Chapter 11. Argots
Gallus didn’t want to spend a lot of time in Taga, so after everyone there had said goodbye, Jacob Keyed Aldo to the door near the infected forest, where Aldo would oversee everything. Then he turned around and Keyed the group to door number twenty-four. It was the last one he and the others had placed while scouting out the area around the fortress.
“How are we going to get across the Argots?” Matt asked after they’d closed the link behind them.
“Don’t worry,” Gallus said. “I’ve got a plan. Let’s talk about it for a minute before getting started.” He dug through his bag, pulling out bananas. “Is anyone hungry?”
Matt and Sweet Pea each took one, commenting on how weird it was not to be able to taste them, and Gallus continued, putting his food knapsack away and opening his utility bag. “The plan involves Minyas and Akeno and lots of other things.” He held up a megaphone and a ton of rope, then motioned to Sweet Pea’s bag, which was full of more rope, wood, leather straps, and nails.
“What are you going to make?” Aloren asked.
“Well, first we need to figure out where the Argots start.” Gallus shaded his eyes, looking in the direction of August Fortress. “My theory is that you won’t lose your eyesight until you’re a good way across them already. Otherwise the trap wouldn’t work. You’d just back up quickly and be out of danger.”
“They won’t chase us?” Jacob asked.
He shook his head. “Argots are pretty much stuck where they’re planted.”
“What if we run fast?”
“If what Aldo said is correct, the area they inhabit is big enough so that isn’t possible. And once you’ve lost your eyesight, you won’t have any idea how much farther you’ve got to go. Not only that, but their backs are very rough. You’d feel like you were running through brush and big boulders, and it’d be very easy to trip and fall.”
Aloren knit her eyebrows. “If we can’t see anything, how are we going to know when we’ve made it all the way across?”
Gallus put his hand on her shoulder. “Aldo said the land they live in ends near the fortress wall. And don’t worry. My plan takes all of this into account—we’ll be fine.”
Matt snorted. “That doesn’t make me feel very safe. Plans can fail.”
Gallus nodded. “True. We’ll have to be extremely careful as it is. And the risks are high—very high.”
Sweet Pea tossed his banana peel aside. “What do they look like?”
“Nothing you can imagine,” Gallus said. “No arms or eyes or legs. Just one huge mouth—and a torso, which you wouldn’t normally see.” He slung his utility bag over his shoulder. “I was a member of an exploratory group several years ago—we pulled an Argot out of the ground. It was disgusting. Not pleasant. Not pleasant at all. Their innards are visible through their skin. They live underground, tightly packed together to protect their organs.”
Jacob turned to look ahead. Aside from the emotions coming from the fortress, he couldn’t see anything. “Are they intelligent?”
“Nope. Not at all. They live to eat and eat to live. Just like chickens.”
Sweet Pea laughed. “Minus the eggs and delicious meat, though, right?”
Gallus looped his thumbs in the front pockets of his pants. “No, nothing about them is edible. The only muscles they have are used in the digestive—”
“Disgusting,” Aloren said.
“—and eating process. Their mouths are incredibly large and strong.”
Matt shook his head, an expression of displeasure on his face. “You know, normally I’d ask to see one . . . but I think I’ll pass this time.”
Gallus chuckled. “You wouldn’t see it anyway—your sight will be gone.”
Matt nodded.
“Any more questions?” No one responded, and Gallus grinned. “Good. Let’s get going!”
He told them what to look for—smaller, oddly-colored bushes, stones that didn’t really look like stones, and other such things.
The group spread apart by five feet and started forward through the forest, walking slowly, watching where they placed each step. Occasionally, they called back and forth, checking up on one another when the undergrowth got too thick to see each other.
They didn’t make much progress. Jacob assumed everyone felt the way he did—terrified to be trapped by the creatures. What would it be like to step on them? Springy, Gallus had said.
