Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3

by Andrea Pearson

  Chapter 4. Discombobulated

  After breakfast the next morning, the group returned to Taga Village, somewhat somber. Matt, Amberly, and Jacob’s parents were just arriving, entering the meadow when Jacob, Aloren, Ebony, and Akeno stepped through the door of the tree.

  “How did it go?” Jacob’s dad asked.

  Akeno shuffled his feet and Ebony gave a half smile. “Not good,” she said. “The Lorkon traps are just as strong. We think there are five, possibly more. We came across two: poisoned reca flowers exploiting our loss of taste, and tarri you can’t smell. Dmitri, we need people who are experienced with the area.”

  He sighed. “That would be Aldo.”

  “What about Mom?” Jacob asked. “She was there too.”

  Mom shook her head. “They kept me blindfolded and tied the entire time.”

  Kenji joined the group, carrying a bunch of knapsacks. “Is everyone ready? I just sent Early to the Fat Lady, letting her know we’ll be coming soon.” He observed the group. “Doesn’t look like things went very well. Is everyone okay?”

  Ebony put her arms around her husband, looking like she needed a hug. “No, we’re fine. It’s just going to be very difficult to get to the fortress.”

  Early hovered up next to Kenji. “The Fat Lady needs assistance at once. Aldo is going crazy.”

  “‘Crazier,’ she means,” Matt whispered.

  Kenji slung his bags over his shoulder. “We’re on our way.”

  Jacob Keyed the group to the Fat Lady’s place. As soon as he opened the door, he could tell things were out of control. Aldo and the Fat Lady were heard down the hall, screaming at each other.

  Dad dashed forward, his sons on his heels. They entered the living area, and Jacob nearly bust up laughing. The Fat Lady had Aldo in a headlock, and the old man was trying to run away—his legs were moving while his upper body stayed put. Dad grabbed Aldo's arms, pulling him away from the Fat Lady.

  The Fat Lady rubbed her arms. “He just freaked out.”

  As soon as Aldo saw the group, he relaxed. He grabbed Jacob’s cheeks, his eyes glowing.

  Jacob chuckled, trying to get the man’s hands off him. “Hi to you too, Aldo.”

  The old man let go, then pushed past Matt to fling his arms around Dad. “Damitini!”

  Jacob and Matt met eyes. Damitini? Must be trying to say Dmitri.

  Aldo rushed to Jacob’s mom, nearly knocking her over in his excitement to hug her. “Arla!”

  Jacob was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

  “He remembers me!” she said. “He has to.”

  Aldo sighed happily. “Time taking time!”

  The old man hugged Ebony as well, then sat on the couch, crossing his legs and arms, smiling up at the group. He patted the seat next to him and then pointed at Jacob’s parents. They joined him, Mom still wiping away tears. Aldo then pointed at Jacob, motioning to his other side. Jacob sat reluctantly. He didn’t have the relationship with the man that his parents had.

  “I can’t believe it,” the Fat Lady said. “He was all over the place just a moment ago, nearly trying to kill me to get out.”

  “When did you administer the remedy?” Dad asked.

  “About half an hour ago.” She picked up an empty vial. “He was calm for at least twenty minutes afterwards. Hadn’t really said anything. I tried to get him to open up—telling him what we were doing, our projects, and about the group that went to scout out August Fortress. That’s when he went out of control.”

  Aldo growled when she said August Fortress. “No good. No good.”

  Dad appraised his friend. “It seems he was trying to warn the group not to go there.”

  Aldo jumped to his feet. “Yes! No good!”

  Matt frowned. “Does he mean, it’s no good to try to rescue the Shiengols, or the fortress itself is no good?”

  Aldo made some motions with his hands and arms, but they didn’t make sense. He slumped to the couch, exhausted.

  “He needs to sleep,” the Fat Lady said. “We don’t want to kill him while trying to get him better.”

  She helped Aldo to his feet. He resisted at first, then calmed when Mom promised they’d still be there when he woke up.

  When the Fat Lady returned, Dad indicated it was time to pull people out of the scented air.

  He divided everyone into teams of two. Jacob ended up with Akeno, and Aloren and Matt were paired with each other. Jacob sighed in resignation. He was glad to spend time with Akeno, but he . . . Aloren . . . He stopped that train of thought. No sense pining for someone who wasn’t interested in him.

  They walked to the scented air and got to work. It was long and hard, and the group pulled out person after person. Jacob and Akeno went through their section quickly, pulling out the younger, lighter people first. Then they teamed up with Aloren and Matt to get the heavier individuals in the two sections combined.

