Page 55 of Diamond

He repositions himself so his wide mouth and sharp teeth are right next to my ear. "I can hear a hunter," he whispers. "The green one. Stay here."

I shake my head and point to where he left the gun near me. "Nasrin you—"

He doesn't get to whisper more because I deliver him a hard blow to the top of his thigh so he knows I mean it.

After a growl, he lets me go and I spin to face him. He's still bent over, so I position my mouth next to one of his three-spiked ears, my lips brushing against one of his many pieces of jewelry when I speak.

"They are as strong as you are, Kuret. We'll need a gun and you don't know how to use it yet."

I tip back, assuming he will whisper something in my ear now, but all he does is wipe a hand down the back of his other one. I'm surprised he agreed, but I don't say anything; I just move to scoop up the gun and follow behind him as soundlessly as I can. My hands are damp, but with a knife in one of them and a gun in the other, I can't wipe them off.

Roshan is shivering, his eyes wide and he doesn't follow us, which is another surprise, but also a relief. I hold my hands out to him, signaling for him to stay and feeling silly as I do it.

I'm not sure if it's the gesture I made or his own fear, but he doesn't move.

I follow Kuret as quietly as I can, periodically taking time to study the gun, wishing I had tested it when we first found it, though it seems to work the same as I expected. The shape is different, but not so much that I don't think I can use it.

Thoughts about how wrong it is that I'm even thinking about using it crowd my mind, but I keep following Kuret. He has his braids gathered in one hand and twisted so they don't make sound and a knife in his other one.

He stops periodically, tilting his ears for sounds I can't make out, then we keep stalking forward. Eventually, he motions for me to stop and then waves his hand downward, which I take to mean I should crouch. I want to protest when he keeps moving forward, but I bite down on my tongue.

He knows what he's doing. I hope.

A few minutes later, I hear the hunter. They are tramping along the underbrush, breaking sticks and muttering about insects and mud. I listen closely to anyone responding to them, but it only sounds like one person speaking.

Kuret moves through the underbrush and my heart leaps when I can't see him anymore, but I know I can't follow him. The sounds are much closer now. When I see a movement, I aim my gun, but it's so quick I can't be sure if it is the hunter or Kuret so I don't fire.

The gun is trembling in my hand and I'm holding my breath when I hear an undulating cry and a thumping sound.

After a moment frozen in position, I scramble toward the sounds of the fight, hearing a bunch of thumps and hissing curses in the alien's language.

When I push through a thorn bush to get to them, they are grappling, the thing's gun is on the ground and neither one has the advantage on the other. I raise the gun, but they are moving so much that I can't be sure I won't hit Kuret.

After a moment of indecision, I tell my black suit to make a pocket, pleased when it actually listens, and stuff the gun in it, moving the knife I was holding to my dominant hand.

Allahprotect me, I mouth, then I run at them, knife held up as Kuret taught me, headed toward the creature's back. Kuret sees me, eyes wide, and he strains to hold the braceaaer in position.

I don't hesitate, taking three quick steps and bringing the knife down in an arc, striking the base of the alien's skull. The impact sends a stinging pain up my arm, but I don't let go. Instead, I pull it back and stab three more times in quick succession before stumbling back, suddenly realizing I'm covered in blood.

I'm not sure if it is already dead, or if Kuret kills it by taking advantage of its surprise by ramming his own knife up into its chest and dragging it until entrails pour out.

I stumble back farther, my mind screaming out at me for doing something so… terrible.

My heel hits a root and I fall backward, landing hard enough to knock the wind out of me. Once I get it back into my lungs, I keep breathing faster and faster. Then I notice the blood-covered knife still in my hands and I fling it away, frantically wiping at my body to get the blood off.

I flip over just in time to start heaving, then startle when I feel a pressure on my back.

"You did well, Nasrin. Your first kill is always the hardest."

He pulls my hair back, twisting it behind me, taking the time to carefully detangle it from around my limbs before twisting it so it stays out of my face. Then he rubs my back as the heaving subsides. Once I am calm, he pulls me into his arms, pressing me against his chest and tucking my head into his broad shoulder.

One arm holds the back of my head, the other runs down my back as he makes a hissing sound through his teeth. It's odd at first, but quickly starts to soothe me.

"He was a worthy foe. So small, but so strong. Just like you."

I laugh mirthlessly. "I'm not strong, Kuret," I tell him with a raw throat. "I just totally lost it."

"I'm not sure what you think you lost. All I saw was someone doing what had to be done. What you gained was even more of my respect than you already had."

---