Ambrosia met my stare directly.
"What else could we do? You vanished so suddenly, and we had no idea why or where. I could've been humans' fault—they already tried to kidnap some of our own. But even if it wasn't, we… We couldn't risk following your plans on your own. I hoped to cripple humans quickly while they were still fighting each other. That it didn't work will be my lesson."
"So… You admit it was a mistake, Amby?"
She gave me an unimpressed look.
"Of course. Two hives were destroyed, Hive Supremo became the target of an attack, and we are *still* counting all the losses. What else could it be? This doesn't mean I would've acted differently back then." Ambrosia's face softened. "Punish me for this, if you think it's necessary, Nectus. But tell me—what happened to you? Why did you disappear?"
"Yes, Father! Please, tell us," Worriesgone echoed in her sweet voice.
