"Thorai has been eliminated."
The Queen could barely process the words.
"Dawnbreak has been defeated. Queen Bee and Fireshing have won!"
"Queen Bee!" Fire spoke audibly.
But Bee could not respond. She was thankful to be pulled from the Dream and back into the starry void. And even more thankful that Fireshing was still there with her.
"You are burned!" Fire whimpered.
"Oh, so that's the pain," Bee tried to joke. She batted at her hair, which was still smoking. "I should know it. It isn't the first time I've been burned alive."
Already the searing agony was subsiding. Being in the void was like a reset for the duelists, but it took a few long seconds for the full effect to be felt. Until then, Queen Bee would have to suffer.
The feeling of being burned alive came second only to the pain caused by her flaw. Touching the ground ripped at the fabric of her soul. Still, her charred flesh inflicted hideous pain. The experience was not something she ever wanted to repeat.
"I'm sorry," Fireshing hung her head.
Bee dismissed her estoc and patted her friend on the shoulder. "I know you didn't want to. I will be fine."
"We need to find you a fire-resistant charm," Fireshing made a mental note.
"After that battle, I need a lot of things." Queen Bee had a list of her own. Some of them would take time to acquire if she could get them at all.
"How is your thigh? Thorai got you good, didn't she?" The fiery Awakened recalled the strike with a wince.
"She did. Nearly cleaved my leg from my body with a single stroke. That woman was impressive." Bee needed to give credit where it was due. "They all were."
"You…you seemed distracted there at the end. Were you just blinded?" Fireshing was relieved to see Bee's hair regrowing from charred bits into its long chestnut locks.
"I was blinded but then…something happened. I don't want to talk about it here." The Queen couldn't shake the feeling that something else was listening in the star-filled void.
"Fair enough." Fire dismissed her spear and wiped her brow. "Either way, that was close."
"Too close," the floating duelist added, feeling suddenly winded at the thought. "We need more practice."
"Agreed. I don't suppose you want to go again?" Fire was not surprised by Bee's negative gesture.
"I promised that I would only do one today. Someone is already waiting to celebrate our victory," Bee smiled as she thought of her husband, "and I need some time to process what just happened."
Fire blew out her cheeks. "I need a bit of time to recover as well. That was very emotional for me."
"Should I not have given you that confidence?" Bee's furrowed her brow.
"No, that was perfect. I needed the extra push. And you did it lightly enough that I could have rejected it easily. Thank you. I am only realizing now how tired I am." Fire wished she had something to lean on in the darkness around them. Her essence was all but gone.
"Rest all you need. I know I won't be sleeping tonight. I need to watch the battle and see what exactly happened and what I can do better." Bee knew there were many areas for her to improve.
While some things were learned through trial and error, others needed to be carefully studied. The art of combat fell squarely in both camps.
"Do you think you will be able to find the replay easily?" Fireshing cocked her head in innocent wonder, making Bee laugh genuinely.
"I am pretty sure I can find at least one stream of it. You know how you thought you were somewhat famous before?" The Queen's eyes flashed with amusement. "You haven't seen anything yet. Mark my words: Everyone will know your name in the morning."
"You think so?" Fireshing seemed genuinely puzzled by her friend's words. "I don't think I did anything special."
"Are you kidding? You just held your own fighting by my side against a team twice our size. I only got to see parts of your handiwork, but I was very impressed!' Queen Bee was genuine in her praise.
The younger woman had exceeded the more experienced competitor's expectations. The battle had not gone perfectly, but Fire had been an integral part of the team's success.
"Thank you…" Fire blushed. "Snowmobile was impressed as well. He….he gave me a Memory!"
"What?" Bee was genuinely shocked. "That's amazing! You'll have to tell me about it…another time." She switched to talking through The Other's Voice, 'Maybe in a week or two, you can bring it by for me to look at in my office.'
'Sounds good!' Fire nodded.
Bee smiled at her friend before furrowing her brow.
'Did we move to silent communication just for that or is there something else?' Fire felt a flicker of worry light in her.
Bee shrugged. 'The Dreamscape has been oddly silent. I was just wondering if it was waiting for us to be qui…'
"Congratulations Queen Bee and Fireshing on your victory! Would you like to name this team?" The Voice of the Dreamscape's sudden and enthusiastic appearance startled both ladies.
'It does listen!' Bee pursed her lips.
The Dreamscape was a facsimile of the Spell. It must have had some rule in teams to wait for silence before continuing its protocol. The alternative was that someone—possibly the Saint who created the Dreamscape—was listening to their conversation personally. The thought chilled her, causing Bee to shiver a second time.
"Would you like to name this team?" The Dreamscape repeated its question.
Naming a team meant that the Dreamscape would keep track of the wins and losses and allow either of them to select the group in the future.
"Yes," Fireshing answered quickly.
"Select name."
'You can do the honors. What do you want to name us?' Bee asked, careful not to speak aloud.
The pair had discussed many options but had never settled on a final decision.
'Really? I can pick anything?' Fire was giddy with excitement.
The Queen nodded. 'What will it be? Honey Trap? Foresters? Royal Fire?'
"The Blazing Bees!" The redhead announced proudly.
Bee's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"The Blazing Bees have been added to the team register. Welcome to the Dreamscape, Blazing Bees!" The triumphant voice announced.
'Really? You had to choose the words I silently screamed while being cooked like a sausage bun?' Bee rubbed her forehead as her shoulders silently bounced with laughter.
Fireshing grinned. 'It was an inspired name and also an homage to our first battle together. All in all, a perfect choice!'
'If you say so.' Bee had to admit the name was growing on her. And it made Fire happy, which was a definite plus. It fit their combined personalities better than any other name they had previously discussed.
Having registered the team, the Dreamscape looped back into its regular cycle. "Select dream."
As Bee and Fire had no intention of going another round before some contemplation and more practice, neither of them answered the question nor glanced at the choices.
'Thank you for doing this with me,' Fireshing enthusiastically hugged the other woman.
Thankfully her wounds had already disappeared so the kind gesture filled Bee with warmth. She returned her friend's embrace.
'Don't mention it. In fact, I should be the one thanking you!'
Despite the mayhem, Bee had really enjoyed herself. The match had reminded her of her first days when she was just starting out. The learning curve was steep, but the adrenaline from the win would likely last her for days.
After a final farewell, Bee dismissed [The Other's Voice], and then both she and Fireshing dismissed themselves.
The void of stars was left empty waiting for the next challenger.