Unfortunately, the hive’s own scouts didn’t have much to add to the information Marianne Neralt had given Regina. The area in question wasn’t one they spent much time and attention on, apparently.

Ada looked abashed when Regina explained the matter, a look that didn’t fit the normally confident drone very well. “I’m sorry, my Queen,” she said. “We were just more focused on the forest and maybe the path deeper into Cernlia.”

“That’s okay,” Regina reassured her. “We’ll just have to do better going forward. I think we have enough scouts now, even if we have to rely on Swarm Drones, so that we can cover more ground and watch the edges of our new area of influence better.”

They spent a while talking about their scouting efforts and patterns. By the time they were done discussing a reorganization and Regina had promised to make at least a few more Scouts in the next few clutches of eggs, Max came to tell her that Baron Neralt was returning to Forest’s Haunt.

Regina said goodbye to Ada and started heading back to the village, since they’d been talking in one of the castle’s towers. She could have flown ahead, but she didn’t want to leave Max behind all the time, and it didn’t sound like Neralt was expected back right this second, anyway.

They walked slowly and caught the baron after he had dismounted and was about to head into his house. When he saw Regina and Max, he paused and then forced a smile on his face before bowing.

“Baron,” Regina greeted him. She was still trying to decide if or when to switch to using his first name. “I heard you went out investigating some signs of strangers up in the hills. Did you find anything?”

“You’re well-informed,” he said, glancing around. “Come inside, please, Milady. Let’s talk in the parlor.”

Once they were in the parlor (which was apparently also the receiving hall and what Regina would have called a living room), Marianne showed up as well, probably alerted by one of the servants. She and the younger Neralt exchanged looks before he started explaining what he’d found.

“Some people were doubtlessly there before, Milady. However, they were already gone by the time we arrived. I did find the remains of a campsite, and following a trail one of the hunters picked out, we came upon several more. They did not form a line leading into the forest or towards the army, or, really, anywhere in particular.”

“So, people were watching the area, or rather scouting it,” Regina concluded. “How likely is it that the same thing might be happening to the south, or even further east?”

Neralt grimaced slightly. “The terrain to the south is more open, excepting the forest itself, of course. That would make it harder for anyone to go unseen. That said, it’s certainly possible. I should think the east would be more challenging, and unlikely to be worth the effort required to scout it covertly, but since we do not know who this group was, it is hard to be certain of anything.”

Regina nodded. “That makes sense. Alright, thank you, Lord Elric. I’m going to send some Winged Drones to scout from the air now, unless either of you has an objection?”

The two humans exchanged another glance, then Marianne shook her head and Elric demurred.

Regina leaned back in her chair and let her eyes slip close as she turned her focus toward her flock, rousing a group of Winged Drones. If either of the Neralts were surprised that she stayed, they didn’t voice it. But she didn’t think it would be a long flight, and it might be better to have them on hand to talk about it. Max still stood unmoving, watching her back and feeling calm. Regina quickly checked on Ada, who was talking to two of the other Scouts, then on the War Drones further out from the settlement.

By this point, the group of flying drones had already moved some distance from the village. Regina focused on them and watched the terrain pass by.

It didn’t take long to find the first campsite, which was nestled between two low hills, but still perfectly visible from the air. From there, Regina sent half of the drones in this group, about ten, into a spiraling search pattern. They almost missed another camp, one drones flew over twice before one crossed at just the right angle to see the small cave marked by a fallen tree trunk in one of the scattered copses of trees. They had an easier time finding the other one. It was harder to make out any tracks from the air, though.

Regina hesitated for a moment, before she left that group of drones to circle in the air and called up several others from the castle and village, sending them to fly out and meet up a few kilometers away from it in two groups. She sent them roughly south- and eastward, trying to split her attention effectively and switching between the viewpoints of individual Winged Drones.

“I don’t think there’s anything in the other directions,” she murmured. Then she opened her eyes briefly just in time to observe the humans’ reaction. They didn’t seem surprised.

Regina returned her focus to her drones and started sending out a few War Drones to range ahead a little way from the village, though she didn’t think that would do much good. She also brought the Winged Drones in lower and tried to take a closer look at the terrain. If nothing else, this was a good opportunity to familiarize herself with the area more thoroughly. Seeing everything laid out like this and then basically zooming in was cool. She wished she had a good computer and several monitors to properly show it.

“How far are you sending drones out?” Max asked softly.

Regina cracked open an eye and looked at him, shifting in her seat at the same time. “Hard to say, about a few dozen kilometers.” She turned back to look at the nobles. “Is there anything further from the borders of your barony that I should be aware of, or would it be worth it to look a little farther?”

Neralt shrugged after a moment of consideration. “Nothing that comes to mind,” he said. “There is no settlement or other construction close to us, except if you follow the road, I suppose, and no other point of interest.”

Regina nodded. Then she returned her focus to the drones. She’d let them travel a bit further, maybe she could see something.

After flying for what she estimated was a few kilometers beyond where she estimated the borders of the barony to be, she saw the first signs of civilization. Thin plumes of smoke were rising on the horizon, and she saw dark spots in the distance that could have been settlements. Regina nudged one of the Winged Drones to fly higher, disappearing into one of the low-hanging clouds that were scattered around the sky, while she kept the rest back.

