Beverly urged Lightning on. The great horse was struggling now, his breath coming in short gasps, his footfalls no longer steady. He stumbled slightly but quickly regained his footing. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the bloodthirsty hounds strung out behind her in hot pursuit, snapping at her heels, each intent on the promise of violence.
She looked to the south, to where she knew the column should be, but there was no sight of it, only an endless sea of enemy horsemen that swirled about. The closer they drew, the more Lightning's stride started to shorten. A mastiff appeared to her side, and she swung her sword to drive it off.
A few of the Kurathian riders spied her. At first, they took no notice, after all, another horseman was nothing to worry about, but as she drew closer, the
