Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3

by Andrea Pearson

  Chapter 2. Mushroom Beetles

  Jacob was excited to take Aloren to school with him. He Keyed to the tree to get her, but she wasn’t ready yet, so he waited by the door. When she came downstairs a couple of moments later, he sucked in a breath of air. Something was different about her face—her eyes were even prettier than usual. It took him a second to figure out why. She was wearing makeup. Wow. She looked so . . . so . . . hot.

  “Is this going to be okay?” She waved at what she was wearing. “Queen Arien picked it out.”

  Jacob nodded. She was wearing jeans and a bright pink T-shirt. He’d seen clothes like that at school before. “I think so. Girls wear jeans all the time.”

  She laughed. “You probably don’t know much about fashion.”

  He shook his head.

  “I kept up with it very well in Macaria. I was sad when your mom told me that Macarian fashion wouldn’t be helpful while attending school at Mountain Crest.”

  “She’s right. ‘Course, there are dances throughout the year where you’d probably be fine wearing one of the more fancy dresses.”

  Her face lit up. “Really? Great!” She motioned to the door. “Let’s get going.”

  Aloren peppered Jacob and Matt with questions the entire ride into town. Matt showed Aloren to her first class—it was near his—and Jacob reluctantly left her so he could get to math.

  Instead of continuing to make Jacob come early, Mr. Coolidge simply gave him other material to study during the period. Jacob had given up trying to convince Mr. Coolidge to let him just transfer to a different class.

  Luckily, things weren’t frustrating anymore—his relationship with Mr. Coolidge had changed. They had an understanding that worked for both of them. Jacob helped out in the class whenever needed, and Mr. Coolidge didn’t ask him about the journal or anything else odd he’d noticed—including Jacob molding wood and metal with his bare hands.

  Math ended and Jacob rushed to history, hoping Aloren would find her way. She did, and the teacher rearranged the seating so Aloren could sit next to him. Being an attractive “exchange student” who wasn’t shy and spoke perfect English really helped her fit in with the others.

  Jacob reluctantly left her as he headed to woods class and she to math. When the period finally ended, he ran to the locker room to get his gym clothes, excited for Aloren to see him play basketball.

  Kevin was in there too. “Hey, no more ball during lunch.”

  “What? Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Dad told me this morning—the principal decided it was time to end the tradition. He thinks more work will get done if the admins aren’t reffing games.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Totally.”

  Jacob’s stomach churned at the thought of no longer being able to play basketball, but he set the feeling aside, determined to find out for himself if what Kevin had said was true. He wouldn’t put it past the freshman to lie just to prevent Jacob from playing.

  Jacob grabbed his clothes anyway and jogged to the orange gym. He’d had an interesting relationship with Kevin over the past few years, and it definitely wasn’t one of friendship.

  Tani, Aloren, and Jacob’s friends Gus and Josh waited near the doors. Jacob stopped when he saw their expressions.

  “Is it true? No more ball?”

  Tani nodded. “Stupid principal.”

  Jacob dropped his stuff. “Why, though?”

  “Oh, the usual. They want to be ‘more efficient.’” She flipped her hair back. “It’s dumb, I know.”

  “Now what?” He wasn’t sure where to eat lunch if it wasn’t in the gym. He’d only eaten in the cafeteria once since starting high school. It felt weird, thinking about eating there again.

  “We could try the commons area,” Josh said.

  “Yeah—that’s where Matt and his girlfriend usually eat, right?” Tani asked.

  “And the rest of the football team.” Jacob wasn’t sure he wanted to eat with all the football players, but he and his friends turned and walked there anyway. Matt scooted over when Jacob, Aloren, and the others sat near him and Sammy.

  “Heard about basketball,” Matt said. “Sorry ‘bout that, dude.”

  Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and didn’t respond. He didn’t feel like talking about it anymore.

  While they ate, Aloren and Tani got on the topic of guys. Jacob rolled his eyes, but his heart froze when Aloren mentioned seeing a cute one.

