by Erin Johnson
Maple turned to face Wiley, straight on. "So glad you encouraged me to go." She balled her hands and Wool frowned as he watched the exchange.
Wiley's chest puffed up. "I'm so, so glad that I did, too."
Maple stepped closer, Wool completely forgotten. Gradually the other bakers had quieted as they noticed the situation. Maple held her arms stiff at her sides. "This could have been awkward. So glad it isn't."
"Me, too," Wiley ground out through gritted teeth. "You have no idea how relieved I feel."
Maple's nostrils flared and her cheeks flushed bright pink. "Good. Then you won't feel uncomfortable if I give him a kiss to thank him?"
My eyes slid to K'ree's round ones. She pulled her mouth wide into a grimace.
"What is happening?" I mouthed.
When Wiley didn't answer, Maple spun on her heel and marched a couple quick steps up to Wool, who threw his huge hands up in surrender. She puckered her lips and rose up to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Wiley let out a shrill whine from between his teeth as he held his face in a manic smile that looked more like a monkey baring its teeth. "It's all good." The mug in his hand exploded, and ceramic shards clanked to the tile floor along with what remained of his champagne. I knew that move—I'd exploded a glass just two nights ago at Hank's engagement feast. My stomach tightened as I glanced at the clock. Only forty-five minutes to go until the ceremony.
Maple whirled around on Wiley, leaving Wool shaken. "What in the waves? You just said—"
Wiley stepped forward, his chest jutting out and his jaw set. "I know what I said." His chest heaved and a thick vein bulged in his red neck. "I'm trying to control my emotions to be better for you, and me. But a lot for you!"
Iggy gave a slow clap behind me. "And you're doing a great job."
Wool lifted a long finger. "If I may?" Wiley and Maple's wild eyes swung to him and he winced. "We've been talking about being more mindful, Wiley, and that's just being aware of your emotions, not suppressing them or judging them." He grimaced. "And perhaps finding healthier ways to express them."
I shook my head. "He is perfect."
K'ree let out a dreamy sigh.
Maple turned back to Wiley and folded her arms. "So, then. Express away."
"I love you!" Wiley practically shouted.
A collective gasp rose up from among us bakers. Annie pressed both hands to her mouth.
Wiley's chest heaved as he moved up to Maple and looked down at her. "I love you. And it's driving me crazy that you went out with Wool, but who wouldn't want him? I mean, look at him!" Wiley threw an arm toward Wool and the women in the room nodded. Wiley's pinched face looked crushed. "And on top of all that charm and perfect hair, he's wise and funny and confident and I'm just—"
Maple closed the gap between them, grabbed his face, pulled it down to hers and kissed him. My jaw dropped in shock and the bakery went silent. Goose bumps crept up my arms and tears of happiness for my friend welled in my eyes.
Iggy let out a piercing whistle and broke the silence.
Maple and Wiley laughed, and leaned their foreheads together, still holding each other. Then Maple gasped and spun around.
"Wool, I'm so sorry."
He grinned and held up his hands. "Don't be. You two clearly belong together." He shrugged. "I'm happy to just be friends, with both of you."
I chuckled, wondering if Wool felt like he'd dodged a bullet. Wiley smiled his thanks, then pulled Maple into another kiss, and I clapped along with the other bakers. But as I stared past the wedding cake and watched the beginning of my friends' love story, my stomach sank and cold swept through me. This would be Hank and Shaday soon, very soon. The ticking of the clock's second hand seemed to pound into my brain.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
My breathing came in short gasps and I backed up, slamming into the counter.
"Uh, Imogen… you okay?" Iggy peeked out of his lantern. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Oh goddess. You're gonna do it."
My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe. Was this what a panic attack felt like? I wanted to rip my shirt off. I felt like something was choking me.
"Breathe," Iggy hissed.
"I can't. I can't be here anymore." I struggled to inhale. I'd hesitated last night, worried about leaving my friends. But seeing Maple happy in Wiley's arms, I knew they'd be fine without me. I'd go, just for a little while.
"I'm coming with," Iggy reminded me.
