Ancier and Kailas came upon the carcass before midday. Cattle bones were strewn along the path, webbed with strings of air-dried flesh that shivered in the relentless wind. The heavy skull was picked clean; the jaws gaped as though the creature had screamed to the last.

Ancier halted. His horse lowered its head, its mane buffeted by the wind.

‘What did this?’ Kailas asked, her weariness replaced with unease. ‘Wolves?’

‘Something larger.’ Ancier stared at the bones. ‘The neck is crushed.’

‘What did it, then?’ Kailas pushed him. It was hard enough knowing the Mayqsa were coming. The fact there might be other dangers had never crossed her mind.

At Ancier’s shrug, Kailas turned her horse.

‘I’d rather avoid being eaten alive if it’s all the same to you,’ she said, angered by his blasé attitude. ‘There must be another way down the foothills. You say trappers use this path. Well, it looks like monsters use it, too.’

‘The carcass has been here some time.’ Ancier stood firm. ‘We go on.’

‘You’re supposed to be protecting me!’

‘The sooner we get out of this area, the safer you’ll be,’ Ancier said. ‘The path is our best bet.’

Kailas slumped in the saddle as they rode on.

They trekked the old paths by the edges of fields and through copses. With each mile, the terrain dropped towards woods and fields. By late afternoon, as the light was fading, Ancier spotted a large cowshed and rode off the path to reach it.

‘We’ll stay here tonight,’ Ancier said, dismounting. He pushed through the huge, wooden door and waved Kailas into a fug of warm cow and fresh dung.

Ancier shut them inside with a herd of cattle chewing the cud. The horses ate the cattle’s fodder while Kailas dined on sausage sandwiches. Ancier did not eat anything.

Somehow, she mustered the energy to climb the ladder to the hayloft.

She fell asleep the moment her head hit the hay. After what seemed like only an instant, Ancier prodded her awake with the handle of a hay rake.

They emerged from the byre to a spectacular dawn. A mass of red dots swirled before the rising sun, accompanied by high-pitched screeches. The flickering shapes came closer – a massive flock of rust-red firedrakes, coasting on the wind.

I wish I could fly. Then I would be safe.

At midday, they left the last gated field and stopped to rest the horses. Ancier did not eat. He walked some way from her and stared across the moors. Kailas ate half of her remaining food before remounting.

They followed a stony path that descended through a common to a river. They crossed by a rickety wooden bridge. That afternoon, they came upon the remains of another cow with its hooves and lower legs intact. A pile of grey innards spilled across the grass.

‘This one’s fresh.’ Kailas looked round uneasily.

‘Whatever killed it has eaten its fill and moved on,’ Ancier made room for her to pass. ‘You take the lead. I’ll keep an eye on our backtrail.’

‘Do you want me to bang a dinner gong at the same time?’ Kailas muttered while sending up a silent prayer for their safety. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

She kicked her horse into a jarring trot, sending stones skipping down the path. The noisy clatter of hooves made her cringe.

‘Wouldn’t it be quicker on the grass?’ she asked Ancier, gripping the saddle and a handful of mane to keep her seat.

‘The moors are full of rabbit holes and mires,’ Ancier said. ‘Stay on the path.’

A thin windstream ruffled her horse’s mane. It flared its nostrils.

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A moment later Kailas caught a pungent, unpleasant smell on the breeze. She unsheathed her dagger.

A bare, twisted tree squatted by the roadside. The ground to either side was full of tough, swaying grass, the perfect cover for predators.

‘Keep going,’ Ancier urged from behind.

Kailas’s horse stopped short, throwing its head up with a snort.

‘Come on!’ She dug in her heels.

Her horse flinched but refused to take another step.

Frantic hoofbeats sounded over the ridge. A heartbeat later, a wild-eyed horse galloped up the hill with loose stirrups jangling. It flew past Kailas and pulled up sharply beside Ancier with its chest heaving. Deep gashes marred its rump. There was no sign of the rider.

‘Ancier!’ Kailas warned, as a grey and black mottled beast limped up the road, its muzzle streaked red. The creature had the bulk and suppleness of a big cat. Stiff bristles coated its short snout and followed the dark ridge of its spine to a lashing stick of a tail. The beast snarled, revealing a pair of elongated, serrated canines.

A sword stuck out of its flank. Blood seeped from the wound, soaking the coarse fur.

