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“Not again,” Kalindora whispers

A dark se rolls across the desert behind the stampede

“Sandstorm!” Cicero shouts “Damn that man! Damn him! Everyone, to the bomber! That sand will shred us to the bone! Hurry!”

We bolt to our feet and run east toward the wreckage, but the Grays and I are falling behind Kalindora tries to helpher down, she’ll never make it

Uninjured, Cicero and his Golds chew up the kilo back for us The wall of sand is close enough now that it seems to scrape the sky

It ss a dozen horses whole I shove Kalindora away “Go!” She bats es to try and pick me up with one arm I back away from her “Go!”

She glances at the encroaching wall, then back at me, with real fear in her eyes For a moment, I think she will stay Then she turns and sprints away, long strides ravity I am left alone

I face the wall, and grip Cassius’s razor as if it will savehas darkened Dust obscures the sky The Grays continue to try toplace So Nothing

A cool certainty slides over me

I race back the e ca over the hydra burrow’s entrance It is wide enough for a Red, but not for ainst the shape sensor, I form the razor into a wide- the hole’s circumference

The wall is nearly upon me I dive into the burrow at the last second My shoulders clear,skin from my sides, I crawl into the darkness just as the wall hits

THERE IS A MONSTER sharing the darkness withdarkness of the stor the creature that has invaded its home

I have never seen a hydra with o, the Votum commissioned a sect of Lunese carvers to create the to hunt Sons

I lie treid and pointed outward froest hours of ainstanother meal

When the stored over tin Very carefully, I slide backward out of the hydra’s burrow, keeping my razor pointed doard in case it decides to make a last-minute meal of me