Path of the Hive Queen-Chapter 417: Matters of Faith

Path of the Hive Queen-Chapter 417: Matters of Faith

Regina had had a terrible day. When she sensed another slight stir in the psychic link and Tor attempting to get her attention, she braced herself for another piece of bad news to cap her horrible day off. To her surprise, it was actually good news.
Janis had woken up. She was still weak and Iseis recommended keeping her in the base for now, and Tor agreed. In addition to the magical environment, it was isolated. Relocating her to the capital was bound to come with additional stress, even if Janis might like to be closer to her friends and family. Regina would just have to wait a little longer to see her personally.
Also, there had been other reasons for Tor to feel slightly hesitant and anxious. For once, Janis had ed a weird psychic dream(?) that honestly left Regina scratching her head. She had apparently talked to Leian, among other things, and gotten some information. Regina knew enough not to dismiss it out of hand, but she really wasn’t sure about anything else.
She really wished Madris was still here so she could ask her. Incidents like this reminded her that, for all her power, Regina had only been getting started on advanced subjects in her eduction in this field. She simply lacked experience, evidently.
At least, whatever it was, Janis seemed to have completed her soul-magic induced dream quest (or something) successfully. She was lucid and well enough to ask after other people and to make jokes, according to what Tor shared with her. Unfortunately, the curse (and possibly the healing) had left other scars. Janis also ed trouble with spellcasting.
Regina hoped it would sort itself out with time; there was little else she could do.
There were other aspects of the situation she had to worry about, too. Finally, more detail about the situation had leaked to the public, and the newspapers were having a field day. Thankfully not literally; while there were apparently pilgrims coming to Leian’s temple, it was still rather obscure, and the old Hivekind base was hidden. But that just left people without a clear place to direct their emotions.
The anger was fine. In a sense, Regina was thankful at the upswelling of resentment and anger at the Western Confederation; it could be useful if it wasn’t too out of control. The anxiety she sensed in some people when she went out was much harder for her to stomach. It made sense, of course — If the Imperial crown princess could be seriously hurt, how safe were any of them? It was probably natural to worry about that question. The incident was a reminder of the power of their opposition.
It led to more scheduled public appearances as Regina tried to assuage their concerns. Unfortunately, she didn’t really have any good options regarding a concrete plan to address what had happened, which didn’t help.
And then in today’s open court session, she had been approached by a delegation of people in weird clothes that were probably
supposed
to be priestly vestments (all, for some reason, wearing glasses despite clearly not needing corrected eyesight) who had asked for … her sanction. Or something. Her blessing, clearly; Regina just wasn’t entirely sure about how literal or metaphorical it was (though she had a feeling it was probably both).
Regina had tried to be diplomatic, assured them she was honored, and so on; and then she’d briefly blanketed them in her mana while focusing on their minds and diving into their surface, in lieu of a ‘blessing’. That might have been a mistake.
I was probably too focused on at least doing right by
someone
and making at least one group happy today,
she reflected grimly.
With her luck, they were probably collecting funds to build a giant statue of her in thanks or something.
Still, at least this Imperial cult was a nice problem to have, in the sense that she could probably count on them to support her, politically.
It was late, but Regina found it hard to find sleep. She’d had a long day and just when she’d tried to wind down, news about Janis had come, firing her mind up again. With a sigh, she stretched slightly, popping the cricks in her neck, and got out of bed.
Her bedroom was dark, but she hadn’t closed the blinds entirely and enough light spilled in to see. There were guards posted outside, not close enough to disturb her privacy, and she could sense their alert but calm minds. The decorations around the room looked different in the dark, and they were already eclectic. Her bed was large enough to sprawl out in, with soft and inviting sheets, but it was warm enough to get by with shorts and an open-back shirt, so she didn’t feel the need to huddle under the covers. Instead, Regina padded to the desk set against the other wall. It was less crowded than the one in her main office, mostly holding a stack of books, and whichever folders and files she’d brought along this day.
And a half-finished document today, with a few pens scattered carelessly to the side. Regina had been trying to write a new will, but it was difficult. For now, she put it aside and cast Spark for more light before looking through the drawers.
Finally, she found what she’d been looking for; a on the state of organized religion in the Empire, which she’d already read twice despite receiving it only the day before yesterday. Sighing, Regina settled into her second, backless desk chair, spreading out her wings and rotating her shoulders to get rid of the lingering stiffness. Then she looked at the again, paging through it.
