Flashback ( PDFDrive )

And the drippy walls were lined with twelve hexagonal cubbies, like a
single strip of honeycomb. Most were covered in a thick, slimy white
film that blocked any glimpse of what brewed in the amber-colored
goo beyond. But not all of them.
“Think those three were always empty?” Keefe said, voicing the
question that Sophie hadn’t wanted to ask as she searched every
shadow for signs of life.
There weren’t many places to hide.
And as the seconds dragged on, Sophie’s pulse slowly began to
steady—until she caught a flicker of motion on the edge of her
peripheral vision.
“Did you see that?” she whispered, squinting at the darkest corner
of the room.
None of her friends nodded.
But the motion flickered again—and this time everyone saw them.
Three pairs of glowing orange eyes.
“SEAL THE HIVE!” Tarina commanded—and this time Umber
listened, grabbing the door and swinging it closed as fast as she could.
But the newborns were faster, their massive bodies a blur of slimy
muscle and ragged claws as they slammed against the door hard
enough to rip it off its hinges, sending the huge circle of metal
crashing down on top of Umber.
Then the beasts were free, trampling into the clearing and raising
their heads to sniff out their new surroundings as everyone scrambled
back and reached for weapons. Moonlight glinted off their wet skin,
giving them a slippery blue-gray tint, and Sophie caught a glimpse of
hippo-size fanged teeth as one of the newborns charged one of
Cadfael’s soldiers.