He sprang to the first block. It held firm, the rune-light blooming around his boots and shutting out the furnace wind.

“Stay on my heels, one stone at a time. Whatever you do, don’t slip.” Flaxseed drew a steadying breath and followed, inching forward with the care of a man crossing glass.

A low roar drifted up from beneath the magma, something enormous rolling in the fire below and scraping at ancient nerves the way fingernails scrape old wood.

They were three stones from safety when a molten wave exploded upward. A creature clad in night-black scales burst from the lake, jaws yawning wide enough to swallow a cart, and lunged straight for Flaxseed.

“Heads up!” Jared yanked Flaxseed against his side, drew the Dragonslayer Sword, and chopped at the monster‘s skull.

Steel rang like a struck bell. The sword energy rebounded, the scales hadn’t even scratched. The beast roared, its tail snapping like an iron whip, shattering the stone beneath their feet and showering sparks into the air.

“A magma lizard…” Flaxseed recognized it in a single heartbeat. “The ancient records say it feeds on lava. Blades and fire do nothing to it!”