Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

V iolet

The cavern exuded a stifling heat that pressed down on us like a heavy blanket. My toes were less than three inches from the edge. If I took one step forward, I would fall into the lake of molten magma. My arm rose to shield my nose from the awful smell. I jumped and nearly fell to my death when I heard a distant rumble. My heart went into overdrive, and I struggled to find any sense of calm. We were going to die an agonizing death in boiling lava. Not how I saw my story ending. Situations didn't get much more perilous than that.

"Isn't this just a lovely getaway destination?" I quipped. It was impossible to ignore the irony. There didn't seem to be a way out, either. At least none I'd seen yet. My gaze scrutinized the fiery landscape spread out before us.

Aislinn offered a small smile in response, but I could see the worry etched in her features. We were trapped in the heart of a volcano, with no clear path forward and danger lurking at every turn. I wanted to give her a hug and reassure her, but words failed me. I didn't lie to my friends, and I wasn't about to start now. Ever since my husband lied to me for over a decade during our marriage, I vowed to be honest with those I loved.

Fiona's words of optimism were a welcome reassurance, a glimmer of hope in the darkness. "We're not stuck," Fiona declared. The determination in her voice made me feel better. "We just haven't found the way out of here yet."

Her confidence was contagious. And it had my mind whirling through how we could get out of here. My thoughts came to a screeching halt when the idea of using magic popped in there. Using any spells to aid our escape gave me pause. The memory of our previous attempt still lingered in my mind. Our magic didn't play well with others in this tunnel system. We did not need lava exploding in our faces.

Fiona sensed my hesitation. "We should hold off on the magic for now. We do this the good, old-fashioned way."

I nodded in agreement, grateful for her level-headedness in the face of uncertainty. Turning my attention back to our surroundings, I scanned the chamber for any signs of a possible exit. Together, we walked along the ledge. Each of us ran our fingers over the rock wall while scanning for an answer to our prayers.

We meticulously covered every inch but didn't find anything. We were making our way back to the other end of the cavern for the second time when Fiona's sharp eyes caught sight of something in the corner of the chamber. "Does that look like a forge to you?" she asked.

Intrigued, we made our way over to the section Fiona had indicated. The glow from the lava made it hard to see in places. I couldn't see what she was referring to until we got right up to it. Built into the corner of the room where the ledge met a wall stood a forge unlike any other. It was hewn into the natural rock by the hands of Hephaestus himself. The sigils etched into the surface indicated he'd created the thing. There were ancient symbols and intricate patterns adorning its surface.

The forge was a formidable structure. Its massive stone frame melded seamlessly with the surrounding cavern walls, which was why I hadn't noticed it before. Flames leaped and danced within its depths. As we approached, the heat from the forge washed over me like a wave. It came at me from the side and front now rather than simply being a heated floor that radiated warmth. I was surprised I wasn't a puddle of goo already.

Beads of sweat trickled down my brow as I looked around. An anvil stood nearby. The surface was scarred and pitted from countless blows of the hammer. Tongs, hammers, and other tools of the trade lay scattered about. Could this be the place where Metis had crafted the shield that had led us here?

Aislinn lifted trembling hands and ran them over the surface of the forge. "Doesn't that burn?" I asked.

She lifted a shoulder and moved to the side of the structure. "I'm trying not to think about the pain," she replied. She had to have touched something important because, with a low rumble, a hidden passage opened before us. The three looked inside at the flight of stairs that led upwards into the unknown.

"Seriously? We're supposed to climb those?" I exclaimed. I couldn't have hidden my disbelief if I tried. I surveyed the steep, uneven steps that disappeared into the darkness above.

Fiona waved a hand in front of her body and said, "I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of risking life and limb for a chance at freedom."

Aislinn's sympathetic glance mirrored my own apprehension. "Unless we want to roll the dice with magic and risk another explosion," she reasoned, "it looks like the stairs are our only option. "

Fiona and I stared at each other and then back at the lake of lava. Our options were limited to the staircase of death. With a heavy sigh, we steeled ourselves for the climb ahead. The worn steps were slick with moisture and trembled beneath our feet. Each ascent felt like a battle against my nerves. My muscles strained with the effort as I fought to maintain my balance. Add the oppressive heat and I was tempted to go back and try our magic.

The air shimmered like asphalt on a summer afternoon. The walls of the staircase closed in ominously around us. Every step was a precarious foothold in the face of the treacherous climb. And each moment was fraught with tension and uncertainty.

