When they were halfway down the road, a ravine appeared ahead. The horses walked slowly. Anna suddenly stopped. Robin, riding beside her, looked at her questioningly.

– The flame senses danger, – the Countess said.

As soon as the horses stopped, and the sound of hooves ceased to resound over the snow-covered expanse, a dead silence enveloped the gorge. Even the crystal-clear stream in front of them seemed to flow without a sound.

The Countess started as a long-drawn-out howl rang out.

– Wolves of the twilight! Stop it! – she shouted.

Shadows flickered on the cliff tops.

– Dismount quickly! – The king shouted, drawing his sword. – Anna, hide behind a boulder!

The girl hurried to obey the order, at the same time, the young men rushed forward, holding their weapons in front of them. The three black horses, terrified, darted down the ravine and leaped into the hollow, continuing their senseless run. The flame was next to the hostess.

Robin was the first to meet the huge wolf, literally cutting it in half. Approaching the hill, the warriors dealt with twelve large creatures, which crumbled into dust from the blows, leaving no traces. The men stopped at the foot of the cliff and were about to return when a growl sounded from above.

– God, there are hundreds of them, – said Arthur, looking up.

– This hollow will be our grave, – Edward said grimly, brushing a strand of blond hair from his sweaty brow.

– We will fight as long as we can raise our swords, – Raven ordered.

And then a horde of animals leaped from the peaks at the people. The clang of teeth, the clang of steel, and the neighing of horses rang out. The young warriors quickly became isolated and fought off the predators, unable to help each other. Robin managed to deal with a couple of wolves, stabbing one with a straight blow and cutting the other, but two more jumped on him immediately. The last of them knocked the sword out of his hand. The king dodged the beast, trying to reach for the weapon, but it was already clear that the second jump of the predator would be fatal for him. He was staring unblinkingly into the eyes of his death when something whizzed by a centimeter away, and the wolf vanished into thin air, as did the next five. The same fate befell the predators attacking the lords. The young men looked back and saw Anna, climbing up on a high boulder, shooting with a bow, hitting targets with incredible speed. The sight only disconcerted the king for three seconds, after which he grabbed the glittering sword and charged into battle. Heart-rending sounds came from the lowlands. The King's horse was torn apart by the beasts, and the fate of the others was sealed.

– Flame! – Anna suddenly shouted, still firing. – Protect!

Her stallion, obeying the order, jumped into the lowlands and did the impossible. With two blows of his front hooves, he destroyed the huge wolf. The second beast, which had rushed at him from behind, immediately fell from the powerful push of its hind hooves.

– Get them out of there, Flame! – Anna shouted again. – They'll follow you now!!!

The bay stallion heard her again and, trampling down the predators, found a path up. The two horses followed him. Meanwhile, the beasts were already approaching the archer. Seeing this, Arthur hurried to her aid. Anna had shot an arrow through one of the twilight-born in a leap. The faithful steed was already standing beside him again, along with the other two stallions.

– They're coming! – Edward shouted, trying to strike with his magic, which immediately turned into nothing, swallowed up by the rocks.

Anna looked for Robin and saw that the predators were pushing him toward the cliff.

– Flame! – she screamed again.

The horse whinnied.

– Get him out of there! Please!!!

The bay leader quickly took the race and, soaring over the seemingly insurmountable barrier of sharp rocks, in the blink of an eye was next to the Raven. With a single swing, the king cut off the predator's head and leapt into the saddle, and the mighty horse swiftly carried him away from the cliff. Anna put several arrows into the bow at once and fired. The shadows on the peaks reappeared. Seeing this, the girl spoke, and from nowhere, an echo picked up her words.

– Without asking, I call upon the dark lord!

The young men flinched for a moment at the sound of the voice, and the Countess, who was standing on the boulder, continued, lowering her bow.

– You can't handle my power, and you can't handle me!

Edward, who had taken a break, looked at Anna in surprise as she continued to speak.

– One blow will set the water in the stream on fire.

The stallion at the spring unexpectedly pierced the ice-cold water with a hoof, and it burst into a bright fire, incinerating the wolves who tried to cross to the shore.

– One gust of wind will dispel my misfortune!

A blizzard that appeared in a few seconds, as if alive, gathered its strength and, whirling the fire on the stream, whirled it in a huge tornado, sweeping away all the gloomy creatures.

A few minutes passed, and silence reigned over the gorge again. Edward was leaning wearily on his sword, Arthur was wiping the sweat from his brow, and Anna was leaning back against a rock, deep in thought.

– Let's go, – Robin ordered curtly as he rode up. – We can't stay here. We will make a stop near the cave, and we will return by a roundabout road. Without dismounting from the chestnut horse, which silently submitted to him, he leaned over and, easily picking up Anna, lifted her into the saddle. His friends mounted their horses and followed him.

Holding the shield artifact in his hands, Robin watched Anna talk to her horse and noted that he was over the moon.

– My good one, – she cooed. – My brave chief. Thank you for helping me again.

– Well, now is the time to eat and discuss what has happened, – Arthur said cheerfully to Edward.

To which the Falcon did not fail to reply:

– And what are you going to eat, my lord? Do you want to meal some snow? There is plenty of it here.

– Didn't you bring any provisions with you? – The Bear protested loudly.