Melting Stones (25 page)

Carnelian laughed.
That tiny bit of pressure? You've never been in the core. All the world presses on you there. It's why so few of us make it this close to the skin. Most can't fight the core
.

If Evvy meant pressure, she should have said so
, Flare announced.
And I don't feel any
.

Flare's not sensitive to pressure like me
, Carnelian explained.
He's one of the ones that's more sensitive to heat
. 
Since you melted so fast, you must be sensitive to both. Don't ever go to the core, that's my advice.

Has the monster ever been to the core?
asked Flare.
Does the weight bother him
?

I looked at Flare and smiled. He was still afraid of Luvo. He thought Luvo might be watching.
The core parts and lets him pass through
, I bragged.

Flare sped up until he was beside me. He wanted me to protect him from Luvo.

I never saw the core do anything like that
, Carnelian said as we moved on.

The core's a big place, isn't it? You couldn't see everything at once
. I tried to sound strong, but the earth was so heavy. I pulled magic from the walls of the fault. I couldn't even take the time to gather a new granite shell. The volcano spirits would catch up and swamp me again if I did.
Don't worry about Luvo. Just stick to leading your friends out into the open, and you'll be fine
.

She's right, Flare
, Carnelian told him.
The others depend on us to bring them out
. Carnelian and Flare looked back. Far behind us came the other volcano spirits in a billow of heat that toasted my toes. I didn't want them any closer. Carnelian reassured Flare,
She's just showing us a way past her monster friend
.

And I know an easier way than through the top of the mountain
. I didn't want them forgetting that my way was easy. I was scared they would get bored and try to find another way out.

On we flew, far below Starns Island. If I'd had lungs I would have been panting, the island was so crushing. The fault was huge, but it felt
tiny
. Worse, I felt like it was getting smaller all the time. The walls trembled with all those tons of cliffs, fields, rivers, hills, and lakes on top of them. If they slipped, how much of the earth's might would they release? Enough to split the island? The fault was the seam. This one was set to rip…

Slowly, so slowly I didn't notice at first, the weight changed. It eased. The fault was rising. I knew I ought to sink deeper into it, but the change felt so
good
. Suddenly a huge amount of pressure vanished. I sent power up, enough to feel the shape of the world overhead. We were three miles deep, no more. We had passed out from under tall cliffs. The fault had entered the shallows of the sea.

Stop!
I heard a volcano spirit cry.
Where do we go?

We came this way before!
someone else called.
While we searched for you!

Be quiet!
Carnelian shouted back to them.
Are we your leaders or not? We told you, we know a way out! A way that will leave us the strength to fly when we have broken through
!

More
of us will fly free this way
!
Flare whirled in a circle before the distant spirits, a fiery beacon.
You said you trusted us, so
trust
us!
He told me softly,
And
we
had better be able to trust
you,
Evvy. If not, we will twine around you until you are nothing but smoke
.

Don't threaten me, Flare
, I warned him.
I'll tell Luvo on you
.

He glared at me for a moment. Then he blazed white-hot, sending heat clean through me. It felt… nasty. I pulled away from him.

Carnelian rammed him from the side.
Steamhead! Do you
want
her friend to come for us?

The others were roiling where they waited a hundred yards back. They were getting restless.
Come on, you two. Stop frisking
, I ordered.
We have a long way to go still. Your friends will come to see what's going on if you don't move. Do you want them to find out you're listening to a whosawhatsit like me?

That was enough to calm them. We went forward. I led them along the quivering fault. We were away from the river, after all. My friends were out of the way if steam or even ash and stone escaped the ocean floor. And I was free of the weight of Starns.

It never occurred to me that the sea might be even worse.

Overhead I felt her weight grow as we flowed under the waves, a mile, then two miles from shore. I had thought the island was bad. At least when we were under it, everything on top of us was filled with stones. This was something like the voyage to Starns. I was burdened with miles of stoneless water.

Don't be silly, I told myself. You're wrapped in stone. You're miles under stone. Well—only three miles down, now. But still, that's plenty of stone. A little while ago you were burdened with stone.

But now the power of the sea lay on me. Normally, the magic in water touched me not at all. Stone and water were too different in the usual way of things. Maybe I was changed, after melting and spending so long in my magical body. Perhaps it was because I was in stone that had carried the sea for time out of mind.

Possibly it was because this sea knew I was there.

What are you, hiding far below with those other hot worms? Not rock, but rock in your veins
, the sea hissed, its voice slithering down into the fault. I looked at Flare and Carnelian. They didn't seem to hear that creepy, cold voice.
Rock in the power that runs through
you. The voice dripped down through the tiny cracks that ran to the salty water. 
I'll draw you up, small silvery rock worm. I'll draw you into my aqua embrace and float you between tides. You will never touch so much as a flake of quartz in your life. Won't that be amusing? Come up, come up. I will have you in time. No rock thing fights me forever
.

When do we get there?
That was Flare, and he whined. I hate whiners.
We've been traveling forever
, he went on.

It's not forever
, I snapped.
Be quiet and keep moving
. I shouldn't have silenced him. The minute he went quiet, the sea was at me again. I clung to the wall of the fault, drinking up its magic as I slid along. I wanted it to make me feel stronger.

Do you know how many rocks I have worn down, little silvery worm?
the sea asked.
I have rolled over specks of stone that lie on my belly. I rub them until they are tinier still, wearing them down to dust. I thrust them against the boulders underneath, scouring the boulders until they are smaller and smaller and smaller. Piece by piece, limestone, obsidian, marble, it must all surrender to me. You are just another stone for the grinding. In time, your hot companions will be more stones for my grinding.