  “What did he look like?” Tani asked.

  “Tall. Very pretty eyes. We don’t have a lot of blue-eyed people where I’m from.”

  Was she talking about him? But then she continued, and his heart fell.

  “And his hair was blond.”

  Jacob’s hair was dark brown. Really dark brown.

  Tani nodded. “I’d have to see him to know who he was. Did he talk to you?”

  “Oh, yes. Quite a lot. We sit next to each other. He’s an athlete—he spoke of some sort of sport. I think Jacob plays it as well.” She turned to Jacob. “What’s the name of the sport you play?”

  “Basketball,” Tani said before he could answer.

  “Yes! That’s it.”

  Jacob tried to control the feelings of jealousy that hit him in the pit of the stomach. He’d never once considered that Aloren would get a crush on someone else. He felt like kicking himself. Just ‘cause he liked her didn’t mean she shared the feeling. And what had he been expecting?

  He finished his sandwich, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his heart. He didn’t own her. But what about him rescuing her? Didn’t that count for anything? And they’d shared some pretty intense experiences together, hadn’t they? He sighed in frustration. None of that gave him a claim on her.

  He nearly regretted his agreement to let her come to school with him. Not like he’d had much of a say, anyway. Aloren was headstrong enough to do it even if he said no. And he wouldn’t have—that would’ve been a jerk thing to do.

  No one seemed to notice him withdraw from the conversation. That irked him, which, in turn, bothered him even more. He’d never been the type to get all sullen like that.

  Everyone cleaned up and Jacob walked Aloren to class, neither saying anything.

  Science was interesting. Shirley nearly freaked out when Mrs. Wiley made her move to an empty chair two seats behind Jacob and Aloren took Shirley’s spot.

  “This is stupid!” Shirley said, throwing her bag on her new chair. “I’ve sat there the entire semester! Why do I have to move? Why can’t she sit here?”

  “I’m truly sorry,” Aloren said. “I’m fine with going back there.”

  Mrs. Wiley shook her head. “No. The note from the front office is very specific. She’s to stay near Jacob.”

  Shirley pouted, pushed her bag off the chair, and plopped down. “Ridiculous.”

  The expression of pity on Mrs. Wiley’s face nearly made Jacob gag. “I’m so sorry, dear.”

  He pinched his lips together, trying not to scowl openly. How could he have forgotten that Shirley was the favorite here?

  The ride back to Mendon went quickly—Aloren babbled about her first day of school, Jacob stared out the window, and Matt sang along with the radio.

  Dad was home when they got there, waiting on the front porch. “Jacob, take Aloren to the tree, then come back.”

  He looked upset. Had something happened? Jacob did as he was asked, then found his dad. He was already speaking with Matt, but filled Jacob in on what they’d discussed.

  “Someone left the chicken run and coop open last night, and the chickens wandered away this morning. Since they usually come back on their own, and haven’t, I was just telling Matt they’re either dead or stolen by now.” He glared at Matt and Jacob, daring one of them to deny what he’d just said.

  The brothers exchanged glances. Matt looked extra guilty. “Sorry, Dad, it was probably me—I put them away last night.”

  Dad nodded. “Thank you for your honesty.” He s
ighed and didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, “You won’t do anything else until every chicken is found—alive or dead.”

  Matt looked at his feet, but didn’t say anything.

  Dad turned to Jacob. “I’m home early because we were planning to have a meeting in Eklaron today. That’s still going to happen. I need you to round everyone up and take them to Kenji’s place. When you’re done, return here to help your brother.”

  Jacob’s mouth popped open. He’d never been left out of a meeting before! “But—”

  Dad put a hand on his shoulder, addressing both him and Matt. “Come as soon as you’ve found all the chickens.”

  Jacob nodded, and took Mom, Dad, and Amberly to Taga Village. He was disappointed—he’d been looking forward to entering the village with his family. Even though he knew they’d been there before, except for Amberly, he still wanted to see their reactions.

