by G Sauvé
Are you a goddess?
The dragon chuckles.
No. I merely allow the korrigans to treat me as such because they seem to enjoy it. There’s no harm in it.
I consider pointing out the fact that it’s this very belief that led the forest korrigans to their demise, but I know it will accomplish nothing. Not to mention the fact that I’m already quite busy realizing I’m now faced with a decision that will either prove or disprove my rightful claim to the title of saviour of the forest korrigans. By leading the baby dragons to freedom, I will not only be completing a selfless act, but I will also fulfill the prophecy which I up until now only partially believed I was the hero of.
Will you help me? asks Korrigana. Will you free my children?
I hesitate for a moment. Not because I had a change of heart, but because I only now realize I can use this situation to my advantage.
I’ll help you, I finally say, but I must ask a favour of you in return. It’s not a big favour, but it’s one that may well mean the difference between rescuing my friends and dooming myself along with them.
Memory 90
S aying goodbye is never easy, but it’s especially difficult when you know you will never again see the person you’re saying farewell to. That’s the situation Korrigana is in as I prepare myself to lead her children to safety. I have memorized the directions and reaching the outside world should take no more than fifteen minutes. With any luck, I can be back on my way up the Mountain of Fire within the next half hour. And, now that I have a plan I’m confident will work, Jonn and Kara’s future is looking much brighter. For that matter, so is mine.
“Don’t worry,” I tell Korrigana as I lead her children toward the exit. “I’ll return to let you know they’re safe.” I’m not sure if she understands, but she growls softly at the sound of my promise.
The baby dragons seem oblivious to the fact that they’re leaving their mother for the final time. To them, we’re merely going on an adventure. I guess it’s better this way as it will make it easier for me to lead them to freedom.
The journey is short and boring. After a few turns and a lot of walking, we reach our destination. As it turns out, the tunnel merely ends. From the looks of it, we’re halfway up a massive cliff, but I can’t be one hundred percent sure as I only peek out of the hole before ducking right back in.
The first two dragons barely even hesitate before leaping out of the tunnel. They plummet for a second, then open their wings and soar away. Only the injured reptile remains. It seems hesitant to take the plunge, no doubt worried its damaged wing won’t be able to support it.
Don’t worry, I tell it moments after I have replicated its appearance and pressed my snout to its face. You’ll be fine.
The animal doesn’t answer, but I can sense its confidence grow. It pulls away, turns toward the exit and leaps into the air. It flaps its wings and, within seconds, rises up and out of sight. I wait a few moments to make sure he’s all right, then head back the way I came.
The return trip is uneventful. On the way there I pass by the tunnel which will lead me to the summit of the Mountain of Fire, but I ignore it and continue. I could never live with myself if I broke my promise to Korrigana.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her as soon as I emerge from the tunnel. Your children are safe, I add once I have replicated the injured dragon’s appearance and pressed my head to hers.
Thank you, she says.
You’re welcome, I answer. Moments later, I’m reverting to my human form. I press my palm to Korrigana’s muzzle in a gesture of farewell then pull away. Next stop: Avalon’s tower.
Memory 91
T he final leg of the journey takes a few hours, which gives me ample time to process everything I just went through. I travelled up the Mountain of Fire and located Korrigana, false goddess of the forest korrigans. While I failed to free her, I did speak to her, which, technically speaking, is all the korrigan prophecy called for. Not to mention the fact that all three of the baby dragons were freed in the process. Perhaps one of them will replace Korrigana as goddess—or god—of the forest korrigans. Either way, I fulfilled my end of the bargain. Not only does this fill me with pride, but it proves I truly am a hero. There’s no doubt in my mind I will succeed in rescuing Jonn and Kara. In fact, I have such confidence in my abilities I don’t even bother coming up with a plan.
I eventually reach the summit of the dormant volcano. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness of my new surroundings, but when they finally do, I discover Korri was telling the truth when he said the tunnels would lead me to the very summit of the Mountain of Fire. Avalon’s tower now stands less than a hundred metres away. Reaching it will be a piece of cake.
The sun is high in the sky, which means my journey lasted a full day or less than an hour. Since the latter seems unlikely, it means I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours—give or take a few hours—wandering around the bowels of the dormant volcano, desperately struggling to survive. Hopefully, my friends are still alive.
I march toward the tower, picturing the events as they are most likely to unfold. First, I will sneak into the tower and locate Kara and Jonn. If I encounter arkane guards, I will find a way to sneak past them, or I will take them out. Once I have located my friends, I will free them, and working together, we will find Avalon and take her down once and for all. We will then head back to our respective times and live happily ever after.
That’s how I imagine things going down. Of course, events may not play out exactly as I pictured them, but I’m confident they will. If for some unexplainable reason they don’t, I have a backup plan that’s guaranteed to work. One way or another, Avalon is going down.
My carefully laid-out plan crumbles as soon as I reach the tower. There are no guards in sight, and the front gate is wide open. It reminds me of the time Arko led us into a trap. I’m suspicious and hesitant to enter, but I have no choice. Kara and Jonn’s lives depend on whether or not I can live up to my title of hero, and I won’t let anything, not even the prospect of walking into another trap, stand in my way.
