by G Sauvé
It’s a good question, so I translate it, minus the “finding Avalon” part, of course.
“It’s simple,” explains Korri. His pinched nose makes his voice sound funny. “We ride the empty worms as they head toward the Mountain of Fire and get out before they reach their destination.”
“How can we be sure they’ll let us out at the right place?” asks Kara.
“Lava worms are dumb,” explains Korri once I’ve repeated the question. “All you need to do is push in the direction you wish to go, and they comply.”
The korrigan lets himself slide down the giant maggot’s throat. Moments later, the beast’s mouth seals shut, and it starts moving. It turns right, then left. It travels forward and backward. Just when I think Korri has run out of ways to show off, the worm starts to… Well, it does the worm. Its body undulates up and down, though the jerky motion of its body makes it clear Korri is in full control. The worm keeps performing for a few more seconds, then grows still once more. Moments later, Korri’s head reappears.
“See? It’s easy.”
It does seem quite simple. Nonetheless, the thought of getting swallowed by a giant worm is far from enticing.
“There’s no way I’m getting in one of those,” growls Jonn. He’s pale as a sheet, and though he tries to hide it, his hands are shaking. If crawling through a narrow tunnel was bad, being confined within a living, breathing creature will be pure torture. Unfortunately, it appears as though that’s our only option.
“What’s wrong?” asks Kara. “I thought you weren’t afraid of anything?”
“I’m not afraid,” argues Jonn, oblivious to the fact that Kara is using his pride against him. Desperate to prove his point, he scans his surroundings and marches over to the nearest worm. Unfortunately, he fails to take into account the fact that it’s full of lava and ends up burning himself on the giant creature’s frame.
“DROWNED!” he yells. I can tell he wants to punch the worm, but he restrains himself. In the end, he kicks the maggot, and it pukes lava on his foot. His boot catches fire, but he manages to put it out before any real damage is sustained. The same can’t be said for his pride. The fact that Kara, Korri, and I are laughing doesn’t help. I expect him to get even more upset, but he takes a few deep breaths and manages to calm himself.
“H-how will we breathe?” he asks. I’m surprised he’s the one who thought of that, but I don’t bother pointing it out. I merely translate the question and pray Korri has a good answer.
He does. “The air contained within the earth the worms eat to dig their tunnels should be enough to sustain us.”
“Should?” asks Jonn once I’ve translated. I consider repeating the question for Korri, but I have a better one in mind.
“What happens to the earth once they eat it?”
Korri chuckles. “You don’t want to know.”
I’m tempted to believe him, but curiosity gets the better of me.
“Come on,” I insist.
“As you wish. Lava worms have a very basic digestive system. It extracts the vitamins and minerals from the earth, then evacuates what remains via the intestine.”
“They poop it out?” I ask. Jonn and Kara throw me perplexed glances as they have no idea what Korri and I are talking about.
Korri nods.
I’m out of questions, which means I’m as ready as I will ever be to get swallowed by a giant maggot. Fortunately, Kara still has a question, and our departure is delayed once more.
“Why do we need nose plugs?” she asks.
“You’ll see,” is Korri’s enigmatic answer once I have repeated the question. It’s not exactly encouraging, but it will have to do.
My companions and I get ready. The goggles are snug and surprisingly clear. It’s almost as if I wasn’t wearing them at all. The same can’t be said for the nose plug. Not only does it pinch my nose in a very uncomfortable manner, but it fails to completely seal my nostrils. I point this out, but Korri assures me it’s normal and retreats into his worm. But his head pops back out moments later.
“I almost forgot. Pull up when you see an orange glow. If you don’t, you’ll end up in the bowels of the Mountain of Fire.”
Jonn gulps when I tell him what I just learned. I merely watch as Korri’s worm slithers away. My friends and I follow him across the cavern. We pass dozens of lava worms, but they go about their business as though we’re not even here.
Jonn lags behind, no doubt terrified at the thought of being confined within a lava worm. Korri takes advantage of this to tell Kara and me not to touch the uvula when inside the giant maggots. He won’t to tell us why, but I opt to trust him and steer clear of it.
