The scene was a mess. Adam’s allies, people he has only briefly known, fought a group of Beekeepers he has known since his childhood.

Adam’s aunt Abuya was there among the attackers. And there was his friend Chris, with whom he had lived with for a month when he was thirteen. There was old Mr. Njoku, of whom Adam had always been unreasonably afraid. And there, Daluchi, whom he had dated for a time. And all the rest were faces Adam had seen around for decades.

Adam stood between the violence and his hive. He would not involve the bees.