CHAPTER 5

Gio and Donal started forward in unison without so much as glancing at each other. I hobbled between them, my ankle pounding and sweat coating my skin despite the chill.

Torches lined these walls, few and far between, but they cast enough light for me to see without my dragon's intervention. I had no idea why torches had taken the place of the electrical or magical light in the previous area. At a crossroads we turned right, only to reach another one, where we turned left. I noticed subtle variations in the walls that would help me find my way back, and my dragon cataloged the various smells. After one more turn, the hall ended at a giant skull, the top of its head dusting the ceiling and its chin resting on the ground. Its cheekbones spanned the width of the hallway, and its eyes glowed a sparkling red. Each tooth was pointed in its slightly ajar mouth, giving it a more sinister look and feel.

Reno walked right toward it. Once there, he reached to the side and opened it like a door. I belatedly realized it was flat, only giving the illusion of protruding into the hallway.

"Cool," I said softly as we passed through.

The demons beside me acted like they hadn't heard.

On the other side, the smell intensified until it felt like I was swimming through it. The pungent aroma was equal parts musty and acidic, perfumed with sweat and death and decay. Its thickness coated my tongue and made my eyes water. My dragon recoiled within me, our senses blasted.

An orange glow filled the hall up ahead before it opened up into a large room. A suspension bridge spanned a chasm full of what looked like molten lava, glowing oranges and yellows and reds oozing and shifting. No heat rose, but the air shimmered with it.

"She'll need to be carried," Donal said as we stopped before the bridge.

Reno continued across, holding the chains on either side and making the bridge swing slightly with his movements. His clothing rippled with the air currents.

"I'll do it," Gio said. When Donal stepped away, Gio addressed me in a low voice. "Now, dragon, I know that you are hurting, but you have been on your best behavior. Now is not the time to act up. There is nowhere you can go. If you try, you won't get far. Killing us both on that bridge will serve no purpose. You'd best stick with good behavior. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

What does he think we're going to do, pitch us both into the demon lava, or whatever that stuff is? my dragon asked.

Seems like it. Are the other dragons here so desperate that they try to end their suffering in any way possible?

The thought filled me with sadness, but I pushed the emotion away. If they were desperate, I'd use that to help get us all out of here.

I nodded at Gio, then waited as he studied me for a moment. When he was apparently satisfied I was telling the truth, he matched my nod.

"How would you like to be carried?" he asked me.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Comfortably?"

His brow furrowed.

"Gio, what is the hold-up?" a female demon said at his back.

Reno stepped off the bridge on the other side of the chasm and looked back.

Still Gio waited, looking at me.

"Piggyback, then," I said.

Without a word, he turned and bent, flaring his arms behind him so that I could climb on. Donal stepped up to help me, and Gio curled his arms around my knees and straightened.

"I'm right behind you," Donal said, and I felt his hands grip my shirt at the center of my back.

"How many people have tried to pitch over the edge to their death—"

I barely finished getting those words out before a wave of vicious anxiety swept over me. Raw terror gripped my heart as he stepped out onto the bridge. A cold sweat ran over me, and suddenly I was desperate to escape. To run. To fling myself off the bridge and end it all.

FINO

Shit has gone sideways, folks, I said to the invisible audience, clutching Gio with all my strength. Something is amiss with this chasm.

It's magic, my dragon thought.

No shit, huh? You don't think I just suddenly went batshit crazy?

Suddenly? No. You've always been batshit crazy, or you wouldn't speak to an imaginary audience…

I squeezed my eyes shut, battered with more terror. Horrible thoughts swelled and tried to take over my motor skills. Then I peeled my eyes open and forced myself to loosen the fists clutching his shirt. I had to get used to this. I had to push on in spite of the feelings battering me. To escape, I might have to cross this bridge again, which meant I had to withstand its magic.

"What's happening?" Gio asked, slowing. I thought I heard a tinge of panic in his tone. "She's loosening her hold."

"I don't see any change from back here," Donal replied.

"Does this not affect you guys?" I asked, forcing myself to look over his shoulder. A wave of vertigo made my head spin. The urge to fling myself toward that glowing, shifting orange nearly undid me.

"No. Demons are not affected, or how would we make the trip?" Donal answered.

"With iron will, perseverance, and practice?" I gritted my teeth. The world spun around me, Gio's body the only thing that felt solid. The good news was that I no longer registered any of my pain. That was a blessing, such as it was.

Donal huffed. "What do you take us for?"

"She's a dragon," Gio said. "They aren't right in the head. They think danger is a challenge. They like facing it."

Not entirely accurate, but it made me sound like a badass, so sure, why not.

Screaming sounded behind us, loud and high. I turned to look, my vision wavering. Fear liquifying my courage and making it drain away little by little.

Jandry shoved and thrashed between the demons preventing him from climbing over the chain railing at the side. Another demon tried to crowd in, grabbing him and yanking him back.