by Alia Johnson
Medorah sat up, wiping the once happy tears from her eyes. This was serious news. “How did you find out all of this?”
“I came across Gorius and Uruti talking in the kitchens. It was the side of his face, but I clearly caught a glimpse of it. So that leaves us with… what are we going to do? This is going to affect my plan, and I don't want to see you get hurt.”
Medorah’s heart broke at the betrayal of Gorius. She may not have trusted him, never having talked to him, but she had felt they had a special connection together. Even the snakes whispered praise of him.
“We run and let them deal with the betrayal and the carnage. This isn't our home. No other man has enticed me like Gorius, and I will lay eggs with no other. I refuse to be taken by a man I don’t want.”
Vashti reached over across the space to grasp Medorah's hand and sealed off the thoughts of what she wanted. She wouldn’t abandon another friend.
“Together.”
Chapter 12
Cassira knocked on the door and entered without being called. Vashti and Medorah stopped making their plans for their escape before the guardian caught on.
“Since you two missed my inspiring speech to the crowd, I’ll repeat tomorrows challenge. Just because you’re my two favorite wards!” Cassira stopped talking for a moment to receive a similar compliment, but nothing came. Clearing her throat, she continued, “Tomorrow's challenge is the last and the most difficult in my opinion. It’s hard to bring a room of demon men to its feet with an art form. They seem to prefer the first trial most of all. All that fighting and what not. Anyways, you will need to show a type of art you are proficient in for the finale. The elders will be judging again. The head elder that you both met today, Dramon, will make the final decision. You are not to use a skill that was used before unless it enhances your chosen art. Family members of the demons are able to come to this trial to advise on potential candidates and help cool the demon’s ardor. And you can perform without your mask and cloak!” Cassira looked back and forth between the two with a winning smile, but quickly lost the smile when she realized the two weren’t amused. Clearing her throat, she continued, “The hunt will begin right after the trial with the remaining women. May the trial find the ones we seek.”
“I have nothing to wear!” complained Vashti, arm falling over her eyes when she laid down on the bed. She refused to go without her cloak if there was nothing to cover her back completely, to conceal the scars that she didn’t want anyone to see. It had been hard enough to show Medorah.
Medorah hissed, “You mean you don’t want to wear the tattered shirt you arrived in?”
“Very funny. You are becoming quite the jester, Rah.” Vashti couldn’t inspire a crowd with a shirt that she had worn through her trek in the Forest. It was torn in some awkward places.
Cassira piped up, “I’ll bring you both some options tomorrow. I have a whole case from previous wards.” Excitedly rubbing her hands together, Cassira imagined what outfit she would choose from her stock.
Before Cassira could make it out of the door, Vashti asked, “What happened to your previous wards? Did they all make it through the trials? Will they be at the trial to cheer us through?”
Cassira shook her head. “No. If you two make it through the last trial, you will be the first ones to make it for me. It’s very exciting!”
Vashti’s face fell. She let out a groan when the door closed behind Cassira.
Medorah flicked her wrist. “Do not worry. They weren’t us. We will not fail.”
Vashti nodded her head, drumming up her courage. “Of course. But just in case, I’m going back in the tunnel. It’ll be my last chance to find us a way out if we fail tomorrow’s trial. I won’t be stuck in the kitchen as a guardian. I think I’d go mad passing Magnamar every day and listening to Uruti’s orders. I may go back to my “kill everyone” thoughts.
Medorah slithered from her perch on her bed, reaching up to grasp her pet snake to whisper in its ear. Vashti had nicknamed him “Bitsy,” and they were becoming fast friends.
Honestly, Bitsy stays with me more now than Rah, and I’m sure she’s noticed.
“What does Bitsy say?” asked Vashti aloud, stroking his cool rough scales.
Medorah answered, “The tunnels are clear. There is no one using them right now, and it is safe for you to proceed.”
Vashti leaned down to kiss him atop its head. “Thank you, Bitsy. I’ll bring you a mouse if I see one.”
