“I don’t see anything,” Six said uncertainly. “What was it? What did it look like?”

“Humanoid,” Twelve said apologetically. “But definitely not human. And tall, so not a goblin.”

“Pfft, not much to go on,” Six sighed.

“We are deep into the Fangs. That could describe many things,” Dog agreed.

Silence fell as each of them mentally ran through lists of dark creatures and tried not to give in to panic.

“I suppose we’re all hoping it isn’t another Grim,” Five said lightly, his voice belying his sudden pallor.

Six winced and Twelve’s stomach dropped. An image of Silver, dead and frozen, slipped across her vision.

“And when you say you’re ‘almost certain’ . . . ?” Five added. He was very pale, his brown eyes wide in the gloom.

“Very certain,” Twelve corrected herself. “On the mountaintop earlier, it was too far away to be sure. Just now it was clear, only for an instant, but there’s definitely something there. Also . . .” She broke off, suddenly feeling like an idiot. She should have mentioned this before. “Also, I think there might have been something around our campsite last night. It wasn’t Widge I saw.”

Inside her furs, Widge chirped his agreement.

Everyone looked at Dog. He let out a low growl. “It is possible.”

Five’s shoulders slumped. “Great. So something’s stalking us?”

“It seems likely,” Dog admitted.

Six licked his lips and glanced behind them again. “We’re really stuck between a Grim and a glimmer, then,” he muttered.

“Well, we can’t just stand here,” Twelve snapped, sounding angrier than she’d meant to. “We have to keep going. Either way, I suspect we’ll meet something we’d rather avoid. At least if we move forward we’re still on Seven’s trail.”

“Agreed,” Six said resolutely. He squared his shoulders. “And there’s no guarantee there’ll be another way around anyway. We’d risk losing the trail altogether if we go back.”

Even through her fear, Twelve felt another flicker of irritation. There he was agreeing with her again. She wished he would behave more like Five: it would make it much easier to dislike him.

She pushed the thought aside as Dog turned toward the narrow gorge. Unwillingly, the little group moved deeper into the darkness.

Chapter

Sixteen

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Five groaned, pulling his muffler higher up over his nose. “Let’s take our chances with whatever’s behind us and pray it’s less stinky.”

He was only half joking. The smell had become so overpowering Twelve could feel it coating her tongue, sliding down her throat like a slug. She tensed against a rush of bile. Behind her, Six retched quietly and, inside her furs, Widge shuddered.