Jacob wasn’t sure if he should feel excitement or disappointment. He was excited that the physical tests on him would be over, but disappointed because he didn’t feel like he’d fully figured everything out yet. “You’re sure? Does that mean I don’t have to come here every day from now on?”
Azuriah scoffed. “Right. Don’t think you’ll get off that easily. You still have to finish learning about Eklaron. There are several languages I haven’t introduced you to yet, and quite a few years of history you haven’t memorized.”
Jacob wrinkled his nose. “Memorizing. So my least favorite things.”
“Least favorite?” The expression on Azuriah’s face dared Jacob to give more details, while threatening him to do so.
“You have to admit, it’s more interesting figuring out what to do with my abilities.”
Azuriah’s face softened—that probably wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. “Yes, well, the other things are just as important.”
“Okay,” Jacob said. He really didn’t mind studying—history was one of his favorite subjects. But he did wish he could take things at his own speed. Azuriah pushed him too much.
The Shiengol plopped a book down in front of him. “Here. Memorize these paragraphs.” He indicated several locations marked in blue.
Jacob sighed and leaned over the book, and Azuriah left.
Akeno’s plants started growing very quickly, surprising nearly everyone. Only the Fat Lady seemed not to think anything about it. Vivid reds, greens, and blues sprang up along each nearly perfect row, and the spot became a favorite visiting place for many living in Taga Village. Akeno guarded it fiercely, only taking time away to sleep, eat, and visit Onyev to receive further instruction.
Dad and Gallus started a difficult and dangerous campaign: going through all of Macaria, recruiting. There was only a small handful of very well-concealed doors left, and every time Jacob Keyed his dad and Gallus back to Macaria, there were fewer and fewer options for where to take them.
But the campaign seemed to be successful. Dad convinced many to move to Taga Village to train for the upcoming war. Some families refused, or didn’t want to help—Morton, Gallus’s old friend, included—and Gallus was forced to leave them behind. Jacob could tell how much it bothered him, having to say goodbye to people he could no longer call friends.
On their final trip to Macaria, Jacob Keyed himself to Aloren’s old tower, wanting to have one last look at the bleached-white city. He leaned against the stone and poked his head out the window, enjoying the sun on his face and the late-spring breeze that riffled through his hair.
Jacob sighed, looking at the city. The sun glittered on the white stone, making it a nearly golden color. For a moment he promised himself they’d be back soon, but shook his head. He was being naïve. The Lorkon wouldn’t be easy to beat, nor would they hand over control easily. It could take years to get Dad back in charge.
The sadness that crept into Jacob’s heart and mind refused to leave, and finally, he Keyed himself to the trapdoor in Gallus’s shop. Macaria was his favorite city in Gevkan—far above Maivoryl City and August Fortress—and it was hard to desert.
“The Lorkon will take care of the doors in the castle,” Gallus said, apparently knowing where Jacob had gone. “We won’t have access to it or the tunnels anymore.”
Jacob nodded. He didn’t move from the door after shutting it and stared at the huge, empty room that had once been full of shelves and merchandise.
Probably sensing Jacob’s melancholy, Gallus put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder.
“We’ll reclaim what is rightfully ours. You, the kingdom. Me, my shop and city.”
Jacob nodded again, unable to talk. He hadn’t expected it to be so difficult to help evacuate Macaria, and it felt like a part of him was being left behind. So much had happened in this city. He’d nearly died several times and had found a best friend here—Aloren—along with Gallus, who was intimidating at times but a rock-like figure in his life. And who could forget Canush? Jacob hefted the jar of candy Gallus had given him.
But Gallus was setting up shop in Taga Village, and Jacob had no choice but to close the door to the old place forever.
When they returned to Taga Village, Gallus’s eyes twinkled. “I’m leaving my trap door intact, in case of an emergency, of course. I’m sure it won’t be around for much longer, but maybe the Lorkon won’t find it, huh?”
While Jacob was helping Gallus take boxes to his new shop by the Makalo gardens, Early appeared next to him with a flash.