Driven by a fierce determination to escape the confines of the volcano and find our way to safety, we pressed on. Step by shaky step, we ascended into the unknown. The higher we climbed, the more excited I got. The promise of freedom beckoned me onward. I was too caught up in thinking about the end and distracted. When I prepared to take the next step on the staircase, a sudden shift sent me reeling. I wasn't paying enough attention to what it was.

With a startled gasp, I fell backward, grasping at empty air. Panic surged through me as I struggled to regain my balance. The ground slipped away, and in a desperate attempt to prevent disaster, I reached out. My fingers clawed at nothing. It was no use, and I felt the sickening sensation of falling for the second time.

Fiona grabbed me, and Aislinn shouted, "I've got this!"

Aislinn's quick thinking intervened, and her elemental magic sprang into action. She coaxed a powerful gust of wind to sweep us back onto the staircase. The sudden shift in momentum left me breathless. My heart was racing as we were propelled forward. I braced myself for impact. I expected to collide with the unforgiving stone wall ahead. But to my astonishment, I tumbled forward into empty space. The illusion of solidity melted away before me like smoke on the wind.

My hand shot out, and I landed on my front. My wrists took the brunt of the impact. "Thank you, Aislinn," I murmured as I turned to her. "You saved us back there. I don't know what we would have done without you." We climbed to our feet.

Fiona nodded in agreement. "You were fast with that air. And it looks like you found our exit. I thought the stairs continued. I had no idea this exit was placed off to the left."

Aislinn beamed at us and then focused on the path ahead of us. "Does it feel cooler to you?"

"Smells fresher, too," I agreed. "Come on. Let's see where this leads us."

Despite the fatigue, our steps were light. That's what happened when your efforts continued moving you forward. We walked for another fifteen minutes before we emerged from the labyrinthine cavern.

We were greeted by the searing brilliance of the sun. "How long were we in there?" Fiona muttered as she looked around.

"It didn't feel like it was all night, but there's no refuting the evidence that it was," I countered.

The fiery glow cast long shadows across the rugged terrain that stretched out before us. We were standing atop the summit of the volcano. We'd looked up pictures of it online before we left, so I recognized the landscape. We were surrounded by untamed beauty and awe-inspiring power.

"Would you look at that," I murmured, shielding my eyes against the blinding glare as I took in the breathtaking panorama. The crater yawned before us like a gaping chasm. Its rocky walls were etched with the scars of volcanic activity .

Fiona let out a nervous chuckle, her voice barely audible over the distant rumble of molten lava. "I was certain we were descending into the bowels of the mountain," she admitted.

Aislinn chuckled at that and then said, "Our adventure has led us to the top of a volcano."

As she spoke, a herd of magnificent creatures caught my eye. I watched in awe as they bounded majestically up the opposite slope of the crater. Their sleek forms moved with fluid grace, and their fur shimmered in the sunlight like molten gold.

"Those must be the deer-bear hybrids," Aislinn observed. "But what are they doing in a place like this?"

Fiona's brow furrowed with concern as she scanned the horizon for any signs of danger. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we're not alone up here," she murmured, her gaze lingering on the distant figure that stood silhouetted against the fiery backdrop of the volcano.

A sense of unease settled over us as we watched the mysterious woman. "Could Nyx have had something to do with this?" I wondered aloud.

Aislinn nodded thoughtfully. Her expression was troubled. "It's certainly possible," she replied. Her eyes narrowed in contemplation. "We've encountered those creatures before. Shortly after we did, Nyx dropped us through that cavern. It's not a stretch to assume she could have summoned them here to taunt us."

We fell into a tense silence as we considered the implications of Nyx's actions. "But what could she be doing up here?" Fiona wondered aloud, her voice barely above a whisper. "And where could she have gone? That doesn't look like it's her."

The questions hung in the air, unanswered and unsettling. We stood atop the volcano staring at a woman we couldn't see very well with the fiery heart of the earth pulsing beneath our feet. "Who is she?" I finally whispered. Instinct told me we needed to know who that woman was. I exchanged anxious glances with my companions. "And why is she here?"

The woman vanished the second I asked about her, making me gasp. "Shit," Fiona cursed. "She is a goddess."

"Yep," I said and swallowed hard.

Tugging my friends close, I started toward where she had been standing. "Maybe we can get a sense of her energy and determine who it was." They nodded, and we crossed the crater. Was this safe?

"What's that?" Aislinn asked. She'd pulled her arm free and was moving rapidly toward the spot where the woman had been.

