Burning Passion: A Leo Valdez Love Story

Chapter 20

"We've arrived," Leo announced. "Time to Split."
Frank groaned. "Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?"

{LEO}

Well, I'd never flown on a pig before. They say there's a first time for everything. But flying pigs? I'd never actually seen one before.

Naia was holding on to the thing with all the strength she had. I wasn't sure what she wanted to do with the thing (maybe just go for a nice air view tour of this part of the Labyrinth? Or maybe she actually had a plan. I figured I'd let her take the responsibility for now, being the helpful guy that I was. (wink wink)

Anyway, Naia and the girl seemed to be having a serious conversation. "Look, Girly, this really isn't the time -"

She interrupted. "I'm Esmeralda, not Girly. Don't call me Girly. It's so not me."

"Sorry. Okay then, look, Esmeralda, this isn't really the time for introductions. It's very nice to meet you, but I have a pig to deal with."

The girl - Esmeralda - harrumphed, sort of. It came out awkwardly, because she had the hiccups.

Naia brought out her violet dagger. "Okay," she said, looking back at us, "Leo and Esmeralda, you two are going to jump off this thing, and when you're off, I'll stab the piggy. And hope I - or the rest of you - don't break anything while getting off. Okay?"

We nodded.

"Okay," she said. We were flying about ten feet over the volcano, and I didn't like the prospect of jumping off. But there was nothing I could do.

So I braced myself. Naia yelled, "jump!", loudly (the sow must have heard, because she spun around), and I grabbed Esmeralda, and pushed myself off. I tried to roll as I made contact with the ground, and let go of Esmeralda.

When I got up, she was sitting on the thin grass that grew around this part of the mountain, and Naia was on her feet, bloody dagger in hand. The pig was exploding above us, in brightly colored sparks.

"Nice," I said. "And you didn't have to use your madness thingy."

She nodded. The girl walked up to her and hugged her. "Don't judge. I'm a hug-y person, alright?" Esmeralda pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Is she okay?" I asked Naia. Esmeralda turned back to me. "Guess, what, troglodyte. "She" can talk! And My. Name. Is. Esmeralda., get it right!"

"Troglodyte?"

"It means "cave-dweller", basically."

"Ouch," I said. Esmeralda smirked. "And what are you doing here?"

"I walked into a room - I had gone to a new foster home and there was a weird room in the basement, so naturally I went inside - all of a sudden, I find myself in a cold dark corridor which I obviously explored as well. And then I went through another doorway, and, here I am in this godforsaken place."

She talked so much like an adult that I wanted to laugh, but the situation was kinda serious.

"Guess the cave was an entrance to the Labyrinth," Naia said to Esmeralda.

"Oh, you poor thing," I offered her a smile.

The little girl looked at me reproachfully. "I don't want your pity."

Naia laughed.

"Sorry," I apologized.

I looked around the mountain. It was pretty barren, and rocky. There was a small amount of grass, and a few little white flowers growing here and there.