  Jacob knew Jaegar was standing guard, watching the forest and the sky, but he decided this area would always make him jumpy—he still thought about Lirone from time to time. The sunlight only partially comforted him, especially since the sun was about to set.

  After another forty-five minutes, it got really dark. Still, they continued. Hazel and Early flitted around, delivering messages.

  After a while, Akeno volunteered to stand and hold his finger up, lighting the area considerably. Jacob hadn’t realized it, but the previous times he’d seen Akeno use his finger as a light, the Makalo hadn’t put all of his energy into it. The light he cast now was so bright, it hurt Jacob’s eyes.

  Jacob and Matt paused to take a break, Matt wiping sweat off his face. He motioned to Akeno. “He’s freakin’ awesome.”

  Jacob nodded. Akeno and Aloren were talking—they were just far enough away to where Jacob couldn’t understand what they were saying. “Yeah. He’s got some really neat abilities.”

  “But why?”

  Jacob looked at his brother, squinting to see his expression. It didn’t show anything, but the colors around him—which Jacob could see, even though the sun had long since set—showed curiosity. “What do you mean?”

  “Hasn’t it ever occurred to you to ask why he can do so much more than the other Makalos?”

  Jacob shook his head. “No—not really. I just assumed he . . . he had more magic in him than the rest of them.”

  Matt nodded, as if Jacob had just hit on something very important. “Exactly. And how did he get that extra magic?”

  Jacob didn’t answer. He pushed his hair from his forehead, trying to let the breeze cool his sweat away. He considered taking off his coat, but decided not to—he didn’t want to get too cold. Matt made a good point—why did Akeno have more magic than the rest? It didn’t make sense—not when his parents could hardly do anything, and the Makalo magic was inherited.

  He decided to ask Akeno about it later. But no matter how Akeno got his magic, Jacob was glad he had it.

  The adults worked close to Akeno to take advantage of the extra light. Jacob couldn’t help but notice the Fat Lady. She picked up adult men, slung them over her shoulder, and carried them through the door, then on to Taga Village. Obviously, she had no difficulty doing so, regardless of their size. Jacob and Matt watched her, their mouths open, until Aloren laughed.

  “She’s going to think you’re romantically interested in her if you keep acting like that.”

  “Okay, Aloren,” Matt said, turning to her. “We’ve got to work on your vocab. Especially if you plan to hang out with us on Earth.”

  She nodded. “I’ll accept any help you can give—maybe even now, while we’re getting these people.” She motioned to a nearby man.

  Matt and Jacob jumped to help her, each grabbing one of the guy’s arms.

  “Good,” Matt said. “‘Cause you’ve got to speak American.” He pointed at Akeno. “Listen to how he talks. And Sweet Pea, too. They both sound like they’re from my country.” He sighed in exaggeration, readjusting the man’s arm over his shoulder. �
��But first things first. ‘Romantically interested’ just doesn’t work. You gotta say ‘likes.’”

  “Oh, I say that all the time.”

  “Yes, I know, but you have to get the context right. Instead of saying ‘The Fat Lady might think you’re romantically interested in her,’ you say, ‘The Fat Lady might think you like her.’”

  Aloren paused, still holding the man’s elbow. “I don’t understand the difference.”

  Matt chuckled. “You will. Just pay close attention, ‘kay? And we’ll let you know when you could say something better.”

  It took a couple more hours to get everyone out. Jacob’s arms felt like they’d been ripped from their sockets over and over again. But he and the others had done it! He folded his arms, leaning against the tree in Taga Village, looking at the people. They were lying all over the meadow, with the Makalos bustling around them, taking care of their needs.

  A brisk wind came, chilling to the bone. Jacob was about to shut the door, cutting off the link to the Fat Lady’s cabin, when she squealed from inside.

  “It worked! It worked! Come! Now!”

  Jacob’s family jumped to their feet, and they all rushed through the door and into the Fat Lady’s front room. Aldo was lying on the couch, eyes shut.

  “He’s out of it still,” Matt said. “Just like when we left.”

  Aldo raised a hand. “I’m awake.”

  Matt jumped back. “Whoa! That made sense!”

  “Well, of course it did!” the Fat Lady said, laughing.

  Mom clapped, an expression of glee on her face. “Wonderful!”

  “Arien?” Aldo’s eyes opened. “Oh, Arien, my dear.”

