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Then, from outside, a chorus of panicked screams I jumped up and rushed to the shattered here a knot of Gypsies and peculiars were already gathered, peering out

At first I didn’t see the soldiers at all--just a giant, swirling mass of insects, so dense it was opaque, about fifty feet down the footpath

The screa from inside it

Then, one by one, the screaan to spread and scatter, unveiling the bodies of Mr White and his rass, dead or nearly so

Twenty seconds later, their killers were gone, theiras they settled back into the fields In their wake fell a strange and bucolic cal out of the ordinary had happened

Eers "Six That’s all of the with gratitude and disbelief

"Which of you are hurt?" said Bronwyn, looking around frantically Those last unfire in the dark We checked ourselves for holes Horace was dazed but conscious, a trickle of blood running from his temple Bekhir’s stab wound was deep but would heal The rest of us were shaken but unhurt--and

"When you broke the ," I said to Bekhir, "how did you know the bees wouldn’t attack us?"

"I didn’t," he said "Luckily, your friend’s power is strong"

Our friend …

Easped "Hugh!"

In all the chaos, we’d forgotten about hiht now, sorass But just as ere about to tear outside and look for hirass-stained, but s to him "You’re alive!"

"I am!" he said heartily "Are all of you?"

"Thanks to you we are!" Bronwyn said "Three cheers for

Hugh!"

"You’re our h!" cried Horace

"Nowhere ah said, enjoying the attention

"Sorry about all the times I made fun of your peculiarity," said Enoch "I suppose it’s not so useless"

"Additionally," said Millard, "I’d like to co Really, if you’d arrived just a few seconds later …"

Hugh explained how he’d evaded capture at the depot by slipping down between the train and the platfor after us, which allowed him to follow fro the perfect time to strike," he said proudly, as if victory had been assured from the moment he decided to save us