Anthology 6: The Lost Monarch

By James Malcolm

Uniting the five colonies was critical for the freedom fighters to overcome the dominance of the Black Queen. Standing together they had a chance to determine their own destiny, but apart there was little hope of escaping the tyranny of Casandras ghastly domination, and with Silver Citys queen lost in the storm, there was no one else who could convince the outlying colonies to stand against the two wicked sisters.
The termite queen couldnt do it, since she was a natural born enemy and no other ant held a high enough rank to address such issues with ruling monarchs. Queen Amy had to be found before it was too late to prevent the looming annihilation of her colony or others and the freedom fighters were using every resource at their disposal to find out what happened to their influential queen, who was brave enough to defiantly stand against her own mother.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514404027

James Malcolm

James lives with his wife Shellie on Harstine Island in Washington State. He is an avid fantasy fiction and lyrical poetry author working on his twenty fifth book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by James Malcolm.

Illustrations by Ann Mecham

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015914332

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-0404-1

                Softcover        978-1-5144-0403-4

                eBook             978-1-5144-0402-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/21/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

714309

Contents

1 The Tribute

2 Plea and Pledge

3 Ides of March

4 The Hideout

5 Fly Trap

6 Lipstick

7 Briar Mound

8 Deep Emotions

9 Whistle Stop

10 Sensory Shield

11 The Audience

12 Distorted Truth

13 Frequent Flyers

14 Character Map

And

ANTroducing

41949.png41983.png41989.png

The Tribute

The long awaited confrontation with the black army and Queen Cassandra’s siege on Silver City was over, for now, and neither army could’ve anticipated just how one sided the historic battle would play out. It was an overwhelmingly decisive victory for the barn colony and a devastating loss for the stubborn invaders. Pepper and hot sauce proved powerful weapons, as witnessed by friend and foe alike, with an overabundance of tearful red eyes.

New bonds were forged this day with the vanquished remnants of her mother’s army, thanks in part to Queen Amy’s sense of humanity, along with the unexpected revelation that Cassandra was directly responsible for her daughter’s disappearance years earlier. A majority of these defeated ants were spread out among the creatures of the farm, field and forest, considering their options of a changing allegiance, when Amy decided the time was right to recognize everyone’s contribution and commitment to Silver City’s cause.

The queen requested the unprecedented mishmash of supporters gather together with her colony members on the empty battlefield for an outdoor celebration. The grateful colony members mingled with the creatures that had come to support their stand against tyranny, and who, had bravely jumped in to carry on the battle at such a precarious time. Without their quick reactions, the battle may have been lost, even though the termite army stood nearby.

Digger and Harietta instantly ran off toward the field to invite the amphibians to the victory party. When the rabbits reached the fence line they couldn’t help notice the hundreds of black ants still caught in Ebon’s web and wondered if the black army would return to set them free or had they been simply abandoned during the hasty escape to the forest. They would tell Amy about the dire circumstances of these captive soldiers upon returning to the barn and leave the ultimate decision of their unfortunate consequence in her hands.

The rabbits continued on, finding some amphibians resting in Digger’s mushroom patch. Splash the frog and Bull the toad were perched on the fungi crowns, with Newt the lizard lying beneath in the shadows. There was no sign where the others were located.

How goes the battle? Splash asked.

The battle is over and Queen Amy has invited you to join in the festive celebration of our glorious victory, Digger advised.

And what remains of the black queen’s army? Bull inquired.

It’s hard to say, really. They fled to the field and forest in utter disarray.

What about those tasty robber flies?

They never showed up on the battlefield for some reason.

Is it still open season on the black army and robber flies? Newt asked.

I would think so. The black queen may still try to regroup her army and there’s no telling what she may do. As far as the robbers go, it’s always open season on that annoying and disgusting gang of thugs who prey on other helpless creatures to satisfy their needs.

Good, then we’ll continue to satisfy our appetites.

Isn’t that what you do anyway? Harietta asked.

Yeah, but looking at it this way makes it more fun, Splash replied.

Then its life as usual, wouldn’t you say?

Yes, since you put it that way.

Do you want a ride to the barn or would you rather travel on your own? Digger posed.

No thanks, we can all move pretty fast, when we’ve got some place to go. Besides, we have to find the others first, Bull admitted.

It’s your choice. Meet you back at the barn.

