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The ground rumbled beneath her feet.
Against her better judgement, Hornet darted towards the path to the King’s Brand. It would not do to have the only vessel strong enough to contain the infection be killed by a chance of fate as random as an earthquake.
Privately, she knew if they could not handle something like a cave-in, they would not be able to handle the source of the infection at Her strongest.
Hornet stumbled as the ground shifted, and picked up the pace, throwing her needle ahead and zooming along behind on a strand of silk.
The source of the cave-in was made clear as the body of the Pale Wyrm came into view. The corpse was collapsing in on itself. Ash plumed from its great mouth, and the harsh wind carried it directly to her eyes, nearly blinding her.
Hornet did not hesitate. The vessel could not have expected this. She had not expected this.
She picked out their blue cloak against the greasy whiteness of the ash almost immediately. They were struggling, trapped under a large piece of decaying carapace and being swiftly buried by the ash.
Hornet let out a cry, and she saw their mask snap up. Their empty eyes tracked her as she used her momentum to kick the shell off of them. Without giving them time to get to their feet, she grabbed their cloak and spun on her heel, throwing her needle in the same smooth motion.
Her silk sang a tense song and ash battered her as she soared. The cave wall came into view, and she twisted in the air, bracing her feet against the stone and pulling the needle out. The mouth of the Wyrm was close, so close, they’d be safe soon-
Something struck Hornet across her back. She barely managed to keep hold of both Ghost and her needle as she fell.
Ash billowed around her as she landed with a heavy thud, driving all the breath from her body. Hornet let go of Ghost, got her hand under herself and began to rise. She needed to move, she could not allow them to die-
Her only warning was a growing shadow, and then sharp pain followed swiftly by total darkness.
*
Hornet woke painfully.
The sound of scrabbling nearby had her snapping into a defensive stance, her needle flashing a warning.
Or, she would have done that, had she not slammed her already very sore head into something very hard.
Hornet let out a hiss of pain and crouched down, forcing her eyes open against the blinding pain to search for the source of the noise.
She was greeted by a white mask and dark, hollow eyes. Ghost cocked their head to the side, watching her curiously.
Hornet coughed, turning her head and spitting out a few flakes of ash. She spat a few more times, trying to clear the taste of rot from her mouth.
Ghost did not have their nail drawn, and they made no aggressive motions. They had not attacked her without challenge before, and they likely would not now.
Cautiously, she sat down, folding her cloak around herself and resting her needle in her lap. It was too dark for her to see much beyond the slight pale glow of Ghost’s mask. Even Deepnestians needed some kind of light source to see.
“Do you have any sort of torch or lamp?” she asked them, her voice dry and rasping.
Ghost produced a lantern from their cloak, the dim glow briefly blinding her and fully illuminating the small nook they were both trapped in.
They were caught in an awfully small space, Hornet realized. Ghost’s horns brushed the ceiling, and although Hornet could sit comfortably, standing straight was out of the question. The cave was vaguely circular, and about twice as wide as her needle was long.
Hornet tipped her head up to inspect the roof of their shelter. Carapace and stone greeted her eyes. It seemed they’d been saved by a combination of a very small ledge and a large piece of the carcass falling at just the right angle to prevent them from drowning in greasy, rotting ash.
Irrationally, Hornet wondered if every single bit of bad luck she’d had was to pay for this little miracle. A nice thought, for all that pain to have some meaning other than her own foolishness, but ultimately nothing more than silliness.
Her attention was grabbed by movement - Ghost clawing frantically at the ash surrounding spilling through the small crack between carapace and stone.
“Stop that!” Hornet scolded sharply. “You’ll destabilize it and we’ll be dead for sure!”
They did not listen - if anything, their frantic motions sped up .
“You cannot continue towards your goal if you are buried here,” she said sternly. “Stop this at once!”
The scrabbling continued, and Hornet felt the ash shift.
If Ghost wanted to throw away their life like that, she supposed it was their decision, but Hornet would not waste her mother’s gift so freely.
She snagged the back of their cloak with a single claw, and pulled them away from and wall and into her lap, firmly pinning their arms in one smooth motion. “Be still. ”
Ghost flinched at the sudden contact, kicking their feet uselessly against the hard ground.
It took Hornet a moment to realize they were trembling.
Shaking? Are they… afraid?
It would make sense - being trapped was not fun, and Hornet was fighting unpleasant stirrings in her own gut, forcing her hands to be steady and loose instead of clenching into tight fists. Fear could be useful at times, but blind panic was unproductive.
She tapped their shoulder to grab their attention, ignoring the sudden tightness in her throat brought about by their little flinch.
“Are you scared?”
They stopped kicking and tilted their head back to look at her. Their shaking lessened somewhat as they focused fully, tilting their head as if they were asking her to repeat herself.
“Well? Are you?”
A few beats of no sound but the gentle settling of ash, and then they nodded.
“We’ll be fine,” Hornet said matter-of-factly. “We need to wait for the ash to settle, but once it stops shifting, we’ll be able to dig ourselves out. We haven’t been crushed already, so the ceiling didn’t cave in, which means we have plenty of time.”
