“Oh, my god,” she sobbed. “I thought I was going to die.”

  Raj drew her into his arms. “It’s okay,” he comforted, stroking the back of her head with one hand. “You’re safe now.”

  Looking over Raj’s shoulder, Doc caught Leah’s eye and winked. Leah grinned. She had thought Doc’s reaction was a bit uncharacteristic for her.

  The rest of the company made it up to the ridge without incident. The Marines climbed the rope hand over hand, while the Miracles allowed themselves to be pulled up. Once everyone was gathered at the top, they took a short break while Rave and Kai scouted the route ahead.

  “This is exactly what we needed,” Kai told the group when he and Rave returned. “The path is perfectly safe, and there’s a lava tube less than a mile ahead that we can use to enter the mountain.”

  Leesa and her friends weren’t sure if that was good news or not.

  CHAPTER 29

  THE COMPANY GATHERED in front of the opening to the lava tube. The entrance was larger than Leesa had expected, half again as tall as a person and wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side. Enough light filtered in from outside for them to see a short distance into the tunnel’s depths. The dark gray, hardened lava walls appeared both smooth and rough at the same time. There were plenty of irregularities in the surface—ripples, knobs, indentations and such—but all of them looked relatively smooth, without sharp or jagged edges of any kind.

  The tube sloped downward into the mountain at a slight angle. Walking along the uneven surface would require some care, but it didn’t seem as if it would be overly hazardous. Leesa didn’t think she could say the same about the things that might await them farther down inside the passage.

  “Rave sees best in the dark,” Kai said, “so he and I will lead the way. I think we can risk a little bit of light, but we need to keep it as dim as possible. Leesa, Lights and Fiona can all provide illumination, so we’ll spread you three out.

  “Leesa, you’ll follow Rave and me. Lights, position yourself somewhere in the middle of the column. Fiona, stay toward the back with Raj. Remember, create only enough light to allow everyone to see where to step.”

  “And keep as quiet as possible,” Colonel Gallway added. “I know from experience that sound can echo in strange ways in caves, and I imagine a lava tube is no different. We don’t want to announce our arrival unnecessarily.”

  “Is everyone ready?” Kai asked.

  No one spoke, but every head nodded. A few of the Miracles swallowed hard. Walking into a volcano that still rumbled and shook beneath their feet now and then was not a task undertaken lightly.

  Rave led them into the tube. They hadn’t traveled far before a bend in the tunnel ended any chance of glancing back and seeing daylight. Even though the entrance was still not very far behind them, not being able to see it seemed to emphasize there would be no turning back.

  They trekked in silence through the dim cavern, the first part of the column lit by the pale yellow lights cast by Leesa and Lights, while those in the rear were bathed in Fiona’s red glow. Despite the dimness of the lights, they still cast grotesque shadows on the uneven walls, further reminders of the unknown dangers that might await them in the depths of this mountain.

  Measuring time inside the tunnel was nearly impossible. The monotony of the unchanging lava walls seemed to stretch out the hours. Rave and Kai remained on high alert, as did the Marines and Raj at the rear of the column. The rest of the party ambled along, careful of where they stepped but pretty much just putting one foot in front of the other, over and over and over again, until finally Colonel Gallway called the company to a halt.

  “It’s getting pretty late,” he said, though there was no real way to tell inside the tunnel. “I think we should stop for a few hours sleep.”

  “I’m down with that,” Plush agreed immediately. “I’m bushed.”

  “Me, too,” Lights added.

  “Raj and I will keep watch behind us,” Kai said. “Rave can watch the front. But without any light, I fear it will be too dark in here even for us to see anything. Leesa and Lights, can you provide us with some very dim illumination?”

  “I need to be awake to keep my lights lit,” Lights said.

  “Same for me,” Leesa said. “But I don’t need as much sleep as I used to. Lights, if you can let me grab an hour or so of sleep, I’ll take over after that, okay?”

  Lights nodded. “I can do that, sure.”

