Ren and Drain hurried through the dense forest, the massive flower shrinking behind them until it was just a glowing speck in the twilight.
The small cage in Ren's hand rattled faintly, the worker hornet inside buzzed nervously, its mandibles still clutching the precious droplet of pure flower essence. Ren's legs burned from the run, but adrenaline kept him going.
The Queen's severed stinger stump still flashed in his mind, along with the hateful glare in her compound eyes as he'd released her.
Drain glanced over her shoulder, her disheveled hair swaying with each step. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, her usual lazy grin replaced by a thoughtful frown. "Hey, pretty boy," she said, breaking the silence. "Why do you think the Queen let you go just like that? She could've ordered her swarm to follow us and attack. I didn't think she'd let go of us so easily."
Ren snorted, adjusting his clothes. "You had a backup plan, didn't you?"
