Page 63 of Emerald

"Out!" I hiss at Olivia, jerking my head toward the deeper recesses of the cave. Zha is frozen, eyes wide with panic, but I can't focus on zha right now. I just need zha to move.

The creature's claws scrape across the ground as it regains its balance, its glowing eyes narrowing in anger. Before I can react, it rears up, its massive jaws snapping toward my face. I manage to dodge, but not fast enough. Pain explodes in my arm as its teeth graze me, tearing into the flesh. My skin flashes an intense red as I pull back, hissing in pain.

It's stronger than me.

Fear tightens in my chest, but I refuse to let it show. I can't let it see my fear. I can't let Olivia see.

With a guttural snarl, I release a burst of color—a bright, flashing violet—as I rush forward again. This time, I aim lower, sweeping my claws at its legs in an attempt to unbalance it. The creature screeches again, its body twisting unnaturally as it dodges, but I manage to catch one of its legs, yanking it hard. It stumbles, all of its claws scrambling for purchase, and I seize the opportunity to drive it further back toward the tunnel.

"Go!" I bark at Olivia, my voice harsher than I intend. "Get out of here!"

Zha finally moves, scrambling out of the cave and into the safety of the tunnels. Relief washes over me, but it's short-lived. The creature recovers quickly, its tail whipping out again. This time, it strikes me square in the chest, sending me flying back into the cave wall. The impact knocks the breath out of me, and for a moment, my vision wavers. My skin flashes a deep violet as I struggle to stand, the pain radiating through my body.

It's too strong.

I push myself to my feet, panting heavily as I face the creature once more. It's watching me, its glowing eyes gleaming with something that almost looks like amusement. I grit my teeth, my skin flickering between violet and red. I can't win this fight. Not like this.

But I have no choice.

With a frustrated growl, I lunge again, this time feinting left before darting right. The creature falls for the bait, its massive head swinging toward my fake attack, and I seize the opportunity to slam into its side, driving it deeper into the tunnel.

The narrow passage works to my advantage—its large body can't maneuver as easily in the confined space. I dart around it, slashing at its legs and sides, trying to drive it back further. It screeches in frustration, its glowing eyes flashing as it swipes at me with its tail, but I manage to dodge, my smaller, nimble form giving me the edge in the tight tunnel.

I know I can't keep this up for long. My body is already aching, the pain in my arm throbbing with every movement, but I can't stop. I won't stop.

The tunnel narrows even further, and I finally see my chance. With a final burst of speed, I dart around the creature, positioning myself behind it. My skin flickers between violet and red as I release the knockout gas from my nose, the thick, sweet-smelling vapor filling the air around us.

The creature hesitates, its movements slowing as the gas begins to take effect. I can see it shaking its head, trying to clear the fog, but it's too late.

With a snarl, I lunge forward, wrapping my arms around its thick neck and yanking it toward the glowing blue stream that runs through the deeper part of the cave system. The creature thrashes, but its strength is fading fast.

With a final, desperate heave, I toss it into farther down the cave, carefully away from where Olivia fled.

It staggers, moving away erratically, but quickly, crashing into the sides of the tunnel in its haste to get away.

Panting heavily, I collapse against the cave wall, my skin flickering between violet and red. I'm exhausted, my body aching from the fight, but it's over.

For now.

I take a deep breath, forcing my skin to return to a more neutral hue as I push myself to my feet. Olivia is safe. That's all that matters.

But as I turn to make my way back to the cave, I can't shake the tight feeling in my chest. That creature—it wasn't natural. It wasn't like anything I've ever encountered before.

And I have a feeling this isn't the last time I'll see one of these.

The exhaustion hits me all at once. I can barely feel the jagged stone digging into my palms or the sharp bite of the cool cave air against my skin. I steady my breathing, trying to calm the wild flickering of color that I know is betraying every emotion I've been trying to suppress. My skin flashes between violet and red, anger mixing with fear. But I'm alive. That's something.

I try to focus on the tunnel where the creature left, but my eyes keep roaming back to where Olivia ran. The stillness of the cave, after the chaos of the battle, feels almost too quiet. My head spins, and the tightness in my chest remains, pulsing faintly.

Then, a sound behind me—a familiar sound—small footsteps, uneven, moving toward me. My limbs tense as I spin to face the sound, my body already primed to fight again.

19

Olivia

Idon’tknowhowI avoid breaking my neck as I careen around corners, but I run until my breath comes in gasps and my mind finally stops screaming at me to flee.

Then I put one hand on the glowing moss on the wall and suck in long, greedy breaths. I can still make out the sound of fighting, which means I haven’t run nearly far enough to be safe. My muscles bunch to run, but then I stop myself.

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