Left with little choice, the woman slid her en-blade into its sheath with a violent motion.
Kira’s protector finally moved her attention to Kira. She nodded at Kira’s foot where it still rested on the man’s back. "Are you planning on killing him?"
Kira considered. As interesting as that would be, it would likely only bring problems later on.
With a disappointed frown, she lifted her foot off the man, withdrawing the portion of herkithat enabled the water to keep him submerged and stepped back.
His fellow oshota reached forward, dragging his unresponsive upper body out of the water. She turned him onto his back, hammering a closed fist onto his chest.
The man's body jerked, but his chest remained unmoving.
The woman cursed, joining her hands into one fist and doing it again.
Water splashed out of the man's mouth. The man gasped and choked.
Seeing this, the woman grabbed his shoulders and turned him onto his side to allow him to expel the water from his lungs.
She patted his back even as she glared up at Kira.
"Don't start fights you can't win,” Kira advised.
Rage infused the woman's features.
Before she could retort, the water next to her erupted, a dark shape shooting from its depths. The shape hovered in the air, the drips of water droplets loud in the sudden silence.
A heavy layer of algae, pond scum, mud, and a writhing mass of vines covered the creature's misshapen body.
Kira thought she caught the wiggling tail of a fish stuck in the ball of muddy green.
Kira squinted. "Jin?"
THIRTEEN
THE PLANT MONSTER rustled. "Woman, are you trying to kill me?"
"I thought you'd be honored to be the decoy. Aren't you the one always going on about how I never include you in things?"