After around fifty feet—nearly long enough for him to have forgotten they were in danger—he noticed a bush that had leaves on it. Leaves—green, and natural-looking—but leaves nonetheless. It was November, and all the other plants had already lost their foliage.
“Got something here!” He wasn’t worried about the Argots hearing, since Gallus had said the creatures didn’t have ears.
“Same!” Aloren responded.
“I’ve also found signs of them,” Gallus called. “Let’s regroup.”
Jacob backtracked a few feet, staying away from the edge of the creatures, and joined the others. He looked around. “Where’s Matt?”
“Here! I need some help,” Matt called from somewhere up ahead. “I think I might have gone too far—the lights just went out. Oh, whoa! Something’s moving under me!”
Jacob and Gallus rushed together through the brush toward the sound of Matt’s voice. Gallus put his arm out and stopped Jacob from going onto the Argots when they saw Matt. He stood frozen, one foot ready to take another step, already twenty feet past the line where the Argots started.
“Nothing’s moving anymore, but I can’t see,” he said. “I can’t see!”
“Don’t panic!” Gallus yelled to him.
Jacob figured he meant well, but how was that supposed to keep Matt from freaking out?
“And don’t put your foot down. Hold still. They know you’re there, but they might be waiting for you to do something.”
“How do I go back?”
Gallus looked around the group. “Give me a second.”
Just then, the ground around Matt rippled. Aloren screamed, catching up with Gallus and Jacob.
“I didn’t do anything! I swear!” Matt shouted, struggling to hold his balance and keep his foot in the air. “Tell me what to do!”
The brush and boulders moved and huge pits appeared around him, razor-sharp teeth growing from the edges.
Jacob’s jaw dropped. The teeth were growing? How was that possible? “We’ve gotta get him out!” He spun. “Where’s Akeno?”
Akeno pushed through the group, rushing forward. He held his arm out and picked Matt up.
Matt disappeared just as one of the huge mouths closed around his leg. He reappeared with Akeno, a little smaller than his normal height. They fell into the grass, both screaming in pain.
Everyone dashed to them—Aloren got there first. She dropped to the ground next to Matt. “His leg! It’s bleeding and cut all over!”
“Kaede Sap!” Sweet Pea yelled, ripping off his backpack. He pulled out a package and a bowl. “Fast! Help me!”
“I need a package too!” Gallus called, pulling Akeno away from the feet rushing around Matt.
Sweet Pea handed one to Jacob, who tossed it to Gallus, then fell at Matt’s side, helping separate the cloth while Aloren pulled Matt’s shoe and sock off and Sweet Pea mixed the sap.
It wasn’t until Jacob was putting strips of sap-saturated cloth on Matt’s foot that he realized the implications of Gallus also needing a Kaede Sap package. Had Akeno been injured too? He put the last strip on Matt, then jumped to join Gallus.
“What’s going on?”
“My arm . . .” Akeno gasped. “My chest—it hurts. Everything hurts.”
Akeno’s bag was open near them and Gallus was mixing a second package of Kaede Sap, the first near him, ready to be used. “I don’t know what happened—maybe Matt was too close? Too heavy?” He looked up at Jacob. “Go back to the door and get Ebony—she’s the only one who can diagnose this.”
Jacob ru
shed through the forest, trying to remember where the door was. He nearly ran into the tarri, but saw the door just in time, veered for it, and Keyed to Kenji’s house.
Ebony jumped up from the table. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Akeno—come!”
Ebony raced through the door and followed Jacob. She fell to her knees, and her panic was replaced with urgency and determination. No wonder she was good at this sort of thing. She poked and prodded at Akeno through his shirt, checking his skin first, then the bones.
“Several broken ribs, a broken collarbone, shoulder, and his arm bones,” she said. “There are probably other things broken—in his legs. Too bad he can’t shrink himself to be put in a Minya container.”
Akeno moaned. “Sorry, Mom . . .”
She brushed his hair off his forehead, a tender expression crossing her face. “Rest, love. We’ll do our best not to cause you any more pain.” She turned to Jacob and Gallus. “Help me take his shirt and pants off. Jacob, tell Aloren that she might want to stay away since he’ll be nearly naked.”
