In fact, before she passed by, one did indeed fall. The crack of chitin on rock was impossibly loud in this silent place. The initiate lay on the floor, leg twitching in pain for only a moment. Several other acolytes of training appeared from the walls to minister to their sister. In short order, the leg was tended to, the initiate righted on her feet, and sent back to the ceiling. Now she would train the next leg until it too was no longer able to bear her weight.
The soldiers were always the first to fall, their increased strength not enough to offset their higher mass.
It was necessary, though. A high rank in Grip was the foundation on which the order was built, running claw in claw with Stealth. Observing targets from above, from the side, hiding on pillars and anything else they could hang onto was a necessary part for any member of the order. The nameless one herself had spent an entire week hanging upside down once, even entering torpor whilst hidden on the ceiling.
Moving beyond the outer training grounds, she reached the main part of the Sanctum, the most sacred of all of its many chambers. Inside were thousands of her siblings and fellow members, each engaged in their most sacred of duties: torpor.
The Eldest had decreed long ago that it was the responsibility of every member of the Colony to ensure that they rested, and from that moment on, the order had begun to take shape. Members of every caste had been welcomed, for theirs was difficult work and every advantage and strength was needed to ensure it was done perfectly. Too many within the Colony spurned the Eldest’s wisdom and worked beyond their measure, but they could not escape the order for long.
The grand resting chamber was carved in the shape of a great wheel divided into eight segments. An acolyte of rest stood at silent attention on the outer area of one segment, and the nameless one made her way over. Each segment of the chamber was filled with ants at rest, but soon it would be time for one segment to wake up and return to their work, then it would be time for the nameless one to sleep. She was looking forward to it; her sixteen-hour shift had been all too brief, but the work had been hard. She was ready.
This nameless one greets you, one of her siblings signed to her.
I see you, she replied. This nameless one is pleased to see you once again.
Was your work fruitful?
I was able to uncover a planned breach.
Excellent! The sleep cells will once again be filled, I see.
The two friends chatted for several minutes, as they tended to do whenever they met here at the end of a shift. Before long, the acolyte indicated that it was almost time and they readied themselves for rest. Already, the deep lethargy of torpor was beginning to take its grip on the nameless one and she waited patiently for the others to wake.
Which gradually they did. Up and down the segment, hundreds of ants began to stir. Jolted into wakefulness, they moved to exit the outer ring of the segment and clear space for the incoming shift.
I hope you rested well, nameless ones, the acolyte signed as they passed.
Once the last ant had exited the segment, the acolyte turned to them.
Good work, nameless ones. Please take your deserved rest, as the Eldest intended.
They each performed the eightfold genuflection, slower now that they were on the verge of sleep, before shuffling into the segment, ensuring all had room. The nameless one felt her consciousness slipping and gladly let it go, surrendering herself to torpor. After all, when she woke, there would be so much work to do, and only sixteen hours in which to get it done.
21. The Sanctum of Sleep, Part 2
The nameless one came back to herself precisely eight hours later, rested and refreshed. Truly, the greatest experience of torpor could only be enjoyed here, on the fulcrum of eight amongst her fellow members of the order. As the rest of those on her shift came awake and began to move from their segment, they greeted each other in the hidden language, signing with their antennae and exchanging plans for the day. As they passed the acolyte on the outer edge of the fulcrum, they greeted her as she did them, exchanged a few signs with the now-ending shift, and then they were away, ready to begin their day.
The nameless one was eager to get started. Sixteen hours of solid work lay in front of her, and it was imperative that she made a fast start. They never skipped their rest in the order, which meant they had to work harder, faster, and with more efficiency than every other member of the Colony. Otherwise, how could they hope to police them?
So it was that all the newly awakened broke into a sprint the moment they were clear of the inner chamber, running to their assignments as fast as they could, vanishing into the Dark Passage and emerging from hidden exits all over the nest. The nameless one did not join them immediately. Her rank was such that she needed to make an additional stop before she could begin her work.
She rushed through the Sanctum, completely soundless, until she came to a small, elaborately carved chamber in which an acolyte stood completely still. She approached respectfully.
The Eldest rests, she greeted the acolyte of shadows.
Eight hours a day, came the reply and both genuflected.
What word from the shadows? the nameless one asked. Is there a task?
There is, came the solemn reply. The many-headed beast has stirred against us once more, seeking to escape their responsibilities and our notice.
Again?
So soon? Are we sure of this intelligence?
The acolyte eyed her reproachfully.
It is not for us to question the shadow, she reprimanded.
The nameless one bowed her head in repentance.
If not for the shadow, we might not have come across this news. The many-headed beast is cunning beyond compare. It has hidden its plans deep. The acolyte waggled her antennae in a slow chuckle. Just not deep enough.
When and where do I strike? the nameless one asked.
Go to the confluence of ways, beneath the croca-star. A waypoint has been established, and an acolyte of planning will meet you there. Shadows take you, Sister.
I go.
So saying, the nameless one turned and ran. To tackle an enemy on this scale wasn’t something that usually came up, but things had been hectic in the Colony lately, and many were beginning to push the bounds… They would learn, of course, that it was impossible to escape the order. Though they slept the most, there were none who worked harder, of that, she was certain. Once more into the Dark Passage, the hidden way between the tunnels.
Long had the carvers and mages in the order laboured on these narrow tunnels. Undetectable, devoid of light and intricate in their design, they were woven throughout the very heart of the Colony and reached nearly every part of it. Even the new satellite nests had the Dark Passage woven into their design, carvers of the order building the tunnels and establishing the secret network right under the noses of their siblings as the nests were established.
Everywhere the Colony went, so too did the order.