Page 47 of The Hive Queen

I didn’t like them then, and I dislike them even more now, but I leave the radio alone as I drive toward Clearhelm.

When I head onto the highway, the setting sun fills the rearview mirror, and it automatically dims to reduce the glare.

There’s something to be said for fancy cars. My old truck would have blinded me the entire drive to town.

As the exit for Clearhelm comes up, my stomach clenches, the pit of negativity opening inside once more.

Without making a conscious decision, I drive past the first exit that offers the most direct route to home. I want to see my people, to put eyes on them and make sure they’re okay, but at the same time... That pit eats at me.

I tell myself I’m going the long way so I can bring home dinner, even though I didn’t tell them I was coming, and it’s close enough to that time that they probably already ate.

But when I pull over near the Bone Yard, I accept that I’m in full avoidance.

I haven’t gone back to The Harbor since I stayed there with Darius, but revisiting his old haunt holds more appeal than facing my demons.

I’ll just collect the things he left behind and pick up dessert on my way home.

At the border into the Bone Yard, I hesitate, the memories of the last time I came here rising to the surface. With Darius in control of my body, I had no fear, and I’m not especially afraid now.

If I die, I die, and Pen and Flint can go collect my foolish ass from wherever Flint hid our soul stones.

But there’s a sizzle of danger in the air that warns the unwary not to venture past the narrow divide that separates the human-owned city from the part now claimed by Others.

Out here, civilians can walk around, assured that the threat of law enforcement will keep most people in check. Stepping off the sidewalk and through the archway into the Bone Yard strips away that cloak of safety.

One step forward, and all bets are off.

Creatures who eat other living beings walk the streets of the Bone Yard, and black markets hock body parts next to fresh produce and spells that can eat people alive.

My hand lifts to the burning amulet beneath my shirt. In the Bone Yard, I could burn the entire place to the ground and not face punishment.

Shoulders straightening, I step off the sidewalk and walk beneath the archway the city had erected when they gave up control of this part of town.

Despite being in the heart of Clearhelm, the Bone Yard feels like a world separate from the human one. In here, business buildings morph into rocky outcroppings and tree-houses, while shadowed spots on the sidewalk hide the lairs of demons looking to trap the unwary.

It’s amazing how much the city blocks changed in the five years the Others have owned it, molding it to fit their needs. Signs of every type of demon exist here, like pieces of the demon plane plucked from their spots and cobbled together to create a new world.

Otherworldly trees grow unnaturally tall, their branches turning the air humid and hiding the frog-like, vampiric demons that live in them.

Beings in every form walk the streets, unencumbered by the need to blend in with humans. Tall, tree-like demons step over and often on top of those too slow to escape from their stump-like feet, while lava demons earn a wide birth from those too weak to tolerate fire.

Something brushes my pant leg, and I glance down at the goblinesque creature trying to pick my pocket.

I send a spurt of fire at it, sending it running with the tuft on its rat-like tail blazing.

In its panic, it races toward a large tree planted in the middle of the road, and a root snakes out, catching the small creature and sucking it into swirls of bark at its center that form a face.

A wet squelching noise comes from the tree, followed by a burp, and a skull pops out to join the pile at the base of the tree. Leaves rustle, and a hundred eyes turn toward me.

I avert my gaze before it lures me close enough to become another meal.

The ancient one is bigger than it was even a month ago. The Bone Yard is a good place for it to feast, with a continuous flood of Others that choose the risk of living here over staying on the demon plane.

Wards around the Bone Yard keep its roots contained, but it’s dangerous to allow it to continue to grow. Fire won’t kill it, though, nor any weapon I know of. Which is why the demon council had it locked up in the Forgetting for so long.

A shriek comes from behind me, followed by another wet squelch, and I quicken my steps, eager to reach my destination.

The sign from The Harbor hangs out over the sidewalk, a lantern lit at its door to push back the encroaching shadows.

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