Page 21 of A Shard of Ice

“Let him rest for a while. You can try again a little later.”

She nods.

“We’ll leave at sunup and should make it to the oasis tomorrow. I’ll be able to help him then.”

“That’s if he lasts the night.” She looks down at the ground for a moment, gathering herself.

I nod. “We’ve done our best, Ky. There isn’t much more that we can do, aside from keeping him safe. If another lizard bird hadn’t come along to finish him off, the wurms certainly would have. We’re his best chance. There isn’t too much more either of us can do.”

She nods, looking downtrodden. I wish I could go over there and give her a tight hug. I know it would make her feel better. Since I can’t do that, I start untacking the nearest camel instead. Kyrie joins me; taking a brush out of the saddlebag, she starts to groom the first beast.

After taking care of the animals as best we can, we set up camp. I wish we had wood to burn. A fire would brighten the mood. Then we eat from our paltry rations. Although all of Cyrano’s water was finished, he still has his saddlebag, and therefore, between us, we should have enough food to get us through the desert. That’s something positive to hold on to.

Kyrie checks on Cyrano again.

“He still isn’t drinking any water,” she tells me as she leaves the crevice. “It’s tight in there.”

“Try again in the morning.” I wish I had more to offer. “I’ll take first watch.”

Kyrie doesn’t argue. I suspect that she is exhausted after our long and eventful day.

Her bedroll is right up against the rock, close to the crevice the camels are squeezed into. The beasts are calm, considering the confined space.

All is quiet.

Kyrie’s breathing soon changes as she falls asleep. It doesn’t take very long at all.

I should be tired as well, but I’m not. I’m on edge. It remains quiet. Too quiet. I have this buzzing feeling in my veins.

I’m jumpy. Twitchy as hell. My senses strain to pick something up. Both my senses and my powers are telling me to be on high alert. Like something is out there…and it turns out that my intuition is right. It doesn’t take long for the wurm to arrive.

It comes at me with such stealth that I very nearly get taken. I roll away at the last second, the creature getting a maw full of rock instead of flesh as expected. It growls in anger.

As it pulls back, all I see are rows and rows of sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Its round mouth is big enough to swallow each of us whole. I scramble to my feet, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I search desperately for a weapon. My hand lands on a large, sharp rock. I grasp it tightly.

Kyrie screams in fear, and the beast turns its attention to her.

No!

With a primal roar, the wurm charges again, its massive body shaking the ground beneath us. I swing the rock with all my might, aiming for the creature’s head as it streaks past me toward Kyrie, who scrambles away, the blanket still wrapped around her legs.

I can’t kill the beast so easily, but I must have hurt it because it lets out a deafening screech of pain and retreats.

It doesn’t take long for the wurm to regroup. After a few shakes of its massive head, it turns back to us…to me.

Kyrie

I scream again.

We’re dead. There is no way we are surviving this. How? The wurm is too big, too strong, and built to kill.

Kakara, help us!

The camels bellow and bleat, stomping and blowing in fear. There is a half-moon in the sky offering just enough visibility to scare me. I can see it.

That wurm is huge. Its many teeth are almost as big as my forearm. It’s terrifying. Far worse than any lizard bird.

The only consolation is that if it gets me, I’ll be dead quickly.

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