I hesitate for a moment longer, then enter. Like the last time, it takes my eyes a moment to adjust. When they do, I’m greeted with a peculiar sight. A few metres before me is Jonn’s hunting knife. It lies on the ground, completely unguarded. It’s almost as if someone left it there for me. I hesitate, but as I’m defenceless and there seems to be no one in sight, I tiptoe over to it and pick it up.
I feel somewhat safer, yet I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. This is too easy, almost as if someone were luring me forward with the promise of saving my friends, but with the intention of betraying me. Unfortunately, I have come too far to turn back.
I sneak deeper into the room until I’m standing nearly at its centre. It’s almost exactly as I remember it. A stone staircase leads to the next level. To my right stands a large metal cage. Unlike the last time I was here, the red-eyed Tyrannosaurus rex it once contained is gone. The second cage, which stands to my left, has also changed. When I last saw it, it was empty, but now it’s full.
“Kara!” I cry out at the sight of the two humans trapped inside the cage. “Jonn!”
“Will?” says Kara as she looks up. Jonn also stares at me but says nothing. I think he’s too stunned to speak.
I rush over to them, overwhelmed with joy. I spent the last twenty-four hours trying to convince myself they were still alive, but now that I have proof of their wellbeing, I realize deep down I feared they were dead. I guess it’s just as easy to lie to yourself as it is to lie to others.
“What are you doing here?” asks Jonn.
I’m not sure who’s more stunned. Me, because my friends are alive and well, or Jonn, because I chose to come back for them.
“Someone talked some sense into me,” I say. I can tell it’s not the answer the grey-haired soldier was looking for, but he chooses not to insist. There will be time to explain everything after I free them. Still, I can’
t help wondering how they ended up locked in a T. rex cage in a seemingly deserted tower.
“Avalon’s guards locked us up shortly after you left,” explains Kara once I have voiced my question. “They left soon after and we haven’t seen them since.”
“I think it’s a trap,” I admit, though I have no idea how Avalon could have predicted I would return.
“Really?” asks Jonn.
I ignore the sarcastic comment and scan my surroundings. If this is indeed a trap, there should be a key nearby. Sure enough, I find it hanging from a hook on the wall. I should probably be worried, but I refuse to let my skepticism stand in the way of my mission. I grab the key and slide it into the lock. A twist is all it takes to free my friends.
“I’ll take that back,” says Jonn as soon as he’s out of the cage. He snatches the knife from my hands and returns it to its sheath. I can tell by the smile that curls his lips he’s glad to be reunited with his old friend.
“What now?” asks Kara.
“We find Avalon, and we end this,” says Jonn.
My original plan involved taking down Avalon, but that all changed the second I walked right into what is clearly a trap. I’m not sure why Avalon wanted me to free my friends or what she has planned for us next, but it matters little. We now have the means and opportunity to leave this time, and I’m not willing to let Jonn’s hunger for revenge stand in the way of that.
“No,” I say. I must admit, I’m a little surprised by the forcefulness of my voice. So is Jonn. He stares at me, a look of utter disbelief plastered across his face. Even Kara looks a little taken aback by my sudden display of authority.
“What the drowned are you talking about?” asks Jonn. “This is the closest we’ve come to taking down Avalon in a while. We can’t pass up such an opportunity.”
“No!” I repeat even more forcefully than before.
Jonn takes a threatening step forward. It takes all the strength I have not to back down.
“In case you forgot,” he seethes, “everything that’s happened so far is your fault. If you hadn’t saved Avalon’s life, none of this would have happened.”
Deep down I know he’s right, but I’m not about to let his bullying influence my objectivity.
“That may be,” I admit, “but we can’t risk staying here.” I tell them how the volcano is about to erupt and every moment we remain here, we’re putting ourselves in harm’s way. As if to prove my point, the ground shakes moments after I’m done speaking. I could leave it at that, but I decide to drive my point home.
“The volcano’s about to erupt,” I say. “Avalon’s absence means she probably already fled to another time.” Jonn tries to interrupt, but I don’t let him. “Even if she’s still here, the volcano will take care of her for us. By staying, we’re only putting ourselves in danger.”
I can tell Jonn wants to argue, but he seems at a loss for words.
“He’s right,” says Kara.
There’s a moment of silence before another tremor knocks some sense into Jonn.
“Fine,” he grunts. “But I’m not giving up until I have proof Avalon is dead.”
“Agreed,” says Kara. She then turns to me, indicating the time has finally come for us to leave this time. With a final thought for Korri, the only real friend I made in this time, I activate my ring.
I twist the first triangle, then the second. The two shapes intersect in the middle, forming an hourglass symbol. The top half is full; the bottom half is empty.
I hold my breath, waiting for the portal to open.
Nothing happens.
I wait some more.
Still nothing.
“What’s wrong?” asks Kara.
“I don’t know,” I admit. I return the triangles to their original position and once again try activating the ring.
