Page 29 of Tharn's Hunt
No response.
"Jah-kee?"
Nothing.
Panic surges through me. I press my palm to her face, tilting it toward mine. Her eyes remain closed, her skin burning beneath my touch. The glow beneath my skin flares where we connect, pulsing with a desperate intensity.
I do not understand this light. Do not know why it appears when I touch her. But in this moment, I cling to it like a lifeline. If it still burns between us, she still lives.
"Do not leave me," I demand, pushing the thought at her as if I could order her back from the edge of death through sheer will alone.
She stirs slightly, a small sound escaping her lips. Relief floods through me, so intense it nearly brings me to my knees.
She lives.
But for how long?
The question haunts me as I push onward, the rock formations growing larger with each stride. The light is fading quickly now, Ain's retreat casting long shadows across the dust. In the distance, I hear the first clicks of shadowmaws emerging from their hiding places.
They will hunt this dark. They will scent us on the wind.
And they will come.
I reach the rocks as the last light bleeds from the sky. The formations tower overhead, weathered by countless cycles of wind and dust. Ancient. Unyielding. I scan them quickly, looking for openings, for shelter.
There—a narrow gap between two massive slabs of stone. I approach cautiously, alert for signs of predators already claiming the space. But the air is clean, undisturbed. Nothing has made this place its den.
Yet.
I slip sideways through the gap, Jah-kee cradled close to my chest. The space opens into a small chamber, the ceiling high enough that I can stand upright. The stone walls will keep out the night chill and shield us from prying eyes.
Perfect.
I lay Jah-kee down carefully on the smooth stone floor, positioning her away from the entrance. Her skin glistens with tiny beads of water, and my gut clenches. This is waste. Her body is spilling what little water remains inside her, as if surrendering to the dust. But her chest rises and falls in shallow, rapid movements.
I place my hand on her brow, and the glow flares between us, casting eerie shadows across the chamber walls. She is too hot. Too still.
"Water," I murmur, reaching for the waterskin at my side. "You must drink to replace what you are losing."
I lift her head gently, cradling it in my palm as I bring the waterskin to her lips. Most of the water spills down her chin. I find I don’t care this time, as long as some passes between her parted lips. I watch her throat work, relief flooding through me as she swallows.
"Good," I praise, stroking her face with my thumb. "Strong female."
The glow intensifies where I touch her, and with it comes warmth. A warmth that has nothing to do with exertion or the wound in my shoulder. A connection that defies understanding.
I pull my hand away, unsettled by the strength of it.
Outside, the clicks of shadowmaws grow louder. Closer. My muscles tense, and I move to the entrance, peering out into the gathering darkness. I can see them, sleek black shapes moving across the sand, their scales gleaming in the faint starlight.
They have caught our scent.
They are hunting us.
I bare my teeth, a low growl rumbling in my chest. Let them come. They will find only death if they try to take what is mine.
A soft moan pulls my attention back to Jah-kee. She stirs, head turning restlessly from side to side, lips moving in silent words I cannot hear. I return to her side, crouching beside her small form.
"Jah-kee," I project, reaching for her mind. "Can you hear me?"
