by S. E. Smith
Thirty minutes later, Ross waited as Gem reluctantly released her aunt from their tight hug of goodbye. She nodded at something her uncle said before rising up on her toes to give the older man a brief kiss on the cheek. Ross looked down and adjusted the strap of his shield.
“Ross, I thought you may be able use this,” Ashure suggested.
He looked up in surprise as the pirate stepped up beside him holding out a sword. He reached for the handle and took the sword from Ashure’s hand. He was surprised at the lightness of the long blade. He’d always thought swords were heavy and cumbersome.
“Ah, thanks,” he murmured before looking back at Ashure. “But – shouldn’t you keep it?”
“A good pirate never gives away his best blade,” Ashure reassured him.
Ross watched with a mixture of amusement and awe as Ashure cupped his hands together before spreading them out like a magician in a magic show. A beautiful steel sword with a jewel embellished hilt appeared.
“Wow! Nice trick,” Ross commented, impressed.
Ashure shot him an exaggerated look of outrage. “Trick! You don’t think that the giant is the only one who knows magic, do you?” he retorted with an indignant sniff.
Ross shook his head. “I wouldn’t put anything past anybody or anything since I’ve been here,” he grudgingly admitted.
“Do you know how to use a sword?” Ashure inquired.
Ross stared at Ashure for a moment, unsure how to answer the question. His first impulse was a sarcastic retort that, sure, he carried one around all the time, all fishermen did when they were out at sea. Unfortunately, that kind of statement would probably go right over the pirate’s head because, for all he knew, the fishermen here carried swords all the time. He decided it might be in his best interest to admit the truth.
“Humans stopped carrying swords around a couple of centuries ago. I’ve used a machete, but not for fighting,” he conceded.
“Ah, well, perhaps it would be best if I gave you some instruction during our journey, just in case it is needed,” Ashure suggested.
“Yeah, I guess some lessons might come in handy,” Ross muttered just as Gem indicated it was time for them to leave.
He nodded to Ashure before walking over and standing next to Gem. He followed her gaze, and gasped when he saw Gant shimmer once he was outside of the cavern. Ross watched avidly as the man began to grow exponentially.
He shook his head in amazement. Once Gant was a good thirty feet tall, he bent over and gently picked up Malay and Samui. It was a good thing that the royal pair had dismantled their icy fortress or Gant would have been brushing the top of the ice ceiling that had covered it. He snorted in amusement when Gant turned his head and gave them a brief nod before he took off at a fast walk, retracing the path back to Nali’s ship.
“What do you find amusing?” Gem curiously asked.
Ross looked down at her and shrugged. “This gives a whole new meaning to calling for a Lyft,” he said with a grin.
She looked in Gant’s direction and shook her head. Ross deeply sighed. Obviously, they called ride-sharing companies something different here. The fact that his joke went right over Gem’s head was additional proof that he was in way over his own head in this magical world.
“Are you ready to go?” Nali asked.
“Yes,” Ross and Gem responded at the same time.
18
The Field of Fire was a complete contrast to the icy walls of the canyon. Ross stared out across the scorched ground. Pools of lava bubbled and glowed while plumes of smoke filled the air with the distinct odor of sulfur. Through the bubbling pools of molten rock, he could see a narrow path that weaved its way through the field. In the distance, he thought he could see the shimmering ripples of water – the Great Lake – or a mirage. Whatever the case, their objective was clear – get across the field without getting toasted.
“I think this is the first time in my existence that I almost wish I was a dragon,” Ashure murmured with a hint of disdain in his voice.
Drago chuckled. “You would make a lousy dragon, Ashure. I’ve been on the receiving end of your negotiations,” he replied.
“If Nali can carry Ashure across, you can carry the human, Drago. Gem, you are capable of using your powers to traverse across the field, aren’t you? This should not be difficult,” Orion suggested.
