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Chapter 413
The company set out immediately, wanting to cover as much ground as possible before darkness fell. As usual, Kai took the lead, with Fiona flying alongside his head and using her magic to open a pathway through the impenetrable forest. Leah walked right behind Kai, with Leesa and Rave following next.
Leesa was startled when she saw open space and daylight ahead of them after less than a minute of walking. Her first trip through these trees with Rave seemed to have taken hours. She twisted her neck around and looked behind them. Ariandre’s silhouette was still visible, watching them from the beginning of the path—the forest was less than one hundred yards wide! Any doubts she might have had about the magic of the forest were dispelled. Now she wondered what awaited them on the other side of the trees. Even though it seemed they had entered the woods in the same place from which she and Rave had emerged, she was not at all sure they would exit onto the same barren p
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Rave lept forward, throwing himself into a somersault that brought him up beneath the scorpion’s belly, safe from its pincers and stinger. He could think of no way to use his volkaane fire to slay the thing—funneling the fire down the creature’s throat seemed implausible. Instead, he placed both hands on the beast’s underside and thrust upward with all the strength in his powerful legs, using the scorpion’s own momentum as well as his supernatural strength to heave it up and over Leesa, Kai and Leah.The scorpion landed with a loud thud twenty feet behind them. Unhurt, it immediately twisted around to resume its attack, but Leah was ready now. Still sitting on the ground where she had fallen, she let loose a powerful blast of red and orange fire. The flames enveloped the beast, reducing it to a pile of smoking ash in seconds.Kai crouched down beside Leah. “Are you hurt?”Leah shook her head and smiled. “Only my pr
Leesa's Advent Chapter 415
They resumed their journey at daybreak—or at least what Leesa guessed was daybreak. The thin ribbon of sky above them was the same dull gray as the day before, though how long the sun had actually been up she had no real way of telling.Kai was right when he had said they were close to the boundaries of this rift-filled land—ten minutes of hiking up a gradual slope brought them out of the crevice and into the open.They were closer to the Dragon’s Teeth than Leesa had thought. The four peaks loomed above them, dominating the horizon at what seemed to be less than a day’s hike away, though the flatness of the terrain made judging the distance difficult.She glanced around and saw that all of her comrades were staring at the volcanoes. She imagined that their thoughts were much the same as hers—wondering what awaited them there.Rave took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Looks like we’re almost there,”
Leesa's Advent Chapter 416
The company gathered in front of the opening to the lava tube. The entrance was larger than Leesa had expected, half again as tall as a person and wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side. Enough light filtered in from outside for them to see a short distance into the tunnel’s depths. The dark gray, hardened lava walls appeared both smooth and rough at the same time. There were plenty of irregularities in the surface—ripples, knobs, indentations and such—but all of them looked relatively smooth, without sharp or jagged edges of any kind.The tube sloped downward into the mountain at a slight angle. Walking along the uneven surface would require some care, but it didn’t seem as if it would be overly hazardous. Leesa didn’t think she could say the same about the things that might await them farther down inside the passage.“Rave sees best in the dark,” Kai said, “so he and I will lead the way. I think we can
Leesa's Advent Chapter 417
Leesa stepped around Kai and Rave, moving toward the door in front to examine it. Rave and Kai followed close behind her. The others also crept closer.The panel revealed by Leesa’s magic glow was breathtakingly beautiful, made of some metal that shone under the light like polished silver. Intricate etchings of dragons, mountains, trees and flowers covered the entire surface. Whoever had fashioned this door had taken great pains in the craftsmanship.Unfortunately, Leesa could see neither a handle nor hinges on this side. And the edges of the panel fit seamlessly against the rock on all sides.“This is gnome work, by the look of it,” Kai said from behind her shoulder. “Very ancient, I should guess.”Leesa looked at the panel again. To her, the metal did not seem aged at all—the surface was still shiny and the details of the etchings remained as clear and sharp as if they had been carved yesterday. Shielded as it was fro
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Rave was the first to move through the now open passageway, wrapping Leesa in a warm hug and kissing her on the forehead.“Nice job,” he said.“Mmmmm,” Leesa sighed as she returned his embrace. “I almost hope we come across a couple more sealed doors I can open.” Reluctantly, she let go of him. “I guess we should be getting back on our way, though.”“We need to be even more careful now,” Kai said. “There may be more booby-traps ahead. Fiona, you go lead the way now. Check the ground VERY carefully for us.”Fiona chirped a short acknowledgement and floated slowly off down the tunnel, staying just a few inches above the ground. She flew in a zigzag pattern, allowing her to examine every bit of the stone from close up. The company followed behind her, staying as close to the center of the passage as they could. They traveled much more slowly this way, but they needed to be cautious.
Leesa's Advent Chapter 419
“Well, it's good to know we’re getting close,” Rerun said after Ariandre’s voice disappeared.“I could have done without that ‘grave danger’ part, though,” Doc added.“What, did you think we were following this tunnel down to a picnic in a park?” Sneak teased lightheartedly.Doc shoved him playfully on the shoulder. “Shut up, you.”Leah felt buoyed by the cheerful spirits of her friends. She was glad they were all here with her, and were taking this so well. She lifted her chin toward Dolph.“What are we going to do with him?” she asked no one in particular.“I can maintain the shield for awhile if we leave him,” Leesa said, “but eventually distance will end the spell and he’ll be free.”The gnome watched them with interest, but just like they could no longer hear his spellbinding voice, he could not hear theirs. He could tell they were talking about him, though.“I don’t like the idea of having him loose somewhere behind us,” Kai said. “I think we should bring him along.”“I agree,”
Leesa's Advent Chapter 420
When they exited the tunnel, most of the company looked down over the side of the ledge to view the bubbling lava far below. They didn’t look long, though. Not only was the heat greater without the ledge to shield their faces, but the molten lava was a reminder of the grisly fate that awaited them if something went wrong.They weren’t all that much happier when they turned their gazes to the nearly two hundred foot long bridge they needed to cross. More than four feet thick in most places, it appeared sturdy enough, but it seemed awfully narrow to provide a safe crossing. At the far end they spotted the dark entrances to three more lava tubes. How they would choose which one to follow they didn’t know—but before they decided that, they first had to get across to the other side.Their misgivings heightened as they drew nearer to the foot of the bridge. From here, they could see that the rock span was never more than twelve inches wide, and in som
Leesa's Advent Chapter 421
Leesa stared in mute horror at the spot where the love of her life had just disappeared. Her entire body felt limp, empty, drained of all life, all vitality. This simply could not have happened. She and Rave were supposed to have hundreds of years together, blissful centuries to enjoy their love. She knew not even Rave could survive the fiery heat of the molten lava. Somehow, she should have been able to save him. What good was her magic if it had failed her when she needed it most? The guilt and the heavy weight of her failure added to her sorrow.Tears streamed unnoticed down her cheeks. All her dreams for their future had just vanished in this one terrible, horrifying moment. She continued to stare blankly down at the lava, waiting for what, she had no idea.Suddenly, Rave and Lights burst up through the bubbling surface of the lava, flying upward in a twisting, tumbling manner so awkward it appeared unreal. The motion was so impossible she thought she must be imagi
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