The Witch's Retribution

Chapter 18

"We may have to put our rescue on hold." Aisha reached a hand out to stop Lily.

Lily's magic flickered in annoyance. It shimmered along her skin, giving them more than enough light to see by. "Why?"

"We have been walking all night." Andrew pointed out with a yawn.

"We need to get to them as soon as possible." Lily insisted. "They could be injured."

"This volcano will erupt at dawn. We have to find somewhere safe to wait it out." Aisha looked up at the sky. "We don't have long."

"If they're out there--" Lily began.

"We have to assume they moved to the safer paths."

"How will they know which ones are safe?"

"Your brother has been here before, correct?"

"Milady." Joseph interrupted the two women. "I'm sure Basil has led them somewhere safe."

Lily whirled on him. "And if he hasn't? If he's too badly injured to go anywhere? What then?"

"Then he's lost to us anyway."

Lily glared at the knight, sharp words like knives on the tips of her tongue before she swallowed them back. She had to remind herself that she wasn't the only one who cared for the missing. She wasn't the only one desperate to find them. "Where are the safe paths?"

"Follow me." Aisha turned down a much smaller path, the ground starting to rumble beneath their feet. Ankle-deep ash pulled at their boots as the first streaks of dawn lit up the horizon. "There should be a cave somewhere around here."

More ash fell from the sky, coating every inch of their skin and clothes. Lily's eyes widened when she noticed a black cloud of smoke spewing from the top of the volcano. "Are you sure we'll be fine?"

"Of course. I've been out here at dawn many times. It will not be pleasant, but we'll live." Aisha replied, her cat-like eyes lighting up at the sight of a small cave. "Here. Get inside."

Andrew and Joseph went first, then Aisha, but Lily hung back. Her magic swirled around her like a fierce storm. She didn't want to hide out in some cave while the remaining members of their company could possibly be out in the open. They would surely die if they hadn't found shelter by now, and she knew she'd be just as doomed if she went out in search of them. Her magic calmed, falling onto her skin like water droplets. She would have to trust them. It was all she could do.

She ducked into the cave as the rumbling grew worse, nearly knocking her off her feet. She crouched down at the back of the cave. "How long will it last?"

"The eruption? An hour, maybe two. It's hard to say." Aisha sat against the wall, closest to the entrance.

"I've never heard of any volcanoes behaving this way." Andrew said.

"Most don't. There's one in the center of Pierake that's been erupting for nearly thirty years. This one, and many others like it, are forced to erupt at certain times." Aisha leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "Our ancestors possessed great magic and knew how to control the volcanoes. No one these days knows how they managed it or how their magic survived all these years, but we're grateful for the extra protection."

"So there's magic running through the volcanoes?" Andrew asked in awe.

"Only a few of them, yes."

"And yet, your queen despises magic." Lily said. "How odd."

"She has her reasons." Aisha replied defensively.

"I'm sure she does. Everyone who hates something has their reasons for it. Doesn't make it right though."