I was slowing down. So much malice… The sea had so much hate for anything that was not part of it.

Hot pain seared my arm. Carnelian had grabbed me!

Ow!
I yanked free.
Are you trying to cook me or something? Don't
do
that!

You were hardly moving!
Carnelian accused.
How much longer, Evvy? Maybe you're lost. If there was a way out here, why didn't the other spirits find it before? They said they came this way to search for us
.

There's a way out
—
we have to turn soon. Stop complaining!
I told her.
If you want something you have to work for it! I didn't say the trip was a quick one, don't try to tell me I did!

Flare got behind me, shielding me from the view of the volcano spirits.
Stop shouting, Evvy. I think you lied to us, like you lied about your "toy
."

I'm no liar
. How much longer did I have to bear this? I should have seen anything made of fire would have no patience, even if it was also stone!
Grow up. There are no easy answers in the outer world. We have a ways to go
.

Maybe we should try to get out
here.
There's a crack
. Flare rammed himself up into a hairline fault. It ended a hundred yards up in a slab of granite. The fault widened a little, then stuck. He rammed again.

Carnelian waited until Flare backed up. Then she jammed herself into the fault with him. The volcano spirits rushed forward. They thought we'd reached our destination.

You want to do that?
I yelled.
Fine! But the place I talked about is miles on!
They weren't listening. I was furious. We were only two miles offshore. It wasn't far enough to spare the island.

Come on
, I pleaded.
That isn't the way. It isn't far now
. When they popped out of the fault, I grabbed their hands, ignoring the pain.
Tell the others you were just trying your strength or something
—
ow!
I had to let go, but at least I'd gotten their attention. Flare hesitated, then motioned for the volcano spirits to stop.

I looked at my hands. Their form had melted a little. I pressed them against the sides of the big fault, taking in more of its strength. It was shaking harder than ever. I looked back. The volcano spirits were slamming around, hitting first one side, then the other. I had to get them moving again, before they started an earthquake.

They're bored
, said Flare.
They want to get to this place. So do we, right, Carnelian?

No—
I
didn't have to get them moving. I wasn't their leader.

I shuddered and drank as much power as I could bear.
Have you told them how amazing this new place is?
I asked.
You'll have black clouds all around as you come out, and black smoke. You won't have to break the earth open at all! Since you won't tire yourselves breaking through stone to get free, you'll be able to fly high!

Carnelian and Flare went back to tell the others. They stopped attacking the sides of the fault. When I saw Carnelian and Flare returning to me, I flew on ahead, showing them the way.

Their concentration was broken, though. The volcano spirits roared behind us, growling and grumbling. They were whining, too! I didn't have to speak lava to recognize the sound of complaints. The fault developed branches, and each new branch distracted everyone who wasn't me. Wheedling and pleading, I brought them along another mile. It was work, all the time with the sea laughing at me.

They say, if were going to swim, they want to do it melting together
. Carnelian was spending too much time in a girl shape: She actually pouted, her lower lip stuck out and everything.
They say when we go around melted together, at least they can taste Flare and me, and feel bold like Flare and me. They can be excited like Flare and me in the melting together. In the fault they just run along. There's nothing new
.

Flare leaned against the side of the fault. It melted away from his shape, the stone quivering like a jelly.
I felt something give back there. Back where we were, before you dragged us here. There was a lot of the cold stuff in the way, a lot to melt and draw off our strength, but if we got the others to do the shoving
—

So you can jump into the air and die?
I would have gladly smacked their heads together, if I hadn't cared about my hands.
If you don't fail? You don't even know how much stone is on top of you! I do! No one has broken through it in thousands of my years. That's so long the only way we even know it happened once is because there is a record in the stones themselves. How many times do I have to tell you, there is a crack that comes all the way down here. You'll be able to leave without exhausting yourself in breaking through. The only problem is, a little travel and you start bleating like sheep!

They stared at me.

What's bleating
? Carnelian asked.

What's sheep?
That was Flare.

We stared at each other, just hovering.

Pathetic
. We were half a mile below the bottom of the sea. Her voice was even louder in my mind this time.
The silvery worm tries to bribe melted rocks. Give up, worm. Give yourself over to me. I will have you in time. I will have them in time. You will be exhausted, they will be dead. I will grind and scour you all to nothing. I never, ever tire
.

The edges of my magical body were blurring. I was losing my grip on myself, on my concentration.

The volcano spirits came roaring up.

Enough. We're going to try here
. Flare slammed into the side of the fault, where a deep crack reached up. That wasn't even a fault, just a hollow. Carnelian and a huge ball of the others flew after him, striking the hollow with a roar. More cracks appeared there. Other volcano spirits rippled forward.

I came to my senses.
No! Not here, this isn't it!

They ignored me. Flare and Carnelian fell back among the volcano spirits. In one huge surge they struck the roof of the fault again.

WHAM! All around me the seafloor shook. There was a slow, grinding, growling crunch. The walls of the fault slid, one to my left, the other to my right. Overhead the sea gasped, feeling its belly lift.

At least you arerit nattering at me anymore
, I told her.

WHAM!

The volcano spirits punched the fault again. Once more the walls slid, two inches to my left, an inch to my right.

Earthquake. A few inches in a fault was an earthquake.

I had to get back to my humans. The ground under their feet would be buckling. What if there was a gadolga—a tidal wave—headed for Sustree? I had to reach them.

We were three miles offshore. It would have to be enough. There was nothing else I could do. I was tired, scared, and I couldn't make the volcano kids listen. I'd done my best. And at least I wouldn't have to sit around and watch them shoot out of the ground and die.