We trotted along the passageway, which had narrowed to the point that it would only fit two of us walking together. I’d sped up to get in front of dad and Cal, who were gently bickering about something behind me. I’d had to beg for weeks to be allowed to come on this adventure, and I’m still pretty astonished that dad caved – and pretty certain that he only did because once Cal found out I wanted to come, he started begging too. Cal’s a big scaredy cat, but honestly one of the most likeable Coursers I’ve ever met. Dad always tries to pretend that he just puts up with Cal’s company, but everyone who knows him can see straight through that to the genuine love he has. And Cal? He is a big scaredy cat, but the one time that dad got in real trouble? Cal was terrifying.

Shaking off that thought, I turned my attention back to the passage we were moving down – grey, grey, and more grey – though at least it was widening out again. Just as I was thinking that I might have found a more interesting adventure by staying home, I saw a glint of.. metal? As I got closer I slowed down, and could see a weird metal grate that blocked the whole passage, which was wide enough to maybe be called a room at this point. I stopped in front of it, and dad and Cal finally quit bickering and quieted.

‘Huh’ said dad.

‘Weird, right?’ I murmured.

Cal cleared his throat. ‘Maybe we should just turn around and head home? Pretty sure that place selling the honeyed apples would still be-‘

‘Pleassssssssse let me come with’

All three of us froze, staring at the off-brown metal grate, behind which I’m pretty certain that voice just came from. Cal took a step backwards, little rocks crunching under his hoof.

‘Pleasssse’

I heard Cal take another quick few steps away. Rolling my eyes, I stepped closer to the grate.

‘Who are you?’ I asked, making sure that my voice didn’t waver one bit.

‘You should take me with you, yes, you should let me come with, please please.’

I strained my eyes against the darkness on the other side of the bars, and could make out a vaguely Courser-esque shape on the other side, maybe a tad bigger than I am. It seemed to be shifting its weight from foot to foot so rapidly that it was almost bouncing.

‘Isolde, get back. You, whatever you are, you won’t be joining us, so leave.’ Dad’s voice reverberated round the room, casting eerie echoes of itself.

I was still struggling to make out any details of the creature, and despite dad’s words, I stepped just a little closer, almost up to the grate – and quick as a flash, the creature lurched forwards. Before I could even think of moving, it’s head – which I could now see was skeletal and bone white – snaked through the bars of the grate and it bit my leg, making me squeal with both pain and terror. I heard dad’s angry roar accompany his heavy hoofbeats, and I heard Cal’s terrified scream, before everything went black, and I heard nothing at all.