Charger was trying to bolt. He plowed into Surefoot again, desperate to barge past her, but there wasn’t room. Five was hauling on the reins, but Charger tossed his head and slammed Five’s legs into the wall, trying to unseat him. Five’s face was sheened with sweat, but nothing he did calmed his snagglefoot.

Twelve saw what was going to happen an instant before it did. Charger threw back his head and bellowed his terror into the darkness. Above her, the rustling redoubled.

The cliffcrawlers knew there was something there, but they weren’t sure where. They seethed downward, jaws snapping hopefully.

In an instant, Twelve had her axes in both hands, adrenaline pumping through her. Behind her, Six held his bow and arrow poised and ready. Five wasn’t so lucky: he needed both hands just to stay on Charger. Twelve watched with mounting dread, her throat seemingly sealed shut. A cliffcrawler dropped off the wall and landed on Charger’s neck. Its jaws snapped once and chaos broke out.

“He’s been bitten!” Five yelled, the snagglefoot’s blood spattered on his pale cheek.

A terrible chill swept through Twelve. Above them, the cliffcrawlers’ forked tongues flicked in and out frantically, tasting the air, working out where their prey was. Then they began to drop, mouths gaping wide.

Chapter

Nineteen

Five abandoned his attempts to control Charger. He ripped his sword from its sheath and swung furiously at the black shapes dropping around him. The cliffcrawlers hissed and shrieked, but another managed to land on Charger and take a second deep bite.

The scent of blood mingled with the crawler stench.

The walls above were a surging mass of teeth, and two crawlers landed on Dog’s neck. Twelve hacked them apart and turned back to the boys. She could barely see Five through a maelstrom of whirling black. Six was firing arrows indiscriminately and Charger was bellowing. Even Surefoot was starting to panic.

Do something.

Dog growled furiously beneath her. “I cannot turn around! Too narrow!” He tried nonetheless, and Twelve swallowed a cry as he half crushed her leg against the slimy rock.

Five screamed and his sword clattered to the icy ground.

In an instant, Six was off Surefoot’s back. He scooped up the weapon and carved a path through the scrum of crawlers without hesitation. “The sprites, Twelve!” he yelled over his shoulder.

Through Twelve’s pain, her brain clicked into gear. The firesprites were directly above her, flame billowing strongly off their wings. To her disgust, she saw they were laughing again.

“Don’t just hover there!” she screamed, swinging a furious axe at them. “Protect Five and Six!”

The laughter stopped abruptly and the ringleader, Sharpspark, narrowed his eyes. Before she could react, he had flung a fireball at her, almost hitting Widge.

“TWELVE!” Six screamed.