As the rabbits began scampering back toward the fence, chatting along the way, Digger noticed Splash and Bull out of the corner of his eye, leaping like they were in a race to the celebration. He’d never seen them jump so high or leap so far and he found himself going faster just to stay ahead of the two speedy amphibians, which caused Harietta to do the same.

Are we in a hurry to get somewhere? she asked, not noticing they were being paced.

You could say that, Digger replied.

What’s the rush?

Splash and Bull are trying to beat us to the barn.

Seriously, Digger, everything doesn’t have to be a contest, she answered, purposefully slowing down to a moderate pace.

Digger felt pressured to back off and stay with Harietta, despite his urge to run. This wasn’t a feeling he was accustomed to, but he was still adapting to the concept of having a companion. When the rabbits reached the fence line, they found Splash and Bull had stopped at the wire and both eyeing the many ants stuck to the spider’s web.

Are these ants free for the taking? Splash asked, sensing the urge to nourish his hunger.

The dangling ants were in a panic, as each and every one within the frog’s reach thought they might end up being his next big meal and there was nothing any of the suspended soldiers could do about their dyer situation. They were downright defenseless and easy pickings for either of the hungry amphibians that moved ever closer to the spider’s web.

Wait a minute. Somehow this just doesn’t seem right, Harietta replied.

Why is that? the toad inquired.

Where’s the challenge in eating something that can’t get away. Isn’t the reward in the hunt?

I guess you’re right. I really hadn’t thought of it that way.

The vulnerable ants were relieved to have their lives spared, as the foursome leaped over the barbed wire and left the enemy hanging as they were. Their reprieve wouldn’t last very long though, with Newt and the remaining amphibians trailing a short distance behind. When the lizard arrived, he quickly gobbled up three tasty ants, himself, before climbing up the post, over the web and down the other side.

Once the rabbits and amphibians reached the barn, there was an immediate response among the black army and the other allies toward the new arrivals. They gave the frog and toad a wide birth, being natural enemies in the real world. It was an instinctively normal reaction, although, for some reason the birds didn’t have the same effect on the insects.

The gathering was so large, Amy whispered in Digger’s ear before attempting to address the crowd. Then, she climbed on his back and continued on to the top of his head, so everyone could better see and hear her. The queen couldn’t help noticing how uneasy many of her supporters were acting toward one another and the noise was far too loud for any to hear her voice. Digger could see she needed some assistance in getting her message out to the masses and whistled to get their divided attention.

Thank you Digger. My dear friends, loyal allies and new colony members, please move closer. Don’t feel threatened by the appearance of your neighbor. None of us would be here if we didn’t all share a collective goal, Queen Amy announced with sincere enthusiasm.

While the gathering did tighten up somewhat to hear the words from the queen, there were still those who kept their distance from the long tongued creatures, or the creepy, multi-eyed spider. Each was given their space, as some natural instincts weren’t easily changed.

"I can’t begin to tell you how important your presence means to me and the colony on this glorious day. We could never have accomplished the goal of defending our city without your help. It boggles my mind, how so many different creatures could stand together in a single, common cause, despite the differences we each have. We should all be proud, that those differences could be put aside long enough to stand together, with one voice. This victory over tyranny belongs to all of us.

So, thank you for all you’ve done.

"I’d also like to recognize Ebon for spinning his wall of webs that divided the advancing enemy columns, the swallows for their disruptive aerial bombardment and the amphibians for slowing the progress of the black army’s march across the field. They each gave us the extra time we needed to prepare for the invasion. And Chord, you’re my hero. You led the insects out on the battlefield to pick up our pepper sticks and carry on the defense of the colony when we were most vulnerable.

"Queen Flaxen, you’ve given me one thing that no one else could, the truth about my heritage. Your wisdom has helped me be a better queen and the termites of Isoptera have proven, more than once, to be our strongest allies. I never had to ask for what you unselfishly and graciously provided our colony.

"To my army, you were glorious and brave. Your belief in the cause of freedom never faltered, despite the overwhelming odds you faced. The future of the colony survives because you were willing to risk your individual lives for the needs of the many, despite the fact our creative weaponry bolstered your courage.

Last, but certainly not least, as you can plainly see, we’re joined by many of our archrivals. These soldiers have chosen to join our colony, once the opportunity presented itself to escape the Black Queens deceitful and manipulating ways. To each of you, I pledge my heartfelt gratitude and endless loyalty.

I heard a rumor that you might be Princess Penelope, the queens long lost daughter. Is this true? a former member of her mother’s army asked, being one