Captain Aldric Thornwood's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Captain Aldric Thornwood crouched at the edge of Holdin's cabin before sunrise, scanning the trees for any blue glint. He had one goal that mattered: keep the village safe and name the right successor before the swarm grew worse. He had been watching Matthew Ashford for weeks now, though he had not said so yet. Near the cabin wall sat the small jar he had left out two nights ago. Blue powder had gathered at the bottom, and tiny feather marks pressed against the glass. The swarm had come back. They wanted something here. Aldric climbed the ladder of the screened shed he had built for watching. From the slatted walls he could see the whole clearing. He set the woven copper cage on the rail, baited with a strip of honeycomb, and waited. Matthew came up the ladder behind him, quiet as always. Aldric glanced down at the younger man's hands on the rung. They shook, just a little. Good. "You see that powder on the jar?" Aldric asked. Matthew nodded. "Sugar draws them. Honey draws them more. They are nesting in the hollow oaks past the ridge." A blue shape darted from the trees and struck the copper cage. Then another. Within a breath the small trap was full, wings beating against the beads. Matthew lunged forward and clamped the lid shut. Aldric watched his hands the whole time. Steady enough. Honest enough. "We burn the hollows at dusk," Aldric said. He turned to Matthew. "And when this is done, you take the captain's seat. I have decided." Matthew did not smile. He only nodded once. The swarm's nest was known now. But the burning had not yet begun, and the rest of the hive was still out there in the dark trees, waiting.