The basalt suspension bridge swayed gently under the force of the boiling volcanic updraft.
Three hundred feet below, the lake of violet Obsidian Earth-Fire churned like molten glass. The heat pressed against Kaelen’s face with the crushing weight of an iron anvil.
Huge bronze chains, each link as thick as an ox’s torso, anchored the swaying walkway to the cavern walls. Black sulfur stalactites hung from the vaulted ceiling like rows of jagged teeth, dripping burning mineral sap into the abyss.
In the center of the suspension bridge sat the core-melting array’s primary injection station.
Beside the intake assembly, the colossal mold of the False Domain Seal rested inside an iron cradle. The twenty-foot ceramic casing glowed with dangerous, white-hot heat. A high-pitched metallic whine vibrated through its bronze retaining bands, threatening to shatter at any second.
At the center of the bridge, Furnace Warden Krahl stood beside the primary injection valve. Four master engineers in fire-resistant salamander robes flanked him, holding long bronze funnels wrapped in wet hemp.
“Bring the catalyst forward,” Krahl commanded, his scarred hand gesturing toward the intake funnel. “Pour it slowly. If the thermal shock fractures the bronze pipes, your lives end right here.”
Barnaby Holt strode forward with magnificent confidence, holding the silver ladle filled with the ten ninety-five percent azure pills.
