*TEASER* TIGERS VOYAGE by Colleen Houck

 With permission from Colleen Houck I am posting this excerpt from Tiger's Voyage. This passage may contain spoilers, therefore, read at your own risk.

TIGERS VOYAGE 

As a tentacle moved past its head, I saw the posterior surface change color. 

The purplish-brown skin briefly turned pale with black spots.  I saw the 

funnel above its eyes shoot out a stream of bubbles as it moved again, 

thrusting out powerful arms.  The water surged around us. Ren twisted the 

staff of his trident and shot three spear darts in quick succession towards 

the beast.  One missed, one speared a tentacle to the stalactite and one 

grazed the mantle.  Black blood clouded the area where the creature hung. 

With a quick move, it yanked its pinned tentacle away from the stalactite. 

Arms shot out in every direction.  I blasted one that wrapped around 

Kishan's throat but it hung on tenaciously.  He began sawing at it and was 

successful in getting it off but it tore away his breathing tube.  He 

reached for his back up and gave me the thumbs up sign.

Ren and I began pummeling the monster with lightning power and darts.  The 

mantle expanded and in a flash of light and a rush of water, the creature 

was gone.  I swam in circles trying to see where it went but with the lights 

off, it could have been anywhere.  I kicked my legs and moved closer to Ren, 

figuring it might help if we fought back to back.  Kishan had just started 

moving closer to us when the lights came back on.  It was right behind 

Kishan. Two fleshy limbs wrapped around his body and shook him in the water. 

One of his fins came off and dropped slowly into the chasm below us.  Ren 

swam powerfully forward and thrust the trident into the largest arm.  The 

creature squealed but held on.  Kishan slashed with the chakram and, at the 

same time, I raised my hand to blast through it.  That's when I felt a tug. 

The beast wrapped a limb around my waist and yanked me towards it at a 

frightening speed.  Attacking Kishan had been a diversion.  The creature 

pulled me away and shut off the lights.