  “That’s settled then,” Colonel Gallway said. “Grab something to eat everyone, then get some shut eye.”

  After four or five hours of much needed rest, the company set out again on their trek into the mountain. There was no way to tell if it was actually morning deep in the lava tube, but that’s how it felt to the newly rested members. Their pace was slightly quicker and more energetic than it had been the day before, but as the hours dragged on, the same sense of monotony began to slowly overtake them. When the silence was suddenly broken by a loud clang of metal upon rock, it was especially jarring.

  Heads jerked up with a start as everyone froze in their tracks. To Leesa, it sounded ominously like a metal door slamming shut. She couldn’t be sure if it was only a trick of the echoes within the tunnel, but the sound seemed to come simultaneously from both in front and behind them.

  “Nobody move!” Kai shouted, seeing no need for silence now. “Not a step.”

  His command was pretty much unnecessary. Everyone had already halted. Only Fiona continued in motion, buzzing quickly up to the front of the column.

  “What was that?” Leesa asked, worriedly. “What happened?”

  “A door just sealed off the passage,” Rave replied. “About ten feet in front of us. And unless my ears are mistaken, one closed behind us as well.”

  “You’re right,” Raj called up from the rear. “The way here is blocked as well. We can’t go back.”

  “One of us must have triggered it,” Kai said, “probably by stepping on something. Leesa, float your light down by our feet, please.”

  Leesa did as she was bid, sending the glowing orb toward Rave and Kai’s ankles. The two men squatted down and carefully examined the surface of the rock beneath them. Leesa’s light revealed a narrow crack in the floor of the lava tube, so fine as to be nearly invisible. They traced the line with their eyes and found that it formed a perfect rectangle reaching completely across the passage. The two men were crouched in the center of it.

  “We found the trigger,” Kai announced. “One of them, at least. Rave and I are standing on it. Leesa and Lights, illuminate the ground around everyone else. We need to make certain there aren’t any other traps before anyone moves. Fiona, help everyone look. The lines are very thin, so search carefully.”

  With the way sealed in front and back, Leesa and Lights were no longer concerned about their lights giving away the party’s presence, so they sent bright globes toward the feet of their fellows. Everyone bent and studied the rock around their feet, while Fiona floated from one to another, carefully checking the floor of the tunnel from just a few inches above it.

  They found no more triggers.

  Fiona twittered the “all clear” to Rave and Kai.

  “Okay, I guess you can move,” Kai told his comrades. “But don’t touch the walls of the tunnel—there could be triggers there as well. And by all means, do not touch either of the doors.”

  Leesa stepped around Kai and Rave, moving toward the door in front to examine it. Rave and Kai followed close behind her. The others also crept closer.

  The panel revealed by Leesa’s magic glow was breathtakingly beautiful, made of some metal that shone under the light like polished silver. Intricate etchings of dragons, mountains, trees and flowers covered the entire surface. Whoever had fashioned this door had taken great pains in the craftsmanship.

  Unfortunately, Leesa could see neither a handle nor hinges on this side. And the edges of the panel fit seamlessly against the rock on all sides.

  “This is gnome work, by the look of it,” Kai said from behind her shoulder. “Very ancient, I should guess.”

  Leesa looked at the panel again. To her, the metal did not seem aged at all—the surface was still shiny and the details of the etchings remained as clear and sharp as if they had been carved yesterday. Shielded as it was from the elements here deep inside the mountain, she supposed it could be old, despite its appearance.

  “How can you tell it’s old?” she asked Kai. “It looks brand new to me.”

  Kai pointed to one of the carvings near the bottom, a relief that showed three volcanoes in a row. The one on the left was erupting.

  “Do these mountains look familiar?”

  Leesa studied them more closely. They did seem like something she had seen before, but she couldn’t place it.

  “They look like the Dragon’s Teeth,” Leah said from behind Kai. “But one of them is missing.”

  “Exactly,” Kai said. “I believe this was fashioned before the fourth peak arose, eons ago.”

