Page 76 of The Curse of Ophelia

Glawandin glided over to the pool of blue fire and spread her arms wide, her melodic voice carrying throughout the volcano, “I believe you know where to go next.” She pointed to the Spirit Fire.

I moved to her side on shaking legs and looked into the glowing depths below. One more step, and this would be over. One more phase to endure and I would ascend. A fall through this white-hot heart of the volcano was all that stood between me and the dream I clung to so desperately that it nearly shattered me. But this was the phase that broke the most warriors. The one that would try my emotions, raise things I did not want to face.

The fire swirled below me, shades of blue melding into a white pit of the unknown.

Before I could reconsider, I dove in.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Two Years Earlier

Malakai

Ash swirled around me as I stared into the pit of lava within the Spirit Volcano. The blend of yellows, oranges, and reds was eerily beautiful. Tantalizing.

I could do it, I thought, wrapping my hand over the wound in my shoulder that the wolf’s claws left behind. I hadn’t expected those beasts on the tundra. I don’t know what I had thought waited for me, but a half dozen canine creatures lunging at me, jaws snapping, ready to rip life from me, was not it. Across my shoulder, one beast left behind long gashes to match its three sharp nails, but they had already partially healed on my trek up the side of the volcano, only slices of tender pink skin accenting my flesh now.

The switchbacks had been precarious, but I had almost wished they were longer. Wished I had more time before I reached this point. I was not ready to arrive at the top of the volcano, and all I thought about as I climbed those thin shelves was how I should have prolonged the journey. I should have laid beneath the stars of our territory for one more night. Should have soaked in the beauty of the world around me before it was too late.

But the lava was right there, churning below me, a living sea of fire. It would be so easy to break my promise and dive right in, face the Spirits, and emerge on the other side, ascended. It would take one step. Instinctually, my feet moved closer to the edge, the burn of the flame warming my skin and the sweet smoke filling my senses. My body longed to grasp the birthright that flowed through my blood.

Would the Spirits even accept me, though? With the secrets I held, I was not sure I would be deemed worthy. They could reject me, and then I faced eternity in their realm.

I supposed it didn’t matter. Dead or alive, it was the same fate at this point. The heat of the flames was more enticing the longer I considered the option. I could…I kicked a rock over the edge of the void and watched it tumble through the air. I could do that. Free-fall through the smoke like that piece of gravel and let the flames do with me what they wished.

On instinct, my hand shot to the tattoo on my chest, exposed to the night air through the tear the wolf’s claws left in my leathers.

No, I could not take that step.

There was too much at stake.

As if in answer to my mental turmoil, a figure rose beside me, dark and silent as the breath of a shadow.

“You could do it,” he whispered, his voice one with the smoke. Sparks crackled out of the volcano and settled into the rock around us, inviting me in. I stared until the embers faded into the ground as if they had never existed.

“No. I cannot.” I turned to face him, relieved that his face was hidden by the hood of his cloak. Maybe that made me a coward, but I was grateful I did not have to look into those eyes. “I have made my choice.”

The lowered voice that came out of his shadowed hood was grim. “It is the right one. For all involved.” His hand cupped my uninjured shoulder, and I cringed at the contact. I did not want this man touching me. He was the root of all that was wrong in my life, and now I was his.

A beacon of flame shot into the air, the precise golden shade of Ophelia’s hair. “Let’s go then,” I muttered, heart breaking for the girl I loved. But I turned away from the golden light.

“Well, there is one more thing,” the man said.

Before he could finish the thought, six armed figures emerged around the turn of the volcano, lining up amid the rubble at the base of the sloped ascent to the rim, waiting for me. Weapons glinted in the light of the flame; each man was strapped with at least three different blades. Their customary axes caused my stomach to turn. In their pale hands, the sharp tools were deadly. My own hands flexed, eager to reach for the spear across my back, though I wasn’t worthy to wield it.

“What is this?” I growled at my captor, keeping my eyes on the six men below me and their deep green armor. I clenched my fists to keep my hands from shaking—in anger, in fear, I wasn’t sure which.

Their line parted, and a dark, ethereal being emerged from behind them. She moved like a storm cloud, slow but sinister. Even with the smoke shadowing the moon, her skin glowed white aside from the two dark scars across her face. A cascade of black hair billowed around her, blending into the skintight, dark dress she wore.

A chill ran down my spine.

With her hands clasped in front of her, she appeared regal, but I knew the bloody history that coated those hands. The haunting smile that spread across her face told me she was aware of that fact.

I turned to the man beside me and repeated my question with vehemence. “What is this?” I gestured to the guards below and their maleficent queen.

“It is—” His voice stuttered ever so briefly, but one nod from that woman and his demeanor changed. He became rougher, more hideous. “This is a change of plans. Do not fight it, Malakai.” A silent plea slipped into his voice on my name.

The laugh she released in response cut through the night like a shard of glass on delicate flesh. Unrepentant, jagged, and threatening.

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