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The Queen's expression flickered with sorined and sullen "It is rare" Then she straightened, cleared her throat - an artificial sound, since as far as Invidia could tell, she never did it at any other tiin the ritual of dinner Invidia never grew any more comfortable with it, despite the repetition She replied politely and made inane, pleasant conversation with the Queen for a few moments as the wax spiders, the keepers, trooped toward the table bearing plates, cups, and cutlery The insectlike vord swar a place for the Queen, for Invidia

and for soht hand The e Invidia covered her reaction by turning to watch the rest of the keepers bringing forth several covered platters and a bottle of Ceresian wine

Invidia opened the bottle and poured wine into the Queen's glass, then into her own Then she looked at the glass in front of the euest"

Invidia did so Then she began uncovering platters

Each platter bore a perfectly square section of the croach Each was subtly different than the next One looked as if it had been baked in an oven - badly The edges were black and crisp Another had sugar sprinkled over its surface A third was adorned with a gelatinous glaze and a ring of ripe cherries A fourth had been coated hat had once been melted cheese - but it had been scorched dark brown

Invidia sliced each piece into quarters, then began to load the Queen's plate with a single square from each platter After that, she served herself the sauest," the Queen murmured

Invidia dutifully filled the third plate "Who," the Queen replied "We are consuroup"

Invidia bowed her head "Who is to be our companion, then?"

The Queen narrowed her insect eyes until only glittering black slits were visible She stared down the length of the enormous table, and said, "She couest entered the glowing green dome

It was a second queen

It shared its features with the Queen: Indeed, itwo white hair and the saer queen prowled forith alien grace,She was completely naked, and her pale skin was covered in a sheen of soer queen walked forward to the table and stopped a few feet away, staring at her estured to the eer queen sat She stared across the table at Invidia with unblinking eyes

"This is my child She is newly born," said the Queen to Invidia She turned to the young queen "Eat"

The younger queen considered the food for a ers and stuffed it into herThen she took up her fork and began cutting off dainty bites with it, eating them slowly Invidia followed the elder Queen's lead and ate as well

The food was "revolting" fell so far of the mark that it seemed an injustice Invidia had learned to eat the raw croach The creature keeping her alive needed her to ingest it in order to feed itself She had been startled to learn that it could taste even worse The vord had no grasp of cooking The very notion was alien to them As a result, they couldn't really be expected to do it very well - but that evening they had perpetrated nothing short of an atrocity

She choked the food down as best she could The elder Queen ate steadily The younger queen was finished within twoat theer queen then turned to her ether"