The Master stepped from the back of the boxed truck then checked the front of his coat. Impeccable as always. ‘You, follow me,’ he said to a man with a clipboard. He walked around the left side of the house as he spoke. ‘There must be an enclosed entry for my guests, rather like a tunnel.’
‘Yes, sir, we’re prepped for that. Where do you want it to run?’
‘From the driveway nearest the house to the main tent in the backyard. I demand complete privacy for them.’
‘Understood, sir. So we’ll run it around to the south, following the path, then to the area near the oak tree. Is that correct?’
‘Absolutely, but it must be completed before noon. Is that clear?’
‘Completely, sir. We have several hours, so it should be no problem.’
‘Excellent.’ The Master gave him a tight-lipped smile and went through the French doors into the house to watch the progress from the comfort of the couch. He had a short visit to make after they finished, but he would oversee this task first. This afternoon was too important to leave in the hands of minions. He glanced at his watch. He would appear precisely at 1:10.
He flitted from one shadow into another. The huge cavern before him pulsed with life, the grunts of mating and eating blending into a low hum. Fighting for supremacy would follow, it always did. The Kafla, his children, his pets, had come to this place in response to an irresistible call. His call. Thousands of them filled the main chamber and spilled into the tunnel tributaries, forming the largest hive in their history. The strongest and most able occupied the end of the chamber nearest their sacred ledge. He smiled.
A large female Warrior raised a scarred claw upward and huffed rhythmically as he materialized from the shadows into the flickering torchlight. The Warrior cried out, her language guttural but understood by her hive mates. It repeated through the cavern in a sibilant wave. ‘The Master!’ She fell to her knees in obeisance.
He wore a simple loincloth, exposing his perfect physique, silver hair and alabaster skin. The thump of knees falling to the ground sounded like a roll of thunder then a hush fell over the vast cave.
‘Our faithful servants,’ his voice rang out. He spoke in the language he’d created for them, knowing that pictures of understanding now blossomed in even the most prehensile mind. ‘You have gathered at our call and battled for passage to a new land. Now a moment is upon you. The Shroud is torn, and a new home awaits.’
Roars of assent resounded off the walls.
‘A sign will appear in that land. The sun will be blotted from the sky, and a new time of passage will begin.’
He raised his hands to silence the answering cry of the hive. ‘The time is near. We have chosen those to be honored. Open your ranks and let them pass.’ As he spoke, select Hunters, Warriors, Trackers and Breeders moved from various points of the mass toward the pathway. ‘Come forth, dear beauties, hear our voice, heed our instructions.’
Images appeared in their minds as they approached; soft green grass, a white tunnel, a metal box. They saw themselves quietly moving into the box, then awaiting the Master’s release and understood — this was an invasion of stealth, not combat. Blood and destruction would come later, the visions assured them. Two hundred Kafla lined the sacred path, stopping at the entrance to the ledge. At its front, awaiting his summons, stood the female Warrior who first recognized his approach.
The black roiling mass of the Tear appeared. ‘Prepare yourselves, pets, the moment is nearly upon us.’