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I could feel my magic wrapping around my broken rib, knitting the bone back together with speed and efficiency, leaving me breathless.
The acrid scent of sulfur clawed at my nostrils, stinging the back of my throat while it made me bolt upright. My chest tightened as I struggled to breathe, the ground beneath me shuddering violently. I screamed in terror, my partially healed wounds searing with pain as I tried to escape the danger.
Santiago was next to me, covered in dirt. He looked so relieved to see me conscious.
"¡No podemos quedarnos aquí! ¡Tenemos que movernos!" I yelled, clutching my side where my still-tender wounds throbbed in protest. The pain was intense, but I refused to let it weaken me. I knew I had to put every ounce of strength into staying alive.
Then the volcano erupted. The ground cracked open with a deafening snap as the force of the eruption caused the earth to collapse into a pit crater.
We scrambled out of the depression, and lava spewed forth from the chasm like blood from a wound. An immense plume of ash and molten rock spewed into the sky, blurring the sunlight. Each stroke of lightning within the plume lit up the inside of my soul. We scrambled as fast as possible, crouching beneath a massive boulder to shield ourselves from the raging heat and deadly debris that bombarded us from above.
The world around me seemed to pause, and my gaze was drawn back toward the camp where I was supposed to be right now. There were so many people there—Trabajadores and competitors alike. I scanned the rest of the hellish scene. Liliana was supposed to get here today with the Canciller to call victory sometime tonight or tomorrow.
Santiago and I would surely die, all because of my impatience. Grief swam around me, but I locked it away. Feelings would only slow me down.
An explosion, followed by hissing and rumbling like a great engine, sounded behind us. Utterly helpless, I turned around to see a river of molten lava surging toward us. The air was choked with ash and smoke, and lightning flashed through the plume. I needed to flee.
There was nowhere to go.
I turned to Santiago and opened my mouth, but no words came out. He just stared at the lava like he was greeting death.
When death came, what was one supposed to say? Apologies meant nothing in this place, so I let my last moments be given to sacrifice. I couldn't protect either of us, but I could go first. I only prayed that my magic wouldn't try to keep me alive for long.
The heat coated my skin. It was so hot; I thought I would cook alive. Despite the explosions, the lava didn't move that fast; it just consumed.
My heart raced as it oozed nearer.
As it touched my skin, searing pain ripped through me, leaving an agonizing burn in its wake. I bit down hard on my lip, holding back a scream. Then I felt a sudden surge of energy, like a tidal wave crashing over me. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, and terrifying all at once.
I went gold.
My skin was catastrophically gold, a shining star soaring through the heavens. My soul pulsed with newfound power.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the power coursing through my veins—the Blood Magic that had turned my skin golden and marked me as different from everyone else, as if I were part volcano.
I arched my hands over my head, and the lava arched around me, away from Santiago.
I couldn't hear anything but La Dama.
The lava flowed around me like a river, obedient to my every command. The power that surged within me was beyond anything I could have imagined. I summoned more and more of the molten rock, shaping it to my will, until we were lifted high into the sky, above the ash and smoke that choked the air around us.
Santiago hung closely behind me, the heat of the lava keeping us warm in the chill of the night. From our vantage point, we could see the destruction that the volcano had wrought upon everything in its path. It was close to the camp.
My heart froze.
No.
It was happening too fast.
I held out my hands, desperate to wield the lava.
The burning sensation on my skin lessened as I forced the molten rock to retreat, drawing it back toward the volcano. I could feel the raw, primal energy of the earth beneath me.
"¡No te rindas!" I shouted at the open sky, my voice shaking with fear and determination. My mother had told me that when she was trying to save me.
I could save the others. As I focused my thoughts on the power that coursed through my veins, I prayed that it would be enough to save Santiago and the remaining competitors in the Blood Tournament.
With a deep, shuddering breath, I closed my eyes and reached out to the fire raging beneath the earth. A searing heat surged through me as if my very blood was boiling in my veins. For a moment, I felt like the flames would consume me, but I held onto that connection and willed myself to control it.
