The Bees: A Novel

Prologue

THE OLD ORCHARD STOOD BESIEGED. TO ONE SIDE SPREAD a vast, arable plain, a dullard’s patchwork of corn and soy reaching to the dark tree line of the hills. To the other, a light-industrial development stretched toward the town.

Between the dripping trees the remains of a path still showed. A man in early middle age kicked at the tall nettles and docks to widen it. Neat in her navy business suit, a younger woman followed. She paused to take some photographs with her phone.

I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve put out some feelers, and we’re already beating them off with sticks. Prime brownfield location.

The man stared through the trees, not listening.

There—thought for a moment it had vanished.

An old wooden beehive stood camouflaged against the trees. The woman drew back.

I won’t come any closer, she said. I’m a bit funny about insects.

So’s my father. He calls them his girls. The man looked up at the low gray sky. Is that more rain? What happened to summer?

The woman glanced up from her phone. I know! I’ve forgotten what blue sky looks like. Must be hard with the kids out of school.

They barely notice. They’re always online.

He walked forward and peered closer at the hive.

A few bees emerged from a small hole at the bottom. They walked along a narrow wooden ledge and hummed their wings.

He watched them for a while, then turned back to her. I’m sorry. Now is not the right time.

Oh! She put her phone away. Have you—changed your mind?

He shook his head.

No. I’ll sell . . . He cleared his throat. But not yet. It feels wrong.

Of course. She hesitated. I suppose it’s very hard to know approximately . . . ?

Could be months. Could be tomorrow.

The woman allowed a respectful silence.

"Well, rest assured that when you are ready, it’s a seller’s market."

She began walking back along the path.

The man stood alone by the hive. On impulse he put his palm against the wood, as if feeling for a pulse. Then he turned and followed her.

Behind them, bees rose into the brightening air.

One

THE CELL SQUEEZED HER, AND THE AIR WAS HOT AND fetid. All the joints of her body burned from her frantic twisting against the walls. Her head was pressed into her chest and her legs shot with cramps, but her struggles had worked—one wall felt weaker. She kicked out with all her strength and felt something crack and break. She forced and tore and bit until there was a jagged hole into fresher air beyond.

She dragged her body through and fell out onto the floor of an alien world. Static roared through her brain, thunderous vibrations shook the ground, and a thousand scents dazed her mind. All she could do was breathe until gradually the vibration and static subsided and the scent evaporated into the air. Her rigid body unlocked and she calmed as knowledge filled her mind.

This was the Arrivals Hall, and she was a worker.

Her kin was flora and her number was 717.

Certain of her first task, she set about cleaning out her cell. In her violent struggle to hatch she had broken the whole front wall, unlike her neater neighbors. She looked, then followed their example, piling her debris neatly by the ruins. The activity cleared her senses, and she felt the vastness of the Arrivals Hall and how the vibrations in the air changed in different areas.

Row upon row of cells like hers stretched into the distance, and there the cells were quiet but resonant, as if the occupants still slept. Immediately around her was great activity, with many recently broken and cleared-out chambers and many more cracking and falling as new bees arrived. The differing scents of her neighbors also came into focus, some sweeter, some sharper, all of them pleasant to absorb.

With a hard, erratic pulse in the ground, a young female came running down the corridor between the cells, her face frantic.

Halt! Harsh voices reverberated from both ends of the corridor and a strong, astringent scent rose in the air. Every bee stopped moving except the young female, who stumbled and fell across Flora’s pile of debris. Then she clawed her way into the remains of the broken cell and huddled in the corner, her little hands up.

Cloaked in a bitter scent that hid their faces and made them identical, dark figures strode down the corridor toward Flora. Pushing her aside, they dragged out the weeping young bee. At the sight of their spiked gauntlets, a spasm of fear in Flora’s brain released more knowledge. They were police.

You fled inspection. One of them pulled at the girl’s wings so another could examine the four still-wet membranes. The edge of one was shriveled.

Spare me, she cried. I will not fly; I will serve in any other way—

Deformity is evil. Deformity is not permitted.

Before the young bee could speak the two officers pressed her head down until there was a sharp crack. She hung limp between them and they dropped her body in the corridor.

You. Their peculiar rasping voice addressed Flora. She did not know which one spoke, so she stared at the black hooks on the backs of their legs. Hold still. Long black calipers slid from their gauntlets and they measured her height. Excessive variation. Abnormal.

That will be all, officers. At the kind voice and fragrant smell, the police released Flora. They bowed to a tall and well-groomed bee with a beautiful face.

