CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Royce led the way across the island, the rock shifting with every step. Scraps of basalt gave way under his feet, while around him, the whole island seemed to breathe in waves of fire and superheated air.
“Careful!” Matilde called out, as hot water burst out of a geyser just ahead. Royce was already leaping back, while a shower of water struck Gwylim. The bhargir howled before shaking himself like a wet dog, the wounds already starting to heal.
“That was close,” Royce said. “Everyone, be careful. I think even the ground here is dangerous for us.”
The island seemed desperately close to being a living thing, and an angry one at that. The lava flows on the upper slopes seemed like blood flowing through veins, while the bursting of the geysers felt like the snorting of an
