The Archer (A Tale Of Heroes & Demons Book 1)

Chapter 49

The Lava Plains

"The world is a goddamned evil place, the strong prey on the weak, the rich on the poor; I've given up hope that there is a God that will save us all. How am I supposed to believe that there's a heaven and a hell when all I see now is hell."

Aaron B. Powell, Doomsday Diaries III: Luke the Protector

They travelled quickly over the land and within a few days they knew they were close. The temperature around them increased considerably until were all visibly sweating.

The group reached a small hill and when they climbed it the heat nearly knocked them back. Once they crested the incline they stopped to survey the scene before them.

Laid vast across the landscape, further than the eye could see, molten rock bubbled and shifted. The land beyond shimmered in the heat, and the shadow of a mountain loomed above.

"Is that it? Where the flame is?" Lilith wondered aloud.

"Sure seems like it." Orelius cocked an eyebrow. "But how are we supposed to reach it? I don't suppose we could swim across."

They turned to Caedmon. "Well?" Orelius asked. "You're the one with the story. Any clues on how to traverse the great Lava Plains?"

Caedmon shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Perhaps it is best to travel another way. Would it not be easier to go around?" Lilith tilted her head to the side.

Declan shook his head. "We don't have time to go around. The more time we spend avoiding obstacles, the more lives are lost."

"Do you even know what happens to the girls the demon steals?" Lilith's eyes were bright with curiosity.

"Why should it matter? It must be stopped." Declan waved his hand absently.

Lilith shrugged. "I was only thinking aloud."

"Perhaps it is best to keep such speculations inside, then." Orelius tapped his temple.

"Or perhaps she is correct," Katherine began, "and we should be speculating about the demon's motives. What is the grand plan? The final act in this elaborate scheme of death and destruction?"

"Or perhaps again," Lilith attempted, "we should concentrate on the task before us?"

They continued to discuss different fashions to cross the bubbling plains, oblivious from to the world around them. Finally, Orelius stopped and put up his hands.

"Why don't we just float across?"

Declan scoffed. "Float? What do you mean by that?"

"Lava is only melted stone. Could we not just use a large stone and propel ourselves across?"

Shaking his head, the archer said, "That is probably the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard."

Katherine, however, stepped forward. She could feel the beginning of an idea forming in her mind. "Orelius may not be crazy after all." She strode towards the edge of the gurgling lava and knelt to the ground.

Ensuring there was enough space that she would not be burned, she placed her hands on the ground and reached. She pushed her magic across the ground, looking for cracks in the earth, something that she could pry apart.

When she stood now she smiled and turned to the rest of the group. "I believe I have a way for us to cross."

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