by Megg Jensen
"Back?" Torsten asked. "Rell came back? She's here?" He looked around wildly. "I didn't see her leave. Did she take another route out?"
The woman shook her head. "No. She's staying. She's the one who warned us about the volcano. She says she may be able to stop it."
"Where is she?" Torsten yelled, grabbing the woman's shoulders.
"She's with the volcano." Her voice shook. "She is my daughter. I didn't love her as I should have, but I do still worry for her safety. She is of age, though, and makes her own decisions."
"If you loved her, you wouldn't leave her down here to die," Torsten said through gritted teeth. "Get out of here."
Torsten turned his back on the woman and her companion. "Follow them back up," Torsten said to Malia and Rutger.
"And leave you down here to take all the credit for saving us? Hell, no!" Rutger smiled, his two different colored eyes sparkling in the torchlight.
"I'm not going either," Malia said. "Dragzhi above or a volcano below? Either way, we're screwed. Let's do this."
Torsten hadn't wanted to go alone, but he never would have compelled them to follow. Still, he was grateful for the help. "Then let's find Rell."
Chapter Thirty
Rell stood at the edge of the inferno, the heat roiling around her toes. She'd removed her slippers, fearful of falling in. Her bare feet would give her a better grip on the dirt and rocks. The sharp piercing pain of the ground kept her alert.
She peered into the lava, watching the orange, yellow, and red magma fight for control. They swallowed each other in a dance of glowing flame and scorching embers. Rell held out her hand, palm up, concentrating. A flame burst forth, hovering just above her skin.
"Come to me," she whispered. "You protected me once. Do it again. I need you."
The ground shook as a form took shape in the bubbling lava. It rose, undulating in the air, coming up to Rell's height.
"Are you the third?" she asked it, not even sure if it could give her a response.
A hiss crackled forth. "Long ago I was called the third, but I chose to become one, apart from the others. I do not want them. They will absorb me. Destroy me. Force me to do their bidding. Do not let them find me. You are the Key to saving me."
Frustration welled up in Rell. The dragzhi above wanted her to lead them to the third, yet the third wanted autonomy and relied on her to give it to them. She wanted no part of their war. Not anymore. Her gods had been destroyed. Her faith torn asunder. All she had left was Torsten—her only friend, and he had been stolen from her, too.
Rell had nothing. No one.
"I can't stop the other dragzhi from finding you. I can't stop them from doing whatever it is that makes you part of them again."
"Oh, but you can." The voice was as soothing as the dragzhi voice that had spoken to her on the ship and been in her head. "The dragzhi are a species that becomes more and more powerful with each evolution. They require my fire to turn into the most powerful beings in all the universe. Without me, they are simply warriors. They need my fire to rule over all."
"I still don't see what any of this has to do with me," Rell said, growing impatient.
"I am your father. You are part of my evolution." Part of the fire broke away from the rippling body, rippling closer to Rell. A flaming hand rested on Rell's cheek. “If I change the essence of the fire dragzhi, we will no longer be useful to them. You are my future.”
She held her breath, waiting for pain to surge through her skin as it burned to a crisp.
It did not come.
Rell let out a breath, and took in another. Her body overflowed with energy as life unfurled inside her. Warmth spread through her veins, entering every corner of her being.
"Do you feel it, daughter?"
Rell nodded. Tears slid down her cheeks, leaving sizzling trails in their wake. All of her life, she had yearned for something more. For communion with her gods to make her feel alive. She'd done everything her mother had asked, striving ever harder for her place in the grand religion they followed. Nothing had ever given her what her father was imbuing her with now.
Rell shuffled closer, aware her toes were now hanging over the edge. She needed to get closer to him. To fulfill what the dragzhi side of her could promise.
"Come, daughter. Come to me, and I will show you why you are the Key and how you can help us." His voice purred in her head. His hand pulled back, leaving her cheek cold and empty.
Rell moved a little closer, swaying to maintain her balance. She needed the fire. Without it, she felt so empty. Reaching out, Rell touched his cheek. "Father?"
"Come to me, Rell. Just a little further."
