Page 96 of Emerald

I have never had a more important strategy to think through, and I had the most sought after hoard of all zhasie before ending up here. This is far, far more important than what I had on my home planet.

I will not fail to protect this living hoard. I can’t.

32

Olivia

Mymindistootired to be overwhelmed, but Ree sent us to rest anyway before turning back to orchestrate the efficient movement of items into the beautiful little huts that a large, furry alien named Rannek apparently built while the rest of the group were away.

I don’t know how he could have built even one of them in that amount of time, but there are three. I try to not think about it, my head already aching.

“We’ll meet here at dark to have a campfire-free story time,” Ree calls back to us.

I smile when I see how that makes Kroaicho light up bright orange, but just wave back in response.

The wind stirs softly as Kroaicho and I walk back toward our new cave. My legs are heavy, and the silence between us feels louder than even Wroahk’s howling complaints that started back up as soon as we hit the lake water.

Kroaicho walks a few steps ahead, zha’s two upper limbs tucked in tight, the blue of zha’s glow faint but present. I glance sideways at zha every now and then, studying the subtle shifts in zha’s skin, the colors flickering.

It's strange how quickly I've grown used to this—used to zha. If you had asked when I first crash-landed here, I never would've imagined being this close to an alien down to so much as physiology. But now, here I am, trudging beside Kroaicho, trusting zha far more than I trust this planet.

Still, I know where this is headed now that there is another cave. I can't stay cooped up forever. I can't sit still while my friends are out risking themselves looking for the others.

"Kroaicho," I say, trying to keep my tone light, though I know where this conversation is headed. "I was thinking… maybe we could—"

"No," Kroaicho cuts me off before I can even finish. The blue glow darkens slightly, a sign of irritation. Zha doesn't stop walking, though, and neither do I.

I sigh, letting the frustration wash over me. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I do. You want me to take you out into the forest. To look for others." Zha’s voice is as steady as ever, but I can hear the underlying edge in it now. That same edge that comes every time I bring this up. "It's not safe."

"You keep saying that, but we can't just hide forever! I can't—" I stumble over the rocks as I quicken my pace to catch up to zha, brushing dirt off my knees as I continue. "I can't stay there, Kroaicho. I'm not like you."

Zha’s spikes twitch, and I can see the faintest shift of purple in zha’s blue glow. The color of frustration. At least I think it is—after all this time, I'm starting to understand Kroaicho's colors, but I'm still not entirely sure what every flicker means.

"I will search for the rest of the hoard," zha says finally, slowing zha’s pace.

My heart skips a beat, annoyed we are still talking about trinkets. “I’m not talking about bits of metal, Kroaicho, I—”

“I’m not either.” Kroaicho stops then, turning toward me, zha’s tall frame towering over me, spikes and all. Zha’s skin flickers again, the faint purple still there, but something else—something softer—pushes through. Orange, then red.

“We are two now, but I see now that we also have a hoard,” zha starts.

“I don’t want a—”

Zha interrupts me again. “No, listen. A living hoard. Of beings, not rocks.”

My eyebrows lift. “That’s… a huge shift for you, Kroaicho,” I mutter, mind still catching up.

"Yes." Kroaicho's spikes twitch again, and a new color, yellow, begins to bloom across zha’s skin. At first, I can't place it. It's brighter than anything I've seen on Kroaicho before, like zha is glowing from within.

I stare, fascinated. "What's… what's that color mean?"

Kroaicho tilts zha’s head slightly, regarding me with those ever-watching eyes. "This is pride. I made a good decision and I am proud of it."

Pride. The realization makes me smile, and before I can stop myself, I reach out, letting my fingers hover just above zha’s skin. He looks down at my hand, and I pull mine back, not willing to touch when I don’t allow the same.

"That means a lot to me, Kroaicho,” I whisper.

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