by G Sauvé
“You don’t,” says Korri once I’ve told him what Kara said.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“The kaar I’m riding is the leader of the pack. As long as he remains under my control, the rest will follow.”
It’s true. No matter how much I pull and heave, my kaar won’t slow down, but as soon as Korri tugs on his mount’s neck, all three mounts ease up. Only Jonn’s kaar is unresponsive.
It speeds past in a blur of movement.
“AAAHHH!!!” yells the grey-haired soldier as his out-of-control mount zigzags in a frantic manner. His large stature is too much for the animal to handle, and the poor beast must continually overcompensate for the man’s imposing mass. As a result, Jonn gets thrown around like a cowboy atop an enraged bull. I would probably feel bad for him if it weren’t so damn funny.
“What’s he doing?” asks Korri.
“I’m not sure,” I kid. “Perhaps he’s training for the circus.”
Kara throws me a reproachful glance, but I can tell she’s just as amused by her father’s high-pitched screams. We keep watching until Jonn throws up and the vomit projectile nearly hits us. After that, we agree to slow the pace.
“Will the korrigans pursue us?” eventually asks Kara.
Korri shakes his head when I translate the question.
“Kaars are pack animals,” he explains. I don’t understand what that means until I notice the seven animals following us. Their presence means the korrigans don’t have a single kaar with which to pursue us.
“How long will they follow us?” I ask.
“They won’t stop unless we encounter another pack,” says Korri. “And the odds of that happening are slim.”
“What are you two talking about?” asks Jonn. He has a patch of vomit on his shirt, but I’m not about to point it out.
“Nothing,” I say, an amused smile curling my lips.
We continue in silence. Now that we travel at half speed, it will take us twice as long to reach our destination, but at least we no longer have to deal with Jonn yelling at the top of his lungs.
We travel for nearly an hour before Kara pulls up next to me.
“How are you doing?” she asks.
“I’m good. You?”
“Worried.”
“Why?”
“The fire plague. It’s killing the korrigans. What if we can’t stop Avalon in time? What will happen to them?”
I hadn’t thought of that.
“I’m sure we’ll find a way to help them.”
“I hope you’re right.”
That makes two of us.
We travel in silence for a while before I realize now is the perfect opportunity to get some answers.
“Is there anything I should know about Avalon before we run into her?” I ask.
Kara considers this for a moment.
“Her name isn’t actually Avalon,” she admits. “It’s Avva. We only call her Avalon because it’s the name of an underwater creature that can change the colour of its scales to camouflage itself. It seemed fitting given Avva’s ability to change appearance.”
“Why is she trying to change the past?” I ask. Hopefully, Kara will be more forthcoming than Jonn.
She hesitates. I can tell it’s a touchy subject by the way she avoids looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s okay. You deserve to know.”
My heart starts racing.
“Avalon made a mistake. People died. She’s trying to make things right by altering the past.”
I want to know more, but I can sense it’s a sensitive subject, so I don’t insist.
“Why come back this far? Why not just return to her own past and stop herself from doing whatever it is she did?”
Kara is lost in thought and doesn’t respond immediately. When she finally does, the sadness evaporates from her traits.
“It’s not that simple. You can only jump from one passing of Nibiru to the next. When you visit a time more than once, you’re sent back to the exact moment you left.”
“Is that why she travelled back this far?”
Kara nods.
“How does she know what to change or when to change it?”
“I don’t know,” admits my friend.
I’m about to voice another one of many unanswered questions when our mounts slow down. At first, I don’t understand what's going on, but then I spot Jonn and Korri up ahead. Korri’s kaar seems fine, but Jonn’s is starting to lose speed. I guess the grey-haired soldier’s imposing stature is too much for it to handle for more than a few hours at a time.
“Lazy beast,” mutters Jonn when his mount slows to a complete stop and crumbles beneath him.
