Echoes of Fire

Annabeth stood frozen as the ominous voice faded, leaving the cavern heavy with an unnatural stillness. Her hand trembled as she held the fragment of the scroll, the intricate runes glowing faintly, as though they had only just begun to awaken. Beside her, Emmalyn clutched her sword tightly, her face pale but defiant.

“What was that?” Emmalyn whispered, her voice trembling. “It sounded like it was alive.”

Annabeth shook her head, trying to suppress the shiver that ran through her. “I don’t know. But I think it was a warning.”

Kyran emerged from the shadows at the edge of the platform, his usually smug expression replaced by one of quiet alarm. “You’ve stirred something you don’t understand,” he said, his voice lower than before.

Annabeth rounded on him. “What does that mean? You knew this was here, didn’t you? The dragon, the scroll—everything.”

Kyran met her gaze evenly. “I knew the mountain held dangers. I didn’t know what form they’d take. But trust me when I say that dragon was only the beginning.”

Annabeth’s stomach tightened. She looked down at the scroll fragment, its glow dimming as though it, too, were retreating after the battle.

Emmalyn exhaled sharply, stepping closer to Annabeth. “Whatever this is, we’ve got the piece now. So what’s next? Another mountain? A swamp full of snakes? Or does the next scroll come with a curse we have to break?”

Before Annabeth could respond, the cavern trembled again, though this time it wasn’t the dragon’s doing. A low, rumbling sound echoed through the chamber, and the ground beneath their feet began to crack.

“Run!” Kyran shouted, his voice cutting through the growing chaos.

The sisters sprinted toward the far end of the cavern, the glowing light from Annabeth’s armor and Emmalyn’s sword illuminating the shifting ground ahead. Behind them, the dragon’s body collapsed further into the platform, its massive weight breaking the stone beneath it.

“Faster!” Kyran barked, his own boots crunching on the unstable floor as he caught up to them.

The three of them dove through a narrow opening in the cavern wall just as the ground gave way entirely, sending the dragon’s remains and the platform crashing into a chasm below.

They tumbled into a dark tunnel, the air thick with dust and the sound of falling rock deafening behind them. Annabeth struggled to catch her breath, her lungs burning from the exertion.

Emmalyn coughed, brushing dirt from her hair as she glared at Kyran. “This is your idea of guiding us? Leading us into a dragon’s lair and then almost getting us killed?”

Kyran raised his hands defensively, his breathing heavy. “You survived, didn’t you? Besides, I never promised it would be easy.”

“Easy?” Emmalyn snapped. “We barely made it out alive! And what about that creepy voice? You’re saying you don’t know what that was either?”

Kyran hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the scroll fragment in Annabeth’s hands. “I have my suspicions. But I need to see that.”

Annabeth instinctively pulled the fragment closer to her chest. “Not until you tell us what you’re hiding.”

Kyran sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Fine. That scroll isn’t just some ancient relic. It’s a key—a map, a weapon, a warning. All of those things, depending on how it’s used. And you’re not the only ones looking for it.”

Annabeth’s heart sank. “Who else?”

Kyran’s face darkened. “The ones who sent that voice. The ones who would use the scroll’s power to rewrite the balance of this world—and not in your favor.”

Silence hung between them, the weight of Kyran’s words pressing down like the mountain itself.

“Then we can’t stop,” Annabeth said firmly, her voice breaking the stillness. She stood straighter, the glow of her armor faint but resolute. “We have to find the rest of the scroll before they do.”

Kyran studied her for a moment before nodding. “Agreed. But if we’re going to do that, we’ll need more than just your armor and your sister’s sword. The next piece won’t give itself up so easily.”

“Great,” Emmalyn muttered, leaning heavily on her weapon. “Because that dragon was a total pushover.”

Kyran ignored her, turning to study the dark tunnel ahead. “This passage leads out of the cavern. If we’re lucky, it’ll take us to the next marker.”

Annabeth exchanged a glance with Emmalyn, who shrugged. “Might as well. Not like we have a better idea.”

“Let’s go,” Annabeth said, tightening her grip on the scroll fragment.

They moved cautiously through the tunnel, its narrow walls pressing close around them. The air was damp and cold, and the only sound was the faint dripping of water echoing in the darkness.

As they walked, Annabeth felt the stone in her pocket begin to pulse again, its faint glow barely visible through the fabric. It wasn’t guiding her this time—it felt more like a warning.

“We’re not alone,” Annabeth whispered, her voice barely audible.

Kyran stopped abruptly, his hand on the hilt of a dagger at his side. Emmalyn raised her sword, her eyes scanning the shadows.

“What now?” Emmalyn hissed.

Kyran’s voice was low, tense. “Whatever it is, it’s close.”

The faint sound of claws scraping against stone echoed through the tunnel, growing louder with each passing moment.

Annabeth’s heart raced as she drew the glowing stone from her pocket. Its light flared, illuminating the darkness just as a pair of gleaming eyes appeared in the shadows ahead.

A guttural growl rumbled through the tunnel, and the creature lunged.

“Get ready!” Annabeth shouted, the glow from the stone and her armor surging to meet the threat.