by G Sauvé
The dinosaurs charge forward, their heads tilted forward so all three of their large, sharp horns are pointed straight at us. Their powerful legs propel their massive bodies forward, causing the ground to shake every time one of them takes a step. It’s a miracle we can stand.
The Triceratops are less than a dozen metres from us when Jonn finally comes up with a plan.
“Run!” he yells.
It would be a good plan if not for one small detail. It’s too late. By the time Jonn’s order leaves his lips, the dinosaurs are upon us. All we can do is close our eyes and pray we don’t get trampled.
Somehow, not being able to see the Triceratops barrel past me is worse than witnessing the terrifying sight of their sharp horns slicing through the air mere centimetres from my face. All I feel is the shaking of the ground and the gusts of wind as the massive reptiles speed past. I wait for the searing pain of impalement, but it never comes.
Silence eventually returns, and I open my eyes. I prepare myself for the possibility that my companions are dead, but both Jonn and Kara are unharmed. I would be relieved if not for the fact that we’re surrounded by a dozen snorting prehistoric reptiles.
Since the immediate danger seems to have passed, I take a moment to study the Triceratops. They vary greatly in length, going from the size of a minivan to that of a bus. They tower above us at nearly twice my height. Their tails swing from side to side, the nearest ones only barely avoiding us. But what scares me most of all is the horns. The longest pair is as long as my arm. The third horn, while shorter, still measures the length of my forearm.
“Don’t move,” mutters Jonn, still brandishing his woefully inadequate weapon.
“Don’t worry,” comes Korri’s voice from our left. “They’re not hostile unless they sense danger.” I look around and spot the small korrigan peering at us from behind a nearby tree.
“If he’s so sure they’re not dangerous, why is he hiding?” asks Jonn once I translate the korrigan’s words.
Korri bolts before I can repeat the comment. This in itself is enough to worry me, but my fear spikes further when I notice the dinosaurs’ restlessness. They stomp and snort, turning their heads left and right. I’m not sure what they’re nervous about, but I fear I won’t like it.
“I think now would be a good time to leave,” says Kara.
Jonn and I nod in agreement, but escaping the herd of nervous reptiles proves impossible because they are packed together tighter than sardines in a can. But then something happens that makes me realize how lucky we are to be surrounded by powerful dinosaurs.
With an ear-splitting roar and the cracking of dozens of branches, a beast even more dangerous than the Triceratops emerges from the jungle. It takes a moment before I accept the image my eyes are relaying to my brain.
Standing before us, mere metres away, is a Tyrannosaurus rex.
Memory 39
T he Tyrannosaurus rex—also known as a T. rex—is one of the deadliest predators ever to have walked the surface of the Earth. The fact that such a vicious killing machine now stands before us is enough to scare me to death, yet that’s not what worries me the most. Nor is it the fact that it’s the size of a Greyhound—the bus, not the dog. Not even the razor-sharp claws and teeth get to me. What truly terrifies me is the fact that its eyes glow an intense shade of red.
“Is that—” begins Jonn, but he’s interrupted mid-question when the T. rex lets out a bone-jarring roar. This not only damages my eardrums, but it sends the Triceratops into a frenzy. They stomp around and cry out in fear as they struggle to escape the deadly predator. Unfortunately, they are restricted in their movements by their closeness and end up bumping into each other in their desperate race for survival. I’m just realizing this when Kara yells for me to be careful.
I tear my gaze from the T. rex just in time to see a Triceratops barrel toward me. I dive out of the way and barely avoid getting trampled. I scramble to my feet, only to be knocked back down. At first, I think it’s a dinosaur, but I soon realize it’s Jonn.
He saved my life. Again.
“Thanks,” I mutter as I pry myself off the ground.
I dodge another fleeing reptile and offer Jonn a hand. I’m a little surprised when he takes it, yet I pull him to his feet. Moments later, we’re both scanning our surroundings in search of Kara.
She’s gone.
“Where is she?” I ask, panic rising within me.
“There!” yells Jonn. I follow his gaze all the way to Kara.
She’s cornered, trapped between two thrashing Triceratops. It’s only a matter of time before she gets trampled.
I want to help her, but my fear overpowers me. I can barely take care of myself, let alone someone else. But somebody has to save her. Since both Korri and I are out of commission, that leaves only one person.
Jonn rushes forward. He dodges a dinosaur. A second one. Finally, he reaches Kara. But it’s too late. She’s about to be crushed. Or so I think until Jonn circles around the two beasts and starts yelling and waving his arms. While such a desperate strategy may not always work, it succeeds with surprising ease. Already terrified beyond repair, the Triceratops gallop away, barely avoiding Kara as they flee.
I can’t believe it. Kara is safe. So is Jonn. They hurry back to me just as the only remaining Triceratops—the biggest of the bunch—turns to the T. rex and charges it.
The Tyrannosaurus may be bigger, but the Triceratops has momentum on its side. It barrels forward like a freight train, its massive horns howling for blood. I think the T. rex is done for, but it dodges the incoming mass of flesh, scales, and horns at the last second. The quadruped speeds past, and unable to stop, slams into a tree. Its horns dig deep into the trunk and remain trapped. The animal struggles to free itself, but the T. rex doesn’t allow it. It rushes forward and wraps its massive jaw around the ensnared beast’s neck. I look away just as it snaps its mouth shut.