“The Ember Gods are in Macaria. They just found Gallus’s door. They’re destroying it and all the rest.”
Gallus stared at Early. “Whoa. That was fast. They must’ve been watching us.”
Jacob’s skin tingled at that thought, but he ignored the sensation and the accompanying thoughts and turned to Early. “Keep an eye on the place. Let us know if the Lorkon try to hurt or kill any of the people still there.”
She nodded. “Will do!”
“Oh, and how is Ridgewood?”
“The Lorkon don’t need to go there yet because the people hate you and your father.” She twirled her hair around her finger. “Why do so many people hate you?”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I like you.”
Jacob smiled. “Thanks, Early.”
She patted him on the cheek, then disappeared with another flash.
Jacob shut the front door of his home behind him, and jumped when it was immediately knocked on by someone on the other side. Warily, he looked through the peephole, then swung the door open, a wide smile on his face.
“Tani!”
His friend from school burst through the door, wrapping her arms around him. “Hi!”
He laughed, pulling away from her. “So, I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Tani nodded. “Yeah, Mom made me stay away until school got out. And then she made me do start-of-summer chores.”
“Start-of-summer chores? What’re those?”
“You don’t do them? Weird.” Tani didn’t answer his question, though, but walked into the living room and fell onto the couch. “I’m exhausted—I ran practically the whole way here.”
Suddenly, she sat up and stared at Jacob, the color green swirling around her face. “I kinda told my mom that Kevin has been here working with Mr. Coolidge and Aloren, and she gave me permission to help out. Can I? Please? Pretty, pretty please?”
Jacob raised an eyebrow. “How’d you find out about Mr. Coolidge?”
“Kevin told me.” At Jacob’s look of incredulity, she continued, “He’s been hanging out with my little brother, teaching him basketball.”
Jacob frowned. “How’s that going?”
“We’d rather have you teach Tyler, but since you’re so busy all the time, Mom asked Kevin.”
“But . . . how’s it going? I mean, seeing Kevin all the time.”
Tani brushed him off with a wave of her hand. “Fine.” The excited expression returned. “But can I help out?”
“We’ll have to ask my dad and mom—I don’t see why not, though, since they let Kevin help.”
Tani jumped up from the couch. “Yay!” She threw her arms around Jacob again, then bounced to the door. “Okay, gotta go home now.”
“Wait. That’s all you came for?”
“Yup! I got more chores to do.”
Jacob grinned, watching her run down the driveway. She was such a funny, hyper person.
Chapter Eight: Drama
Gathering everyone for meetings wasn’t nearly as complicated as it used to be. Most of the important people lived in Taga Village, and because the weather was so nice, they chose to walk. Dad wanted the next meeting to be at Kenji’s, and as soon as Jacob had brought the Fat Lady there, they began.
At Jacob’s request, Dad gave him some time to ask for permission for Tani to work alongside Aloren, Kevin, and Mr. Coolidge. Everyone agreed—they’d all heard about Tani from Jacob or kne
w her personally, and Mr. Coolidge said he’d be able to find a place for her.
Jacob couldn’t wait to tell her—she’d be so excited! And it would be awesome to see her more often. He settled into his seat, listening to the rest of the meeting.
Mr. Coolidge reported on how things were going with the people he was teaching. “I’ve been organizing them according to ranks and units in an army, even though I have no war experience. I’m doing the best I can.”
“It’s fine,” Dad said. “Not a lot here have actual experience.” He steepled his fingers. “How many have been trained to fight or have been leaders in any way?”
Mr. Coolidge stood. “I’ll need my assistant to help report on that. May I get her?”
“Go ahead.”
While waiting, Dad had Jacob tell everyone what he’d learned from Onyev about the Keys, along with the tests he and Matt had performed.
Aldo spoke first after Jacob finished. “It’s starting to become clear why the Lorkon want both Keys,” he said. “The Key of Kilenya—totally makes sense. They want access to everything and everyone, and they’d have it if they could get their hands on Jacob. As for the Key of Ayunli . . .” He paused, folding his arms. “I have a feeling they won’t focus just on Eklaron. Earth’s riches and technologies are vastly superior to ours. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lorkon are trying to gain access to the things of Earth: banks, governments, Internet sites, etc. The Key of Ayunli will do that for them.”