“It’s not the kaar’s fault,” says Kara as we pull up next to him. “You’re too heavy.”
“Are you calling me fat?”
“If the glove fits, wear it.”
That’s all it takes for the conversation to degenerate into an argument. I’m tempted to intervene, but I choose instead to ignore them.
“Will it recover?” I ask Korri, nodding to Jonn’s mount.
He nods. “It just needs to rest. It will be as good as new in a few minutes.”
Once Jonn and Kara stop arguing, we decide to take advantage of the situation to take a quick break. I go one step further and venture into the jungle to relieve myself. Lilis are mostly water, and my bladder is in desperate need of relief.
I find a perfect spot not too far from the rest of the group, and I’m just about to get to work when I spot a dark shape moving through the trees.
I freeze.
The shape stops moving. I can’t make out every detail because of the jungle’s thick underbrush, but I can tell it isn’t a dinosaur. The shape looks human, though its dark cloak keeps me from making out its gender.
I don’t know what to do. Should I follow the mysterious cloaked figure or head back to the group and tell them what I saw? I’m struggling to decide when the figure starts moving again.
I follow it. At first, I’m tentative in my approach, but it soon becomes apparent the individual has no idea I’m in pursuit. I quicken the pace until I’m only a few metres behind the cloaked figure.
I’m debating whether to make my presence known when the stranger ducks behind a tree. Worried that I will lose them, I rush forward and emerge into a small clearing.
To my left stands a small pond. Dozens of gossamer flowers bloom centimetres from the surface. At first glance, it appears as though they are floating, but further scrutiny reveals they are, in fact, attached to narrow stems that vanish into the mass of water. To my right stands the most beautiful tree I have ever seen. At least, I think it’s a tree until I notice the trunk’s peculiar composition. It’s a twisted mess of narrow, gnarled trunks knit so tightly they appear to be fused together. The long, thin branches sway in an inexistent breeze, giving the illusion the trees are alive and dancing. The effect is amplified by the fact that every last one of the leaves emits a soft green glow.
I’m so fascinated by the mysterious tree cluster I forget all about the mysterious figure that led me here. I step forward and soon find myself within range of the swaying branches. I reach out and let them brush against my fingers. They’re so soft I can’t help laughing. I take another step, and the branches start slithering across my body. More laughter erupts from my lips. I spin around, blissfully happy. The branches, now more alive than ever, snake their way around my arms and legs. They create a lattice around my chest and slowly guide me toward the gnarled trunk. By the time I realize what’s happening, it’s already too late.
I’m trapped.
My body is pressed firmly against the fused trunks, the knots digging into my back as the network of branches tightens around me. I struggle to break free, but my arms and legs are bound. Only my head remains unaffected. I should probably be grateful for this, but I’m too freaked out to care. I tug at the branches, but the more I s
truggle, the tighter they get. I’m just about to call for help when a shape emerges from the forest.
It’s the stranger.
“Help me,” I beg.
The figure approaches until it’s standing mere metres away. I can make out every detail of the cloak, but the being beneath remains fully hidden.
“I’m not here to help,” says the stranger in a deep, rumbling voice. My initial thought is that it’s Arko, but I soon realize the hooded figure’s stature is too small for that. I could almost mistake him for a woman if not for that deep voice.
“Why are you here?” I ask. The branches are now so tight I have trouble breathing.
“I’m here to teach you to control your shifting,” he explains. He doesn’t seem to care that I’m being crushed to death.
“Help me,” I plead.
“I will return tonight to begin your training,” he says, then turns away and walks off.
“Wait! Come back!”
The hooded man vanishes into the forest.
“HELP!” I yell. I know the stranger won’t return, but maybe my friends will hear me.
I yell until my throat is raw and my lungs are on fire. I’m just about to give up when Jonn and Kara emerge from the jungle.
“What happened?” asks my beautiful friend as she rushes forward.
