by G. P. Ching
He rolled the wooden chair aside and squatted down to look at the pile of papers on the lowest shelf. A corner of a picture frame poked out from under a bowl of bark samples. He moved the bowl aside and picked up the picture. The portrait was painted, oil on canvas, in the style you see in museums. The man in the picture had slicked-back hair, a three-piece suit, and a perfect smile. But it was the woman in the photo that gave away his identity. Dr. Silva stared back at him from behind Oswald’s shoulder, looking exactly the same as she did today except for her dress, which reminded him of something out of the Wild West.
So, she didn’t age? He wasn’t surprised.
Under the frame was a stack of leather-bound journals. Jackpot! He thumbed through them and saw hundreds of entries, dates, times, places. And then he noticed a poster-sized roll of paper stuck between the corner of the shelf and the books. He pulled it out, slid the outer band off, and unrolled it on the desk. It was a map of the world, covered in a web of dated lines, all of them leading back to one place: the tree in the garden. Oswald.
Chapter 32
The Wrong Direction
The map and Dr. Silva’s notebooks looked complicated, but Jacob forced himself to sit down and go through each page. After an hour or so, he checked his watch. He would have to hurry. If he wasn’t back by dinner, John might come looking for him. Fortunately, he found the concept quite simple, once he saw the pattern.
The tree accessed power connected to the longitude and latitude of the Earth, like a spider on a web. The web connected the tree in Paris to the place the spider crawled. The spider moved around the globe at an angle, reaching every other tree in the world over the course of a year. Over twenty-four hours it moved along the longitude of the Earth. At the same time, the months of the year caused it to climb the lines of latitude. The power reached the equator halfway through the year, which was why, he realized, they had visited Peru in June.
The calculation of longitude was fairly straightforward, mapping exactly against the time zones and International Date Line. Latitude was much trickier. The rise from South to North happened more quickly at the poles and slowed as the force reached the equator. He thought of it like this: the spider’s web was stretched more tightly across the middle of the Earth and the spider had longer to crawl to complete the circle to reach its next thread.
He smoothed the map out on the desk and searched for the North Pacific just beneath the Tropic of Cancer. When he’d found Oahu, he traced it with his finger. The island was small in the vast blue ink that represented the Pacific Ocean. If he didn’t know exactly what he was doing, he could easily drown in its depths, emerging in a mass of seaweed, miles from dry land. Of course, he could control water now. If he missed, he could ride a wave to shore—he hoped. A date near the island read August 15th, 1992. It was logical that August 15th would be the date he tried to get home to find his mother.
He thought he understood the basics, but there were things he couldn’t explain, anomalies that didn’t follow the rules, like a rogue date in Munich, Germany in January 1945, and Hong Kong in December of 2000. Dr. Silva said it had taken her decades to learn to use the tree. Jacob only had a few minutes more. As luck would have it, he found the answer in her journal.
Dr. Silva could use sorcery to build a string between Oswald and any other tree, regardless of the date. Her power acted as the tree’s power; she stood in for the spider. But following the string backward from a normal tree was only possible while the string was still open, twenty-four to forty-eight hours. According to Dr. Silva’s earliest entries, climbing back up the spider’s web always took magic. She could follow someone or something else, if their string was still open. But once the string was gone, a normal tree wasn’t enough to amplify her magic.
No wonder she had been so adamant about Jacob not using the tree alone. Without her, there was no way he could get back. It also explained why their trip to Peru had to be short. She needed to help him return before the string dissolved.
Jacob slapped his hand on the desk when he realized Dr. Silva could’ve used her magic to take him to visit the Medicine woman much earlier. What she’d told him had been a half-truth. Yes, if he were traveling alone, June 10th was the day of connection. Dr. Silva could’ve built a string from Oswald. He suspected she hadn’t offered because she knew the trip wouldn’t help. She wanted to dangle the carrot long enough to fill his head with her story about being a Soulkeeper. He’d been such a fool.
The trip to Oahu would be risky. He wouldn’t have Dr. Silva to help him back. If he went through with this, it would be permanent. But after everything he’d learned this week about Dr. Silva’s half-truths and the Laudner family history, he didn’t care. He had to go.
He rolled the map and tucked it back into the corner of the shelf. With the help of some notes he’d made, he replaced the notebooks exactly how they’d been. Dr. Silva was returning the day after tomorrow and it was imperative that she not know what he was planning. He folded his page of notes and slid it into his back pocket.
Making his way toward the stairs, the ruddy cat seemed to pop up out of the floor at Jacob’s feet, and he stumbled trying not to kick him. Gideon was statuesque, staring out the window. On a whim, Jacob decided to throw him off the trail, just in case he changed his mind about being helpful.
“Thanks, Gideon. I guess my plan won’t work after all. Not without Dr. Silva anyway. I wouldn’t be able to get back. But thanks for giving me a chance. Now I feel like I’ve done what I can.”
The cat’s eyes wrinkled at the corners and he wondered if Gideon knew he was lying. He walked down from the tower side by side with the cat. Before he left, he saw Gideon eating. That was all the assurance he needed.
