Diamond in the Rough - Vivienne Savage Page 0,26

with magic.

Then a whole new world of beauty opened to them and the ruins of the original Moritta city came into view. It wasn’t a small village as she’d expected, but wall after wall of polished stone carved into the interior walls of the volcano. A wide rim spiraled from the apex of the structure to the bottom, where it tapered into a shoreline hugging the bubbling center. Above it, structures hung suspended on platforms connected by bridges anchored against walls with gleaming, unwarped metal. Beneath what appeared to be different districts of the city, lava splashed upward in a myriad of shapes, glowing an intense orange.

The smell was almost intolerable at first, the boiled eggs of sulfur accompanied by the stark and bitter taste of ash and minerals wafting in the air.

“They lived here?”

Xavier gingerly stepped up beside her, taking care where he stepped with his huge claws. “Somehow.”

Rosalia had a dozen questions. How had they tolerated the smell? What prevented the volcano from erupting and wiping away their entire civilization overnight? How long had thrived within the city before Xavier’s treacherous grandfather abused their trust and stole their most valuable treasure?

Since staring below provided no answers, they continued once the fleeting sense of vertigo passed and she no longer felt as if she’d topple over the ledge. Little by little, she acclimated to the heat engulfing her, much like a swimmer adjusting in the moments following a dive into cold water.

Little by little, the sulfurous odor of the volcano faded to the back of her mind, vanishing from her awareness until only the earth and ash remained. Each time she glanced toward the lava pit, the trepidation faded.

It called to her.

A fleeting fantasy flitted through her imagination, born from a desire to swan dive from the edge of the cliff into the lethal pool—

Xavier wrapped one claw around her and drew her away from the ledge.

“I wasn’t going to jump in.”

“I’m not so sure of that. Your eyes are glowing. You’re…” The dragon’s nostrils flared as he took her in with his huge eyes. “Different since we arrived. I think the volcano is awakening your djinn blood.”

“Self-preservation, maybe. We’re almost there, anyway. Isabis said my mother would have placed it on the altar in the temple in the upper level of the volcano.”

The Moritta believed their deity watched over them from above and didn’t dare build their residences higher than the temple dedicated to the god of fire, love, and the desert. They crossed a bridge and climbed a few flights of stairs.

The temple loomed before them at the top.

“Are you ready for this?” she asked Xavier, who had assumed his elvish form and donned his clothing again.

“I have no choice but to be ready.”

A statue of Moritan and his beloved, Islena, decorated the exterior of the temple. Most people of the faith widely accepted that Islena and Moritan married, and they were the mother and father of a host of lesser demigods and goddesses. A sect of his followers in Enimura claimed the god had no need of a wife, for he was the lover of all. It pleased Rosalia to see the Moritta were the former.

The gemstone awaited them on an altar ensconced in flames, their color shifting from purple to red, red to orange, white, and blue in a mesmerizing display.

The presence of something large and powerful hummed in the air.

“He’s here.”

“Who’s here?”

“Moritan,” Rosalia breathed. “But he’s weak, as weak as Nindar, and I feel him fading.”

She moved faster, taking off into a sprint, all but prepared to die into the flames to retrieve the precious ruby. “I have to step inside to get it.”

Xavier reached out to take her wrist. “Wait.”

“Why?”

“You don’t know what that will do to you.”

“My mother was a djinn.”

“Yes. Your mother. You may not be able to withstand the heat of magical flames.”

“I don’t have any choice but to try.”

“Rosa…”

The flames beckoned her again with a tangible pull. She wanted to step in them, and they wanted her as well. She ignored the sensation for the moment and turned her face toward Xavier.

“I love you,” he said quietly. When he kissed her, she felt the truth in his words all the way to the bottom of her soul. Somehow, she forced herself to step away at its end.

“I’ll be right back,” Rosalia told him. She refused to believe it was goodbye.

There would be a thousand more kisses and hugs, tender embraces and sweet caresses.

“Hurry back,” Xavier replied with a tired