You get the feeling that this news isn’t comforting. You remember what she said about being trapped and imprisoned by the gods. It’s not hard to imagine what horrors that kind of life could hold. Eager to keep her distracted, you keep talking.

“Any rider worth their weight should have seen it. No cave trail is perfectly symmetrical by accident. And it obviously makes for good, steady riding. Sun wraiths melt the rocks and…well, you know. Leave them behind. It’s kind of like compost. Good idea to clean your shoes afterward, but otherwise it’s relatively easy riding.”

Quinn nods. “So why wasn’t this your original plan? If it’s the fastest way?”

“Honestly,” Pippa answers, “I didn’t think the horse Bravos rides could handle caves. And…I didn’t know that I’d have you with me.”

Eventually the quick, chopping turns cease. The path grows straighter and you can tell you’re close to the breeding burrow. The cave itself narrows slightly, as if the creature grew frantic by the proximity of its lover. So eager that it squeezed through the final boundaries of rock, ignoring the pain. A primordial scent clings to the air. Heat washes up from the unseen dark. Bellowing rumbles shake the cave walls, a vibration that feels like it’s coming from the center of the earth.

“It doesn’t sound as romantic now,” you note.

Quinn laughs. “No, it doesn’t.”

“All right. We’re halfway through the cave. Here’s where we tread carefully.”

You dismount and she follows. It takes a minute, but you rig a lead rope and use it to steer Trust along the ledge. You don’t mind wasting a minute because you know this path might save you half a day’s delay. Quinn follows a few paces behind. Trust’s coat casts dull light into the wide, molten chamber. The walls are scorched black by the collision of the two sun wraiths.

You notice long marks clawed in quick succession. A perfect circle pits the stone floor, stretching almost the entire length of the room. You lead Trust and Quinn around the ledge that’s no wider than Trust’s rump. A glance into the abyss surprises you. In class, your teachers made it sound like an endless fall. But a foul broth sluices up from below. The slop boils with heat, squelching against the sides of the newly made burrow, smearing the air and everything in it. You hold your breath, but that doesn’t keep your skin from feeling soiled.

“Hello?”

The word chokes into the air. Your head swings back to Quinn, but you know the noise came from the dark morass below. Quinn’s eyes are the widest you’ve ever seen them.

“Do wraiths talk?”

You shake your head, terrified.

“Who’s there?” the voice asks. “Revel? Is that you?”