Dogs of War

Samantha looked for a weapon and then remembered the pots lying along one wall. "I'll be back in a second," she whispered into Prudence's ear.

"Where are you going?"

"To fetch a pot." She fumbled around in the dark until she found the largest and heaviest one she could lift. She took it by one handle and returned to the mouth of the chamber. The yellow eyes were so close Samantha could almost make out the shape of the dog's snout ready to bite into her.

The yellow eyes were only inches from Samantha's waist when she raised the pot over her head and brought it down. The metal pot hit Pryde's dog square on the head. It yelped with pain and staggered to one side. The beast growled, its eyes focusing on Samantha. She waited for it to lunge and then swung the pot again. The blow connected with the side of the dog's head this time and sent it crashing into the wall, where it lay motionless. Samantha finally risked putting a hand out to touch the dog's rough fur. "I think it's dead," she said to Prudence.

She dropped the dented pot and then grabbed another to take with her. With her other hand she took hold of Prudence and dragged her friend down the passage. "Where are we going?" Prudence asked.

"That dog got in here somehow and I doubt it was by diving in the river. So there has to be a way out of here. We have to find it before more of them show up."