Chapter 119: Plot two, ruined.
The questioned sparked the imaginations of those around. It was not hard to see what disaster would follow if two enemies met. They would fight, and take down everyone else in the way. The lords and royals would be stung.
The Veythar’s would be blamed. If anyone died, they would pay a grand price, even if it was not a consequence directly of their own making. The king would probably order for the execution of her bees.
"Those bitch ass eagles dared to frame and my bees!!" Sienna growled. "I have tolerated their other attempts to sabotage the summit but this...." she shook a jar, shaking her head too..."this....I will not stand for this. I am going to..."
"You will do nothing." The back of her dress was suddenly grabbed and pulled with great strength, by the queen.
Liman and Linera stepped closer to Sienna. Just in case they needed to protect her. And Sienna, whirled, turning her eyes to the queen. They were wide, sparking with disbelief and thoughts of possible betrayal.
"Whose side are you on, your highness?" She asked.
Queen Serenya rolled her eyes upwards. "Oh cut the theatrics Sienna, you have addressed me by my given name three times in the last two days. I am not siding with the eagles, I am stopping you because you have no proof. Your queen bee can’t even testify, she just buzzes. The eagles will deny this and claim you are trying to get back at them for something. Everyone knows that tensions between your tribes are at a high. I suggest we get rid of these jars and be more vigilant until the summit ends. After that, you can take your revenge. I won’t stop you."
Linera touched Sienna’s shoulder. "The queen is right. Without evidence, our accusations will be nothing but empty air. At least, if we can find a witness, we can confront them after the summit."
Sienna inhaled slowly. She looked at the jars, and clenched her jaw. "Aunt, find fresher wasps, or other deadly bugs. Put them in these jars and find a way to sneak them into the flying ship of the eagles."
The queen raised her brows. "Oh my!" She thought Sienna was just good at scheming. As it turned out, she was also devious when it was time for vengeance.
Looking at the queen’s guards, Sienna said, "I trust that your people will not leak a word of this."
The queen zipped her lips. "I would love to see how this plays out. If one of them spills, I will be the first one to send them to their death."
Aunt Linera was left behind to handle the wasp matter. Sienna and the rest returned to the kitchen. The calm environment was kept, all the way to the afternoon tea. The tea and snacks Sienna had prepared were sent out.
The bees came out to put on their performance: a synchronized aerial ballet. They performed to the buzzing of Honey Thunder. Wings hummed in harmony, forming spirals and blossoms in the air.
The lords who had bee curious about the bees watched with smiles and wonder, nodding in approval. Children were applauding.
"Now this is what I call an entertaining performance." King Leon declared.
Meanwhile, Ali tried to imitate the bees, spinning in circles until she fell flat on the sand.
But one group was not happy about how smooth the performance was going. The jars of jam that had been delivered contained normal strawberry jam. There were no wasps! This meant no chaos, stings or humiliation for their fox hosts.
In fact, when some of the lords opened jars with insects, it was butterflies! One even landed on the nose of the fox lord, causing the king to burst into laughter.
The eagle lord was practically smoking with rage. Their first plot had failed, as had the second. He knew Sienna was to blame for all the failures. But eagles were not known for giving up. While the bees finished their triumphant dance, his strategist whispered another malicious idea. If they couldn’t ruin afternoon tea, they would ruin lunch.
***
The last lunch of the summit was always a big deal. For the chefs, it was like a final chance to impress. For the hosts, it was the most important and memorable meal. Most people did not remember what they ate on day one, but everyone remembered what they ate on the last day. Perhaps it was because all the important business would be wrapped up by then.
Tensions were often lower, and some lords would be preparing to set off immediately after the meal. So, the last lunch was meant to send off the guests with satisfied tongues and happy stomachs.
After overseeing the success of afternoon tea, Sienna returned to the kitchen to prepare for the 3:00 P.M, late lunch. Ali followed her, a honey cake in each hand.
"Mama, why don’t we have afternoon tea at home?" She asked. "I think it is better than afternoon naps. Eating honey cakes while you are awake is so much better than eating them in your dream."
Sienna laughed.
Soon, she was finger deep in buffalo liver, preparing to dazzle the royals and lords with a dish they had never tasted but would no doubt, never forget. The kitchen was calm. Chefs bustled, pots simmered, and trays gleamed. 80% of lunch was ready and the cooking crew was relaxed. But Sienna was not.
Her mind raced, thinking of the possibility that the eagles were likely out there, plotting. Maybe it was because she was pessimistic, but she noticed suddenly that the liver was getting greener in color.
"This can’t be right." She muttered.
The buffalo had been fresh, so the liver should have been red. Green probably meant poison or sickness! She lowered her head and sniffed it.
Outside the kitchen window, Honey Thunder buzzed.
Queen Serenya’s eyes widened. She had no idea what news the bee had brought, but Sienna was sniffing liver and her spy bee was frantic.
What now?