  She rushed forward, kneeling, wrapping her arms around his frail body. “I’m right here, Aldo.” A sob choked in her throat, and Aldo tried to get up, probably to comfort her. “No, no,” she said. “Stay down.”

  Dad sat on the short table in the middle of the room, facing Aldo. “How do you feel?”

  “A little discombobulated, but otherwise fine.” He grinned at the others in the room. “Birds were flying down, but the rain . . . came . . .” An expression of horror crossed his face. “Oops. Sorry about that.”

  The Fat Lady waggled her eyebrows at him. “I think it’ll take some time before everything wears off completely.”

  Dad pulled Jacob forward. “This is our son, Danilo. He goes by Jacob now. He’s the child Arien was carrying while at August Township.”

  Aldo nodded. “Yes, yes. I remember him well.” Jacob thought he saw a twinkle in the man’s eye, then it disappeared, replaced by an “I’m about to lecture you” face. “Do you like nuts, Jacob?”

  Jacob’s mouth popped open. “Uh . . . I’m . . . I . . . No?”

  A smile broke through Aldo’s stern expression, and he chuckled weakly.

  Jacob tilted his head, unsure how to respond. “You remember all that?”

  “Oh, yes.” He took a breath. “I was quite aware of what was going on around me.” Another pause as he struggled to concentrate. “The fly—mushroom caused minor problems for me—it messed up my speech . . .” He wiped sweat off his face. “Made it impossible to communicate, but I knew what was happening.”

  Matt looked confused. “But . . . but you seemed so . . . loony.”

  Aldo laughed again, more strength behind it this time. “What’s the fun of being a crazy . . . crazy old man without getting to act like it, too?”

  Matt and Jacob exchanged knowing looks, Matt’s lips clamped together, holding in a laugh. It seemed Aldo would be very easy to get along with.

  “Oh, Aldo, I’m just so excited you’re feeling better now!” Mom’s eyes were still shining with happy tears. “And when you’re completely well, I’m going to throw a party to celebrate! Maybe next Saturday!”

  Aldo lay back down on the couch, closing his eyes. “I would love that. Your parties were excellent.”

  Jacob’s parents stood. “We’ll leave now so you can rest more,” Dad said. “We’re having a meeting tomorrow to catch you up—and everyone else—on what’s going on.”

  Aldo said good-bye, and Jacob Keyed everyone home.

  Sunday after church, Jacob went to Eklaron to get Gallus, Aldo, the Fat Lady, Aloren, and the Makalos. They were having the meeting in his living room on Earth. He was so excited to have everyone in his territory!

  When he returned, Mom had set up extra chairs and pushed the couches against the walls to make room for everyone. It wasn’t as tight of a squeeze as the table in Kenji’s place, but still, pretty cozy.

  Like the previous meeting, Dad was in charge. It was much less formal than last time, and Jacob sighed, leaning back against the couch. It was so nice to have everyone here.

  The first part of the meeting was spent discussing those pulled from the scented air. Ebony reported that it would take time for them to come to themselves—the first group had taken a couple of months, at least.

  Next, they discussed how school was going for Aloren.

  “Wait—she’s going to school? No fair!” Sweet Pea glared at the adults. “Why does she get to go, and I don’t?”

  “Well, she is human,” Mom said. “Sorry, Sweet Pea, but you’d stand out way too much.”

  “No, I wouldn’t!” He paused when everyone stared at him skeptically. “Okay, so maybe my exceptionally . . . exceptionally good looks would get attention,” Matt snickered at this, “but I’m close enough to a human!”

  Mom nodded. “Yes . . . but your eyes—”

  “And your skin,” Jacob said.

  “What’s wrong with them?”

  Mom’s tone of voice was sympathetic. “Humans have eyelashes.”

  Jacob nodded. “And human skin isn’t blue.”

  Sweet Pea snorted. “It took you several months to see it.”

  Jacob laughed. It was true—he hadn’t noticed that Makalos had a slightly blue tint to them until Matt pointed it out. “Yeah, well, most humans notice more things than I do.”

  Aloren rolled her eyes. “It’s true.” She glanced at Jacob, then smiled at Sweet Pea. “Sorry.”

  He grunted, folding his arms.

  The conversation then drifted to something else, but Jacob had a hard time following. What had Aloren meant? Was she trying to hint at something? Or was he imagining things?

  “Jacob,” Dad said. “Are you there?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry. What?”

  “Please give a report on what happened on the scouting trip to August Fortress.”

  “But Ebony was pretty much in charge—”

  “You’re the reigning prince,” Dad said.

