Part 51: Memory of Indrik: Hive Mind

Hive Mind

Footfalls make Indrik blink and glance about his solitary room. His instinct tells him to hide the cherished treasure, but his fondness for the gift overpowers it. At any given second his patrician could fly through the door and demand it from Indrik. Lokrin is strict in every sense of the word. But this gift--this ant farm sent by his parents in secret--is a treasure from childhood.

Indrik glides his hand along the glass, tracing the worker-ant's path. Even as a young boy, Indrik had been fascinated with nature on a surprisingly small and minuscule scale. He was at it again now, but this time his awe had to be kept secret.

The hour hits twilight, but still Indrik observes the colony, notating his findings by scrawling comparisons on bits of parchment.

Exhaustion looms.

Swiftly and without warning, Indrik falls asleep and the ant farm remains out in the open, in danger of discovery.

Sometime later, Indrik's groggy eyes open and the patrician is there, wrath billowing in the senior's face. In one fluid motion, Lokrin snatches the colony and throws it. Glass hits stone and shattered pieces litter the ground. Standing opposite Indrik the patrician pauses, motionless, expressionless. Unnaturally calm. The intrigue that Indrik once held for Lokrin's control and discipline eviscerates as he sees the ants skitter across the floor. Something fractures within Indrik. A realization takes hold. Indrik will not be like his insect friends. He will not run nor hide. Instead, he will become like Lokrin. He will become a predator.