Just beyond the dung piles there was a dip in the land, invisible until you were this close. Coralen crept to its edge and peered down a long, gentle slope. At its base there was a hillock, its peak not quite as high as the ground Coralen was standing upon, made of craggy black rock coated with thin soil and patches of grass. Caves dotted it, eight, ten, more than Coralen could see, dark openings that bored into the black rock.

Enkara touched her shoulder and indicated that they should leave.

Coralen nodded and started to inch backwards when in the darkness of one of the caves something moved. A hulking shadow emerged, lizard-like but huge, its squat body low to the ground, legs splayed and ending in clawed feet, a long thick-muscled neck with a broad, flat muzzled head and sharp fangs.

A draig.

The three of them stood frozen a moment, desperate to move, too scared to make a sound.

The draig raised its head, a long tongue flickering from its jaws, tasting the air. Abruptly it went still, completely motionless, then its head snapped up and it stared straight at them.

It roared.

Like a release from a spell the three of them were sprinting back towards the horses.

Coralen skirted a tree and saw Teca a hundred paces away.

She glanced over her shoulder, saw the draig explode over the slope, all fangs, muscle and jaws kicking up earth as its claws raked the ground.

Teca’s eyes bulged and she leaped into her saddle, tried to lead the horses towards Coralen and the others but the horses were neighing wildly, rearing and kicking.

There was a huge crack behind Coralen, the draig ploughing into a tree in its haste to reach them. It roared, making the world shake. It sounded as if it was almost upon them.

Then Coralen was swinging into her saddle, her horse almost mad with fear. She saw Yalric yelling curses at his horse as it powered away past her, heard hooves pounding behind her, then a collision, a horse screaming, bones crunching.

Fear had her in a grip she’d never known before. She was too scared even to look back. Ride, just ride, get away.

Another scream from behind her, this time human.

Enkara.

She heaved at her reins, her mount slowing, skidding to a halt, and looked back.

The draig was crouched over a horse, one claw upon its neck, pinning it as it bucked and writhed, the draig’s jaws slick with blood as it tore bloody holes in the animal’s side. Enkara was squirming on the ground, one leg trapped under the fallen horse.

Before she could think Coralen was kicking her horse into movement, swearing and cursing at it when it resisted, eventually acquiescing to its rider and moving hesitantly back towards the draig. Teca appeared from the left, her bow nocked, Yalric riding back to them, an axe in his hand.