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