Gem shook her head. “The stones warned against the use of any magic, which would include the alternate forms the Goddess bestowed upon us. None of us can transform,” she said.
“So – what exactly will happen if we do?” Ashure inquired.
“Bad things – at least it has every other time we didn’t follow the guidelines set in the stones,” Ross murmured in response.
“Why don’t I test it? Dragons are immune to fire,” Drago said.
“I wouldn’t—” Ross started to say.
His objection fell on deaf ears – Drago had already shifted. Ross watched with growing reservations as Drago rose into the air, and almost reflexively he reached out and slipped his hand into Gem’s. Maybe it wasn’t the time for this, but touching her was becoming addictive, especially since they could die at any moment. He swore to himself that he’d let go of her hand as quickly as possible if things went south and she needed both hands to fight. Gem squeezed his hand.
“I don’t like this,” she murmured.
“Drago is a big boy. He can handle whatever comes his way,” Ashure replied with a wave of his hand.
“That is exactly what I thought, and boy was I wrong,” Ross retorted, never taking his eyes off of Drago.
Ross had to hand it to the dragon. He looked big and mean enough to handle anything that might come at him. The huge black dragon soared a good twenty-five feet off of the ground. Drago was nearly fifty feet inside the area known as the Field of Fire when Ross began to relax a little. So far, nothing bad had happened. That thought had no sooner flashed through his mind than all hell broke loose.
“Drago, below you!” Gem shouted.
He doubted that Drago could hear Gem’s shout of warning, but the Dragon King must have sensed that he was in danger because he swerved at the same instant that one of the cauldrons of lava exploded and shot upward. The eruption of lava was bad enough, but it was the molten hand attached to the wave of magma that horrified the group.
“How fire proof are dragons?” he asked when the hand closed around Drago’s body.
“We’re about to find out,” Ashure reflected.
Ross looked at Ashure with an incredulous expression before returning his focus to the lava monster. He vaguely wondered if this creature would be covered under Nali’s jurisdiction. From her growing concern, he suspected it was right up there with the rock monster that had attacked them earlier.
“Orion, can you only make electricity with that trident thing or can you make water, too?” Ross asked.
“We can’t use our magic,” Gem warned.
Frustration held the group immobile. They had to do something. There was no way that even a dragon could survive a prolonged dousing in molten lava.
“Well, it doesn’t look like we have much of a choice. Orion, can you hose that thing down?” Ross asked.
Orion nodded, lifted the trident, and pointed it across the field. Ross released Gem’s hand when she pulled away to step up next to Orion. He cursed himself for being a man of his word, even if he’d only promised himself, when Gem pulled away from him.
“She can help Orion,” Ashure murmured.
“I know she can,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.
Gem could do anything, Ross had never doubted that for a moment. Gem lifted her hands, and the steam rose from the ground, lifting higher and higher until thick dark clouds hung over the lava creature.
“Orion, you must hurry,” Nali urgently beseeched.
“Together, Gem. We may only have this one chance,” Orion instructed.
Gem nodded. Ross watched in awe as Orion called forth water from the
lake on the other side of the field. A funnel of water rose high in the air, then headed toward the creature. Along the field, additional pools of lava began to bubble and spew upward.
Gem lowered her hands, palms facing down, and a deluge of water fell from the clouds she had created just as Orion’s blast of water hit the lava creature and covered its body. The red lava hardened, turning black as the water cooled it – and then dozens of lava creatures burst of out of the other cauldrons.
“Drago, hurry,” Nali muttered.
Ross was thinking the same thing. Several lava creatures reached out, deflecting the funnel of water that Orion was directing while others threw large balls of molten projectiles at Gem’s rain cloud. The heat from the molten rock quickly evaporated the thick cloud.
