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 we’re 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 aren’t 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.

I thought it would be easy to get back to my real body. It was, what? Four miles as the goose flew? One mile from the shore.

But I was so tired.

You are half the size you were when you crossed my borders, silvery worm, the sea taunted. Why bother going back? You wished to melt. Stay and be ground to a speck instead.

Don’t you ever tire of the sound of your own voice? I whispered. It wasn’t very good, but it was the best I could manage. I felt as small as a pebble when I found land that wasn’t under salt water. Instantly I leaped to the earth’s surface. It was wonderful to shed the weight of water and earth together.

Once there, Luvo’s magic was a huge beacon in my eyes. I flew to him, drawing on his strength. He wrapped me around like a good father, taking me into his depths. If my magical body could have cried, I would have wept. I felt so safe in his heart. I was surrounded by his power. He was layered like a tree with centuries of stone life. Here was fire, water, sun, patience, resolve, wrath, wisdom, anything I could ever want.

I knew then that I wanted to be Luvo someday. I don’t know how, but I can strive to be more like him.

The patience will need a lot of work.

Evumeimei, there is a thing, Luvo said in my mind. I fear you will not like it.

Something about his tone worried me. I didn’t want to leave the good place he had made, but I did. I popped into the body I had left and fought to open my eyes. From the sun’s position, I’d been gone three hours. I was in Sustree, tied to my horse with ropes. Obviously Rosethorn had found me.