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Contents

Kingdom Atlas..............................................ixPrologue...................................................xi1 Bad News.................................................12 A Daring Plan............................................63 The Golden Bums..........................................124 A Dark Show of Force.....................................165 A Question of Trust......................................246 Fire Ants on the Move....................................287 The Plot Thickens........................................328 To the Cave..............................................369 To the Mounds............................................4110 Word at Last............................................4511 Tension in the Conference Room..........................4912 The Spiders Prepare for War.............................5413 Time to Move Out........................................5714 At the Mounds...........................................6015 Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire.....................6516 The Show Must Go On.....................................7017 Switching Sides.........................................7218 A Frightful Welcome.....................................7619 Dume's Day Approaches...................................8020 A Mixed Welcome.........................................8421 Things Get Hopping in Orthoptera........................8822 Stormy Weather..........................................9223 The Missing Spy.........................................9524 No Guts, No Glory.......................................9825 The Big Surprise........................................10126 Showdown in Aranea......................................10527 Hero for a Day..........................................11128 A State of Denial.......................................11629 A Report about Anteaters................................11930 Falling Apart...........................................12231 A Traitor's Reward......................................12632 After the Battle........................................12833 Doomsday................................................13234 A Hero's Reward.........................................13835 All's Well that Ends....................................141Epilogue...................................................144

Chapter One

Thorna crawled across the sandy clearing, now and then standing erect to look around for any intruders. She studied the weeds to the north and the sandy expanse to the south, then proceeded to the thinly wooded area along the bank of the great river - the Magnaqua. She went to her favorite place, a large stone just the other side of the trees. She took a deep breath and climbed to the top of it. The early morning sun was beginning to silhouette the large crumbling ruins across the river. The slowly decaying ruins were all that remained of what was once a great city inhabited by huge two-legged creatures.

Dawn was Thorna's favorite time of the day. Few creatures were stirring, and those who were - mainly gnats, mites and flies - were not a threat. She usually was able to think without interruption. And think she did. Every morning. And always about the same subject: her own existence.

Thorna was what the large two-legged creatures had called an ant. She was dark red-brown and, though still very young, was fully developed, both physically and mentally. When standing erect, she was nearly six inches tall. Her thorax was firm; her pedicel was strong, but thin. Her military instructor called her a "slim-waisted fighter." Because of her training and careful eating, her abdomen was of moderate size.

Thorna's intelligence delighted her teachers and made her the envy of the other members of her species, which now was one of the dominant species on the planet. "We are survivors," one of her teachers had told her. "The two-legged ones tried to eliminate us with traps, poisons and mutation chemicals, but eventually succeeded only in eliminating themselves. We adapted, and we got stronger and bigger. We do have living enemies, but, so far, we have outsmarted and outfought them. We are survivors."

Adapters and survivors, Thorna thought, pondering her history teacher's words. It's hard to believe that we once could communicate in such limited ways. Or that we could not walk upright. Or that we could not wield weapons. She moved a claw and withdrew one of her four white daggers from its spider web sheath. She studied the dagger, admiring its beauty. Most of their weapons had been fashioned from a material found in an ancient landfill, and this one had been made by an expert. Thorna had become very proficient as a dagger warrior and was admired and envied by her fellow ants. She put the dagger back into its sheath and continued meditating. She was thinking about the ant's ability to speak. Thorna's language teacher had said - only half jokingly - that speech would eventually be the ants' downfall.

Thorna smiled as she continued to reflect on her teacher's words about insects, especially ants, being survivors. Just yesterday, she had been attacked near this very spot by a large hairy spider, a rarity in Eastern Hymenoptera. The spider had ballooned down from a nearby tree and tried to capture her in his web. He had worked feverishly to ensnare her, cursing the ant as she struggled to free herself from his web. Thorna had used all her strength to break the sturdy silken strands as they were encircling her. Then, the agile young ant darted beneath the spider and ripped open his underside with one skillful swipe of her dagger. Afterwards, she had lugged the animal home to the commissary.

Yes, Thorna thought, we are survivors, but that was a close call. I must exercise greater care.

The sun had risen above the crumbling skyline of the ancient city, and Thorna could hear the humming and buzzing of other small insects as they began their day. She looked around her to make sure she wasn't in danger. She spotted some large flies circling a short distance away and licked her lips, hoping one would get caught in the web strands left by the spider the day before. Suddenly, her antennae quivered. She heard the frightening sound of vibrating wings and spotted the swiftly moving shadow. She looked up in time to see a huge green dragonfly diving toward her.

Whoa! she thought as she quickly grabbed one of her daggers. That's a big one. I'd better not miss. She waited another second, then hurled the dagger with all of her strength. The dragonfly didn't have time to change his course, and the dagger struck him between the eyes, killing him instantly. Thorna watched the would-be predator plunge to the ground. Though quivering slightly in the aftermath of the nearly fatal encounter, she smiled as she again thought of her teacher's words about ants being survivors. Thorna was delighted that she would be able to drag some more meat to the castle, but she was puzzled. Dragonflies had not been seen in this area for ages. Where had this one come from? Was he a scout for an army, or just a lone wanderer? I'd better be wary, she thought. And I need to warn the others.

As she slowly dragged the dragonfly toward the hill, Thorna remembered an old major's stories of combat with other species. "It's a bug-eat-bug world," he said. "Don't ever forget it. Keep yourself in good shape, and always be vigilant." Unfortunately, the old ant, a hero of many battles and the captain of the...