The seconds ticked by while Orion’s water pummeled the creatures and Drago struggled to break free of the stone hand restraining him. There were so many lava monsters that Orion’s water wasn’t able to concentrate on a single monster long enough to harden them into stone. Soon it’d been almost a minute, and Ross speculated that he wasn’t the only one holding his breath. Orion lowered his trident, and as the funnel of water fell with a heavy splash to the ground, the lava creatures returned to their cauldrons, all except the stone hand imprisoning Drago. Thick billows of steam clouded the area as the water seeped into the heated ground and disappeared into the lava pools.
“Look!” Gem breathed.
Ross heard a sharp snap right before the creature’s hardened lava hand broke apart. He hissed out a relieved breath when he saw Drago emerge from the severed hand. The lava creature’s hardened remains crumbled back into the pit, and the dragon hovered in the air for a moment before he began to fall.
Ross started forward, almost certain that this would be the one time in this world that having absolutely zero magical power would be an asset.
I can help Drago, he thought as he stepped onto the Field of Fire, then took another step. Ross winced when the dragon hit the ground with a bone-shattering thud. No lava body parts appeared from the pits though. The rest of the walk seemed to take a very long time with Ross’s heart pounding so hard he was afraid he wouldn’t hear it if a creature burst into the open from behind him, but finally he reached Drago, and the man shifted back into his two-legged form. Ross froze, frantically looking around to see if the volcanic magic-police would show up again. They didn’t.
“Drago. Hey, man, are you alive?” Ross asked, kneeling beside him.
Drago’s deep groan was barely audible. Ross gently rolled the man over onto his back. Drago looked a little singed around the edges, but he was remarkably untouched overall.
“Ross, don’t move. ”
Gem’s soft warning caused him to look up. He swallowed when he realized the lava creature had melted, reformed, and was peering out from the pit beside them. He instinctively brought his shield up, not that a piece of wood was any deterrent against fire.
“Drago, can you move?” Nali asked with concern.
Drago opened his eyes. “Of course I can move,” he growled.
Drago pushed himself up into a sitting position. Orion and Ashure steadied him when he wobbled. Ross kept his attention on the lava creature. After several seconds, the creature retreated back into the pit.
“So…?” Ross said.
“We are not using any magic,” Gem murmured.
Ross rose to his feet and gingerly inched closer to the pit, peering down into it. All he saw was a pool of bubbling magma.
“Okay, no magic,” he said, stepping back and turning to face the others. He looked down at Drago. “Can you walk?”
Drago glared at him. “Of course I can walk,” he snapped.
“I think the dragon got his feelings hurt,” Ashure murmured with a grin.
Drago turned his heated glare on the pirate. “How about we see how well a pirate can withstand being surrounded by lava?” he suggested.
Orion chuckled. “How about we don’t – at least until after we finish our journey,” he replied.
“Do you see this? Pirates get no respect – none whatsoever,” Ashure playfully complained.
“We’ll throw you a pity-party when this is over,” Drago growled.
Ashure and Orion each bent over and helped Drago to his feet. Ashure brushed some ash from Drago’s shoulder before slapping him a little harder than necessary in Ross’s opinion. Drago winced and sent another rumbling growl of warning at the pirate.
“As long as the party includes beautiful women, alcohol, and a bounty of dragon’s gold and jewels, I would rejoice in the festivities,” Ashure replied with a flourishing bow.
“I’m going to kill you,” Drago calmly stated before he turned away.
“You’re doing better, Ashure. He’s only threatened you once so far on this trip,” Nali replied with a chuckle.
“I was beginning to think I was losing my touch,” Ashure retorted.
“Whatever happens, not a word of this to Carly, do you understand? She’ll have my balls on a spit if she hears about what happened,” Drago grudgingly requested.
“Of course not, Drago! Not a word to your lovely mate about your bullheadedness,” Ashure cheekily promised.
Ross listened to the banter between the strange mixture of royals. It was almost hard to believe they were standing in the middle of a lava field and that Drago had almost died. If he hadn’t been a witness to everything, he would swear that he had awoken in some strange parallel universe.
