The Nibiru Effect

Memory 43

Korri is dead.

I don't want to believe it, but it's true. Korri was just devoured by a giant, lava-eating maggot. No one, not even a smart little korrigan, could survive that. Could they?

I'm asking myself that very question when the worm's mouth opens, and Korri's head appears. For a brief moment I think he's dead, but he gives us a big smile and waves. I hear Kara breathe a sigh of relief. Even Jonn seems happy to see the korrigan alive.

"What the hell?" I snap. Korri is the closest thing I've ever had to a best friend, and thinking I lost him hit me harder than I thought it would.

"What's wrong?" asks Korri.

"Nothing," I mutter. There will be time to tell Korri how much his friendship means to me later. "Do you mind warning us next time? You scared us."

"Yes," agrees Kara. "We would be lost without you."

"Sorry," says Korri.

"That's touching," grumbles Jonn, "but if you don't mind, can we get back to business? I, for one, would like to know how getting swallowed by worms is supposed to help us find Avalon."

It's a good question, so I translate it, minus the "finding Avalon" part, of course.

"It's simple," explains Korri. His pinched nose makes his voice sound funny. "We ride the empty worms as they head toward the Mountain of Fire and get out before they reach their destination."

"How can we be sure they'll let us out at the right place?" asks Kara.

"Lava worms are dumb," explains Korri once I've repeated the question. "All you need to do is push in the direction you wish to go, and they comply."

The korrigan lets himself slide down the giant maggot's throat. Moments later, the beast's mouth seals shut, and it starts moving. It turns right, then left. It travels forward and backward. Just when I think Korri has run out of ways to show off, the worm starts to... Well, it does the worm. Its body undulates up and down, though the jerky motion of its body makes it clear Korri is in full control. The worm keeps performing for a few more seconds, then grows still once more. Moments later, Korri's head reappears.

"See? It's easy."

It does seem quite simple. Nonetheless, the thought of getting swallowed by a giant worm is far from enticing.

"There's no way I'm getting in one of those," growls Jonn. He's pale as a sheet, and though he tries to hide it, his hands are shaking. If crawling through a narrow tunnel was bad, being confined within a living, breathing creature will be pure torture. Unfortunately, it appears as though that's our only option.

"What's wrong?" asks Kara. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything?"

"I'm not afraid," argues Jonn, oblivious to the fact that Kara is using his pride against him. Desperate to prove his point, he scans his surroundings and marches over to the nearest worm. Unfortunately, he fails to take into account the fact that it's full of lava and ends up burning himself on the giant creature's frame.

"DROWNED!" he yells. I can tell he wants to punch the worm, but he restrains himself. In the end, he kicks the maggot, and it pukes lava on his foot. His boot catches fire, but he manages to put it out before any real damage is sustained. The same can't be said for his pride. The fact that Kara, Korri, and I are laughing doesn't help. I expect him to get even more upset, but he takes a few deep breaths and manages to calm himself.

"H-how will we breathe?" he asks. I'm surprised he's the one who thought of that, but I don't bother pointing it out. I merely translate the question and pray Korri has a good answer.