“Come on!” calls Kara to her father, luring him forward.
“Don’t tell Jonn,” whispers Korri just before the grey-haired soldier reaches us. I want to ask why, but I can’t without arising suspicion, so I decide to keep my mouth shut. If Korri doesn’t want Jonn knowing about the uvula, there must be a good reason.
By the time the lava worm reaches the cavern wall, Korri has retreated into its stomach. The beast doesn’t even slow down. It opens its mouth and starts swallowing massive amounts of dirt. Nothing happens for a few seconds; then the dirt is expulsed from the creature’s rear. It’s not a pretty sight, but it’s one that’s difficult to ignore. After a few seconds, the worm accelerates and vanishes.
There’s a moment of silence before Kara speaks.
“I guess we should get going.”
I nod and start looking for an empty worm. I find one just as Kara enters hers. I’m a little nervous when the maggot fails to move, but after a while, it heads toward the dirt wall and vanishes. I glance at Jonn and see he has found a worm of his own.
“This is it,” I mutter as I study my worm.
It’s massive and quite hideous. Its dark, beady eyes are focused on me as though it’s deciding whether or not to eat me. I can’t help finding it amusing that I’m hoping it will find me appetizing enough to swallow. Unfortunately, the beast never makes up its mind. It merely lies there and stares at me. I guess it’s up to me to make the first move.
I feel bad for what I’m about to do, but I have no choice. I lift a leg, cock it back, and kick the worm square in the face. I watch with a mixture of fear and anticipation as the gaping maw opens.
I take a moment to study the animal’s mouth before entering it. It’s round and devoid of teeth. A massive uvula hangs from the roof of the mouth while the massive muscles that line its greyish-white throat undulate in anticipation of the upcoming meal. I suddenly realize how terrifying my endeavour is. I’m about to enter a giant worm’s stomach. The only upside is that Jonn is far more terrified than me. Or so I think until I hear a muffled scream.
I look up to see a worm zigzagging toward the nearby wall of earth. The fearful cries that emanate from its stomach tell me Jonn is the one in control. As poor a driver as he is, he still manages to guide it toward the wall. Within seconds, both the worm and its passenger vanish.
I can’t believe it. Jonn is claustrophobic, yet he overcame his fear before I could work up the nerve to enter my worm. I guess that proves it; I am a coward. But not for long.
I raise a leg and slide it into the worm’s open mouth. When nothing bad happens, I grab the animal with both hands and lift the other leg. I then wiggle into the beast’s body. It’s an odd feeling, but one that lasts only a few seconds. Before long, all light has faded, and I find myself inside the worm’s stomach.
I expected it to be disgusting, but the orifice is quite dry. I guess it’s normal seeing how lava worms spend their days transporting lava and eating dirt. Speaking of which, it’s in my best interest to get moving lest I be left behind. I pop my head out of the worm’s mouth, get my bearings, and retreat into the beast’s stomach.
I lie on my stomach and reach out with both hands. I gently press against the left side of the worm’s stomach, and the animal immediately responds. Korri wasn’t lying when he said controlling
lava worms was easy. It takes a little while, but I soon master the art of steering my living vehicle. Moments later, we’re on our way.
I’m prepared for the dirt hitting my face. What I’m not ready for is the incredible force with which it occurs. It slams into my body with such might I’m sent flying backward. I try to grab on to the walls of the stomach for support, but that only confuses the worm, and he stops digging. We lurch to a stop, and I tumble forward, falling face-first into the dirt.
I take a moment to collect myself and come up with a different approach. I lie down on my back with my head by the worm’s mouth and my feet by its… exit. I then reach out with both hands and press against the animal’s stomach walls in an out and up motion. Moments later, the worm starts moving again, and dirt once more comes flying toward me. I brace myself and manage to survive the initial onslaught. I expect the situation to worsen with time, but the more dirt there is, the easier it becomes. By the time the stomach if full, I feel as though I’m floating. It’s an unexpected feeling, but not an unwelcome one.
