Page 29 of Drakhana's Treasure
He leans over, wrapping his arms around me. He carries me easily upstairs to the roof where he shifts and takes off.
I can’t even consider shifting. It’s far away from me now. My body is quiet and cold and the pain is receding. I can barely move, but that’s okay, I’m pressed again Rastus’ chest and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
When we reach Steamboat Springs, I can feel the heat radiating from the ground. I can hear the lava and feel it flowing beneath my feet. He drops us halfway up the mountain, out of the way of prying eyes from tourists or rangers. I don’t need any help to find a small opening in the rock.
I move as quickly as I can through the narrow shaft. I hear Rastus cursing behind me, he’s much bigger than I am and is probably getting caught in the rocks.
Instinctively, I know which bend in the tunnel to take. The lava is calling me. It’s as if it needs me as much as I need it.
“Kirra!” Rastus calls from behind me. I call out, a wordless sound meant to reply to him but alert him that I am not stopping. I can’t.
I reach a bend in the road and stumble against the rock wall. Rastus hurries up to me, putting a hand on my back.
“Are you okay?”
I shake my head, starting to tremble. “I need to get to the lava.”
He picks me up and chooses a direction, trying to move downwards towards the lava as much as possible. The tunnel evens out and turns a corner and suddenly, we are there. The lava flows by right near Rastus’ feet. He actually gasps and shuffles back a few steps.
I wriggle in his arms, but he seems to have forgotten me for the moment. He’s staring into the shining flow, transfixed.
“I didn’t know it moved so fast.” He says absently. The flow is moving very quickly, the waves tossing and curling over each other. The dark patterns of melted rock streak through there orange flares, constantly changing, endlessly beautiful.
“Rastus.” I reach out to the lava, wriggling in his arms. “Let me go.”
“What are you going to do? You told me you meditate in the caves.”
His arms are twisted hard around me and I know he doesn’t want to let me go. He instinctively knows what I’m going to do and he is afraid. I put my hand on his chin and turn his eyes to mine.
“Let me go, Rastus.”
He shakes his head, frantically looking between me and the river.
I slither down his body until my feet touch the ground. He tries to keep ahold of me but I’m too quick. I point my hands at the lava and tip off the edge of the rock.
The heat sweeps me like tingling waves of pleasure. I’m melting in it and it doesn’t hurt. This fire in the magma flow is the same as the spark that fills my veins. I relax and let the flow carry me, tossing and turning in the undulating flow.
This is the matter I was born from, my mother and my goddess. I offer myself up to the heart of flame and if she wishes for me to become one with her and lose myself that is a sacrifice I willingly make.
Twenty
Rastus
Watching her slip into the river was the scariest moment of my life. One second, she was in my arms. The next, she was gone.
I wait for her to come back up. A big part of my mind can’t believe what I just saw. It’s impossible that she just slipped into the lava. As I start to pace, staring into it’s glowing depths, I feel a rush of emotion like nothing I have ever experienced.
There’s fear and loss cut with a deep string of frustration. I’m also curious and in awe. There is more to this woman than I ever guessed.
I pace a bit more. What do I do if she never comes back up? I could sit here forever. Even though I was worried, I honestly expected her to pop back up immediately.
My breath starts to come harder and faster as my chest tightens. My dragon rises and I let it, hearing a snarl echo around the chamber as my dragon contemplates the lava.
Feeling the keen edge of the wild countenance, I feel invincible. Dragon is above all forms, stronger, faster and more resilient. This arrogance is our greatest flaw. I haven’t been one with my dragon for a long time and I have no idea if we are communicating properly.
I kneel at the edge of the flow, sticking my hand out. Hovering my hand over the lava, I feel very little. Not even heat. I’m surprised and lower my hand a little more.
I dip the tips of my fingers in, wiggling them. I can feel the heat and a tingling sensation, but it doesn’t hurt.
