Chapter 49
As we draw near, the indistinct bump on the horizon becomes a mass of dark treetops and mountains with sharp points. The sharp points look like black volcanoes as swirls of smoke hover at the tips.
A sudden fog envelops us, as if the treacherous island is welcoming us to the slaughter.
I keep my breath steady as Thane decreases the speed of the boat and shifts the hull slightly to the left.
Quiet.
That’s all I can think as we sail along. Not even the ocean makes much noise. The water becomes murkier, but I still spot glowing fish with pointed teeth scuttling by. Ironically, they’re avoiding the bold light emanating from Thane’s hand.
As we close in, the scent of sulfur permeates the air. There is another smell, too—rot. Dead bodies, possibly. I cringe at the thought.
Thane pulls his hand back into the boat when the shore comes into view through the haze.
We drift to the shoreline and hit land with a bump.
Hesitantly, we look around before climbing out and lugging the boat onto the sand.
As I scan farther down the beach, I realize our boat isn’t the only one beached.
There are countless others, all haphazardly lining the shore—paint chipped, wood broken, their owners now ghosts.
A graveyard of boats. The sight of them fills me with dread and doubt.
How many people have come here to do the exact same thing we’re about to do? How many had arrived overflowing with ambition and dreams? How many assumed they would be lucky enough to survive?
“Try not to focus on that,” Rynthea says, tipping her head toward the boats, as if she’s read my mind.
I clear my throat and turn with her to focus on the looming jungle ahead. The treetops aren’t green. They’re black, like their leaves have been permanently charred. Beneath our feet, sand intertwines with thick black veins of hardened lava, as if this island is flesh and blood.
“From what I remember on the map, the Temple of Elphar is directly in the center of The Shallows,” Thane announces, throwing up a glowing compass.
It hovers in front of him, revealing the location we’re in, as well as the location of the temple.
The temple is a blinking gold dot that is very far away. So much land to cover.
“And the treasure?” Rynthea inquires.
“Most likely buried somewhere near or inside the temple. I’ll be able to detect it better when we get closer.
” Digging into his pocket, Thane pulls out Frevella’s Kelvanite Sphere.
“Drusako,” he whispers, rubbing it with his fingers four times.
The sphere comes to life, bursting with green light.
As I move in closer, I see that the light forms an arrow. It’s pointing ahead…toward the jungle.
Of course it is.
“Let’s go,” Thane commands, already marching forward.
Rynthea and I look at each other at the same time. She shakes her head but follows his lead. I stay close to Algar, my fingers wrapped around the dagger sheathed at my hip.
When we reach the edge of the jungle, Thane lifts a hand, and a bolt of gold bursts forth.
It cuts through a thick cluster of vines and damp leaves, leaving behind a dark, gaping hole.
The others disappear into the new trail.
I can’t help but give the ocean one last look, knowing this may be the last time I see it.
I draw in a breath and follow them into darkness.
“Algar, I need you to hold this.” Thane hands him the sphere.
Algar frowns. “Why me?”
“Because I need both of my hands. One for my sword and the other for magic in case anything comes up.”
“Oh. Right. Suppose that makes sense.” Algar holds on tight to the sphere while looking ahead. “Well, it’s telling us to keep going straight.”
“We have to make this quick,” Rynthea murmurs, surveilling the dark gaps of the jungle. “Remember, Frevella told you the sphere will only last us an hour.”
“How long will it take to reach the temple?” I ask.
“About an hour…if we’re lucky.” Thane sends up four orbs of light to surround us. He moves with caution, his sword raised in front of him, mask up, eyes vigilant.
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 would definitely have 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.
“Rynthea, are you okay?” I ask as she marches around me with her hands on her hips and her head thrown back, most likely still digesting the fact that she was almost melted alive.
“I’m fine. It’s all right.” She drops her head and reaches for her scythesword, gripping it tight in her hands. “Let’s keep moving.”
An inkling of relief takes hold of me, but as Algar follows her, I swear I see something slink away behind a tree ahead.
“Right. It’s guiding us this way.” Algar points blindly as he looks at the sphere. He advances, peering around warily with the sphere cupped in one of his hands.
But a stiff breeze drifts by, stopping me in my tracks and causing the hairs on my arms and neck to stand on end. Rynthea raises her scythesword, like she, too, felt the sudden change in atmosphere.
Someone is watching us…or something.
Just then, a sharp hiss fills the air, and Rynthea swings around just in time to cut through a massive snake.
No, not just a snake. It is an enormous serpent with sharp, jagged scales protruding all over its body like a deadly suit of armor. Its bloodred eyes are split with vertical pupils that look right at us.
“Behind you, Thane!” Rynthea shouts.