The Nibiru Effect

Memory 94

The 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 mycompanions, I head off in pursuit of Avalon.