I try warning her, but the branches are so tight I can no longer speak. Luckily, the sentient trees only seem to have eyes for me.
Kara tugs on the branches, but the limbs only tighten as a result of her interference. I try to speak, to beg her to stop, but I can’t.
“Move aside,” says Jonn.
He steps forward, knife in hand. For a brief moment I fear he’s decided to end my suffering, but then he starts hacking away at the branches. It works. That is until the trees realize what Jonn is up to and once again tighten their grip.
Something cracks. I can’t tell if it’s a branch or a rib. It doesn’t matter. At this point, I would welcome the sweet relief of death.
“Stop!” says a voice. My vision is blurry with tears, but I have no trouble making out the small shape that emerges from the forest.
It’s Korri.
“Stop that!” he insists when Jonn ignores his advice. “It’s making things worse.”
I understand every word the korrigan speaks, but Jonn remains oblivious to the warning and keeps hacking away at the branches. Korri changes tactics and starts pulling on Jonn’s legs, but the grey-haired soldier ignores him.
I can’t believe I’m going to die because I’m the only one who can understand Korri.
“I think he wants you to stop,” says Kara after a while.
I can’t speak, but I nod emphatically. Jonn seems hesitant to cease his attack, but he steps back when Kara insists.
The branches immediately loosen their grip. It’s not enough for me to break free, but at least I no longer feel as though I’m about to be crushed.
“You have to relax,” says Korri as he approaches. “The more you fight, the tighter they will get.”
“What?” I manage to mutter.
“The branches are extremely sensitive. They can sense your heartbeat. When your heart beats fast, the trees interpret it as a sign of hostility. If you relax and slow your heart rate, they will no longer perceive you as a threat and will release you.”
It sounds simple.
It’s not.
I focus on my galloping heart, but the harder I try to slow its throbbing, the faster it beats. Concentrating on my lungs also fails because I’m reminded of the precariousness of my situation each time I inhale. I finally try not thinking at all, but that’s even harder than attempting to slow my racing heart.
“I can’t do it. I can’t slow my heart.”
A heavy silence follows my revelation.
“I can’t believe this is how I’m gonna die.”
“You’re not going to die,” says Kara.
She steps forward. Her face hovers before mine. I feel her hot breath against my lips. For a brief moment, I think she’s going to kiss me, but she just stands there, peering deep into my eyes. I stare back, momentarily forgetting about the network of branches that surrounds my frame. The world fades away, leaving only Kara and me. I stare into her eyes, studying them in detail for the very first time. They are just as blue as I remember, yet I now notice flecks of green.
I’m so lost in the moment I don’t notice the branches retreating. It’s not until the final one slithers away and I topple forward that I realize I’m free. By then it’s too late.
I collapse, taking Kara down with me. We land in a tangle of limbs, our faces mere centimetres apart. Once again I find myself staring deep into her beautiful eyes as a familiar heat envelops me.
I’m about to shift.
I pull away and scramble to my feet. It takes a few seconds, but the heat eventually vanishes.
It was a close call. Too close.
“Thanks,” I say as Jonn pulls Kara to her feet.
“You would have done the same for me,” she says. I want to believe her, but the truth is I don’t know how I would have reacted had the roles been reversed.
“Why did you run off?” demands Jonn.
Should I tell them about the hooded man and his promise to help me control my shifting? For some reason, I feel as though that would be a mistake.
“I had to pee,” I say. And now that I’m reminded of it, there’s no way I can postpone it any longer.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell my companions as I run into the forest.
Once I’m done taking care of business, Kara, Jonn, Korri, and I return to our mounts. As it turns out, the clearing where I nearly lost my life is much farther than I originally thought. No wonder it took my companions so long to find me. I’m lucky to be alive.
After making sure Jonn’s mount has fully recovered, we head off. Now that my bladder is empty, the journey is quite enjoyable, yet I can’t help wondering whether or not that mysterious hooded man was telling the truth. Only time will tell.
