Queen Aureline addresses the entire colony. The decree is absolute: no ant — especially no young ant — ventures beyond the inner boundaries. Cinder, Blaze, and Thistle have three days before the food runs out.

In this episode, the Queen’s announcement sends panic through the Grand Chamber. Cinder sneaks into the record chamber that night to find ancient accounts of pill bug territorial disputes — and what he finds in Note’s scrolls changes everything. The mission is no longer a theory. It’s a race.

Colony in Danger is a serialized adventure audiobook for boys ages 8–14 and families.

Start from Episode 1. New episodes weekly.

📖 Buy the full Colony in Danger Part 1 audiobook: Coming Soon!
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The Queen restricts all movement. Cinder, Blaze, and Thistle meet in their secret hideout near the eastern tunnels. Thistle maps the surrounding territory from scout stories. Blaze prepares for danger. And Cinder breaks one more rule — entering the record chamber to read Note’s ancient scrolls. What he finds confirms the pill bug theory. And confirms the colony has faced this before. This reluctant reader audiobook series weaves real ant biology throughout — the colony’s food rationing system in this episode reflects actual fire ant survival behavior during resource scarcity.

If you were Cinder, would you obey the decree?

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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.