Cinder staggers through the dark meadow, dry and lost, until he crashes into a ditch and a boot pins him flat. It's Rook Calder — the beetle Enforcer, the last creature Cinder would have trusted — and he's not there to fight.

Across the meadow, Blaze carries the fading Silas through the pill bug lines with the help of a spider called Miri Solace, whose silk and spores clear the path no fire ant could open. And Thistle moves alone through the field on memory alone, charting the gaps in the patrol grid one blade of grass at a time.

Three paths, one destination — and if all three reach the queen, the counter-attack against the pill bugs might actually be possible.

Colony in Danger is a nature adventure story for kids 8-14 — a young fire ant scout, Cinder Marlowe, has just days to figure out why the colony's food is disappearing before everyone starves.

Perfect for kids 8-14 who love animals, survival, and adventure. For fans of Watership Down, the Warriors series, and the world of Empires of the Undergrowth — with real fire-ant science woven through every chapter.

📚 Grab your copy of Colony in Danger: The Fire Ant Kingdom (Book 1) — available now on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

New chapters every Tuesday. Follow us now!

00:00:00 — Cinder staggers alone through the dark meadow
00:01:45 — A boot pins him flat — Rook Calder, Beetle Enforcer
00:05:15 — Not a threat — a truce, and intel to trade
00:08:15 — A ridge view of the pill bug operation — and prisoners used as bait
00:13:15 — Blaze and Silas, hunted, until Miri Solace drops in
00:16:45 — A debt called in — Miri's silk net clears the checkpoint
00:21:15 — Thistle alone, mapping the field step by step
00:23:15 — Harper Blackwood steps out of the dark
00:25:15 — Crossing the grass bridges, unseen, toward home
00:29:45 — Cinder watches the pill bug wall from the ridge
00:35:00 — Inside the colony — chaos, and a guard who calls Cinder dead
00:36:00 — The queen's chamber — proof, numbers, and a plan
00:37:30 — "We fight back. Not alone. Together."
00:38:15 — "Go" — the alliance is made
00:39:15 — Out into the blue dawn, together
00:39:30 — CH 18 — What Comes Next

I am the author of serialized fiction books for kids, teens, tweens and young adults, including:

- Brickhaven: A Bricks Fan Fiction Adventure

- Colony In Danger: A Fire Ant Adventure

- Eagle's Edge: A Story of Rome, Gaul and the Making of a Soldier

- Treasure Island: A Classic Adaptation

- Iron Rails & Ruin: A Novel of Steam, Sorcery and the Lawless Montana Territory

📚 All five books -- are now available on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

📖 Wanna check out all five series for yourself? Get all five Chapter 1s free: https://compass-codex.kit.com/middle-school-reader-group

Thank you for listening! This is Reed Sterling. Remember: Never stop exploring unknown worlds.