19
Gem held her breath and watched Ross cross a bridge made of hardened lava. She was exhausted. Throughout the day, their journey had been a tedious one requiring one nerve racking decision after another.
The path had continued to change in front of them. There were times when the ground opened up to reveal a river of lava while another section crusted over. The enchantment was meant to catch the unwary. More than once, Gem had grabbed the back of Ross’s jacket to steady him when the ground began to crumble under his feet.
By the time the lake was in view, everyone’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point. It didn’t help that another part of the enchantment was a spell that slowly drained them of their magic. Everyone but Ross was stumbling with fatigue toward the outer boundary o