I don’t see the carnage, but I hear it. It sounds like dozens of branches snapping simultaneously, yet I know what I’m actually hearing is the Triceratops’ spinal column shattering. Moments later, the ground shakes as the beast’s corpse slams into it.
It takes a while, but I finally muster the courage to look. I expect to find the T. rex feeding, but it just stands there, staring at us with glowing, unblinking eyes. That can only mean one thing.
We’re next.
Memory 40
W e’re dead. These words repeat over and over in my head until it’s all I can hear. I have no choice but to rely on my other senses. I feel the earth shake as the T. rex slams its massive feet into it. I can see the glowing brilliance of its red eyes. I can smell the fetid odour of its breath. While I can’t taste it, the fear that grips me lures bile to my mouth, forcing me to endure its acrid taste.
I wait for the end to come, but it never does. The tyrannosaur releases one final ear-splitting roar, then turns and stomps off.
I watch with a mixture of relief and confusion as the dinosaur vanishes into the jungle. Its heavy steps quickly disappear, leaving only the Triceratops corpse as proof of its passage. The tooth that protrudes from its neck proves its adversary didn’t escape the skirmish unscathed, but a tooth is a small price to pay for such an impressive victory.
Silence. It seems to stretch on forever.
“Did you see its eyes?” asks Kara.
I nod. “What do you think it means?”
“Who cares?” says Jonn. “We’re alive. And the sooner we get going, the sooner we can find Avalon and use her ring to get out of here.”
“That may be easier said than done.” I don’t understand what Kara means until she points out the fact that all four of our mounts have vanished. They must have fled during the frenzy. All that remains is a leather satchel, which must have come undone during the escape.
I’m about to retrieve it when Korri emerges from the forest. He strolls through the mess of trampled vegetation, a big smile curling his lips.
“That was a
close one,” he says.
“Coward,” growls Jonn as the korrigan passes near him. Korri doesn’t understand the soldier’s words, so he marches on without a care in the world. But his smile vanishes once he reaches me.
“What did he say?” he asks.
I consider lying to him to spare his feelings, but who am I to decide what Korri deserves to know?
“He called you a coward,” I say. “But don’t take it personally. He’s mean to everyone.”
Korri chuckles.
“Don’t worry. He’ll pay for it soon enough.”
I’m not sure how a small guy like Korri can get back at a big, tough guy like Jonn, but I’m looking forward to it. In the meantime, I watch as Korri approaches what remains of our supplies and goes through the satchel.
“What’s the verdict?” asks Jonn.
“As long as we ration, we should be able to reach our destination,” answers Korri once I’ve translated the soldier’s question. “I think.”
It’s not the reassuring statement I hoped for, but I’ll take it.
“What now?” I ask.
“We keep going,” says Jonn as though stating the obvious.
“Is that a good idea?” asks Kara. “Now that we’re travelling on foot, the journey will last much longer. Perhaps we should head back and resupply.”
“We can’t,” says Jonn. “They want to sacrifice us, remember?”
Kara is at a loss for words, but only for a moment.
“We could—” she begins, but her father cuts her off.
“We’re not going back.”
Things are about to degenerate.
“I suggest we let Korri decide,” I say. “He knows this jungle better than anyone. If he says we can make it, that’s good enough for me. If not, we head back to the korrigan village and find a way to resupply. Agreed?”
Kara’s lips curl into a smile. “Agreed.”
Jonn mutters something that can be interpreted as an agreement.
“All right,” I say, turning to Korri. “What do you think? Should we proceed or turn back?”
Korri doesn’t even take the time to think things over.
“If we continue along the path we were on, we’ll run out of supplies before we reach Arkania. However, we can take a shortcut and save ourselves many days of travel. If we pick this path, we should have no trouble reaching our destination before our supplies run out.”
“Ha!” Jonn says once I translate Korri’s words. “I win.”
Kara rolls her eyes.
“If this shortcut is so much faster, why didn’t we take it in the first place?” she asks.
I hadn’t thought of that. Apparently neither had Jonn, because his smirk evaporates.
“The shortcut is far more dangerous than the long route,” explains Korri once I translate Kara’s question. “Since we had kaars, there was no need to put ourselves in unnecessary danger.”
“We survived a herd of angry Triceratops and a T. rex,” argues Jonn. “What could be more dangerous than that?”
I can think of about a dozen things, but Jonn grabs the satchel from Korri’s hands before I can voice a single one of them, slings it over his shoulder, and heads off in the direction we were travelling before the dinosaur attack. Kara, Korri, and I hesitate before deciding to follow him.
Korri lets Jonn guide us for a good ten minutes before mentioning we’re going in the wrong direction. I would be upset if not for the look on Jonn’s face when he finds out. He’s angry but also stunned. I guess he’s not used to being played for a fool. Apparently, Korri wasn’t lying when he said Jonn would pay for insulting him. I wonder what else he has planned.
