Izzik woke to the smell of his tree, the hideaway from so many years ago that Izzik had been forced to come back to after the darklings emerged. Izzik’s wings struggled to move under the weight of Izzik’s carapace, Izzik’s lifeblood buzzing in happiness as it felt Izzik coming back to it. Izzik’s many eyes blinked in the low light, the quiet din of conversation solving the mystery of how Izzik had found Izzik’s way here. Izzik couldn’t help but listen in to the words spoken by the two strangers, and the strange noises their winged companion added.

The red one, who seemed unable to understand Izzik, was speaking at the moment. “We can’t take the risk that this floor’s only goal is survival.” It said with a sigh. “If we have to delay our plans by yet another week, it could be the difference between meeting the wolf at the door with pitchforks and spears.” It paused, something hanging in the air between the red one and the hairy-faced one for quiet moments. “It could be the difference between being the first to meet the wolf and the pointless sacrifice of the fields of lambs between us and them.”

A pleasant tone emerged from the winged member, and the larger hairy-faced one nodded solemnly as if it understood. “I know. I just don’t think it’s safe for me to go in there. Those hornets could’ve easily killed me, and from watching the gatehouse for a few hours, I’m damn sure they weren’t the strongest Lighthome could throw at us. But what brought this on?”

The hairy-faced one leaned in, its hands wrapped around a glass bottle with a clear liquid trapped inside. Its eyes narrowed, and when it next spoke, its words held uncertainty and undertones of frustration.

“You keep flopping from concern for my safety to concern for your city, without anything telling me when you’ll swap it. What’s going on, Shar? Are you getting reports you aren’t telling me about?”

“I’m not.” The red one, who Izzik assumed was this ‘Shar’, answered instantly. “The last report I received was back at home, the first time I exploded at you. But when we start sitting around, and there isn’t anything to take my mind off what could be happening to the Gilded Night…”

As it trailed off, Izzik felt a pang of sympathy for this Shar. Izzik wanted nothing more than to walk the waxen halls of Lighthome, taking in the buzzing wonder that used to be Izzik’s home.

“Is that why you dumped carrying Izzik on Flow and me?” The hairy-faced one gestured at the winged one, ‘Flow’, as it spoke. “Because you were trying to take your mind off of what could be happening? Is that why you barely slept while we were on the safe floor? Because you’d take out your worries about the Gilded Night on Flow and me?”

The Shar shook its head, the smooth bottom of its face splitting into a too-long small smile. “I would never do anything like that to Flow. But you…” The Shar shrugged in exaggeration. “Well, you aren’t my brethren, are you?”

“That’s discrimination.” The hairy-faced one thrust a single finger towards the Shar, but its mouth curled upwards. “You can’t just treat Flow better than me because they’re a wisp.”

A wisp? Izzik locked all Izzik’s eyes on the Flow, stifling a gasp as Izzik felt the same light he gathered within the Flow. At least Izzik thought Izzik had stifled that gasp, but all the eyes on Izzik now made Izzik question Izzik’s control over Izzik’s own faculties.

“Oh, you’re awake. Sorry for eating some of you.” The Shar chuckled. “Was that gasp for Flow, or because of how I hold such an Issi prejudice against my friend Elach here?”

“It was for the Flow.” Izzik said sheepishly. Such a shameful outburst, and one Izzik had tried to hide, making it all the more shameful. “Izzik apologizes if Izzik interrupted the conversation.”

“Another branch of the same old disagreement.” The Elach sighed. “You didn’t interrupt anything, Izzik. Are you feeling any better? You up and collapsed on us back there.”

Izzik pushed the covers off Izzik’s torso, leaning back against the cool wood of Izzik’s hideaway. The worst injuries had only just closed, and Izzik’s lifeblood was dangerously low on both life and blood. Yet here Izzik was, staring into the bizarre eyes of the Elach and the Shar as the Flow hobbled along the Elach’s shoulders.

