Queen of Their Colony (Kindred Tales)

“That’s it?” she exclaimed. “That’s all? Why, I barely look fifteen years younger!” She glared angrily at Terra. “You must have used all the magic up on yourself!”

“Not at all!” Terra protested. “Around fifteen years is what it took off of my age too! But don’t you feel a lot looser now and more limber?” she added. “I do—my back and my knees don’t hurt a bit anymore and I don’t need to get glasses now. I’ve never felt so healthy in my life!”

“I don’t care about any of that!” Mistress Bodikin snapped. “I want to be young and beautiful again! I was promised youth and beauty!” She shook the golden chalice angrily. “Fill up again, you stupid thing! Grant me what I desire!”

But the Kat-sat-Suum remained stubbornly empty.

“Well, if it won’t fill itself, I’ll fill it!” Mistress Bodikin muttered. “Servants! Go and fetch me some spring water this instant!” she shouted.

“No, wait!” Terra held up a hand. “I don’t think you ought to do that—there was a warning on the marble fountain where we found the Kat-sat-Suum about only taking one drink from it.”

“A warning? What warning?” Mistress Bodikin demanded.

Rive stepped forward.

“Drink of me once but never again

Lasting youth and health to gain.

Drink of me once but never with greed

From your heart, banish envy’s seed

For if twice you try to sip your fill

Or drink of me from spite

Alas, I fear it will go ill,

And you’ll never more be right,” he recited.

“That’s exactly what it said,” Terra said, nodding. “I only took one drink from it—you’d probably better do the same.”

“Oh, very well,” Mistress Bodikin snapped, scowling. “I suppose fifteen years is better than nothing.” She sighed deeply. “Well, I expect you ought to be on your way since you finished your quest and I really have no more use for the lot of you around here.”

“Wait a minute!” Terra protested. “Did you forget? We had a deal. The Kat-sat-Suum for the Heart-finder from the Monstrum universe.” She crossed her arms and frowned at the other woman. “We fulfilled our part of the bargain, despite it being a lot more dangerous than you told us. Now I’d like you to fulfill yours.”

The scowl on Mistress Bodikin’s face deepened.

“But the artifact did not deliver as promised,” she exclaimed.

“That’s not my fault,” Terra snapped. “I didn’t make the damn thing—I just put myself and my guys through mortal peril and went through four different universes to get it for you. Now I’d like the Heart-finder, just like you promised!”

To her surprise, Mistress Bodikin’s spoiled daughter, Dahlia, also chimed in.

“Yes, Mamma, you promised,” she said, frowning at Mistress Bodikin. “You can’t go back on your promise!”

A slow, malicious smile crept over Mistress Bodikin’s slightly less-lined face.

“Yes, I did promise, didn’t I, Dahlia my pet?” she purred.

“Yes, you did! So do it! Get the Heart-finder!” Dahlia demanded.

“Very well. Servant, you there…” She snapped at one of the servants who was holding the viewer. He immediately dropped his side of the heavy piece of equipment, leaving his fellow servant to fumble with it. He would certainly have dropped it if Tem hadn’t taken pity on him and helped him rebalance the bulky thing.

Meanwhile, Mistress Bodikin was giving orders.

“It’s on the four hundredth shelf, three tiers down, number 50058-A,” she was telling the servant. “Run fetch it but be careful—it’s very delicate.”

“Yes, Mistress!” The servant bowed respectfully and ran out of the room as fast as he could.

“Now then,” Mistress Bodikin purred, while they were waiting for the servant to return with the promised artifact. “Just so we’re very clear, the Heart-finder is meant to find the Queen or ‘heart’ of a colony of Monstrum warriors, correct?”

“Uh, yes. That’s right.” Terra nodded.

“And the moment the right woman holds it in her hands, it will ‘sound the alarm’ so to speak?” Bodikin asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Um, I guess so,” Terra said. “To be honest, I’ve never seen one myself. I’ve only heard about it from my guys, here. I mean, my bodyslaves.” She nodded at Rive and Tem and V’rone. “Rive, what does it actually look like?” she asked.

Rive stepped forward.

“The Heart-finder is a device crafted of a rare pink Elysium stone, surrounded in a globe of clear umballa crystal ” he said. “When the female who should be Queen of a colony holds the Heart-finder in her hands and stands by the males who form that colony, the Heart-finder will let out a perfect chime and begin to glow as a sign that she is the true Queen.”

“Yes, yes, I thought as much.” Mistress Bodikin nodded wisely. “How very excellent to have a device that tells you exactly who your Mistress should be.”

“The Queen of a colony is more than just the Mistress of the males who comprise that colony,” Tem said. “She is the Heart of the colony—the one who completes them.” He looked at Terra.