Sister Sage. This one is obscenely ugly.

And excessively large—

It would appear so. Thank you, officers, you may go.

Sister Sage waited for them to leave. She smiled at Flora.

To fear them is good. Be still while I read your kin—

I am Flora 717.

Sister Sage raised her antennae. A sanitation worker who speaks. Most notable . . .

Flora stared at her tawny-and-gold face with its huge dark eyes. Am I to be killed?

Do not question a priestess. Sister Sage ran her hands down the sides of Flora’s face. Open your mouth. She looked inside. Perhaps. Then she inclined her head over Flora’s mouth and fed her one golden drop of honey.

The effect was immediate and astonishing. Clarity washed Flora’s mind, and her body filled with strength. She understood that Sister Sage wished her to follow in silence, and that she must do whatever this sister asked.

As they walked down the corridor Flora noticed how every bee averted her eyes and busied herself, and how the dead body of the young worker was already far ahead of them, carried in the mouth of a dark, hunched bee who walked in the gutter. There were many more of the same type, all moving on the edge of the corridor. Some carried bundles of soiled wax, others scrubbed at broken cells. None looked up.

They are your kin-sisters. Sister Sage followed Flora’s eyes. All of them mute. Presently you will join them in Sanitation, and perform valuable service to our hive. But first, a private experiment. She smiled at Flora. Come.

Flora followed gladly, all memory of the killing lost in her longing to taste more honey.

Two

THE PRIESTESS WALKED SWIFTLY THROUGH THE PALE corridors of the Arrivals Hall. Flora followed closely, her brain recording all the sounds and scents as different kin broke free of their emergence chambers. Many more dark sanitation workers moved along the gutters with bundles of soiled wax. Noting their sharp, distinctive odor and how other bees avoided any contact with them, Flora drew closer to Sister Sage and her fragrant wake.

The priestess paused, antennae raised. They had come to the edge of the Arrivals Hall, where the countless rows of emergence cells ended and a large hexagonal doorway led into a smaller chamber. A burst of applause from within carried out a thrilling new odor. Flora looked up at Sister Sage.

Unfortunate timing, said the priestess. But I must pay my respects. They went inside, where she put Flora to wait by the wall and then went to the front of a large crowd of bees. Flora watched as once again they burst out clapping, standing around the front of a still-closed emergence cell.

Flora stared around this beautiful room. It was obviously an Arrivals Hall for more favored bees, for it was spaciously arranged around two rows of central cells, each one made of six large and beautifully carved individual compartments. Sister Sage stood in the welcoming committee before one of them, where many bees held platters of pastries and pitchers of nectared water. The delicious smells sharpened Flora’s own hunger and thirst.

Muffled curses and thuds came from within the decorated walls of the compartment, as if the occupant was leaping and jumping. At the sound of breaking wax, the assembled sisters redoubled their applause and their kin-scents flowed stronger with excitement. Flora detected a molecule of a different scent, and her brain knew its pheromone signal: A male— A male arrives—

Worship to His Maleness! cried several feminine voices as a carved piece of wax fell out, followed by screams of delight as through the hole came the large, plumed head of a brand-new drone.

Worship to His Maleness! the sisters cheered again, and they rushed to help him out, pulling the wax free themselves and making a staircase of their bodies.

Quite high, he said as he walked down on top of them. And quite tiring.

He puffed his dronely scent around himself and roused more sighs and applause.

Welcome and worship to His Maleness. Sister Sage curtsied low. As all the other bees graciously did the same, Flora stared in admiration and tried to copy the movement. Honor to our hive, said Sister Sage as she rose.

Too kind. But his smile had charm, and all the sisters returned it, gazing at him avidly. He was rumpled but elegant, and very concerned with the exact set of his neck ruff. When he had finally arranged it to his liking he bowed with a great flourish. Then, to the sisters’ fervent applause, he showed himself off from many angles, stretching out his legs in pairs, puffing his plume, and even treating them to a sudden roar of his engine. They screamed in delight and fanned each other, and some scrambled to offer him pastries and water.

Flora watched him eat and drink, her own mouth dry and her hunger keen.

Greed is a sin, 717. Sister Sage was beside her again. Take care.

She walked on, and before Flora could look again at the drone, her antennae tugged sharply from the line of scent the priestess had attached without her knowledge. She ran to catch up.