Wait, I did, he thought with a rueful shake of his head.
“Are you ready?” Gem asked, touching his arm and pulling him back to the present.
“Yeah. Okay, to make sure we are on the same page, no magic. While Drago may be semi-fireproof, I know for sure that I’m not,” Ross warned.
“It would appear that your non-magical self is at an advantage, Ross,” Ashure said with a grin. “Lead on, human. ”
Ross nodded, then bent over and picked up his sword. When he straightened, Gem touched his arm again, her expression worried, and Ross gave her a crooked smile.
“We are going to do this. By tomorrow, we’ll be at the palace,” he reassured her.
“I know,” she answered.
He frowned when he heard the slight catch in her voice before she looked away. He turned and took a deep, calming breath before he started walking. They had a lot of ground to cover before sundown.
19
Gem held her breath and watched Ross cross a bridge made of hardened lava. She was exhausted. Throughout the day, their journey had been a tedious one requiring one nerve racking decision after another.
The path had continued to change in front of them. There were times when the ground opened up to reveal a river of lava while another section crusted over. The enchantment was meant to catch the unwary. More than once, Gem had grabbed the back of Ross’s jacket to steady him when the ground began to crumble under his feet.
By the time the lake was in view, everyone’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point. It didn’t help that another part of the enchantment was a spell that slowly drained them of their magic. Everyone but Ross was stumbling with fatigue toward the outer boundary of the field.
“I see the edge of the Field of Fire,” Gem breathed in relief.
“Thank goodness,” Ashure murmured, his voice slightly slurred.
Gem turned when she heard a low grunt. Drago had fallen to one knee. His face was ashen, and lines of pain and fatigue were etched around his mouth. He had one arm across his body as if he were holding his ribs.
“What is it?” Nali gently asked.
“It’s nothing,” Drago replied.
Gem gasped when a bone-melting wave of power hit her, and she swayed. She instinctively reached out for Ross. He caught her with one arm and steadied her.
“What’s wrong?” Ross demanded.
Gem could see the wall of magic, and it suddenly dawned on her that one of the reasons she and the others were feeling this way was because the
Field of Fire was a combination of two different magic spells – the first from her parents and the second created by the Sea Witch. The two spells were interacting with each other, to their detriment.
Her legs trembled and gave out on her. Ross dropped his sword and held her. She leaned her head against his shoulder, too exhausted to hold it up. Behind her, the others slowly collapsed next to Drago.
“There – is – a spell. It – is – draining us,” she forced out in a barely audible voice. “Can’t – move. ”
Gem could barely hold her eyes open. She felt as if every ounce of energy was being sucked out of her. The harder she tried to fight it, the worse she felt.
Ross changed his grip on her. The faint thud of the wooden shield and the clank of another metal sword as they hit the ground barely registered in her mind. Even the simple act of breathing was becoming difficult to do.
“Hold on, love. I’ve got you,” Ross urgently told her.
Gem was tenderly cradled in his arms. She knew she was dead weight. Even the ability to lift her arms was too much for her. Her breathing was becoming raspier.
Her mind faintly registered that Ross was carrying her. She forced her eyes open. He was striding closer to the shimmering wall. Fire began to lick at her flesh the closer he got. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out as the burning intensified. Her head fell back against his shoulder, and she parted her lips on a silent scream of agony when he passed through it.
Just as quickly as the pain had erupted, it vanished. She raised a trembling hand to touch her forehead. The pressure and fatigue began to fade, and she was able to breathe without difficulty.
“Ross, the others,” she whispered with growing concern.
She looked at where the others were lying on the bridge, but for the moment, Ross didn’t follow her gaze, he only had eyes for her. “You’ll be ok here? You’re feeling better?”
“Yes, I’m ok, I promise. You have to help the others,” she said in a stronger voice.
He looked back at the barely conscious royals and nodded. “I’ll be right back, just – don’t get kidnapped this time,” he cautioned.