"What?" Fiona and I called after her.

"Don't you see that?" she asked.

Fiona ran to catch up, saying, "Whatever it is, it's shiny."

"Slow down," I cautioned. "This could be a trap. Don't just rush ahead willy-nilly." That made them slow down.

Their pace matched mine, and we cautiously approached the gleaming object that beckoned in the distance. I swear, each step we took sent ripples through the rocky terrain. I questioned if that was my imagination, knowing what was beneath us. I pushed aside the concern and didn't stop.

The jagged rocks jutted out like ancient sentinels. My heart pounded with trepidation as I navigated the uneven ground. My senses were on high alert for any signs of danger. Just as I thought we were making progress, disaster struck. Without warning, the ground beneath me gave way. It plunged me into a pit of shifting sand.

Panic seized me as I struggled against the quicksand's suffocating embrace. My cries echoed across the crater. "Help!" I gasped .

Fiona's eyes widened in alarm as she rushed to my aid. Her hand reached out to grasp mine. She made a desperate attempt to pull me to safety. "Hang on, Violet!" she exclaimed.

Aislinn's brow furrowed with concern as she watched us. "This shouldn't be happening," she muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief. "There shouldn't be quicksand up here."

Fiona's frustration boiled over, and her grip tightened around my hand. "Damn it all to hell. We shouldn't even be here. Artemis should be dealing with her own mess," she spat. Anger flashed in her eyes. "We shouldn't have to clean up this mess too."

I shook my head. My heart pounded with fear. "We can't just abandon her," I insisted. "Shit would hit the fan if Metis managed to get her and drain her power. That could carry repercussions for the entire world."

Aislinn snapped out of it and grabbed my other hand. Together they heaved me free. Fiona wrapped an arm around my waist and said, "I agree with you. I just needed to vent. We need to keep an eye out for more traps like that."

The rest of the trip across the crater was uneventful, and eight minutes later, we were standing a few feet from the object that had caught their attention. And I couldn't believe what we were looking at. We had found the shield we'd been trying to learn more about.

A playful grin tugged at my lips as I looked at Fiona. "Looks like you've finally stumbled upon your treasure trove, Fi," I teased. "You're a dragon at heart, adding to her hoard."

Fiona shot me a mock glare, though I could see the flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Kalli has been rubbing off on me. How do you think it got here?"

"It seems you were right. Nyx is involved in this mess," I observed. "Do you think it's safe?"

Aislinn lifted a shoulder. "I doubt it. Having it sit here seems like a trap." The thing lifted into the air and shook like it was a dog.

"Quick, grab it!" Fiona barked urgently.

"Wait, hold on!" I countered as my hands fumbled with the zipper of my bag. We had potions that we hoped would help us with this. "We need to proceed with caution!"

Fiona and Aislinn stopped and turned to me. It was then that the shield suddenly hurtled toward us with alarming speed. "Move, move, move!" Aislinn's voice cut through the air like a clarion call. The urgency in her tone sent a jolt of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

With a sense of impending doom looming over us, we scattered, seeking whatever meager cover the barren crater afforded us. Aislinn and Fiona summoned barriers of earth in a desperate bid to stave off the relentless pursuit of the shield, their powers clashing against its relentless advance. It chased us around for over twenty minutes. I was sucking wind and ready to collapse.

"We can't keep this up much longer!" I gasped, the weight of exhaustion bearing down upon me like a heavy cloak. Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I struggled to maintain my footing on the treacherous ground.

Fiona's jaw tightened with determination as she unleashed a torrent of magic. "We have to stop it!" she insisted. I didn't have it in me to object to her using her power. Thankfully, it didn't collide with anything. Instead, it flew through the air and hit the side of the crater.

Despite our best efforts, the shield continued its inexorable march. It was closing in on us with terrifying speed. Panic surged within me as I watched it bear down upon us. We had nowhere left to hide.

"We have to find a way to stop it!" Aislinn's voice rang out above the din, her words barely audible over the roar of the wind .

But before we could formulate a plan, the shield struck. It had been playing with us all along. Tiring us out. With a deafening crash, the shield hit Aislinn in the back. It hurtled her into me and Fiona with bone-jarring force. Foreign power enveloped. I couldn't feel the wind anymore. No sooner had I thought that than the world blurred around us. In the blink of an eye, we were consumed by a swirling magic vortex. I could only watch in horror as darkness enveloped us, plunging us into an unknown abyss.