Chapter 10

• Almost as swiftly as the chaos had taken hold, Ted Danny raised his hand above the murmuring crowd and called out in a voice that cut through the disquiet, “He’s all right, boys. He’s been badly cut across the head_ stunned, sure_ but he’ll live.”
• Jack lay prone on the scarred wooden floor, a deep gash marking his upper forehead. Had the cross-bar of that savage chair not met its fate, the impact might have shattered his skull. For now, his senses lay in a haze, suspended in a state that could have easily stretched into agonizing minutes before life’s spark returned.
• As the circle of onlookers edged closer to their wounded comrade, a sudden and horrifying intrusion shattered the murmur of concern. Out of the gathering gloom, a dark figure_ a black body that moved with a predatory grace_ leapt among them. Its presence was heralded by a sound so feral and hideous that even the bravest of men recoiled with a collective cry. This was no ordinary beast, for its eyes glowed with an eerie green, and its snarls carried the weight of an ancient, untamed fury.