Page 96 of The Thrice-Bound Fool

we come to wish [all of us]

good labor to your drones good meat to your mouths docile slaves under your hands

it is our imperatrix immortal in her many rebirths and [all of us]

who wish you these things we [all of us]

are hopeful that by this first touch we might our swarming share

even over ironthick peaks that dumb spells and even in the sight

of those gods of this place that have not been neglected / disbelieved / died-of-mocking

our living god / idea / connecting matter of lifesmoke who quickens [all of us]

and consumes [all of us]

is quiet here his underfoot and inwall nets too few

and yet he might later / much-later / never come here if welcomed

he might if invited / not resisted / resisted poorly come

with the gifts he loves to bring [all of us]

but not until you are ready / pleased by this / defunct and so hello / greetings

we are glad to see you [all of us]

and are enthusiastic to know your wishes / ambitions / fears

and in cooperation might we not our two separate-end kingdoms

grow toward neighboring taking [all of us]

from the weak foodkingdoms ignorant of you

and doomed to nourish [all of us]

you lords of this west we would / might / should be

your friends / partners / sharers-of-knowledge across the mountains

hopeful of the hour you these deeprooted un-pull-upable

when you our offer welcome and take deeper into your hive

trusting it and letting it birth

gratitude / optimism / hunger with these we come

and with certain gifts behold behold

Now came every monarch’s favorite court activity—getting presents from far away. The presents in this case were not many, owing to the small size of the embassy, but there was a great deal of amber and some fine things made of goblin silver. Most impressive, both to myself and the court, to judge by their gasps, was a statue of a bathing woman in gold and ivory. It was only about the size of a goblin, so there was no telling if the model was a half-giant, but the Erydoni clearly saw themselves in it, as their guests intended. My guess was that it was something captured from far Gallardia, for their sculptors are beyond compare. Galva says the goblins are good sculptors as well, in their way, and there’s a chilling thought. If this came from the Horde, the woman pictured had likely been dumbed with the drugs that make cattle of us and then butchered after she served as model. It was possible to see innocence in the face of the bather, but it was also possible to see an awful vacancy there.

Foodkingdoms.

I had the seeds of a nasty headache from all that eerie goblin-talk, not helped by the arm-clapping done by the whole court after their truly odd bit of a speech.