The Final Downfall WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors: Book 2]

17

A shrill and oddly feminine cry came from the chute as Zane fell face first onto the stone ground. Out of the three, he had the most ungraceful landing and was shown up by both Carmin and Dan floating down, landing effortlessly on their feet. Carmin struggled to hold in a laugh as Zane shot her husband an accusing glare. Dan masked his own laugh behind an innocent look, denying that he had pushed Zane down the cute without warning.

Carmin's attention moved from the two men now arguing to the room they were standing in. It was hidden in the pool of lava. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room were covered with a sheet of gold. It was bright enough that Carmin wished she had a set of shades to take the glare off.

The gold held the heat, making the temperature of the room almost unbearable compared to that of the edge of the pool. Almost. Being a Dragonoid, she was accustomed to high temperatures and was rarely bothered by them. Now, were they in a field of ice . . .

"There's nothing here," Zane whined, bring Carmin out of her thoughts.

"There's nothing in this room," Dan corrected. "There will be something here."

"Have you met your Queen?"

Dan went to answer, holding up his hand, but stopped. He frowned and gave his friend an agreeing nod. "Good point."

It was true. For all they knew, this room was just another decoy and a trap was about to spring on them. It certainly sounded like something Amneris would do. Carmin wouldn't put it past her at all. Even so, the path had been relatively simple by now. There had to be something, even if it was just another trap.

"If it's not in this room, then maybe it's somewhere close by," Carmin thought aloud. She placed her hand on one of the gold walls, skin tingling at the heat but not burning. No visions crossed her mind. However, the feeling that they were close to something did. Yes, there was definitely an item nearby.

A small carving near her hand caught her attention. It was small enough that it would be easily overlooked, especially as it was carved into the gold. The fact that they were the same colour and the same material made it even harder to see. Carmin recognised the image. It was a wai'u, one of the animals native to Lyriumia's main continent, mostly found around the Great Lake at its centre. She'd always thought they were beautiful creatures.

She pressed the image with a finger. It retracted into the wall before returning to its original position. The sound of gears turning filled the room. The wall begun to move. Carmin braced herself for the oncoming wave of lava from the other side to push them away–

Nothing happened.

The wall had completely retracted but the lava remained in place. It was like there was a shield of some sort keeping it there . . .

She frowned, glancing back to her companions. Zane was giving her a death glare at the risk she'd taken. He wasn't lava proof and would have died. Dan, on the other hand, was being the ever-encouraging husband. Carmin was surprised he didn't try to stop her. He usually attempted to talk her out of these things. With a deep breath, she took a step forward.

The first thing she expected to experience was the heat. But that never came. The lava felt warm but not hot. It was like she was floating in lukewarm gold-orange water. Carmin had swum in lava before, she was a Dragonoid after all, but never had it felt like this. It made her wonder if there was a spell they hadn't picked up on.

A glance back showed that neither Dan nor Zane had followed. They were standing at the edge of the wall, watching. She was alone with the strange sensation. Deciding that floating around would get her nowhere, Carmin used her wings to push herself forward.