  Amberly surprised Jacob by rushing up to Kaiya, Akeno’s little sister, as soon as she stepped through the door. They giggled, jumping up and down, then ran off to play. Jacob looked at his parents.

  “She already knows Kaiya?”

  His mom laughed. “Yes. We figured it would only be a matter of time before we were able to come here as a family, and I started taking Amberly for walks there a couple of months ago while you were at school and Dad at work. We wanted her to get used to the Makalos.”

  “Well, dang it.” Jacob looked at his feet. “I would’ve liked to know.”

  She put her arm around his shoulders. “You had enough on your plate.”

  Jacob sighed in frustration, then Keyed to Macaria and the Fat Lady’s cabin. After he’d dropped her and Gallus off at Kenji’s place, he returned home and found Matt.

  It took the brothers an hour to locate the chickens and get them back to the coop. Luckily, none were injured, but it was dirty, frustrating, and annoying work. Matt apologized several times.

  When they were done, they cleaned up and Keyed to Kenji’s.

  “We’re nearly finished here,” Dad said. “But come—have a seat.”

  “Where’s Aloren?” Jacob asked, looking around. He ignored the slight pang that hit him when he remembered what had happened in school that day.

  Kenji motioned out the window. “In the tree.”

  Jacob frowned. “Why isn’t she here?”

  “Are we positive she should be a part of these meetings?” Brojan asked.

  “Of course,” Jacob said. He couldn’t believe the patriarch would even ask something so . . . stupid. “She already knows everything that’s going on—plus she’d be able to help a lot.”

  “All right. Go get her.”

  Akeno sprang up, grabbing his top hat. “I’ll come with—I haven’t seen the tree since she moved in.”

  “Wait—she changed it?” Matt asked. “I’ve got to see this.”

  Aloren gave Akeno and Jacob hugs, even though it had only been an hour and a half since Jacob had last seen her, then she stepped to Matt, but dropped her arms before hugging him too. She flushed. “I, uh . . . I’m glad to see you here.”

  He poked out his chest. “Yeah, I sure wish my girlfriend could’ve come.”

  Jacob rolled his eyes. What an idiot. He shook his head, glad that his brother was attempting to make things easier between Jacob and Aloren, but just the same, it wasn’t as if Aloren would have dropped everything to chase after Matt.

  “Girl friend? Sammy is your only one?”

  Jacob laughed. “No—it means they . . .” How was he supposed to explain the concept of dating to someone who’d never even heard of it before?

  Akeno saved him. “They’re courting. A little young, though, I think, to be preparing for marriage.”

  A shocked expression crossed Matt’s face. “Courting? Preparing for . . . for . . . marriage? No, dude. I’m way too young for that. No way.”

  Jacob quickly turned to Aloren, wanting to end the awkward conversation as soon as possible. “Sorry I didn’t ask you already, but are you comfortable in Taga Village?”

  “Oh, it’s wonderful here. Ebony and Kenji are just as easy to get along with as Gallus—and they’ve even assigned me work!” She said it with such excitement that Jacob couldn’t help but smile.

  “Work, huh? Along with your school stuff?”

  “If you’re that happy about it,” Matt said, “you could always come clean our chicken coop. Regularly—like, every other week.”

  “So you don’t have to?” Jacob asked, grinning. “Come on, give her a break.” He turned back to Aloren. “How’s Gallus doing without your help?”

  “I was gone a long time—he ended up finding someone else to work the shop while I was in Maivoryl City. He’s fine.” Aloren took a breath, grabbed Jacob’s arm, and pulled him away from the others, asking them to give her a minute. She turned to Jacob. “I was thinking . . . I mean, Tani told me that sometimes on Earth, you can get employment, and they’ll pay you. And that you learn skills that will help you survive in the . . . the ‘real world.’” She hesitated. “That’s what she called it.”

  “Yeah, and she’s right.” Jacob thought he could see where this was going, and he wasn’t sure it was possible.

  “Do you think that if I’m really diligent, I could get employment there?”