“He says he already ate one but thank you.”
Vashti tied her cloak and mask on tightly moving to the hidden panel that engaged the wall.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Medorah flicked her wrist. “Be safe, Titi.”
The tunnels heat blasted them in the face when the doorway shifted open, stopping Vashti’s quick retort.
It was sweltering.
Sighing, Vashti moved down the darkened space, familiar with the bends and curves now. She went the opposite way of her arrow she had made the previous day. That way had led to the beehive of family rooms; she didn’t need to go there again. It was a dead end.
This tunnel seemed to go down toward the base of the volcano. It was getting hotter if that was even possible. There weren’t many cracks to look through, so she just kept following the path. A flash of red caught her eye in a darkened corner. She maneuvered through rocks and stalagmites, trying not to catch her cloak and tear it. The corner had protrusions from the wall she could climb and sit on. Vashti made herself comfortable to peak in the room. The hole was larger than she initially thought. She moved slowly as to not attract attention in case someone was on the other side.
A loud voice made her movement stop.
“You know you put a mark on her by sending that fire dragon you conjured down. The men are whispering, wondering if you’ll finally compete in the Hunt. Sightings of the nuisance crossing our borders have been reported again, and it’s making the men want to fight. She has taken their minds off of it, at least.”
A low voice answered harshly, “I have never competed in the Hunt.”
“That’s what I told them all! You’re like a son to me, Magnamar, you know that. When I found you in the magma, I told Gorius that you were special and you two have become best friends, more like brothers. He’s been mooning over that one female, and I don’t know what to do to help him in his distraction. It’s frustrating! What are we going to do about the other problem? Ruben has asked specifically for her, you know.”
Oh Freyja, he’s found me. Will Mar give me to Ruben to prevent war?
“Hmm...” The noise from Mar was more of a growl of a demented beast, but Vashti figured it was him thinking about what to do.
Vashti looked sideways into the hole to see what had him so distracted. Mar stood waist-deep in a pool of magma swirling about him, elder Dramon standing on the shore while he carefully avoided the waves. The magma would have easily melted the skin from an ordinary demon, but Mar took the heat like it was a mild bath.
“You don’t seem very concerned about him. Why are you feeding those beasts again? Didn’t they eat this morning?” Dramon asked nervously, glancing around.
“The hunt is tomorrow. I’m preparing.”
“Oh.” Dramon seemed at a loss at what to say. “Is that a new necklace?”
Magnamar answered without turning. “Yes.”
Vashti waited for Mar to turn around, spying her carved dragon threaded through a thick chain around his neck. She almost fell over she was so surprised he was wearing it, but she stayed still to not give away her position. This was the first time she had seen him without armor. His muscular chest made her almost drool. The number of mountainous abs threading down his stomach were too numerous to count as they disappeared into the golden red heat. Vashti’s heart was almost flying out of her chest it beat so quickly.
“Hm… charming. I’m going to sleep. I’ve got a long day of judging tomorrow. Let me know what you want to do about the Prince. Oh, Magnamar? My
wife has been gone for many years now. If you don’t intend to compete tomorrow for her… I will.”
Magnamar shrugged nonchalantly, repeating himself, “I have never competed in the Hunt.”
Dramon nodded, walking out of the room. The groan of the metal door followed him on his way out. With Mar’s repeated words, Vashti felt like he had made his mind up about competing. Even if she wanted to stay, he wouldn’t be there, giving her more reason to leave.
Mar scooped up a ball of magma, shaping it as it cooled after exposing it to the air. The walls began to shake. Her perch began to vibrate, separating from the thin wall. The vibration made the front of the tunnel she had been hiding in fall away from her in a cloud of dust. She gasped, trying to escape the debris before it crushed her.
The owner of the deep voice standing in the magma said, “That tunnel you’re standing in is about to collapse on top of you. I would come this way if I were you.”
Vashti didn’t have to be told twice. She rushed in the bright room, coughing until her lungs ached with pain.