AS SHE FOLLOWED, the vibrations in the comb floor became more insistent, stronger and stronger, as if it were a living thing beneath her, energy running in all directions. With a buzzing sensation through all her six feet, a torrent of information rushed up into her body and her brain. Overwhelmed, Flora stopped in the middle of a large lobby. Under her feet spread a vast mosaic of hexagonal floor tiles, the patterns scrolling across the lobby and down the corridors. Endless streams of bees crisscrossed all around them, and the air was thick with scent broadcasting.

Sister Sage came back to her.

Well! You appear to have accessed every floor code at once. Stay very still. She lightly touched both Flora’s antennae with her own.

A new fragrance rose up around them like a cocoon. Flora breathed it deep inside, and the rushing confusion in her brain subsided. Her body calmed and her heart filled with joy, for the fragrance told her with utter certainty that she, Flora 717, was loved.

Mother! she cried out as she sank to her knees. Holy Mother.

Not quite. The priestess looked gratified. Though I am of the same noble kin as Her Majesty, all praise to her eggs. And as the Queen most graciously permitted me to attend her today, I am richly blessed with her scent. That which you feel is but a tiny fraction of the Queen’s Love, 717.

Sister Sage’s voice came from a great distance and Flora nodded. As the Queen’s Love flowed through her body and brain, all the different frequencies and codes in the tiles slowed and clarified into a map of the hive, constantly running with information. Everything was fascinating and beautiful, and she turned her gaze to the priestess.

Yes. Very receptive. Sister Sage looked at her, then pointed to a new area of the mosaic. Now stand over there.

Obediently Flora moved, and felt how the comb transmitted subtly different vibrations and frequencies. She adjusted her feet to receive the strongest signal, and the priestess watched with keen attention.

You feel something—but do you comprehend it?

Flora wanted to answer that she did, but her physical bliss prevented her speaking and she could only stare. At her silence, Sister Sage relaxed.

Good. Knowledge only causes pain to your kin.

As they walked on, Flora’s euphoria stabilized into a feeling of deep physical relaxation and heightened perceptions. Only now did she fully appreciate the beauty of Sister Sage’s elegant form, how her pale gold fur lay in silky stripes against the thin brown gloss of her bands, themselves exactly matched by the shade of her six legs. Long, translucent wings folded down her back, and her antennae tapered to fine points.

They continued deeper into the hive, Flora entranced by its carved and frescoed walls of ancient scent and the beautiful blend of her living sisters. She did not feel how the golden tiles changed underfoot and the bare, pale wax began, or how the priestess spread her cloak of scent over them both as they entered a small empty corridor that held no vibration at all.

Only when they stopped before a plain doorway did she feel how far they had traveled, and that she was still very hungry.

Soon. Sister Sage answered as if Flora had spoken. She touched a panel in the wall, and the door opened.

Three

THE LITTLE CHAMBER WAS TRANQUIL AND BARE, AND A beautiful, soft smell filtered through the walls. The pale hexagonal tiles showed a wide tread of past wear across the center of the room, and Flora set her feet wider in case there was any information to detect.

All long gone. Sister Sage had her back turned and faced another door, but she still knew what Flora did. And you will hold your tongue.

Then came the sound of running feet, and another bee burst into the room. She stopped in shock at the sight of the priestess standing before her.

Sister Sage! We were not expecting you. By her hard, shiny bands she was a senior, but her fur was yellow, her face coarse, and her antennae blunt. She bowed deeply. Sister Sage inclined her head.

Sister Teasel. Are you well?

Never doubt it; every Teasel as strong and willing as ever. You will not find sickness in this kin! Why? Has someone been found ailing?

No. Not at all. Sister Sage’s attention rested for a moment on the far wall. Flora looked too. Where the worn tiles ended was the faintest outline of a third door.

Sister Teasel clutched her hands together.

A visit from a priestess of the Melissae is always an honor—but did not Sister in her wisdom order this side of the Nursery closed off? Otherwise someone would surely have been stationed here to receive you—

I wished to avoid notice. Sister Sage looked down the dim corridor from which Sister Teasel had come. Sister Teasel took the opportunity to stare at Flora. Alarmed at her tangible disapproval, Flora attempted a clumsy curtsy. Sister Teasel rapped her hard on the closest knee.

Forward, never splayed! She looked to Sister Sage. Such boldness! But by her wet fur she is newly emerged—I do not understand?

We were obliged to wait while a drone emerged. She saw such antics there.

Oh a new prince! Honor to our hive! Was he very handsome straightaway? Or does it come upon them as their fur rises? How I long—

Sister Teasel, how many nurses have you lost?

