"That makes sense," Draven replied, then stood up with the wooden bowl. "We need to eat this."
Hansa was the first to take a fistful of the mixture and swallow it. The look on her face told me it tasted somewhere between horrible and repulsive, so I scooped up a serving of my own and tried to eat it as quickly as possible. The pasty combination of foul-smelling herbs, crystals, and limestone dust didn't exactly go down easy. Draven was quick enough to hand us both some water to wash it down. He did the same, and then we all stood there, watching each other.
"What now?" I asked.
"Now we wait for the spell to kick in," he said.
We each took our satchels and tied our weapons to our backs and belts. We followed Inon through a series of narrow tunnels with incandescent lava veins that served as ambient light guiding our path.
We reached the core of the volcano, a massive circular area that shrank its diameter upward. Liquid fire bubbled up in what resembled an amber-colored pond that hissed and gurgled. It was bright and unbearably hot in the chamber. I broke out in an instant sweat, and my throat felt like it was closing. I was ready to tear everything off me.
"Hang tight, Serena. This will be over soon," Draven whispered and held my hand.
As if listening to his words of comfort, the spell started to kick in just as my face felt like it was melting off. A cool wave washed over me, and I suddenly felt like I was at a very normal room temperature. A little chill ran down my back as my fingers tingled and my skin rippled. I could breathe again.
I first looked up at Draven, and my jaw nearly dropped. A warm golden light emanated from inside of him, spreading outward like an aura. My heart skipped a beat, as I realized how the spell worked. It had to be ingested before it could manifest as a protective layer. Everything we wore and touched, including our satchels and weapons, was covered in that golden light.
The nuance reminded me of his energy, and it created a beautiful impression in my mind, as if I was seeing him for the first time, a creature made of golden light who smiled down at me with such warmth that my soul ached.
I then looked at Hansa and was surprised by her appearance. She too was bathed in the same golden light, giving her a different look. Her otherwise silvery skin glistened in shades of amber, amplifying the colors in her eyes-two beacons of emerald and gold.
I looked at my hands, my arms, and down at the rest of my body. I wore the same spell effects. I marveled at the way in which light emanated from my skin, making my insides feel cool and energized.
"I take it the spell kicked in?" I asked.
"Could be, although I'd give it some more time, just in case." Draven smiled, seemingly unable to take his eyes off me. "I must admit, you look incredible, Serena. Like a goddess of Eritopian legends."
I felt my cheeks catch fire, and my lips pulled into a smile.
"You're not too bad looking yourself, Druid," I quipped.
"By the Daughters, you two need to spend some time alone. It's clearly long overdue!" Hansa chipped in.
I automatically let go of Draven's hand and looked away-the instincts of a girl caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. I wasn't sure whether Draven was okay with people knowing about us, about what was blossoming between us. Given the way his gaze jumped from me to Hansa and back, I had a feeling he didn't know either. It made sense to me. Draven had spent his whole life living in isolation and certainly had no idea how new couples behaved. He looked awkwardly adorable to me.
"Oh, please, stop fidgeting like two little kids! I've known from the moment I laid my eyes on you that you were made for each other." Hansa rolled her eyes at us. "Wear it with pride!"
A moment passed before Draven looked at me again. My heart was filled with warmth as I saw his gaze soften and settle on my face, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Something flowed between us then-something I'd never felt before but resembled millions of diamond threads gently caressing my skin, my lips, and my very soul. The sentry in me had picked up on something that Draven was sending my way, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
Inon cleared his limestone throat, kindly reminding us that he was still standing there, waiting for us to get on with this mission.
"Okay, let's see if this works!" I said, a little too loudly.
I stepped forward and dropped to my knees, left hand grasping the black stone edge while I lowered my other hand toward the lava.
"Serena," Draven called out. "Be careful, please."
"It's okay. I can't feel the heat at all," I replied, surprised by how close my skin was to the searing liquid.
I couldn't feel a thing as I dipped a finger, then submerged my whole hand.