John stayed very still, very steady- breathing in and out in a slow, measured rhythm. Howard's flash of panic was all too obvious to someone used to them, but the last thing he was going to do was point it out to anyone else- or, indeed, make things worse by forcing Howard to focus on his fear.

"You mean the fences," he said, carefully. "Right? I don't think they could clear those, but I wouldn't want to bet on it."