Chariots of Heaven by R.T. Edwins

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  Humid. Hot. Suffocating heat and vapor. The smell of sulfur and fire. Kira looked around at her surroundings. Her heart sank. How would she ever find what she was looking for in this place? All around her was a dark, burnt, jagged landscape with no light except for the orange glow of molten rock far below her. The heat was unbearable and the smoke stung her eyes. She looked down into the crevasse to her right. A hundred feet below her, she could see a wide river of lava splashing and gushing slowly down the mountainside. The heat rising from it was enough to make her eyes water. She looked away towards her left. Her eyes followed the rock wall up and up until she had to crane her neck to see the peak of the mountain she stood on. The top of it was hollow and was emitting an ominous red glow. All along the face of the mountain she could see more molten rock spewing out and running down conduits like rivers of fire.

  She felt afraid. She’d never been to a place like this, never even imagined such a place could exist. It was no wonder the others were so afraid of it; but she had no choice. Something very precious was here and she needed to reclaim it… but what was it? She tried to remember but the thick, choking air and unbearable heat clouded her mind. She felt lost and alone. Everything began to spin, the burnt black landscape blurring together with the orange glow. The ground beneath her feet began to rumble and the next thing she knew she was falling, screaming as she careened towards the river of lava below her.