“How does he know about the Internet?” Matt whispered to Jacob.
Aldo chuckled. Apparently Matt’s whisper wasn’t quiet enough. “I know about more than just the Internet, young one. In fact, I know about Microsoft, Amazon, the FDA, USDA, FBI, and all sorts of organizations.”
Matt nodded, also folding his arms. “Impressive. But how will having the Key of Ayunli give them access to the Internet?”
Dad raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t Jacob just explain that the Key gives combinations and codes? And you saw for yourself, didn’t you? How difficult would it be to get an Internet password? Not very.”
Matt stared at Dad skeptically. “I don’t know . . . The things we tested were physical, in front of us. With the Internet, all you’re using is a monitor. How would it possibly work the same?”
“Why don’t you and Jacob go test it out while we’re waiting for Mr. Coolidge to return?” Dad gave the Key of Ayunli to Jacob.
Matt sprang from his chair. “Good idea. Come on, Jake.”
Jacob created a link to their home in Mendon, and the brothers went through it to their family computer. Matt opened an Internet browser and directed it to his Facebook login. He motioned for Jacob to go ahead. Jacob raised the Key of Ayunli, but Matt stopped him.
“Wait. I don’t want you to know what my password is.”
Jacob chuckled and handed over the Key. Matt brought it up to the monitor, shielding it from Jacob’s eyes. He hesitated, then exclaimed, “No freakin’ way! That’s awesome!” He grinned at Jacob. “We’ve got access to Internet sites! Probably all of them! What’re we going to do with it?”
“Nothing. Let’s go tell everyone.”
Matt rolled his eyes, but followed Jacob back to Kenji’s house. “It worked,” he said, returning to his seat at the table and passing the Key to Dad.
“I figured it would.” Dad tucked the Key in his pocket.
Mom frowned, a worried expression crossing her face. “This is very dangerous information. We must not let anyone outside of this group know. Especially not people from Earth.” She looked at Aloren. “Not even Kevin.”
Dad nodded. “Arien is right. The Key of Ayunli is far too powerful to let news of it spread.” He looked everyone in the eye. “I must have your word that you won’t mention it to anyone.”
Jacob noticed Aloren flush, and the colors in the air around her showed she was feeling guilty. He figured she’d probably already told Kevin about the Key of Ayunli. But she, along with everyone else, promised not to mention it again.
There was a knock at the door just then and Mr. Coolidge walked in, leading his new assistant. It was a woman with bright blue eyes and brown hair peeking out from under a red scarf. Jacob recognized her immediately as Liana, his first human volunteer back when he was learning how to transport people with him to the past.
The moment Liana’s eyes landed on him, she stumbled, then quickly looked away. He had a hard time ignoring her behavior, remembering that the first time he’d seen her, she’d been just as hesitant and a little stuttery.
Matt noticed Liana’s attention to Jacob—or avoidance of it, actually—and elbowed him. “Looks like you’ve found yourself a girlfriend after all,” he whispered.
Jacob glared at Matt, then stared at his hands, wishing he could disappear. He felt his cheeks redden, and the effort it took not to deck his older brother made him shiver. Matt had never learned how to whisper properly, and once again, he’d been heard by all. Jacob refused to look at Liana. In his peripheral vision, though, he could see the colors swirling in the air around her—she’d been very embarrassed by Matt’s comment.
“Wow, dude, you’re seriously blushing!” Matt said.
“Shut up, Matt!” Aloren said from down and across the table. “Leave him alone.”
The blood burned Jacob’s face and neck as his flush grew stronger. Could this get more embarrassing?
Thankfully, Liana joined Mr. Coolidge at the other end of the table where Jacob couldn’t see her. He vowed not to let Matt forget this moment.