I grabbed his lantern and spun. I dashed out the back door of the bakery without a single person noticing, they were all too busy celebrating the cake and congratulating Wiley and Maple. I'd send her a letter or something—I'd let her and everyone else know I was okay as soon as I could.
But for now, I just had to get to Damavash Volcano in time to meet my brother.
17
Ring of Fire
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" I bounced in the leather saddle as my camel galloped its way across the sands. My hips ached from the ride. I had to shift every minute or so to keep from getting burned by Iggy's lantern, which I held in my lap with one arm, while navigating the reins with the other. I was shocked I hadn't fallen off.
I squinted into the bright afternoon sun. A tiny speck stood out at the base of the looming volcano.
"I think I see him."
We'd just passed the camp where we'd had the feast and where Bernhardt had been killed. I prayed that I wasn't too late, and that I'd find Horace waiting for me. I leaned forward and ignored the stinging as the lantern heated up my stomach. I snapped the reins and urged the camel faster. I'd found a Rent-a-Camel stand in the marketplace and the merchant had assured me this was his fastest one. I hoped he was right.
Before us the wide, flat-topped volcano dominated the skyline, with the smaller sandy mountains that helped form the desert valley scattered around its base. As we neared, the figure grew larger and I could make out the outline of a person. It had to be Horace.
"You're sure you want to do this?" Iggy called up to me over the clop of the camel’s hooves. The wind whistled in my ears as it blew against us, back toward Calloon.
I shook my head, loose strands of hair whipping me in the eyes. "No! But I need to see where this goes with Horace." My stomach twisted. Because I already knew where it went with Hank. Had his wedding already started? I felt like I might be sick. Was it already over? I shook myself. It didn't matter. I focused on staying atop the camel and guiding it toward the figure up ahead.
When we reached the base of the volcano, Horace stood in his usual all black with his archaeologist's bag of rolled papers, waiting for me. He helped me down from the camel.
I gave a little shrug. "I came."
His face softened. "I wasn't sure you would." He nodded. "But I'm glad." His eyes slid to Iggy. "You're bringing it?"
I lifted my index finger. "Him."
"I'm right here, you know." Iggy crossed his fire arms.
Horace sniffed but didn't say anything further about it. He turned toward the volcano and together we tipped our heads back to look toward the summit, which lay out of sight, obscured by a ring of clouds. He slid his half-lidded gaze toward me. "Ready?" He slung his bag across his chest and reached out for my free hand.
I froze. "For what?"
His lips quirked to the side as he jerked his chin toward the summit. "To go to the top."
I shook my head and stepped back. "No. No way. You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" He gave me a lazy blink.
"Uh, no, never, actually." I gulped and shook my head again. "But you know, I'm not a big hiker." I eyed the loose black rock that was no doubt razor-sharp and sloped steeply to the summit. I spotted no obvious path. "Yeah, no."
He let out a little sigh. "I've hidden a portal mirror in the caldera. It's the way to the Badlands and you're late. We need to get up there immediately." He reached his hand out again for mine. I glanced nervously back at the camel, which had folded its knees under and lain down. I could turn back, head to the
palace, pretend I'd never had this crazy scheme. My stomach twisted. Maybe make it in time to see Hank say his vows.
I took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. I grabbed Horace's large, cool hand, and he squeezed mine tightly. "So how do we get up?"
"Hold on tight."
My eyes widened. I had just enough time to squeeze his hand and wrap my fingers tight around the lantern loop before I lurched forward, tugged along by Horace, and found myself halfway up the volcano. I'd left my stomach somewhere behind, and as we rocketed up the nearly vertical slope, gazing at mostly sky and cloud, I found my voice and screamed at the top of my lungs. My legs were a blur underneath me, racing to keep up with Horace. The air grew hotter and hotter and suddenly, we flew over a lip. I lurched upright and stumbled over my own feet towards a churning pit of fire and black crust.
I circled my arms, threw my weight back and dug my heels in as I skidded toward the edge. A sharp yank on my left shoulder brought me up short. I recoiled and fell against Horace, who'd pulled me back, the lantern swinging wildly in my right hand.
"Hurggh." Iggy vomited a cloud of ash.
My chest heaved as Horace steadied me and pushed me upright. "I… hate… the speed spell."