‘Vilesabre.’ The word caught in Ancier’s throat. From his position several horselengths behind Kailas, he put his hand up to the creature as if to signal ‘stop’.

The vilesabre ignored him and closed the gap towards Kailas with murderous intent within its murky eyes.

Ancier repeated the gesture, his eyes blazing.

‘You’re blocking my power!’ he spat at Kailas. ‘Get out of the way!’

Kailas’s horse reared and almost threw her. She clung to the pommel helplessly as a second vilesabre emerged from the long grass behind Ancier. It stalked the riderless horse, which let out a shrill whinny and leapt into the undergrowth. The vilesabre sped like an arrow towards the snorting, panicking creature and launched itself into the air.

Predator and prey went down in a flurry of flailing hooves and flashing claws. The horse let out a hideous sound as the vilesabre’s elongated canines crunched through its neck, before slumping motionless.

The wounded vilesabre made a cackling noise deep in its throat and leapt at Kailas’s horse as it turned to flee.

Kailas felt a sudden, shocking jolt. She turned to see the snarling vilesabre with its jaws locked around her horse’s hind leg. Bones gave way beneath the crushing pressure.

Her horse let out a shrill scream and pitched sideways in a shower of stones. Kailas tucked her head in as the ground rushed to meet her. She tumbled head over heels before hitting the path.

She took several hard kicks to her back before crawling clear of thrashing hooves. Her mount made several desperate attempts to get to its feet, but with a broken leg and the vilesabre weighing it down, it was hopeless.

Ancier galloped up and reached his hand to her, somehow keeping his horse from bolting.

‘Take my hand,’ he said through gritted teeth. His face was racked with pain and his skin had turned waxy, coated with an unhealthy sheen.

‘Quickly! Climb behind me!’ he hissed.

Kailas grabbed his hand, but at her touch his face turned ashen and his arm went limp. His horse jerked free and bolted away, leaving Kailas with a handful of air. Ancier slumped across the pommel, flung about like a sack of bones, until he pitched from the saddle into the long grass.

‘Ancier!’ Kailas screamed.

The injured vilesabre gripped her horse’s neck and sunk its teeth through its mane. More bones snapped.

The sword jammed in the vilesabre’s side glinted, catching Kailas’s eye. Before she could tell herself this was a bad idea, she crept forward, grabbed the hilt and yanked it free.

Blood gouted from the wound. The vilesabre gave a yelp and released its prey. It slunk round, ears flattened against its broad skull.

Kailas slashed at its head. The sword cut through the air, but her swing went high. The vilesabre ducked beneath the arc of the blade and lashed out. Its claws caught her cloak and spun her sideways. She fell, her wrist hitting the stony ground. The blade clattered from her grip, but she crawled after it without looking back.

With the sword held tight in her grip, Kailas got to her feet. The injured vilesabre was six feet away. Its mate crept in from the rear. Both beasts roared, enveloping her in blasts of fetid air.

She stood with her legs braced, slicing the air around her.

‘Get back!’

The injured vilesabre eyed the sword and retreated with an angry hiss. Its mate had worked its way behind her and settled on its haunches like a coiled spring.

They waited.

Kailas swung the sword back and forth to keep the beasts at bay. The sword sliced the air with thin whistles until her shoulders burned and her breath came out in pained gasps. Each time she paused the vilesabres advanced, one paw at a time, until she was encased in their rotten breath.

Her swipes became slower and less forceful. Dizziness encroached from constantly turning backwards and forwards. The vilesabres cackled, their pupils shrinking to razor-thin slits.

Kailas stopped, panting in exhaustion. Her arms trembled as she raised the blade with a final effort. She hoped the end would be quick.

A monstrous roar ripped through her. She cringed as a second, louder roar filled the air. The sound had come from behind her. The ground shuddered under heavy footfalls.

The vilesabres turned to slink away.

A massive beast, silver-furred with bright gold eyes, rushed in and savagely swiped the injured vilesabre with a huge, taloned fist that ripped through its side. The vilesabre’s guts exploded from its broken ribs. It whined in shock, staggered a few metres, then collapsed.

Before its mate could run, the beast grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and slit its throat with a swift, cutting motion. The vilesabre stiffened, claws shooting forwards from its paws before its movement stilled.

The beast disappeared into the undergrowth. An eerie silence descended, broken by the keening wind. Kailas tried to see where the beast had gone, but the only thing moving was the grass, bending in the wind.