  “Possibly . . . I know my parents would say no right now, but, like you said, if you prove yourself and show your dependability, they might be okay with it later.”

  A rush of wind blew from Aloren’s lips, and the colors around her showed extreme relief. “Oh, good. Because I really like Earth. There are so many things to learn and discover, and I really want to immerse myself in the culture.”

  “Okay. But just so you know, most people won’t hire you until you’re at least sixteen. I think there are laws about it.”

  Aloren nodded, though a spark of disappointment flashed across her face. It was quickly replaced with a stubborn and very determined expression. “That’s fine. I’ve got enough going on for the next while anyway. But give me time, and I’ll prove myself!”

  “I’ll bet.” Jacob recognized that tone of voice—he had no doubt she’d achieve what she desired, even if it did take a long time. He motioned to the door. “Well, let’s get back to the meeting.”

  Kenji had to bring another table and more chairs from a back room so there would be space for all in attendance. The two tables together nearly filled the entire place.

  Jacob was glad everyone had been able to come. He looked around, smiling at the people he’d grown to love so much. Aloren was in the spot by him. Matt was on Jacob’s other side, with Akeno next to him, and then Brojan. Dad was at the head of the table in Brojan’s usual spot. This was something to get used to—being king, Dmitri would be in charge of every meeting instead of Brojan.

  Mom was next to Dad, with Ebony by her, then Kenji, Gallus, and the Fat Lady. Sweet Pea was by Aloren, and Jacob hid a grin when he watched the Makalo fail to get Aloren’s attention. He was obviously enthralled that such a cute girl was near him. And she was cute.

  Aloren had done her hair in two braids, pulling it away from her face. The style accentuated her eyes, and made her dimple show even more when she smiled. Jacob felt his cheeks flush and he looked away. He clenched his jaw when he remembered she had a crush on someone else.

  Ebony gave cups of water to Matt, Aloren, and Jacob, and put the pitcher on the table.

  Dad turned to Jacob, his voice taking on a tone of authority Jacob had never heard before.

  “We’ve gone over many things—we’ll review in a moment—but so you know, our main focus, of course, is to get the Shiengols out of August Fortress.”

  “August?” Matt asked. “Is it some sort of summer retreat?”

  Jacob’s parents laughed. “No, son,” Dad said. “August is an adjective—it means majestic, supreme, grand. Don’t they teach you anything in school?”

  Matt snorted. “Yeah. That August is a month.”

  He had a point. J
acob chuckled. He’d never heard the word used in any way except when speaking of the calendar.

  “All right,” Dad said. He stood and paced. “First, Kenji and Ebony are building as many doors as possible. We’ll place them everywhere we feel we’ll need quick access. The first we’re installing will be at Aldo’s cabin to replace the one that was destroyed. Jacob, you’ll Key Sweet Pea, Jaegar, and Akeno to Macaria today so they can head there.”

  Matt’s face clouded. “Jaegar’s really young, isn’t he? Only eleven or something? Wouldn’t it be better if someone else went?”

  Kenji chuckled. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Makalos age differently than humans. Jaegar isn’t a child, even though by your standards, he would be. In Earth terms, he’s around fifteen or sixteen. And since Sweet Pea and Akeno are basically adults, he’ll have plenty of supervision.”

  Matt slowly shook his head. “This is weird. I still consider him to be really young.”

  “Yes, well, he’s not,” Kenji said. “Though I don’t blame you for thinking so.”

  Dad raised his hand and everyone went quiet. “Jacob, tomorrow after Aldo’s new door is in place, you and the Fat Lady will go through Aldo’s things there. She’s looking for a remedy for what he’s done—”

  “Yes, yes! I’m positive it’s reversible,” the Fat Lady said excitedly. “Only a matter of finding out what he did—he had to have left a clue in his cabin. And Jacob, this isn’t going to be easy work—the place is in ruins, from what I’ve heard.” She looked at Jacob’s dad. “Oh. Sorry, Your Majesty. Continue.”

