Trapped in Fire

Trapped in Fire: Prologue

It was hot. The man swiped the sweat from his brow and pulled at his sticky shirt. He scuffled down the warm rock, small red dust blooming under his boots.

This man was an explorer.

The air became hotter as he crept down into the caves. A trickle of fear combined with the sweat on his back. He had walked around trees larger than his home and climbed mountains so high, he could see clouds from above. Now was not his first time descending into a cave, and he knew. This was unnatural.   From the slash in the surface, a gaping maw of blackness, to the red dust and dirt that stuck to his clothes, this cave threatened to consume him. Evil intent rolled on the hot air.

A beast surely lived down here.

"Don't. Move." The voice was loud and commanding; the man stopped in his tracks. "Go away."

"I can't."

"Why?" The speaker was tall and lean, covered head-to-toe in gauze. He couldn't see the person's face, but he clearly saw the bow and arrow aimed at his heart.

"I am an explorer," he said, as if that explained everything.

"Put your pack down. Hands on head." He did. "What is your name?"

"Silias Dockone. And, your's?"

The speaker was caught off guard. "Amaranthine," she answered.

"What a lovely name, to go with a lovely face, I'm sure," he joked.

"Lay down." Silias fell to the ground, and the woman bound his arms. He said nothing when his face scraped along the rock and his cheek deformed.

"Where are you taking me?"

"No questions." 

"I am a curious person," he said. 

The cloaked person huffed and pulled him to his feet. They shuffled deeper into the cave. "You came looking for us; you should know," she said. "Watch, it gets steep."

"Thank you." They shuffed down another steep incline and crossed a thin stone bridge. Water churned underneath and steam filled the air. He gulped, never straying from the edge. "You should get some handrails."

"Just don't fall."

"How do you stand the heat?"

"Are you going to keep talking?"

"Until you stop answering, and maybe a little more."

They reached the end of the bridge. "I've known nothing else," she said with finality. "Plus, I belong here. This is my home, and I know it."

"Ah, I wish I could say the same! But I have this itch to always travel!" the man complained. "Would you like to come with me?" His voice rose above the steam, hopeful.

"You're my prisoner. Act like it." Any type of conversation vanished and they trudged on in silence. The cave widened, expolding upward and outward. The top vanished into a haze of black, and only Amaranthine's sure steps kept them in line. Lights on the horizon gave hint to a town huddled in the depth of the earth.

"Beautiful," Silias muttered. He stopped walking as the sight and the beauty filled his heart. Beautiful. 

"Silias?" He turned to the woman. Her masked face stayed strong, focused on her homecity. "If you survive this, take me with you. On an adventure."

A slow smile crept across his face. "It would be my pleasure."