Twelve gulped and backed away, glancing at the carnage over her shoulder. Was this part of the attack? The wall bulged outward, distorting crazily. She flung herself to the ground just in time. With the low rasp of stone on stone, something animal-like ripped free of the rock, bounded over Twelve and into the battle.

On her back, Widge squealed in surprise. Twelve rolled to look behind her and felt her jaw drop. The thing that had jumped over her was a huge stone dog, easily the size of a horse. It sank its teeth into a winter wolf and shook viciously, tossing it away as if it was no bigger than a rabbit. The Hunters who saw it raised a hearty cheer as it dispatched the other wolves and turned its attention to the nearest ogre. Twelve stared, dumbfounded. Could it be? She’d always assumed it was just a story to entertain the younger students. But here it was: the lodge’s Guardian.

Her heart lifting, Twelve ran along the base of the wall toward the resthouse. She would have entered it but for an earth-shattering roar behind her. One of the ogres clawed at its face, an arrow deeply embedded in its cheek. It stumbled, dropping to one knee. The hair on its back almost reached the ground, shaggy enough to climb. Twelve was sprinting toward it before a conscious thought formed. On her shoulder, Widge trilled his outrage.

Silver’s face flickered in front of her as she ran. The Elder would be proud if she helped defend the other Hunters, wouldn’t she? Wasn’t that what the lodge was all about?

Twelve flung herself at the ogre’s back just before it hauled itself up. She clung on grimly as the ground lurched away, then began to climb, keeping her focus on her hands and feet, grateful the ogre was too irritated by the Hunters to notice her. Widge knew better than to distract her, but disapproval radiated off him in waves. She breathed through her mouth, but still the smell made her gag.

At the ogre’s shoulder, wiry hairs the width of a finger sprouted. She grabbed two and hauled herself up. Immediately, the creature craned its head around to look at her. Its face loomed unpleasantly close, dull brown eyes goggling at her, teeth as gray and forbidding as tombstones. It opened its mouth and roared. Twelve thought her head might explode as the blast of sound rattled her bones. Strings of saliva sprayed over her. Widge darted into her furs to escape them.

The ogre grabbed at her with an enormous hand and Twelve ducked, hacking furiously at its fingers with her axe. It roared again and made another grab for her, but a spine-chilling shriek from the training ground below distracted it. For a moment, everyone froze and an uncanny silence fell.