Since last inspection? Sister Teasel stared in alarm. Compared to other departments, hardly any. We are not like foragers, we keep ourselves safe from the outer world and its perils—but even our kin will sometimes suffer. She cleared her throat. Six, Sister, since last inspection. I move them on for the slightest sign of confusion or hint of ailing—we take no chances. And of course, we have only the very purest kin here, and the most obedient. She coughed. Six, Sister.

Sister Sage nodded. And what do you hear, of other departments?

Oh! Mere canteen gossip, idle tittle-tattle, nothing I would repeat—

Please do. Sister Sage focused her attention on Sister Teasel, her scent flexing in the air. Flora looked down at the waxen tiles and kept very still. Sister Teasel twisted her hands together.

Sister Sage, we are very fortunate in the Nursery, plenty of food, everything brought to us—we do not feel the shortages, we face no dangers . . . She faltered.

Come, Sister. Unburden yourself. Sister Sage was calm and kind, and Sister Teasel dared look up.

They say the season is deformed by rain, that the flowers shun us and fall unborn, that foragers are falling from the air and no one knows why! She plucked at her fur convulsively. They say we will starve and the babies will all die, and my little nurses are worrying so much I fear they will forget— She shook her head. "Not that they do, Sister, ever, for they are most strictly supervised, and the rotas are always guarded even if they could count—you may kill me if it is not so."

You need not give permission. Sister Sage smiled and Sister Teasel burst out laughing and reached for one of her hands.

Oh, Sister Sage, it does me such good to jest with you—now that I have shared the burden, I am no longer fearful!

That is the role of the Melissae: to carry all fears, so the hive is free. A calming scent flowed from Sister Sage and filled the chamber.

Amen, said Sister Teasel. But oh for the courage of the kin of Thistle.

Why? What do they do? Too late Flora remembered herself.

Sister Teasel looked at her in outrage, her own distress forgotten.

"She speaks? The impudence! Sister Sage, please spare my curiosity and tell me the reason for her presence. If it is to clean, then I shall add her to the next detail—but I hope all Sanitation is not now possessed of tongues for we shall be in uproar! She glared at Flora. Obstreperous, dirty creatures."

Does Sister Teasel stand in judgment of our purpose?

No, Sister, never. Forgive me.

Then kindly recall that variation is not the same as deformity.

Sister graces me with her superior wisdom—though to my ignorant eyes those terms are one and the same. Sister Teasel stood back from Flora. How monstrously large she is—and that fur when it dries will be thick as a drone’s, and her shell as black as a crow’s—not that I have ever seen one, thank Mother.

Sister Sage became very still. You are fatigued perhaps, by your long duty? Your loyal heart wishes to serve longer, yet your spirits tire?

Sister Teasel shook her head in alarm.

Sister Sage turned to Flora. Open your mouth, 717. Let Sister Teasel look.

Flora obeyed and Sister Teasel promptly peered in. She looked to Sister Sage in surprise. Then she grasped Flora’s tongue and pulled it to its full length before letting it snap back in her mouth.

I see! It might indeed be possible, but with that tongue comes—

She will lose its use when it is time for her to rejoin her kin. And should it linger, I will personally wipe any knowledge from her mind. Test her, and if she does not produce anything, send her on immediately. Sister Sage looked kindly at Flora. This experiment is a privilege. What do you say?

Accept, Obey, and Serve. The words blurted from Flora’s mouth unbidden. Sister Teasel shuddered.

Let us hope she will. Such ugliness!

Ashamed, Flora turned back to Sister Sage as her shield, but the priestess had vanished.

They do that. Sister Teasel watched her. Never know where you are with them, always surprising you. Come along then. She pushed open a door and Flora smelled the sweet, pure fragrance beyond it. If Sister Sage herself hadn’t told me to do this, I’d call it sacrilege. She pushed Flora through the door with her foot. Let’s get this over with.

Four

THE ENORMOUS NURSERY WAS FILLED WITH ROW AFTER row of glowing cribs, some with little rippling streams of light above them. Flora followed Sister Teasel deeper into the chamber. To her wonder, the light was, in fact, a luminous liquid, pouring in droplets from the mouths of the young nurses who leaned over the cribs. Many more young, pretty nurses moved silently about the ward with glowing mouths.

It is so beautiful!

Despite her resentment, Sister Teasel smoothed her chest fur and nodded. She pointed to an unattended crib. What gender?

Flora looked in. The larva was newly hatched, soft, pearly tendrils of shell still clinging to the translucent white skin. Its tiny face was closed in sleep and a sweet milky smell drifted above it.