The magma no longer seemed menacing. Now it beckoned to her, promising eternal warmth.
Closing her eyes, Rell jumped. Something grabbed her waist, yanking her backward. She rolled on the ground, hitting her head on the hard earth.
"Rell, what the hell are you doing?" Torsten yelled in her ear.
She struggled to get out of his grasp, but he wouldn't release her.
"Tell me what you were doing, or I won't let go." Torsten's arms only tightened around her waist.
They lay on the ground, not moving, for a moment. Rell didn't know what to tell him. How could she explain any of it?
"Please, let me go," she begged, her voice hoarse. Tears trailed down her cheeks again, but this time they were cold, empty.
Torsten's arms relaxed and he backed away, just as she'd known he would. He was too honorable to hold her against her will, especially when he knew how much she hated being touched.
"Tell me why." It was Torsten's turn to beg. "Why were you going to kill yourself? Did you think I wouldn't come for you?"
"I don't need you to come for me." Rell turned around, facing him. His eyes were bloodshot, ringed by dark circles. Torsten's shoulders slumped forward as if he couldn't bear to keep his back straight. Behind him stood two people Rell didn't know, a man with two different colored eyes and a young woman with no hair and dark skin. They both held weapons trained on Rell. Discarded on the ground next to them was a broadsword.
"I know you don't need me," Torsten said, clearly annoyed. "Maybe I need you."
Rell’s father was gone. Her heart dropped into her stomach. She wanted—no, needed—to know what was waiting for her in the fire. Somehow she was sure she'd survive what killed so many others.
"Why?" Rell asked. "What could have possibly drawn you back out of the tower?"
"We want a way onto a dragzhi ship," the unfamiliar man said. He stalked closer to Rell, his rifle at the ready. "Torsten says you can get us there."
Rell rolled her eyes. She'd been to the dragzhi ships twice, which was more than enough. "I don't know how it happened, Torsten. You know that. I thought it was through prayer. I thought I'd finally established some sort of connection—" Rell broke off her sentence.
That had to be it. Since she was the Key, a combination of both fire dragzhi and human, something inside her made it happen. She didn't know why it hadn't worked before she met Torsten, but that had to be it.
"I might be able to," Rell said slowly. “Take my hands.”
Torsten grabbed his sword, and sheathed it on his hip. “This is Malia and Rutger, by the way.”
“Hi,” Rell said with a shy smile.
Torsten took Rell's right hand, Rutger took the other, and Malia held hands with the two of them, forming a circle.
"Let me concentrate." Rell squeezed her eyes shut.
She tried to remember exactly what she'd said before she and Torsten had spun out of the caverns and into space. She ran through the prayers in her head, repeating the words over and over again. A spark burned in her chest. In her mind, she blew on the flames, wishing they would come to life, but they barely blazed, sputtering out only moments later.
Rell tried again and again. Sweat gathered on her palms, making the connection with the two men slippery. She gripped tighter, furrowing her brow as she repeated the words in her head. Still,
nothing happened. Her frustration grew.
"Tell me what's happening aboveground," Rell said, her eyes still squeezed shut.
"The dragzhi have taken over," Rutger said. "As far as we know, those of us in the tower were the only humans left alive. There's so few of us. Even if we manage to survive, we may not be able to sustain our society. This may be the end of all humanity on Phoenix."
"But if we can get on a dragzhi ship," Malia said, "then maybe we can kill the dragzhi. And then we might stand a chance of escaping this planet and finding our way back to Earth."
Rell's heart pounded. It wasn't just her life and Torsten's at stake. It was everyone's. They were all doomed if she couldn't get them aboard one of those ships. She felt the fire spring to life again. She stoked it with her anger, fanning the flames until they roared to life. Rell concentrated on the dragzhi ship, on her need to get to it. She began to feel the spinning sensation, now familiar. Her eyes snapped open.
Torsten, Rutger, and Malia were standing still as if nothing was happening.
"Do you feel it?" Rell yelled, trying to control it.
"Nothing," Torsten said, baffled. Rutger and Malia shrugged.