  Ebony nodded and reached over to pat Jacob’s hand. “Go ahead.”

  Jacob put his frustrated thoughts of Aloren away. “Well, you already know about the poisoned reca plants. We got past those and put up a ton of doors throughout the forest. Then we headed toward August Fortress and ran into a gazillion tarri—”

  Just then, Aldo jumped from his chair, flapping his hands. “No good! Butterflies briskly run!” He paused, arms held out from him. A sheepish grin crossed his face. “Oh, oops.” He sat down. “I, uh . . . . My brain works faster than my mouth. I have to speak slower, otherwise random things pop out.” He grimaced at everyone. “Stop being so serious. It’s okay to get a good laugh in every now and then. Go ahead—it won’t offend me.”

  A few chuckles broke the silence, and Aldo grinned before continuing. “What I was trying to say is: August Fortress is surrounded by horrible traps. I watched the whole thing with Kelson’s group and was powerless to do anything.” He motioned to Jacob. “I assume you suspect this already, but the Lorkon traps eliminate your senses one at a time. Obviously you didn’t eat much, because you’re here now. I’m wondering—how did you get past the tarri?”

  “It was hard—we gave up on fighting and rushed toward the fortress instead.”

  Aldo leaned back, putting his hands behind his head and rubbed his sparse hair. “Yes. If you’d stayed behind, as pa
rt of Kelson’s group did, you would have been slaughtered. There’s no stopping them.”

  Jacob frowned. “Not even with water?”

  “You couldn’t possibly carry all the water you’d need.” Aldo paused. “No, the only way to get through that trap is to push forward, getting away from them as quickly as possible.”

  Ebony nodded. “And they didn’t follow.”

  “No. They won’t.” A grave expression crossed his face. “Judging by how Kelson’s group acted, the next trap would have been the loss of sight.”

  “Whoa, really?” Matt asked. “You guys would’ve been dead.”

  Jacob nodded. He could imagine them stumbling around, blindly feeling their way. “No wonder they didn’t make it out alive.”

  Aldo shook his head. “That’s not how they died. Yes, a few did, but not the entire group. No, they made it much farther than that, even with Argots.”

  Ebony gasped. “Argots?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t understand,” Aloren said. “What are those?”

  “They live in the dirt,” Ebony explained. “Actually, they technically are the dirt. They make up the ground beneath your feet. And when you’ve gone far enough across them—when they sense the right amount of weight—they open up all around—”

  Aloren put up her hand, her face white. “Please, no more—I can’t handle it right now.”

  Ebony smiled sympathetically at the girl, but Jacob was surprised to find he agreed with Aloren. He didn’t care about the creatures either—a first for him.

  Dad looked at Aldo. “How does one get through this trap?”

  “They don’t have ears or eyes, so they have no idea you’re there except by the weight change above them. So, you have to find a way to get across without touching the ground.”

  Dad looked gloomy and blew out a long breath of air. “Okay, that’s going to be difficult.”

  Matt rubbed his eyes. “Why can’t Jacob just Key us into the city? Or even the fortress?”

  Aldo, Ebony, and Dad shook their heads, all saying no in different ways. Aldo’s voice was heard best, though.

  “The Lorkon destroyed all the doors in the entire city. In the fortress, they filled the holes with concrete.”

  “But didn’t you use the Key to get in and out before?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but they didn’t know we had the Key. They destroyed the doors of the fortress to prevent the Shiengols from coming and going, but at that point, they had left the doors in the city intact.”

  Jacob leaned back against the couch again. Being stuck for so long would totally stink—he’d have felt incredibly claustrophobic if it were him. “How did you know they destroyed them all?”

  “I tried one last trip to the city to see if I could find Kelson’s remains. I couldn’t get in. Everything had been shut off.”

  Dad turned to Ebony. “Now we have a way past the first two traps, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you coming when we get the Shiengols?” Jacob asked Dad.

  “Yes—”

  “No, he’s not,” Gallus said. Everyone turned to him—he hadn’t spoken in a while. “Your Majesty, I know how much you want to be involved, but having Jacob go is bad enough. We still have you if he doesn’t make it. But if you both go, and both of you are destroyed? We need a leader here to take us through the revolution.”

  Dad rubbed his forehead, looking disappointed. “Yes, I know. I . . . never mind.” He put on a mask of determination, then closed the meeting shortly thereafter. The only assignments he’d given were for the Makalos to work with the people now pulled from the scented air, and for Jacob and Matt to focus on their sports. Everyone else was to continue what they’d been doing already.