Chapter Summaries.
Below is a collection of summaries for the first ten chapters of "Insect Kings". They are very brief, and only give a quick overview of what happened in each chapter.
Keep in mind that these summaries contain spoilers.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 1: Waking Up.
The main character is introduced in this chapter. Slayd awakens in his own coffin to the sound of someone calling his name, and pushes his way out of the grave. He finds himself in a graveyard with a church, but the church is empty. Slayd leaves, and follows a road through the countryside. He cannot find anyone anywhere along the way. He comes upon an abandoned farmhouse, and goes inside. He goes upstairs, into one of the bedrooms, and finds a mirror. He looks into the mirror, and sees that he has no mouth, no hair, and no eyes; very different from the person he thinks he should look like.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 2: The Mirror.
Slayd wakes up to the voice again in the farmhouse. He sees no one around, but notices a flash of light in the mirror in the corner. He looks at the mirror, and his reflection comes out of it. It frightens him, but he begins to talk to his reflection. When he asks his reflection "Who am I?", it pulls him into the mirror. Guile is introduced to the story in this chapter.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 3: Into a Nightmare World.
Slayd is pulled through the mirror by his reflection into a dark world. His reflection introduces himself as Guile. Guile doesn't seem to know what Slayd is talking about when he mentions a farmhouse. He seems to regard Slayd as having been "slumbering". Guile leads him through a shadowy, foggy place he calls the "Veil". They flee from an unseen pursuer, and Slayd falls. They land at the edge of a dark lake, where orbs of light float off in the distance. Guile's appearance changes considerably, and it frightens Slayd. Guile leads Slayd to the Ferryman, to takes them aboard his boat, and they aim for someone, something, or some place that Guile calls "Amoth Shyr".
Chapter Summary - Chapter 4: Beneath the Water.
Guile and Slayd ride in the Ferryman's boat across the lake, and Slayd begins to feel sleepy. He looks into the water, and gets captivated by what he sees. He falls in, and begins to dream. He dreams about a normal world, where he lives in a normal farmhouse with a normal family. His dreams are interrupted when the Ferryman pulls him out of the water. He has slimy eel-like creatures called Korrfish all over him, and Guile pulls them off. Slayd is wounded from their bites, and Guile tells the Ferryman to take them to the priest Incavius. They reach a shore where many large black temples are. Guile carries Slayd to one of the temples, where they meet Incavius. While they are in the temple, Guile bites Slayd, and pulls out his heart. Incavius works a spell, and the korrfish that have managed to burrow into Slayd's flesh come pouring out. Slayd is thrown into seizures and he passes out.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 5: Healing.
Slayd wakes up and believes he is back in a normal house, but Guile's presence shatters his hopes. Slayd inspects the metal grate that has been placed over the cavity in his chest, and Guile vanishes from the room. Slayd becomes impatient and hungry, so he roams the corridors in search of Guile or someone to help. He stumbles upon a horrific religious altar, and Guile uncannily turns up. He says that the altar symbolizes the sacrifices of the gods called Grigora, who created this world of Dehalen with their own corpses. Guile takes him back to Incavius, who places Glimmourings in his eye sockets. Slayd sees flashes of many different images, and passes out.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 6: Parting Gifts.
Slayd wakes up and realizes that now he can see in color. He realizes that Guile has somehow taken the wounds Slayd received from the Korrfish. He heals himself with an odd blue glow from his hands. Slayd is hungry, and he asks Guile to take him to find a meal. On their way, they pass through a room with an immense basin of water called the Reflecting Pool. Slayd sees his new reflection, and is mortified. Guile slaps him, but then tries to comfort him. They eat a meal, and leave the temple interior for the courtyard. While waiting for Incavius, Guile bites Slayd's head, and the blood turns into a sort of hair. Incavius gives Slayd a pendant with a human eye in it, and they leave the temple grounds through a huge gate that opens up into a dark and deep forest.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 7: Through the Forest.
Guile leads Slayd through the forest, and Slayd inspects his new pendant. Guile shows him an old pillar in the middle of the forest, called the Judgment Seat. They stop there for a short time. Guile tells Slayd about someone named Lord Flea, who was tried there for murder.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 8: The Watcher.
Guile and Slayd return to the path through the forest. Something starts to pursue them, and Guile flies with Slayd through the trees until they reach a wide clearing with a huge black tower in the middle of it that rises up through the treetops. A strange creature Guile calls the "Watcher" comes out of the tower, and leads Slayd and Guile near the top where they rest for the night. In the morning, Guile and Slayd go to the balcony of the tower, where they find a giant wasp. A strange man named Jyrr materializes before them. Guile obviously doesn't like him. Jyrr escorts them on the giant wasp to the palace of the Maggot King.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 9: The Maggot King.
Jyrr arrives at the palace of the Maggot King with Guile and Slayd in tow. Preparations for a great banquet are underway, but things are not quite ready so Jyrr takes Guile and Slayd on a Grand Tour of the palace grounds until they preparations for their welcoming are complete. They arrive later at the Great Hall, where a banquet has been prepared, and hundreds of the Maggot King's people are waiting to welcome the "Heir of Moroloth". The king enters the hall with fanfare, and announces the Heir of Moroloth's return from beyond the Veil to much cheering from the crowd. Then they all sit down to the banquet.
Chapter Summary - Chapter 10: Suspicions.
After the banquet, the Maggot King presents Slayd with a tiny pin that fits on his pendant, as a symbol of his vows that he made to Moroloth. Jyrr takes Slayd and Guile to the rooms that have been prepared for them, and Guile gets angry with Slayd for being too familiar with Jyrr. He is interrupted by a knock at the door, and a strange man named Dysz wants to talk to Guile alone. Guile leaves with Dysz, leaving Slayd to pout in the room. Slayd doesn't stay long though, and wanders the palace. He runs into Jyrr on a balcony. Jyrr warns Slayd that Guile's intentions may not be what he presents them as being, and he warns Slayd to be careful. He gives him a dagger to hide in case he might need protection. Jyrr escorts him back to his room, and Slayd locks the door. Guile returns, but finds the door locked. He doesn't try to come in, and Slayd falls asleep.
