"Good," she said. "I think this passage is less dangerous."
"Less danger isn't the same thing as no danger."
As if to make his point, the ground quaked. A low rumble echoed through the cavern, and Nadia struggled to stay on her feet.
When the shaking stopped, Rik said, "What the hell was that?"
"Maybe it was an earthquake," Nadia said, giving him a mock glare.
Rik rolled his eyes dramatically. "You don't say?"
"You probably don't want to hear what I really think," she said. "If the mountain's trembling, that's a sign that it might be close to erupting."
"Hmm, I don't think we want to be inside an erupting volcano. Just a feeling I have."
"Good. You're not completely hopeless." Nadia found herself enjoying the sudden banter between them. They couldn't be grave and serious for the entire quest. Yes, Markus was dying, but he wouldn't want them to feel miserable.
The ground trembled again, but only for a few seconds. Nadia steadied herself against the wall until the shaking subsided, and then they continued on their way.
Every few minutes, another earthquake struck the mountain, but they were all weaker than the first one. Nadia and Rik followed the passage, which led them gradually downward. How far under the mountain were they marching?
Soon the air became difficult to breathe. Rik couldn't cast a shield around them because they were still in a dark section of the caves, so they had to keep their heads below the worst of the volcanic gasses. Still, Nadia felt at times that her lungs were on fire.
They emerged in a larger chamber where the glow of lava illuminated everything. The lava was perhaps fifty feet below the large outcropping of rock on which they stood, but its heat radiated through the cavern, almost unbearable. Rik did cast a shield now, and it protected them from the worst of the heat and gave them fresher air to breathe.
"So where do we go from here?" Rik asked.
Up ahead, there was a broken path of rocky islands, but they didn't look stable. Some of the jumps were also quite long, and Nadia felt exhausted. She wiped sweat from her forehead.
"That's the only path we have," she said, pointing toward the islands, which jutted above the lava like giant stalagmites.
"This place just gets better and better," Rik said.
Nadia stepped to the edge of the rocky platform, judged the distance she had to jump, then took a deep breath and made the jump. She reached the next platform and said, "See? It's not that hard."
Rik shook his head as if he wasn't convinced. She ignored him and jumped to the next platform, then the next, then the next. After a while, it became easy. The adrenaline she felt propelled her to make these jumps more easily than she'd expected. After a while, she relied on instinct to determine how much she had to put into each jump.
Behind her, Rik made each jump with ease. Soon she reached a larger platform at the other end of the cavern. Rik was a few islands behind her.
He made the second-to-last jump, and it was a long one. When he landed, the rock crumbled beneath his weight. He groped frantically, but the rock kept giving way. Nadia's stomach lurched, and before she knew it, she was racing toward him, heedless of her own danger. She made a couple of jumps, reaching the crumbling island.
Rik was barely holding on now, his eyes wide. She fell to her stomach and held out a hand for him to grab. When he tried to clutch it, his hand slipped.
Nadia reached out for him, but it was too late. Rik was falling.
Chapter 21: Separate Paths
Rik's stomach lurched as he plummeted. He looked down toward the lava below, certain he was going to die. The lava grew closer, and he thought of closing his eyes and waiting for the searing heat to kill him. But, no, he couldn't do that.
A sudden idea hit him. It was insane, but it might work. He pulled the staff from his back and pointed it down. If he could propel a boat with wind from the staff, then maybe he could slow his descent.
Hot air rushed by him. He focused on generating wind, and it came to life moments later. It didn't stop his descent, but it did slow him.
Below, there was a small outcropping of black rock perhaps ten feet above the lava. That seemed too close, and Rik feared the heat would kill him even if the fall didn't.
He hit the ground hard, rolling as he landed. His staff flew from his hands, but at least he didn't feel as if he'd suffered any serious injuries—only a few scrapes and bruises. He knew, from his time on the river all those weeks ago, that his wind abilities were strong. Now he knew just how strong they were. That could prove very useful.
Gingerly, he got to his feet and looked for his staff. To his relief, it lay near the edge of the rock on which he'd landed. He collected it, then glanced up more than a hundred feet to where Nadia had to be. He couldn't see her, though.
It didn't feel hot enough where he stood, and he wondered if there was a shield preventing some of the heat from reaching him. In truth, the temperatures throughout these caves had not been as hot as he'd expected. It wouldn't surprise him if Warrick had created barriers here.
"Nadia!" he shouted. "Can you hear me?"
Her response echoed through the cavern. "Rik! You're alive!"
"Yeah, I used some wind magic to slow me down."
"Is there anywhere to go down there?"
Rik saw nothing but lava surrounding him. "No, but I'll think of something."
"No, I'll find a way down there to help you."
"Don't bother," Rik said. "You need to go on without me. If I'm gonna die down here, you still need to cure Markus. I mean, if I die, it's just me. If you die, too, then all three of us are dead. Let me find my own way out of this."
"I can't leave you here."
"Yes, you can. It's the right thing to do." Rik wasn't sure where this sudden conviction had come from. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have found it so easy to say these words, but he'd changed a lot, learned a lot. Sometimes the hardest lesson was learning to let go. He wasn't sure Nadia had mastered that one.
