by G Sauvé
I emerge from the slide like a bullet leaving the chamber. I skid across a long, narrow surface. To the left stands the cliff. To the right is the lava. It’s so close I can feel its heat. But that’s not what worries me.
I’m going too fast. The end of the landing area is growing closer by the second, and I’m showing no signs of slowing down.
“Damn!” I mutter when I realize my mistake. I’m heavier than the korrigans, which means my velocity is far superior to theirs. This, in turn, means it will take much longer for my momentum to plummet to the point of inertia. In other words, I won’t be able to stop before reaching the end of the landing area, which, quite unfortunately, ends with a drop into an ocean of molten rock.
“Help!” I yell as I pass the first lava korrigan. He watches me speed past, too stunned to react. So do the next two. The fourth offers me a helping hand, but by the time I see it, it’s far behind me. The fifth and final member of the rescue team manages to grab my hand, but I’m moving so fast it’s immediately ripped from my grip. Only one thing now stands between me and certain death.
Korri.
The small korrigan waits until I blaze past him before using his super speed to catch up with me. Grabbing hold of my clothes, he digs his heels into the stone and starts running backward. It takes a while, but my forward momentum finally diminishes. Within seconds, we have slowed to a stop. And not a second too soon.
My legs dangle over the edge of the stone platform, my feet less than a metre from the boiling lava. I barely have time to retract my feet before they catch fire.
“Thanks,” I mutter as soon as I’m safe.
“You’re welcome.”
There’s a moment of silence before the shock of what just happened wears off, and the korrigan rescue team rushes forward.
“Are you all right?” asks one of them.
“That was awesome!” yells another. “Can you do it again?”
“Why would you do that?” wonders a third. “You almost died.”
Before long, they’re all talking at once. I can’t understand a word they’re saying, but I’m glad to see they have gotten over their initial fear of me. In fact, they now seem quite fascinated by me.
“Leave him alone,” says Korri. It takes a while, but they eventually calm down. It’s not until that happens that I finally get a look at my surroundings.
Before me stands a road. At least, I think it is. It protrudes from the ocean of lava by less than a metre and measures a far from reassuring two metres in width. Though it vanishes into the shimmering air after a dozen metres, it seems to lead to Korrigania, the lava korrigan city.
I groan. “That’s where we’re going, isn’t it?”
Korri nods. He’s beaming, no doubt thrilled at the prospect of returning home after nearly fifty years of exile.
“Let’s go,” says the leader of the rescue team and vanishes in a blur of movement. His teammates follow suit soon after. I wonder why they waited until now to use their super speed, but it matters little. As long as Korri remains with me, I know I’ll be fine.
“Come on,” says Korri, gesturing for me to follow him. Moments later, we’re on our way.
Travelling along a two-metre-wide road should be easy. It’s not. I constantly have to battle the gusts of hot air that buffet me from side to side. Not to mention the fact that at any moment a geyser could erupt and shower me with lava. But the worst part is the heat. It’s so intense I can barely breathe. It feels like my lungs are on fire. My entire frame is drenched in sweat, yet I still can’t seem to bring my body temperature down. I’m not sure how long I can survive this, but I fear it won’t be long enough for me to reach Korrigania.
I glance at Korri. He seems unaffected by the heat. He strolls along, a broad smile plastered across his lips.
“Aren’t you hot?” I ask.
“Not really. Lava korrigans like heat,” he reminds me. “It’s the cold we can’t handle.”
I’ve never really liked the cold, but I would give just about anything for a snowstorm right about now. Unfortunately, no such miracle occurs and it’s with a sense of despair that I stumble forward. It’s not until we have travelled a few hundred metres that the solution finally occurs to me.
Lava korrigans like heat. It would thus stand to reason that if I become one, my body will allow me to deal with the intense heat. Sure enough, moments after I replicate Korri’s appearance, the heat ceases to bother me. As an added bonus, my lower centre of gravity keeps the gusts of hot air from compromising my balance.
The success of the operation leads me to wonder if I can also use Korri’s super speed. I’m debating whether or not it’s a good idea when Korri comes to a stop and turns to me.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he says, “and it’s a bad idea.”
“Why?”
“Super speed is difficult to master. It takes weeks just to learn how to stop.”
I gulp. Perhaps now isn’t the best time to experiment with super speed. Still, I can’t help wondering what it would be like to travel at the speed of a bullet. Then again, bullets often end up flattened against hard surfaces. For now, I think I’ll stick with walking.
It takes nearly an hour, but we eventually reach Korrigania. It’s bigger than it looked from afar. There are thousands of homes scattered across the stone surface of the island. At least I think they’re houses. From a distance, they looked like giant boulders with the bottom sliced off, but upon further scrutiny, I discover each of these stone spheres has been hollowed out, creating a comfortable living environment for the korrigan who owns it. As ingenious and awe-inspiring as this is, it pales in comparison to the breathtaking display that unfolds by the perimeter of the city.