Jacob relayed the message to Aloren, then he, Gallus, and Ebony quickly removed Akeno’s outerwear. Jacob couldn’t help but notice that Akeno was wearing Batman boxers. He did his best to put that fact out of his mind, helping Ebony mix three more packages of Kaede Sap.
They got to work covering his entire body with the strips, being careful to put them under him as well. It took ten minutes, at least, and they used five Kaede Sap packages—everything Sweet Pea had in his knapsack.
When they finished, Ebony got to her feet and helped Gallus spread a blanket over her son. “He’ll be fine now.” She wiped moisture off her face. “What happened?”
Gallus explained, and Jacob looked at the Argots. They were just as they had been before, as if nothing had taken place.
Ebony frowned. “The distance between the boys should have been enough.” She shook her head. “This is why we’ve always warned Makalos about shrinking big things, and then enlarging them again. Akeno hasn’t had a problem with it for a while—he must’ve been completely panicked.”
Jacob tilted his head. “He was panicked when I fell into the mud bubbles and he didn’t get injured that time.”
She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Makalos have to be completely in control of their emotions—they struggle with it at first, and most struggle their entire lives.” She looked at her son. “But he doesn’t normally have those problems.”
Jacob looked at Akeno as well. He didn’t know the Makalo could even make a mistake in that area. “Why did his bones break?”
“Akeno’s arm and body couldn’t hold your brother’s weight. But the magic is stronger than bones—Matt would’ve come to him, regardless.” She walked to Jacob’s brother. “How is Matt?”
“Asleep,” Aloren said.
“Good. He’ll need the rest.” She lifted a piece of cloth to inspect his ankle. “How bad was his leg?”
“Not terrible—just a few cuts from the teeth.”
Sweet Pea joined them. “Did you see how the Argots’ fangs grew when their mouths opened?”
Gallus nodded. “The teeth are kept inside the jaws until they’re needed, and then they extend like cat claws. They can be several feet long, depending on the age of the Argot.”
Jacob shook his head. “We barely got Matt out in time, didn’t we?”
“He wouldn’t have lasted another few seconds. Oh, and another thing about these creatures is that they share their meals—what one of them eats gets spread through them all.”
“No more,” Aloren said. “I can’t handle any more of it.”
Sweet Pea laughed and started to say something, but Ebony glared at him. His mouth slammed shut.
“I don’t know, Gallus,” Ebony said, turning to the black man. “Should I come along?”
They’d gone over this a lot during the last meeting. Ebony had opted to stay home since Echo, her baby, still needed her. But she was the only one who really knew medical things inside and out.
Gallus blew out a breath. “It’s up to you. However, as we’d already said, we won’t be able to see or feel or hear anything. We won’t know if we’re injured, and neither will you—you won’t be able to help us.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “You can come with, or we can stick to the original plan.”
She sighed. “We shouldn’t change course now. I . . . I just hate feeling helpless.”
“I know it sounds abrupt, but you’ll be helpless anyway. How about you stay until we’re safely to the other side? Then Jacob could Key you back and he’ll cross last.”
She nodded. “I’d feel much better about that.”
“Okay, good.” Gallus motioned to Matt and Akeno. “How long until they wake?”
Ebony shook her head. “An hour for Matt, possibly several for Akeno. It depends on how much damage there is.”
Gallus sighed. “Okay, let’s get to work while waiting.” He separated everyone into groups, leaving Ebony to watch over the injured people. Gallus and Aloren went one direction, and Jacob and Sweet Pea the other. Gallus had them work on clearing a long strip of land that ran parallel to where the Argots lived. When Akeno woke up, he’d be enlarging some things that would end up being pretty big.
Clearing the underbrush wasn’t easy. Jacob and Sweet Pea talked while they worked, using machetes Gallus had given them from his duffel bag. Luckily, he hadn’t asked Akeno to shrink them earlier, and they were still their original size.