Ghost considered that for a moment, and then began to wriggle in her grasp. She gave them a stern look.
“If I let you go, will you go back to digging?”
They shook their head.
Hornet narrowed her eyes, but when they moved again she allowed them to pull out of her hold.
Ghost rolled out of her lap and curled against the piece of carapace sheltering them under. They drew crossed their legs and leaned their head against the wall, mirroring Hornet’s own relaxed pose.
They drew their nail, resting it in their lap the same way she was resting her needle. Their hands were twisting on the hilt, their claws leaving small scratches in the dull metal as they watched her nervously.
“Are you still afraid?”
Ghost flinched at the noise, but nodded again.
“Fear is often irrational, I suppose.” Hornet sighed. “I will not be spending the next few hours sitting and doing nothing. Come over here.” She tapped the ground next to her. “The least I can do is show you how to mend your cloak. It’s getting awfully ragged.”
Ghost scrambled up. Their nail fell to the floor with a clatter, and they paused, glancing between it and Hornet.
“I do not plan to attack you while we are trapped here, Ghost.” Hornet hesitated for a moment, and then continued. “You have passed every test I will set you. You may consider us allies, if you wish.”
She swore there was a bounce in their step as they moved across the cave and settled beside her.
Hornet felt their eyes on her as she reached into a pocket on her cloak, and drew out a small needle made of bone. “Since I am half-weaver, I don’t typically use needles, but your cloak is much thinner than mine, so we will need to be more delicate with the thread. I’ll mend this tear here” - she tapped one made by her own needle - “and let you do the rest.”
Ghost scooted closer, and laid the part of the cloak she’d indicated in her lap.
“You’ll need to take it off, Ghost.”
They froze for a moment, and then leaned their head back, tugging at where the cloak met their neck.
“What, are you stuck in your cloak?”
They shook their head, tugging more insistently.
Hornet frowned. It was awfully tight for a cloak, even a Hallownest one-
“Ghost, do vessels grow their cloaks?”
Ghost nodded enthusiastically.
“Will sewing it cause you pain? I do not want to hurt you pointlessly.”
They shook their head, tapping the part of their cloak in her lap and tilting their head at her.
Hornet snorted. “Willful little thing, aren’t you.” She gathered it closer. “I suppose this means you won’t be able to reach your back. I’ll do that for you, if you’ll allow me. But you are sewing the front.”
She produced another needle, as well as a small spool of thread. “Let me show you how to thread a needle, and the stitch we’ll be using.”
Ghost watched attentively as she threaded her needle, but their own hands were clumsy. Hornet watched them struggle for a few moments, before doing it herself.
They seemed almost surprised when she handed the needle back to them.
“What?” she said. “I’m not mending your cloak without your help.”
Ghost shrugged.
“Your cloak doesn’t have any tears I can see that will require darning,” Hornet said, “so this is going to be quite simple. You take your material, fold the edges in like this” - she bent the edges of the tear and pressed them firmly - “and you sew from bottom to top. Make sure you keep the knot on the underside, otherwise it will be more prone to re-tearing, and you will need to repair it sooner.”
They nodded eagerly, placing their hands on her knee as they watched her work, fascinated by the simple act of sewing.
Even with slowing her motions down to give Ghost a clear view of how to do a whip stitch, the mending moved quickly. Hornet pulled the final stitch tight. After inspecting her work and being satisfied with the quality, she smoothly knotted it and cut the thread with her claws.
“Your turn,” she announced, handing the needle to Ghost after knotting the end.
Ghost took it and began shuffling around the front of their cloak.
Hornet reached down and tapped a small rip, likely made by one of the shardmites that roamed Crystal Peak. “Start with this one. I’ll watch and correct you.”
Ghost’s hands were steady, but clumsy and unpracticed. Their stitches were uneven and too tight, scrunching the material around them.
Given everything, their sewing was actually surprisingly good for a beginner. Hornet helped them tie the thread off, and sliced the excess away with the tip of her claw.
She kept an eye on them as they worked through the rest of the holes on the front of their cloak. Their stitching improved at a rapid rate, quickly reaching what Hornet would expect from a young weaver.
By the time Ghost finished, they had managed to both thread the needle and knot the end on their own, although they still needed her help to end it.
“All right. I’ll do your back now. Come sit in front of me, and I’ll have it done quickly.”
There was no hesitation this time. They scurried over and plopped down in front of her, tapping the floor eagerly.
Now that she wasn’t having to slow down or watch somebody, Hornet allowed herself to be enveloped in the simple, repetitive motion. Most of the tears she found came from her own needle, although their shoulders were covered with small rips made only by vengefly jaws.
“I take it you don’t like vengeflies much?” she said, surprising herself with her boldness.
Ghost shook their head vigorously and slapped the floor.
“I must say, I quite agree with you. They’re
aggravating
little things.”
They nodded, and then paused for a minute. Reaching into their chest, they pulled out a small book, they dropped it on the floor, flipped to a specific page, and stabbed it with their finger.
Hornet glanced down and instantly understood their vitriol.