Chapter 33
The Dishonest Mistake
“Malini, I want to show you something,” Jacob said.
He placed his hand on the small of her back. It was August 15th. After a month of waiting, he’d packed the phoenix box, a small bag of provisions, and as much money as he could get his hands on into a backpack. There was only one thing left to do and that was to convince Malini to come, too. The promise he’d made to her that night in his room was only part of the reason. He knew, in his heart, she wanted to go. She hated it here.
“What’s going on?” she asked. She was sitting on her front porch, enjoying the last hours of the morning before the August heat became oppressive.
“Look, I can’t tell you; I have to show you. But it’s important.”
“What is it?”
“Just trust me, okay? It’s a surprise.”
“Of course.” Malini leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.
“Good, come on.” He took her hand and led her to his truck.
They drove in silence. Malini was abnormally quiet, as if she could sense the tension in the air. Jacob was nervous about what he’d have to do. When he was within a mile of Dr. Silva’s, he parked Big Blue on the side of the road. Instead of going up the front yard toward the house, he walked Malini directly into the maple orchard.
“What are we doing at Dr. Silva’s?”
“This is where it is, what I have to show you.”
“Does she know I’m here?”
“No. But it’s okay.”
In fact, he knew what he was about to do was far from okay with Dr. Silva. At this very moment, she was inside the house. She would be furious when she found out, but by that time he would be long gone.
Once Jacob was deep inside the orchard, he relaxed a little. With Malini by his side, he hiked down the sloping hill to the wrought-iron gate. The key was in the lock as always and he gave it a quick turn before opening the gate for Malini. It wasn’t long before she noticed the magic of the garden.
“Oh, it’s hot back here,” she said. She was wearing shorts and T-shirts but the weather was notably more humid as they walked through the gate. “It’s so weird. This is unbelievable.”
“Unbelievable, yes, but this is not what I have to show
you.” Jacob flashed an unfamiliar sideways grin. The power was intoxicating. He was about to take her someplace she’d never been. In all of his life, he’d never been the taker. He was always the taken. It was a nice change of pace. He intended to be an excellent guide.
Reaching for her hand, he led her down the path. When they passed the corpse plants, he motioned for her to cover her nose. He helped her gingerly over each of the rocks in the blood dragon patch and through the meadow.
Although she said very little, Malini’s eyes were filled with wonder at her surroundings. She followed closely behind him, squeezing his hand in hers. Jacob was filled with her need for him. It surprised him how much he enjoyed it. Her utter dependence made him feel strong, protective. It filled a hole he’d never known he had.
Jacob was so distracted with impressing her that he ignored the feeling that someone was watching him from behind the trees. The whisper of his name on the wind in the meadow was likewise not acknowledged. And when a ripple danced across the sand of the dune, he shrugged it off. This was the magic of the garden. It was trying to scare him off, just like the first time.
He led her through the maze and emerged near the gnarled tree that he knew as Oswald.
“Jacob, this place is amazing but I’m getting a funny feeling. Should we be back here?”
“Malini, it’s fine. Trust me. I want to tell you about this tree.”
“It’s really unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in India.”
“No, it’s one of a kind.” Jacob laughed. “If you touch this tree right now with me, it will take us to Oahu. It will take me home and you can come with me.”
She looked at him blankly for a moment, and then laughed through her nose.
“What is this all about, Jacob? Why are you teasing me?”
“I’m serious. Hold my hand and I will touch the tree. I promise you in two minutes we will be in Hawaii. I’ll show you where I grew up.”
Malini searched his face.
“You’re insane!” She backed toward the entrance to the maze but the prickly twists and turns thwarted her. She had not paid enough attention to find her way out on her own.
“What if I’m not? Don’t you want to try? Don’t you want to get out of this town, Malini?” Jacob held out his hand. His other hand hovered over the bark of the tree.
Malini’s face held a mix of agony and fear. She approached him slowly. At the last second, she snatched her fingers back before Jacob could take them. Something in her features changed, the fear replaced with resolve.
“If this is true, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to try this, Jacob.”
“But why? Ever since I met you, you’ve said you hated Paris.”
“Don’t you see, Jacob? This isn’t normal. Is it even safe? How does it work? What will it do to me? What will it do to my soul? I know nothing about it. How can I trust myself with it? How can you? And what if we do make it there, how will we survive? What if something happened to me during the trip? How would my parents know?”
Jacob listened to her words and knew what she said was true. For a moment, he regretted not thinking about these things when he’d gone through with Dr. Silva. But the truth was he didn’t want to be careful with himself or his soul. She had more to lose than he did. All he had to lose was her.
It isn’t worth it without her, came the voice.
“Did you hear that?” Jacob asked Malini.
“What? There’s no one here but us.”
Take her. You’ll have to. She’ll never go on her own.
Jacob grabbed Malini’s wrist.
“What are you doing?” she gasped.
“It’s for the best, Malini. You’ll thank me once we get there.” He dragged her toward the tree. “I have to go and I need you to come with me.”
Malini dug her heels in the sand and pulled against his hand. Jacob squeezed tighter and reached toward the tree.
