Another tremor shakes the tunnels. Debris flutters down from the makeshift ceilings. A violent splash of heat sears the air behind you and a glance shows shards of light fracturing the black. You curse, knowing the wraith is breaching. You mount Trust before turning to help Quinn get Etzli in the saddle. Fire scorches upward. A golden, sunlit claw appears along the rim of the pit. Blackened nails dig into the ground as a shapeless head rises, eyes bright with wanting. Etzli’s body fits against you with a slap of mud and heat. Quinn blinks from the floor to Trust’s back and you whip both sides of the horse, urging him into motion.

He bolts, almost rocking you off one side, but you clench your legs and hold tight to the reins as the wraith gives chase. There’s a press of heat, a scrape of claws, and then Trust’s hooves pounding over both. The creature follows. Its mate howls in the distant dark.

Trust nearly startles when he hears the noise, but you click a command to keep him calm, feet moving. No matter how quickly you take the turns, the heat trails and grows. You thunder through the mirrored route, hoping you can survive, hoping you can make it out before the sun rises. By your measure, night should be working its way to dawn.

There’s a final turn before you burst free of the cave, out into a weak, pre-morning light. Quinn slides from Trust’s back and helps Etzli to the ground.

You free the switch from your belt and squeeze twice. The whip slides out as the wraith appears, burned body framing the entire entryway. Another scream sounds somewhere deeper in the pit. The great creature cocks its pitted head, listening and eager, but you’ve stolen its attention. You’ve interrupted the mating cycle. Its mouth opens in a fiery snarl.

Trust obeys the press of your calves. A few strides puts you between the wraith and Etzli. The wraith snarls, its beaded, black eyes narrowing. A hole opens in the center of the flames and you see a flash of massive stone teeth. Before it can lurch out into the light, you brandish the whip. A crack sounds as the blow lands just above the wraith’s right eye. It snarls again, but you twist your wrist and land another blow. Twice more it feels the pain of your strikes, and twice more it hears the call of its lover within. It looks torn, but you watch as it scrapes the walls angrily, then turns. You crack the whip one more time and the beast disappears from sight.