"I'll come back for you," she said. "Once I have the cure."
"I'll find you before then."
If only Rik had any idea how to make that happen.
* * * * *
Nadia lay on the rocky platform, her stomach pressed flat to the ground. Rik was so far down she could barely see him, but there had to be some way to get back to him. It was more than the fear of losing him. It was the fact that she couldn't get through this place without him.
Too many times already, she would have died without his help. How was she supposed to face more challenges without him at her side?
She'd have to find a way. She couldn't fail Markus.
Trembling, she got to her feet and peered toward the nearest cavern. She didn't see any other paths to take, so she started into the passage, and realized how much she needed Rik. She hadn't thought of bringing a torch because she'd expected the aid of his staff.
Stupid. How could she have been so shortsighted?
Soon she traveled in complete darkness, feeling her way through the tunnel with her hands. The darkness felt suffocating, reminding her of the trek through the Forest of Darkness. She felt on the verge of tears as panic coursed through her.
The path led her gradually downward, twisting in a spiral. She could barely breathe through the volcanic gasses, and the hot air assaulted her skin. Sweat drenched every inch of her body. The passage continued forever. She didn't run across any monsters, but the darkness was terrifying on its own. When she finally saw some light, it was a great relief.
She hastened her pace, emerging in a large chamber open to the sky above. At first, she almost let out a cheer, but then she thought better of it. There was a faint scuttling sound. She peered into the distance, praying the monster wouldn't be too large.
What she saw made her sick.
Far across the chamber, giant spider webs covered everything. Spiders about three feet long traversed these webs. They hadn't noticed Nadia, but how long would that last
? And what could she do if they attacked? Her arrows couldn't pierce their tough shells, and she doubted they'd offer her their soft bellies as a target.
The path to her left was blocked, but maybe there was another path to her right. Light didn't enter that part of the chamber, so she approached it with caution, running her hand along the rocky wall. The only light came from her glowing compass, and that wasn't much light at all.
Soon it appeared that she'd entered another passage. Again, it led her downward. How far down could she go before she ended up in the lava? She felt as if hours were passing.
The air grew hotter, and soon every breath was torture. She emerged in a large chamber where lava sat in pools perhaps fifty feet below her. At first, she thought she'd entered the same chamber where she'd left Rik, but there was no sign of the islands they'd used to cross.
More importantly, there was no sign of Rik.
She started into the chamber, approaching a narrow bridge that looked unstable. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the bridge. It held.
Relaxing a little, she crossed the bridge. Soon, however, her skin prickled. Was her intuition sending her a warning? She felt dizzy from the hot air and suffocating gasses. How little oxygen was her body getting? How dehydrated was she now that she didn't have the water from Rik's staff?
Why had she let so much depend on Rik's abilities? She should have known something might happen to him.
Halfway across the bridge, her knees collapsed. She hit the ground hard, resting less than a foot from the edge on both sides. Her vision blurred, then darkened.
Strangely, she welcomed the darkness.
* * * * *
Rik had an idea, and it was more insane than usual. He hadn't created the ice bridge over the Raging River, but he figured he could do it if he thought about it the right way. Covered in sweat, he put the tip of his staff near the lava and hoped it wouldn't burn the staff.
The air grew cooler, and he moved the tip of his staff so close it was almost touching the lava. The magical barrier must have prevented the staff from burning. At first, nothing happened, but then the lava went from red to black. It was a long process, but he kept at it.
The next stable section of rock was about ten feet away, and soon the first section of lava looked solid, but he was hesitant to step on it.
You should've been dead so many times already, Rik. What's one more?
He stepped onto the black rock. It didn't quite feel stable, but it did hold his weight. From there, he cooled the next section of lava with his staff. His magical energy was dwindling, but after this section, he could make the long jump to a larger area of rock.
He decided this section was ready perhaps a little too early, then made the jump. The ground squished beneath him, and he cast a shield to keep himself from burning as his foot sank into the lava. Heart pounding, he leapt with everything he had.
He hit the next section of rock with a heavy thud and couldn't keep his footing. The ground beneath him was hot, but his shield kept the worst of the heat away.
After catching his breath, he got to his feet and glanced around. At first, he thought there was nowhere to go, but then he saw a series of ledges nearby. Maybe he could climb those ledges. Maybe. Some of them looked too far from one another.
He climbed onto the first ledge. It held, though it was barely large enough for him to stand on. He leapt to the next ledge and wavered as he landed. The ledge after that looked too far up, however. How could he reach it?
He stood there a long time, sweat pouring down his face as he ran his hands along his staff. Was there some magic that could help him now?
Frustrated, he glanced up. One of the ledges up there looked more like a stalagmite or stalactite, though it jutted sideways from the wall.
The idea hit him. He pointed his staff at the wall and thought about pulling a similar chunk of rock out of it. Magic coursed through him, and he felt as if something were tugging on his body. He focused his thoughts on creating a spike of rock, and soon the wall began to crumble away.
A spike of rock burst from the wall where he'd pointed his staff. He pulled back on his staff, tugging the rock farther from the wall. It seemed to resist.
