Page 19 of Diamond

Roshan lets out a soft bleat, his head pressing against me as if answering my question. He's been harmed. The cruelty of it disgusts me. There is no need for such brutal measures. Ever.

Tehlmar reappears with a handful of green leaves. "These will be safe for you to eat," he says.

After a glance at the small bouquet of green leaves in his hands, I shake my head. "I don't think it's worth the risk."

I have had food poisoning from eating strange street food and unwashed fruit before. Having something like that while hiding away or on the run from hunters would be a terrible thing. Of course, I don't tell him all of that as I focus my attention back on Roshan.

The argila is all too happy to be the center of my attention once again, bleating playfully as his rubber teeth scrape against my hand.

I don't mean to ignore Tehlmar, but there are other things running through my mind, like why anyone would need to hurt an animal this way. I have known the argila for less than a day and even I see all the training potential in him and someone else just decided it was okay to put holes in his face?

"It is safe," Tehlmar insists softly, his persistence grating on my nerves. "I know you are afraid of being poisoned."

I heave a sigh and face Tehlmar. "How can you be so sure? We're not even of the same species, Tehlmar. I could die from a single bite of that."

"Why won't you listen to me when I tell you it is not poisonous?"

His voice is raised, and it scratches at my patience. "How do you know, Tehlmar? How do you know?"

"Because I just do," he says in a joking tone, but I have had enough.

9

Kuret

The walk feels endless,each step stretching time.As I move forward, a flash of silver catches my eye, a reflection, faint but unremarkable. My heart quickens. Certain it's part of something, I duck behind a tree, my movements deliberate and watchful.

Curiosity overpowers caution, and I dash toward the source, fully exposing myself to any lurking enemies. Laying in the grass before me is a flattened lump of gray and pink slime. A genali. Relief washes over me at the sight, though a small part of me is disappointed, I didn't get the satisfaction of killing it myself.

A gaping hole runs from its head to the end of its body, a familiar sight. It reminds me of the first weapon I found when I woke up on this strange planet. Nearby, I spot a container small enough to hold a youngling, matching Ree's description of thecryo chamber. I hurry to it, but my hope dims as I peer inside; it's empty.

I search for any signs of life, but only find more dead and crumpled up genali and nothing else. My search widens, moving in careful circles, my eyes fixed on the ground for any traces.

A soft grunt escapes me when I spot a print—three divots that look somewhat fresh.

My pulse quickens as my mind pieces together what might have happened. Ree had said the female in need of rescue was inside thecryo chamber. Does this mean she was taken?

Did the creature that left these tracks capture her? I follow the path, studying the ground for more clues. Relief flickers through me when I find another set of prints; smaller, faint but familiar. They match the shape of Ree's feet, which I was careful to memorize in case I needed to track her kind.

The realization strikes; the female must have been rescued by some other brave male, as Ree did mention that she had asked the same favor of others.

A sense of gratitude wells up in me. That's one less human female in danger, so I can scour this planet to find others who need help.

Yet, as I study the prints further, unease creeps in. The larger creature's feet are disturbingly large, indicating that he is tall. Even taller than I am. I look closer at the difference between him and the female and it is quite vast.

Something stirs within me—a pull to follow the trail, to ensure that Ree's friend is safe. But a larger part of me advises me to continue on my journey. If these women are such an importantcommodity among the hunters, other creatures will find them interesting as well.

The longer I stay without deciding, the more my conscience tugs on me until I turn on my boots and begin trailing the prints.

I justify my decision; I'll simply ensure there's no trouble ahead, leave the female a weapon, and perhaps warn them about the dangerously obvious trail they're leaving behind. I don't like it and I'm not sure if I should leave this human with such a reckless, stupid male.

I have to remind myself that I am only following to make sure there is no trouble ahead and hand them weapons if they need any. Even a large, stupid male is better protection than other females might have.

It doesn't take long to catch up. Their voices reach me first, faint but unmistakable. It seems like they are in a cart, from the tracks, but when I come to them, they are out of it. Facing each other and talking.

I stay crouched behind a tree, watching the human woman and the shiny male with her through a sliver between two leaves. Flashes of white from the woman's hair catch my eye as she moves around the bed of a stream. The parts of her body that come into my view are covered in the same black cloth that Ree was covered in.

I long to keep looking at her, to get more than a quick glimpse of her features, but it wouldn't be wise to linger.

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