Page 73 of Beneath the Flames
If my magic hadn’t been fading, I would have simply Flashed over there in a single breath, but the closer the Magmara came to dying, the more my magic died with it.
Anger swelled in my blood.I was a Prince of Eroth with the magic to go with it—and yet I could only access a fraction of it.It was pitiful and disgraceful.
The curse had done this.
Letting out a disgusted breath, I started to run toward Maren.My Fae legs enabled me to go fast, but would it be quick enough?She’d been in the cave for too long.The lava continued to bubble and gurgle, swells breaking as they moved in the direction of the cave.What if something had happened to her?
It should have been easy.The relic was the only thing in the cave.All Maren had to do was find it, grab it, and then get out of it.Though the volcano itself was plenty dangerous, there was nothing else that should have been a danger to her.
But with the way the hairs on my arms stood on end and an eerie tingle filled my bones, I knew I had made a terrible error.Something was wrong, and Maren was now in grave peril.
And it was my fault.
The moment I thought the words, a nightmare came to life, bursting from the sea of lava with a great, terrible shriek that had me covering my ears.
When the high-pitched roar finally went silent, I opened my eyes and sucked in a breath.
There, in the center of the lava sea, emerging from the flames itself, was a giant creature I had believed to be extinct.It was enormous, towering above the ground, its long torso and clawed hands reaching forward, huge spikes lining its spine.Lava dripped from its mouth between fangs easily as long as me.Glowing red eyes glared in the direction of the cave that Maren had gone in, the rumbling of the ground growing more pronounced.
Lavawraith.
As I stared at the creature emerging from the volcano itself, and saw Maren run out of the lava cave, pale-faced and gaping at the monster in front of her, something shifted in me.
I couldn’t explain it, and I didn’t understand it.All I knew was that I suddenly cared whether she lived or died and it had nothing to do with whether she was my cursebreaker or not.I felt it in my bones that Ihadto keep her safe from this monster.
Ineededto save her like I needed air to breathe.
I had to get to her.
“Maren!”I shouted across the lake, but her attention was entirely fixed on the creature.How was I supposed to get to her in time when my magic wasn’t at its full strength?How was I supposed to save her?
With no other option, I forced my legs even faster, hoping and wishing in vain that she would survive long enough for me to make it to the other side.The creature shrieked again, and I fought the urge to stop and cover my ears, the pitch making my ears pound in time with my footfalls as I ran.
“Hold on,” I said, though there was no way she could hear me.
Her long hair whipped in the warm breeze that had begun blowing atop the volcano, the lava itself spitting into the air.Her face was white as a ghost, but there was a fierce light in hereyes that I could see even from a distance.Something strong—defiant.She would face that monster or die trying.
Not if I can help it.
Had she been a Fae with magic, she would have stood a fighting chance.But I supposed that was what made this task so dangerous for a human.Had the queens known when they laid the curse?A part of me believed that they did—for how would a human ever facethatand live?It was just another safeguard to make sure no one ever managed to free me.
We’ll see about that.
The creature lunged toward her, and my heart stuttered in my chest as I watched her jump out of the way at the last second.Maren winced as she rolled, her shoulder meeting the ground, and kept rolling until she was hidden behind a boulder.I sucked in a lungful of air and willed my legs to somehow speed up.Exhaustion curled at the edges of my vision.I might have been Fae, but with the curse weakening me, I was reaching my limit much quicker than I ever had before.
“Come on,” I muttered, watching the creature search for her, lava still dripping from its maw.From where its eyes were situated on its long head, it appeared to be having a difficult time locating Maren, for which I was momentarily grateful.Maren’s reddish-brown hair peeked up over the edge, her gray eyes meeting mine for a split second before another roar had her ducking once again.
I studied the monster, looking for any weak areas that I might be able to attack.It was covered in thick black scales, and my heart sank as I remembered that they were impenetrable.I hadn’t even thought of bringing a weapon with me.I was a fool.Had I known this creature still dwelled in the volcano, I never would have sent her to the cave defenseless.I shouldhave stayed by her side.
The only way to defeat it would be magic.
But mine was almost gone.
It seemed like the only option we had was to run—but there was no way I could carry Maren and run fast enough to get away from the creature before it devoured us whole, not when my legs were already slowing and I hadn’t reached her yet.
I was halfway to Maren when the monster started growing taller, growing impossibly larger.Then I realized why.It was coming out of the lava, walking on all fours right toward Maren’s hiding place.
“No no no,” I said, instinctively reaching for that golden light, reaching for speed, reaching for something to save her.