“No. NO! Stop it, Jake. Let me go. LET ME GO!” Her free hand beat against his arm.
“Just calm down. It will all work out. Just go along. It will be fine, Malini, you’ll see.” He succeeded in dragging her two more inches in the sand and touched the tree.
The bark climbed up his arm and he felt the familiar slowing. From this perspective, Malini’s struggle appeared in fast-forward. She was crying now, her eyes wide with terror, her hands and feet thrashing against him. He was hurting her. She struggled like he was killing her.
Jacob lost his nerve and pulled his hand away from the tree. He let go of her wrist and she fell to the sand, sobbing.
“Why did you do that?” he yelled. “Why can’t you trust me?”
“I told you, I don’t want to,” her voice cracked.
“Malini, you don’t understand. I have to. I need to go back. I need to find my mom.”
“I’m not going. Jacob, please don’t do this. At least walk me out. I can’t find my way out without you.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks. Jacob had no choice. She wouldn’t make it back on her own and if she refused to go, he couldn’t leave her here alone in the deadly garden.
He led her back to the gate in silence. The tension was a noose around his neck, growing tighter with every step. This wouldn’t be right, not for a long time. Once they were through the gate, Malini collapsed on the mound at the base of the orchard and let all of the air out of her lungs.
“Why did you try to force me?” she whimpered.
“I just wanted you with me when I go. I wouldn’t hurt you. It’s perfectly safe.”
“Safe! Jacob, that tree is not safe. Did you see the bark climb up your arm like it was going to eat you? Why would you believe it was safe?”
“I’ve done it before and I’m fine,” he said, touching his chest.
“You’ve done it before?” Malini held her stomach like she was trying to hold herself together. “This has something to do with your gift. You’ve been hiding it from me. All of those times I’ve asked you if you knew anything more…”
Jacob did not deny it.
“You lied to me.”
“It was more like I omitted the details.”
“Same thing, Jacob. I have always been there for you. I knew about this thing with you, with the water. How could you keep this from me and then try to force me to be part of it against my will?”
“I didn’t want to force you.”
“You didn’t? I told you, no.” Her face was red with anger and wet with tears. “You didn’t tell me ahead of time because you didn’t want to give me the option of saying no.”
“I’m sorry, Malini. It never occurred to me that you wouldn’t want to go.”
“No, I’m sorry. Because I don’t trust you anymore. I don’t want to be near you anymore. You’ve broken my heart, Jake. You are not the person I thought you were.”
“Malini, please, don’t cry.”
“Why shouldn’t I cry? I lost my best friend today.”
“You didn’t, okay. I won’t go. I won’t leave you.”
“You don’t get it, Jake. I’m leaving you. I never want to see you again.”
She buried her face in her hands and cried, shaking with the effort. Jacob reached for her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!” she screamed. “Just go away!”
He took a step back, stung by her words. He waited, standing in front of her as she cried into her hands, but she was serious. The crushing realization of what he’d done almost brought him to his knees. Why had he gone so far? Why had he hurt her?
Jacob thought about returning to the tree and going through on his own. But he’d promised he wouldn’t leave Malini. If he broke that promise, he would lose her forever. Maybe he already had. As long as he was near her, there was a possibility she would forgive him someday. But if he left, it was hopeless.
And for what? His mom wasn’t on Oahu. It was as good of a place as any to start looking for her, but was it any more home than here without her? Without Malini, would it be worth it?
“I’m sorry, Malini. I made a terrible mistake,” Jacob said.
Malini’s sobs were heart-wrenching.
Defeated, he checked to make sure the gate was locked and walked away without looking back at her. He would wait in his truck to drive her home, but for now she needed to be alone. The orchard seemed darker than before. A gray cloud gathered in the summer sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. A storm was coming and, by the looks of it, a bad one.
Chapter 34
Fired
“You worthless human. What did you do?” Dr. Silva spat in his face. She said the word human like it was something vile.
Jacob dangled from her grip. The fingers around his neck contracted like talons, crushing his windpipe and pinning him up against the house. He struggled with everything he had, but Dr. Silva’s arm was as unflinching as iron. Utter disgust twisted her expression and, as beautiful as he’d once thought she was, at this moment she was equally terrifying.
“Do you know what you’re dealing with? Do you understand the kind of evil you might have unleashed? Do you have any idea the cost of your stupidity?”
Jacob tried to speak but the crushing force on his neck stopped any air from coming through. She narrowed her eyes and threw him to the ground like he weighed nothing.
“Wha … what did I do?” he gasped, staying on all fours and rubbing his neck.
“You broke the rules. You went through the tree without me.” She paced in front of his crumpled form. “Just tell me one thing, how the hell did you make it back? It would have served you right to get stuck somewhere—painful.” She kicked him in the ribs as if to prove her point. The kick hurt but he knew she was holding back. His ribs weren’t broken.
“I … didn’t go through. I touched the tree but I stopped. I pulled my hand away.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to go home. I wanted to find my mom.”
“Not why did you want to go. Why did you pull your hand away?”