  “Who are these gnomes?” Leesa asked. “Do they live in these mountains?”

  “Gnomes are nasty little beings, though it is said they can be almost irresistibly charming when they choose. They don’t live anywhere, really—they are nomads. They care about only two things: their crafts and the pay they earn from them, which they take in the form of precious metals and jewels to add to their hoards. My people have never trafficked with them, but many of the darker races do.”

  “If these doors were built ages ago, there may be no one around to notice they’ve been tripped,” Colonel Gallway suggested. “Our presence here might still be undetected.”

  “Very possibly,” Kai agreed.

  “A fat lot of good that does us,” Sneak complained. “We’re trapped in here. I’d prefer someone knew about it, thank you.”

  “Do not give up so quickly, my young friend,” Kai said. “We may not be trapped—not with all the magic we have on our side.” He turned to Leesa. “Do you think you can open it? Or destroy it?”

  Leesa nodded. “I can try.” She thought about it for a moment.” How did this thing close? Did it slide into place, or did it swing closed, like a door?”

  “Like a door,” Rave replied. “It swung in toward us. It seemed to be hinged on the left.”

  “Okay, that definitely helps. I’ll try pushing on it with my telekinesis.”

  Leesa stared hard at the right side of the door, using the full strength of her power to try to force it open. Despite her best efforts, the door did not budge.

  “Plush, come help me,” she said. “Maybe we can move it together.”

  Plush moved up beside Leesa.

  Leesa drew a small circle in the air just in front of the right side of the door, about halfway up. “Focus your power here. I’ll do the same.”

  Together, they mentally pushed at the door, but still nothing happened.

  “So much for the gentle approach,” Leesa muttered. “It’s time to try something a little more destructive. Stand back, everyone.”

  Her comrades backed away, giving her plenty of room. Only Rave remained close behind her.

  Leesa raised her arms toward the door. Twin beams of concentrated yellow energy shot from her palms. She aimed both beams onto the same spot, doubling the power where they struck. For ten long seconds she let the full strength of her magic burn against the door. When she finally stopped, she stared at the panel in astonishment. The power she had unleashed would have bored deeply into solid rock, but the surface of the metal remained completely unmarked.

  For a moment, nobody spoke. Everyone had expected Leesa’s magic to cut a hole through the door, if not destroy it completely. Now they were beginning to wonder if there was any way out of this trap.

  “Maybe Leah can melt it,” Radar suggested finally. “Nothing is hotter than dragon fire. I doubt even that door could withstand a good blast of Leah’s fire.”

  “Perhaps,” Leah said. “But I’m afraid that using my fire in these tight confines might turn the tunnel into an oven. I can’t protect you all from the heat.”

  Kai turned to Leesa. “Do you think one of your shields could protect us?”

  Leesa took a moment before she answered. “I don’t know. No shield can stand against dragon fire, but maybe it could keep the reflected heat at bay for a very brief time. I can’t promise that, though.”

  Leesa’s words were met by several seconds of silence.

  “Unless anyone has a better idea,” Radar said, “I say we risk it.”

  The members of the company all looked at one another. No one looked happy at the prospect, but no one spoke against it.

  “Wait,” Rave said. “Leesa, there’s something you haven’t tried yet.”

  Leesa looked at him with a puzzled expression. She couldn’t think of any other magic to try.

  “Dematerialize,” Rave said. “You can pass through the door. There might be a mechanism for opening it on the other side.”

  Leesa felt incredibly stupid, chastising herself for not thinking of it on her own. Dematerializing had allowed her to enter into the Necromancer’s magic table, so there was a good chance she could pass through this magical door as well.

  Her comrades were all staring at her, their faces filled with wonder.

  “You can do that?” Doc asked. “Walk right through a solid door?”

  “Yeah, I can. You see, when you get down to an atomic level, even the hardest material is more space than solid matter. So are our bodies. It’s just a matter of me magically aligning my solid parts with the spaces in the door, and vice versa.”

  “Wow,” Leah said.