Memory 37
W e travel for hours before taking another break. Jonn and Kara take advantage of the halt to discuss their plans for finding Avalon once we reach Arkania. I’m tempted to put in my two cents, but I doubt Jonn will listen to anything I have to say, so I decide to use this time to talk to Korri.
“Tell me about Arkania,” I urge.
“What do you want to know?”
“What kind of people live there? Are they korrigans?”
“They’re arkanes.”
“Arkanes?”
“Tall humanoids,” clarifies Korri. “Tall and thin.”
“What do they look like?”
“It varies,” he says. “They can change colour,” he adds when he notices my furrowed brow.
“Like korrigans?”
Korri nods.
“Are there other arkane cities besides Arkania?”
“Plenty, but Arkania is the largest. It’s why we korrigans steer clear of it.”
“Why?”
Korri seems hesitant to answer, but he does his best to explain.
“Korrigans and arkanes don’t get along. But it wasn’t always that way. Long ago, both species coexisted peacefully. Korrigans stayed in their volcanos and—”
“Wait,” I interrupt. “Korrigans used to live in volcanos?”
Korri nods.
“The korrigan race is ancient. Many generations ago, our ancestors lived in volcanos. According to legend, they spent their days shovelling lava.”
I momentarily get distracted by Jonn and Kara’s bickering, but I forget all about it when Korri continues his story.
“As I was saying, korrigans lived in volcanos while arkanes remained in their cities. All was well until they ventured out of their respective territories. Arkanes claimed the korrigans were the first to trespass. Korrigans accused the arkanes of the same. No one knows who started it, but the arkanes ended it. They attacked the korrigans. Countless died. Those who didn
’t were taken prisoner and forced to serve the arkanes as slaves. For many generations, korrigans were forced to toil away in misery.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” says Korri. “Anyway, the korrigans eventually rebelled, and slavery was abolished, but many were those who still viewed korrigans as lesser beings. Most of the korrigans left and were never seen again. A few stayed behind, and within a few generations, the two species had mixed. That’s how forest korrigans first came to be.”
“Forest korrigans?”
“It’s what we call the descendants of the children born from korrigans and arkanes. I should point out that, shortly after the appearance of the first forest korrigans, pureblood korrigans were referred to as lava korrigans. With time, many forgot about the past, and forest korrigans became known simply as korrigans.”
“What happened to the lava korrigans?”
“No one knows,” says Korri. “Some believe they returned to their volcanos and live sheltered lives, which, if you ask me, sounds horrible. Others believe they died out and are now extinct.” The slight smile that curls Korri’s lips tells me there’s something he’s not telling me.
“What do you think happened?” I ask, but the ground starts shaking before he can answer.
“What’s happening?” asks Kara, looking around.
Jonn has taken a defensive stance—his knees are bent, and his knife is raised. His furrowed brow tells me he’s just as oblivious to the nature of the tremors as I am, but at least he’s ready to take on any challenge. Unlike me.
I stand there, completely frozen, as the rumbling intensifies. My first thought is that it’s an earthquake, but that theory crumbles as soon as the sound of cracking branches reaches my ears.
“Something is coming,” says Jonn. “Something big.”
There’s no way for us to identify the source of the trembling, so we wait. Somehow, that’s worse than running for our lives. Each second seems to last an eternity. Just when I can’t take it anymore, a massive shape emerges from the forest.
It’s a Triceratops. No. That’s not true. It’s a whole herd of Triceratops. And they’re heading right for us.
Memory 38
T he Triceratops gallop toward us. I will myself to move, but my legs are frozen in place. Kara and Jonn also remain, though I’m not sure if they’re frozen in fear or merely brave. Only Korri manages to escape. In fact, he flees with such speed all I see is a dark blur, followed by a small gust of displaced air. I make a mental note reminding myself to ask about his superhuman speed once the danger has passed. That is if I’m still alive.