I release the lava worm’s stomach lining and discover it continues to advance. I but need to touch the fleshy walls when I to adjust our trajectory. I guess it will be a relaxing ride after all.
It’s not until a few minutes into the ride that I realize I can breathe. The nose plug keeps the dirt out of my nose, yet the slits it leaves allow me to inhale without fear of gulping down grime. The goggles protect my eyes, yet the darkness that engulfs us keeps me from seeing anything. The only thing I need to worry about is remembering to keep my mouth shut.
After a while, I close my eyes and enjoy the floating sensation. It doesn’t take long before I lose all track of time. It’s not until well into the ride that I remember Korri’s warning. I open my eyes and flip onto my stomach just in time to see an orange glow in the distance. I’m not sure how the brightness can reach us underground, but I know better than to question it. I reach out and press my hands to the roof of the worm’s stomach. Moments later, we’re heading for the surface.
It takes a few minutes, but we finally emerge from the dirt. No sooner are we free of the earth than my ride expulses me from its system. I’m not sure if I came out the front or the back, but to be perfectly honest, I prefer not knowing.
It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the light. When they do, I find two shapes standing before me. My goggles are scratched from all that sand grinding against it, so it’s not until I remove them that I identify the shapes as Korri and Kara. But I forget all about them when I notice what stands behind them.
The Plain of Pain.
We made it. We crossed the deadly expanse without so much as a single scratch. I’m both stunned and relieved. I’m just about to rejoice when I notice Kara’s worried expression.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, but the truth dawns on me before she can answer. We’re only three, which means one of us failed to surface. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what that means.
Jonn is missing. Again.
Memory 44
J onn is dead.
It’s the only logical explanation I can come up with. I came close to reaching the glow Korri warned us about before surfacing. I’m not sure if it was the volcano itself or one of the many rivers it feeds, but Jonn could have survived neither. The fact that he left a few minutes before me leaves little doubt in my mind that he’s dead. I’m wondering whether Korri’s unwillingness to apprize Jonn of the danger of touching the uvula has anything to do with his disappearance when the ground beneath my feet starts trembling.
“What’s happening?” I ask, struggling to remain upright. The tremors intensify until I have no choice but to dive out of the way. Moments later, the ground explodes. Clumps of dirt fly high into the air as a massive white shape emerges from the hole. It seems to hang in the air for a second before slamming down. The shape lava worm rolls around and contorts vigorously. I’m not sure what’s happening, but whatever it is, it’s not good.
The giant larva flops around for a few more seconds before throwing up a slimy mass. At first, I think it’s a large boulder, but I soon realize it’s a person.
“Jonn?” I ask as I look the man up and down. Every centimetre of his body is coated with a thick layer of translucent goo. It’s in his hair, on his clothes. Some of it even spills out of his mouth as he bellows in anger.
Kara steps forward, relieved to see her father alive, but he shoves her aside.
“WHERE IS HE?” he growls, wiping the slime from his eyes. “WHERE IS THAT DROWNED KORRIGAN?”
Korri stands his ground, struggling to keep from laughing. I suddenly understand why Korri insisted I not tell Jonn about the risks involved with touching the uvula. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but it obviously wasn’t pleasant.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” yells Jonn. He lunges forward, but Korri uses his speed to dodge the attack. Jonn tries again, but the korrigan once again avoids him with ease.
“What happened?” asks Kara.
“WHAT HAPPENED?” bellows her father before realizing who he’s talking to. “Those drowned worms are impossible to steer. That’s what happened. I tried using the uvula to guide it, but that only made things worse.”
Guilt momentarily flashes across Kara’s beautiful face. Like me, she failed to apprise her father of Korri’s warning. The only difference is she forgot. I purposefully avoided telling him.
“Oh,” says Korri, feigning embarrassment. “Did I forget to mention you shouldn’t touch the uvula?”
“What did he say?” demands Jonn.
