She couldn't decide whether to cry or reach out and strangle her father. Els had been rushed from her pleasant talk with Arthur to Lord Weimaers' study, not sure what to expect she went in hopeful it was some trifle matter. It was not.

"You cannot do this to me, Father, I'm your firstborn child, your heir by all right. Sell me to this banker and I will be stripped of it all." She had tried to keep the fear from her voice but it was all she could do to stop her lower lip from trembling.

The one thing I've been dreading for years, Marriage she thought as she watched her father's face twist in anger.

"All your life I've waited to see what kind of women you would grow to become. I'd hope you would cut yourself from the same cloth as your Aunt Lyla but you have disappointed me at every turn. This marriage will strengthen the family's presence in the capitol and allow me to appoint a new successor. You will not see it as fair but I do not care, as you have not cared about this family for years". Her father was pursing his lips as though he could taste the bitterness of his words.

"The matter is closed Elsbeth," he said coolly when she raised her voice again, "You will travel to the capitol with all haste and marry Shelny Luther."

Madame Shima was complaining about the steamy windows for the umpteenth time. "Those ruffians out there will think this is some love den," she chortled wiping the glass clean again.

Els didn't bother to look, she had her forehead pressed up against the cool window and was looking across the rolling countryside.

If only I were sat on a horse. I could gallop off and leave the lot of them behind. Her mind drifted the the western port cities and the large galleons that could whisk her off to distant and exciting lands. Maven would be closest, it would be less than a week's ride

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the sea air flowing through her, a wave crashing against the side of her boat drenching her in water. When she opened them again there was only a sea of growing wheat and she sighed deeply.

"That's no way for a bride to behave so close to her wedding day," lectured Shima. She shuffled up the seat and started to wipe down Els' window. "Off the glass child, do you want your guards to see you in such a state?"

Els searched through the small knot of armoured soldiers and searched for Arthurs' face. It was a small miracle that he had been assigned to watch over her, but Els found little joy in the act of fate.

He can't save me from my father, no matter how much I wish he could.

She had spent the first two days of her journey racking her brain for ideas on getting out of this union. She thought of duels, polite refusals, less polite refusal and simple bribery but she knew none of them would work. She slumped back into her padded seat and felt her body accept its fate but her mind rallied against it.

There's still time, the capitol is a large place with many ambitious people, I need only find one and convince them to help me and I will be saved. Her heart soared at the thought of the greedy opportunists who would stop at nothing to obstruct her father's plans. Her fingers tingled with excitement as the carriage came to a sudden halt. She stifled a laugh when she noticed Madame Shima had unexpectedly head-butted the glass leaving a small crack.

"That bloody carriage driver is going to get a piece of my mind," she hissed flinging the door open.

Just like the glass did, thought Els unable to resist a slight chuckle.

All amused thoughts died when she heard the first scream. She rushed to the open door to call for Shima when it was slammed in her face.

"Stay in there girl, you'll be safer," Shima said looking through the window.

Els felt her chest tighten when she saw the look in her eyes. She pulled herself across to the other window to see what was going on. Her breath froze as she saw the first corpse. The man had been cut clean in half. Whatever killed him had been strong enough to cleave through his armour, flesh and bone. Pistol snapped and her ears rang from the sudden noise.

That seemed close, almost right ab-.

She was thrown from her seat before she could finish her thought. Something large had crashed through the convey and toppled her carriage. She prised her terrified eyes open and saw she was now lying on the roof. The ground rocked with tremendous thudding and Els scrambled through the now broken window. The scene around the broken carriage was one of utter chaos. Horses and men lay dead on the ground all around her smashed to bits as if they had been caught in a rock fall. Els got to her feet and turned, what she saw left her weak at the knees. It was three times the height of a man and easily ten times the weight. Its small head was braced with thick shoulders and long apish arms descended from a muscled torso. Its eyes were blood red and focused entirely on the carriage it was currently stomping to pieces. Els' carriage.

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She turned to look for anyone who might be left alive but all she saw was death and destruction. The beast turned his head in her direction, in one giant fist he held a massive slab of iron with a handle. It took one step forward before Els found the courage to take one step back. She wanted to run but her eyes were fixed on this monster. She had never heard any tales like this, no stories of a monster that could crush horsed knights under its feet. She was sure of her death there when it was staring at her slowly moving forward.

"ELS!"

Both her and the monster snapped their heads toward the source of the noise. She recognised the voice immediately. It was Arthur and he was soaring through the air. He plunged two swords into the monster back and held on for dear life.

