Inferno Read online

  “You pushed me off a cliff,” I breathed. I attempted to sit up, but my arms crumbled under the weight.

  “I will do far worse.” He patted my head, causing my face to sink into the ash. “I promise.”

  “You pushed me off a cliff!” I glared at him with my jaw clenched. Some strength had returned, and I managed to sit up.

  “I know.” He shrugged. “We’ve already covered that.”

  “You!” I grabbed a rock and threw it at him. It landed a foot from where I sat and rolled through the ash.

  “Yes.” He pressed his finger to his lip and placed his foot on top of the stone. “You’ll need a lot of training before you’re of any use to me.”

  “Don’t come near me. God or not, you are insane.” I slowly stood and wobbled over to a lava rock. I sat down and breathed deeply.

  Zoran folded his arms and took his watch out. “Like I said, I have things to do. So come.” He motioned for me to follow.

  “No.” I leaned over my knees, feeling sick. “There isn’t anything for you to throw me off this time. I have no reason to go with you.”

  He rubbed his forehead. “My brothers’ pets were never this difficult,” he muttered. “Fine. I’ll be back for you later. We’ll see how well you fare on your own.” A jet of flames erupted from the ground. The smoke cleared and the god was gone.

  I rubbed my face and sighed. The man was mad if he thought I would willingly go with him after he sent me flying off a cliff. I looked down at my hands to see they were black. My whole body was filthy and naked.

  “He couldn’t leave the coat?” I muttered. I really wanted to set that man on fire. Nothing would come of it, but it would have made me feel better.

  After resting for some time and letting my strength return, I tried standing. My legs somehow held. I stumbled along in the opposite direction he had been dragging me. There had to be another way out of here other than the southern trail. And when I returned to Gail, if the governor wouldn’t let me stay, I’d take my chance in the forest. Anything would be better than this.

  I found a beaten trail and followed it as it twisted among the lava rocks. A thin cut in the earth held red-hot magma, running along like a river. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop looking at it. If I could survive falling off a cliff, then lava shouldn’t be that dangerous. I was a creature of fire.

  Kneeling down at the edge, I tentatively stuck my hand over it. The heat warmed my fingers and traveled down my arm. I closed my eyes. “Yes.”

  My hand dropped closer to the surface, and the feeling of pleasure grew. I dipped my fingers into the molten river, causing fire to lick its way up my arm. My head fell back. This was what I had been searching for all these years. The lava slipped through my fingertips and ate way the black soot. I sucked in my lips. The ultimate warmth. I wanted it.

  I dipped my foot into the flow. I wanted to jump in, but I wasn’t quite sure how deep a lava river could be, or if it was even possible to swim in it. The warmth that traveled up my leg was making me forget any hesitations. Leaning forward, I let myself fall in. My feet hit something solid, with the river running around my upper chest. It was perfect. I was finally surrounded by scorching heat.

  I laid my head back and closed my eyes. Maybe I’d live in the here rather than the mountains. A river that supplied endless warmth was something from my dreams, far better than a frigid, damp forest.

  “Finally,” I breathed. “No more cold.” Laying on my back, I floated along. This was the river I wanted, one of lava.

  Something brushed against my back. I sat up and looked around. Nothing was near me. I felt around with my hands but didn’t find anything hidden underneath the surface. This was ridiculous. I was swimming through magma. No creature could survive this heat.

  Something touched my leg.

  I jumped and frantically parted the river. I couldn’t see anything. My mind was messing with my senses.

  The feeling ran across my skin again.

  My imagination or not, I was done. It was nice to be warm, but not when things were moving beneath me that I couldn’t even see. I pushed through the lava to the side when something curled around my ankle. I yanked my foot free.

  Whatever was swimming below kept touching me. I spun in a circle, trying to get a glimpse of it. The creature rammed me and I dove for the edge. It coiled around me before I could escape, and I was dragged under. Wriggling free, I burst from the molten rock and twisted around.

  The lava started to arc up in front of me. A fire ignited with fags jolting out of it.

