Page 38 of Tharn's Hunt
As I push through the entrance, it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness inside. It’s damper in here, even though I can’t hear any dripping water. Slowly, I move forward, scanning the walls when something catches my eye. A splash of vibrant blue-orange against the dull beige of rock and sand. Plants. Small, spiky things growing in clumps in one corner.
Firebloom. It has to be.
Relief floods through me so intensely my knees nearly buckle. I hurry forward, reaching for the nearest plant with eager hands. No sooner do I touch the first one than pain lances through my palm as dozens of tiny thorns sink into my skin.
"Shit!" I snatch my hand back, staring at the blood welling from countless pinpricks. "Okay, so you're not friendly."
I glance back toward the cave entrance. I can’t see Goldi, but I can almost feel his eyes on the cave, watching. Waiting. Worrying.
"Right," I mutter, turning back to the plants. "Let's try this again. More carefully this time."
I pull the hem of my shirt up, creating a makeshift basket. Then, using a loose stone nearby, I carefully sever several plants at the base, letting them fall into the fabric. The thorns catch on the material, but it's thick enough to protect my hands.
When I've gathered as many as I can carry, I knot the fabric to secure my harvest. Blood drips from my injured hand, leaving a trail of dark spots in the sand as I turn to head back to Goldi.
Exiting the cave, I spot him immediately. Those amber-gold eyes lock onto me like I’m the only thing alive in this wasteland.
And damn if that look doesn’t send a rush of something unfamiliar through me.
I hold up the makeshift basket of my shirt, displaying the spiky, life-saving plants. A grin splits my face.I did it.
I got the firebloom.Me. Not Justine charging ahead, not Goldilocks carrying my half-dead weight. Just my own stubborn legs and shaky hands.
The pride hits hard, swelling like a warm, foreign thing in my chest. I’ve spent my whole life following—my sister’s plans, Earth’s collapse, the Xyma’s lies. Always a step behind, always the one being protected. But this? This choice, this risk, this victory... this is mine.
I start walking toward him, my steps more confident than they’ve been in weeks. I can almost feel the phantom ache in my chest ease with every meter I close between us, and the relief in his gaze is a palpable thing, a reward more satisfying than I could have imagined. I'm not just a burden he has to carry. I'm a partner.I can help. I can save him, too.
I'm halfway there, my mind replaying the small victory, when I feel it.
A subtle vibration beneath my feet. A shifting of sand that doesn't match my footsteps.
I freeze, the triumphant smile wiped from my face. My heart, which had been swelling with pride, now fills with a familiar, sickening dread. Slowly, I turn to look behind me.
At first, I see nothing. Just endless sand, painted orange and gold by the setting sun. Then I notice it. Subtle as a breath, the sand shifts twenty paces behind me. A tiny ripple, barely visible, moving beneath the surface. Like something large swimming just under the sand.
It pauses where my blood dripped earlier.
The spot vanishes as if swallowed whole.
Oh shit.
I don't wait to see what it is. I run, clutching my bundle of plants in my skirt, blood dripping faster now as exertion forces it from the wounds on my hand.
The vibration increases, the rippling growing larger, faster, as whatever it is gives chase. I push myself harder, legs burning with the effort, lungs screaming for air I don't have time to gulp down.
Goldi comes into view, his body tense as he tracks something behind me. He's managed to push himself into a half-sitting position, but his face is contorted with pain.
"Run!" I scream, though I know he can't understand the word. "There's something?—"
The sand erupts behind me, a fountain of golden particles exploding upward as something massive breaks the surface. I risk a glance over my shoulder and immediately wish I hadn't.
It's like the manta ray thing from the cave, but larger. Much larger. Its flat, wing-like body ripples as it moves, and themassive spine running along its back quivers with what can only be anticipation.
Well, shit. I guess we ate the baby.
I'm not going to make it. The realization hits me with cold clarity. I'm still too far from Tharn, and even if I reach him, what then? He's too weak to fight, and I've got nothing but a handful of spiky plants and my own stubborn will to live.
But I keep running anyway, because what else can I do?
