50. Rin

50

Rin

I expected the argila to be terrified or Drasuk, but instead Roshan scampers right up to him for pets. Judging by the lack of reaction, Drasuk must recognize the species and he simply complies and Roshan is bleating contentedly within moments.

That brings over the rest of his little family and the last part of my anger ebbs away as I watch Kira coo at little Azar, telling him that he's the cutest giant spider thingy she's ever seen.

I hope Kira's right about us being able to make a new world. Innocents like Azar need protecting. I realize with a start that the most important thing to talk about slipped my mind after my little tirade. I hadn't known just how much resentment had been bubbling, but Kira was right. I feel better now that we faced it head on.

Of course, it will take more than just one conversation, but clearly she wants to make a world where those hard conversations can be had, just like I do.

"We found another woman. Olivia. Green hair. Then something stole her from us. We are in this valley because it took her into one of the surrounding caves. It's a cave dweller and got her from us by causing sinkholes."

"Fornicate," Kira curses. "A hunter?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so. It spoke and claimed ownership. It could have killed me, but it didn't. It didn't look like the genali, braceaar, or whatever Tehlmar was."

"Tehlmar?"

Kuret growls. "A waste of breath male that tried to force Nasrin. Tall, green hair, even longer ears than mine, spikes instead of feet."

"Great. We haven't seen one of those yet, but I'll get them added to the kill list."

I should feel bad about the spike of satisfaction that causes, but I don't have the energy for it. We're on their kill list, after all.

Kira switches to Drasuk's language then speaks again. "Can you smell another human besides us?"

He takes in a long breath. "Very faintly, now that you mention it. But it's coming from multiple directions."

"Great," she says, her tone weary.

"We should go back for reinforcements," Kira says, looking disappointed as she stands upright instead of giving Azar more belly pats.

"It isn't safe to move Darya yet, I think," I tell her. "And I'd like to keep looking while you are gone."

Kira nods. "That makes sense. If we find Olivia quickly, worse case Drasuk can carry Darya back to the island. There isn't a lot of grass there, but once we get past the monsters in the water, the argila will be the safest they can be on this cursed planet. I'd love to learn more about both of you, but I think we should go back right away."

After that, they are gone within a few minutes, and I'm surprised just how sad it makes me. I was prepared to dislike her, especially with her brash, snarky tones, but the speed that she left and how focused she was on doing the right thing by Olivia completely won me over.

I know she'll be back as fast as she can.

My lips turn up at just how certain I feel. Is this what happens when you finally let yourself trust someone? First Kuret, and now I'm finding more allies? In an American, no less?

Then I think back to Oliva. She had an odd accent, but there was a little bit of American there, I realize. And Australian, maybe?

Kira's right. Now is our time to let go of our preconceptions and the cultural baggage of our past. I need to let them tell me what kind of people they are by their actions, not by the country they were born in. We probably won't ever see Earth again, and it's busy tearing itself apart over those things.

What would my bābā say if I revived those same fights light years away by holding on to my own preconceptions?

"I won't," I promise him in a whisper. "I'll make you proud."

We need to find Olivia and get her back to the island.

A surge of guilt tries to rise for the time we lost to the storm, to endless wrong turns, and talking with Kira and Drasuk, but I push it to the side. We needed the rest, and now we'll have help soon. Still, we shouldn't linger.

Azar's playful braying pulls me out of my heavy thoughts, and it brings a smile to my face.

"Keep it down over there," I call out playfully.

Kuret and the argila turn to look, all of them staring at me like I'm a central figure in their lives. Like they trust me, and it feels good to return that trust. As if it has mended something that was broken.

This time with Kuret and the argila have been the most calm I have experienced since coming to this planet. I look at them and feel my face widening into a smile. It's like having my own small family with an even smaller family within it.

As Darya's baby awkwardly runs toward me, I bend and open my arms up for him. The little animal has really warmed up to me and I love it like I love its parents. It is also growing at an alarming rate, already a few inches taller.

Luckily, there will be plenty of grass to feed Darya as she nurses him and they all seem content.

Kuret walks toward me with his sharp grin as I struggle to lift the rapidly growing baby argila. " Ya Allah , he is getting so big."

I can still lift him just fine, of course, thanks to whatever new strength I gained, but it's awkward with all of his wiggling limbs. I set him down so he can go back to scampering.

