While his companions hid, Dumas stood in front of the bushes where they were concealed.  The Red Queen’s soldiers had grown accustomed to finding him and his sister in a variety of unusual places, doing a variety of unusual things, so his presence in the forest wouldn’t be particularly remarkable.  And if he kept the patrol’s attention focused on him, hopefully they wouldn’t notice any traces of the nice girl or her sullen friend.<br/><br/>At first, Dumas’s plan appeared to work rather well.  The soldiers grunted their typical greetings as they passed him -- everything ranging from ‘“Nice<span style="font-style: italic">dress</span>, Tweedle Dum” to “When are you going to stop messing around with tea parties and join the army like a real man?”  And, of course, there were always the few people who insisted on pronouncing his name as “Dumb-Ass”.  But Dumas simply acknowledged their comments with a nod and a smile.  The important thing was that they didn’t seem to suspect anything unusual.  Dumas couldn’t help feeling a little proud of himself as he prepared to tell his new friends that they could come out now.  Then he smelled something burning.<br/><br/>Nearly as soon as she emerged from the portal, Deirdre spotted her brother.  She also spotted the two strangers standing near him.  But before she could rush over and discover what fresh trouble Dumas had gotten himself into, the unfamiliar pair suddenly ducked into the bushes.  Then, moments later, one of the Red Queen’s patrols marched into view.  Deirdre held her breath as she watched them pass by the foliage where the girl and the man had hidden.  Would Dumas say something to tip off the soldiers?  Or accidentally look somewhere he shouldn’t?  To Deidre’s surprise, Dumas handled the situation rather well, without any assistance from her.  Maybe Andre was right.  Maybe her twin really was reaching the point where he could make his own decisions.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, Deidre’s feelings of admiration were quickly replaced by panic.  When the leaves caught fire, she charged forward, prepared to push her brother to safety.  But the chiffon on his dress had already ignited.  Desperately slapping the bush with one hand, and her brother with the other, Deidre attempted to simultaneously extinguish both.  “Aybee!  Oh, Aybee!  Help me!”