The Bee King Mathilda Zeller Kari Schuerch Illustration by Mathilda Zeller, Kari Schuerch (illustration) B0BY5GM5MP instant download after payment.

When the crops fail, the monsters come.

When the monsters come, they buy the daughters.

Alice would do anything to keep her sister & cousin out of the hands of the monsters. She would even accept a marriage proposal from the Bee King, the mysterious honey magnate allegedly driving the prosperity of the empire.

But when she arrives at the Apiary, the secluded estate of her betrothed, nothing is as it seems. The empire's wealthy & famous are converging upon the estate & she soon learns that the Bee King is not marrying her for love or lust, but third reason--a dark, strange, & deadly reason. 

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Content Note

The Bee King contains mild language, some fantasy violence, brief depictions of domestic violence, references to human trafficking, & references to sexual assault. 

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Mathilda Zeller is an Indigenous author who contributed the story “Kushtuka,” to the Native American dark fiction anthology Never Whistle at Night. 

Mathilda Zeller writes horror & fantasy. Her debut novel, The Revenge of Bridget Cleary, is a 2022 Whitney Finalist. Her shorter work includes "Kushtuka," which will be included in Never Whistle at Night, an anthology of indigenous horror releasing from Penguin Random House in Fall 2023, & "The Haunted," which will be included in the Fall 2023 issue of Irreantum.

When she is not writing, she can be found knitting, volunteering, & spending time with her husband, six children, & incorrigible cats. 

Kari Schuerch has always loved beautiful things. This has taken her on a journey that includes graphic design, fine art, & illustration. She loves animals, nature, and yoga. You can find her creating her best conceptual work in her Tucson, Arizona studio while caring for her lovely family of six.