23. Kuret

23

Kuret

I do not realize how tired I am until I have filled my belly with the wild avioid I killed earlier.

Nasrin and Roshan are settled comfortably around each other and fall asleep as soon as they rest their heads, but I stay up a little longer to wash myself in the stream.

I scouted the area thoroughly, so I am hoping to enjoy the time in the water leisurely, cleaning every bit of myself to get rid of the built-up grime. Though I was excited at the novelty of it, being submerged in water isn't quite as pleasant as I imagined.

The temperature of the water helps ensure I spend as little time in it as possible, which is best anyway because of how vulnerable a position it is.

It is far too cold, which none of my kind tolerate well, but when I rise from the water, I can't deny that I feel better.

Nasrin won't need to give me any more pointed looks over the brown blood, especially once I take the time to wipe off the animal hide; once again I am grateful that it sheds stains so easily.

It was worth the long nights of hunting and the harrowing fight with the multi-horned beast. I even take a moment to re-braid my hair, the task soothing and familiar enough to ease some of the nagging worry that I have harmed something between Nasrin and me.

Maybe there are signs that she is not as angry, though.

I noticed when I returned from cooking that she let her hair loose from the black covering and it sent a victorious surge through me, nearly the same feeling as a well-fought battle.

My breath huffs against my hands as they complete the intricate looping around my left ear.

It has been a battle.

I set out to rescue as many women as I could while getting my honor back. While there have been many unexpected hurdles, the serenity around me, the satisfaction of Nasrin being safe, and the lulling sound of a cool stream more than make up for it.

If she continues to warm to me…

I'm not even sure what comes next, but I'm excited about the possibilities. About the mystery.

After catching myself nodding off a few times by the stream, braid still in hand, I decide I've made enough progress on refreshing them for now. I make sure that the wound on my stomach is healing nicely before putting my leg armor back on.

I leave off my torso cloth to give the wound space to breathe. It'll also help illuminate the cave in case Nasrin wakes up before daylight.

My lips quirk up and my hearts quicken at the idea of being a beacon for her.

I wander slowly back into the cave, my ears twitching and alert for danger, but I hear nothing. Everyone is just as I left them, and I'm put at ease.

I let my eyes roam over Nasrin's sleeping form and allow myself to say her name out loud in a soft whisper. She does not stir, softly snoring with her light hair splayed against Roshan's darker body.

My hands twitch toward her and I picture myself moving back to her, fitting myself up against her soft curves, but fling the thought away.

The universe truly is not fair at all because something as precious-looking as she is does not deserve to endure a reality such as this. She is fragile, yet firm and powerful. She should be in a cloister surrounded by females.

She does not deserve the horrors that have been visited upon her.

Once I find myself wanting to place my hand against her smooth face, I push those thoughts out of my mind and find the corner nearest to the entrance of the cave to settle in.

I can't see her from here, which is probably best.

The distance between this place and the main path is the primary reason why I chose it and I am confident that we will be safe. Still, I have to make sure that I am the closest to any danger. Since there is no one to relieve my watch, I shouldn't sleep, but I am too exhausted to stay awake.

Sleep finds me fast and before I know it, I am swept up into a restful, dreamless sleep. It is peaceful until I start to hear scratching noises coming from around me. I crack an eye open and look around, but I see that it is only Roshan adjusting himself.

I yawn noiselessly and make sure Nasrin is still resting before allowing myself to fall back to sleep.

The scratching noise rouses me again, but this time I am sure it is coming from outside the cave.

I get up and cautiously start to walk out of the cave with a hand over my knife handle when I feel something sharp pierce into my thigh.

Whoever my attacker is, they are quick and silent. I hadn't even heard anything before there was a short spear stuck nearly midway through my left thigh.

I let out a grunt and stumble backward before falling on my back as I watch a small green creature scurry toward me and jump on my chest.

It is smaller than a genali hunter and its sinewy, thin arms reach out and grab at my neck before I can pick it up.

Its eyes are black, pointing so far out of their sockets that I think they might reach my face like his smelly breath. It's small but strong and wiry for its size, so it is difficult to get out of its grasp, but I struggle against it.

I growl at it before I land a blow to its face, but I find that its grip is tighter than I thought, so I go for the obvious weak spot—its eyes. I jam a finger into its closest one while simultaneously trying to rip its hands off my neck, and it works.

The assassin lets out a yelp of surprise and loosens its grip enough for me to get him off my back and finally get a proper look at my attacker. It is a small creature, half my height, with a large bulbous head from which protrudes piercing black eyes full of hate, a slender trunk-like body, and long, spindly arms that end in stubby clawed digits.

It doesn't spend much time on the ground before it lunges at me once more, spewing what must be obscenities in its alien tongue as it flies at me at top speed.

I manage to dodge its advance by a slim margin and throw a punch wildly in the direction I thought it would have been in, but my fists meet nothing but air as the creature has launched itself directly off the wall and at me once more.

This beast is fast—too fast for me to fight in such close confines, where it has the advantage.

With a frantic roll, I move out of the cave, as I try to dislodge it from my back. It only grips harder. My mind flashes over to Nasrin and the animal stuck in the cave with her. If I fall here, they will not be able to fight it off and will die shortly after.

I hear Roshan's scared bleating as I struggle with the disgusting thing, just managing to get my knife in what I hope is a vulnerable spot.