Mar’s serious mien didn’t change, the ball of magma he was shaping now twice the size of his head.
“How long did you know I was standing there?” Vashti asked with a brief cough. She stayed close to the wall in case Mar decided to end her life right there, but the small tremors still coursing through it were daunting. She reached up to feel her cloak and mask, but they were both still in place.
Mar grunted. “The whole time. I could smell you. There are eyes hiding in every wall of Balkan.” His gray eyes hardened.
That was believable; there were many demons that had that ability to smell from long distances to hunt their prey.
“Are you going to report me to the Horde?”
Mar blinked his eyes once, confused. “I am the Horde.” His chest was free of hair, the muscles shining from the reflection of the pool. The magma surrounding him swirled with his movements, making his gray tinged skin glow. The veins lining his arms had the same golden fire flowing through them that she had noticed when he created the dragon in the stadium.
“So… are you angry that I’m out of my room?” Getting the man to talk was like pulling teeth. He was very blunt and to the point.
“No. Come closer, it’s feeding time.” He patted the rock in his hand softly.
Vashti gulped. “And what’s on the menu?”
A large crack above Vashti’s head gave way to a larger break in the wall close to Mar’s head. A giant slab of rock was pushed into the magma, melting it. The thing emerging from the hole was terrifying. It had giant pincers for a mouth and millions of clawed legs in the shape of a snake. Vashti bolstered her courage, not wanting to show Mar any weaknesses. It would embarrass her to no end if she ran screaming from the room like she had during Medorah’s talent.
Mar held up the ball of cooled rock to the creature’s mouth with an ease she admired, letting it grasp the giant ball with its pincers. It chewed noisily while breaking down the cooled magma noisily. When the monster was done, it withdrew back to its hole, leaving a tunnel from where it came from. Looking around, Vashti noticed there were hundreds of holes in the ceiling, the walls, and even the floor.
“We call it a lotle worm,” Mar informed her, stepping from the magma gracefully. His muscles tensed as he stood to his fully height on the ground in front of her. Vashti noticed he had pants made from the same fabric as the fire whip on, the hide absorbing the heat of the lava. Vashti let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding in. If he had been naked, she hadn’t wanted to embarrass herself by fainting. Or drooling more. She didn’t know which was worse.
“And your people feed it?”
Mar shook his head. “I’m the only one that can manipulate the lava or fire.”
Carefully, as not to offend Mar, Vashti considered her next question. She was already walking on a tightrope.
“Why are the lotle worms here?”
Mar stared down at the lava with hands on his hips, silent in contemplation. The points of his face were stark in the room, the shadows moving across his face. Vashti had never seen someone so handsome in such a dark way before, her fangs sharpening with the need to bite him, to taste. She pursed her lips, holding in the urge. Many would call her strange for thinking this beast of a demon “handsome,” but she valued his strength and the ruthless glint of his eyes.
“Without the worms, the lava would rise to the surface and kill everyone here. They release the pressure in Baklan by building tunnels like the one you were hiding in.”
Vashti moved away from the wall toward Mar. She wanted to reach out and touch his arm, but without permission, she didn’t think it wise, clasping her hands in front of her instead.
“Could… could I try to feed it?”
Mar raised a brow. “If you think you can.”
Vashti raised a brow in response. That sounded like a challenge.
Chapter 13
The pool of lava bubbled ominously at Vashti, the smell of sulfur intoxicating in the tight room she was in. Nervously she walked to the edge of the pool contemplating how to shape a ball of magma without hurting herself. She had never handled such temperatures before.
I could balance the temperature, though. Use ice and fire together.
Vashti had never attempted the trick, but it sounded like it was possible.
Vashti pulled her cloak sleeves up, exposing her forearms to freeze them, crafting the ice around her arms. Sliding her hands into the magma slowly, she braced herself for pain but didn’t feel it. Swirling the magma into a ball like Mar had done earlier was harder than it looked, but the ice cooling the hot liquid into hard rock worked fast.