“Shut up, Won’t,” the grey-haired soldier barks when he notices me smirking. I consider answering but burst out laughing instead. Jonn glares at me but knows there’s nothing he can do to me. Not only would Kara refuse to let him use me as a punching bag, but I’m the only one capable of communicating with Korri. Without me—and Korri, of course—Jonn has no way of knowing the proper direction to take.
Korri and I laugh for a while before I start feeling bad for Jonn. He may not show it, but I know that buried deep beneath that thick armour of muscle is a human being with real feelings and emotions. I think.
“The shortcut is this way,” I tell Jonn once Korri has given me the proper directions. He glares at the korrigan then storms off. Kara hurries after him. Korri and I follow a short distance behind.
“Have you always been able to run that fast?” I ask. “It’s so cool.”
Korri’s face lights up.
“I was the fastest in my class.”
I realize this is the first time Korri has ever mentioned his childhood. I wonder how old he is.
“Can all korrigans run like you?”
Korri shakes his head.
“I’m different,” he confides, though I can’t tell if he’s proud or ashamed of his uniqueness.
“Is that why you can’t change colour?”
Korri’s smile crumbles, leaving him looking sad. Not to mention a little nervous. I can tell he’s hiding something, but I refuse to pry. Desperate to make up for my faux pas, I decide to change the subject.
“Tell me about Arkania.”
Korri’s sadness evaporates like dew in the morning sun.
“It’s a beautiful city. Full of gorgeous sights and wondrous things.”
A thought occurs to me. Only once in the two weeks my companions and I spent with the korrigans did I see them leave the village, and that was to gather food that couldn’t be grown within the village limits.
“How do you know so much about Arkania?”
Korri blushes—I think—and chuckles nervously.
“Korrigans aren’t supposed to leave the village, but sometimes I sneak away and travel to Arkania.”
“Why?”
“I like to watch. Life in the village is boring, especially for someone like me, so I find ways to entertain myself.”
I understand where Korri is coming from. In fact, I used to be just like him, only instead of a village and a distant city, it was an orphanage and the outside world.
“When was the last time you went to Arkania?” I ask.
“It’s been a while. I haven’t left the village in over a year.”
“Why not?”
“The fire plague.”
Oops. I should have seen that coming. I’m about to apologize when we emerge from the jungle.
Before us lies a vast expanse of sand. The ground has been hardened and crackled by countless years of being battered by the sun’s merciless rays. The only thing not explained by the prehistoric sun’s intense heat is the thousands upon thousands of thirty-centimetre-wide holes that riddle the sandy expanse.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“This,” answers Korri, theatrically opening his arms, “is the Plain of Pain.”
“That sounds ominous,” admits Kara once I’ve translated the korrigan’s answer.
“Why is it called that?” I wonder.
Korri is about to answer when nature beats him to the punch. A soft rumbling draws my attention to the nearest hole. I step forward to get a closer look just as a blistering-hot jet of steam shoots out of it. I jump back, barely avoiding third-degree burns. The name now makes perfect, horrifying sense. Only one question now remains:
How do we get across the Plain of Pain?
Memory 41
I stare at the Plain of Pain, frozen in horror. Every few seconds a geyser erupts from one of the countless holes that riddle the vast expanse, sending water and steam flying high into the air. The columns of superheated water vary in both size and intensity, but one thing is constant.
There’s no way to predict where the next geyser will appear.
“Is this the shortcut you spoke of?” asks Kara.
There’s no doubt in my mind Korri would willingly answer Kara’s question, but I’m the only one capable of translating my friend’s words, and I’m still too stu
nned to do so.
“Won’t!” barks Jonn. “Why aren’t you translating?”
I don’t appreciate his tone, but he’s right. We need answers.
“Tell us about the Plain of Pain,” I urge.
“This used to be a lake,” says Korri, “but it dried up long ago. All that remains is a subterranean body of superheated water.”
“Why is it so hot?”
“The volcano,” explains Korri, pointing to the mountain I now notice for the first time. It’s still quite far, yet it towers high above us. Though it’s entirely covered in vegetation, I can tell by its shape it used to be a volcano.
“Is that...” I begin, thinking of the cave painting that has haunted my dreams for the past few weeks.
Korri nods. “That’s the Mountain of Fire. It’s where Korrigana lives.”
“I thought the volcano was dormant.”
“It hasn’t erupted in ages,” says Korri, “but it still produces lava. There are dozens of underground rivers of molten rock, but the largest one passes underneath the Plain of Pain.”
“Is that why there are geysers?” I ask.
The small korrigan nods again. “The lava river flows directly into the underground lake. The geysers are the result of the two fronts meeting. Not only are they deadly, but they’re impossible to predict. Crossing the Plain of Pain is impossible.”
“I don’t get it,” admits Kara once I translate everything Korri just told me. “Why would Korri lead us here if we can’t cross?”
“Who cares?” says Jonn. “Let’s just go around.”
“We can’t,” I remind him. “We don’t have enough food.”
“We should go back,” urges Kara. “We can resupply and travel around the Plain of Pain.”