I turned to B568-114 and whispered,
"What does he think? Can you understand him?"
"His thoughts are as clear as yours or mine, although strange sowhat," B568-114 said with so disbelief. "I will repeat them… 'When this scoundrel Zash brings our n back, maybe we won't need the help of law-makers at all. But what do we say to them? Oh, I just want to lie for a nap…'"
Despite whispering, she mimicked the intonations of a complaining middle-aged man very well—coming from her cute face, the grumbling was comical.
"Slow, unhappy thoughts. What should I do, Father?"
"Be my translator. I will say things, and you send them into the man's mind exactly as I told them. It's *extrely* important that nothing is changed. Then, tell his responding thoughts back "
"I can do that, Father."
I nodded.
"Then start with the next ssage: 'Anad Shach.'"
B568-114 didn't ask what the words ant, or why the first ssage was like that—she just nodded and closed her eyes for a mont.
Next, the body we clung to shook, and we both gasped, clutching the thick threads of the man's clothing.
Anad turned his head around, looking left and right, then clicked his jaws and let out sothing in his bug-human tongue.
"'Did soone call ? No, I must've misheard,'" B568-114 copied.
"Next, say: 'Anad Shach, I speak to you through the magic of my kind. You better listen.'"
After this ssage, Anad gasped, dropping his unfinished basket, and jolted to his feet. He was looking around again, wilder than before, and spitting out clicking and hissing words.
Any louder, and I feared he'd start attracting the attention of other villagers!
As it was, I winced at the volu and turned to B568-114.
"Can you translate that?"
"No! He doesn't think, he just talks!"
I huffed.
"Alright, send the next ssage. 'Zash is already dead, and your entire village will fall next, unless you stay quiet, Anad Shach. Work with , and not only will your ho be saved, you will be rewarded richly.'"
I feared that Anad's own talking would prevent him from hearing, but it worked—the man froze in place, making grin.
"'Zash is dead? What about the n he took with him? That scoundrel—I should have never believed him! What are we going to do now?! And what does this spirit want? Is he going to kill ? To blind , like the others?! I should… I should find fire. Fire will protect…'"
Although the man stopped shouting, now he was slowly moving toward his house. It worked well for , though. I nodded to B568-114 in gratitude and said the next part with pomp that I hoped she will translate.
Pomp was important for impressing people, and I wanted this guy *very* impressed.
"'I am the Emperor of the People of the Bee, Nectus Stingprince! The three of you dared to try putting hands on our riches—those were the three n of Yash that we struck down. But this wasn't the end of you! You dared to co to my dominion again. Even then, I was rciful and ordered deaths only of the humans who attacked and my people…'"
I made a dramatic pause, watching Anad's reaction as well as I could while sitting on the back of his neck. The man rushed into his house, only to slow down and stop again.
He muttered sothing under his breath, then B568-114 spoke.
"'No… No, I can't believe a spirit's words! They are cruel, cunning creatures… Where's my flint?'" B568-114 grimaced. "Father, what awful things he says about us–they are unpleasant to repeat."
I clicked my tongue. From the pitiful intonations B568-114 mimicked, Anad believed most of my words already.
"He's just afraid, B568-114. It's good for us. Now, here cos the most important part."
The part where I would *really* have to pull out the big bullshit, because the Bee Empire had attacked without provocation in the end. And humans shouldn't know that the Bee Empire of the last month was ruled by volatile, xenophobic girls without a father.
"'I even ordered to leave blessed marks near the humans that repaid the blood debt with gifts. But you treated them like the blessings were curses. You insulted my kindness gravely, and you reaped what you have sown, humans. I ought to burn your village to the ground—but in my infinite rcy, I want to give you the last chance. Fall on your knees and ask for my help, and I shall help! Your safety and my riches which you sought will be all yours—for a small price.'"
As she put these words into Anad's mind, B568-114 grinned evilly. I bet she was thinking the part about burning the human village with special infliction.
But it worked all the better.
The man shook with his entire body so violently that I worried we would fall off his tunic. He muttered sothing under his breath—a prayer?—and made another step toward a massive fireplace, only to stop.
"Yes, we put the holy fear into his heart! Now just to press a bit more, B568-114. Tell him, and be your scariest self, 'The only one who can save you is . But I'm also the one who can doom you and all your kin! Kneel and speak with your heart, not your filthy mouth, which is only full of lies!'"
There was another mont of hesitation. I wondered if we pushed the man too hard and he would descend into complete panic. Too bad I couldn't see his face from where I was.
Then, the man gasped and fell to his knees. I and B568-114 gasped too—the movent almost shook us from his clothing!
Then, B568-114, with eyes gleaming with excitent, translated more of Anad's thoughts.
"'Please, forgive , spirit emperor! Don't bring even more doom to us!'" B568-114 snickered into her fist. "He's so pathetic now, Father—ah, sorry. He says more! 'Please, help us, and I swear we will never cross the spirits again!'"
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