Most people in the Empire still considered themselves, even loosely, adherents of the gods; what she’d come to call, privately at least, Havenite paganism. The word ‘paganism’ might imply they were ‘wrong’ to believe in them when the gods very much existed, but she couldn’t think of a better term. And Regina had no illusions about changing their religion quickly or easily; it had been entrenched here for centuries, even if people in the Empire tended to be comparatively more secular than most of their neighbors, and that wouldn’t be broken so easily.
It was why she hadn’t openly banned worship of the gods — just their temples, a thin but important line. That would probably have backfired. In her own rhetoric, she had focused, probably unfairly, more on the ‘corrupt’ temples and enemy leaders using them than on attacking the gods themselves. So far, there was also the ‘release valve’ of worshiping Alianais, and technically Leian, and to some degree Benerron; Alianais had been popular anyway.
No, it was more important to focus on secularization. Teaching another ‘ideology’, teaching the importance of critical thinking, the scientific method, and liberal values. She’d tried her best to do that and she’d had some success.
But nature abhors a vacuum,
Regina thought, her eyes slowly sliding down the last pages and paragraphs.
Being honest with herself, she had hoped that her teachings would fill that vacuum. Not just hers, but a general ‘revitalization’, a new enlightenment. And to some degree, this had indeed materialized. Discussing philosophy was quite en vogue among the court and officials and even the nobility, books and newspapers were spreading more of it, and it was trickling down into the general population. The middle class, which was still small but growing, was really getting into it. New books on topics of liberty, universal ethics, materialist philosophy, the role of the state, or even the value of art or culture were being printed and spread almost daily. (Though, the books about dashing adventurer-archaeologists and the secrets of the Progenitors were probably still more popular; surprise surprise.) Anti-religious sentiments had never been higher.
Maybe it wasn’t enough; maybe religious thought (and religious superstition) was just too hard to dig out, or maybe these things just fed into each other. Regardless, new faiths were spreading rapidly, covering lost ground. New cults and sects, too.
Regina understood that it was hard to get a proper grip on them, and the she had was barely enough, given how easily they tended to schism. It would probably take years if not decades until they properly stabilized and you had something of a ‘proper’ settled landscape of religions and denominations.
The most ‘neutral’ and unsurprising phenomenon was an upsurge in the worship of minor spirits and gods, the kind that had been a widespread element of folk belief already. Some of it was crystallizing now. It was still very regional. Occasionally, it was even combined with the second type; attempts to revive pre-Cataclysm religions. Most of them had very limited information to work with, so the results looked quite different. Unsurprisingly, Christianity was the most popular of these religions; there were several cults that claimed to be inheritors of the Church from before. Regina suspected some Delvers were involved, or others who had found materials from before the Cataclysm, since their information wasn’t actually
that
wrong, overall. It still wasn’t really a unified church, but it might be heading in that direction. And then there was the last trend.
It was, at baseline … a form of ancestor worship, she supposed. At least it was easier to understand that way. Some people placed more emphasis on this element than others. Regardless, revering the Ancients or Progenitors was
very much
trending right now. Some of it was relatively harmless, and much of it secular, like with those books or new art or fashion. And some of it was religious.
Regina had mixed feelings about the whole thing.
She had especially mixed feelings about the role she herself played in their belief.
There wasn’t really a clear delineation between the people who just worshiped the Ancients, and those who consciously included and centered her (or more than that). That was something the underlined and had been a bit of an unpleasant discovery for her. It was hard to see exactly how the people following this new faith or faiths conceived of her role, especially since so much was still in flux.
Regardless, there was a … not insignificant minority that considered her holy, a divine being of some sort. Some of them prayed to her; built shrines; offered sacrifices. And their number was, if anything, growing rapidly.
(It would be child’s play to make them grow even more by promoting this faith in her own nation. A dark, grasping and ruthless part of her, the kind she was ashamed of, was tempted.)
They were currently allowed to do as they pleased. After all, the Central European Empire was supposed to practice religious tolerance and allow all faiths so long as they weren’t actively harmful. A stance that had suffered under her decrees to ban the gods’ churches, but you could argue about the ‘harmful’ part. Regardless, there wasn’t much she could do even if she wanted to. And frankly, trying to police them wouldn’t be worth it.
Regina put aside the for a moment and pulled out another sheet of paper. She tugged on her mandibles, then filled out the pre-printed form in quick strokes. She signed at the end, laying it aside. The Imperial internal intelligence agency was not as developed as she’d like, since they had focused a lot on external threats, for obvious reasons; but they should have enough capacity to keep an eye on these new faiths.
