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 sp
ider 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 underbelly. 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."
She didn't respond. Panic clutched at Rik's chest, and he shook Nadia a few times. Still, she didn't stir. Dammit, Nadia! You're still alive. There's still hope.
He forced more water down her throat. What else could he do?
Struggling against tears, he lay on the ground beside her. His shield allowed both of them to breathe fresher air. Maybe she'd wake up once she cleared the worst air from her lungs.
Rik waited. Minutes passed, but they felt like hours. The mountain rumbled ominously, and geysers sprayed far across the chamber. He prayed that none of those geysers would threaten them, though that seemed the kind of sick thing the world would do to him.
He'd always known going on adventures would be dangerous, but sometimes he felt the world had decided to torment him. What had he done to earn such treatment?
Nadia's eyes came open, and she gasped sharply., Groaning, she looked up at Rik. Her voice came out as a feeble croak. "Water, Rik. Water."
Rik put the canteen to her lips, and she swallowed the water too fast. She doubled over in a coughing fit, then took another drink, a little more carefully. At last, she set the canteen down. She looked pale and weak, but she struggled to her feet.
"What are we doing waiting around here?" she said, starting to walk.
"You were close to death. Don't you think you should rest awhile?" He rose and followed her. "Not to mention, shouldn't you be happy to see me?"
"Of course I'm happy to see you, but we have a mission. Any second we spend resting is a second when Markus might die. I feel fine now, so let's go."
The way she wavered on her feet told Rik she was lying, but he'd never win an argument against her. Holding a shield around the two of them, he followed her across the rocky bridge. Soon they reached the other side, where a small landing led to a narrow passage.
"You ever feel like you have no idea where you're going?" he asked.
Nadia held out her compass. "We're still heading north."
Rik wanted to rest, but Nadia entered the passage without hesitation. He followed, dropping the shield and lighting his staff. Here in the passage, the air wasn't quite so foul. In fact, it felt almost fresh. Fresher than anything he'd breathed in a long time.
"I think we're almost to the exit," he said, hope surging through his chest.
Soon they no longer needed his staff's light. They followed the passage uphill, toward natural light, and emerged on the northern slope of the mountain. The sun was low on the horizon, bathing the slopes in orange. In the distance was a small city.
Nadia pointed toward it. "That's Andersonville. We'll rest awhile there."
"How long were we in the mountains?"
"I have no idea. In those caves, I lost all track of time."
"I know what you mean."
They started down the slope, and Nadia glanced about warily, stopping every few steps as if she were afraid someone might hear them.
Rik placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"We're still on the mountain. What if the dragon shows up?"
"Yeah, I didn't think about that." Now he started looking for the dragon. Every time he dislodged a rock, he cringed. Once, he thought he heard a distant flapping of wings, but then it faded away. Maybe it had been his imagination. Yes, it had to be. The dragon was nowhere near them. If only he could make himself believe that.
They made their way down the slope, following switchback trails. Again and again, Rik thought he heard the dragon flying around. When they were about halfway down the mountain, the flapping of wings was louder than ever. He looked back.
And saw the dragon.
Night had fallen, so he could barely see it, but there was no doubt. It flew toward them with tremendous speed, flapping its wings and roaring. Fire sprayed from its mouth, casting a beautiful orange glow against the night sky. It flew lower and lower, closing in on them.
"Dammit," Rik said. "What do we do now?"
Nadia looked pale in the moonlight. "I have no idea."
The dragon swooped lower. Nadia aimed her bow and narrowed her eyes in concentration. How could she hope to hit a target moving so swiftly? She was a good archer, but she wasn't that good. They had to find somewhere to hide.
Rik glanced around, but there were no caves in sight. So he did the only thing he could; he pointed his staff at the dragon. It felt foolish, though. The dragon was too far away for any of his spells to reach it, and even if it did attack them, it could move out of range in an instant.
Nadia continued to aim her shot, though, as if none of these thoughts were running through her head. Rik could only stand there on trembling legs.
The dragon came closer and closer. Rik ducked behind a rock as if that could protect him from its fire. He cast a shield, but he had the feeling it wouldn't be strong enough. Though he still didn't understand the magic, he knew instinctively that Nadia's arrows would pass through the shield.
The dragon swooped lower, and Nadia let an arrow fly. It missed by a wide margin. She aimed another shot. How could she do this so calmly?
The dragon flew erratically, dodging shot after shot. It unleashed fire upon them. The heat became intense, but Rik's shield blocked the worst of it. Still, he was sweating, and blisters formed on his skin.
"Nadia, I don't mean to rush you or anything, but I can't hold the shield much longer."
She didn't even turn to face him, for she was focused on her shot. Another arrow left her bow. This time, it struck the dragon but bounced off its scales.
"You sure we shouldn't hide?" Rik asked.
"Hide where? There's nothing but rocks all around us."
"Well, I can hope, can't I?"
&n
bsp; Nadia concentrated on her next sheet. Again, she struck the dragon's scales. The look in her eyes had grown wild and panicked. Rik wanted to curl up in a ball and wait for the inevitable. It was a strange feeling. He knew he was going to die now, but that didn't bother him. Even knowing the outcome, he would make the same decision again.
He never could have left Markus to die. "Are you aiming for its heart?"
"Yes. I've even hit the spot I wanted, but its scales are too thick."
"Then what can we do?"
Nadia ducked behind the rock and leaned against Rik. "I have no idea."
"How reassuring."
"How can you joke in a situation like this?" she asked.
"I don't know. It's just the way I am."
The dragon swooped down toward them again, launching another wave of fire. Rik put all his will into the shield, and the flames dissipated before striking them. Undeterred, the dragon sent another wave of fire, but this one looked weaker, dying after a few seconds.
"I think we just might have a chance," Rik said. "The dragon's out of fire."
"But it can still kill us a thousand other ways."
"I know, but this is our best chance. Let's see if we can escape." Rik glanced down the mountain, noting that they had perhaps a few hundred feet to go before they reached the flat plain beyond. There had to be a barrier somewhere around there.
Rik and Nadia started down the mountain, taking cover behind rocks whenever the dragon flew too close. It would fly near them and then soar far away. Whenever it gave them some distance, they raced down the slope.
The plain beyond the mountain grew closer and closer. Rik's body ached from all the recent exertion, but he ignored the pain. Just a little farther . . .
The dragon let out a mighty roar. Rik glanced back to see it swooping down toward them with determination. It opened its mouth wide, but no fire came out. It was thirty feet away. Twenty. Ten. Rik pointed his staff at the dragon's mouth and let loose a surge of lightning. It struck the dragon in the roof of the mouth, and the dragon recoiled, shrieking with rage.
Rik and Nadia took off at a sprint. The dragon stayed back for a few seconds, but then the flapping of its wings became almost deafening. The wind from its movement nearly knocked Rik and Nadia off their feet. Its spiked tail slammed against Nadia.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 68
