The monster snarled and came at me again. This time it was a double-pronged attack, two punches in quick succession followed by a sharp kick. I avoided the clenched fists but there was nothing I could do about the foot. It slammed into my side and sent me reeling against the wall.
I hit one of the rickety shelves and several objects scattered to the ground. I was dimly aware of She Without An Ear yowling in outrage on my behalf but I was too winded to react. The force of that kick had been brutal.
I tried to stagger up because the next blow could take my head off, but my legs wouldn’t obey my instructions. I raised myself to one knee but the pain rippling through my body was too great for me to achieve anything else. Shit. This wasn’t good.
I focused. I was still holding the stake so there was hope. While the monster roared with guttural, bloody delight, I prepared. I could do this. It would swing at me again and that would be my best chance.
It came closer and closer. One step. Two steps. I held my breath. The pain from the kick was already lessening and my mind was clearing of its temporary fog. I adjusted my grip on the stake by a fraction. I could slam it upwards. It would work. I could…
The monster whirled away from me and I hissed, confused by its sudden spin. As soon as I heard the sharp cry, I knew why it had moved. It was Eric, that stupid,stupidthrall.
‘For my Lord Chester!’ he shrieked.
There was a blur of movement. I pulled myself to my feet in time to see the monster grab Eric’s throat and begin to squeeze. The thrall was gripping a sharp knife with which he tried to slash the monster, but the metal tip did little more than scratch its skin.
Eric’s arm slackened and his eyes bulged as, still holdinghim by the throat, the monster threw him at the wall next to me. There was a sickening thud. I hissed while the monster laughed and turned to me again.
And that was when I saw Thane, with Thomas right behind him.
My stomach lurched with fear but I quashed my panic as quickly as I could. It wouldn’t help me now. I readjusted my grip on the stake.
‘Hey!’ Thane yelled.
The monster spun towards him – and then She Without An Ear got in on the act. She screeched a bone-chilling sound that I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard from a cat. As the monster turned to her, Thomas shouted and it switched its attention again.
I smiled grimly. Now it was my turn. I screamed until the sound of my voice filled the small space and the monster stumbled as it whirled towards me. Finally I had what I needed. I sprang into the gap between its body and mine and, with as much precision and power as I could, thrust the stake into its chest.
Where metal had done no damage, wood worked. The stake pierced the monster’s leathery skin and I pushed more of my weight against it. I felt the moment the wood reached the heart; the difference was subtle but it was there.
The monster’s eyes widened. It blinked several times and staggered backwards, falling against the bed where Penelope still lay. I gazed into its eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.
Where only madness had glittered before, now I saw a flicker of intelligence – and something else. Gratitude. That was definitely gratitude. The monster was pleased.
Its hands went to its chest, and for a moment I thought it would try to yank the stake out with its gnarled fingers but it didn’t. Instead it seemed to push the stake further into its own heart.
There was a miaow from the doorway and I turned my head to see that there, by Thane’s feet, was the Maine Coon. He wasn’t looking at me. His attention was wholly on the monster and his whiskers were quivering.
The monster nodded once in the cat’s direction then its eyes rolled back into its head. A moment later its flesh started to cave in as it disintegrated before my very eyes. Then the ground started to shake and a deep rumble filled the air. It wasn’t only the monster that was collapsing: the entire maze was falling in on itself.
Thomas gave a strangled yell, launched himself at Penelope and gathered her body in his arms. She With An Ear sprang at me and I grabbed her, while Thane darted for Eric. ‘He’s barely breathing,’ he said. ‘If we don’t get him out of here soon, he won’t make it.’
‘None of us will make it if we don’t get out of here soon. This place is about to fall down about our ears.’
We exchanged grim glances then turned to the doorway but none of us reached it. The walls were already crumbling. I reached for Thane and he wrapped his arms around me. Thomas backed into us.
‘Down!’ I yelled, shielding She Without An Ear as best as I could. ‘Get down!’ Whether anyone heard me, I didn’t know because dust and noise and tremors enveloped us.
I squeezed my eyes shut. There was no time for anything else.
It tookfour minutes for the maze to disintegrate entirely and several minutes more for the air to clear enough for me to open my eyes.
As I coughed and spluttered, She Without An Ear squirmedin my arms to be released. I moved away from Thane and lowered her gently to the ground. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve but still all I could see was darkness.
I hoisted up my shirt, felt for the tiny bag strapped to my skin and, for the final time, extracted a pinch of Wicker powder. ‘Cover your eyes again,’ I advised before I tossed the powder upwards.
There was an explosion of light. Thane was pale but otherwise alright. Thomas was visibly shaking but similarly unharmed. In his arms, Penelope stirred. ‘Wh – wh – what’s happening?’
Thomas choked back a sob. ‘You’re alive.’
