Mari's Mistake (Icehome, #10)

by Ruby Dixon

I just want it to go away. The creature that stands not twenty feet from us looks like an oversized pterosaur, with a long, nasty beak full of jagged-looking teeth, and beady eyes that shine khui blue. It folds up mottled brown wings and hunches over, nosing at the sand as it waddles forward. It has to be bigger than an elephant, this creature, and as I watch it move forward a step or two, I notice that S’bren is on the ground nearby, camouflaged, and far too close to the creature. Oh god. It noses at the sand, spraying it along the beach with a vicious twist of its head, and I choke back another scream of terror. The thing looks over at me. It hunches its shoulders, as if it’s about to spring into action— Something sand-colored bellows and jumps on its neck. I gasp, seeing four arms—and four knives—flailing and realize that Lauren’s alien is the one attacking it. S’bren springs up from the sand, too, surging forward to attack the monstrous bird. “M’rsl,” T’chai says, and then he’s dragging me to my feet. He takes me by the hand and hauls me up, gesturing at the huts, a short distance away from the beach. I hesitate, because Lauren needs to come with us, and T’chai gives me another impatient tug. “But Lauren,” I murmur, gesturing at my friend.