I don’t answer because I’m too busy struggling not to laugh.
“What did he say?” repeats Jonn. This time I translate Korri’s explanation.
“Touching the uvula triggers a primal response in the lava worm. A pheromone-ridden slime is released and attracts members of the opposite gender.”
“Pheromones?” asks Kara.
Jonn mutters something, but I can only make out a few words. “…attracts…” and “…opposite gender…” No sooner do the words escape him than the ground starts shaking. Moments later, a dozen worms emerge from the earth in an explosion of dirt.
Jonn makes a run for it, but he’s surrounded almost immediately. He tries to fight the enamoured worms, but they are far too numerous. They grind against him and quite literally drown him with their love. Soon all that remains of him is a hand, waving around madly.
Korri and I laugh hysterically. At first, Kara is a little worried, but when it becomes clear Jonn is in no real danger, she joins in. I haven’t laughed like this for quite a while, and it feels great. I momentarily forget about my worries and focus on the sight of Jonn struggling to escape the excited lava worms and the feeling of my sore stomach. By the time my laughter finally dies out, tears are streaming down my cheeks. I feel refreshed and ready to take on any challenge.
“I told you he would regret being mean to me,” says Korri as we watch the show.
I start laughing again, but the bout only lasts a few seconds. Korri may be small, but he doesn’t let anyone take advantage of him. I wish I were brave enough to stand up to Jonn.
We let the slime-covered soldier fight the enamoured worms for a while longer before finally coming to his rescue. Chasing away the love-drunk maggots isn’t easy, but we eventually manage to scare them off. Jonn seems pissed, but he doesn’t try getting back at Korri. I guess he learned not to mess with him.
It’s not until things have calmed down that I notice the city. It stands a half day’s walk away, a vast expanse of grass standing between it and the Plain of Pain. Not far behind it is the Mountain of Fire, its peak looming high above Arkania. I can see very little of the arcane city, yet I can tell it’s far more modern than the korrigan village. Perhaps not as technologically-advanced as Atlantis, but decades beyond the korrigans’ simple way of life. The final detail I notice is the setting sun.
“We should make camp for the night,” suggests Korri. “We can leave in the mor
ning and reach Arkania by mid-day.”
We all agree to the korrigan’s plan and prepare ourselves for our last night in the wilderness. We have very few supplies left, so our dinner consists of an assortment of bruised, but oh-so-delicious lilis. The fire we built using the dead logs we managed to retrieve from the nearby forest keeps the chilly night air at bay.
“Why is Avalon poisoning the korrigans?” I ask halfway through the meal.
“I don’t know,” admits Kara.
“Whatever is it,” says Jonn speaking for the first time since the lava worm incident, “it can’t be good.” He clears his throat and spits a wad of phlegm, which I can tell was intended for Avalon.
“Why does he hate her so much?” I ask Kara in a soft voice.
There’s a moment of silence before she decides to answer. Unfortunately, Jonn interrupts before she can utter a single word.
“Time to go to sleep,” he announces as he stands and kicks dirt onto the fire. Within seconds, the burning logs have been reduced to a pile of smouldering ashes. I consider attempting to continue the conversation, but Kara is getting ready for bed. I’m a little disappointed, but I vow to pick up where we left off in the morning.
It’s not until I’ve settled in for what may well prove to be a very long and uncomfortable night that I remember my encounter with the mysterious hooded man. He claimed to be able to help me master my powers. While I haven’t consciously thought of my shifting ability since our encounter with the Triceratops and the T. rex, it’s always been in the back of my mind. The thought that I may one day be able to control my mysterious power fills me with relief.
I half expect to remain awake while my companions get some well-deserved rest, but the exhaustion of the day catches up with me, and I fall asleep soon after stretching out on my improvised bed.
I’m not sure how long I sleep, but it’s still dark when I awake. So dark, in fact, I can barely see the shape towering above me. All I can make out is a dark, cloaked figure. It’s enough. I don’t even have to hear the hooded stranger speak to know my training is about to begin.