  “Oh, my god.” I backed away as a serpent with glowing eyes lifted its head.

  Its tongue flicked out.

  “Zoran,” I called quietly. “Zoran!”

  The snake opened its mouth wide and let out a shrill.

  “Zoran!” I covered my head.

  The serpent lunged forward. The burst of fire came from my chest.

  I didn’t move. My body was shaking, waiting for the creature’s strike. But it never happened. Looking up, I saw the serpent’s head was gone. Its long body sat petrified above me. The skin where its head had once been was sizzling and black.

  Struggling to breathe, I clambered to the side of the river and dragged myself out. I scooted away from the river until my back hit a boulder.

  Snakes that swam in lava. My mind couldn’t grasp the possibility.

  “What kind of hell is this?” I glanced around at the jagged rocks and charred surroundings.

  My eyes started to burn. I wanted to go home. I laid my head on my knees and took in calming breaths. I couldn’t stay here. I’d rather spend my life fighting off the cold than try to survive this devil’s playground.

  Chapter 14: Beetle Bait

  I stumbled along the rocky landscape. A cloud of soot rose with every step and stuck to my legs. It was starting to get dark, and Zoran still hadn’t come back for me. The man was insane, but the alternative of staying in the ravine overnight seemed much worse.

  A shrill echoed off the walls and rattled my ears. Covering my head, I dropped to the ground and looked to the sky. A giant shadow passed over, and more were coming. I crawled through the ash to a large rock with an overhang near a lake of lava. Hiding beneath it, I peeked out and saw the creatures had kept on going.

  Dragons—they had to be the most terrifying creatures I had ever met. But, then again, I didn’t know what else lurked in the depth of the ravine.

  I tried to wipe off my legs but only succeeded in smearing black up my arms. This whole thing was pointless. I was naked and covered in filth. This situation was just frustrating. I had no idea what I should do to get out of there.

  Climbing to my feet, I wandered over to a cave. A lava river ran through the middle of it and connected to the lake. The cave appeared empty, but I still couldn’t be sure. The lava had looked harmless enough until that snake had tried to eat me.

  I sat down on a rock and took deep breaths. Even though I kept blowing up anything that attacked me, I couldn’t live here. I had to find a way out of this fire pit. There were too many things trying to eat me lurking around.

  Something shifted in the darkness. My head snapped in its direction. It sounded like little legs scurrying across the walls. The lava lit up parts of the tunnel, but most sections were lost to the shadows. The snakes had taught me this lesson already, and I was getting out of there. Whatever was hiding inside, I did not want to meet it.

  I stepped outside and heard a dragon’s high-pitched call. It pounded in my ears. I sunk to the ground and crawled to the cave wall. Bringing my legs to my chest, I covered my ears.

  A small dragon dove into the lake. It emerged, flinging lava through the air with one of those serpents in its mouth. The snake had its fangs buried in the dragon’s snout. The beast flipped its prey into the air, caught it by the head, and slurped it down.

  The sight made my heart pound. This fire power was new to me. I didn’t know whether it would be enough to kill a dragon if one decided to s
wallow me. Was it even possible to blow up a dragon? It just dove into lava!

  The creeping noise grew louder. Spinning around, I searched the darkness, but saw nothing. The choices were either the cave monsters or a dragon. I honestly just wanted Zoran to come. I’d happily go with him now.

  The ground shook as a large dragon landed at the edge of the lake. It dipped its head into the magma and lapped up the molten rock, before throwing back its head and releasing a stream of fire. It shook the ash from its scales and turned to me.

  “Curse the gods.” My chest tightened with fear.

  A green liquid dripped from the dragon’s fangs. It sizzled when it hit the ground. I inched back inside the cave. The size of the beast had been the deciding element. I’d take my chances with the cave urchins.

  I slowly stood and backed into the cave. The moment I turned to run, black slime smacked me in the face. It burned my skin and sealed my eyes shut. I staggered blindly, trying to wipe it off. My foot caught on something, and I was slammed onto my stomach. I gagged on the cloud of soot and felt my face began to heat up. The black tar melted away and dripped onto the ground.