When the drone dove again to get a view of the landscape below, Regina realized that she had happened upon an encamped army. She still kept it high enough up and far enough away that she couldn’t make out any details, so she didn’t see the coat of arms they were using. For a moment, she considered taking the drone further down and trying to get close enough to confirm it, but then she dismissed the idea. There were probably a few high-level fighters with this force, and they might have ways to discover her drone. She’d rather they didn’t find it spying on them.

Regina made the Winged Drone circle around once, mimicking the flight patterns of large birds of prey, before she had it turn and fly off. If she remembered the information the baron and the marquis’ messengers had shared correctly, this should be the gathered forces of a nearby earldom. The army, if one could call it that, was certainly far smaller than what she had heard about concerning the fighting in the forest. They would probably meet up with other forces before they actually went and did anything aggressive. Or even defensive, most likely.

“I’ve reached the forces of the county to the northwest, I think,” she said, opening her eyes.

“Earl Whitor’s men?” Baron Neralt asked. “I don’t think we’ve had any new information on which side he is taking recently.”

Regina frowned. “It seems pretty small, in terms of numbers. Maybe a few hundred people, definitely less than a thousand.”

“That is as I would have expected,” Marianne Neralt commented. “Keep in mind that the Cernlian nobility has already sent many men to fight in the king’s war with Nerlia against the elves, Milady. I expect that many of the lords would have kept some of their strength back - enthusiasm for the war was never particularly high, from what I’ve heard - but there are still only so many fighters to go around.”

“Not to mention that alliances and positions are still being drawn,” the baron added. “Many lords will want to keep at least some assurance or some measure of security at home, in case they have to ward against an attack by a neighbor or even one from further away.”

Regina nodded. “This is a bit of a mess, from what I’ve heard,” she commented. She hesitated for a moment. “That army is still several dozen kilometers away, so I doubt we have to worry about it. I’ll keep an eye out, though. Maybe we can even find out more about the position of various forces in the region.”

“That would be helpful,” Neralt said. “But I was under the impression that you wanted to keep your drones at home and, what was it you said, a low profile?”

“I did,” Regina confirmed. She glanced at Max, who shrugged slightly. “We’ll see. Perhaps it’s best to ask for more information from Marquis Lyns before we decide anything.”

No one had anything else to say about that, so Regina refocused on the drones she’d left in the air. She sent the other groups a little further out, trying to see more of the terrain and maybe any settlements or army camps without making the drones easy to discover.

She did catch sight of what might have been one of the latter, further to the southeast, but there were two towns relatively close in that direction, and she made the decision to keep her drones well away from those. She just hoped that she might get an Evolution option for at least one of them that made them a stealthier scout. Besides faster flight and increased carrying capacity. There are a few upgrades that would be nice to have.

After a while, she decided she had seen all she was going to and focused on getting her drones back. She had a few of them fly home on roundabout paths, though, taking the opportunity to scout the terrain more thoroughly.

After a few moments, she noticed something. She sat up straighter, frowning a little, and deliberated for a moment before sending a Winged Drone in for a closer look.

“What is it, my Queen?” Max asked. “Did you find something?”

“It looks like we are getting some visitors,” Regina answered. She blinked and glanced at their hosts, before returning her attention to what she saw through her drone’s eyes. “From the forest. They will probably be here soon. It looks like a party of ten or so, and they’re definitely coming from Ariedel, not Nerlia or anything.” She paused for a moment, then told her drone to turn about. “In fact, it looks like there’s an elven scout.”

“Then I’m sure Commander Anuis will be able to help,” the younger Neralt said, but he still seemed a bit tense. He hesitated for a moment, before seemingly gathering his courage to speak up. “Milady, not to be impertinent, but what are your plans for this barony? For my men?”

Regina frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean. I thought I’d been pretty open about what I was planning here.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, Milady. I know that Marquis Lyns has essentially given us into your keeping. Already, your forces are likely much stronger than mine. I was not called on to send many men to the war, given our position at the border. In fact, several soldiers were assigned to us precisely because we were guarding it. I was simply wondering if you were intending on using them.”

Regina’s eyes narrowed as she felt a flash of anger. She took a deep breath and suppressed the feeling, knowing it wasn’t entirely fair. Still, his question rubbed her the wrong way. “Your soldiers are still alive because I elected not to see their death,” she said with a hint of frost in her tone. Then she shook her head. “I was planning to rely on my hive and whatever forces the elves might put into play, but I might feel compelled to deploy your soldiers, as well.”

The baron frowned and exchanged a look with his mother. After a moment, he bowed his head. “I apologize if I caused offense, Milady. We certainly appreciate the mercy you showed.” Those words sounded a bit forced, but she supposed she couldn’t blame him for that.

“Don’t worry, baron,” Regina said. “Soon enough, my hive will grow to such a level that your forces will be almost insignificant in comparison.”

“Not that we don’t appreciate your assistance and will continue to do so,” Max put in, glancing at Regina.

“Of course,” she quickly agreed. “Your valuable insight and guidance will always be appreciated, Lady Marianne, Lord Elric. And I will do my best to ensure that you and the people in your domain will continue to benefit from our association.”

He nodded and smiled. Regina found it hard to tell if that expression was sincere. “Of course, Lady Regina. I wouldn’t doubt it.”

Regina forced another smile, acutely aware, even if she didn’t show it, that Max was still looking at her.