Jacob and Sweet Pea first talked about school, then basketball, movies, and music. When the topic turned to girls, with Sweet Pea wanting to know if he had ever kissed any, Jacob insisted they focus on their work. Sweet Pea teased him for a moment, then took the hint.
Jacob’s machete got dull, and he was tempted to pull out his sword to chop with instead. He knew better than to use it on weeds, however. Having it in its scabbard, by his side, was oddly comforting. He wasn’t used to fighting with it, but at least he felt like he could seriously injure . . . a defenseless evil creature. He smiled. He still needed a lot of practice.
After nearly an hour, Gallus called everyone over for a rest. Jacob was happy to see that Matt was waking up, and that he felt well enough to get to work. Gallus soon ended the break.
Jacob teased Matt about being shorter than him. “You’re the little guy now!”
Matt rolled his eyes, snorting. “My muscles still work fine, and it’s only by a few inches. I could still beat you at football.”
Jacob grinned at his brother, then got back to work.
After another thirty minutes, Gallus declared everything good and had them all return to where Akeno slept.
“Now what?” Jacob asked.
“We wait until Akeno wakes. There isn’t anything else we can do until he’s better.”
“It shouldn’t be much longer,” Ebony said. “Assuming he didn’t have internal injuries, that is.”
Jacob tilted his head. “It took me four days to heal when I had broken bones.”
She nodded. “Yes, but you’re human, not a Makalo. Kaede Sap works best on Makalos. Plus, you were much worse off.”
The group settled themselves in for a long wait. Three hours later, when the sun was ready to set, Akeno woke up. Ebony checked him out, declared him healthy, then had him get dressed and eat.
When he was finished, he jumped to his feet. “All right, I’m ready to put Matt back to his normal size.”
Gallus held his hand up. “Don’t—let’s figure out the next step first. You’re going to need to shrink someone. Preferably one of the stronger guys who can tie knots.”
“Me!” Sweet Pea and Matt said at the same time.
Gallus looked at them. “Matt. You’re taller than Sweet Pea.”
Sweet Pea scowled. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Because he’s taller, he’ll ultimately be bigger than you.”
Matt laughed at Sweet Pea’s disappointment. “Mayb
e next time, dude.”
Gallus addressed Akeno. “After you shrink Matt, you’ll need to enlarge him on top of the wall.” He pointed to the stone wall dividing the forest from the city. It wasn’t very close—perhaps a hundred feet away. Parts of it were crumbling, but it was in good shape otherwise. A large arch was flanked by ornately embellished lamp posts with old, ragged flags attached to them. The flags were really big, deep red, and had a design on them that looked like a trident spear with a sun on it.
Akeno’s mouth popped open. “He’ll be huge if I do that—like, really, really huge.”
Gallus’s chin went higher, his chest out. “Exactly. And make sure you put him nearer to the entrance, by the lamp posts.”
A panicked expression crossed Akeno’s face. “But enlarging him that big might cause damage—it could kill him.”
Ebony put her hand on Akeno’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine, son. Makalos used to do it regularly—you won’t hurt him. I promise. And we’ll make sure you’re able to concentrate.”
“It has to be done,” Gallus said. “Otherwise we won’t make it across the Argots.”
Uncertainty remained on Akeno’s face. “You’re sure?”
Gallus nodded. “We need him on the other side. Take a few deep breaths, then go when you’re ready.”
Akeno hesitated, then finally turned to Matt. “All right. Walk over there.” He pointed to the place Sweet Pea and Jacob had cleared. “It might hurt a little when I pick you up. It’s hard for me to tell if I’m holding too tightly.”
Matt ran to where Akeno had pointed and turned, a huge smile on his face. Jacob snorted—his brother was so ridiculous. Matt really enjoyed odd things, and Jacob knew for sure he’d be a lot more nervous than Matt, even though he’d been shrunk and enlarged several times.