  Sitting up, I saw a black creature scurry down the wall. The beetle held its ground on a rock nearby. It snapped its pincers together. They were big enough to cut off a grown man’s head.

  Scooting backward, I felt my arm slip into the lava flow. The beetle’s stinger started to vibrate and glow red. The sound of bugs grew louder over my head. I looked at the ceiling to see a hole in the roof with beetles pouring out.

  “Holy shit.” I had fallen into hell and couldn’t even die to escape it.

  I tried to stand, but a wad of tar landed on my foot, sticking it to the ground. More followed, and all I could do was protect my face. My body was quickly being covered. The weight and pressure were becoming unbearable as my body was smashed into a tight ball.

  It hurt. My chest was being crushed.

  The tar started to heat up, but I didn’t think it was because of me. Something shot inside my cocoon and grabbed my neck. Air rushed into my lung as the endless heat spread through my body. My head emerged from the tar, and I opened my eyes to see Zoran staring at me like I was the most pathetic creature alive. The tar was still caked to my legs as he shoved me to the side and sent a wave of black flames throughout the cave. The beetles clambered over each other to get back into the nest.

  I laid there on the ground, gasping for air. “Where have you been?”

  Zoran zapped a beetle that was larger than my entire torso. It flipped through the air, before landing on its back.

  “I think I made it clear I’m a busy man.” He grabbed one of the bug’s legs and tossed it into the mouth of an emerald green dragon.

  The beast bit down hard, sending black tar flying everywhere. Some landed on Zoran’s coat.

  “Uther,” he growled.

  The dragon ignored him and stabbed another beetle with its claw before eating it.

  “What are those things?” I tried to scrape the tar off my legs.

  Zoran placed his boot in the center of my chest and slammed me to the ground. I choked as the air was forced from my lungs. The heat soon entered my body and melted the rest of the tar away.

  “Red-Tipped Tar Beetles,” he stated, grinding his boot into my skin. “And you, my stupid little sparrow, were nearly carried off into their nest.” He shook his head at me. “Do you know how difficult it would have been to get you out? It’s a giant maze carved into the mountainside. Not to mention you probably blow up all the tunnels to get to you.” The god walked away, rubbing his forehead. “Why did I get stuck with such a stupid creature...”

  “I didn’t know.” I slowly stood on shaky legs. “No one told me anything about this place.”

  “Well, most people die. It’s not exactly a popular travel route,” he replied, taking off his coat. “Cover up your...” He looked me up and down with a smirk. “Your problem.”

  Glaring at him, I quickly put it on and wrapped it around me. “It’s your fault.”

  “Oh, everything is my fault now.” He walked to his dragon and ran the back of his hand along its scales. “I did tell you to come, and you made the choice not to.” Zoran scratched the beast’s chin.

  The dragon’s glowing red eyes landed on me.

  “No, Uther, you can’t eat him,” he said with a hint of amusement. “This one has a habit of self-destructing.”

  Uther huffed out a blast of hot air that nearly knocked me over.

  “This is your pet?” I inched behind Zoran.

  Uther’s eyes continued to follow me.

  “Comments like that will end with you walking home.” He leaned against Uther. “A dragon can never be a pet.” He flicked off a glob of black tar from the beast’s scales. “They have pride issues. The younger one I have to beat into submission, but Uther here is simply a companion. It’s not like life is that difficult when you work for a god.”

  The dragon lowered its head, and Zoran climbed onto it. He sat down where its neck joined with its shoulders and held out his hand.

  “I won’t be coming back this time, so think wisely before you storm off. Tar beetles and a couple lava serpents are mild compared to some of the creatures that live within this ravine.”

  He didn’t have to say another word. I grabbed his hand and let him help me up. I sat behind him and hesitantly held onto the back of his shirt.

  “Do you want to try flying again?” He glanced over his shoulder at me.

