Slowly the worm started to soothe, becoming a little less agitated, less frenetic in its movements. Slowly it settled into a sway.

"The final test. If the potential Reverend Mother can convert the poison in the Water of Life within her body, it unlocks the Other Memory I told you of. It's a final test of our bodily control. Once that has passed...Well, it's pretty much impossible to poison one of us. Nor do we get diseases."