Rell dropped their hands. The spinning ceased. Rell stood solidly on two feet, almost used to the dizzying sensation. "I can't take all of us. I'm feeling the pull, but the rest of you aren't. Going alone won't get us anywhere. I'm so sorry." Rell backed away from the three, knowing what she had to do. "I want you to wait outside the cavern."
"Why?" Torsten asked. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get us on that ship. I promise. I just need to be left alone for a few moments." Rell hoped her tone was reassuring. "I need to meditate. Gain focus."
Torsten’s expression was filled with concern. "Okay. We'll be just outside the mouth of the cavern. Come on," he said to Rutger and Malia.
They reluctantly followed Torsten away from Rell. Rutger looked at her over his shoulder one more time. It was clear he didn't trust her. But he trusted Torsten, and Torsten trusted her. She would have the time to do what she needed.
After the others walked into the dark tunnel, Rell turned back to the volcano. "Father? Are you there?" She walked to the edge, looking down into the magma.
The fire dragzhi floated up to her, just as he had before. "I am here. Will you come with me now?"
"If I join you, will I obtain all the strength and knowledge of a dragzhi?" Her hands shook and she clasped them together to stop the tremors.
"You will help us to stop the others from taking us to our home planet. We wish to remain here. But we need you to lead us." He extended a molten hand. "Be one with us, Rell."
Rell closed her eyes and jumped.
Chapter Thirty-One
Rell writhed in pain as the lava ate away at her skin. Tiny bites ripped at her flesh, muscle, and veins until there was nothing left to pick at. Scorching liquid permeated her bones with fire. Somehow she was still aware. Not dead. Undead?
Holding up a hand, she was surprised to see it looked human, not molten like the one her dragzhi father had laid upon her skin. Rell floated through the lava, emerging at the top, as if she was simply coming up from a swim. She had been baptized in fire.
"You are one of us now," her father said, his voice swirling around her. "You can lead us where we could not walk, protect us as we emerge from hiding to fight our dragzhi brothers and sisters. Your power gives us strength."
Rell felt the lava lifting her, carrying her up to the edge of the volcano. She reached out, her fingers scrabbling at the edge for purchase. Rocks scraped at her fingertips, but she didn't struggle long. The lava pushed her over the edge.
Rolling, Rell came to rest not far from the volcano.
"Rell!"
"Don't touch me," she managed to squeak out.
But it was too late. Torsten had already pulled her up to sitting and was cradling her in his lap. "I know you don't want me to touch you. I know. I won't do anything inappropriate. But, Rell, you fell in the volcano. Somehow you pulled yourself back up before we could get to you. I thought you were dead. Again!" His face was buried in her hair.
Rell held her breath until she realized she wasn't on fire. She wouldn't burn Torsten. Whatever had been given to her was inside. It wouldn't harm him. Relief spread through her body.
She pulled away, touched by the tears at the corners of Torsten’s eyes. Rell reached a hand up, resting it on his cheek. "I'm okay. I'm sorry I scared you."
"Do you want me to let you go?" Torsten asked.
"No." Rell snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around his back.
They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, but was only moments.
Rutger cleared his throat, jerking Rell and Torsten back to reality.
Rell slipped off Torsten’s lap. "I can get us to a dragzhi ship now, but I have something else I need to do first." Rell gazed back at the volcano. "I'm going to guide the lava up to the ground. They will help us fight the rock dragzhi. Once they're up there, I'll take us to a dragzhi ship. We'll capture it and fight our way out of this."
Rutger laughed. "I knew I was getting into something I didn't understand when I went to Torsten's room. But this? How will you control the volcano? How will it fight the dragzhi?"
Malia seemed confused, too. Torsten was the only one who seemed to trust Rell's words, no matter how ridiculous they sounded.
"I didn't fall in the volcano," Rell said. "I jumped in. And I became one with the beings living in it. They are also dragzhi. Their brothers, the rock dragzhi, and sisters, the liquid dragzhi, came here looking for them. But they wish to remain in peace. They don’t want to reunite with their evil brethren. They are going to help us fight them off. Oh, and there’s one other thing…" Rell hesitated. “I’m part fire dragzhi, and, um, the Key? It’s me.”