Horace's nostrils flared and he cast a mildly disgusted glance at Iggy and his ash vomit. As Horace walked closer to the edge of swirling orange lava, I looked around and took in where we were. Below us, the caldera formed a bowl of churning black crust, split by cracks of orange fire that spurted liquid flame now and then. I tucked my face into the crook of my elbow and coughed. A haze of gases rose from the circular pit before me. Even if Iggy hadn't lost his lunch from motion sickness, the overwhelming odor of sulfur probably would have done the trick.
"The Fire Kingdom food is really not agreeing with you, huh?" Iggy chirped.
I frowned… then rolled my eyes. "Clever." Then, because I couldn't help myself, "Besides, whoever smelt it dealt it."
I wiped my wet forehead on my shoulder, then dabbed at my upper lip. I took a step and looked down in horror. As if I'd stepped in a giant piece of gum, strands of rubber stretched from the rock to the bottom of my sneaker. My jaw dropped. My shoes were melting. It was so hot, my shoes were melting. I dashed up to my brother and shook his arm.
"How is this possible? Why aren't we spontaneously combusting?" I glanced at the swirling gases above the pit of fire. "Is it safe to breath this stuff?" My throat and chest stung.
He smirked. "I'm pulling energy from the volcano to keep the air around us cool." He glanced back at the trail of rubber behind me. "Without the spell, we wouldn't have lasted a moment."
I gulped. "Well, you certainly picked a good hiding spot for the portal mirror."
He pointed to a gleaming rectangle that sat on an outcropping of rock just barely above the edge of the lava. A narrow ledge circled the caldera down to it. My jaw dropped. "We have to go down there to go through?"
He nodded.
"Uh—isn't putting it there a bit of overkill?"
His eyes flashed. They reflected the churning orange lava and black rock, and I shrunk back a little. "There's a reason." He checked his wristwatch. "And you'll see why in just a moment. Back in the Badlands, an associate is going to open the portal for a very limited amount of time. Enough time for someone to come out, and for someones"—he gestured between us—"to enter. However, if we're not through the portal by five after, my associate has instructions to destroy the mirror, lest an enemy use it."
I frowned. "That doesn't give us much time. It's nearly four now, right?" I peeked at his watch. The wedding must be just about to start. "And what did you mean by someone coming out?"
"That's a great question, Imogen." Iggy said in a high, stressed voice. "One I don't have a great feeling about."
At that moment a bright green flash turned the portal mirror into a swirling vortex of glowing light. A figure gradually grew larger and larger in the frame until it nearly blotted out the shining green light entirely. A serpent, a dinosaur-sized snake, magically squeezed through the impossibly small opening. Its pointed head came first, black as the volcanic rock around us, and then the rest of its huge, dark body slithered out behind. It dove into the caldera and sent up a spray of bright gold lava.
I leapt back and tried to pull Horace with me, but he didn't budge. He turned his head. "Come on. It's time to go."
My eyes widened and I tilted my head toward the pool of lava. "A monster just came through the portal and is right there." I frowned and crinkled my nose at the smell of burning lava. "If it's still alive."
Horace's mouth pulled into a wry grin. "I call him Tar."
"Like, the Tar, from that legend they told me about the serpent that lived in this volcano?"
He shrugged. "I'm not sure if it's the Tar, but I'm sure many will assume so. And yes, he's very much alive. You see, he feeds on fire. It makes him bigger, stronger. It's why I put the portal mirror here—what better source of fire than this?"
My heart thundered in my chest and my wide eyes stung from the heat, even under the spell's protection. "You mean, you meant for him to come through?" I coughed into my shoulder.
"Yes. And like I said, it's time to go. The portal's closing soon." He stepped down the path and beckoned me to follow.
"Wait, what's going to happen when we leave? Is Tar going to stay up here or—"
The churning lava and dark rock reflected off Horace's eyes in such a way that one glowed orange and the other pitch-black. Goose bumps crawled up my arms as he flashed me a grim smile. "We'll see if anyone is as brave as Damavash was."
I gasped. "Tar's going to attack the town."
Horace let out a short sigh. "Obviously." He beckoned me forward but I stayed rooted to the spot, and not just because my shoes were melting to the rock.
