Page 79 of Diamond

Zha? What?

Vitriol fills my mouth but before I can speak, Liv does. "Fuck no, I'm no one's but my own," she spits at the creature.

I'm proud of her, but still terrified. The hissing sound of its voice gets too low for me to understand, but I know it's saying things to her

"Rin, I'll be okay," she shouts out to me and it sounds too much like a goodbye.

"Olivia! Where are you? I'll get to you," I say as a fresh energy overtakes me.

My fingers dig hopelessly at the dirt and roots, my fingers bleeding soon after.

When she speaks again, her voice sounds much farther. "I'll be okay, I promise. I'll find you once I can."

I shake my head as my eyes burn with the familiar sting of loss. "No, no, Olivia, please. I'll dig my way down to get you out. I'll find a way. Just hold on."

"Get to safety," she tells me, her voice barely audible. "I'll…" I can't make anything else out after that.

My heart's in my throat as I keep digging, grabbing a broken off branch to do it, then another when that one breaks.

Tears run down my face when I concede.

I know that I am speaking into a void, but I continue to call out to her, hoping that, by some miracle, she will reach out her hand and try to grab onto mine.

"Olivia, please. Please bring her back, please."

Another gunshot reminds me that I'm in as much danger as she is and so I stop talking. I'm about to move away when the ground I was digging so rigorously at and getting nowhere suddenly gives way.

39

Kuret

Killing off the genali is even more fulfilling than I thought it would be, though my hearts are tight with my grief to not have Samke here with me, both of our undulating cries building on the other.

I stop counting how many there are after six and continue to kill whatever crosses my line of sight. Each one must be thinking that they will be the one to kill me. It has to be the only reason why they continue to throw themselves at me.

If they were one of the green hunters, they might have a chance. Or if they were better at using theirguns. So far, all they've managed to do is give me small wounds.

As I slaughter my way through them, the screams, grunts, and putrid blood melt together to a background din.

I am familiar with the battlefield, at home here in this chaotic space; I soon find my rhythm and I have space in my head to properly appreciate how good all this feels.

Not only am I exacting revenge in a small measure for all the horrible actions carried out by the genali, I am also restoring my honor and protecting Nasrin.

Panic strikes me when the cart comes into view during a momentary lull as the remaining genali circle me and I do not see the argila or Nasrin anywhere.

The sound ofgunsfiring starts up down the slope and I attack with renewed ferocity, tossing down thegunI found when it stops firing, throwing a sharp piece of shale at the last genali standing, distracting it just long enough to run forward and take it down with a crushing blow from above.

I take a moment to gather as many weapons as I can, mind screaming at me that I don't have the time, but I don't know what dangers we will face. I shove them into the pack at my waist as I run.

My hands are dripping with blood as I race to the cart. I tell myself that they are most likely hiding behind some of the giant trees that line the now-broken ridge, but they don't answer when I call out to them.

I quicken my steps as I start to make my way along the ridgeline, not wanting to run for fear of the ground starting to open up again and I am only a few steps away from the cart when I hear a thumping in the ground below me. My nerves are strung thin, trying to stay alert for any possible stray hunters trying to sneakup on me while simultaneously looking out for Nasrin and the others.

Standing still, I look around me to see if I can find the woman I am supposed to protect, but I hear the thumping sound again, followed by muffled screams in a language I do not understand. I unsheathe my knife in readiness, just in case there is any need.

I am wary at first, convinced that it is a ploy by these honorless hunters to deceive us after their defeat. So, I decide not to follow the source of the sound. First, I need to know where Nasrin is but I do not want to call out to her and alert them. I must stay stealthy.

However, when I reach the point where the cart was stuck, I hear the same voice again, except this time it has turned into continuous wailing, and I realize it is a trapped genali.

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