‘Thanks for the meal,’ he said. She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it again as there came a great BANG from outside the saloon. It was followed by a cluster of sounds, all wrapped in chaos: the whinnying of horses, cries of alarm, and what sounded like the crunch of huge wheels. Alexia looked startled, and then her eyes shifted, her face grew harder, and her lips moved oddly. She turned away from Jay without speaking and walked quickly to the door, as outside the cries were punctuated by one long, trailing scream.