  “Friday after school, a scouting group will head to the fortress, camp there overnight, and put up doors in a few locations around the area so we’ll have easy access through Jacob and the Key, should anything go wrong. They’ll get a feel for the valley, then come back Saturday morning.”

  Dad grabbed his glass and took a drink, then resumed pacing. “We’ll need time to prepare before we attempt to free the Shiengols—find out everything we can about what we’re facing. For all we know, the Lorkon traps are still active. It’ll be exceptionally difficult to break in. You all know that every member of the group who tried it before died.”

  Jacob nodded—then frowned. Come to think of it, he’d never been told what exactly killed Dmitri’s best friend. He’d always assumed it had been the Lorkon, but now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe Kelson had been caught in a booby trap or something?

  “What happened to them?”

  “Only Aldo knows—he hinted around it, but wouldn’t say.” Dad sat again, then drummed his fingers on the table. “Ebony, Gallus, Akeno, and Jacob, of course, with the Key, will make up that scouting group.”

  Matt started. “What about me?”

  “And me?” Sweet Pea asked.

  “So sorry, Your Majesty, so sorry,” Gallus said, “but I won’t be able to spend this much time away from the shop. I need to focus on providing a living for my family.”

  Dad nodded. “That’s fine, Gallus. Take care of your store and family. We appreciate everything you already do.”

  “I’ll help wherever,” Aloren said. “Gallus has trained me in many areas—including scouting and tracking.”

  “I’m like Aloren,” Sweet Pea said. “Well, not like her, obviously, ‘cause she’s taller, but—”

  “That’s the only difference you can think of?” Matt asked.

  “Well, no—”

  “‘Cause I haven’t seen a beard on her yet.” Matt looked at Aloren. “Maybe she shaves her face.”

  Aloren looked confused. “Shave my face? Why would I do that?”

  Sweet Pea growled, then mock-glared at Matt. “The point is, I can help wherever I’m needed.”

  Akeno nodded. “Same.”

  “Send Aloren,” Gallus said. “She’s got a brain on her. She’ll find anything I would.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Dad said, ignoring Matt’s “No fair!” and Sweet Pea’s “Whatever!” “You’ll leave as soon as Jacob returns from school.” He waved his hand toward Jacob and Matt. “That concludes what we’d gone over before you came. Now we’ll discuss the people in the scented air. We need to pull them out. All of them.” He looked over the group. “How many of you have taken the Malono potion?”

  Matt, Sweet Pea, Gallus, Ebony, Aloren, the Fat Lady, and Akeno raised their hands. Jacob hadn’t taken it—as far as anyone knew, he was immune to the traps of the Lorkon.

  “Good. That’s enough. This Saturday after the August Fortress scouting group returns, we’re going to do a mass rescue. Those of us who haven’t taken the potion will wake the people outside the scented air. The rest of you will pull them.”

  Jacob lifted his hand. “If the people stuck there aren’t marking where the scented air begins, how will everyone know it’s there? Won’t more people get stuck?”

  “Good point,” Dad said. “Kenji, will you and Ebony put warning signs together before Saturday?”

  Kenji nodded.

  Dad took a deep breath. “One other thing we need to discuss—recruiting Wurbies.”

  “That’s going to be very difficult,” Gallus said. “They live in Ashay Hills—the most impassible mountains in this part of the land. We don’t even know if the tunnels are still open.”

  “True, but it’s necessary. They’re the only ones who can actually help fight against the Dusts.”

  Aloren raised her eyebrows. “You’ve been having problems with Dusts? They’re really easy to deal with.”

  “In small groups, yes,” Brojan said, “but the Lorkon have gathered a huge army of them. In the war nearly fifteen years ago, they’d been trained quite efficiently and caused a lot of destruction.”

  “Why are the ones I’ve come across so stupid, then?” Jacob asked.

  “The Lorkon haven’t spent as much time on tactical things lately,” Brojan said. “And Dusts have really short memories. They forget nearly everything they’ve been taught after five or six months and have to be re-trained. Plus, they only live around five years, so the young ones require instructing.”

