Steel Flight [Completed]

Chapter 17: Tunnels

It was pitch black now, as the tunnel angled up into the obsidian, and the only sounds I could hear were the scratch of her claws along the ground and the occasional bumping and slithering of her skin against the wall or ground. I took a deep breath, trying not to cry.

Finally, the tunnel opened up into what I thought must be a large cavern. Every movement echoed and it was cooler in here. Marrianna stopped just inside. She didn't just stop slithering, though. She stopped moving altogether for the first time since I'd met her. Her whole being stilled.

"Um," Jack said again.

Marrianna's skin stretched as her middle expanded. As it contracted again, intensely hot flame roared from her open mouth, illuminating our surroundings. Neither Jack nor I could contain our awe.

Large crystals of every color grew down from the ceiling and up from the floor. Some crept over walls or grew out of them. Marrianna focused her fire at the largest one, which was a whole column in what must be the center, until it began to absorb the light. When Marrianna ended her stream of fire, the crystal glowed brilliantly. The others caught the light and shone it back.

"Alright," Marrianna said, turning to us. "We should be far enough away now." Then she set us down.

I was still mulling over the meaning of her words when Jack said, arms folded, "You're getting us out of here, aren't you?"

"When the Ajaia

Slithers her way

Through your hole

What choice is there

In all the Sky

But to fly

Behind her back?"

Jack grinned. I just shook my head.

Then I caught sight of something, eyes narrowing. Jack spun to face the direction in which I stared, but there was no threat. I stepped slowly forward before lowering into a crouch in front of a puddle of liquid. Jack joined me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Don't know," Marrianna said. "It drips off the crystals."

Jack and I looked at each other. "You don't think. . . " I said slowly.

Before I could stop him, Jack dipped a finger into the liquid and licked it.

He grinned. "Water!"

I bit my lip. I didn't trust water that didn't come from the sky in the form of rain. But Jack, gulping down handfuls at a time, seemed fine.

So tentatively, I tried it. It didn't taste right. Instead of having a slight tang of steel, it had a sweet aftertaste. But my throat was so dry I forced some down anyway.

Finally, after Jack and I had drunk our fill and stood up, Marrianna led us on, through halls of crystal, back into slithering black passageways. We again lost all light, but I proceeded, one hand sliding along a smooth side of the passage. We hadn't been in this one long before light seeped back to my eyes. The tunnel opened up into the surreal world we had flown into, only this stretch was empty for as far as my eye could see.

The other two exited behind me, and Jack took in the expanse of glass before us. Marrianna reached one clawed foot towards him, probably getting ready for some more flying, but Jack leaped back. She stared at him, and he flushed.

"Uh, do you think maybe we could ride on you this time?

I half smiled. Of course Jack would ask.

"I doubt it would be comfy," Marrianna warned.

Jack brushed that off. "I'm not looking for comfy."

She stared at him a moment longer, deliberating. Then she gave in, as we all seemed to when it came to Jack. "Don't fall off." She got down, slender belly flat on the ground. Jack grinned and started climbing. Even laying flat, Marrianna was taller than me. I twisted my watch around my wrist, frowning. When Jack was situated between two spikes, with his duffel hanging on the one in front of him, he leaned down and held out his hand. I stared at it. Maybe actually sitting on something would make flying less disorienting?

I stepped forward and climbed enough to reach his hand, then let Jack help me up. It wasn't until I was up and settled that the full reality of what I'd just done crashed over me. Not only had I let Jack help me, but I'd let him help me onto Marrianna so we could fly on her.

I never thought I'd die by magical flying dragon.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Comment below: what did you like? Dislike? I'd love to hear from you!