30

You grab a burning brand, a piece of wicker flaring with chemical residue, and wave it as the monster rushes. But the creature moves with greater speed than you thought possible, bearing blindly down on you. Its mouth opens, filling the air with the carrion reek of the meat hanging from its teeth, and you realize you don't have time to lure it sneakily away from the crash.

You fling yourself backward but feel it dig its teeth into your foot! It drags you forward, preparing to flip you up and toss you down its gullet the way it did with the corpse a moment ago.

The pain is astonishing, but you're still holding the brand! You lash out, striking its face with the chemical flame. It flinches back, and you drop heavily down onto the moss.

The dragon-thing steps away from you. Perhaps it fears the sheer number of creatures around, especially the controllers with their eerie coordination. Perhaps it is merely confused and angry, frightened by the still-guttering flames around the Specular. Whatever the reason, it gives one final disgusted snort and retreats into the mist.

You rise and test your leg. It hurts. You can move, but you're going to limp badly unless you can find some kind of crutch.

"Meanest damn peacock I ever saw," Alexius says, hands shaking as he slings his rifle.

Next