  Dad nodded. “My guess is that the Lorkon will work directly with them again.” He paused. “The point is, we must have the Wurbies. It’s time to recruit.” He looked at his watch. “We’ll end now. Jacob needs to take Akeno, Jaegar, and Sweet Pea to Macaria, and he and I must begin his sword-fighting lessons.”

  Jacob felt his chest expanding. His dad was going to teach him how to fight! He got up and stretched, enjoying the pops in his back. Most of the others didn’t stand right away—they looked somewhat overwhelmed, the colors swirling in the air around them switching between excitement, nervousness, and a little fear. He certainly felt the same. It was going to be a busy week.

  Jacob Keyed the three Makalos to Macaria after returning everyone else to their proper homes, then he met Dad in their back yard in Mendon.

  “We’ll use wooden swords today,” Dad said. He tossed one to Jacob. “After you’re comfortable with a few of the moves, we’ll switch to metal. I’ll teach you as many of the basics as possible, but you must recognize something—good sword fighters practice hours every day for years. The chances you’ll pick any of this up within the next month—year, even—are pretty slim.”

  “Why are we doing this at all, then?”

  “Because you’re a prince. And princes become kings. And people don’t respect a king who can’t defend himself, even if he never has to.”

  With that, Dad jumped forward, swinging his weapon at Jacob’s head. Jacob barely blocked the blow in time and fell to his knees under the force.

  “Hold on! You didn’t tell me we were starting.”

  “Rule number one,” Dad said. “Real fighting isn’t like the movies. Your opponent won’t wait for anything. If they’re going for the kill, they’ll take the first opening they see, regardless of how ready you are.”

  He attacked again, this time swinging at Jacob’s midsection. Jacob was only partially able to block the attack and he was knocked to
the ground again, gasping for air.

  Dad circled around him. “All right, get up. Let me teach you a few defensive moves.”

  “Shouldn’t that have been the first thing we went over?”

  “I needed to see where you are when it comes to this stuff.”

  “Right.”

  Jacob took his time getting up—his side really hurt. When he finally got to his feet, his dad showed him several defensive tactics, each more painful on the hands, wrists, and arms than the one before. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Dad wanted to teach him offensive moves.

  “I thought this was going to be fun,” Jacob choked out. He grimaced when he saw the grin on his dad’s face.

  “It is fun!”

  Jacob snorted. “Whatever.”

  “Trust me—when you’ve been doing it for a long time and are evenly matched with your opponent, it can be quite enjoyable.”

  Jacob rolled his eyes. “I’m sure.”

  Dad told Jacob to attack, and attack he did. He’d show his father a thing or two! But Dad stopped him only a couple of moments later.

  “You’re breaking two more rules. First, go for the opponent’s body, not their weapon. Striking their sword will alert anyone watching to the fact that you’re . . . what do you kids call it? A noob?”

  Jacob laughed. “Okay, Dad.”

  “Next, you’ve got a lot of energy, but if you stream it the wrong direction—flailing around like you just were—you’ll burn out really quickly, giving your opponent the perfect opportunity to strike you down. We’ll focus a lot of time on ensuring you’re channeling your energy into the correct movements. I want to make sure you’re learning this completely.”

  They practiced for an hour more—Jacob was positive he’d never regain feeling in his hands and arms again. This was worse than fighting with Sweet Pea! Though, maybe enough time had passed to where Jacob didn’t remember the pain from that anymore.

  Finally, Dad called it quits. “We’ll go at it again tomorrow after you finish working with the Fat Lady.”

  Jacob groaned, pulling himself inside and up the stairs to his room. He collapsed on his bed and fell asleep before remembering to change his clothes.

  After school the next day, Jacob Keyed himself, Aloren, and the Fat Lady to Aldo’s cabin, using the door Jaegar, Akeno, and Sweet Pea had just put in place. The group was there waiting when they arrived.

  “‘Bout time,” Sweet Pea said lightly, hands on his hips. “Can we go home now?”

