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"You have invited in a queen?" The butler, normally quite a florid ave her a tired s the butler’s fear as his due "We can never go back now, you realize, Lady Maccon? Once a queen swarms and relocates, it is forever"

Lady Maccon finally understood Lord Akeldama’s smile and why he refused to invite the hive in for tea Alexia had ood Not only was he potentate, and in charge of his own ring of very specially trained young men, but also he would now be the sole leader of fashion left in central London

And Lady Maccon was stuck with vampires in her basement "Curses, I have been rather neatly played"

Another contraction hit her, and she had no ht for her present domestic predicament She suspected this was so shape

Rumpet put out a hand to steady her "My lady?"

"Rumpet, there is an octomaton on our doorstep"

"So I noticed, my lady And half of BUR has just arrived as well"

Alexia looked It was true Several of BUR’s human members, on the octoht she could see Haverbink’s tall, strapping form "Oh, God The pack will turn on them, they’re food" And even as she watched, one of the olves left off fighting Madaents "We must protect them Get the pack ers Tell the the necessary equipment and open the silver cabinet"

"Iular alcove for at led a silver chain At the end of that chain was a silver key Next to it was a special glass box containing a large horn Ruloved hand He placed the horn to his lips and blew

Not thenoise But it rattled through the castle in a way that suggested the sound had been ers instantly assembled around Rumpet in the hallway Pack policy dictated that every pack ers Lord Maccon had six these days, and there were a few extras loitering about as well

Ruany ave no clue as to its true contents Inside, instead of the usual household valuables--candlesticks, baby spoons, and the like--was the claviger kit Displayed in neat rows and on special hooks were silver h pairs for every member of the pack; silver knives; a few precious bottles of lapis lunearis; and,nets These were spun of silver cord, weighted at the corners, and used to capture and weaken a ithout da from little hooks in each door were fifty fine silver chains with fifty fine silver whistles

The clavigers, grim-faced, armed themselves and took up the nets Each put a whistle over his head They were so high-pitched that no hus were violently affected by the noise

Alexia thought of so in Biffy first Ree Take care--he’ll be the oodness, ill I say if he accidentally eats soers ran to the stables, and Alexia heard the roaring sound of the steaers per wagon--one to steer and one to cast the net--they roared out and down the hillside, steaers ran after

Lady Maccon witnessed very little of the battle after that She leaned against Ru her, and the fighting beloas nothing ers, wolves, and steas and an octomaton Occasionally, a spurt of fire jetted into the air or a glittering waterfall of silver net was cast upward

Eventually she gave up "Rumpet, help me to the bottoratefully down onto the steps of the grand staircase "Now, please go down and ensure that the va we need is them on the loose"

"At once, ri about the acco feather pillows, my lady"

"Of course they are" Alexia doubled over in pain as another contraction ripped through her Diraceful landing in the front courtyard of Woolsey Boots and the airship coilely out of the basket and lashed the craft to a hitching post

The first set of clavigers returned at that point, dragging a netted ith the aid of a penny-farthing wagon It took four of theet him up the steps and into the castle, even with the silver net burning him into submission It wasn’t Biffy, but it looked to be one of the other youngsters, Rafe

Alexia’s attention was refocused intoas her pains became, if possible, worse She looked for Ru to it that the young as dragged down into the dungeon and locked away Alexia spared a one into one of the cells together, or things were about to get very coh the pain, even knowing he was in wolf form and that he would be the hardest to catch and the last to return home "Where is he?" She was irrationally convinced that he should be with her right that very moment

At which juncture, a wide, cool cloth was placed across her brow and a soft reliable voice said exactly the right thing "Here, ainst her lips and Alexia sipped Strong, milky, and restorative, exactly how she liked it best Tea

She opened her eyes, previously screwed closed in anguish, to see the fine lined face of an elderly gentle, estured behind hih the open front door Tizzy and Boots hovered in the doorway, looking at Alexia in horror and with an air that suggested they would rather be anywhere else but there

"I caught a lift, madam"

"Eep!" squeaked Tizzy as he was pushed aside by another group of clavigers dragging another netted wolf ho whined like that They eon stairs without need of an order froroup ca them on the stairs