“ Bastardflies, ” she snarled. “We don’t talk about primal aspids.”
Ghost pressed both hands over their face and their shoulders shook.
Were they giggling?
Hornet closed the book sharply. “Those things are the worst. ”
They nodded sagely in between giggles, reaching out and shoving the book back into their chest.
Hornet patted their back. “All right. I’m done. Out of my lap, go on.”
They scurried over to the other side of the cave, settling down and running their fingers over the stitches in their cloak.
“Is that better?”
Ghost nodded vigorously.
“I’m glad,” Hornet said, picking her needle up off the floor and resting it in her lap. She supposed it could use another polish.
Anything to pass the time.
*
The waiting was beginning to wear on Hornet.
Ghost was entirely occupied in their spider’s cradle, their attention completely consumed by the simple loop of silk she’d handed them when they’d begun to pace, but her attention was not so easy to capture.
Her instincts scraped at her, the lack of movement and constant noise of ash settling keeping her on edge.
The ash was still settling. It would not be safe to move until it stopped shifting. She would simply have to wait it out.
A low growl rumbled in her throat. Of all the lessons her mother had taught her, patience was one she still struggled with.
Ghost’s head shot up at the noise, and they came over to stand in front of her, tilting their head curiously.
Hornet’s hands tightened on her needle. She supposed she owed them an explanation for such a sudden, random noise. “I must admit… I am no fan of being confined either, Ghost.”
They tilted their head, and reached up to put a hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged their hand off. “I am aware that panicking will not help, little shadow. There is no need to remind me.”
Ghost crossed their arms and glared at her for a long moment. They reached out and deliberately patted her shoulder, watching her as if waiting for her to understand.
Hornet frowned. She had touched their shoulder earlier, when she was trying to calm them. Were they mimicking that? They had been doing an awful lot of mirroring earlier.
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
They nodded, patting her once again.
“I appreciate the gesture, Ghost, but I will simply have to learn to be still until we can move again.”
Ghost patted her once more, and then tapped their mask. Seemingly coming to some sort of decision, they settled beside her and leaned their head against her.
Hornet stiffened at the unexpected contact, but slowly, she relaxed. She looped an arm around their shoulders and rested the chin of her mask on the top of theirs.
They squirmed around, burying their face in her side and resting one of their hands on her leg, in some strange half-hug.
“Are you going to sleep?”
They nodded.
“On me? ”
They nodded again.
“I suppose if I cannot stop you,” she muttered, closing her own eyes. “I may as well join you.”
*
Hornet awoke to a sharp crack!
Instantly, she had one hand on her needle and the other on Ghost’s arm. They squirmed in silent alarm. It seemed they had been just as asleep as she was, woken by the same terrifying sound.
She looked around, frantically trying to find the source of it - there!
A large split across the decaying chitin that made up the roof of their little shelter.
“Fucking wyrm, ” Hornet spat. “Ghost, grab your nail. We need to move. ”
They scrambled across the cave, picking up their nail and slinging it across their back. By the time they returned to Hornet’s side, she already had silk dancing between her fingertips.
“Hold onto my back. I’ll tie you on so we don’t get separated, but you should be able to cut yourself free with this” - Hornet passed them her smallest hunting knife - “if you need to. If you have to choose between staying with me and saving yourself, save yourself. Got that?”
Ghost nodded slowly.
“Good.” Hornet did not give them time to think further. She swung them onto her back, and silk flashed, binding them to her. “Let’s go.”
She picked up her needle, judging the angle carefully.
In one smooth motion, Hornet pushed off the stone wall and used her momentum to kick the rotting carapace they’d been hiding under aside. Ash flurried, nearly blinding her, but Hornet carried through on the motion, throwing her needle forward with the strength of her whole body.
For a moment, she and Ghost hung weightless, the only sensations being those of her silk whipping away and ash falling around them.
And then her silk abruptly tightened, and Hornet pulled herself along, speeding upwards.
Her needle came into view, buried in the ceiling. Hornet grabbed the handle, pulling it out of the stone it was embedded in using nothing but the force of her leap and her own might.
She threw her needle again, putting every ounce of her strength behind it.
This would decide whether she and Ghost lived or died,
Once again, they hung weightless for a moment, and then her silk sang the familiar song of a solid anchor, tugging her along towards her needle.
Bright light caused her to squint sharply as she broke free of the ash, coming into Kingdom’s Edge with a victorious cry. Hornet skidded to a stop, overbalanced, and nearly fell over. Only the support of her needle stopped her mask from meeting the ground.
Ghost shifted on her back. She heard the sound of slicing, and then a loud thud as they made a less-than-graceful descent off her back.
She turned around, and found them facedown on the floor with their limbs splayed out. Without looking up, they raised the had that had her hunting knife and offered it back to her.
Hornet took the knife, and then grabbed their arm and helped them stand. She let go of their wrist and offered them her hand, palm-up.
They tilted their head curiously.
“I don’t know about you, Ghost, but I’m in dire need of visiting a hot spring and washing this ash out of my cloak. Care to join me?”
Ghost nodded, accepting her hand.