Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (84 page)

“This is insane!” Matt said. “There’s no way. We can’t possibly fight a dinosaur without any of our senses!”

Gallus nodded. “I agree. How are we to defeat a creature that large and dangerous without being able to protect ourselves?”

“Well, you won’t be completely alone,” Aldo said. “I’ll camp out here and keep an eye on you with my telescope while you’re traveling. I’ll pay special attention to you once you’re inside the fortress walls. Early will deliver frequent messages to me, and I’ll tell her how to help you. September, Kenji’s Minya, has agreed to be with me for the duration of your trip. He’ll take frequent updates to the village and your families.” He paused—his forehead creased—obviously thinking. “Oh, and also, Early will be able to increase Jacob and Akeno’s magical abilities.”

Jacob looked out at the valley. “And she could help us run faster.”

“Exactly.” Aldo said. “She’ll help you, even when you don’t know what’s happening, and your abilities will be hugely beneficial to the entire group. Akeno will be able to sense where the creature is, and Jacob, you can see emotions. You should be able to see the Cerpire’s.”

“But sometimes I can’t see them when they’re coming from animals.”

“Could you see the Eetu’s?”

Jacob nodded.

“Then it will work out. The Cerpire is as intelligent as an Eetu fish—”

Aloren gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“—but not as advanced. It has magic, but can only use it to benefit others. Like to give power to other, dangerous creatures. And remember, Cerpires, like Eetu fish, go for the obvious, easy kill. When Kelson and his group were there, the Cerpire didn’t sneak around, but jumped out right in front of them. Also, its size is against it—they’re not fast.” Aldo put his hands behind his back. “You’ll be fine. You’ve got things Kelson didn’t have. And don’t forget your abilities—
all
of them.”

“I hate to be a downer,” Matt said, “but this is a death trap, regardless of our abilities. The chances of survival are zero, and I don’t know about any of you, but I want to live. I just found out I have a sister.
Another
sister. I want to keep getting to know her before we die.”

Aloren nodded, sending a grateful expression to Matt.

Aldo put his hand on Matt’s shoulder, looking concerned. “What other choice do we have? The Lorkon will win unless we release the Shiengols. Without the training they’ll provide Jacob, we can’t do anything.”

“What if we don’t care about the Lorkon?” Matt asked. “I’m sorry—I don’t want to offend anyone, but what if Jacob and I go back home and forget about all this? Aloren, you come too. Don’t get me wrong, Aldo—I’m usually up for a challenge, and I think you all know that. But this isn’t a challenge, it’s suicide.”

“We’d allow you to do that, if that’s what you choose. Not having grown up here, you’re not emotionally attached to this world, not really. But what about Earth? As soon as the Lorkon realize Jacob can Time-See, they’ll be doubling their efforts to get their hands on him. They want him! They want the other key—the Key of Ayunli. And I promise you, they will succeed. They’ll find Jacob, enslave him, and eventually destroy your world as they are trying to do here.”

Matt’s shoulders slumped, and Jacob felt bad for him. Heck, he felt bad for himself. They were basically sacrificing themselves for every living person on both planets. Jacob looked at the others in the group. Aldo was the only one who appeared positive.

He shook his head, realizing he had to say something. They couldn’t leave the next day feeling like this about their expedition. He took a deep breath.

“All right, everyone. We know what we’re up against—at least partially. And it isn’t going to be easy, but Aldo is right. It has to be done. Think about it this way—even if something terrible happens, even if we die, we did it trying. Sacrificing ourselves for innocent people, and that’s not so bad, is it?” He paused, staring at the fortress. “Noble. It’s a noble thing to do. I know I’ve got royal blood—I’m a prince. But in my eyes, you’re all nobility. You’ve proven yourselves over and over again. You’re loyal, hard-working, charitable people. I’m not saying Kelson wasn’t, but Aldo is right—there are a lot of things we have that Kelson didn’t. We
will
succeed.”

Jacob looked each person in the eye until they nodded. Gallus held his gaze the longest—finally, the black man inclined his head.