Nothing happens. I’m about to try yet again when a voice fills the air.
“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” says the voice. It’s soft, almost melodic, yet the mere sound of it is enough to send a shiver of dread running down my spine.
I turn to see a raven-haired woman strolling down the stairs.
It’s Avalon.
Memory 92
A valon. The sight of her should fill me with rage, but all I sense is an overwhelming sense of defeat. I came so far, overcame so much, only to fail in the end.
“Why the long face?” asks Avalon as she reaches the final step of the stone staircase. She’s now on the same level as us, mere metres away. All it would take is one well-placed bullet, and her reign of tyranny would end. Unfortunately, neither of my companions possess a gun, but that doesn’t mean we’re defenceless.
Jonn wastes no time trying to figure out what went wrong. He unsheathes his knife and lunges forward. For a brief moment, it appears as though he will succeed in ridding the world of the cancer that is Avalon, but he only makes it halfway before a dozen heavily-armed arkanes surround us. They must have snuck in while our attention was focused on Avalon. It was all a diversion, a trick.
Within seconds, no less than twenty-seven arkane guards have invaded the room. Some bear spears. Others carry swords. All wear armour. Defeating them will be impossible, a fact that’s proven by Jonn’s willingness to give up his weapon. The knife clatters to the ground, like a bell tolling the end of the world.
Avalon makes her way toward us. The arkanes may tower high above her, yet they obediently part to let her through. I’m not sure if their loyalty is to their king or Avalon, but it matters little.
“What’s wrong?” asks Avalon as she comes to stand before me, an amused smile curling her lips. “You seem upset.”
I ignore her attempted goading and glance down at the ring on my finger. It may look like the one my mother left me, but it’s as useless as a pebble in the hands of someone trying to kill a blood-thirsty T. rex.
“It’s fake, isn’t it?” I ask.
I expect her to go into a detailed explanation of how she tricked me, but she merely nods.
“Where’s the real one?” I ask. “Where’s my mother’s ring?”
Her smile persists.
“It’s safe,” she says, tapping her pants pocket.
I stare at the slight bulge for a while before curiosity once again grabs hold of me.
“Why?” I ask.
“I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out,” admits Avalon.
I don’t react. I’m way beyond insults. Everything I once believed has been turned upside down, and the only thing capable of bringing me a modicum of peace is understanding.
“I lied,” says Avalon. “My aim was never to kill Jonn and Kara. Their death will merely be a bonus.”
I want to ask what her true plan was, but I resist the urge.
“You, Will Save, were always the one I was after,” reveals Avalon.
There’s a moment of silence as everyone, both human and arkane, stares at me. I get the feeling I should be upset, but I still have no idea why a woman I only met a few times is so obsessed with me.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “Why me?”
Avalon laughs. It’s a soft, joyful chuckle. Somehow, that’s worse than if she had cackled.
“Do you remember the first time we met?”
How could I forget? My first encounter with Avalon marks the moment my life changed forever. It went from near-perfect to full-blown insane. I remember every detail with perfect clarity. The accidental tackle. The explosion of pain. The shocked look on Avalon’s face. The sense of bewilderment that overcame me at the sight of the hourglass symbol on her wrist. I remember every moment, but what does it have to do with Avalon’s careful manipulations?
“You can shift,” she says. It’s not a question. It’s a statement. “Don’t you find it odd you only started showing symptoms after our encounter at the subway station?”
It takes a moment before I understand the implications of such a statement.
“Are you saying…” I begin, but my voice tr
ails off.
Avalon nods.
“You stole my powers,” she growls, taking a threatening step forward. I instinctively retreat, slamming into Jonn. “The ability to shift was never yours. It was mine. And I want it back!”
Things are starting to make sense.
“Is that why you brought me here?” I ask.
Avalon nods, calm once again.
“Why?” I wonder. “Why not steal it back?”
“Don’t you think I tried?” she snaps.
I don’t understand what she means until I remember our second encounter. It was in Atlantis, back when I thought I was insane. Avalon snuck into my room and attacked me. At the time I thought it was a dream, but I later realized it was real. Now I understand why it happened. But not why it failed.
“Why didn’t it work?” I ask. It’s not like I refused to give up my ability to shift. At the time, I had no idea I even possessed such a skill.
“It took me a while to figure it out,” admits Avalon, “but the only way to regain my powers was to trick you into mastering them. Only then could they be extracted.”
“Is that why you brought me here?” I ask.
Avalon nods.
“I knew that as long as you were in Atlantis, tricking you into giving up your powers would be impossible. So I came here, knowing nothing we did would alter the past. I spent months preparing things for your arrival. Everything that happened to you—well, almost everything—was planned.”
“Is that why you brought them?” I ask, nodding at Jonn and Kara.
Avalon nods. “I knew I could count on them to motivate you and keep you going in the right direction. Getting rid of them is just a bonus.”
Things are starting to make sense, yet there’s still much I don’t understand.
“How could you be sure I would master my powers?”
“Think about it. Who taught you to control your powers, to master your ability?”