by G Sauvé
I think of the hooded stranger who taught me all I now know about shifting and details I have up until now failed to take into account fall into place. The small stature. The refusal to reveal his identity. The slender human hand.
“Oh my god!” I gasp. “It was you!”
Avalon beams.
“Guilty as charged.”
“How?”
“It was easy. I couldn’t alter my appearance, but the hood took care of that. All I had to do after that was alter my voice.”
I can’t believe it. She played me all along.
“Why not ask for your powers back?”
“I couldn’t risk it. Revealing my true identity would have jeopardized your desire to master your powers. That’s why I put you in a situation where you had no choice but to learn to shift. I knew you would do almost anything to return to your own time.”
She’s right. I have gone through hell in the name of being reunited with my mother—and possibly my father—and I would do it again in a heartbeat. But I forget all about that when a thought occurs to me.
Avalon has manipulated me from the very beginning. She pretended to be my hooded mentor and taught me to shift. But what of Will 2.0? Was that also Avalon? Did she pretend to be an older version of me to manipulate me into trying to save my friends, knowing I would need to master my powers in order to do so? I’m about to ask when I remember something. Avalon can’t shift. That means the man I met actually was an older version of me. But why did he lie to me? Why did he trick me into believing I was destined for greatness when I’m obviously nothing more than a pathetic, scrawny teenager?
“What about the prophecy?” I ask.
Avalon chuckles.
“All part of the plan,” she reveals. “How else was I supposed to convince you to leave the safety of the korrigan village? No one can resist the lure of grandeur. No one.”
I want to argue, but I’m too overwhelmed to care. I just realized how incredibly stupid my actions have been of late. I risked my life countless times, foolishly believing I couldn’t die. I interpreted my inability to meet my demise as a sign of greatness, but the truth is I was lucky. And now my luck has run out.
As if to underline the depressing revelation, the ground starts shaking. It’s a small tremor, but it’s enough to remind me the volcano is about to erupt. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to change that.
“What now?” I asked, determined to move things along.
“Now it’s time for me to reclaim what’s mine,” says Avalon. “But first, you get to watch your friends perish.”
I don’t react. I merely stand there, stunned, as arkane guards grab hold of Jonn and Kara. My companions struggle, but they’re outnumbered. Within moments, they’re forced to their knees. I watch, powerless, as Avalon retrieves Jonn’s knife and steps up to its owner. The blade glistens in the light as it nears the grey-haired soldier’s neck. For the first time since I’ve met him, Jonn looks scared.
It takes a while, but I eventually snap out of my stunned trance.
“Wait!”
Avalon pulls away and turns to me, smiling.
“It’s too late,” she says. “You lost. Accept it.”
“Never!” I growl. The adrenaline coursing through my veins chases away the crippling effects of the terror that inhabits me. Moments later, I know what must be done.
“There’s something you forgot to take into account,” I say, suddenly calm.
“Really?” asks Avalon. “And what might that be?”
It’s my turn to smile.
“Plan B,” I say.
The last thing I see before I close my eyes is Avalon’s perplexed face. Within seconds, I have a perfect mental image of the creature I plan on replicating. Moments later, I’m shifting into a massive, lava-breathing dragon.
Memory 93
I ’m transforming. My entire body expands, my limbs growing longer and stronger. A thick layer of muscle envelops my frame as black scales erupt from my skin. My tailbone starts growing, changing into a massive tail. Claws explode from my fingers and toes. My teeth are now razor-sharp. Heat bursts from my stomach. I can feel the lava rolling around inside it. For the first time in my life, I know what true power feels like.
I’m indestructible.
Jonn and Kara stare at me in disbelief. So do the arkane guards. At least, the ones who haven’t run off in terror. Only Avalon seems unaffected by my sudden change. She just stands there and peers up at me with an amused smile. I don’t understand why until the transformation suddenly stops.
I’m shrinking. The scales that now cover almost every centimetre of my body evaporate. My tail gets sucked back into my body. My herculean strength vanishes. Within seconds, I’m a human once more.
“What happened?” I ask. “Why didn’t it work?”
There’s a moment of silence before one of my friend’s answers.
“It did,” says Kara.
I don’t understand what she means until I glance down at myself.
“Oh no!” I groan at the sight of my long, raven hair and my swollen chest.
I’m Avalon.
“H-how?” I ask, but I already know the answer. Avalon was the one who taught me to shift. She was the one who warned me I could only replicate the appearance of the last being I touched. And she used that knowledge to keep me from finalizing my transformation. Now, instead of being a powerful, lava-spewing dragon, I’m a pale-skinned woman with a scar on her right cheek, a faded hourglass symbol on her left wrist, and a penchant for melodrama.
Defeated, I revert to my original form. I can’t believe how close I came to beating Avalon, only to fail in the end.
“You can’t defeat me,” she mocks. “I know what you’re going to do before you even think of it.”
She’s right. She won. I lost, and it’s time I accept it.
No! says a voice in my mind. Don’t give up. Keep fighting! KEEP FIGHTING!
Either I’m crazy, or my subconscious is working overtime to keep me motivated.