“Izzik is doing far better than before thanks to the Elach and the Shar.” Izzik said with a small bow, the best Izzik could manage in bed. Izzik’s lifeblood stirred towards the Elach, and the memories of the time Izzik wasn’t there slowly bled back. “Izzik would like to know how the Elach could understand Izzik’s lifeblood.”

The Elach laughed and shook its head. “I’d like to know too, if you manage to figure it out.”

“The Elach does not know? But the Elach was the one who spoke to Izzik’s lifeblood.” Izzik shook Izzik’s head and muttered to Izzik. “How could the Elach have done so without knowing how it did what it did? Are the outsiders so different from Izzik and Izzik’s people?”

The Shar leaned over and whispered something unheard into the Elach’s ear, and the Elach gestured with its hand for the Shar to wait. The Shar sighed theatrically and offered an arm for the Flow, who melodically agreed and took to the Shar’s red flesh. “We’re going to make sure the other insect-people aren’t planning an ambush for us. Flow will inform you if we need to make a hasty retreat.”

“I’ll keep an ear out.” The Elach said with a nod, putting all its focus on Izzik. It raised an eyebrow, studying Izzik as Izzik wanted to study it. “Why do you call me ‘the Elach’? You call yourself Izzik, not ‘the’ Izzik, so what’s different about me, Shar and Flow?”

“Izzik of many-lights is this one’s full name, and was earned. The Elach and its companions have not earned a name, so the ‘the’ has not been removed.” Izzik answered plainly. All who called Lighthome home knew the naming ceremonies. Yet these were outsiders, Izzik realized, and would be closer to the Prisoner’s knowledge rather than Izzik’s own.

Izzik bowed once more in apology. “Izzik apologizes. Izzik forgot the Elach was from outside, and would not know. The Prisoner…” Izzik paused. “No, not the. Only Prisoner. Prisoner did not take the name it was given, insisting that it did not earn the title, and grew frustrated when ‘the’ was added to its name. Izzik should have known the…” Izzik cleared Izzik’s throat. “Excuse Izzik. Izzik should have known Elach would wish the same as Prisoner.”

“‘The’ Elach doesn’t really care, so say whatever’s easier for you. Pressing on to the meat of the discussion, though; how long do you need until you’re up and running? Your tree here,” the Elach patted the wood of Izzik’s hideaway, “said you’d need another hour to an hour and a half. Does that sound right to you?”

“The Elach can speak to the hideaway?” Izzik asked incredulously. “That is not possible. The hideaway perished long before Izzik found it, and any lifeblood you might find was from things Izzik installed. The curtain, the roots, everything.”

The Elach raised an eyebrow as the hideaway creaked in the wind. “Izzik doesn’t seem to think you’re alive.” The Elach spoke to thin air, the hideaway creaking and shuddering seemingly in response. “I’ll tell him.” The Elach said with a nod. “The hideaway says you left a lot of light in it the last time you were here, and that it… dispersed? Is that the right word? The light made its way into the walls, roots, and curtain, and now the hideaway is alive once more.”

Creaking that seemed like laughter met Izzik’s ears, and words would not come to Izzik. Izzik sat there, eyes wide and mouth agape, feeling at the light that was now ever-present in Izzik’s old hideaway. Izzik’s lifeblood stirred at the familiar feeling, illuminating Izzik’s eyes in a way that made the Elach sit forward with interest.

“I’m guessing that this isn’t normal around here?” The Elach chuckled.

“It is not.” Izzik answered seriously. “If what the Hideaway has told the Elach is correct, then the Hideaway is in great danger. The great lights will feel a usurper to Lighthome through the luminous web, if the great lights have not already, and the Hideaway will be scraped from the web.”

The Elach shook its head and sighed. “Tyrants everywhere, huh. Wish we could do something about it, but we’re only here for another five days. In which we need to get into Lighthome, we’re thinking. So, Izzik; how long until you can help us get those many-lights you’re named for?”