‘Cat,’ Shane began, ‘What–’

‘Shh!’ she said, cutting him off. ‘Can’t you hear that?’

Shane looked around, ‘Hear what?’

The creaking was louder now and there was something else too, the clip-clop sound of horseshoes on stone.

‘That!’

‘Maybe it’s a car?’ he said, but he sounded less than certain.

Cat shook her head. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that whatever was coming toward them, it wasn’t natural. Every part of her brain screamed that they needed to escape. She looked around, but there was nowhere to hide. The hedgerows were too thick to squeeze through and it was half a kilometre back to the main road. Even if they ran as fast as they could, whatever made that sound would surely catch up to them.

Shane tugged at her sleeve and pointed. A few metres ahead was a sturdy-looking sycamore tree with wide branches that had managed to cling onto a few brown leaves. It was scant cover, but it would have to do. She nodded and together they sprinted for the tree. Shane reached it first and scrambled onto one of the lower branches before turning around and offering a hand to help her up. No sooner had Cat’s feet left the ground than she heard the whinny of a horse as it rounded the corner and came into view. It was pulling an old-fashioned carriage that rattled and clattered over the uneven ground. Cat had seen these kinds of carriages before, transporting tourists around Killarney or Galway. But where those were usually open to the elements to allow the passengers to enjoy the view, this carriage was completely covered.

‘The light!’ whispered Shane.

With a start, Cat realised she still gripped the torch. She flicked it off just as the horse and carriage came to a rest directly below their hiding place. She hoped the light hadn’t given them away.

Through the gloom, Cat could just about make out the outline of a robed figure sitting up front holding a set of reins. Something about the figure didn’t look right to her, but she couldn’t say why. The horse stamped and huffed, eager to be on its way, but the coachman held it still. It was as though he was waiting for something. Cat held her breath.

Please go away! She thought. Please, please!

A cold menace radiated off the coachman like waves. She couldn’t explain it, but deep down inside, she knew that whatever else happened, they mustn’t let him find them.

Cat watched as he lifted the reins once again, sure he was finally about to leave. Instead, he simply threw the reins aside and dismounted from the coach with unnatural ease. She could hear the scuff of his boots on the road as he began to pace up and down, pausing every so often as though he were listening for something.

He’s looking for us, Cat realised. He knows we’re here.

She wanted to do something – to find a way to distract the coachman while they made their escape – but she was terrified and couldn’t think of anything. All she could do was try to slow her panicked breathing down so it wouldn’t give them away.