Elemental Heir | ✔️

Chapter 43

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Dristan's hand occasionally brushed against mine as we descended the seemingly endless spiral staircase that led to the sub-levels of the Aviary. The others trailed behind us. It was silent aside from the echoing of our footsteps on the stone.

At first, the stairwell had been massive. But the father down we went, the more narrow it became. Near the top, we could've all walked side by side down the stairs and had plenty of room. Now, it was nearly a single file line.

I'd dressed in my fighting leathers, matching the others. The clothes were good protection, and they were easy to move in. But I hadn't thought about the heat.

My brow was beginning to sweat as the heat grew stronger. Even with the sub-levels sealed off by this magical door, it was still not enough to keep the heat contained. Leather had not been a good choice at all.

Just as I was starting to think that we'd never reach the bottom, the stairwell finally spat us out into a long, wide hallway. At the end of the long corridor was a set of heavy, metallic looking, double doors.

"Here it is." Dristan said, taking my hand and leading me slowly down the hallway.

"What is that gods awful smell?" Ronan said in disgust as he trailed behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and caught sight of his face, which looked as if he were about to vomit.

"It wasn't me." Warrick chuckled as he strode past Ronan and came to walk at Dristan's side. I rolled my eyes.

Dristan shook his head at him with a small smile before glancing over his shoulder toward Ronan. "It's sulfur."

"It's repulsive." Ronan complained, covering his mouth and nose with the crook of his inner elbow.

"If you can't handle it now, you may want to rethink going beyond the doors. It'll be twice as bad." Andromeda said from behind him. Torryn walked by her side, smirking at the floor.

"I didn't say I couldn't handle it." Ronan said with a roll of his eyes.

"It is quite horrid." I said agreeably, wrinkling my nose.

Reaching the end of the hall, we stopped, and my eyes trailed from the floor, all the way up the double doors , and stopped at the ceiling. The doors seemed to be covered with some sort of transparent, jelly like material. It seemed to move subtly, undulating up and down the metal doors.

"What is it?" I asked in wonderment, reaching toward the strange material.

Dristan caught my wrist, gently yet firmly. "Don't touch it. It's ward magic. Like the one around the Aviary that we passed through when we came here."

I turned to look at him. "Why can't I touch it?"

He lowered his hand, taking my wrist with it. His fingers twined with mine as our hands came to rest at our sides. "This ward magic is more powerful. It has to be, so that the lava and heat will remain contained. If anyone besides me touches the doors, they will imminently fall unconscious and the magic within the spell will send a shock wave to my consciousness, alerting me that someone has tried to open the doors."