The other three were speechless. Even Torsten's jaw dropped.
"Trust me," Rell said. "Please."
Malia shrugged. "Why not? It's not as if we have a better way of winning against these aliens. I'm willing to let you try." She cocked her shotgun.
"If Malia's on board, I am, too." Rutger turned a switch on his plasma rifle. It lit up bright blue and hummed.
“Rell, I want to know more later.” Torsten twirled his sword in his hand, then sheathed it on his hip. “For now, let’s kick some alien ass."
Rell pushed up the sleeves of her robe. Facing the volcano, she opened her mouth and let out a hiss, imitating the sounds her father of fire had made when he'd first spoken to her. She knew how to speak their language now.
Lava poured out of the volcano, slowly at first, picking up speed with each passing second. Figures took form from the river, taking on human shape, weapons blazing.
"This way!" Rell called to the lava. She waved on Torsten, Malia, and Rutger, who brought up the rear, careful to avoid the lava.
Rell made a sharp left outside the cavern. The lava couldn't go out through the waterfall. It would diminish their power, and even a momentary loss could hurt their chances of winning. Instead, Rell headed toward a part of the tunnels running close to the outside. She called for Rutger. "Aim your weapon there. Blast a hole large enough for us and the lava to pass through."
Rutger aimed, holding on tight to his plasma rifle as it shot bands of silver into the wall. Dirt flew in all directions as the hole grew larger and larger. When it was big enough, Rutger holstered his gun. Malia and Rutger ran through, followed by Torsten and Rell. The lava poured out behind them, singeing the ground and turning the grass black.
Rell was about to direct the fire dragzhi, but they blasted past the four humans, spilling over the battlefield. Wasting no time, the fire dragzhi engaged the rock dragzhi.
Mouth agape, Rell watched as the lava grew, enshrouding their brothers in fire. Dark rock arms burst forth from the lava but were quickly swallowed again. Choking the rocks, the lava held tight until the rocks crumbled underneath it in a lifeless pile.
At first the human wa
rriors screamed, running from the lava and the rocks. But they regrouped once they realized the lava was helping them. The defenders roared back to life, attacking the remaining rock dragzhi with every weapon at their disposal. Lights flickered blue, orange, and yellow, as their weapons discharged. The smell of gunpowder and spent electrical weapon residue hung in the air.
"There's too many rocks," Rutger yelled over the din.
"Then let's steal a dragzhi ship!" Rell yelled. Her long braid had come undone and her hair whipped around her face. She felt free. Powerful. "Take my hands. It'll work this time. I can feel it!"
Torsten grabbed Rell's hand and Malia took the other. Rutger held on to the other two.
"Let's do this!" Rell closed her eyes, concentrating hard on the dragzhi ship she'd been on earlier. She began to spin. She cracked an eye, pleased to see the air wasn't just whirling around her, but also around her comrades. A light flashed, and they blinked off the planet and onto the ship.
Rell let go of their hands as they collapsed on the bright, metallic floor.
Torsten jumped to his feet, his sword at the ready.
"What does that do?" Rell asked. "You just swing it around? Poke stuff with it?"
Torsten shrugged and grinned. "I'm not sure yet. Leila said she had it tweaked just for me. I haven't used it yet. I have a feeling it's not just a normal sword."
"Good." Malia stood, shaking her head. "An ancient weapon isn't going to do us much good here. You okay, Rutger?"
He sat up slowly. "What was that?"
"Some kind of tech we don't understand," Rell said. "You need to be dragzhi to activate it. I don't know if it's inside me or if it's something my mind can trigger from far away."
"Maybe next time you can make the ride a little less bumpy?" Rutger asked as he struggled to stand. He swayed to the side, steadying himself on Malia's shoulder.
"I'll try," Rell said with a laugh. "First, we need to find the bridge on this ship. I have a feeling we're going to have to fight our way through. The dragzhi on this ship, they're different than the other two. They are some kind of cool liquid metal."
