Bone and Blood Volume I

23 - The Nest, 1927

"Come with us anyway. Just watch." Worith held out her hand.

Errek shook his head. "Entorani expects me to wait."

Worith exchanged frowns with her partner Kalen.

"Prince's orders. What can you do?" Errek shrugged.

Kalen rolled his eyes, muttering, "Excuses." He made for the exit. Worith gave one last unimpressed sigh before following. They had been inviting Errek every night. At some point, those invitations would become orders. Errek hoped Entorani would leave his den before it reached that point.

For now, he sat on the wooden bench in the hunter barracks' main chamber. He fidgeted with loose splinters his worker-self would have been appalled by. Five nights of inaction. Of uselessness. Boredom. He wanted the hunt.

Maybe it was time to knock on Entorani's door. Technically, Errek's instincts warned him not to. However, they simultaneous told him to hunt and to wait for Entorani. In other words, they were useless as usual. Reconfirming Entorani's expectations seemed like the best thing to do.

Errek hopped to his feet and sauntered out of the barracks. His right leg was still weak, but it carried his weight without complaint. At least when he walked or climbed. The verdict was still out on whether he could run. He was afraid to test it.

On his way up the spiral, he heard a muted, frustrated groan. He quickened his stride.

Ru paced along the top landing. His arms crossing and uncrossing. He should have been below the walkway, smoothing out new cocooning dens with the other workers. Errek stopped shy of the landing. "Ru, why are you up here?"

Ru spun on his heels, a scowl on his face. It faded as he stared at Errek. The last time they had seen one another, Errek had still been just Rek. Slowly, Ru looked down. "I don't know. I don't feel right."

Errek placed the back of his hand against Ru's forehead. Warm. Not hot. The fever was only enough to make Ru shiver. He was such a tiny thing. Strange, since Ru had been the taller one when they were both workers. "Hate to tell you this, but it's going to get worse before it gets better."

"I don't... understand."

Ru's stick limbs swayed side-to-side like reeds in the wind. A pathetic, weak thing. It would be so easy to bend him in half. Snap him. Tear him apart. Errek licked his teeth. No. Ru was not prey. Attacking him would be like shooting a bucketed fish. Pointless. Unsporting. Unsatisfying.

A sigh. "Just don't hiss at the knights. They don't like that."

"Why would I...?" Ru covered his head with his hands.

Errek rolled his eyes. "Good luck, Ru." He took to the wall. Maybe, after Ru ascended, he would be worth talking to again. Perhaps he would even make a decent hunting partner. Assuming he would follow Errek's orders this time. Errek forced the sneer off his face. That was a concern for the future.

He passed by the failed prince's den eyeing the door. He would come back after he was sure Entorani was not up top with the knights. And after he figured out how to knock without being scolded. Crawling over the edge, he found the knights at their usual posts.

Giving a quick bow, "Knight Demeko. Knight Serana. Have either of you seen Toran—Entorani?"

Demeko answered first. "No, but I've been waiting for you."

"You have?"

"The queen would like to see you. Follow me."

Demeko marched past Errek and disappeared into the pit. Errek swallowed. Was he in trouble for not hunting? He had a good excuse for it. He hoped the queen would listen to it before launching into yelling at him. Errek forgot about that worry as he followed Demeko to the queen's chambers.