The hammering grew so violent that it seemed they might force the coach off the road. Celeste was darting back and forth from window to window, frantically hoping that the flimsy door latches held fast. At once they hit a large bump in the road, and suddenly the coach jerked to a halt. Her heart pounded like a trip hammer as he listened intently, but it seemed everything had gone silent. She called out to the driver but got no response. She looked out the windows and saw the wolves had disappeared. She cursed and swore, unlatching the left-side door and holding the handle tight as she cracked it open ever so slightly. She was confident she could have yanked it close and relocked it if the wolves pounced out of the mist. She breathed easy in being met with absolute quiet.
The mist had beco
