“Well, that wasn’t ideal,” Blight grumbled from under his hood, his ears pinned flat against his head. A leather strapping, formerly adorned with a a row of daggers in various sizes, now hung at his side. The giant sphynx cat had severed it- better the leather than his skin, Blight thought to himself.

Sartoris had escaped unharmed. Or, at least, not more harmed than she already was. Her injury from the skull-faced Courser they’d encountered had left her somewhat lame, and when she’d tried to leap into the chamber to distract the enormous cat from Percy, Blight had shoved her back, farther into the next passage; despite his demeanour, he cared for the young Courser, and didn’t want to see her hurt in this battle. He’d pulled a throwing knife from its sheath and inched around the outside perimeter of the room.

Percy had drawn his greatblade and was facing off with the feline, and Lujayn had taken up a similar position several paces away. The cat’s eyes darted between the two, unsure which to target first. Percy’s goose chose that moment to take off from where it had been recovering from its tumble a few feet away, honking loudly. Blight would have bet that the bird was swearing at the big cat, cursing it out for causing Percy’s fall and the goose’s untimely unseating.

The cat, of course, had gone straight for the goose. Seeing his opportunity, Percy had lunged for the cat’s exposed neck, determined to protect his pet; the cat, however, had feinted, and its attention was now fully on Percy. It was going to be a close one.

The ensuing battle had been brief, and now the that the four Coursers had managed to escape down the passage Blight had originally been standing in, they assessed their wounds. Blight’s strap had snapped, and both Percy and Lujayn had a couple of superficial grazes from where they’d skidded across the stone to escape the cat. They’d all gotten off lightly, considering; Blight guessed the cat would be waiting for them if they ever went back into that chamber. He’d never felt more like a mouse.

The party moved single-file down the narrow passage, Blight taking the rare lead. His heart sank as the passage narrowed further, and then ended abruptly in a small, smooth chamber. They may have to face the cat again after all.

“I dunno, guys,” he said uncertainly. “We might have to take a close look at this one, because if there isn’t a way through, we’re going back to the cat.”

“The floor, look,” Sartoris said, pushing past him to enter the chamber. There was a faint, but ornate, carving on the ground, forming a symmetrical design of tiles. The moment she stepped foot past Blight, one of the tiles depressed with a click! and a whirring could be heard in the walls.

“It’s mechanical,” Lujayn said, surprise lacing her tone. “A puzzle of some sort.”

“We’ve got this,” Sartoris said with a grin. She loved puzzles.

Blight’s lips tightened briefly in a smile. The young Courser’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Alright. Let’s do it.”