The Queen did not rush. She did not need to. Her silence coiled tighter, pressing into Buzz and Zza until the battlefield around them blurred into shadows. The Scarabs' drums dulled, the Glowbeetles' light dimmed, the Centipedes' coils slowed. It was as if the world had been pushed aside, leaving only the three of them.
Buzz tried to move, but his legs felt heavier than stone. He saw Zza beside him, breathing hard, hands shaking as silk slipped through her claws. He reached for her, but the space between them stretched, and her figure rippled like water.
The Queen's voice slid into his thoughts, soft and steady. "She will leave you. She must. You bleed too much. You break too easily. What use is a leader who cannot fly?"
He blinked, and Zza's face shifted. She stood taller, her eyes cold, her silk wrapped around another. Not him. A Glowbeetle, whole and shining. She laughed, and it was not her laugh. It was the Queen's, twisted and hollow.
