from Endgame (Woman at War 1)
“You know, Prubius, I do believe this place—”
A shrieking whistle cut me off. We hunkered down, covering our heads. Something small hit nearby. I glanced between my arms but didn’t move.
Another whistle increased rapidly. Toward us. This one felt heavier. Was I hearing something rip through the sky, or was it my imagination?
Coming down—toward us? Right on top of—
A fiery beast of a thing suddenly appeared atop the others’ protective rock, shaking the ground. Icicles fell as smaller bits flew off into the snow between us, leaving brief arches of steam or smoke. It was impossibly close.
The men!
Amazingly, the chunk of mangled metal rolled slowly. Like a great wounded animal, it tumbled off the top of their rock and crashed to the ground. I felt its impact. The men seemed to be scurrying away. They were partly obscured from my position, so I couldn’t be sure.
The mass stopped moving. A sharp whistle sounded nearby, but I couldn’t look away from our visitor. The heat on made me wince. For a moment, the only movement came from tendrils of greenish steam floating off the wreckage.
