Song of the Day Sixteen, Narrow Escape

The shroud over the land seems to settle, and the hero is dismayed. He soon becomes aware of rumbling below ground, the mountain on which he stands has not yet lain dormant enough to have forgotten the ways of its forefather, Vesuvius. The hero turns to seek shelter, but as he does, the tunnel collapses, and he's left stranded on the small outcrop of rock. He finds himself trapped; unable to traverse the steep slope while the quaking continues. Just as a frightening glow lights the dark black sky above, a flash of color appears at the rim of the caldera. The Queen and her Cavalry have kept their spirit still, as shown by their polychromatic appearance. The steeds are supernaturally fleet of foot, and they sprint to the hero with ease. The Queen, using but one arm, scoops him onto her stallion, and they ride downwards at a breakneck pace. Before reaching the bottom, they encounter a ledge, and sail off of it, moving forward enough that the fall becomes too great to hope for survival. But they do not fall. Instead, in the light of the Queen, the Cavalry ascends, with the hero, into the clouds.