Maybe I could tell her the truth . . .
I imagine how that conversation might go.
“I was exposed for a few minutes, but don’t freak out. Minimalexposure won’t turn me into a Sol.”
“What?!”Her eyes would go wide.“How do you know that?”
“Because Kalden told me it wouldn’t.”
Except telling her that would break my pulse promise with Kalden.
“Because I’ve been exposed before and turned out fine.”
Except she and Taurance didn’t believe my recounting of what happened in the transport tunnel after the earthquake.
I heave a sigh. No matter how I approach it, Gem is unlikely to respond well to the truth. Though she deserves to know, and there might come a time where there’s no avoiding it, now isn’t the right time. Not with her camera still recording and the magnetic energy in my chest tightening.
So, for now, I leave it at, “I promise I’ll be fine.”
Gem tenses like she wants to press further, but an ear-scraping screech stirs us back into motion.
We find the Sol less than a minute later.
Sols, my mind corrects. Unlike yesterday’s stray, this one isn’t alone.
Three of the unclothed charred-skin creatures close in on two of our fellow Huntresses, herding them towards the open dunes, away from the shaded shelter of the trees. The pair sprints along the forest’s edge hand in hand, toeing the line between the foliage and sand. A streak of black zips atop a distant sandy crest, and I could swear I spot something that looks a lot like the motorized cart that transported us yesterday morning, but it disappears before I can confirm the hunch.
Another figure comes at the Sols from the side. It moves so fast that on first glance, I assume it’s a fourth Sol. Then I see the two nightstone throwing knives clenched in his fists.
Kalden.
Though he’s several yards ahead, I recognize his chosen weapons, and the tug in my chest strengthens. I quicken my cadence to keepup, Gem matching my stride with ease.
Kalden lifts his left arm, hurling a knife into the air. The nearest Sol dodges the blade while it zips past inches from its skull.
A strong gust blasts through the scattered trees, ripping dozens of leaves from their branches while redirecting the knife in what should be an impossible curve back toward the Sol. The blade strikes true this time, burrowing into the creature’s singed neck.
Golden blood spurts from the wound. The Sol falls.
Kalden lunges atop it and restrains its flailing arms before removing the knife, only to drag the blade in a deep line across the entire front half of its throat. Then, with a grunt, he plunges the weapon into the Sol’s chest, down to the hilt.
“Holy shadows!” Gem curses between panted breaths as we chase the other two Sols, who continue their pursuit of our comrades without faltering, either not noticing or not caring that their kin has fallen.
Kalden’s brutal killing cost him distance. And although he outpaces Gem and me, he isn’t fast enough to block the furthest Sol from catching up to the first Huntress.
“Dodge!” I scream as the creature’s taloned fingertips lash out toward her shoulder. It’s the same command Kalden shouted during the countless drills he made the group run through.
Thankfully, the muscle memory pays off. She bends at the waist and shuffles to the side, exactly as practiced. The Sol trips, not expecting her swift evasion, but recovers quickly. In a blur, it twists, preparing to strike again.
The woman rolls forward, and its clawed nails sink into the dirt instead. Before it can finish pivoting, her friend swipes her dagger into its side. The creature hisses and shoots out a hand, clenching the second Huntress’s wrist. It twists its grip, snapping bone like it’s little more than a pliable twig.
She bellows deep—a sound that will haunt me forever.
If he weren’t distracted by his own face-off with the other Sol, maybe Kalden could prevent what happens next.
The creature pins the woman to the ground.
“Orelle, don’t!” Gem cries as I run faster, only a handful of feet away now.
