“You think you’ve won,” Zafira said. “You think that’s it for Ravel’s plans. Well, it’s not. There are still people like me, people who recognise what he was trying to do. And we will not stop, do you hear me? I don’t care if I have to have every one of you killed. We will seize control of this world and every mortal will—”

Darquesse pressed her hand against the energy shield and quickly found its frequency. The shield retracted and Zafira’s eyes widened.

“What? How did you—?”

Darquesse took hold of her, yanked her through the window. She held her up for a moment, dangling like a doll.

“Oh my God,” said Zafira, eyes bulging with terror. “You’re not Valkyrie Cain. You’re—”

“Yep,” said Darquesse.

Then she tossed Zafira high into the air.

The Gnarl snatched her into its mouth. Zafira’s screams ended abruptly when its molars popped her head like a freshly-laid egg.

Watching the creature eat was fascinating. Not a pretty sight, but a mesmerising one. It chewed with its mouth open. Zafira proved both crunchy and squelchy, but an insubstantial treat. She was gone in mere seconds, and the Gnarl turned its beady eyes back to Darquesse.

It lowered its head and charged. She moved at the last moment, barely saving herself from being gored. Even so, the impact lifted her, tossed her into the air, and the Gnarl caught her in its jaws. She barely had time to register that she was actually in this creature’s mouth before its teeth closed on her, pierced her left arm and leg, cutting through the armoured clothes like they were nothing.

She blocked the pain, and took in many things simultaneously. The first thing was the smell, which was disgusting. The second was that not even a trace of Zafira remained. The third was the Gnarl’s flat tongue, which nudged against her, wet and sticky. It was dark in here, but she saw the teeth begin to part as the Gnarl prepared to chew.

The thought came to her that maybe being eaten alive wasn’t a great lifestyle choice, so she extended her free hand and energy burst from her fingertips. It seared the roof of the Gnarl’s mouth. She’d been hoping it’d go straight up into the brain, but it appeared that the inside of this creature was just as durable as its armoured hide.