She reached the head and, holding on to the scales just behind the neck with her left hand, she used her right to draw out the knife she had fashioned from the shard of broken glass. She was inching forward, searching for a good angle from which to attack, when she heard the roar of the other creature. It was closer. The beast she was on paused, listening, and echoed it. Then it began tearing at the wall of the tunnel, making a hole. It was going outside.

Six couldn’t wait. Lifting the knife, she brought it down in the direction of the monster’s eye. She felt it connect with something, pause and then keep going. Warm fluid covered her hand. The creature screamed in pain and shook its head. Six felt herself slipping off, and let go of the knife so that she could push both hands into the scales and try to hang on.

The beast reared up, its head hitting the roof of the tunnel. It continued to thrash back and forth. Six was dangerously close to being crushed against the ceiling. She clung to the monster as best she could, but she felt her strength ebbing away with the effort. She made an attempt to claw her way to the head and retrieve her knife, but it would be impossible to move without being thrown off.

Then she heard the sound of something tearing at the wall beside her. A section of the tunnel tore away, and she saw a second monster looking in. Sitting on its back was Eleni. When the Mog saw her, she snarled. Then she raised her hand. Six saw a ball of fire appear. Then it flew at her like a small comet, a burning tail stretched out behind it.

Six rolled away, and the ball of flame struck the side of the monster she was on. Its scales seemed to protect it from the worst of the heat, yet it shied away and gave an irritated shriek. Then a second one came, and a third. The last one struck Six in the shoulder. Searing pain bit into her as it ate through the leather of her costume and licked at her skin, and she cried out. Her grip faltered, and she felt herself falling. She scrabbled at the creature’s scales, trying to hang on.

The monster Eleni was riding pushed its way in, nosing the first one out of the way. From her position astride its back, Eleni looked at Six, clinging to the other creature, and smiled cruelly.

“Magdalena has outdone herself, don’t you think?” she said, lifting her hand and showing Six the fireball that was swirling there.

So, Six thought, they had succeeded in giving Eleni a Legacy after all. Meanwhile, she had none to fight back with. Six’s stomach burned with fury and pain as she slowly pulled herself up the back of her monster. Eleni watched, obviously amused.

“It seems unfair to kill you when you have no way of defending yourself,” the Mog said. “Plus, Magdalena needs you alive to harvest the parasite inside of you so she can give your Legacies to me.” She cocked her head. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you a little.”