“For Narnia!” Matt yelled, fist in the air.
Akeno reached out and Matt disappeared, reappearing in the Makalo’s palm. “Did I hurt you?”
“Not at all! Wow! You guys are huge!”
“Matt—listen closely,” Gallus said.
Matt stopped grinning and straightened. “Listening.”
“Akeno is going to put you on the wall. Don’t squirm or step backward—it would be disastrous if you fell off.”
“Okay.”
“You won’t be able to see anything, but you’ll still have your hearing, which is why I brought this.” Gallus pulled the megaphone from his bag. “I’ll be calling instructions to you, and we’ll have Early come back to help if it doesn’t work.”
Jacob scanned the air—he hadn’t seen the Minya in a while. She was probably exploring.
Gallus motioned for Akeno to proceed. “Remember—next to the pole.”
Akeno nodded, reached out, and gently released Matt. Matt disappeared, reappearing on the wall. He nearly lost his footing and swung his arms out, yelling. His left hand struck the lamp post, though, and he grabbed it, steadying himself.
“I can’t see anything!”
Using the megaphone, Gallus called to Matt, “Get comfortable—sit down, if you can. This next part will take some time.”
Matt nodded and Gallus turned to Akeno, handing him a long, very thin piece of wood with a small claw attached at the top. There were little metal loops drilled into the wood on both ends, each with leather straps tied through them.
“Keeping the claw facing down and away from you, enlarge the board, making it as long as you can—at least a foot wide, preferably more. If my measurements are correct, once it’s that big, it should be long enough to go from here to the wall.”
Akeno walked to one end of the clearing, and Gallus had everyone step back so they wouldn’t get hit when the wood fell. The Makalo reached out, squinting an eye shut. He released the board, and suddenly it appeared in front of the group, filling the entire length of the clearing.
“Now then,” Gallus said. “The hard part. We have to swing the end with the claw to Matt and get the claw to hook on to the other side of the wall so it’s lying on top of the stone. If it’s close enough to the lamp post, Matt will be able to tie it in place.”
Aloren looked at Gallus with doubt. “How are we going to do that?”
The black man pulled out ropes and pulleys. “With these, and all of us helping.” He gave a pulley and some of the rope to Sweet Pea. “Tie this to the board and climb that tree,” he pointed to a very tall maple, “then hook the pulley over the largest, highest branch you can find and thread the rope through.”
“Why didn’t we just have Akeno send a door over with Matt?” Aloren asked.
“I’d thought of doing that originally,” Gallus said, “but after talking to the Makalos about it, found they weren’t comfortable having Akeno shrink and enlarge two objects at once—one living and the other inanimate. It would’ve been too risky. Plus, if we’d done it, Matt would’ve had a hard time balancing not only himself but also the door once Akeno enlarged them on the wall.”
After Aloren showed she understood, Gallus motioned for Sweet Pea to proceed.
Sweet Pea scampered up the tree. When he got down, Gallus had him tie another rope to the board and climb up a tree on the other side, doing the same thing.
Gallus had Ebony and Aloren stand at the foot of the board to steady it, and he pulled on one of the ropes while Jacob and Sweet Pea took the other. They practiced for a while, trying to figure out who had to pull the hardest and at what time. It got tangled in branches, and the group slowly maneuvered it just right to get it untangled. Luckily, the foliage where the Argots lived was short and stubby.
Gallus called to Matt to be ready as the board neared him. Matt reached out, feeling blindly, and grabbed the board, pulling it toward himself, then hooked the claw in place so the board went all the way across the wall. He tied the leather straps to the lamp post.
Everyone cheered when he yelled, saying he was done. They now had a plank of wood that completely crossed the Argots.
A businesslike expression crossed Gallus’s face and he addressed the group. “One last thing. Remember, we’ll be losing our sight halfway across. We need a rope to hold on to.” He turned to Aloren. “I’m sorry, dear, but you’re the most nimble.”
