The hive tunnels branched in every direction.
Holden moved through them like a ghost. The walls pulsed with bioluminescent slime that painted the darkness in shades of sickly purple. The air was thick and humid, heavy with the smell of rot and something chemical. Every time he got near a bug, it scrambled away in fear because it could feel his power.
The tunnels opened into a massive cavern.
It was a breeding ground. Hundreds of eggs sat in neat rows along the walls, each one the size of a watermelon, their shells glowing with internal light. Cords of purple slime acted like feeding tubes, connecting the eggs to the walls and delivering dark energy to them.
And at the very center, the Queen waited.
She was enormous.
