Better do it this way, she thought, pressing herself to the ground and crawling through the narrow space underneath. She felt her back scrape against the underside of the tube; there was a horrible moment when she thought she was stuck and would need to call one of the others for help.

Lusa dug her claws into the ground, dragging herself forward, bunching her muscles for a leap that would take her away from the tube and propel her across the BlackPath. Then she heard Toklo yell, ‘Wait!’

At the same moment the distant roaring of the firebeasts suddenly got louder. Lusa froze. A huge firebeast swept past her less than a bearlength from her nose, covering her with grit and mud that stung her eyes and spattered over her pelt.

‘Oh, thanks!’ she muttered, blinking to clear her vision.

‘It’s OK now!’ Kallik called from the other side of the BlackPath.

Still not able to see properly, Lusa trusted her friend and thrust off with her hindpaws. She popped out from underneath the tube and felt the BlackPath hard under her pads as she scampered across. She crashed into Kallik’s soft bulk and felt the white bear licking her face to get rid of the grit.

‘Thanks,’ Lusa panted, blinking.

The BlackPath led almost directly towards the flat-face area, so Lusa and the others padded along beside it. Lights were coming on at the top of the flat-face towers, and as they trudged past one of them a vast cloud of fire burst from the top of it, the glare blotting out the stars. Her heart racing, Lusa pressed herself to the ground; Kallik crouched beside her, and she could feel the white bear shaking.

‘What was that?’ Kallik whispered.

‘I don’t know.’ Though Lusa tried to sound brave, her voice rose to a betraying squeak. ‘It’s not hurting us,’ she added a moment later.

‘Yet,’ Toklo snapped discouragingly.

The ground still sloped downward; ahead of them Lusa could make out the pale gleam of water.

‘There’s the river up ahead,’ she said, pausing to point with her snout. ‘I think this BlackPath goes across it. Toklo, do you remember that river we crossed by a BlackPath? That was before you joined us,’ she added to Kallik.

‘I remember a firebeast struck Ujurak and nearly killed him,’ Toklo grunted, his gaze fixed on his paws. ‘I’m not risking that again.’

‘We could swim,’ Lusa agreed. ‘But this BlackPath is much quieter. It might be safe enough.’

Toklo didn’t reply, and Lusa didn’t bother arguing; there was no point, until they reached the river and saw what they had to face.

The sun was going down by the time they reached the bank; the wide, flat surface of the water reflected an ominous red light.

Lusa tried not to shiver. ‘That’s a long way to swim,’ she murmured.