Page 37 of Echoes of Fire

“I—” I started and stopped, warring with the hurricane of words swirling in my chest. Finally, I just forced them out. “I don’t want to ruin this. Or hurt you. I don’t know what you expect?—”

“There is no expectation,” he said quietly, though the weight of his voice made it sound like a promise. “Not from me. Not from the bond. Only what we choose to give each other.”

I stared at him, caught off guard by his directness. When I didn’t respond right away, Rath stepped closer—not looming or pressing but moving into my orbit with deliberate care. His tail dragged faintly along the floor behind him, its slow sway at odds with the stillness of his shoulders and wings.

“I want to take you somewhere,” he said, his gaze holding mine. “Will you come with me?”

The abrupt shift threw me, but the steadiness in his voice left me with few options for protest. My body moved almost involuntarily, standing before my mind could catch up to what I was agreeing to.

“Where?” I managed, trying to shake off the lingering nerves tightening my spine.

“You’ll see,” Rath replied, a faint curve brushing the corners of his mouth. This wasn’t his usual sharp edge—it was something lighter, easier. The fleeting glimpse of it eased the tension in my chest just enough for me to exhale.

Without waiting for further hesitation, Rath extended his arm. I glanced at it, then back at him. His expression didn’t change, but there was something faint and vulnerable in the way he waited. Like stepping back might hurt him more than I realized.

I placed my hand lightly against his arm. Rath’s claws flexed against his side, his throat dipping with a slow swallow, and then he turned, leading me wordlessly to the chamber’s exit.

The walk was short, the corridors of Scalvaris familiar now, though they always seemed different when he was near—charged by his presence, by the awareness that I could always feel subtly pulling between us like gravity.

When we reached the shaft that led out toward the surface, I hesitated. It wasn’t dread or fear exactly—just the unfinished idea of stepping beyond my new normal into something entirely unknown, again.

Rath stopped with me, glancing back, his head tilting just enough to catch me in his unwavering gaze. “Do you trust me?” he asked, as blunt as ever.

The question caught me sideways, throwing me off balance before I managed a simple nod.

“Hold tight,” he said, and before I could ask what he meant, he swept me into his arms with effortless strength.

The air shifted sharply as his wings unfurled, the rush of volcanic wind cutting through the cavern’s stale heat. Rath crouched briefly, his tail curling behind him for balance, before leaping into the vertical shaft.

I locked my arms around his neck, reflexive fear sparking in my chest, but it evaporated almost immediately. There was no faltering in his movement, no hitch of uncertainty as his wings beat powerfully against the currents, carrying us upward.

We broke through to the surface in a rush of light and heat, twin suns blazing against the horizon, their fiery glow drenching everything in gold and crimson. My breath caught as Rath gained altitude, the molten-red deserts stretching endlessly below, interrupted only by jagged peaks that sparkled like captured lightning.

The view was staggering, beautiful in a way that felt almost violent. I couldn’t look away.

Rath angled his wings wide, leveling us into a smooth glide. The two suns cast long shadows against his scales, their reddish glow sharpening the dark tiger stripes that cut across his ruby red skin.

“You never see the sky like this underground, not even from the sky shafts,” I said softly, more to myself than to him.

Rath’s voice rumbled low, almost thoughtful. “The surface is harsher. Less forgiving. But even here, beauty survives.”

I turned my head slightly against his chest, catching the faint shift in his profile as he adjusted for whatever destination we were headed toward. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he said simply, the words so heavy with quiet finality they felt like a vow.

It wasn’t an answer. But I didn’t press him. I watched the alien landscape shift below us—the streams of lava glinting like veins beneath the crust and the peaks that caught fire in the suns’ light.

After what felt like an eternity wrapped in wind and alien light, Rath began to descend, his wings pulling inward as we spiraled toward a break in the terrain I hadn’t noticed before. Nestled between spires of heat-resistant flora, an oasisshimmered below—a natural spring enclosed by rock walls streaked with veins of crystal. The pool radiated faint steam, kissed by the twin suns but seemingly untouched by the harshness of Volcaryth.

The sight stole my breath. It was like stepping into a memory of Earth, somehow blooming alive on a world that should have crushed it.

Rath landed gracefully at the edge of the spring. As his feet touched the ground with a solid thud, his arms remained steady, still holding me securely against him. For a moment, I clung to him, my gaze caught between the shimmering spring and the sharp edges of the cliff walls framing it. The contrast of molten hues and soft greens was surreal. The terrain around us was harsh and jagged, yet this place seemed untouched, almost sacred.

“You can let go now,” Rath murmured, his voice low and impossibly soft near my ear, cutting through the reverent quiet around us.

I flushed, realizing how tightly I’d been holding onto him, and awkwardly pushed against his chest. He lowered me to the ground slowly, scanning my face for something I couldn’t name before finally stepping back. His absence left a sudden, oddly cool space at my side, though his heat still lingered faintly in the air.

I turned in a slow circle, taking in the spring. The water shimmered unnaturally, its surface tinted with soft, iridescent hues—brilliant greens, blues, and purples playing against the sunlight streaming through the crystal-lined walls. Heat seeped up from the stones beneath my feet, and strange flowering plants clung to the crevices, their petals pulsing faintly as though they were alive.

---