Hundreds of korrigans are gathered, working in perfect synchronicity. Some stand by the shore, using shovels to scoop up the lava and throw it back into the boiling mass of molten rock. Others move about in blurs of colour, carrying rocks.
“What are they doing?” I ask.
“They’re building a wall,” he answers distractedly.
“Why?”
“They’re trying to keep the lava from destroying the city,” he explains. Sure enough, every once in a while a wave of molten rock gets past the shovellers and crashes against the wall. Sometimes the stone structure holds. Other times it doesn’t, and the lava gets through. Whenever this happens, the nearby korrigans drop whatever they’re doing and work together to close the breach. So far, they have managed to hold back the lava, but it’s only a matter of time before all their hard work is destroyed.
I glance at Korri and find him with tear-filled eyes. It must be hard returning after all these years, only to realize his home is about to be destroyed. I feel sorry for him, but I know there’s nothing I can do to help. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what I’m doing here. But now isn’t the time to ask Korri to abandon his people and show me the way to the summit of the Mountain of Fire.
The city is mostly deserted. The few korrigans who aren’t busy building the wall are destroying houses with chisels and sledgehammers. At first, I don’t understand what they’re doing, but then I realize that’s where the stones come from. In order to keep the lava at bay, they must destroy the dwellings they worked so hard to excavate. Once again, I feel a wave of sympathy wash over me, but I forget all about it when a high-pitched shriek pierces the air.
I look up to see a fat lava korrigan running toward us. She’s a little taller than Korri, but not by much. Her hair is orange with streaks of grey. Flames lick at her skull, though she seems entirely unaware of it. Her protruding stomach and ample bosom bounce up and down as she rushes forward. The final detail I notice is the fact that she’s beaming uncontrollably.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“It’s my mother,” he groans.
That explains the flaming hair. It also explains why Korri looks like he would rather jump into the ocean of lava than to have to endure the humiliation of his mother waddling toward him wit
h open arms and flaming hair for one more second.
I forget all about Korri’s embarrassment when his mother alters her trajectory and heads right for me. At first, I don’t understand what she’s doing, but then I remember I’m still wearing my friend’s features. Desperate to return the female korrigan’s focus to her son, I revert to my normal appearance. Luckily, the temperature within the city is bearable.
I expect Korri’s mother to falter at the sight of my transformation, but she merely alters her course and tackles her son to the ground. They roll around for a while, the mother desperately hugging her son and the son frantically attempting to escape her grasp. It takes a while, but Korri finally manages to free himself.
“You’re back!” shrieks the female korrigan in the same high-pitched voice as before. “YOU’RE BACK!”
She lunges forward and crushes Korri’s frame between her powerful arms. I half expect his head to pop off, but he somehow survives. By the time she finally releases him, a third korrigan has joined them.
The new arrival is a male. He’s the tallest lava korrigan I have ever seen, which, of course, isn’t saying much. His hair and mustache are as white as snow. His frame is thin, and his clothes are neat beyond logical reasoning. Like Korri’s mother, he wears no hat.
“Release him, Korri,” says the male korrigan in a stern voice. I don’t understand what he means until I remember all korrigan names sound the same to me. Sure enough, it’s the mother who releases her son, not the other way around.
“And put that hair out,” he adds. “You look ridiculous.”
The female rolls her eyes but extinguishes her hair. Meanwhile, Korri and the white-haired korrigan study each other. I’m uncertain of their exact relationship, but I can tell they have a history.
“Hello, Father,” finally says Korri.
That explains the awkwardness.
“My son,” says the male korrigan, nodding ever so slightly. “You look well.” He awkwardly pats him on the shoulder, almost as if he wants to hug him but doesn’t quite know how.
Another uncomfortable silence settles between them.
“I didn’t think you’d return,” finally says the father.
“Korri!” chastises his wife as she smacks him on the arm.
“What?” protests the husband. “He chose to leave. By law, he’s banished, never to return.”
“Well, he’s back now,” snaps the orange-and-grey-haired korrigan. “And given the circumstances, there’s no doubt in my mind our wise queen will welcome him back with open arms.”
The mustached korrigan grunts then softens somewhat.
“He was quite a skilled shoveller,” he admits, fondly glancing at his son. He may try to hide it, yet I can tell he’s thrilled to see his son.
“Exactly,” says Korri’s mother. “And if there’s something we need right now, it’s more shovellers.” She looks me up and down and adds, “You’re big and strong. I bet you could shovel with the best of them.”
“Er… thanks?” I mutter, unsure whether or not I was just complimented or insulted.
“Mom, Dad,” says Korri. “This is my friend, Will.”
I offer a hand for them to shake, but neither of them knows what to do with it. I guess handshakes haven’t been invented yet.
“It’s nice to meet you, Will,” says Korri’s mother. I half expect her to hug me, but she’s content giving me a broad smile.
“Pleasure,” says Korri’s father as he strokes his mustache.
“His friends are in danger, and they need our help,” explains Korri.
“That’s awful,” says Korri’s mother. “Don’t worry, dear,” she adds, turning to me. “We’ll find a way to help your friends.”