Dad quickly turned the time over to Mr. Coolidge, who stood on the other side of the table and had Liana stand next to him. She looked down at her feet.
Mr. Coolidge pulled out a sheet of paper. “My assistant here has been working tirelessly, helping me figure things out. Her memory is perfect, and her mental capacity is at one hundred percent.” He waved the sheet of paper. “Her calculations and figures alone have saved me a great deal of time, and I’m putting her over a few of my duties. From now on, she and I will take turns reporting at the meetings.” He looked at Dad. “If that’s all right.”
Dad nodded. “It is.”
Mom leaned forward. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?” she asked Liana.
Liana curtsied. “Yes, ma’am. My name is Hayla. I’m from Troosinal. I worked at the castle there—”
Jacob felt his mouth pop open. What?
“I stayed in Troosinal for a couple of years, then moved with my aunt and sister to Ridgewood after my uncle died.”
Hayla? Ah! So weird! Jacob stared at the girl he’d had a crush on only a few weeks ago. She was so old now! At least in her thirties. He was glad to hear that her slimy, disgusting, evil old uncle had passed away. That must have brought a lot of peace to Hayla’s life.
Hayla was answering a question. “I was heading to the Maivoryl City market and got detained by the scented air.” Her eyes clouded over. “It felt like only an hour had passed since I’d left. And I’m guessing that because my aunt and sister aren’t here, if they’re alive, they should still be in Ridgewood.” She looked at Dad. “Your Majesty, if at all possible, I’d like to find them and bring them here.”
Dad nodded. “Of course. The fact that you lived there is very helpful. We could use an insider’s opinion and assistance with the people once we start recruiting in Ridgewood.”
She curtsied. “I’ll do anything you ask.”
Jacob bit his lip, getting up the courage to ask her . . . to know for sure who she was. Finally, he raised his hand, getting her attention. “Do you know who I am?”
Hayla nodded. “Yes,” she said quietly. “You’re the king’s son—Prince Danilo.”
Jacob didn’t know what he’d expected, but for some reason, he felt his heart drop with disappointment. She didn’t remember him.
But then she continued. “And you worked in the castle at Troosinal twenty years ago. As a footman.”
Jacob felt a smile grow. “And you worked in the laundry room.
”
Hayla grinned in response, her cheeks turning red. “Yes. It’s been a long time, Thojac.”
“A very long time, Liana,” he said. He wondered why she’d referred to herself as Liana . . . then figured she’d been caught off guard and didn’t know if she should tell him her real name or not.
They laughed together, and Jacob felt his insides warming. He still couldn’t believe that the girl he’d had a crush on—had flirted with—was here in Taga Village. It was so weird! Flirting was definitely out of the question now. Ew. Gross! He couldn’t believe that thought even crossed his mind.
One look at Matt, though, and Jacob was sure it had crossed his brother’s mind as well. Matt snickered.
Jacob looked at Aloren to see what she was thinking and was surprised to see bright red swirling around her. She was angry? Why? It didn’t make any sense. He tried to meet her eye, but she refused to look at him. He snorted to himself.
Girls.
Later, when Jacob called Tani to tell her everyone’s decision and after her very noisy, excited response, he explained what had happened with Aloren, Hayla, and Matt.
Tani chuckled. “Yeah, that’s awesome.”
“Okay . . . why?”
“It just is.”
She refused to say anything else, and Jacob ended the phone call somewhat annoyed.
A couple of days later, Jacob was working with Akeno in the big gardens. He was there, instead of studying with Azuriah, because the Wurbies who’d originally been assigned to the garden had made a huge mess of everything. It took him at least an hour to fix it all—the Wurbies had pulled weeds and vegetables. When Akeno tried to explain which plants were supposed to stay, the Wurbies had gotten confused and replanted the weeds.
Jacob couldn’t understand how the small creatures had survived on their own. Luck? Miracles? Something must have helped them. He spent his time digging out the weeds and putting the vegetables back where they belonged. The poor plants—Jacob wasn’t sure they’d survive.
Eyes of the Sun (Kilenya Series, 5) Page 9
