Bookworm

Nell turned back to look at Ach. He was no where in sight. His mind felt near. Nell searched for him. “Acheron?” He called out.

There was no reply.

“Ach!” Nell yelled.

He was gone. “Hello? Acheron Alandrial!” He channeled the thoughts this is not funny in hopes Ach would hear him, but there was nothing there.

More than Ach being gone an emptiness crept over Nell. “Acheron!”

Something stirred. It’s mind felt like sludge. It was fixated on Nell. Hunting Nell.

Nell fluttered his wings and looked for what wanted him, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. Just before he gave up the round collapsed.

Something had wrapped itself around Nell. Together they slipped into the ground. Nell bumped along a path. He curled his wings in to prevent them from being caught. His head bounded up and down, then everything was dark (he had passed out). 

Nell awoke in darkness. He allowed his eyes a moment to adjust. When they wouldn’t he created fireflies to illuminate the earth.

“Ach!” Nell exclaimed. He rose. His wings were furled behind his back. He uncurled them and shook them free.

Ach met him and wrapped his arms around him. “Hi.”

The cave was full of bones and books. Nell tilted his head. “I don’t suppose you decided we needed to have an underground bone picnic?”

Why didn’t you respond? Nell thought toward Ach.

Ach’s skin tinged pink. “We did actually. It was going to be an underground lunch picnic since we can’t eat bones but…”

“Hmm.” Nell stretched his mind toward Ach, but Ach was wrapped in a blush that acted as a force field.

“I don’t suppose you know of anyone capable of digging us out of a tricky situation?” Before the monster worm came back.

“Our dragons can, maybe,” Ach mused. He returned to the bones and books and picked up several. “Or…we could live in the dark and scratch books into the walls.”

Nell laughed. He helped Ach gather some of the books he couldn’t carry in his own hands. “And be eaten by the things that brought us here?

Ach looked around the space, eyes wide. “What things?” The books started to slip from his hands. He leaned the stack against a wall to right it.

“The…”

On cue, a giant worm slithered into the room. It rose to fill the room they were in and barred its face toward them.

Nell reached for his sword. Before he could grab it the worm struck down on him and nuzzled his face.

Ach’s skin was bright pink.

Nell met Ach’s eyes. “Ach…”

“There was a book. It was moving.”

“You mean…you made this?”

Ach ran his hand on the worms head. “It’s a bookworm.”

Nell laughed. He wrapped his arms around Ach. “It’s the perfect surprise.”

“Really?” Ach asked.

Nell nodded. “Is there a picnic to go with the bookworm?”

“Just bones. And us.”

Nell looked at the worm. It’s mind was simple, but it wanted company. Nell could discern that much. “Why the bones?” Nell asked.

Ach looked around. “Um. Those were here…”

Nell stood more upright. “They were?”

The worm whipped around. It’s body slithered around Acheron and Nell and wrapped them in a cocoon.

“What does live down here?” Nell asked.

Ach shook his head.

The worm knew.