Like a horrible, oversized insect, the creature launched itself forward with its belly pressed to the frozen mud.
Dain grabbed Revan by the collar and hauled him backward.
"Back up!"
The sudden pull wrenched Revan's torso and sent fresh pain through his left side. With a choked gasp, he stumbled. Then his knees buckled, just as the snapping jaw closed on the empty air where his shins had been a second before.
Still the creature didn't stop. Its momentum swung one heavy, bone-plated foreleg sideways to take both of their legs out.
Dain stepped into the sweep instead of backing away. With a guttural shout, he drove his steel boot down onto the joint, trying to pin the limb to the earth.
Crack.
Under them, the frozen ground split like a spiderweb, but the monster's strength was absurd. One violent jerk tore the limb free and threw Dain off balance. As he staggered sideways, his useless right arm flapped as he fought to stay upright.
