Prisoner of the Molepeople

Chapter 47 - Rygor

The what?

At the mention of the word rygor, Gunhilda relaxed her iron grip.

Brunhilda removed her teeth from her sister’s calf.

Father Jackothan looked horrified, saying, “I thought we agreed against it.”

“I changed my mind,” snapped Duthbert, “Now are you gonna summon it, or do we have to …” He turned to his goons for support.

Willie raised a bottle of pills. “Or do we have to give you some of Grandma’s meds?”

“Yeah,” said Duthbert.

Father Jackothan looked at me, his face tortured. “Not for you, Duthbert, but for the good of Molemania, I will exercise the true power of the undergods.” He raised his black staff, closed his eyes, and began to chant. “Ah roovahtzmah mootachat elleem' hatzoogah roochamee lovar shock hooshpee moosharrat …”

I turned to Bobbert. “What's a rygor?”

Bobbert's eyes had never looked wider. “Only the biggest, most horrible thing in the universe!”

“That's what I thought.” I turned to Lenny. “Don't worry, everything's fake in Molemania.”

“Who said I was worrying?” asked Lenny.

Yet the three of us didn't hesitate to scan the glowing lake around us, searching for … anything.

Father Jackothan finished his chant, and suddenly the only sound was the bubbling lava.

One spot was bubbling more than others. The bubbles grew larger. Then they burst into a shower.

Lenny threw me to the ground, covering me with his arms. But I was too eager to see our impending doom to let Lenny block my view.

Emerging from the depths were the tips of horns … gargantuan horns, steaming like smoke stacks. Then came a reptilian head … yellow eyes, an arsenal of jagged teeth … it was just like the colossal statue I’d seen in the palace. Opening its fiery snout, the monster blasted a gravely roar, so loud that the vibrations would have knocked us over were we not already down. The demon continued to rise, revealing a scaly body of impenetrable girth, dripping with torrents of lava.

“Yes!” cried Duthbert, unable to contain his joy. “Yes!”

The rygor began to trudge through the lava (which only went up to its waist) at the speed of an overgrown snail. Thankfully, it was a good fifty feet away from us.

Someone let out a hair-raising scream. It was Bobbert. Finding super moleman strength, he leaped to the sixth pillar with ease.

Meanwhile Lenny was running his fingers through his hair as he stared at the rygor. “This can't be real. It's not possible.”

“Obviously, I was wrong. Somethings are real in Molemania. And here's how to tell: if it’s dark, horrible, and illogical, it’s real. And you know what’s fake? All that rot about true love, happy endings, and good overcoming evil. Reality is a stinking torture chamber ruled by the laws of randomness.”

“We’re here for a reason, Ann.”

“So you and Father Jackothan keep telling me.”

“God won’t forsake us.”

“I'm not so sure anymore.”

Meanwhile, with a giant, scary monster on the horizon, the dueling sisters had lost their wills to fight.

“Come with us,” said Gunhilda. “I got us a new flat with a hot tub.”

Brunhilda looked from one side of the cavern to the other. There was wistfulness in her face. “I can't. I’m a molewoman now.” Then, to my wonder, she handed the sword to Gunhilda. “Here, you might need this.” She turned around, backed up, and leaped back to the ledge where Duthbert and his crew were watching.