At last, the jutting rock looked large enough to stand on, and it was close enough that he could grab it from here. He placed his staff on his back, jumped, and wrapped his hands around the rock. Grunting, he pulled himself up. His muscles complained, but he was more than strong enough.
He continued climbing like this, creating new sections of rock if necessary, and soon he reached a higher ledge. It wasn't at the same height from which he'd fallen, but there was no way he could get that high. He didn't have enough magic left. So he made his way along the ledge he'd found. Far on the other side of the chamber, he found a dark passage that twisted upward. He lit his staff. Casting light didn't use the same magical energy as what he'd done. Different elements, he guessed.
Rik's feet ached, but he ignored the pain. Nadia needed him. As talented as she was, she wouldn't last long in this place without him.
A scuttling noise came from up ahead, and Rik tensed as he approached the sound. Soon he came to the end of the passage, which had been blocked by a thick mass of spider webs. Rik had never feared spiders. They were only a minor annoyance. But he shuddered to think how large they had to be to create webs like these.
He sent a blast of fire at the webs blocking his way, and they disintegrated. Feeling sick to his stomach, he stepped through the opening. On the other side, dozens of spiders scuttled about. They were maybe three feet long and stood about the same height.
A few turned their attention toward Rik. They didn't attack, though. Rik took slow steps across the chamber. Maybe they thought he was too large to eat. Still, he was disturbing their nest. No beast would let that pass, right?
The spiders parted as if they didn't want to fight him. He welcomed their behavior, but a nagging feeling gnawed at his insides. Something was wrong here.
He glanced up, and his heart dropped into his stomach.
A spider at least ten times larger than the rest was descending from a web draped across the ceiling.
Chapter 22: The Dragon
Rik jumped to the side as the giant spider neared him. He sent a burst of fire at it, but the spider kept coming. Heart pounding, he retreated. The rest of the spiders kept their distance, but how long would that last?
He raced around the perimeter of the cavern, the giant spider gaining on him. When he tried to stab it with a spike of rock, his spell wasn't strong enough. The stalagmite came nowhere near the spider's body, jutting only a foot or two from the ground. Damn. He had to think of something else, and fast.
Something opened in the spider's body, near its eyes, and a green substance sprayed from the opening. Rik ducked moments before it would have struck him.
The substance smelled so horrible that Rik vomited on the ground. When he looked up, he saw the spider preparing another shot. Acting on instinct, he cast a shield. This time, the spider's venomous spray hit the shield.
Rik kept the shield going as he raced across the chamber. There was enough light that he could see most of the chamber. It looked like there might be a narrow passage. That was his only hope. His breath caught in his throat as he ran. He felt like retching every time the spider sprayed its venom. The shield didn't stop the smell. He glanced back every now and then, aware that the spider was gaining on him, and increased his pace.
The chamber grew darker, and he couldn't cast his staff's light because he was conjuring a shield instead. He had taken a glowing compass, but it wasn't enough to illuminate for more than a foot or two.
Still, Rik held the compass in front of him and squinted against the darkness. The ground trembled with every step the massive spider took behind him. It was growing closer.
Rik's instincts told him to duck again, and he narrowly dodged a swipe of one of the spider's legs. He rolled beneath the spider and sent a blast of fire at its soft underb
elly. The spider recoiled from the flames, giving Rik a chance to dart out from beneath it. He kept running while the spider recovered. At last, the cavern narrowed into a tight passage. The spider couldn't follow him.
He rounded a bend of the passage, going just far enough that it couldn't spray its venom at him. Panting, he collapsed against the wall. Another close call. When would his luck run out? Again and again, he'd faced death, and it took a more terrifying form every day. He couldn't imagine anything worse than that spider. Or at least he didn't want to.
He stood against the wall for a few minutes, getting his breathing under control, and then he started searching for Nadia. She must have gone this way. He couldn't stomach the only other answer, that she'd been eaten by the spiders. No, she had to be alive.
Rik followed the passage until it opened into a larger chamber containing a bridge. Lava glowed far below, illuminating the chamber enough that he could make out Nadia's still form ahead of him on the bridge. His heart climbed into his throat. Was she dead?
He raced toward her, casting a shield to protect himself from the worst of the heat and the gasses. When he reached Nadia, he kneeled beside her and placed a finger to her throat. Her pulse was there, but it was weak
He took her canteen and held the tip of his staff near the opening. Though he'd improved, he still struggled to keep his water magic under control. This time, he focused more than ever. A slow trickle of water came from his staff and entered the canteen. Once it was full, he raised it to Nadia's lips, opened her mouth, and let the water trickle down her throat.
Please save her, God. I don't know if I believe in You, but I need her.
Rik had never realized how much he'd come to love and depend on Nadia. No, he didn't love her the same way Markus did. He loved her the way he loved Markus. She was a great friend with whom he'd endured countless hardships. He would not allow her to die now.
"Please, Nadia, come back to me." He caressed her sweaty forehead, but she didn't stir. Tears came to his eyes. "I can't save Markus without you. You can't save Markus if you're dead. Please, if you care about Markus, come back to me."
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