“Thanks.”
“If anyone can help,” says Korri’s father, “it’s Queen Korri. We can discuss Korri’s pardon at the same time.”
Moments later, we’re on our way to meet the queen. Hopefully, she can help us rescue my friends before it’s too late.
Memory 83
W hen did this happen?” asks Korri as we travel across the city. Around us, lava korrigans are busy destroying homes and using the boulder fragments to build a protective wall around the metropolis.
“The magma level has been rising exponentially for the past few months,” explains Korri’s father, “but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that it finally reached our shores.”
“We’ve been working to keep the lava at bay ever since,” adds Korri’s mother, “but it’s only a matter of time before we’re overrun.”
“Why not abandon the city?” I ask.
Korri and his parents stare at me like I just suggested a planet-wide genocide.
“What?” I ask. “What did I say?”
“How dare you?” snaps Korri’s father.
“Leave him alone,” chastises his wife. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
Korri’s father glares at me, then walks off. His wife gives me an apologetic look and hurries after him.
“I’m sorry,” I tell Korri. “I didn’t mean to insult anyone.”
“It’s not your fault,” says my friend. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Known what?”
“Korrigans abide by a very strict set of rules.”
“Like the one that kept you from returning after you left?”
“Exactly. In fact, it’s that very same rule that keeps us from abandoning the city.”
“I don’t understand,” I admit.
“We’re guardians,” explains Korri. “We are duty-bound to protect the volcano until the day it erupts. Abandoning one’s post is tantamount to treason.”
“Is that why you were banished?”
“No. The rules that govern our society are ancient. It’s not unheard of for lava korrigans to venture out into the outside world. They remain unpunished as long as they return in a timely fashion.”
“Then why were you banished?”
“I was promoted to the status of lava shoveller,” explains my friend. “It’s a very prestigious post. Most would have been thrilled.”
“Not you?”
“No. I didn’t see the promotion as an honour, but rather a life sentence.”
“Why?”
“Lava shovellers are held to a much higher standard. They’re treated with respect and honour, but their elevation in status prohibits them from leaving the volcano.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“I never wanted to be a lava shoveller,” admits Korri. “I wanted to travel, to see the world.”
“So you just left? Even though you knew you could never return?”
Korri nods.
I now understand what happened to Korri. His unquenchable thirst for adventure kept him from enjoying his new and prestigious title. He left, only to realize the outside world was a dangerous, unfriendly place. By then, he had already forfeited his right to be a lava korrigan, so he was forced to find a home with the forest korrigans. They treated him like an inferior being because he was different, but he had nowhere else to go, so he endured the constant demeaning. That is, until my friends and I arrived.
We walk in silence for a while before another question bubbles to the surface of my subconscious.
“What’s with the hats?” I ask, gesturing to a group of lava korrigans who are just finishing up the destruction of a stone residence. They all wear the same pointy red hats I noticed earlier.
“They keep us safe,” reveals Korri. “When the air is normal, the hats hang limp. When the temperature rises, the hats fill with air.”
“What happens when they’re full?”
“Nothing. It just means it’s time for that korrigan to take a break.”
“I don’t get it. Why are all the hats pointy? Shouldn’t they be taking breaks?”
“They should,” admits my small friend, “but they can’t. The lava keeps rising, and the only way to protect our city is to work through the heat.”
I consider suggestin
g they abandon the city, but I know that won’t help, so I keep my mouth shut for the remainder of the journey.
The queen of the korrigans is by far the smallest korrigan I have ever seen. She’s barely over thirty centimetres tall and moves with such speed I can hardly even see her. Her high-pitched voice fills the air as she orders her citizens about in a desperate attempt at keeping the lava from overrunning their city. The words erupt from her mouth with such velocity I can barely make them out.
“My queen,” says Korri’s father. He bows low, but the ruler of the lava korrigans is far too preoccupied to notice the white-haired korrigan. It’s not until she sees me towering high above her that she finally comes to a stop.
“Who are you?” she asks.
“He’s my son’s friend,” says Korri’s father before I can respond.
“And who is your son?”
Korri steps forward and bows before his ruler.
“My name is Korri. I left—”
“But now he’s back,” interrupts his mother. “He has returned to help protect our beloved city.”
No one speaks for the longest time.
“I don’t care what you’ve done,” finally says Queen Korri. “We need all the help we can get. I pardon all of your past transgressions.”
Korri’s mother is so excited she hugs the queen. There’s an awkward moment as everyone waits to see how the queen will react. After what feels like an eternity, she starts laughing.
“It’s nice to see a mother care so much about her son,” she says.
“I would do anything for him,” professes Korri’s mother. This revelation is followed by an awkward silence that’s broken when Korri steps forward once more.
“My queen,” he says. “I’m forever grateful for your leniency, but in all honesty, that’s not the reason for my return.”
“It’s not?”
Korri shakes his head. “I have come to seek aid for my friends. They helped me when no one else would. Without them, I would not be here today. But two of them are now in grave danger. The third”—he gestures to me—“has come to beg for your aid.”