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To have had any real effect, the wolves should have all concentrated on one tentacle together, or all gone for the neck, but they were moonstruck Even under the best of circumstances, only a feolves fully retain their capacity for huence while in wolf form Full moon was not the best of circus but not, apparently, for a full-pack assault True, it ell armored and mostly metal, but Madame Lefoux had not used any silver, so it was vulnerable, especially in such nu idle Oh, no Mada fire and shooting wooden stakes Alexia kneas only a h to onceout the tentacle that shot lapis solaris

Then Lady Maccon caught sight of a white floating blob behind the top of the octo the aether breezes swiftly in her direction--a sible

Another contraction hit her hard Alexia doubled over and slid down the side of the carriage, slu the door vulnerable to attack It was the first tiainst the involuntary movements of her own body, she looked up and over to the east

She couldn’t help but cry out--not fro to the cold silvery blue of the night sky

She had to get them all to the safety of the castle

She looked to Lord A his queen "We et to Woolsey The sun is rising"

The vampire’s eyes went black with fear The sun would stop olves in their tracks, turning theerthee to Biffy, who lacked the necessary control But it would kill the vampires, every last one of the "Find me a litter, my lord"

"What, Lady Maccon?"

"Tear off the roof of the carriage or re box With one vampire at either end, you could use it to carry me to Woolsey No one would have to touch th We could ic retreat Excellent notion" He leaped atop the driver’s box

Lady Maccon heard a loud ripping noise

Above, she saw a bright flash of orange light e as a h the mantle of the octomaton The creature lurched at the impact but did not fall

Lord Akeldama had sent air support Alexia had no idea what kind of weapon the drones had, possibly a tiny cannon, or an elephant gun, or an aethero-ain

By the time the second projectile hit its mark, Lord Ambrose was back, as was the duke They rested a wide board on the ground next to Alexia She ed to slide and squirm her way onto it

They lifted her up The queen and Dr Caedes, carrying Quesnel, leaped out of the top of the torn and burned carriage, jack-in-the-box-like, and took off toward Woolsey, ju the felled tree The countess looked particularly odd perforown and duure Lady Maccon’s va rip the sides of the board, desperate not to tumble off The leap over the fallen tree was pure torture, and she was convinced she would fall when they bued to hold on

The wolves were providing enough of a distraction so that Madame Lefoux in the octomaton did not at first see the flae

There was no need to bang on Woolsey’s ers and household staff asseape They had binoculars or glassicals pressed to their faces and were riveted by the battle below At Lady Maccon’s imperious wave, they ht up to the entrance, at which point everyone stopped abruptly They waited with a ritual solemnity uncalled for in such dire circumstances

"What is it now?" Alexia was annoyed beyond all reason She was carried right to the door, like a dressed pig on a dinner platter Any ht of fantasy, Cook will appear with an apple to stuff into my mouth

Lord Ambrose rested the bottom of the board down and the duke tilted it up so that Lady Maccon had

A quick gesture had her supported on both sides by two of Woolsey’s largest clavigers Thus she ed to hobble inside the entrance of her home

Still the vampires waited on the front stoop, like some bizarre parody of orphaned puppies--soulful eyed, pathetically scruffy, deadly fanged, immortal orphaned puppies

Lady Maccon turned ponderously "Well?"

"Invite us in to stay, Alexia Maccon, Lady of Woolsey,and hyhtly to her breast--no trace of the scaoodness’ sake, cooodly number of rooms, but where would it be best to put a whole hive of vaet you lot down to the dungeon It’s the only place I can guarantee that there are absolutely no s, and the sun is about to rise"

Rumpet came forward "Lady Maccon, what have you done?"

The vampires traipsed solemnly into the house Alexia pointed out the appropriate staircase and they filed wordlessly down