  “That’s amazing,” Radar said at the same time. Several other members of the company uttered similar comments.

  Rave took Leesa’s hands into his. “Just one thing,” he said. “We don’t know what may be waiting on the other side of that door. Be ready to cast a shield as soon as you’re through, just in case.”

  Leesa nodded. “Don’t worry. I will.”

  She drew in a deep breath while she focused her concentration on the visual she always used to help her get ready to dematerialize—the image of Harry Potter walking into the brick wall of Platform 9 3/4. Along with the visualization, confidence was another key to the process. She had long ago passed that obstacle—she was certain she could do it.

  Once she was ready, Leesa strode forward without hesitation. She didn’t hear the murmurs of wonder and awe from her comrades as she stepped right into the door as if it wasn’t there.

  As always, her vision blurred and she grew lightheaded, but both conditions passed as soon as she emerged on the far side. What she had forgotten to plan for, however, was the complete and utter blackness of the tunnel. For the second time on this journey, she felt for a moment like she had been pulled back inside the Necromancer’s table.

  This was not the time for panic or anxiety, though. Before she could worry about creating any light for herself, she needed to follow Rave’s advice. She immediately wrapped herself in a thick air shield. Only after the protective barrier was in place did she call up a faint golden light, keeping it purposely dim so as not to give herself away.

  Her eyes quickly scanned down the tube as far as she could see before it curved away, making certain she was alone before turning back toward the door. When she did, she smiled at what she saw.

  This side of the panel was as intricately crafted and decorated as the other. There was one addition, however. A thick metal bar cut across the middle of the door, disappearing into the rock at both ends. Leesa recognized immediately that this was the mechanism keeping the door sealed shut.

  Using her telekinesis, she slid the heavy bar across the door until its full length was hidden in the wall to her right, effectively unlocking the door. Next, she turned her power on the door itself, pulling it open toward her. She was greeted by the smiling faces of her friends waiting on the other side.

  “Piece of cake,” she said, smiling back at them.

  CHAPTER 30

  RAVE WAS THE FIRST to move through the now open passageway, wrapping Leesa in a warm hug and kissing her on the forehead.

  “Nice job,” he said.

  “Mmmmm,” Leesa sighed as she returned his embrace. “I almost hope we come across a couple more sealed doors I can open.” Reluctantly, she let go of him. “I guess we should be getting back on our way, though.”

  “We need to be even more careful now,” Kai said. “There may be more booby-traps ahead. Fiona, you go lead the way now. Check the ground VERY carefully for us.”

  Fiona chirped a short acknowledgement and floated slowly off down the tunnel, staying just a few inches above the ground. She flew in a zigzag pattern, allowing her to examine every bit of the stone from close up. The company followed behind her, staying as close to the center of the passage as they could. They traveled much more slowly this way, but they needed to be cautious.

  Once again, they walked in silence, aware of the way the tunnel might echo any sounds. For the first few minutes, Rave and Kai stayed extra alert in case the noise of the doors slamming shut had carried to unfriendly ears. After a little while, they relaxed slightly. It seemed as if the sound had gone unheard. Leesa guessed that from deep inside the mountain, it might have sounded like just another rock falling, if it was heard at all.

  For the next few hours they descended ever deeper into the volcano, though the unchanging walls of the lava tube continued to make it feel as if they were walking in place. When the monotonous routine was finally broken again, it was by something none of them could have expected. Standing in the center of the tunnel, arms folded across his chest as if awaiting the company, was a tiny figure.

  “A gnome,” Kai said unbelievingly, more to himself than to the others.

  The gnome was small, not even four feet tall, with spindly arms and legs protruding from a one-piece vest that reached to his knees. The vest appeared to be fashioned out of snake or lizard skin. A bushy white beard covered almost half of his chest, and he wore a dark red pointed hat atop his head. He had a heavy, mallet-type hammer tucked into his belt. Except for the snake-skin outfit, Leesa thought he looked remarkably similar to statues she had seen in gardens back home.