"Horace, why?" My voice trembled. "I can't leave knowing this monster is going to attack Hank and my friends and all the people in the city. We have to stop this. Send it back through!"
My brother's face darkened. "You've seen how corrupt they are. The golden prince has broken your heart—he should pay for that. You chose me over them, over him."
I balled my fists and tear sprang to my eyes. "Hank doesn't have a choice. He's not a bad person."
Horace sneered. "He's a grown man. Of course he has a choice, but he's choosing to maintain the status quo, to please dear ol' daddy. Who, by the way, deserves to be thrown into this pit, not have his every whim honored. He's choosing his family over you." He practically growled. "I thought you'd chosen family, too."
I let out a sob. "I want to know you, I do, that's why I'm here. But it wasn't a choice of you over them." I threw my arm back toward where I guessed the city lay under the ring of clouds. "They're my friends. I can't just leave them to fight this thing alone." I shook my head. "Especially when you're the one who set it on them."
"This is what they deserve!" Horace bellowed.
"No, it's not!" I screamed back.
We glared at each other, chests heaving, and I suddenly realized that I stood atop a volcano filled with a writhing fire monster that was sending up bigger and bigger sprays of lava as it swam, with the kingdoms' most wanted criminal, who was no longer feeling so warm and fuzzy toward me.
"I'm your family, Imogen." His voice came out hoarse, and he beat a fist to his chest. "Me." His lips curled back. "You're going to choose them, people you barely know, over me? Your brother?"
I thought of Hank and Maple and Sam and all the others. I shook my head as tears fell from my eyes and evaporated on my cheeks. "You can't ask me to choose."
For just a moment, a look of deep hurt crossed his face. And then it was gone, replaced by his usual bored expression. "You just did." He shifted his bag of papers and started down the path. My chest heaved as I watched him go. More tears fell. He turned back. "As soon as I go through here," he shouted up to me as he pointed at the swirling green vortex, "that protective spell will end. I suggest you be ready."
I choked on panic.
"One," Horace shouted.
"Find a source," Iggy reminded me.
I closed my eyes and searched. The enormous bowl of liquid fire jumped out at me.
"Two!"
"Pull from it and make us a bubble," Iggy shouted.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened myself to a flood of magic energy.
"Three!"
A green flash made me flick my eyes open. Horace stepped through the portal and just as the protective spell he'd cast burst, I threw my own around Iggy and me. My chest caught. I'd saved us from burning up… though I wasn't sure how that would've affected Iggy.
"Oh goddess." My flame panted. "Good job, Imogen."
I grinned. "Wow, actual sincerity."
"Don't get used to it."
The glass of the portal mirror shattered and I jumped. Horace wasn't kidding about breaking the connection.
"We're trapped up here." I looked around and roughly wiped my face on my shoulder again. The world spun a little. "I can't last in this heat for too long."
"Well, if you're lucky the fire monster will get you first."
"So positive."
He shrugged. "I'm a caldera-half-full kinda guy."
"Do you see a path down or anything?" I moved to the mountain edge and peered over the side. My already light head spun even more and I stepped back. "I'm going to be sick."
"It's the only way." Iggy sighed. "Come on. You're going to have to use the speed spell and hope it's more of a controlled fall than anything."
I shook my head. "Oh no. I can't. Going down's even worse than up."
Behind us, a deep roar sounded, low and rumbling at first. Then it rose, louder and higher until it ended in a shrill shriek, like an angry child's.
I shuddered as goose bumps prickled my arms. "I'm so creeped out."
I looked back. A clawed hand, as big as a car, thumped down on the lip of the caldera, crushing large, sharp rocks beneath it.
"Oh, I see it has legs now." Iggy's voice came out shrill.
The snake-like head appeared next. Its round eyes glowed orange, shining against its black, charred skin. It looked as if the lava had come alive, the black-plated skin like the crust that formed over the lava, crisscrossed with streaks of fiery orange. It tilted its head to the sky and screamed again as fire and black smoke erupted from its sharp-toothed mouth. I scrambled away, right up to the cliff's edge, to get as much distance between us and it as possible. The bubble of protection around us shimmered and shrank, faltering under the heat as I grew weaker and woozier.