  Jacob Keyed the three Makalos back to Taga Village. He was glad Aloren had volunteered earlier to help. The Fat Lady put them to task immediately, and it was hard, messy work. Most everything was covered with debris left over from the Bald Henry’s attack—bits of brick and mortar, wood shavings, glass, etc. Jacob looked around the place, then made a quick decision and Keyed home to get a broom and dustpan, along with several garbage bags.

  The Fat Lady insisted on cleaning up the entire cabin. Jacob held in a chuckle—why she wanted Aldo's place clean when hers was always a wreck, he didn't understand. She collected everything that looked remotely important—papers, books, pictures, random objects Jacob didn’t recognize, and even plants and leaves.

  Finally, after Jacob didn’t think he could get sweatier or dirtier, she said they were done. She seemed very excited about a book she’d found. Jacob looked at it curiously—it had plant pictures on the front and was full of illustrations.

  Jacob Keyed them to her house, and she had the two teenagers go through the salvaged stuff while she went through the papers.

  Aldo perked up when they entered the cabin, sitting cross-legged in his usual corner of the room. He grinned at Aloren and held up something he’d made—from where Jacob stood, it looked like several handfuls of grass tied around a bunch of paper.

  “I’m free dogs!” Aldo said. He jumped up, knocking over a stack of papers in his excitement to get to the group.

  When he reached Aloren, he shoved the thing into her hands. She looked at him skeptically, obviously trying to figure out what he wanted her to do.

  He clapped. “This is what happens to shoes in springtime! Sometimes they dance and sing!”

  Aloren looked to Jacob for help. “What’s he talking about?”

  Jacob sat on the couch, thoroughly enjoying Aloren’s discomfort. “Who knows. Just talk to him.”

  “Okay. Uh, Aldo, tell me about this.” She motioned to the paper and grass mess.

  “I asked to her dad about it.”

  “You asked to her . . . her dad?”

  “Sure did not. Winter is true. It’s true!”

  “Yes, winter is very t—true.” She turned the thing over. “What is it called?”

  “It’s my frustrating break!”

  Jacob chuckled. “That’s a great name. ‘Frustrating Break.’”

  The Fat Lady took Aldo’s toy from Aloren, shoved it in Aldo’s hands, and motioned for Aloren to sit next to Jacob. “Okay, we’ve got work to do.”

  Aldo returned to his corner, sitting cross-legged again, and the others started sorting books and papers.

  Some of the books Jacob looked through were written in a form of English not hard to understand. Many of them, however, were in a different language. Aloren was able to read it, so Jacob gave those to her, and he read over the English books.

  “I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” Aloren whispered.

  “Anything that might make someone go crazy on purpose.” He wasn’t entirely sure either.

  After nearly an hour of searching, the Fat Lady suddenly squealed. “I think I’ve found it!” She held out a book Jacob had already discarded as useless. “The mushrooms that grow near Kaith trees are poisonous!”

  “Yeah, I saw that.”

  “Taken in very small amounts, the poison doesn’t kill the person, but renders their brains nearly useless! And where there’s a poison, there’s a cure!”

  “Um . . . I’m not sure how that works,” Jacob said, “and it doesn’t prove that’s what happened to Aldo.”

  “No, not the book alone, but when you see what I’ve found here, it does!” She showed them a piece of paper. She’d circled something on it, and Jacob had to hold it up close to his eyes to decipher the scraggly writing.

  Fat Lady – remember to stir twice before administering.

  Jacob raised an eyebrow. “What does this have to do with anything?”

  “First, it was written by Aldo—I know his handwriting. Next, it’s for me, obviously. Third, it’s a remedy. He and I used to discuss the differences in potions and cures. Cures nearly always require an exact number of stirrings. Even numbers, usually.”

  “But—”

  “Look what it’s written on.”

