The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

your feet firmly on the ground while we are here. I can tell you from experience; it is not a pleasant sensation.”

She took up a nearby stone and casually tossed it upwards, causing all of them to flinch when multiple sparks of electricity shot towards it with a sickening pop, reducing it to powder.

“Goodness!” The Flutterby exclaimed; “They’ve been trying to get it working on and off since I was a child to better understand the-”

“Oi!” Someone nearby shouted; “You scamps stop messing with that! I swear I’ll sick the Aegis on- holy smokes!”

A man wearing university overalls, instructor orange rather than student beige, came storming towards them but pulled up short when he caught the culprit who had thrown the rock.

“My apologies.” Volka said mildly; “I was merely demonstrating the danger to my bond-sister.”

His embarrassment was obvious given his blush, causing Miranda and the others to smirk at his distress.

“Right, er, yeah, that’s fine then. Just don’t do it again. Makes me jump out of my skin every time I hear that sound. The slum-rats have been throwing everything but money at it since we turned it on.”

As they entered the city proper they saw that it wasn’t just the air defenses that the university had activated.

Ancient fortifications, built into the very streets of the city, had been refurbished and put to use; the walls that separated the city proper from the slums now bristled with all manner of mechanisms, many of which Miranda and even Volka knew nothing about.

“This is what happens when you let a bunch of bright boys loose.” The Aegis operative sighed as she examined some of the contraptions; “I think this thing here is meant to spit out some kind of liquid, but no idea what.”

She gestured at a series of pipes in the wall that came together at a number of ominous protrusions that each resembled the barrel of a gun.

“Adhesive foam.” A familiar voice called from nearby.

They looked to see Christine Loskins coming towards them, a clipboard in hand and grease smeared across her nose.

“Foam? Not gel like the goo bombs?” Jan asked.

“No, this is different. We suspect it was the precursor to the substance in your adhesive grenades. It hardens on contact, and there is no easy solution to clear it up. It took a work crew three hours in shifts to free the first dumbass that tripped it.”

“Seems... drastic.” Nameless observed.

“Maybe. But after we heard about Lipton Falls-” Christine’s voice caught and she rubbed at her eyes suddenly; “Anyways, what are you guys doing back? Also hi.”

Though Nameless and his girls were familiar with her sister, they didn’t know Christine very well.

Which was why everyone was glad when a pair of Hornets landed beside her after they had exchanged greetings, cutting short the need for small talk.

“Greetings from our Queen!” One of them declared; “If you have no other business, she would like to extend an invitation for you to visit our hive.”

Miranda was about to respond, but Nina cut her off.

“Quite the fashion statement you bugs are making.” She nodded her chin at the Hornets.

The pair of them were wearing strange shiny metal hoops on their wrists and ankles.

One of the Hornet’s eyes went a bit distant as her antennae wiggled, her queen now addressing them through her surrogate.

“Yes, not very fetching.” She agreed somewhat sourly; “But it’s preferable than getting struck by multiple bolts of lightning just for stretching our wings. You’ll need to go to the university if you want some, it’s a whole process.”

“It shouldn’t be necessary.” Volka said; “We aren’t here for long. Aegis Holt?”

“Yeah, we’re just here to send a message along, grab some grub and bunk down for the night. Then back to Garland first thing in the morning.”

“Oh? That’s a shame, I know my Queen would love to see you all.” Her looked turned coy as she examined her nails; “And I also know of a certain Lapine who would love to see you, Miranda.”

Miranda’s cheeks turned pink and Nameless and the others had to hide their smiles; the gruff woman blushing was a rare sight.

“Oooh, can we?” Jez hopped off of Kala’s shoulder to make her plea right in front of her bond-mate.

“Pretty please?” Jan echoed with her tongue lolled out in amusement.

But Miranda shook her head at them.

“This isn’t a social call. We’re on duty girls.”

The Hornets each quirked one eyebrow up as their antennae wiggled, but they said nothing.

The Aegis operative huffed as the weight of her bond-mates’ disappointment fell down on her; even Kala was looking crestfallen.

Rebecca the Lapine courier had made an impact on all of them, but after Lipton Falls they had only been able to exchange a couple of letters to check up on her, too busy with their duties.

“Maybe we’ll go say hi. But only if we have time!”

They could all hear Jan’s tail wagging.

“Is she staying with you still?” Erica asked the Hornets; “I didn’t really get to meet her much.”

“Yes, she is. She keeps trying to leave, but my Queen won’t have it. Who knows though, perhaps she’ll find a new home for herself soon enough.”

“You’re getting way ahead of yourself.” Miranda sighed; “I thought I was past the point of chasing skirts.”

“Maybe you are mistress, but I’m not.” Jan said with a broad smile; “She’s so easygoing and fun, when her life isn’t in danger anyways, plus she’s a bunny, and I would love to chase me some bunny!”

Kala laughed at her bond-sister’s zeal, nodding in agreement.

“She demonstrated true courage in dealing with that wretched Sinclair woman. She is worthy of any lover, even ours.”

“I like her big floppy ears!” Jez proclaimed with enthusiasm, then continued defensively when she got some odd looks; “What? You two