Still, I'm relieved when I don't have to prod Kuret into searching and before long we have taken care of our basic needs and are back in a cave.

We begin to make our way through the labyrinthine corridors of the inner part of the cavern in silence. We wouldn't want to alert any predators deep in the cavern or Olivia's captor to our approach.

I stay behind Kuret as we carefully feel our way forward in the dark, his marks providing enough light to move, but not enough to do it quickly or with confidence.

"This would be faster if we separated," I blurt out.

"No, that would be—"

"Never mind, I know that was a bad idea. I'm just anxious to find her, and ridiculously low on sleep, and it's making me say stupid things."

He snorts out a breath and whispers back. "I have said many stupid things since we met."

I chuckle. "You really have, Kuret. But you have also said a lot of smart things too, and I do appreciate all you have done for me. And for Olivia. You didn't have to."

All he does is grunt, but there is a pleased lilt to it and it makes me smile.

"It's not just about the danger of separating, lovely Nasrin. I want you near me."

It sends a thrill through me and a wider smile on my face.

Then Kuret stops suddenly and I run into him with a small oof.

"There are tracks here," he says in a hissing whisper. "It looks like whatever it is, it's big, heavy, and has multiple legs."

My brow furrows and some of the flashing images from when Olivia was taken rises up into my mind. It happened so fast, and their body was so strange that I hadn't really made sense of it at the time, but when he says multiple legs it jars something loose.

"That sounds right, Kuret," I hiss back.

I'm all but dancing behind him as we continue on, the cave becoming brighter and brighter as we go. Then we round a corner and my heart sinks. It's another cave in and it looks just as unnatural as the ones from before.

"I recognize this pattern," he says pointing out scored marks on the wall that disappear behind the pile of rubble. "They must be in this cave system, but we won't get to them through this one."

Disappointment wells up, but then I think of just how vast this world is and the fact that we've found any sort of clue is promising.

He turns to me, and I can see the excitement in his eyes and it fills me with even more hope. He isn't fighting me on this anymore, instead, just as driven as I am to find her.

The surrounding cave, previously too dark to see much at all, even with my improved night vision, glows in a beautifully hazy blue and the color reflects a lovely hue in the depths of his green eyes.

When we turn back around and head back out, I don't feel as defeated as I expect. I just have to keep hoping that she is alright and doing my best to find her. Soon, we'll have help, even.

And I know Kuret won't leave me to do it alone. When we are almost out of the cave, I reach a hand forward to grasp the back of his armor. He slows, then turns to me.

I open my mouth to reassure him we will find her, but only a screech comes out as the ground drops out from underneath us. It's a blur of movement after that. I expect a hard impact with the ground, but instead something reaches around my waist.

After a moment of thinking it is Kuret, I realize the color is wrong. A quick glance down confirms it is red, and the shape of the limb is all wrong. I scream again, eyes darting around for Kuret's green, finding it instantly, but then it's gone again when I'm snatched closer to the chest of the monster holding me.

Then there's a grinding that joins the roar of Kuret calling for me, interrupted by the sound of falling rocks. His voice is muffled now, but he's still screaming out my name.

The monster shifts, letting me get a glimpse behind us, but it's only a fall of stones. "Kuret! Are you hurt?!"

"No!" he yells back, but the relief doesn't have time to sink in before the creature whips me in the opposite direction and starts running.

"Take me back!" I yell at it, then my mind catches up and I know who it is.

It's the one who took Olivia and my mind must remember the language because I feel the pain in my throat. "Stop!" I yell out in its language. "We just want to keep Olivia safe. Take me back to Kuret."

It looks down at me, pink eyes glowing, tusks snapping, and my breath stops. Does it plan to kill me?

"Zha is mine, but you will provide zha company. If Kuret follows, I will kill zha."

"You can't kill Olivia!"

"I never said I would kill Olivia."

"What? You just said…"

I think back over what they said and realize that zha might be a pronoun. To test it out, I try to say him and her, but they both come out of my mouth as zha. Odd, but I don't have time to figure it out. I need to get away. I try to squirm, but their arms just tighten.

"Zha?" I ask it. "I am company for zha?"

"Yes, zha. Not me. I don't want company."

I let out a long breath. So, it probably isn't going to kill me, but also not likely to listen to anything I say. Great.