On their way to the hives, Geo joined them. He was quiet, but a deep frown had formed on his face.

"My lady, you seem troubled."

Sienna thought to herself, you have no idea. No matter how much she trusted him, she had no plans to share with him what those troubles were. Instead, she decided to assign him a different role. "Geo, all those stories you told me about the royals, some of the stories seemed to have come from within the palace. Do you have friends in the palace?"

He nodded. "It was my dream to join the royal vanguard once upon a time. Recruitment and training for those positions starts at the age of twelve. When I ran away from my tribe, I signed up for a while. Some of the guards are my friends and we keep in contact every now and then."

Sienna nodded. "Okay."

Geo was baffled. Was that it?

The hive loomed before them, a colossal structure that servants had continued expanding to ensure the comfort of all the bees. The number of bees had also grown to 1030, a count that was taken by a drone, through scanning. Despite Sienna’s reassurance, the presence of the hive still frightened some of the residents of this compound.

"Mama, have we come to see Honey Thunder?" Ali asked. "Are we going flying?"

Sienna crouched, putting the little girl down. She brushed a strand of hair from her daughter’s face. "We are here so that mama can teach you a small lesson. Remember Ali boo, the world is nice but it is also cruel. And sometimes, even the smallest sting can protect us from the greatest harm."

Honey Thunder descended as if summoned, her wings shimmering in the light of the sun. Her compound eyes glinting with intelligence, like she knew what Sienna wanted from her.

"I need some venom." Sienna said to the bee. "Something that can lull a beast lord into slumber for a year...or silence them forever."

Honey Thunder buzzed. Sienna could hear the disapproval in the voice of the bee.

Ali gasped, clutching her mama’s hand tighter. Sienna’s heart twisted. She had wanted to shield her daughter from the darkness of the world. But, enemies lurked everywhere. Like the royals with their hidden intentions. The rebels who had leverage over Paris. The falcon lord who would drain them dry of everything. The eagles lord who would consider them worse than enemies going forward.

Even within their own tribe were enemies with daggers hidden in smiles. Blind innocence was not a luxury they could afford.

"Give it to me," Sienna said firmly. "If harm comes, I want to be ready. I want Ali ready."

Honey Thunder extended a glistening stinger, dripping with black venom. A drop fell on the ground, causing a hiss that let off some smoke. The flower petals and grass touched by the venom dried up.

Ali stared, trembling. "Mama...what are we doing? This feels scary."

Sienna replied, voice soft but resolute. "Yes, it is. But fear is not weakness. Fear teaches us caution. Remember this, Ali, never use the venom in anger. Only when survival demands it. It will be your most secret weapon, so don’t expose it to others easily. Do you understand what this is and what it can do?"

The little one nodded firmly. Her small fists clenched firmly, if her mother was teaching this, then it was important.

Honey Thunder guided them through the ritual. Sienna pressed a hollow reed against the stinger, watching as venom flowed into the first glass like liquid fire. They collected three more, with Geo and Linera keeping watch over them.

When it was finished, Sienna looked at the fox tooth pendant around Ali’s neck. The girl never took it off. It was a perfect vessel. "We will put some in here. I will buy you some hair pins too and put some in there as well. Remember, it is your final weapon when you are defenseless or in a hurry."

"Can’t I just bite?" Ali whispered.

Sienna laughed. "Not all the time, Ali boo. Sometimes, in a fight, you can’t even use your mental strength. Besides, you are too young right now. If you encounter an enemy stronger and bigger than you, they will not spare you because you are young and weak. I would rather you carry a weapon than be defenseless. Of course, don’t use it on other children or anyone else in a fair fight." She rose, and patted Honey Thunder on the head. "Thank you."

Ali wasted no moment climbing on the back of the bee. "Mama, we are going for a ride."

Sienna nodded. The girl and bee went off, followed by aunt Linera. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Geo remained back, staring at Sienna with a dozen questions in his eyes. "You are giving your five year old daughter venom? Not just any venom but the kind that can paralyze and kill!"

Sienna nodded. "Do you think the eagle lord and his family will spare her because she is small? The royals used me to get rid of an enemy. In the process, they put a bulls eye on my family. No amount of guards is enough around my children." She didn’t want to talk about her father’s past with him. "Now, I am going to find my son and give him the same speech and prepare poison for him as well."

Geo clenched his jaw, wondering for a moment if his own sister would have been safer if she had poison on her. He was sure she had been dead before that fire was started. Someone had harmed her and set the fire. But, there had never been any way to prove his suspicions.

He sighed. "Does this have anything to do with the royal family?

Sienna was quick to shake her head. "Them...no. Is this because I asked whether you knew people in the palace?" She laughed. "I told you, some of the stories you told me seemed to have come from inside. This is about the eagles. They must be filled with resentment, and resentment sometimes leads to revenge."

In the back of her mind, she was already wondering how the poison would be delivered to Lord Edris.

As if thinking of him summoned the falcon lord, a fox guard came up to Sienna. "The falcon lord is back," the young man said.

Sienna looked at the bottles of poison in her hands. Was the universe siding with her?