Aldo smiled affectionately at Jacob. “Yes, you will succeed. And you won’t be as alone as you think you are now. Kelson didn’t have a Minya—you do. Possibly two, if Aloren brings Hazel. They aren’t affected by Lorkon magic.” He pointed back over the landscape. “After you’ve defeated the Cerpire, you’ll head to the fortress. Your senses will return once you get there. Then Jacob will find a way in while the rest of you set up a door for your escape.”

Aldo motioned for everyone to follow him, and they headed back. They were quiet the entire way. And no wonder, considering what lay ahead of them.

Jacob returned everyone to their homes, experiencing feelings of dread and despair, but also determination. He believed what he’d said earlier—they
could
do this. He just wasn’t sure they would succeed on their first try.

He had strange dreams that night of blind dinosaurs trying to sell him reca flowers. When he finally woke the next morning, he had a headache and sore joints from tossing and turning. He took his time showering and dressing, then finally headed downstairs to see if he could help Mom.

She was making gravy while Dad carved the turkey, separating the white and dark meats onto two platters. Neither looked up when he entered, and they didn’t respond when he asked if they wanted help. He sat on a barstool and watched instead.

Mom kept her back to him, busy at the stove. Jacob frowned when he heard sniffling noises coming from her direction.

“Mom? You okay?”

She didn’t answer, but after a moment, she came over and hugged him. He patted her arm, not sure what to say. Then she pulled away, clearing her throat.

“You’ll be fine, Jacob. I can feel it.”

“I hope so.” He kicked himself mentally. He was supposed to be uplifting and encouraging his mom, and here he wanted comfort from her, when she was clearly suffering. She might be losing two of her children over the next few days, not to mention some very close friends.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let go. He felt like a little boy again, running to his mom after falling off his bike.

Dad came over and hugged them both. Jacob enjoyed the feel of having his parents close. It didn’t happen a lot, since they were all so busy. Matt came downstairs, looking for Jacob, and Mom pulled him into the embrace too.

She finally extracted herself, sniffling and laughing. “We’re all such babies!”

“With good reason, honey,” Dad said. He put his arm around her and she snuggled up to him.

Thanksgiving dinner was much more relaxed than Jacob had thought it would be, considering the trip he and Matt would be taking soon. Matt and Amberly teased and joked with each other, and Jacob found himself following their conversation closely, enjoying it more than he normally would.

Mom beamed at her kids. “I have one thing to say.” Everyone looked at her. “I’m so very proud of our family—of our children. Jacob and Matt, you are growing into fine young men, and Amberly, you’re a sweetheart—an example to all of us.”

The color flowing around her face was a very light blue-green, the one for peace, and Jacob felt his mood shift to match hers. She knew the danger of the next few days, but she chose not to dwell on it, instead focusing on the love their family shared.

“Yeah, Mom, we love you and Dad too,” Matt said. “Even though you never told us you were a king and a queen.”

“And I’m a princess!” Amberly said, her face rosy.

She’d always said it—since she could talk. Jacob half smiled. She’d been right.

Jacob wished he could rewind the day and spend time with his family over and over again. That wasn’t possible, though, and he and Matt got their things together before meeting in Jacob’s room.

“Matt, I’m so glad you’re coming. I . . .”

Matt laughed, clapping Jacob on the shoulder. “Yeah, man, I know. You’d all die if I stayed home.”

Jacob snorted, deciding not to disagree. Even though it
obviously
wasn’t true.

They walked downstairs together, giving Dad, Mom, and Amberly goodbye hugs. Mom made them promise to send a Minya back with messages as often as they were able.

After Jacob could no longer stand Amberly’s pleas for them to stay, or Mom’s tears, he opened the connection between his home and Macaria.

Dad poked his head through the door, calling to Gallus and offering last-minute advice. “Use the Minyas! Don’t touch the ground near the Argots!”

Gallus laughed. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ve got things covered.”

After one last goodbye, Jacob shut the door to his home and Keyed himself, Gallus, and Matt to Taga Village, where Aloren and Sweet Pea waited.

Chapter 11. Argots

G
allus 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?”