41. Kuret

41

Kuret

After Nasrin tells me the story of her friends who were taken away and kept for months, I can't help but wonder why she is still speaking about putting males and females together. Since the situation seems to have happened because of that very mixture.

Females are fragile and even if I had no way of knowing, spending all this time around Nasrin has surely proven that to me. They are a special commodity that males are always trying to hurt and exploit, and I can't stand by and let it happen.

When she speaks about collaboration between males and females to build a better life, I fight the urge to laugh—not because it is funny, but because I know that it will never happen.

Still, I do not want to drag the argument out any longer.

Ree seems to be confident in her ability to protect the females and I know that she will make sure all them are happy and thriving in the cloister she is building.

I know this because my chest tells me to trust her and it has failed me only a handful of times. "When we get to Ree, you can tell her all of this. For now, let us focus on getting you there so that I can return and look for the other woman."

Nasrin's face goes from wide-eyed to having an even deeper frown on her face than before and I ruminate on my words, hoping that I have not said something to offend her.

"No," she responds.

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. "No? What do you mean, no?"

When I look at her determined frown, I know what she is about to say before it leaves her lips.

"No, we are not going to Ree and her plans for a cloister, not before we find Olivia and make sure she is safe."

I let out a labored sigh. "Nasrin, I do not want to risk your life anymore. Just back there with the genali—" I point behind us and Roshan runs up and licks my finger, undermining how serious I look, but I pat his head. "Back there, I was terrified because I couldn't protect you. I was unsure of your safety and nearly had my hearts drop out of my chest when I did not find you after ki—I mean, fighting them."

A mischievous look replaces the frown on her face for a brief moment before dropping away. "You can say you killed them, Kuret. I won't run away." She lets out a huff of air. "I did too. Lots of them, and I'm sorry I was so hard on you before. They deserve it. Wait. You have multiple hearts?"

The question takes me by surprise. "Is that not normal?"

Nasrin plasters a hand over my mouth, but her bright eyes give away that she is holding in a laugh. Something about her body language tells me that she is desperate to find something to distract herself.

"No, people have one. On my planet anyway."

Having only one heart cannot be a healthy way to live. I wonder how she does it.

We turn at the same time to look for the argila and find them grazing behind us. It's a stark reminder of just how different a being can be from another.

"I want to find Olivia because I am the one who let her get taken away. This place is dangerous, and anything can happen to either of us at any time. Hiding from that when a friend is in danger makes me just as cowardly and honorless as the male who took her."

Her words reverberate through my head, and I understand what she means. If Samke were here and he was taken by a hunter or a strange creature, I would scour the ends of this forest to find him. And then start looking all over again.

Just like I would for her.

Denying her that would make me just as honorless, and I cannot have that.

I draw my lips into a straight line. "I understand. We will go back for her but you will stay by me at all times."

Her eyeballs roll back into her head for a moment again. I wonder if she has an injury I didn't find when I moved may hands all over her body.

"Where else would I be?" she asks, back to looking at me with her amused stare.

I turn my bag to the front and open it. "This is serious, Nasrin."

I pull out one of the many guns I seized from the now-dead genali and shove one in her direction. "I noticed you must have lost the other one when the cart had the accident, so hold on tightly to this."

She peers inside the bag and her eyes widen. "You have a lot of guns in there. Well done."

My spine straightens at the unexpected praise. "In a place like this, you can never have too many weapons."

I'm surprised she agreed so easily this time. I had been expecting a long lecture from her or at least an adamant refusal but neither is offered.

She nods her head and shuts her eyes tightly for a moment. "I never thought I would talk about weapons and death like this. Like it's normal."

"I wish it wasn't normal, but they brought us here. The only other option is to let them kill us."

"You're right. It's a new world, and sometimes that means being different people." She looks me in the eye, her face softening. "I can see that you are trying to meet me halfway, Kuret. I can do the same."

I let out a relieved breath, pleased she has noticed.

I still don't feel right with her having only one weapon, so I reach down into my boot and pull out my sheathed dagger. "Keep this a little handier, in case that one is knocked away from you before you have a chance to use it."

I can remember a time not long ago, when she would never have agreed to carry any weapon or accepted my offering. But I know she knows better now.

She shakes her head up and down again, placing it in a pocket that forms in her odd clothing. It blends seamlessly and I grunt in satisfaction.

"Let us go back the way we came to look for the female."

There is a spark in her eyes when I agree; I much prefer it when they shine with pleasure. Still, it feels good that we are are once again more or less in harmony.

Nasrin clears her throat. "She has a name, and it is Olivia. We talked a bit before she was taken," she says as we begin to walk. "Roshan, Darya, let's go," she calls to the animals. They stand to their full height, shaking their legs out and sticking to her side.

I can see how her mood has greatly improved now that I have agreed to do what she wants, and it fills me with joy that joins the terror.

It's an odd mix.

She flashes one of her beautiful smiles again, and I realize there isn't much she could ask that I wouldn't give to her.

Then I think about the other females.

I cannot help but think about how dangerous it is that the female—Olivia—has come out of her chamber. It means that whatever took her, if it has not killed her off yet, has a chance of becoming her donor.

Then I remind myself that it is a non-issue. Changing your entire world view is hard and it hurts my head.

I look at Nasrin and watch her play with the argila, remembering just how devastated she was at the changes that had been made to her body.

One can only imagine how Olivia will react, but I am sure Nasrin will help her through it. She cares deeply for her already, so I can rest assured that the female will not be as scared as she was when she realizes what is happening to her.

If we get there in time to take her away from the creature.

We head back up the way we had come, my mind occupied with the mission we are heading into. I'm so focused that I almost miss it when our old cart comes into view, still stuck in that sinkhole. A pang of regret hits me—this cart has been part of the reason we even made it this far, but I push it out of mind and keep moving.

I dart to it, pulling out our supplies as we both look for dangers or lurking genali, then we move away.

It seems like we are even farther from our goal than before and the list of what must be done sits heavy on my shoulders.

It's frustrating but we must keep moving. It's not like we have any choice with all the things that seem to be against us.

Nasrin gently nudges me back into focus and points out a little cavern a small way off the path we are currently on. We decide it would be a good place to rest before it gets too late and predators start to follow our trail.

We begin heading into the cavern, preparing to rest up for the night and maybe hunt around for some game to eat, when I see this one is hiding a secret in its depths.

The cavern is shaped like a reverse cornucopia, getting bigger as I go in until it opens up on the other side into a small-looking valley surrounded on both sides by near identical cliff faces. It is beautiful.

I scout ahead to make sure it's safe before I lead Nasrin and the argila through and see no apparent threats. Any one of the caves might lead us to finding Olivia.