Another Mother

by Croabadrake

Chapter Nine: Devourer and the Dreaded Ichabod

Ichabod sat on the floor. He'd been waiting for a while now... when was that thing going to come back? It left him to check on babies or something some time ago... how long had it been? Ichabod glanced around, noting a few nearby changelings in important-looking armor keeping their eyes on him. He idly contemplated how easy it would be to smash one compared to the really big one that beat him up earlier... probably not that hard. They were much smaller. They looked kind of like horses... his mind went back to the days when he simply ambushed travelers on the road with his siblings, in his mother's territory. The horses or mudlets that travelers often rode made good side dishes...

Ichabod looked around again, hearing heavy footsteps. It was finally coming back! He stood up and waited a moment more before the now-familiar lumbering black shape came into view. The Devourer didn't look happy with whatever had happened wherever it went.

"You're back," Ichabod said.

"Yes," the Devourer replied. "Your brothers are lucky..."

"...what about my brothers?" Ichabod asked, a small feeling of urgency and anger rising in him.

"They are lucky," it restated. "I caught your brothers Lun and Lod somewhere they shouldn't have been... were you not guests of the dear queen, I would have crushed them."

Ichabod nearly lurched forwards towards the Devourer, but had a rare moment of personal restraint... mommy had told him to play nice with the changelings. He couldn't let mommy down again. He sighed, releasing some tension.

"...I forgot why you took me here," he said, trying to change the subject.

"To help me," the Devourer replied with slight annoyance. "A demolition job was moved to today from a week in the future, so that I could watch over you..."

It tried to control its expression to neutrality instead of the grimace of disapproval it felt trying to take over... right now, it would much rather be down in the mines rather than babysitting these outsiders. However, it did feel some content with the situation... keeping the sorceress and her children happy in the hive would do the colony much good -- a steady source of love for them to passively feed off of for a time, at least until the dear queen decided they had outlived their usefulness.

"...Demolition?" Ichabod asked after a moment, breaking the Devourer's train of thought.

"Yes," it responded. "Over time, even the hive's construction sometimes begins to decay, or falls prey to the damage of daily use... when walls or rooms must be dismantled, I am usually called up from my den to take care of it."

"Ohhh..." Ichabod replied. "...you mean you... destroy them?"

"Yes," the Devourer said. "I destroy the walls, that is what I was implying."

Ichabod smiled. "That sounds like fun...!"

"Yes... it most certainly is not boring." The Devourer smiled with him. It liked Ichabod's enthusiasm.

"What needs breaking?" Ichabod asked.

"These three walls..." the Devourer said, pointing to the one behind Ichabod and the two adjacent ones. "These are showing signs of aging damage..."

Without hesitation, Ichabod turned and put his fist through the wall at his back.

"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

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Some time later, Ichabod felt the Devourer's claw wrap around his forearm, stopping his punch.

"...we're done," the Devourer said once Ichabod began to come to his senses and calm down again.

"What?" Ichabod asked. He knew what the Devourer meant, but he was having fun...

"We've destroyed more than we should have," it growled. "Or more accurately, you have."

"But I broke what you told me to," Ichabod retorts.

"You broke what I told you to, and everything next to it. Walls, not the rooms. I'm also surprised the wall window is still intact", it said, motioning to the single wall in the room that was actually a window at the side of the hive.

"I don't get it."

The Devourer facepalmed, frustration rising. It slid its claws apart to look at the childish monster.

"The walls, you imbecile. Not the furniture."

"But when you break furniture nobody gets mad!"

"I don't go out of my way to do it, if it is broken during the demolition of a wall that's okay since it's easy to remake!"

Ichabod huffs. "Then what did I do wrong?"

"You made sure to break everything in the room!" the Devourer says, raising its voice. "Not just what was next to the walls, but everything in the middle of the room as well!"

"...I don't get it," Ichabod says.

"AUGH!" the Devourer cried. "We are DONE, that's all you need to know right now! If not for-"

Ichabod was suddenly concerned with something outside, through the window. The Devourer made a hand motion at him indicating frustration, a perfect blend between anger an the incomplete phrase indicating 'why he's not'. It gave up after a moment and followed his gaze.

It took it a second to realize what it was looking at: a large number of humanoid figures, all of them dressed completely in the color grey. They were advancing towards the hive.

"...what are those!?" the Devourer growled.

"......G-Grey guards...!" Ichabod responded, stuttering with surprise.

"Grey whats!?!"

"Grey guards! The servants of the Shadow Lord!"

"The servants of who!!?"

"The Shadow Lord, he took over Deltora...!"

"Took over where!?!?"

"...okay, now you're just pulling my leg."

The Devourer roared in frustration. Or more like gurgled/coughed, and then jumped through the window -- it didn't matter what they were, what color they were, who they served, nor where they came from: they were intruders. And it didn't look like they were going to be as easily subdued as Thaegan and her children.

Ichabod stood alone in the room, looking at the large hole in the glass. His mind briefly flicked back towards what they were arguing about before: what was it again? Walls and furniture? Ichabod grunted and punched out a bit of glass that was remaining, and then jumped back down after the Devourer to ask him.

Comments

[Razzy]

Poor Devourer.