Blood of the Mantis

Stenwold Maker, she reflected, seeing the doors open to reveal a stocky, bald man dressed in the folded white robes of a College master but looking as though he missed a sword at his side, approaching with a walk that still compensated for the blade he had not been allowed to bring in.

Tell me about him, she directed.

– He has been quite a maverick, causing trouble for the Assembly, came the first voice from among her tacticians.

– Reports confirm that he has been spreading warnings of the Empire for at least fifteen years.

– He was in Sarn six years ago, starting an agent network. We have the details of some of his contacts here, but not all.

– Reports suggest that he was in the thick of the fighting during the Vekken siege.

– His position at the College was in the department of history, but prolonged absences have punctuated his teaching. Known associates…

The Queen waved that information away in her mind, and all this time Stenwold had been approaching the war table, hearing none of it, not guessing how he was being weighed up. His character, then? she said.

– Resourceful. Charismatic. He has been able to control the Assembly.

– He inspires loyalty in others. A good officer – for a foreigner.

– Do not forget that Beetles endure. He has endured a great deal.

‘War Master Stenwold Maker,’ she began, and he gave her a stiff, somewhat paunchy bow. ‘Your Majesty,’ he acknowledged, and then gave a brief nod left and right to her council.

‘We are pleased to find our allies in Collegium still in possession of their freedom,’ she said to him.

‘We are pleased to still be in possession of it. I see you anticipate a siege here, your Majesty.’

‘We do, but no siege such as these walls have ever known. We have sent Fly-kinden scouts to investigate the Wasp army. It seems they have made fortifications for the winter, and their defences are intended against both an air and ground assault. We have therefore borrowed from their designs.’

Stenwold nodded. ‘Clever,’ he admitted.

‘And it may be that we can borrow from them even further,’ the Queen remarked, almost casually, and then fixed him with a steel gaze. ‘We understand an agent of yours who fought beside us may have escaped the Wasp forces with something of immense value.’

‘The reports of agents…’ began Stenwold, holding up a hand, but she forestalled him.

‘We mean the new weapon, that the Wasps turned on us at the Battle of the Rails.’ Even as she spoke her advisors were in her mind.

– Reports suggest that Collegium has been constructing their own version. It was unclear whether this was purely from first principles or…

– There is a Spider-kinden now waiting in the antechamber with a wrapped bundle of the correct size and shape, according to battlefield recollection.

She saw the Beetle glance sideways at her expressionless Tacticians, obviously guessing at their constant exchange and yet deaf to it. ‘War Master Maker?’ she prompted.

‘They call it a snapbow,’ he told her at last, bowing to necessity and the accuracy of her own intelligence. ‘Your own soldiers have seen its efficiency. My agent was able to bring me the original plans.’

– There is more to this, though. He is holding back information.

He is entitled to, the Queen responded. He is an ally, not a citizen.

– We cannot risk the future of Sarn on the squeamishness of our allies.

– If we merely requisition the sample weapon he has brought, it could be reverse-engineered by our artificers.

In offending Collegium we would lose more than we gained, the Queen decided. ‘You can recreate this marvel?’ she asked.