realized she'd drawn.
The Troll had time for one last emotion: disbelief. Disbelief that any human could move that quickly. Even a cral—
A sliver of pure energy blew him into infinity.
Chapter Twenty-Five
She holstered her blaster slowly, turning away from the corona of fury crackling about the massive combat chassis. Awareness of victory pulsed deep within her, but it was a feeble, joyless thing as she dropped to her knees beside Richard Aston in a litter of fallen camouflage.
His body jerked and shuddered, and his face was soaked with sweat, his eyes blind above bared teeth locked in a snarl of agony. She knew the signs. She'd seen them before, and she lifted his head into her lap, staring down through her tears while bullets cracked above them.
He