The surviving Iron Horse People celebrated at the Bad Medicine that night. “Listen up, everybody!” Johnny Ten Bears shouted. “Let me salute the real heroine of the hour. Without her, the world would be a darker place for everybody, and especially us. So let’s give it up for Annja Creed!” The Iron Horse People cheered and clustered around her. They were all smiles, hugging her, shaking her hand, thanking her. Even Snake caught her eye and gave her a nod. And if I ever have to earn an acknowledgment bigger than that, Annja thought, I probably won’t survive. When the crowd broke into smaller groups, Annja found herself sitting with Billy and Johnny. “I want to give you my own thanks, Annja,” Johnny said, leaning his head in close. “You saved my bacon, in particular.” She nodded, then smiled, a little sadly. “I’m glad I could help,” she said. “You were innocent. And we stopped the guilty.” Billy bellowed a laugh and slapped the table. “We did more than stop them,”
