His golden eyes met mine from where he crouched a few feet away, and he shook his head.This isn’t the end, Aileana. You don’t get to die this easily.
I could only hope he was right.
Time slowed as the wave rose, towering over us all for one long, terrible moment. Swirling red and black flames came toward me, and I stared at it. I had never imagined my death to come at the hands of fire. It was just as horrible as one would think. Unbearably hot and prickling and burning; already I could feel the way my body would react to the agonizing pain.
I tensed, and fear pulsed through the bond. Tears rushed to my eyes as I reached for Xander. Our fingers met, brushing against each other one last time.
I waited for the burn. The pain. I waited for my flesh to be seared to my bones. At least it would be fast. My back clenched and my bowels loosened as I waited for death.
Sorrow swept through me, and I sent final ribbons of my magic into the earth.
I’m sorry,I said to the shaking land.I failed you.
No, it cried out.
The lava was a fiery monster waiting to destroy us all. Just as it was about to devour us whole, red filled my vision. The wave crashed down, slamming into a crimson, translucent shield.
The breath I didn’t know I’d been holding escaped me in a whoosh. I looked up to see the Death Elf struggling under the weight of the shield. The six of us were still alive, bathed in red light as tumultuous flames crashed over us.
Then the trembling stopped. The lake calmed. The waves grew smaller.
And we lived.
A rough chuckle that was barely more than a breath escaped Ryllae. “We’re alive,” she said, as though she couldn’t believe it. “Alive.”
She laughed, the sound tinged with mirth and disbelief. It was contagious, and soon, everyone was laughing. It felt good, and for a moment, I forgot about the boiling lava.
When the laughter had dried up, we had to continue. Pushing myself to my feet, we went down the path once more. This time, our mood was even heavier. Twice more, the ground shook, bringing those deadly waves toward us. Twice more, Ryllae’s power protected our group.
When the red and black rocks that made up the uneven lake shore came into view, my legs burned. I had never been happier to see a wide stretch of land than I was at that moment. The space between the path and the lava had grown, and now we were suspended dozens of feet above the churning flames. Though it was still unbearably hot, it felt better than when the flames had been so close that I could reach out and touch them. It was an illusion of safety, but sometimes, we needed illusions to survive.
I rushed towards the shore—as much as I dared to, considering the churning mass of liquid flames below. The moment my foot touched the rocks, a ragged sob escaped me.
“Thank Thelrena,” I said, moving onto the shale. Xander followed quickly, and soon Ryllae, Daegal, and Kysha stood beside me. Maiela was the last one, walking behind the rest of us. She moved steadily with her arms outstretched, seeming to balance well on the path.
She was just a few feet from the ledge when it happened.
One moment, Maiela lifted her foot.
The next, the pathway connecting the shore to the trail was gone. It fell, slamming into the lake. A hiss. A splash. Fire flared. I blinked. Ryllae and Kysha shouted. Xander yelled. My heart squeezed and Daegal cried out. Panic flooded through me, and breathing became difficult.
“Help!” Maiela screamed.
Dangling precariously over the Heart of Ithenmyr, Maiela held onto the remaining path with one hand. She grappled at the side, but she couldn’t quite grab it. Her pack was gone, burned in the flames below, but she was still alive.
For now.
Daegal lay flat on his stomach, reaching out for his twin sister from the shore. “Take my hand, Mai!”
She reached and reached; her face straining as she struggled to touch her brother’s outstretched hand, but it wasn’t enough. The broken path was too far.
We had to save her. Not only because Ember had specifically said all six of us needed to reach the other side, but because I’d be damned if someone died because of me.
Maiela’s eyes were wide, and tears slipped down her cheeks as she struggled to hang on.
“Aileana!” The sound of my name had me jerking up my head.
Ryllae stood next to me, a red ribbon in her hand. I looked at it and understood exactly what she wanted to do. Something within me shifted as I reached out, lacing my fingers through the Death Elf’s.