About Eiriven
New to the story of The Blade and The Club? Begin here!
The land of Eiriven is under attack.
The ants have been mysteriously infected with the Club — a parasitic fungus that turns them into a savage horde with a thirst for destruction. Thousands of innocent gentle-insects have been consumed and their homes destroyed, threatening the balance of life on Eiriven.
The honeybee colony has sent Fleet, one of their best warriors to seek help from Queen Sybilla of the Wasp Kingdom, deep in Calvarra. Will she be successful?
Will she return in time to save her Queen and Colony?
Cast of Characters
Fleet – worker bee
Stryk – worker bee, presumed deceased in skirmishes with the ant hordes
Queen Sybilla – queen of the Wasp Kingdom
Queen Marget – ruler of the Honeybee Colony
Kovaren – wasp guard
Merrick – wasp guard
Brash – worker bee, friend of Fleet
Morse – worker bee, friend of Fleet
Author’s Note:
“I’m an artist, dangit, and I haven’t written fiction in over a decade!” That’s what I told myself when the idea of Fleet and her Colony’s saga against cordyceps-infected ants first started pricking at my creative muse. I resisted. Drug my feet. I’d been out of the saddle for too long, had too many other things on my plate, etc etc, the list of excuses were many. I ultimately had to relent, though. Everyone else on Substack seemed to be having a fantastic time writing, and it reminded me of the hours I spent back in college drafting high fantasy and surrealist fiction, poring over plot outlines, and sketching characters. Writing, editing, submitting, sharing with colleagues and friends, honing word choice and story structure and sketching illustrations long into the night, living and breathing Story.
Somewhere along the way, I think I lost the spark. What if Fleet and her story were the way to get it back?
I guess I’ve always been an illustrator at heart. This crazy yarn began with an image of a little bee carrying a sword as she flew toward the mountains… became a sketch… and now we have the beginnings of… Something. Part comic, part story, part epic heroic tale.
Thank you to the friends who encouraged me to write again.
Thank you to the friends who thought these sketches had merit.
And thank you to my children, who responded with such enthusiasm to Fleet’s story, and for brainstorming ideas and eagerly pestering me for more of the story and asking when I was going to share it. You made me realize that perhaps, maybe, others might enjoy Fleet’s tale, too.