If I give up, Kara and Jonn will die. Somehow, the thought of my companions trespassing scares me more than my own demise. It’s thus out of pure selflessness that I come up with my most insane plan yet.
I snatch the knife from Avalon’s hand before she can react. I clench it tightly and wave it around, forcing her back. She retreats a short distance, but stops as soon as the arkanes step forward, spears pointed at my chest.
“What do you hope to accomplish with that?” she asks. “A knife is no match for spears and swords.”
“You’re right,” I say, “but there’s something you failed to take into account.”
“Really?”
I smile.
“If I die, you can never get your powers back,” I say as I press the blade to my throat.
There’s a moment of stunned silence as everyone present struggles to comprehend the implications of such an action. Avalon is the first to react.
“No!” she yelps. “Don’t do it!”
I smile. She just showed her hand, and now I have complete control.
“Release my friends,” I command, pressing the blade a little harder against my throat.
Avalon hesitates, but we both know there’s nothing she can do. She eventually grunts and gestures for the arkanes to release Jonn and Kara. The guards hesitate but retreat.
“That was brilliant,” says Kara as soon as she and Jonn have joined me at the centre of the now wide circle of arkanes.
“Really?” asks Jonn. “I thought it was kind of dumb.”
Kara glares at him, but the grey-haired soldier doesn’t let it affect him.
“What?” he asks. “It’s true.” He turns to me and adds, “What’s your plan now?”
To be honest, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I’m surprised it worked at all. But, since it did, continuing along the same path seems like the wisest course of action.
“Order them to leave,” I tell Avalon, gesturing at the arkanes.
Avalon h
esitates for a moment before shaking her head.
“Do it,” I warn, “or I’ll kill myself.”
“I don’t think you’ll do it. If you die, your friends are doomed.”
She’s right, and she knows it. Still, I refuse to give up.
“You’ll never get your powers back.”
Avalon shrugs.
“True, but I will get the satisfaction of killing Jonn and Kara. I’m willing to pay that price. Are you?”
Dammit! I bluffed, and I lost. All that remains now is giving up what little power I still possess.
I drop the knife. It clatters to the floor with a soft thud. Nothing happens for a few seconds, then Avalon orders her acolytes forward. The arkanes approach, weapons raised. Jonn retrieves his knife, but we’re still vastly outnumbered. And the circle is closing quickly. I suspect Avalon won’t allow me to die just yet, but things aren’t looking good for my friends.
As I stare the death of my companions in the face, I find myself thinking of my encounter with my older self. He may have lied about a few things, but most of what he said came to pass. Though the forest korrigans’ prophecy was orchestrated by Avalon, I still fulfilled it. Just like I survived seemingly insurmountable odds. He told me help would come when I least expected it. I assumed that referred to the fact that Korri saved me from the quicksand, but what if I was wrong? What if the help I was promised has not yet arrived? If ever there was a time for a last-minute rescue, now would be it.
I wait, but nothing happens. I’m just about to give up when a battle cry echoes throughout the stone chamber. It’s high-pitched, but it’s unmistakable.
“Korri?” I call out, just as the arkanes turn to locate the source of the battle cry. In doing so, they create a breach in the humanoid wall. It’s not much, but it’s enough for me to see Korri, coiffed in a red korrigan hat and brandishing a shovel. It’s such a ridiculous sight I can’t help laughing.
I can’t believe it. Korri may be one of the smallest humanoids I have ever met, yet he has more courage in that small frame of his than most people possess in their entire body. Only he would charge into a roomful of armed arkanes with only a shovel as backup. But I soon realize how wrong I am when the tower’s main gates fly open, and a veritable tidal wave of lava korrigans pours into the room. I guess my older self was right after all.
Help did come when I least expected it.
Memory 94
T he korrigan army rushes forward, their pointy hats bouncing up and down. There are hundreds of them, each armed with a shovel and a look of fierce determination. They swarm the room and, within seconds, Avalon and the arkanes are surrounded.
A heavy silence settles upon the mass of humanoids as both fronts wait for the other to make the first move. Neither seems inclined to begin the hostilities, so it’s up to Avalon to take matters into her own hands.
“What are you waiting for? Attack!”
The arkane guards react to her prompt, but instead of obeying the command given to them, they drop their weapons and raise their hands in surrender.
I can’t believe it. We won. But even more shocking is the fact that we owe our victory to the smallest member of the team.
“Korri!” I call out as the orange-haired korrigan steps forward. I crouch and hug him. Kara follows suit moments later, a massive smile curling her lips. It’s not until I notice Jonn staring at Korri in stunned disbelief that I understand why my companions are so moved by the korrigan’s appearance.
They thought he was dead. With all that happened, I didn’t get a chance to tell them our friend was still alive. No wonder they look so stunned to see him.
It takes a while, but Jonn finally recovers. Against all odds, he hugs the small lava korrigan. I would be freaked out by such a display of affection if not for the fact that Korri saved Jonn’s life. But I forget all about that when I remember the army of korrigans that surrounds us.
“How did you manage this?” I ask, gesturing to the hundreds of armed lava korrigans.