  Jacob inspected the paper, knitting his eyebrows. At first he didn’t notice anything, but then he held the paper up and realized it had a very large, elementary depiction of a mushroom on it—faint enough not to be noticed with a cursory glance. Almost like a watermark. “So . . . this means he poisoned himself with a mushroom?” He still didn’t see how she’d made the connection.

  “Yup!” she said. “We can get to work on the cure immediately.” She bent over her papers again. “Keep looking—books that deal with remedies are what we want now.”

  “Oh, I’ve got several here,” Aloren said. She handed over a stack.

  The Fat Lady fluttered through pages quickly—Jacob wasn’t sure how she was taking anything in at all. Suddenly she squealed again, much louder this time. “This is it! Lots easier to find than I’d expected. And look! I own this one! I wonder why it never occurred to me to go through my own collection.”

  She frowned, staring at the shelf opposite her, then glanced at the first page of the book in her hands. “This is my book. How’d he get it? And why didn’t I notice it was gone?” She scowled at Aldo. “That wasn’t very smart of you. You know better than to borrow something from me and not return it.”

  Jacob laughed. “You didn’t
even notice it was gone.”

  “Don’t matter.”

  Aldo snickered, watching the Fat Lady. Jacob couldn’t tell if the old man laughed at what she’d said, or how she’d done her hair that day. Thin locks were wrapped around her head, not in a braid this time. They looked plastered to her scalp. Not attractive at all.

  “Time for you to go home—” She stopped. “I need some of the mushrooms first, though. Take me to Taga Village.”

  “Didn’t you say the mushrooms grow around Kaith trees?”

  The Fat Lady looked at Jacob like he’d just said the stupidest thing ever. “What do you think that tree in the village is?”

  He looked down. “Oh.” How was he supposed to know what kind it was?

  He Keyed there, and he and Aloren followed the Fat Lady around as she inspected the bark.

  “Ah-hah!” she said. “Here they are.”

  “Those aren’t mushrooms,” Jacob said, recoiling from the huge beetles the Fat Lady stood near.

  “Of course they are!”

  Jacob bent as close to them as he could without getting within bug-jumping distance. “Are you sure? Looks like a beetle to me.”

  “It’s not. See how it attaches itself to the tree?” She pointed.

  “Oh, yeah. I see.” It looked like one half—in this case, the left half—of the beetle had been stuck into the wood. The creature-plant-thing didn’t appear to be a living insect. That brought a little relief to him.

  “They grow that way. See, over here.” She motioned to a much smaller one.

  “Why’s it always growing with the left side of the beetle sucked into the tree?”

  “Mushroom, not beetle. And don’t ask dumb questions—”

  “That’s not a dumb quest—”

  “I need two—no, three of them.” She plucked the ugly mushrooms from the bark, putting them in a cloth bag she’d brought.

  Jacob cringed when the “mushrooms” moved inside the bag.

  “That’s so disgusting,” Aloren said. “I still can’t believe he’d willingly eat one of those.”

  Jacob agreed.

  The Fat Lady circled to the door. “He just ate the legs, I think.”

  Jacob grimaced, not wanting to imagine eating a mushroom with legs. Sick.

  Sword-fighting lessons went better that evening than they had the day before. Jacob wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he was better able to concentrate, even though his entire body still ached.

  Dad congratulated him, then helped him gain perspective by saying he only had a few more years to go before he’d successfully be able to fight someone who really wanted to kill him.

  “I’m sure that when we finally win this war, there won’t be anyone like that left.”

  Dad chuckled, gathering the swords, and the two walked to the garage. “We had enemies before the Lorkon came, you know.”

  “I don’t hear about them very much.”

  “That’s because the worst was my father. And other people feel awkward reminding me of that.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “Last I heard, he’d killed himself.”

  Wow. “Really? That’s awful.”

  Dad nodded, pausing by the kitchen door. A dark expression crossed his face. “Yes, well, at least he’s no longer a threat to my people.”

  Jacob pondered over this for a while. How would it be to have a father like that? One so evil, you’re relieved he’s not alive anymore? He shook his head, not wanting to follow that train of thought.