volcano. All of them held some of its ages-old strength. Rainbow, plain, and black moonstone, plain feldspar crystals and gaudy sunstone, I drank all of it in, then thanked the rocks. In the ground I searched out the heavy, dense granite, dark and stubborn basalt, and the cruel edges of gabbro. I spread my net wider for stones filled with holes: scoria and pumice. I needed them so the drag of the volcano spirits would pass through me instead of pulling on me.
Once I was armed, I glanced at the pond. It bubbled like a kettle boiling on the fire. "Don't wait any longer, Evvy," I told myself. I let my magical body fall out of my flesh one, seeping into the ground.
There I saw as clearly with my magical eyes as I could with my real ones. The power of the volcano spirits shone in tiny wisps from a crack on the bottom of the pond. I dove into it, following the power back down into the earth.
The Quartz Trap
I took me a long time to track the traces of their magic until I ran into Flare and Carnelian. When I had noticed those bubbles in the pond, then seen their power under it, I had been afraid they were close to the surface.
Both of them had kept their humanlike shape and seeming. I hoped that was a good thing.
Where were you? Flare circled me so fast I began to spin like a top. We looked all over the chamber but you were gone! We thought you had left us with everyone old.
Why did you go? We know you did. We didn't like it. Carnelian stared at me. The stone around us softened and dripped down the sides of the crack where we drifted.
You almost crushed me up there. Although we were deep underground, I somehow knew where Mount Grace was. I pointed to it. I'm not like you. You have to see that. You nearly killed me. Of course I ran away. If you start trying to crush me against this roof here, I'll leave again, I promise.
You're big and strong. I'm not. I have a right to preserve my life.
We couldn't crush anybody here. The roof is weak, can't you tell? There's more bounce. Flare pushed the stone over us with his arms. It didn't bounce, though parts of it melted away. I think it bounces. If we push…
The shimmering waves around him streamed into the thin crack in the stone. That was the poisoned air, I knew. It would speed to the surface far in advance of him, bubbling into the pond. Could it widen the crack and open the way for Carnelian and Flare?
I didn't think Nory would like it if a volcano, or even a slowly leaking lava flow, came up out of Oswin's pond.
Maybe if I help. Carnelian rose to put her shoulders against the crack. It widened under her pressure. More poisoned air rose into it.
I felt heat rise below us. I looked down. At the far end of the crack, where it entered the underground chamber, the others had noticed something was going on. A handful of them had swum up to stare at us. I had to get Flare and Carnelian out of here. The others might not follow if we moved quick enough. They weren't as curious as these two. I wished I could get Luvo down here with his big noise. Luvo could teach them!
Luvo. Teaching. I thought of the crystals I had seen, the ones whose strength I had borrowed. Something about Luvo teaching crystals…
That morning on the mountain, above the canyon of the dead trees. Luvo was telling Jayat about the new line of power. He was saying it might be a trap for a mage, because of all the quartz crystals around it. The crystals would grab power and reflect it inside themselves. They would be a maze for magic. I might have a trap for my new friends. Of course, it would only work if pride wasn't something common only to humans. Still, Luvo had pride. It was worth a try.
I know a game you might like. I looked back at the other lava spirits. But it's a small game. The place to play it isn't very big. The three of us could play, but there isn't enough room for them.
They won't follow. Flare didn't even look at them. They only follow if it looks like we're getting out. Will this game let us