The worm hissed, a harsh sound that echoed off the walls like snakes. Its body, long as a horse but wider, slid over the stone with a liquid motion, leaving behind a trail of dark slime that sizzled on contact with the hot floor. The stench it gave off was unbearable, a mixture of burnt flesh and sulfur.
Vaemor adjusted the hilt of his Valyrian steel sword. He didn't know how, but the weapon felt alive in his hands. Every vibration, every impulse, told him it could pierce the creature like butter... or so he hoped.
What the hell is that... whispered Zaryon, taking a step back.
A fireworm, said Aerys, his voice low and laden with a mixture of fear and fascination. They were used to feed the forge furnaces. No one has seen one alive since the Curse.
Well, the last one found us, and it looks hungry, growled Maekor, raising his axe.
The worm hissed again and advanced, slow but unstoppable, filling the hallway with its scaly body. Each of its movements caused the torches in the corridor to flicker, as if the burning air were fleeing from its presence.
Kaelyth swallowed and moved closer to Vaemor.
Are you planning to fight here? she asked.
Vaemor did not answer. If we do, we will all die.
The words were enough for the group to begin retreating down the hallway they had come through. The worm did not speed up, simply continuing on its way, as if it knew that sooner or later it would catch up with them.
It's pushing us out, Daenyr said, panting. As if it knows we're not welcome here.
The idea chilled them all more than the suffocating heat that surrounded them.
Could it think?
The group climbed the steps of the tower, the sound of the worm following them from below, crawling slowly, as if enjoying the game. Each crack of its scales against the stone sounded like a muffled laugh.
When they finally reached the top level, Vaemor pushed open the stone door and they stepped outside. The burning air of Valyria hit their faces like a wave of fire, but it was preferable to the stench of the creature.
The worm did not follow them to the exit. It did not appear.
They stood in silence, panting, staring at the horizon. The ruins of Valyria stretched out before them: blackened towers, fallen temples, fractured statues, and a red sky covered in smoke. In the distance, the roar of another creature broke the suffocating silence.
This is worse than I imagined, Kaelyth said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
And we've only just begun, Zaryon replied.
Vaemor looked toward the horizon, where other similar towers rose, almost identical to the one they had just awakened.
We can't stay here, he said at last. If we want to survive... we must continue.
Where to? asked Maekor.
Vaemor pointed to the next tower, barely visible through the smoke and ruins.
There.
Aerys frowned.
If what we found here was alive... what awaits us there could be worse.
Vaemor did not respond. He only gripped his Valyrian steel sword more tightly.
Behind them, from the darkness of the corridor, a hissing sound echoed again. Long. Slow. Promising.
The worm was still there. Waiting.