Ghar

The hive felt empty and dull, losing one of the most respected units of Bees had left the whole community mourning. All operations had stopped, and only a few bees still worked, but with heavy hearts. Queen Golden had issued an hour of silence.

Everyone felt broken and scattered. Already, more than a few murmurs had started rising in the crowds against the human girls.

Haniya and Justuju currently walked on the golden ramp that led to the Control center. Queen Golden had decided on a need-to-know meeting, and their presence was requested. On more than one occasion, different bees had conveyed disrespect and ill behavior towards her.

Justuju had warded most of them off, and Haniya couldn't understand them at all, but she could feel the negative energy.

But that didn't bother her at all; she remained focused and on track. There was no time for her to lament over useless things; her mind had a hundred threads tangled already. She needed certainty and solutions about the girls, and she was going to get them from the Queen.

But she felt deep sympathy for the bees at the same time; Queen Golden had been the nicest host.

She sighed. She really wanted to help them all, but with limited information and a cluttering of issues, she just didn't know how.

'Mr. Sherjan's words suddenly echoed in her mind. "Step 1: Thread the thoughts, then pick the prickliest, and push it away."'

'Right.'

'The prickliest train of thought would be saving Isra and Khadija; it leads to nowhere. I have nothing.' She carefully plucked it aside in her mind and then reassessed the rest.

"Step 2: Pick an anchor and then prioritize," she mumbled to herself.

Logically, safety and structure were crucial anchors. Queen Golden had explained that if the vine, the Bee's artifact, wasn't relocated, it would push the bees into an open war, affecting not only the magical society but also Earth. The exact impact was unclear to Haniya.

So that made the declaration of the war the second topmost priority for her. She suspected that emotions had gotten the better of the Queen, and the bees were not capable or ready enough yet to take on the said monsters that were sovereigns.

But she also felt hesitant in talking about it to Queen Golden. What if she overstepped and made the queen lash out at her? She had to be careful.

Despite having little to no information on the overall flow of things, Haniya persisted in doing what she knew best: grinding her mind against problems until a solution pops up.

*********

The control center was a large serious-looking hall with numerous table-like structures placed at some distance from each other. Queen Golden, the surviving shaitoot, a newcomer bee with bright red armor, and a few others stood around the mid-table.

Queen Golden looked a exhausted but undeniably regal. She nodded at Haniya and Justuju as they both joined them. 

"Haniya, child, we have received worrisome intel from our messenger," she said, her voice solemn.

"What is it?" Haniya asked softly.

"King Salazaar, has agreed to help us in the gateway issue. We have been given authority to access the Sehra as we please. That includes Isra and Khadija, who can now leave freely, but there are some issues."

"Issues?"

"The first is, war. I have recalled the crow, we are still not ready to face not one but all of the sovereigns without our artefact." 

Haniya sighed in relief.

Queen Golden Continued.

"The second is, Haniya just before Qatan died, he chose your sister Isra, as the inheritor of the cloud core. There are ten corrupted cores of overwhelming harnessed energy scattered across the entire Sehra, three of them are in SehrayeShomaal. And now your sister has one in her heart right now."

Haniya interjected, anger finding its way into her voice.

"I respect your hospitality towards us my queen, I really do, i dont know what are the cores or the magic or the sehra, i have no information right now, But i need my sister back." 

Queen Golden took a deep pause and looked at the rest of the attendants, and nodded at them. They all walked away, leaving Haniya and herself alone in the entire room.

The queen glided to her; she looked extremely tired and bowed her head down.

Seeing the queen bow melted Haniya, she felt falling onto her knees in shame and reverence. 

"I know I have put you through a lot, child, I wont lie, there is nothing that binds you to us, to our world. I have overstepped with the accords." The queen said, deep pain finding its way to her voice.

"I won't force any of you to do anything, but consider this as a plea, Isra has an immeasurable energy swelling within her, waiting to be tamed and shaped. If she infact does submit the energy to her will. It will not only help your father but the entire human race, Isra will become such a being. Let her stay with us and train for a month atleast" The Queen continued.

Haniya felt confused at first, but seeing Queen Golden like this, she felt ashamed, and her anger subsided. 

She immediately felt guilty when she remembered all the times that the Queen had catered to her personal questions, all the hospitality the bees had shown them, including the special nectar from the shaitoots. She remembered Qatan and only the few moments she had witnessed him and Isra together. The bees felt like a family. 

After staying quiet for some moments she said.

"It is not my place to make the decision my Queen. But as Isra's sister i assure you that her answer would be the same that I'm about to give you, Queen Golden we have known you and the rest of the bees for bare days, I have personally known everyone around here for bare minutes only. And you all feel like my family now. You will find me and Isra, Khadija also, as the unconditional supporters and friends of the bees. I am just worried about both of them. And I don't know how to help; there is no communication either,"

'Abbu (father) would be proud of me right now' She thought to herself and smiled. 

"Would you like to go to the grove?" asked the queen.

"I would love to, but aren't all the supplies burnt down, including the suits and helmets in the gateway room?" Haniya said.

Queen Golden called the last remaining Shaitoot bee.

It approached them and bowed.

"Don't worry about that child, he will see to it" Said the queen.

"Not all of them, Lady Haniya. We keep them scattered throughout the hive in special emergency rooms, in case of, well, any emergency. But since I am the last shaitoot bee surviving, it may take some time to blow the entire suit," The shaitoot spoke, pain finding its way into its voice.

Haniya nodded empathetically.