She closed her eyes and focused on the psychic link. Even this late, it was still humming with subdued activity. Many drones were asleep, but not all of them. Regina quickly scanned to the link, then paused when she came to a familiar mind.
Mia was still up. Looking more closely, she seemed to have been in the workshop and was only now coming back to the main area of the central base.
Tentatively, Regina reached out to her.
Hey, Mia. You should get more sleep.
Pot, meet kettle,
she replied. She slowed down, though, and Regina could sense faint concern.
Couldn
’t sleep?
No,
she admitted.
What have you been working on?
Perfecting the last steps to make the new containers,
Mia answered.
I know it
’s probably not going to be ready in time, but I worry about Tim and his fighters. Better storage for explosives so they don’t go up if the shed they’re in is hit with something would be useful.
Regina nodded slowly. Tim was still fighting the Esemen at the eastern border of the Empire. Right now, it wasn’t as much of a meatgrinder as it had been, since there was a bit of a lull in the fighting. The Esemen seemed to have finally exhausted their capacities, somewhat. It wouldn’t last long. She knew he wanted to start pushing them back.
I
’m sure it will be useful, but don’t hyperfocus on it
, she said.
They will manage with or without the upgrades, and you need to make sure you
’re in good form for the rest of the war, too.
Yes, Mother. I will. But what about you? Janis is fine, I
’d think that would help you sleep, so what’s up?
I
’m worrying about her a little, but also about the situation,
Regina answered after a moment.
The way these new faiths are spreading
… well, it’s good for us, but I’m not sure I like it.
She sensed Mia pause. Then she continued, entering one of the communal sleeping areas.
I don
’t really see the problem.
She smiled.
Are you sure you
’re not just upset because they’re venerating the ‘Progenitors’ and you personally?
I think I would have reason to be upset about that
.
Well, I think you might be worrying too much,
Mia said, curling around Adi, but not closing her eyes yet.
The way I see it, this is not too different from what
’s already happening, anyway. You’re a powerful figure, but distant to most people, even if your actions can have massive impacts on their lives. What really distinguishes you from Alianais or Deirianon in that way? If a town wants to ask for extra help or a tax cut or whatever, well, if they build a new shrine and just so happen to mention it in their letter … it probably just makes sense to them.
Gee, thanks for that comparison,
Regina said sarcastically. She ran a hand through her hair.
I
’m not sure that makes me feel better, even if it is a good insight, so thanks for that.
At least it explained a few things about a letter or two she had received …
People have always wanted to understand and control the uncontrollable world around them a little,
Mia said, entirely serious and still wide awake.
Even in your own past. I
’m not saying that ethics or judgment in the afterlife aren’t important, but for most people, they will try to propitiate the gods to ensure a good harvest or stave off disaster. Whether that god is Thor or Benerron. And like I said, from that perspective a shrine to the spirit of the Imperial sovereign makes as much sense as anything.
True,
Regina answered contemplatively.
I guess that
’s fair. It still feels like that’s not how it should work. Or, it feels like appropriating a position, like claiming a title that doesn’t really fit, or something.
Mia smirked a little, inwardly.
Why, because that
’s something entirely new to you,
empress of the Romans
?
Regina grinned.
Touch
é. But that is different. I mean really, I’m just following tradition.
Tradition?
Mia turned over. She was still smiling faintly.
Of course. Got to claim I
’m really the Roman emperor or that my nation is the new Rome, you know. That’s practically a requirement for a powerful European monarch.
Oh of course, we can
’t flaunt tradition. Though I’m not sure that’s the sort of traditional stuff that’s most useful to adopt, or to tell people about. Maybe a few other legends and stuff,
Mia mused,
Give people a connection to the past? Like, what
’s his face, king Arthur’s mythos in your mother’s homeland, didn’t you say that was kind of foundational for their culture? There must be something you can stand for?
Well, I don
’t believe Friedrich Barbarossa is sleeping under a mountain to rise in our hour of need,
Regina said drily.
That
’s his loss
, Mia joked back.
But I
’m sure you can think of something, even if it’s obviously just stories.
Regina sighed. She suspected Mia was just trying to distract her, but it wasn’t really a bad suggestion.
I
’ll see what I can do. And it would be hypocritical if I don’t let you sleep, so let’s stop here. Sleep well, Mia.
You too, my Queen.
Regina stood up slowly, stretching her wings and then folding them. She should see if she had some storybooks among the texts they’d rescued or replicated with Galatea’s help … Tomorrow. She really did need to sleep.
At least she didn’t lay awake too long this time. She dreamed of rushing water and a knight slaying a dragon.

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Chapter 417: Matters of Faith