite's neck. It snapped and dropped.
She landed and unsheathed her mandibles.
One in each hand. Curved. Serrated. Ready.
She stepped forward and closed the distance.
The first termite turned too late.
Shunk.
Her left blade cut through its wrist before it could raise its arm. She pivoted and followed with the right. The strike cut through its thorax and spine. It fell.
Another rushed her from the side, acid forming at its palm.
She dropped low and slid under the attack. The acid passed overhead.
She rose into a cross slash. Both blades struck. The termite split and collapsed.
More closed in.
Valeria moved through them without pause. She sidestepped a lunge. She stepped past another strike. She turned and cut one down before it could react.
Her movements stayed tight. No wasted motion. Each strike landed clean.
Another termite lunged.
She stepped in and ended it.
From the left flank, Lancelot stumbled into the chaos. He breathed heavily.
He coughed.
The air is so thick… I can barely breathe.
His vision blurred. He winced.
No… don't pass out.
He forced himself to stay conscious and steadied his stance.
I have to get away from the tree trunk. Now.
He turned.
A termite raised its palm. Acid formed.
Lancelot's eyes widened. He dove forward on instinct as a blast of acid shot over his back and struck the bark behind him.
He rolled once, then sprang to his feet and swung his mandibles upward.
"Haaaaa!" he shouted.
Shink.
The strike cut through the termite. It dropped.
Lancelot steadied himself.
"That was close," he said.
He smirked.
"Now that's more like it."
Just a few steps away, Isla stood frozen.
Her mandibles shook in her hands.
She stared at the battlefield. A burning tree stump. Bodies scattered across the ground. Acid eating through the soil. Screams and the clash of mandibles.
The noise. The smell. The heat.
It got to her.
Her legs shook.
A termite ran past her, focused on another target. She didn't move.
Her knees buckled.
"I… I can't…"
She gritted her teeth, but her limbs would not respond.
"Not now," she said.
"Why now?"
Her chest rose sharply.
Smoke passed around her. Another scream followed.
She remembered the recruits who fell the moment the acid touched them.
A low growl came from behind.
Her heart dropped.
Slowly, she turned.
A large termite faced her. Its arm was raised. Acid formed in its palm.
Her antennae jolted.
"What… what do I do? I've never… I've never fought…"
Her mandibles rattled in her hands.
"Move… come on. Move," she said.
Her breathing quickened.
Her eyes searched for someone.
"Please… someone… help me," she said.
The termite aimed and fired.
A blur crossed her vision just before she shut her eyes.
Beatrice moved in.
One strike cut through the termite's arm. A second strike followed to the neck. The body dropped at Isla's feet.
Beatrice stood over her.
"Look alive, recruit," she said. "If you want to survive out here, you face your fears or you die. This is the battlefield. It does not matter if the enemy is stronger. What matters is that you carry out your duty to the end."
Isla's eyes widened.
My duty…