The bear bellowed in pain and stumbled back, its leg giving out, the giant lurching in his saddle, seeing Tukul and lunging at him with his spear. Tukul swayed back, hacked and splintered the spear-shaft. He guided Daria away from the bear’s front claws, felt the wind of their passing as he rode out in front of the bear, turning Daria in a tight circle. Tukul sheathed his sword in its scabbard across his back.

The bear was twenty paces away, stationary now, wounded, enraged and savage. It roared at Tukul and Daria, spittle spraying from its great jaws, the giant lending his voice, bellowing at them and brandishing its battle-axe. Tukul snarled back at them and kicked Daria straight at it, unclipping his axe and hefting it. He slipped his feet from his stirrups, in one smooth move bringing them up to the saddle, and then he launched himself into the air, flying over one swiping claw, bringing his axe down two-handed with all his strength to crunch into the bear’s skull. Bone and brain splattered his face, and he heard a horse screaming. The bear collapsed in a spasm of fur and muscle, Tukul losing his grip on the axe-shaft, spinning through the air to land with a bone-jarring crunch. He tried to get up but couldn’t draw a breath, his lungs burning, his back screaming at him to lie still.

Dimly he was aware of a hulking form rising out of the ruin of the bear’s slumped carcass, heard the grief-edged bellow of the giant.

Get up and live, stay here and die, he told himself, jolts of agony stabbing through him as he rolled onto his front, pushed himself onto one knee. The giant towered above him, his axe pulling back, and Tukul reached for his sword, drew it, stood on unsteady feet, face raised in defiance.

Then the giant staggered and roared in pain, arms flailing. It turned away and Tukul saw a figure clinging to its back, legs wrapped around the giant’s waist, punching one fist into its side, time and time again, the fist coming away red, sharp claws splattering blood.

Claws?

Tukul blinked, still dazed from the fall. Then he realized.

Coralen.

The giant sank to its knees, arms reaching for Coralen. She grabbed a fist full of its hair, yanked its head back and raked her wolven claws across its throat. Then she dropped from its back and kicked it face down into the dirt.

‘This battle’s growing into a fine song,’ she said as she put a steadying arm on his shoulder.