The beast lopes out of the darkness, and even at a fair distance from them, it is a large, terrifying creature. Its black mane surrounds in head like a regal crown, reaching down into the belly of the beast, and the Wanderer feels a startling sense of competition rise within him as their eyes lock.

“Mussena,” Shoja breathes, and the feline creature before them takes another step forward, another growl ripping out of its throat. “I thought there were none left.”

“We should run,” Lahab says. Then, as though to contradict herself: “It is fast. We might not make it.”

“How to defeat it?” the Wanderer demands, half-crouching in preparation for – for whatever it is they might need to do.

“It is an apex predator,” Lahab replies, taking a step back as this Mussena takes another step forward. “Strong, fast, and an incredibly skilled hunter. A formidable creature.” Despite the fearsome encounter, awe laces her voice. “It has but one weakness.”

“The nape of its neck,” Shoja says with a nod. Slowly, he unsheathes his sword, its smooth metal reflecting the serene glow around them. “Take the Cragenbacks and go. I will hold it for as long as I can.”

“No,” Lahab replies, gripping the glowing creature against her like a shield. “We will not leave you here.”

“You cannot use your Dragon’s Breath here, Guardian,” Shoja says. “Look around you. In this cavern, we’d all be cooked alive if you tried. Not to mention, smothered to death by the smoke alone.”

He has a point.

“Then you two leave, and let me handle the Mussena,” Lahab tells him, her voice hardened with resolve. “I cannot be harmed by my own flame. The same cannot be said of you.”

She, too, has a point.

And yet…

“You are the only one able to take Muna to its destination,” the Wanderer reminds her. “You go. We will take care of the beast – or, at the very least, we will hold him off long enough for you to escape.”

“He would hunt me down,” Lahab presses, shaking her head. “If none of us will leave, then we must all stay and fight. Without my Dragon’s Breath, I fear I may be the weakest one here.”

“Hardly,” the Wanderer replies dryly. Even with his super-strength, it isn’t as though he has any formal training. He has no idea what he is – or isn’t – capable of. It’s foolhardy to think that I can defeat this monster with my strength alone, but I won’t know until I try. This may be the end.

Another growl, this time louder than any of the previous ones, fills the chamber like echoing thunder. The Mussena grows weary of them, and begins to paw at the ground, the black claws on his paws streaking against the hard rock like knives being sharpened.

All too soon, it pushes off – straight towards them.

* * *

It is Shoja who intercepts the Mussena first, and the hulking creature’s middle claw finds itself hooked on Shoja’s sword, too near the hilt – and his torso – for comfort. Behind him, he hears a sharp intake of breath. For a tiny moment, the two are locked in this position, and it is all the prince can do to use his strength to counter the monster’s paw.

Swordsmanship is what he is best at, and though his opponent is a massive beast with canines the size of his forearm, he knows he can fight him off. He is ready. He can do this.

And then the moment is over, and the Mussena pulls back its paw, the single claw sliding up the length of the sword and coming free. Then, it attacks once more.

It launches itself like a mad animal, its intent all too visible to Shoja, so that he can see – in that small, infinitesimal moment – the trajectory of its path, of those teeth and those claws. It is all that keeps him alive, but it is more than enough.

Shoja is much smaller than the Mussena, and he weaves around it quicker than the beast can follow. Here and there, his sword lands on its mark, and he slices away at its thick, furry skin with as much power as he can muster.

They are mere scratches that serve only to further enrage the monster.

And, to make matters worse, the Mussena knows to protect its nape – always, always, just out of reach of his blade.

Not close enough! How to land a blow on his neck? How to approach from behind?

The Mussena exploits that moment of consideration, swiping at him with the back of its paw. That one hit – it is all it takes.

Shoja is sent flying through the air – I must keep hold of my sword – and then crashes into the jagged cavern wall with a sound that he registers but cannot identify, for a darkness comes over him, and the stars dim, and then there is nothing.

* * *

Lahab watches with horror as Prince Shoja falls limp to the ground. There is blood – blood on his head – and she cannot tell how badly injured he is. The Mussena lopes over to him, growling and grumbling its threats, and Lahab knows that it means to finish him.

“Wait!” she cries desperately. “Look here!” The beast’s ears turn to her, and its head follows. Now that she is in its sights, she considers her options. Her only weapon is her Dragon’s Breath, but the last time she used it, there had been a dangerous lack of control. At the very least, she had used it out in the open. Here, in this enclosed space, she does not know what might happen to her companions – or the Mussena – if she is to unleash it.

It has been too long. I have forgotten my father’s teachings.

But she has no other choice here. What else is there for them to do? Would she send the Wanderer out to fight the beast barehanded? One strike and he, too, could be out for the count – or worse: dead. And so it comes down to the only weapon she has in her arsenal.

“Wanderer, take the prince out of this chamber,” she orders him quietly. “Stay away. I do not wish either of you to be harmed.”

“Are you out of your mind?” the Wanderer demands, still wound like a spring beside her. “And leave you here, with that thing?”

The Mussena growls in response and takes a step towards them.

“Do as I tell you!” Lahab exclaims, and begins to inhale deeply, feeling the fire within grow, and grow, and grow. The Mussena must feel the threat of what she is about to do, for he starts to advance upon her, cautiously, and moves away from the prince as he does so.

The Wanderer, upon seeing this, lets out a loud string of curses she has never heard before and runs to Shoja’s unconscious body, effortlessly picking him up and slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of flour. With one Glowing Cragenback under an arm and one prince on the other shoulder, he rushes out of the cavern, into the dark hall from which they had entered.

Now it is only Lahab and the Mussena, and as she prepares, she steps back, further and further, towards the entrance of the cavern. In her arms she holds both her Glowing Cragenback and that of Shoja, and she hopes beyond hope that whatever damage is done here by her hand today, it is not irreversible. The Mussena may be a strong, dangerous creature, but it is a wondrous creature, too, and she feels the weight in her heart as she prepares to burn it alive.

She opens her mouth and begins to exhale the fire in her lungs.

She has pushed all of the fire out of her lungs when she stumbles backward, gasping for breath.

No burning…

This is not the smell of a burning creature.

Alarmed, Lahab searches the thick smoke and steam, waiting for it to wane.

She watches in horror as the form of the Mussena emerges.

Unharmed, the beast shakes its mane and snorts loudly, stretching its legs almost lazily. Its light blue eyes watch her steadily, and she realizes now that this may be the end of her journey – and her life.

A fierce bellow fills the cavern, and the Mussena begins to charge.