“I knew you would need help. That’s why I stayed behind. I wanted to convince the queen to help.”
“I see you succeeded.”
“I didn’t,” admits Korri. “I tried explaining the situation, but Queen Korri refused to listen.”
“I don’t understand. How did you gather an army without the queen’s help?”
“He had a little help,” says a familiar voice. I look around until I spot a fat female korrigan striding toward me. Next to her is a tall, white-haired male.
Korri’s parents.
“The queen refused to listen to my son,” explains Korri’s mother, “so I went to the people and explained the situation.”
“She talks a lot, but when she speaks, people listen,” says Korri’s father jokingly.
“You should have seen her,” says Korri. For the first time since being reunited with his parents, he seems proud of them. “She gave a big speech and convinced everyone the only way to survive was to abandon Korrigania. Some agreed to help us. Others—those still loyal to the queen—refused. They travelled down the mountain.”
“What about the volcano?” I ask.
“We don’t have much time,” admits Korri.
The ground starts shaking before he can say another word. It’s the most violent tremor to date, and the intensity of the earthquake sends everyone reeling. Some fall. Others manage to grab on to something and remain upright. For a brief moment, I fear the end has come, but the rumbling eventually stops and calm returns.
“We can’t stay here,” Jonn says. It’s an obvious statement, but it’s accurate. We’re lucky the tower survived such intense seismic activity. It won’t withstand another hit. Unfortunately, that’s not our biggest problem.
“Oh no,” I groan when I realize the arkanes have taken advantage of the earthquake to retrieve their weapons. All twenty-three of them—four ran away when I tried shifting into Korrigana—are now armed. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the lava korrigans. Half of them are unarmed, and the other half are still picking themselves up.
Avalon peers in my direction, and we lock eyes. Her dark eyes glisten in the light, and her lips curl into a smile for a brief moment before she speaks the word that will unleash death and pandemonium.
“ATTACK!”
All hell breaks loose. The arkanes charge. The korrigans retreat, falling over one another in a desperate attempt at survival. Some flee. Others retrieve their weapons and fight. Some fall. Some kill. All struggle to survive.
Avalon takes advantage of the confusion to make her escape. She dashes through the crowd and flies up the staircase, vanishing in mere seconds.
“Stay here,” orders Jonn before any of us can react. He turns to pursue Avalon, but I grab his arm before he can run off.
“No,” I say. “I’ll go.”
For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid. I may not be the great hero the forest korrigans believe me to be, but I know where my destiny lies. Everything that happened is because of me. If anyone is going to take down Avalon, it will be me.
Jonn raises an eyebrow. He seems surprised but pleased. I guess he never took me for the brave type. I can’t blame him. Neither did I.
“All right, Will,” he says. The fact that he used my real name speaks volumes as to his state of mind. But his kindness pales in comparison to what he does next.
“Here,” he says, handing me his hunting knife. “You’ll need this.”
I don’t know if I will have the courage to use it, but I can’t refuse such a generous offer.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the weapon.
I’m about to run off when Kara speaks.
“This is ridiculous. We should all go.”
I hadn’t even considered that. I guess that’s what happens when you accept your destiny. You’re so focused on your goal you fail to consider the possibilities. But now that I have, I realize we’re stronger as a team than we are as individuals.
“You’re right,”
I say. “Let’s go.”
We’re just about to head off when an ear-splitting roar fills the air. The fighting ceases, and all eyes turn to the tower’s front gate. There, standing in the doorway, is a T. rex.
Massive scales. Razor-sharp claws. Deadly fangs. Glowing red eyes. There’s no doubt in my mind Avalon is responsible for this new atrocity. I guess I’m not the only one who had a backup plan.
The mind-jacked Tyrannosaurus roars again, then advances. The crowd parts before it, letting it pass. The beast seems unaware of the korrigans and the arkanes. All it cares about is us.
“Avalon,” growls Jonn, balling his fists. He’s right. Avalon is the only one capable of controlling the T. rex.
“We can’t fight it,” says Kara.
“You’re right,” agrees Jonn.
That’s not something the grey-haired soldier would normally say.
“I’ll fight it alone,” he says. “You two go after Avalon.”
Ah. That’s more like it.
“No!” says Kara. “I won’t leave you.”
Jonn doesn’t seem pleased, but nods.
“I guess it’s up to you,” he says, staring at me. “Do you think you can handle it?”
“No problem.”
He places a hand on my shoulder and gives me a farewell nod.
“Here,” I say, offering him the knife he gave me.
“Keep it,” he says. “You’ll need it more than me.”
I’m about to argue when he picks up a fallen sword.
I glance at Kara, and she gives me a worried smile.
“Good luck,” she says.
“Thanks.” I’ll need it.
With one final look at my companions, I head off in pursuit of Avalon.
Memory 95
I fly up the stairs, feet moving at the speed of my racing heart. The stone steps are arranged in such a way they follow the curve of the tower’s outer wall. By my calculations, I will have completed a full circle by the time I reach the roof. Under normal circumstances, my acrophobia would be an issue, but seeing how the tower is split into three different levels, my brain is tricked into believing the elevation is manageable.