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Baby comes racing out, past Harok and towards the Exceli.

Snarling and roaring. He hears screams. The archers try to raise their bows, but Baby is no easy target now she’s free. She is already mauling the Exceli. Attacking them in a fury with teeth and claws.

While they are distracted by her, Harok comes thundering out of the trees on Embox, his huge sword flashes, catching the light of the fat full moon. Two Exceli fall in moments, taking fatal wounds from Harok’s blade as Baby’s claws find the throat of another.

Harok and Baby fight together. A horrifically unstoppable combination of man and beast.

Many of the Exceli and Lymok flee screaming into the trees as they see their men fall.

Tobi scrambles up to his feet, as another man rears back from Harok, clutching his throat, blood pouring down the front of his body. Harok reaches Tobi and quickly dispatches the man who hit him, with a two handed thrust of his sword right into the man’s belly. Tobi can feel the anger behind it. As the man falls, slithering off Harok’s blade, Harok grabs Tobi’s arm and Tobi leaps, just as he used to do with Darvo when he was hauled from Baby’s cage at the end of his act. He swings up over Embox’s neck.

Tobi’s world is a blur. He feels Harok tug at the reins and Embox turns. Tobi can hear clashing blades and screaming mixed with Baby’s snarls and the thump of bodies hitting the ground as they charge through the clearing.

“You came for me,” Tobi says, looking up at Harok, tears of relief on his cheeks. He blinks hard.

“Sho, Suskara.”

Embox picks up speed. They are away from the Exceli riding fast through the forest. But Tobi hears a second set of hoofbeats.

“No,” Tobi says, trying to turn. “Baby, where is Baby?”

As he looks around he sees another horse. One of the Exceli, riding after them. He recognises the voice when he hears a cry of Ambolk. Something about Harok. A threat. The words blur, but it is the voice of the Exceli leader Salizi. The horse is close behind them. Harok makes a rough sound urging speed from his own mount.

But the rider matches the pace. He has a fresher horse. They can’t outrun him. Harok raises his sword.

Tobi turns his head and sees Salizi is armed with a battle hammer. A great and terrifying block of iron. Salizi gets closer and closer until, screaming out in vicious rage, he smashes his hammer down on Harok’s right shoulder. Harok bellows in pain as his shoulder shatters with a terrible crunching noise. He drops his sword.

Tobi reaches out, barely understanding what he is doing and catches the sword as it falls from Harok’s hand. He curls his fingers around the hilt. It feels warm. Strange. He has not held a sword in years, but he does not remember it feeling like this.

He wonders, for a brief moment, if perhaps he could fight with this sword.

Salizi raises the hammer again ready for a fatal blow. Tobi looks again at the sword he holds, but as he does so a blur of orange crashes into Salizi.

Baby!

Baby has knocked Salizi right down from his horse. She is ripping at his throat.

With Harok’s sword in one hand, Tobi manages to scramble upright on Embox’s big back. He glances behind them into the dark forest. No other Exceli seem to be following them. Tobi turns further to see Harok’s face. It is pale. His eyes are dark, such a dark blue they almost look black. He is swaying. His shoulder is a bloody mass of destroyed flesh. His right arm hangs limp at his side. Tobi takes the horse’s reins. “Hold me,” he says in Ambolk. “Hold me. Good arm.”

Harok puts his left arm around Tobi’s waist. He can feel Harok’s weight as his body slumps behind him, leaning hard on Tobi’s back.

He’s unkillable, Tobi reminds himself. He can’t die.

He isn’t sure if there are more Exceli around. He cannot be certain they are safe.

“Baby,” he hisses down at where she is tearing at Salizi on the ground. She looks up at him.

Tobi kicks at Embox with his heels and sets the powerful mare trotting forward. Whistling to Baby, to follow.

“Irgorye,” Tobi hisses in Ambolk, fearful to raise his voice above a whisper, “Irgorye where Urynwud? You need healer.”

“Suskara,” Harok slurs back. He seems to be losing consciousness.

“Please,” Tobi says. “Urynwud.”

“Embox,” Harok says weakly. “Embox knows.”

And it seems she does. As Tobi feels the full weight of Harok’s great body slumping down onto his back, Embox keeps going through the forest.