Cinder leads two beetle guards back through the pill bug siege lines and into the Fire Ant Kingdom the only way left — a childhood crawlspace so tight it strips the shell off his back. Inside, the colony is dying by inches: in a dim side chamber he finds Etta Lorne dividing the last crumbs of food among larvae too weak to cry. In the Grand Chamber, Captain Bram Selwick accuses Cinder of desertion — until Cinder lays out what he saw outside: Thane Reed's pill bug army, its stolen-food fortress, and the plan to seal every tunnel and starve the colony out. Thistle and Harper arrive with maps to back him, Blaze staggers in carrying Silas with word that the beetles will fight alongside them, and a spider messenger brings an offer from Moss Wren. Queen Aureline makes her choice: the colony will not surrender. They strike the pill bugs at dawn.

Colony in Danger is a nature adventure story for boys 8-18 — 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, tweens, and teens 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 leads the beetles back through the pill bug siege
00:04:45 — The only way in: a childhood crawlspace, tight as a coffin
00:05:55 — A dim chamber — Etta Lorne, and the last crumbs of food
00:08:25 — Larvae too weak to cry: "Just in time to see how it ends"
00:10:45 — The Grand Chamber — Bram accuses Cinder of desertion
00:13:10 — Cinder lays out the siege: Thane Reed's army and food fortress
00:14:45 — Thistle and Harper arrive with maps to prove it
00:18:00 — Blaze carries Silas in — and says the beetles will fight
00:20:35 — Silke Greer and Note: this siege has been broken before
00:22:35 — Queen Aureline: the colony will not surrender
00:23:05 — A spider messenger brings Moss Wren's offer
00:24:05 — "We hit at dawn" — Cinder leads the kingdom out
00:25:00 — CH 19 — 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.