Chapter 44

Ray felt all kinds of remorse as Nema hit the floor. Yet, what else could he do? The woman had fired on a planet, even after realizing Zak's sister might still be alive on it.

"Why?" Zak whispered. "Why would she do that?"

"Because that was her plan all along. Destroy the temple and the cogs inside. And she used us to do it." The words tumbled from him in an angry rush. Angry because he'd trusted her, especially since the kiss they'd shared. A kiss he'd hoped to repeat. Yet, all along she'd been lying.

The missiles she fired started a chain reaction. They could see the difference on screen as the lava poles brightened, heat churned the surface, great big bubbles popped, and the steam spread, overtaking the narrow strip of land.

"I can't believe she initiated a cataclysmic world event." Said with disbelief before Zak exclaimed, "We need to move fast if we're going to find Ursy and Wulff before the planet is covered in lava."