ChaunThe servants huddled with the camels, the sounds of battle raging beyond the tents. Dust drifted through the air, scented with blood. My fingers ...trummed on the lyre, my voice singing a calming song, keeping panic out of the air.I wish my music worked on myself.Where was Xandra? Was she out there in the fight, using her totems? She was such a frail thing. She had only fought once against the imps. She was not cut out for such danger. I wasn’t cut out for such danger. But we were dragged. He dangled his target just in front of her face. It was the foot-long pigtail she had grown and maintained for years. He held it for a brief moment for her recognition, folded it in half, and shoved it into her mouth. ?Mmmmm?? she moaned. Her eyes fell onto the tied strands of orange hair that spilled from her mouth in a rudimentary gag. ?I told you to be quiet. I rather liked your pigtails, too.? ?Fff!? He paid her gagged words no heed and returned his attention. The black creature’s low growl forced Agnes to look over her shoulder and see it pressed against the sturdy chrome bars holding it hostage inside. Her breath ragged and she slowly turned around to press her back against the door, finally facing the alien.“Guys, please let me out!” She muttered, throwing a quick squint over the window to her left trying to grab the scientists’ attention when a loud, thundering roar deafened them.Agnes’s joints weakened and lowered down onto the floor, making. He winced as they bombarded him with questions concerning the debacle of the previous night. At least, he thought, it seemed from the content of the questions that the cover story was holding up. With a grimace, Tom wondered how long that would last.When he finally reached the relative safety of his car door, he fixed a polite and blatantly fake smile on his face, "Those are matters involving ongoing police investigations. You know that I can't comment."Tom laboriously climbed into the vehicle,.