Page 87 of Tharn's Hunt
"Rok!" Justine shouts from somewhere behind me.
But Rok ignores the warning, continuing to dig despite the tremors around us.
I turn to see my sister stumbling, her leg giving way beneath her. There's a deep gash in her calf, bleeding freely into the sand.
I'm torn, my gaze darting between my injured sister and the spot where Tharn is buried. I can't leave him. I can't.
But Justine is falling, her face pale with pain and blood loss.
With a final, desperate look at the churning sand, I rush to Justine's side. She's sitting now, her hands pressed against the wound in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding.
"It's not that bad," she says through gritted teeth, but the pallor of her face tells a different story.
I drop to my knees beside her, grabbing the pouch she’s tied to her waist with Rok’s herbs. "What happened?"
"Something hit me when that thing came up," she hisses as I crush the leaves, pushing them against the wound. "Some kind of debris. Hurts like hell."
"We need to get you help," I say, packing the wound with shaking hands. "And Tharn—we need help for Tharn too."
Heart still in my throat, I scan the horizon. “We're close to the clan caves, aren’t we? Very close.”
Justine grits her teeth, pressing a hand to her bleeding leg. “Just over…there.” She jerks her chin toward the rocky ridgeahead. “Rok says we should be able to see it from the top of that next dune.”
My eyes follow her gesture to a massive dune that stands between us and the ridge. It doesn’t look far on a map, but I know better. That’s a wall of loose, shifting sand that will fight me every step of the way.
A plan forms in my mind, desperate and probably stupid, but it's all I've got.
“Okay.” I exhale sharply, wiping my palms on my thighs. “Okay, I can do this.”
Justine’s eyes lock onto mine. “Jaqs?”
"Stay here," I tell her, already standing. "Apply pressure to the wound. I'm going to get help."
“Are you su—” But I’m already moving. "Jacqui, wait—!" Justine’s voice wavers, her hand outstretched.
I pause just long enough to meet her eyes, really meet them, and see the fear there. Not just for me, but of this moment. The one where she realizes she can’t protect me anymore.
"I’ve got this," I say softly, squeezing her fingers. "You taught me how."
Her breath catches. She searches my face like she’s seeing me for the first time. Then, slowly, she nods.
"Run fast," she whispers.
And I do.
The sand clawsat my boots like it wants to drag me under. Every breath scorches my throat, but I push harder, arms pumping, heart hammering against my ribs.
It’s the firebloom cave all over again, but worse.
Because this time, my head is clear. This time, I know exactly what awaits me if I fail.
The ridge looms—closer, closer—as the sun brands my shoulders. Sweat blurs my vision, but I don’t slow. Can’t.
Somewhere behind me, Tharn is fighting to breathe under a mountain of sand.
Somewhere behind me, Justine is praying I’ll make it.
My foot catches in the sand. I stumble, knees slamming into the ground, but I’m up again before the pain registers.
