Page 49 of Sacrificed to the Mountain Demon

"Where is it?" I whisper frantically, rummaging through shelves and baskets. My fingers close around a jar of healing salve, and I shove it into my satchel. Bandages, herbs, anything that might help Jytos.

A noise outside freezes me in place. Footsteps. Coming closer.

"No, no, no," I breathe, searching desperately for an exit. There's a small window at the back. It will be a tight squeeze, but it's my only shot.

I wriggle through just as the door creaks open. Landing hard on the other side, I bite back a cry of pain. No time to recover. I have to move now.

Panic lends speed to my feet as I plunge into the trees, praying I won't be spotted in the darkness. My lungs burn, but I don't slow down. Can't slow down. Jytos needs me. I won't let him down. Not now. Not ever.

I soon burst through the trees, my chest heaving as I spot Jytos's crumpled form outside the cave. My heart plummets. He hasn't moved an inch.

"Jytos!" I cry, dropping to my knees beside him. My hands hover over his body, afraid to touch him. Blood oozes from deep gashes across his chest and arms. One of his tentacles lies at an odd angle, clearly broken.

"Oh gods," I whisper, bile rising in my throat.

I force myself to focus, assessing his injuries with trembling fingers. A particularly nasty wound on his side makes me wince. It's deep, too deep. I can almost see bone.

"Okay, okay," I mutter, trying to calm my racing thoughts. "We need to get you inside. Now."

I grab him under his arms, straining to drag his massive form. He doesn't even stir. Sweat beads on my forehead as I inch him towards the cave entrance.

"Come on," I grunt, muscles screaming in protest. "You're too damn heavy for this."

Finally, after what feels like hours, I manage to haul him inside. I collapse next to him, gasping for air. But there's no time to rest. I scramble for my stolen supplies and dump them out on the cave floor.

"Please let this be enough," I pray, uncorking a bottle of strong-smelling liquid. The healer always used this to clean wounds. I pour it over the gash on his side and wince as it bubbles and hisses.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, even though he can't hear me. "This is gonna hurt."

I grab a handful of herbs and crush them into a paste like I've seen done before. My hands shake as I pack it into the wound. Blood seeps through my fingers, warm and sticky.

"Don't you dare die on me," I say firmly. "You hear me? You don't get to leave me alone out here."

I work feverishly, cleaning and bandaging every injury I can find. The salve I stole should help with healing, but will it be enough? I'm no healer. What if I'm doing this all wrong?

Doubt gnaws at me as I finish tying off the last bandage. His chest rises and falls in shallow breaths. He's alive, but for how long?

I brush a tentative hand across his forehead. It's burning hot.

"Oh, no," I mutter. Fever. That's bad. I quickly grab a scrap of cloth and soak it in the cool water from our stores. I lay it across his brow, praying it'll help.

"You have to pull through this," I plead, clasping one of his massive hands in both of mine. "I can't do this without you. I won't."

I clutch his hand tighter. My chest constricts as I watch his labored breathing. Each rise and fall of his chest feels like acountdown, ticking away the moments we have left. The cave suddenly feels too small and the air too thick. I can't breathe.

Panic claws at my throat, threatening to choke me. What if I lose him? What if all my efforts weren't enough? The thought sends a jolt of icy fear through my veins.

I press my forehead against his, feeling the heat of his fever seep into my skin. "Don't you dare leave me," I plead, my words barely audible. "I can't go on without you."

The reality of those words hits me like a physical blow. I can't live without him. I don't want to. The thought of facing this harsh world alone, without him by my side, is unbearable.

I pull back, studying his face. Even unconscious, his features hold a strength that comforts me. Those deep green eyes that once terrified me, now closed. The sharp teeth that I've grown to love, hidden behind slack lips.

"Remember when we first met?" I say, desperate to fill the silence. "I was so scared of you. But now..." I trail off, a lump forming in my throat.

Now, the thought of losing him scares me more than anything ever has.

I trace the contours of his face with trembling fingers, memorizing every line. When did this happen? When did this monster become my entire world?

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