“Get ready,” Cade gasped as Quintus nudged him aside and took his place.

Cade was thankful, exhausted by his efforts. He fell to his knees and gulped down some water from an amphora.

Just then, Grace cried out in warning.

The Grays were advancing. One step at a time, four shields held in a square edged up the stairs, spears poking through the gaps in a hedgehog of wood and metal.

It was all they could do but surround the stairs, waiting for the beasts to emerge and the real battle to begin.

“Here they come,” Cade snarled, leaning on his sword to struggle to his feet. The first spear tips came into view …

But the Grays were at a disadvantage. Their backs were exposed. From the stairwell behind them, Bea and Trix were slashing down. Spears weaved and stabbed in return, and the Grays behind lifted their shields in a makeshift shell from the blows above.

Trix cried out in triumph as a Gray screeched and fell away. Yet within a second, another took its place. An endless queue of warriors choked the stairs, undaunted by the slashing blades above.

Cade stabbed forward, his blade aimed at a gap between the shields, only to find his blade jar against the wood.

“It’s no use,” Bea cried out, backing away and clutching a cut to her arm.

Their thin ring of warriors expanded as the Grays emerged from the staircase, limping, bleeding, but in formation.

“Drive them back,” Cade yelled, lifting his sword. “Charge together … now!”

They moved in as one, the ferocity of their attack pushing the wall inward, pressing them into the Grays crowding behind. Swords rose and fell, splintering spear hafts and shields alike.

But no Grays fell beneath their onslaught. They bore the wave of violence like an impenetrable wall. Where blows did pass through, they were deflected by armor, and the spears stabbed back in riposte.

A flash of pain seared across Cade’s wrist, and he felt the hot trickle of blood, his hilt slippery in his grip. This was not a battle they could win.

And then, almost lost among the calls of the trilling enemies, he heard it. A bellow from below. Then another, and another. Trills of alarm followed, Gray heads turning to listen.

“Again!” Cade roared.

They pressed forward once more, and this time, the shield wall fell back, even as the clash of weapons echoed from below. Again and again Cade swung, the last vestiges of his energy spent in great, sweeping blows. The Grays, distracted, shuffled farther and farther back, the crush of those behind them seemingly gone as their reinforcements turned to face the new threat.

As suddenly as they had emerged, the Grays at the top retreated, their shields upheld, but only in defense as they scrambled to return to the stairs. Soon, they disappeared from view, turning and charging into the gloom beneath.

Breathing hoarsely, Cade fell to his knees, blocking the way as Quintus tried to follow down the stairs.