  I clenched my jaw and wrapped my arms around his waist.

  “See? Was that difficult?” he scoffed. “Your pride was bruised only slightly.”

  Zoran flicked his wrist, and a red chain materialized like a harness around the dragon’s snout. It cooled to a dull black. Uther rose up and spread his wings. I clung to Zoran as the animal began to lift into the air with every beat of his wings.

  The dragon let out his call. I closed my eyes while the others answered it. Uther led the flock back down the ravine. I forced open my eyes to see the world rush past. I was on the back of a dragon, flying through the depths of hell. I never thought a seemingly normal day could end so badly.

  Chapter 15: Zoran’s Garden

  I tightened my hold on Zoran as the dragon rose high into the air. We were going a little too high. My stomach started to turn when we left the jagged cliffs of the ravine. The charred remains of Gail sat on top of the mountains. Half the village had been stained black.

  “You did far worse than my dragons ever had,” laughed Zoran into the wind.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. I felt like a monster, but it wasn’t entirely my fault. He didn’t have to give me that box.

  “Over there.” Zoran pointed to the north, tugging on the reins.

  Uther flew higher, and I could see blue far off in the distance.

  “You probably never knew you were so close.” Zoran looked over his shoulder as Uther glided through the sky. “On the other side is where my brothers live, along with the majority of the other gods. That’s the main reason why the people here are so naive. The other gods would never tolerate it.”

  Uther gradually flew low until he decided to dive straight into the canyon. My breath caught in my throat, and I slammed into Zoran. The god shook his head and leaned back throughout the sharp descent. Uther leveled out close to the ravine floor. The trail to Gail ran along the side of the cliff. Up head, an enormous cave entrance gaped before us. The smaller dragons sped on ahead and dispersed within the cave.

  “We’re going in there?” I breathed.

  Glancing back, Zoran gave me a smirk and ushered Uther forward. I closed my eyes as the large beast flew inside. I opened them when the humid cave air hit my face. The smaller dragons were lying about throughout the interior. Tunnels led off in different directions. The area was so large. It seemed like the mountains I had seen all my life had actually been semi-hollow all this time.

  “Don’t wander through here alone,” said Zoran. “You’
ll be lucky if a nest of tar beetles finds you before something else does.”

  “I never knew something like this was here.” I looked up at the containers on the ceiling, holding the familiar black fire. They let off a dark blue glow.

  “With the way Edgar governs that village, I’m not surprised.”

  A bright line of light formed in front of us. It started to grow as two spiked creatures opened the door. They looked like mutant porcupines that had been crossed with some kind of lizard. They were solid creatures and stood taller than any of the horses in Gail.

  “Welcome to my garden.”

  I covered my eyes as the sun hit my face. The area opened up into a vast clearing surrounded by the mountains on three sides. The remaining area was a pathway where a lava river flowed. Strange trees and plants covered the ground. Lava drained down the mountainsides like waterfalls. It was incredible. I leaned to the side and saw red fish leaping into the air, catching bugs that looked more like flakes of ash.

  “This is so...” My voice faded as a flock of blue-flamed birds took flight.

  “Fragile creatures wouldn’t survive in a fire god’s garden,” said Zoran, seeming unimpressed by anything. But, then again, this was his home. He was used to it.

  To me, it was incredible. It was a world that thrived on fire.

  Uther glided across the garden as I turned from side to side. I wanted to see all of this new world. I wanted to know about everything that lived in this strange land that had been kept hidden away in the mountains.

  Molded into the mountainside ahead, I could make out a balcony big enough for Uther to land on. It ran along the side of the cliff and turned the corner. We flew up close beside it. Carved pillars were evenly spaced with thin curtains hanging between them. So this was what a god’s home looked like. It was different.

  Uther pulled up and landed. I held onto Zoran as the wind swirled around us. The dragon settled on the ground and I quickly I slipped off his back, nearly falling in the process. Zoran stood and created a staircase of black flames. He walked down them. With a wave of his hand, they were gone, along with Uther’s reins.