“No!” Caleb shouted and rushed over to slash the worm’s body right behind its head. His sword sank deeply into the black flesh, causing a thick, dark liquid to ooze out of the gash and onto its skin. The liquid appeared either black or dark red on his sword. Morgan fired an arrow close to Caleb and struck the worm’s head; the arrow disappeared into the blubbery flesh.

Spence couldn’t attack, but he rummaged in his pack and drew out the other vial of the white liquid. If his staff didn’t recharge in time, or its attacks weren’t effective, he might have to drink the potion and at least regain the mental powers he had used against the spider mantis. The lightning hadn’t worked, and he doubted the fireball would have time to strike before the worm submerged into the water. The shock wave would only push it further into the swamp and most likely not kill it. The worm once again disappeared beneath the surface.

“Tom!” Morgan shouted. The only thing remaining of Tom was a large amount of blood smeared across the grass he had laid on moments before.

“Damn it! How do we kill it?” Caleb yelled.

Spence tried not to think of Tom’s gruesome fate. He forced his mind to recall everything he had studied on worms in advanced biology. “If it’s like a real worm, it has a tiny brain just above the mouth and seven small hearts along the esophagus. Anything past that area won’t hurt it at all. You know, like earthworms. You can cut them into pieces, and they still live.”

“So, we have to hit its brain or all seven hearts?”

“Pretty much.”

“We’ll never stay alive that long,” Caleb said.

The worm appeared again, arching high into the air and coming down on Morgan’s side of the peninsula. Morgan shot an arrow into its hungry mouth and then sprinted forward, angling toward the water to the monster’s left. She passed underneath the colossal mouth and emerged on the other side of its neck as the head smashed into the ground. She nocked another arrow and shot it in the neck.

Caleb rushed in from the other direction and hacked at its neck on the right side. Spence tapped the butt of the staff on the ground, but it didn’t activate. The worm disappeared into the water once more.

“We need some ideas, people,” Caleb yelled.

“I’m aiming for its eyes, but I have no idea where they are!” Morgan shouted.

Spence had a thought. “Caleb.”

Caleb turned and stared at him.

“Catch.” Spence tossed the potion high into the air toward Caleb.

Caleb had to drop his sword to catch the vial of liquid. “What’s this?” he shouted angrily.

“The potion I drank when we fought the spider mantises. Drink it,” Spence said.

Caleb scowled but pulled the cork out and downed the liquid. He tossed the vial to the side and grabbed his sword. He assumed his defensive stance facing the water.

Spence scanned the water on all sides. He wondered if they could retreat the way they had come. But here, the peninsula was at least wide enough to maneuver. The neck was a very narrow strip of dry land. If the worm could reach them, it could easily smash them all or knock them into the water. If they were in the water, they wouldn’t have a chance. Plus, this was probably the monster they had to defeat to complete their quest. Fleeing wasn’t an option.

If the worm had a pattern, it would attack Caleb this time, as it had at the start. The wait seemed longer than between the last two attacks. Spence wasn’t sure if their attacks had slowed it. The arrows Tom and Morgan shot inside the mouth could have struck a heart or two. He doubted anything on the outside of the body hurt it.

Caleb tossed his shield and sword to the ground and drew his daggers.

“What are you doing?” Spence called out.

“Your potion is working. I have a plan,” Caleb said without turning around.

Before Spence could ask another question, the water spewed again. The worm did appear in front of Caleb. This time it shot high out of the water, as it had on the first attack. It soared at least thirty feet high. Then the head tilted and fell toward the ground, its mouth open and sharp teeth exposed. It plunged straight toward Caleb.

This time Caleb didn’t move. Morgan fired an arrow into the side of its head. Spence just watched in horror as the monstrosity descended on Caleb. Spence knew Caleb was quick, but the worm was too close for a dive or roll to safety. Closer and closer, the gaping maw of death rushed toward Caleb. Caleb stared up, his arms still hanging by his sides, each hand clutching a dagger. Morgan screamed from Spence’s right, but Caleb still stood motionless.

As the mouth lowered around Caleb, he suddenly leaped into it, his arms now raised above his head. The mouth hit the ground and closed shut with Caleb inside. The trunk of the worm fell to the ground behind the head with a ground-shaking thud. Spence watched in shock as the worm slid back into the black water. Like Tom, Caleb was gone.

“No!” Morgan shouted and rushed to the water's edge. Spence joined her there a few seconds later.

“Caleb!” Spence yelled. The ripples gradually subsided, and the water stilled. He saw no sign of the worm or Caleb.

“Why did he just stand there?” Morgan asked. Her voice shook, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

“He said he had a plan,” Spence said softly. “It was the potion.”

They stood staring helplessly at the black, still depths.

“What do we do?”

“I can try my staff again. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to run back the way we came, regroup, and figure out how to kill it,” Spence said.

Bubbles eventually appeared on the surface, small at first and growing steadily larger. Soon the water churned white with them. Then the water exploded in all directions, and something erupted from the depths, soaring into the air. Morgan instantly had her bow drawn, and Spence stood in a defensive stance with his staff held before him. But this time, the disruption was not the giant worm. Caleb splashed down in front of them, gasping for air. Spence extended his staff, and Caleb grasped it. Spence then hauled him to the bank, and Morgan helped drag him onto dry ground.

Caleb rolled over on his back, gasping deeply. He still clung to both daggers. He closed his eyes and continued to breathe deeply for several seconds. Spence scanned the water, but the bubbles had subsided, and he saw no sign of the worm. He glanced at Morgan, who only shrugged and turned to stare at Caleb. Finally, Caleb sat up and gazed at the other two.

“Well, that was stupid. Did you kill it?” Morgan asked.

Caleb nodded silently.

“How?” Spence asked incredulously.

Caleb swallowed hard. “Well, to answer Morgan, it wasn’t stupid and was the only chance we had. After drinking the potion, I remembered everything I had ever seen or heard about worms. I could visualize exactly where its brain and hearts were. I knew if I could get past the teeth without getting shredded, I could do some serious damage inside. I was tossed around a bit by the impact of it hitting the ground and sliding into the water, but I stabbed like crazy into the roof of its mouth, where I thought the brain was. I held my ground to avoid getting swallowed and jabbed and sliced where all the hearts should have been.”

“Then what happened?” Morgan asked.

“Well, I killed it, but the worm began sinking rapidly, nose down, to the bottom of the swamp. The one thing I didn’t count on was its mouth being sealed shut. So, I had to cut my way out of its esophagus to reach the water. When I opened the side, all the air inside it rushed out, carrying me to the surface. This swamp is deep, and I might not have made it up without the bubbles pushing me.”

“That’s incredible,” Spence said.

“Tom?” Morgan asked.

Caleb shook his head grimly. “There’s no time to cry for him, though. Spence, do you have any more of those potions? Those might be really helpful in the future.”

Spence shook his head. “That’s all I had.”

“That sucks.” Caleb stood, his face pale and his body swaying slightly. “Let’s get off this island and find the Draconians. I don’t want to risk encountering another one of those.”