The light spreads throughout the jungle, revealing unknown creatures hidden in thick black trunks and others lingering in the dark crowns of the trees. Many have thin fur, oversize eyes, and long fingers. They watch us pass, motionless, like they know we’re fools.
We carry on for who knows how many miles, walking at least twenty minutes without any trouble. But then the Kelvanite Sphere blinks red, and Algar comes to a halt.
When it flashes green again, Algar says, “The arrow switched directions.” He looks to our right. “Safest way is that way.” He points in the same direction as the arrow.
We follow him, passing by a slimy black creek and a wall made of hardened lava. The heat becomes unbearable the deeper we venture into the jungle. Eventually, the ground is splintered with thin cracks, and between them there are streams of fiery orange lava.
The soles of my feet begin to heat, but I keep my balance, making sure to stay on firm ground and avoid the lava altogether—until I slam into Rynthea’s solid back.
“Why have we stopped?” I ask, shifting to her side.
Ahead of us, the ground is completely lava. There is a path of elevated stepping stones that leads to the other side of the jungle. Each platform has a distance of at least two or three feet between them. A person woulddefinitelyhave to jump between each stone to get to the other side. With expanses that wide, we’ll be lucky to make each jump. Plus, the platforms are big enough for only one person to stand on. One slip, and you’re as good as dead.
And as if the lava isn’t menacing enough, there are creatures, too. Made of dark-brown scales, they have multiple eyes and claws sharp enough to cut through rock. Their bellies are stuck to the pillar walls. To our good fortune, their eyes are closed—hopefully asleep.
“Algar, you’ll have to teleport Zaira and Rynthea to the other side,” Thane says in a low voice, sheathing his sword. “I’ll cross on foot…”
Algar draws in a breath as he swings his gaze to me. I take his hand. In the blink of an eye, we’re on the other side of the towering path.
Algar returns to retrieve Rynthea. But before they can teleport back together, she holds up a hand to stop him. They exchange words, and Algar nods reluctantly. Then he teleports back to my side, alone.
“What’d she say?” I ask.
“She wants me to save my strength, since teleporting requires a lot of my energy. She’s going to cross herself.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, watching as Thane hops from steady land to the first platform. He leaps across three more as Rynthea jumps onto the first. My heart races as Thane lands on the second to last platform and some of the stone crumbles.
“Careful,” I whisper, chewing my thumbnail.
He stands upright again, causing more stone to fall. It’s diminishing in size, and knowing Rynthea has to occupy the same platform and then jump to one more stone to reach safer ground spikes my anxiety.
“Try to land as softly as you can on this one,” Thane says over his shoulder.
Rynthea, three platforms back, nods as she clenches her fists and braces herself for the next jump.
Thane finishes off strong. He bounds from the disintegrating platform, reaches the final stone, then launches himself toward the ground in front of us, landing in a crouch.
“All good?” Algar asks, throwing a hand down to help him stand.
Thane grabs his hand and rises to his feet. “All good.”
We turn our attention to Rynthea, who is sizing up the jump to the crumbling platform. It’s nearly half the width of the one she’s currently on, so she’ll have less space to land. With her size, that’s terrifying.
“Come on, Rynthea,” I whisper. “You got this.”
She takes a steadying breath, then runs forward, leaping in the air and landing on the platform. More of it breaks off, chunks falling into the lava below with a hiss. She throws her hands out to balance herself.
Her nostrils flare as she studies the last block in front of her. She hops, making it to the final stone, but the last jump to reach safer ground is the biggest of all. Rynthea takes a step back, clenches her fists again, and charges forward. She soars through the air, and my mouth goes dry.
My nerves seize every part of me…because I know that despite her efforts, she isn’t going to make it.
When she lands, one of her hooves stumbles backward, and she slips from the edge.
I gasp. “No!”
“Shit.” Thane sprints toward Rynthea, both hands outstretched and swirling in gold. He catches her before she hits the lava and grunts as he hauls her back up. He reaches down to help Rynthea up, and when she’s on her two hooves, her eyes are misty.
She draws in a shaky breath, closing her eyes for a split second before opening them again. The haze of tears is now gone. She turns to Thane and takes hold of his shoulders, giving him a thankful nod. He nods his head in return—a mutual understanding.