Turning around in her excitement to face Mar with her arm’s full, she yelled, “I did it, Mar!”
The horns on his head reared back. “What is Mar?” His dark eyes looked at her curiously. They were a dark gray, like storm clouds that she watched on rainy days.
Blushing hotly, she realized she had been staring at him without answering. Beneath her mask, she muttered, “I nicknamed you Mar when I heard your full name.”
He tilted his head, looking her over appraisingly, finally announcing, “You may call me Mar in private.” Vashti thought he sounded pleased, but she couldn’t be sure the way he growled at her.
She bowed her head, shyly, staring at the ball. “Now what do I do with it?” she wondered out loud.
A low whistle came from between Mar’s teeth. She hadn’t noticed him whistling before; the pitch was so low. She had also been distracted, though. The walls began to shake as the lotle approached. Suddenly nervous, she moved closer to Mar without thinking. He leaned down to her ear, whispering gruffly, “Why are you afraid?”
Vashti whispered back honestly, “I’ve only recently gotten over my fear of snakes.”
Mar’s side of his lips quirked up in more of a snarl than a smile. “But it’s a worm.”
The banter helped distract Vashti long enough for the lotle to come down the hole, its face hanging out, staring hard at her with its beady eyes. Its pincers opened and closed as if searching for food.
Finally, her fear faded. A snake isn’t what I should be afraid of. It was the people that hurt me in the dungeon.
She held out her offering to the worm, careful to dodge its searching pincers. The lotle bit down gently on the magma. For being so large, it took the rock away from her hands and ate it as if chewing on a favored food. The worm burrowed back to his home after finishing its meal, its claws finding purchase on the rock to pull itself from the room.
“That was amazing! Did you see that?!” Vashti exclaimed excitedly, clasping Mar’s hand in her own. She gasped, trying to remove her hand in panic, but he tightened his larger one around hers staring down at their joined hands, his larger one engulfing hers. Her smooth hand compared to his rough and bumpy one was startling. He pulled her roughly to his chest, making Vashti gasp.
He is a beast on the outside, but he has fire in his heart.
>
“The prince of Romule demands his bride back,” Mar stated, his tone harsh.
Vashti felt a twitch in her back from a scar, almost moving to itch it with her free hand, but she couldn’t move against his hard chest. If she did, she worried he would find out about them.
“Ruben demands much and refuses to take “no” as an answer.”
“And were you the one to tell him “no,” golden eyes?” Mar inquired, running a hand down her back with his claws.
Vashti sighed softly, enjoying the feel of his hand on her back. She didn’t realize she was leaning hard toward him. “I was training to be an Incendie Tanssijja in Romule on order of my father. Prince Ruben was one of my trainers, and when I refused his request to become one together, he became angry. I had to use my magic against him. I escaped and found myself here with a Horde King that feeds lotle worms in his hidden volcano.”
“And are you happy to be with this Horde King?” Mar’s rumbling voice was hypnotic. She wanted to tell him all her secrets, lay bare her soul.
“I have never been more excited to start a day with the potential for it to be my last,” she replied, glancing up to his face to sense his mood. Her mask and cloak lay intact, and he hadn’t tried to remove them to see her face or body, which surprised her. The expressions he wore were hard to read, his face boney and savage in the light of the lava pool. His wings are neatly folded behind him. The clawed tips were sharply polished and gleaming. Vashti was able to see all the lines and textures of his body he usually kept hidden. With her free hand, she pushed his shoulder-length hair away from his face, waiting for his reaction to her touch.
He surprised her when he let her hand go and moved away from stroking her back. “Go through this tunnel. It connects to the one you came from. There is still a final trial tomorrow.” He had gestured to a tunnel behind them to show her which one to take. She nodded and reached out a hand to stop him from moving away from her, suddenly feeling lost without him. Vashti knew she couldn’t let him fall before Gorius, even if they were like brothers because she would be leaving. It would tear her apart if he came to harm because of something she could have prevented.