A female. She is so beautiful!

Just another worker. Now find a male. Sister Teasel indicated the whole vast Nursery.

Yes, Sister. Flora raised her antennae. At each row she drew in the smell of female babies, strong and constant.

You can’t do it from here you silly girl—

Flora did not answer. She smelled the different kin of the young nurses and all the thousand female children. There was no scent of male.

I have searched and there are none. Why is that?

Sister Teasel stared at her. Late in the season Holy Mother stops making them. She shook herself. A fine sense of smell is the gift of youth. But it will pass, and in any case, it is not enough to keep you out of Sanitation. Now hold your bold tongue and let us conclude this foolish experiment.

Sister Teasel pushed Flora back to the first worker crib she had shown her and tapped on its side so that the little creature woke. When it opened its mouth and began to cry, she folded her arms in satisfaction and looked at Flora. And now?

Flora leaned in to look, and the larva-baby flexed and stretched toward her. As it opened its tiny mouth to cry, its warm scent rose more strongly, threaded with the delicate fragrance of the Queen’s Love. Immediately, two pulses began flickering in Flora’s cheeks, and her mouth began to fill with sweet liquid. She looked to Sister Teasel in alarm.

Flow! cried Sister Teasel. Don’t swallow, let it come!

She guided Flora into the right position as the luminous drops spilled from her mouth. They fell onto the larva-baby and it stopped crying, wriggling around to lap them up. The drops thickened into a thin stream, which pooled around the baby’s body until it could drink no more.

Flora’s cheeks stopped flickering and the liquid stopped. Completely exhausted, she held the side of the crib for support. The baby grew as she watched, and the base of the crib glowed. Other nurses looked across.

Well, said Sister Teasel. If I had not seen it for myself. A flora from Sanitation, able to make royal jelly. Flow. She corrected herself. You must only ever call it Flow.

Why, Sister? Flora felt warm and sleepy.

Sister Teasel tutted.

No more questions. All you need to remember is feed as your supervisor instructs you. Not a drop more, no matter how the babies beg. And they will. Now I must find you a place to sleep—though I don’t know what the other girls will say about it. You mustn’t expect them to touch or groom you.

SISTER TEASEL LED FLORA to a rest area where young nurse bees lay talking quietly or sleeping, luminous traces fading around their mouths. She lay down at once.

Flora 717 is here by Sister Sage’s express wish. Sister Teasel’s tone dared anyone to remonstrate. Yes she makes Flow, and yes it is most irregular for her kin, but we are in the season of irregularity, with the rain and the cold and the lack of food—so we will all be helpful. Is that clear?

The nurses murmured assent and placed food and drink within Flora’s reach, but she was too tired to move. Sister Teasel’s voice continued above her and she knew that when the comb shivered, the divine fragrance that rose up from it was the Queen’s Love, and that this was the sacrament of Devotion. She wanted to join the sweet harmony of nurses in prayer, but the room was warm and dark, and the bed was soft.

LIKE THE OTHER NURSES’, Flora’s job was simple. She must give Flow to the babies as directed, rest when it stopped, then repeat. As Sister Teasel had stressed to Sister Sage, the feed timing was very strictly observed and marked with different bells that signaled when one or another area of the Nursery was due more or must stop feeding. These constantly chiming bells and the shimmering energy of the fed larvae created an intense and dreamlike aura in the Nursery, but one sound always alerted Flora’s attention. It was the bright, resonant tone of the sun bell, and its particular frequency told all the bees that beyond the safety of the hive walls, day had risen again.

Flora particularly enjoyed its vibration and listened out for its rare pleasure. Every three chimes, the supervising sisters came around and collected all the nurses whose fur had risen and whose Flow was dwindling, and replaced them with new ones fresh from the Arrivals Hall, their fur still soft and damp.

Flora’s fur had not changed, so she was kept on. By the sixth sun bell, every nurse around her had changed, but her own Flow continued as strongly as ever. Supervising sisters also changed, but there were always several Teasels in their number. As she watched them go about their business, Flora began to understand the workings of the Nursery.

The cribs were always being rotated. Each day the nurses who were soon to leave would clean out a thousand of them, then a small army of sanitation workers would arrive to remove the waste and scrub the floors. Surreptitiously, Flora watched them. Though they never made eye contact or said a word, their vigorous energy was tangible, and all the nurses were relieved when they left, none more so than Flora, ashamed of her own kin. Then the nurses would prepare the empty cribs in the newly cleaned area and the supervising sisters