Ebony cleared her throat. “Actually, Gallus, it would be better if I went—I’m smaller, and it’ll be easier for me.”
Gallus nodded. “Oh, yes, of course.”
He tied one end of another rope about six feet up a tree, then handed the rest to Ebony. “Take this across and have Matt tie it to the pole as high as he can.”
Ebony wrapped the rope several times around her arm, then started across the board. Like when he’d first seen her fighting, Jacob was surprised at how quickly and gracefully she moved—like a dancer.
About halfway, she gasped loudly and paused, her legs wobbling. “Whoa. My eyesight just left.”
“Hold on to the board and use it to guide you,” Gallus called.
Ebony lowered herself, then crawled forward. Everyone waited, watching. Finally, she made it to the wall. Matt helped her to her feet and took the rope from her, tying it well above her head. With Gallus guiding him, he tightened it so it would be firm enough to provide support, but loose enough for everyone to hold on to at the same time.
Then Gallus had Ebony untie the ropes Sweet Pea had attached to the board for the pulleys. When she finished, Akeno picked her up, momentarily shrinking her before enlarging her on this side of the Argots. She returned, giving the ropes to Gallus while Akeno put Matt back to his normal size.
“We should’ve kept me large,” Matt said after he’d run the distance to the group. “I would’ve been able to fight the dinosaur much better.”
Gallus ignored Matt’s comment. “Let’s eat, then set up a door near here.”
The group sank to the ground, eager for a break. Jacob wished he could taste the beef jerky, fruits, and veggies, but his stomach loved the food, and after a moment, he felt mostly satisfied.
Ten minutes later, Gallus got to his feet
and had Akeno enlarge a door. Matt and Jacob put it in place.
“Time for us to cross.” Gallus held up the rope. “But we need to tie ourselves together first.”
“You’ve only got probably half an hour left until it’s dark,” Ebony said, motioning to the setting sun.
Matt laughed. “We’ll be blind anyway, so it doesn’t even matter.”
Ebony chuckled. “Good point.”
“We’ll set up camp just inside the arch,” Gallus said, making sure everyone tied their knots securely. “Hopefully we’ll find a spot before we lose the sensation of touch.” He turned to Ebony. “I’m sorry, but Jacob will need to take you back now rather than later.”
Ebony nodded. She turned to her son, holding him close for several moments, then gave everyone else hugs and last-minute advice, including not to die or get hurt. Jacob opened the door to Taga, let her step through, then shut it.
Gallus lined everyone up—Jacob first, then Akeno, Aloren, Matt, Sweet Pea, and finally himself. He had Early let Aldo know they were about to start across the Argots.
Jacob could just picture the old man—he’d probably keep his face glued to the telescope the entire time the group was on the board. Even though Aldo couldn’t do anything to help, just knowing he was watching brought Jacob a sense of calm.
Gallus looked Jacob in the eye, blue—the color for peace—swirling in the air around him. “It’s up to you now. You and Akeno are the only ones who’ll be able to help us, and I’ve got a feeling you’ll be better at this next part than I will. Maybe one of your gifts will surprise us.”
Jacob took a deep breath. He hated having pressure placed on him like that, but he agreed with Gallus. He was still adjusting to the fact that he could do things other people couldn’t.
He faced the fortress, squinting against the bright emotions emanating through the stone walls, concentrating on picking out individual sources. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed something.
“One of the Shiengol’s emotions is brighter than the rest.”
Gallus shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
Jacob turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t tell you without causing offense.” Gallus put his hands behind his back.
“To who? The Shiengols?”
“This particular Shiengol, yes.”
Jacob found himself wishing he were on a different mission. “Great. We’re about to rescue temperamental, powerful beings with lots of emotional baggage. Just what we need.”
He looked up in shock when the emotions of the brightest Shiengol flashed from anticipation to annoyance. Whoa. Had it heard him? How was that possible? He hesitated, watching. When nothing happened, he turned to Gallus. “Are we ready?”
Gallus nodded. “Yes.”
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