I sent a tendril of my power up through the crack. There was poisoned air on the stones above us. In two hundred feet or so I broke through into the open, above the ground. Suddenly I wondered: What happened to the trees there? Heat from my two new friends and air from the chamber would have come from that crack in the soil. I felt no stones washed by water, so there was no stream to poison, or a pond, but…what about the grass, and the bushes?
Let’s go here! Flare dragged me back into the big chamber. Carnelian caught up with us and leaped on Flare. They swirled around like kittens play-fighting for a moment. Then they grabbed me.
I thanked every god I knew, from Yanjing to Emelan, for the protections I had put on myself. Without them, Flare and Carnelian’s white-hot touch might have made even my power burn. I can move on my own! I told them. They ignored me, towing me to another crack in the stone ceiling that might lead to a way out.
Three cracks later, I was so very tired. If magic could bruise, I was bruised. I wanted to go to my body and face Rosethorn and Luvo. I wanted a chance to think about these two lava creatures. Floating high above a pool of lava, I tried to imagine asking Oswin if he could take in two new kids. Oh, I’d say, they’re a little hot–tempered, or a little hot at hand, or a little hot under the collar…
Let’s try the top way, Carnelian announced. The way the Oldest said some break free. We go a little farther every time.
But it’s hard. Flare whined like any human kid. It’s hard and we push and push and only get a little farther along and it hurts!
But now we have Funny Spirit with us, and she can help, Carnelian said.
My name isn’t Funny Spirit. It’s Evvy. I’ve been calling him Flare, and you Carnelian. If you have real names, you could tell them to me now. I suppose I wasn’t very polite, but I did feel bruised and weary.
Names? We never had them in the pool. Everyone knows everyone else…Flare for you, and Carnelian for me. Names… Carnelian sounded awed.
What’s Carnelian? Flare I understand, he said. I flare all the time. But Carnelian sounds funny.
It’s the name of that darker color she likes, I explained. Since they didn’t seem to have a high opinion of stones, I wouldn’t say what a carnelian was. Where I come from, everyone doesn’t know everyone else, so we have names.
My color. I like it because it’s nice and it has a gentle feel to it, said Carnelian. Not hard, like the brighter colors. And you are Evvy. What kind of name is that?
It would take too long to explain, I told them.
Who cares about explanations? She’s Evvy. You’re Carnelian. I’m Flare. Creatures from the cold world have names, so we will, too. We are going to leave the pool and become famous, even if we die.
Then let’s try the hardest way…Flare. If there are three of us pushing, maybe we can break out this time, Carnelian suggested.
I’m not sure I want us to break out… I spoke too late. The problem with these creatures seemed to be that they never ran out of strength. I suppose that made sense. They did live in a constant source of it. They grabbed my hands and raced straight up with me. The chamber rose to a high peak just off the center. The walls closed in slowly as we flew, higher and higher. We were in a cone-shaped area, with Flare and Carnelian bound straight for the cone’s narrow tip.
The three of us rammed into it. I screamed, crushed. I knew they felt the same way, but they were pushing, grinding all three of us into that tip. I saw the tiniest of cracks ahead of me. They jammed us into it. Grain by grain the crack spread. With each grain that broke free, I was forced tighter into that opening. My pro tections against them creaked and shuddered. My concentration was breaking up. If I lost that, I would lose my hold on the spells. My magical body would evaporate.
I panicked. I fought Carnelian and Flare, wrestling until I popped between them. I sped back to the huge chamber. There I flailed about until I saw the path back to my body. I flew up through earth, water, and stones. I scrambled to reach my meat body, my meat lungs, and cooler air. When I shot onto the basalt where my shell sat, my mind went black.
Everything hurt. Everything. There were pins in my muscles. Big, rusty needles stabbed my joints. I tried to draw the coolness of the basalt into myself, to make the hurting stop. I drew nothing. My magic was as dead as ash. Playing with Flare and Carnelian had used it up.
I tried to lift my head off the columns and was sorry I’d ever thought of it. My neck was one big ache. I opened my eyes. Those worked, thanks to the damp cloth on my face. I tried to lift my arm, to move the cloth. A new cramp the size of Mount Grace made it seize up.
Jayat took the cloth away and put a lantern on the rock beside me. I was surprised—it was dark. Briskly he kneaded the cramping arm. “I’ve never seen a living dead person before.” He acted like that was a perfectly normal thing to say. “She said to come back with a coffin, because that’s how she’s going to ship you to Winding Circle. She was very convincing. Should I believe her?”
I tried to nod, and cringed as my neck locked.
Jayat massaged my shoulders, loosening knotted muscles. “You ought to be ashamed, scaring Master Luvo like this. He’s been curled up in a ball for hours right next to you. He’d tell me you were all right, just ‘traveling.’ Then he wouldn’t say another word for the longest time. The others came past here about mid-afternoon. She came over and checked your heartbeat and your breathing. Master Luvo talked to her and said you were well. Dedicate Initiate Myrrhtide was in fine fettle, now that you’re in disgrace. Oswin wanted to leave you some food, but Dedicate Initiate Rosethorn said to let you starve. When she went away, though, it turned out she left you these.” He held up a cloth with some cold dumplings in it.