The beast let out a roar that sounded like grinding tectonic plates mixed with a furnace blast, its molten eyes locking onto the party.
Jace's shadow horse scrambled back, its blue eyes widening. Barnaby let out a panicked "EE-AWH!" and tried to deploy his glorious wings to fly away, only for his short donkey legs to get tangled in a bush.
"What the hell is that?!" Rogue shrieked, desperately trying to steer his flapping donkey backward. "Is that a raid boss?! Elizabeth, is that a normal horse?!"
Elizabeth's cat ears were pinned completely flat against her head, her hand instinctively gripping her sword hilt. "That's an Infernal Dread-Charger," she whispered, her voice tight. "They aren't supposed to spawn this close to the river. We need to run. Now. It'll cook us alive."
Liam didn't run.
