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Chapter 422
They set off into the tunnel Dolph had indicated, with Rave and Kai once again leading the way and Fiona flying between them. As usual, Leesa and Leah followed close behind the two men.
The trek through this new passage was far shorter than the previous one. The lava-filled chamber they had just crossed told them they must be getting near to the center of the mountain, and in less than fifteen minutes they reached it.
As before, they stopped a few paces from the end of the lava tube, remaining sheltered within its dim confines. Ahead of them the air was awash with the flickering, bright red and orange light of reflected lava. Leesa noticed that Fiona’s glow had dimmed considerably in the last few minutes and wondered why.
The faerie twittered quietly to Rave and Kai.
“Fiona can sense the presence of Ariandre’s horn,” Kai explained to the others. “It’s not far away.”
Fiona chirped again.
“She al
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 423
Leesa and Plush needed to keep their eyes glued to the magical yellow mark and to the horn as they continued pulling Sneak back toward the cave, but everyone else looked down and saw Baalgur lift his huge scaly head, shaking it slowly back and forth as if to wake himself from a deep slumber. A moment later, he unfurled his leathery, membranous wings. A cloud of flame snuffed from his mouth as he readied his dragon fire for attack.With one flap of his enormous wings he spiraled upward, using the rising currents of hot air from the molten lava below to add speed to his climb.Leah watched anxiously, measuring the dragon’s speed against the pace of the shining white horn drawing ever nearer to them. The race was going to be a close one—it could go either way. She had a decision to make, and not much time to make it in.Baalgur opened his massive jaws. Leah could see a ball of orange fire rising from his throat.“Run, everyone!” she c
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The company headed up the tunnel at a brisk trot, maintaining a pace that would put distance behind them without exhausting their lungs and muscles too quickly. Once again, Leesa, Lights and Fiona illuminated the way, risking slightly brighter lights than before because of their accelerated pace.When they came upon a second lava tube branching off to the right, Kai led them into it. Simply retracing their steps as they fled was not an option—it would have only brought them to a dead end in the chamber where the rock bridge had collapsed. They needed to find a new way out of the volcano, and any tube that angled upward was a possible exit. They just had to hope the new tunnel did not come to an abrupt end in a wall of rock somewhere.Plush was the first to feel the effects of their extended run up from the depths of the mountain. Using her Power to carry Dolph and then to help lift Sneak had depleted her energy reserves.“I need a rest,” she hu
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“Do you have something in mind, Sergeant?” Colonel Gallway asked.“This tunnel offers some protection,” the sergeant replied, “but it also limits our field of fire. I don’t know if our bullets will affect that beast at all, but our best chance to find out is from below, where we can aim at its belly. You and me and Jordy can slip a short way down the slope and find some rocks to shelter us. When Baalgur confronts Leah, we can shoot up at it from down there.”“Okay, we’ll do as you suggest,” Colonel Gallway said. He looked to the others. “Any other suggestions?”“I’ll stand with Leah,” Leesa said, “and add my magic to her Power. Perhaps it will help make the difference.” From her recent close call with Baalgur’s fire, she wasn’t at all certain her hope would prove true. She kept that thought to herself, though.“There’s one other th
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As Baalgur dropped nearer, he spread his gigantic wings wide to slow his descent. The Marines opened fire, but their bullets seemed to have no effect upon the huge beast, whose descent continued unabated.Leah and Leesa stared upward, stunned by the sheer size of the monster silhouetted against the gray sky above them. They stood firm, though, trying hard not to show any fear. Leesa’s fingers tightened around Leah’s arm.The dragon hovered less than a hundred feet above them, his leathery wings beating slowly up and down to keep him in place. His lizard eyes seemed filled with disdain for the puny humans who dared to stand before him. He opened his fearsome jaws, revealing twin rows of scythe-like teeth. A ball of orange fire bubbled up in his throat.As the dragon fire began to emerge from Baalgur’s mouth, Leah raised her arms and unleashed her Power. Twin streams of flame shot from her palms, joining into one thick stream just a few feet in f
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The return journey was blessedly uneventful. The recent explosions of dragon fire from the battle with Baalgur kept the plains around the volcanoes empty of hunters, and the company encountered no scorpions or snakes as they crossed through the deep crevices of what Leesa had come to think of as the “damaged lands.”They didn’t hurry, nor did they dawdle. As always, they remained alert and watchful. Whenever Kai scouted ahead, he gave Ariandre’s horn to Raj so that the object of their quest never left the protection of the main party. When Raj did the scouting, he returned the horn to Kai.In two days, the enchanted forest rose up before them. When they reached the edge of the woods, the thick underbrush bent back for them, opening a passage twice as wide as the ones they had previously traversed. Everyone seemed to gain an extra spring in their step as they entered the forest walking in pairs. They no longer had to worry about any more danger, and most of them knew they were close to
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Ariandre waved her hand once more, and the portal vanished. She looked back to Leesa and Rave.“Well, I guess it’s time to see what we can do about you two.”“Do you really think you can send us back?” Leesa asked.“I hope so. I may need a little help, though.” Ariandre motioned with her arm to the mass of faeries behind her. “Gather round, my friends. Surround us, please.”The faeries flitted quickly into a thick circle with Ariandre, Leesa and Rave in the center. Fiona landed on Rave’s shoulder.Ariandre smiled. “Are you thinking of going back with them, Fiona?”Fiona’s glow flashed brighter as she laughed. “If Rave was single, I definitely might. I don’t think I can compete with Leesa, though. She’s much more his size, and her magic is stronger than mine, besides.”“Hey, I understood that,” Leesa said, surprised. &ldquo
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For his part, Jeremy knew he had screwed up. Brit's furrowed brow and closed off body language told him more than any words could say. Hoping he had not irreparably damaged the rest of night, he reached out to touch Brit's shoulder."I'm sorry, okay?" He did not know what else to say. Luckily. he was saved from having to come up with anything else by Ryan and Lexi's arrival. They were a good looking couple. Ryan's dark, athletic look and build contrasted beautifully with Lexi's blond hair and petite frame. The kids at school had even nicknamed them Ken and Barbie."Wow, this is some gorgeous spot," Lexi said, peering out over the edge of the cliff to the river below, which snaked like a dark silver ribbon through the black woods.“It's breathtaking."Seeing that Jeremy had switched off his light, Ryan turned his off as well. A moment later, a band of thick clouds floated in front of the moon, making the night darker and even more ghostly. The wind seemed to
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