"ELS, PISTOL!" he screamed as the beast tried in vein to reach around and pull him off. She snapped out of her trance and looked around for the weapon. She gingerly approached the smashed corpse of a Pistoleer. She poked through the loose entrails before wrapping her hand around a flintlock. She peered down to check it was loaded when Arthur screamed again.

"ELS NOW!"

The man-thing had begun to violently spin in order to get Arthur off his back.

Like a pantomime thought Els looking up at the ordeal.

She kept a safe distance as she pulled herself up onto the ruins of a food cart and took aim with the pistol.

"THROW ME THE FUCKING THING!" screamed Arthur.

The beast stopped its spinning and leaned forward, pulling its crude sword behind its back intending to scrape Arthur off. Els got to her feet and with all her might launched the pistol at Arthur. It was a good throw but when he released one of his swords to grab it he slid forward. Els held her breath as he spun his legs to the front of him and gripped them around the thing's large neck. In a flash, it dropped the sword and swung its hand to crush Arthur. But he had plucked the spinning pistol out of the air, cocked it and fired its ball straight into the back of the beast's skull. Els expected to be showered in gore but the skull broke like porcelain. and a jet of foul-smelling black liquid flowed out.

Just like the possessed at Finepoint thought Els.

The monster collapsed into a heap and Arthur slid into the mud his breathing slow and heavy. Els rushed over and stood above him. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy," he replied trying to pull himself to his feet.

They stood in silence for a moment surveying the destruction that surrounded them. Els called out for any other survivor and heard no reply. The beast had killed them all.

"I'm glad you're alive," said Els.

"Likewise" Arthur walked over to the large corpse and pulled his sword from its back. He handed one to Els who felt reassured at the weight of the steel.

"Take this." He handed her the pistol that had killed the beast. "We are going to need to find some supplies and hunt down the horses that fled when it attacked. With any luck we can still make it to the capitol on time."

Els froze at his instruction. "We won't be going to the capitol".

Before he could say anything Els continued.

"This isn't Finepoint, you aren't Pyp's man anymore, you are mine. And you will do as I command."

Arthur tensed his shoulders but nodded "Yes La-"

"This is even more proof of what we both already know, the witch is after our lives because of our knowledge. We cannot hide from her anymore we have to strike."

"Yes La-"

"And don't call me lady, I'm no lady," said Els feeling as tall as the beast.

Arthur looked ready to say more before his ears pricked and he grabbed Els' hand. She heard the thundering of hooves behind them. Arthur dragged her off the road and pushed her into a bog pit. They both landed with a splash and tucked under a large root to obscure them from sight.

Els heard shouting as two messengers entered the carnage.

My family crest thought Els seeing the embroidered patterns on their doublets. She felt Arthur stir beside her and she dragged him back down into the water with her.

"No Arthur."

"But."

"No," she said sternly.

They moved closer and she could make out what they were saying.

"By the dove what could have done this," gasped one.

"A horde of reavers from the north, they must have gotten lucky and found a ripe target," said the other.

"We need to report this to Lord Weimaer," that one was clearly anxious to get away.

"Hold on we need to see if there's anyone alive first."

"You think anyone could have survived this?"

"Well if they did and Lord Weimaer finds out we didn't do our jobs properly then our heads will roll get looking."

They moved of in different directions. The less confident one came to lean of the tree Arthur and Els were hiding under.

"All this because Luca can't handle any competition, I would've paid good money to see the new guy make a fool of him in the ring again," the man stammered to himself.

"I've got nothing, no signs of anyone alive or anyone who might have done this you?"

"Nothing just pulped men and horses."

They continued to sift through the ruins for half an hour before saddling back up and racing back to Heartford.

Els hoisted herself out of the bog pit and walked over to her ruined carriage. Digging through the refuse she found what remained of her chest. She looked around for Arthur and found him digging through piles of wreckage too.

"Avert your eyes Arthur I'm changing," she called out.

He nodded and buried himself in a collapsed wagon.

She quickly ripped off the filthy dress that was sticking to her skin and replaced it was a long doublet and breeches, a pair of tall riding boots covered her feet and she pinned her long hair behind her head. Her hands were covered in cuts from the carriage glass they trembled slightly as she looked them over and pulled on a pair of doe-skin gloves. From the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face and it made her sick to her stomach.

Madame Shima, she thought looking at the crushed figure in the mud.

She bent over and vomited on the ground before dragging her eyes away from the dead woman.

I always hated the crone but nobody deserves to die like that.

Arthur had pulled himself and a number of boxes out of his wagon and looked over at Els with concern.

"I'm alright," she said.

He came to stand by her spotting what remained of Shima. "You have my condolences".

"I never liked her anyway."

"That never makes it easier," said Arthur.

Els supposed he was right.