The Nibiru Effect

Memory 26

The priest leads us through the crowd. Gnomes stare at me as we pass, oohing and aahing. Jonn and Kara follow close behind, doing their best to go unnoticed. They succeed until we reach the gnome who holds Jonn's locket.

"Gimme that!" snaps the hulking soldier as he snatches the pendant from the humanoid's hands. Thinking it's a game, the gnome tries to steal it back, but Jonn growls at him and the gnome retreats, whimpering.

The priest leads us into the jungle. The sounds of the prehistoric wilderness momentarily overpower me, but the throbbing of my injured feet is a bountiful source of distraction. Now that the adrenaline rush of nearly getting sacrificed has passed, I'm all too aware of the pitiful state of my feet. Luckily, the journey is short.

We emerge from the forest to discover another clearing. It's massive—easily five times as big as the one we left behind—and riddled with holes. They remind me of the gopher burrow I found when I was young, but these are easily a dozen times wider.

I wonder what kind of animal lives here.

At the centre of the clearing is a river. The sight of it makes me realize I'm thirsty, but I ignore the dryness of my throat and follow the priest as he leads us across the clearing. Jonn and Kara are right on his tail, but I lag behind, allowing the final member of our group to catch up.

The orange-haired gnome beams at me as he hurries past. I'm still a little freaked out by the recent discovery that I can shift, but I smile back. I've seen the world through his eyes, and I can't help respecting him for being so upbeat given the pitiful state of his life. Still, I feel indebted to him for unwittingly saving our lives.

"Thanks for helping us," I say. I'm not sure if he understands me, but he gives me a big smile and points to our companions. They have reached the far end of the clearing and are now waiting for us by the mouth of a small cavern.

"You're right," I say. "We should catch up."

Moments later, our small group is entering the cave. It's smaller than it looked from the outside. The floor is relatively flat, and the walls and ceiling are curved, forming a dome that's barely big enough for Jonn to stand upright.

On one of the walls stands a painting. It's rather crude, but it's far more detailed than most of the prehistoric drawings displayed in museums. It depicts a man standing atop a mountain. At the base of it stand a dozen small figures—gnomes. A winged creature flies high in the sky. The final detail I notice is the row of symbols beneath the drawing. My ability to understand languages doesn't usually apply to the written form, so I have no idea what the glyphs mean.

"Why are we here?" asks Jonn. "I thought he was taking us to his leader."

I ignore him and turn to the gnome priest.

"Who is that?" I ask, pointing to the man atop the mountain.

The priest seems perplexed.

"It's you," he says.

"Ex-excuse me?"

"It's you," repeats the gnome.

"What's he saying?" asks Jonn.

I ignore him.

"I don't understand," I tell the priest.

He gives me a broad smile.

"Sit," he says as he drops to the floor. I hesitate for a second, then join him. Kara and Jonn follow suit moments later. Only the small gnome remains standing, though it doesn't make much of a difference as he is still the shortest one here.