Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (83 page)

Aloren frowned, but Jacob could see his brother’s point.

“Anyway,” Gallus said, “the more support we show the Wurbies, the more support we’ll receive. Go ahead.”

He and Sweet Pea stayed behind while Jacob, Aloren, Akeno, and Matt rushed to catch up with Fubble. He waited near some stone ruins.

Jacob followed Fubble as he dashed under a half-crumbling arch, then stopped on a snow-packed road. Fubble motioned to the village around him, pride on his face, and Jacob’s eyes nearly popped out as he took in everything that surrounded them.

The buildings were . . .
different
. That was the first word that entered Jacob’s mind. Their construction was incredibly haphazard—nearly every kind of material he knew had been used. Stone, brick, wood, branches, rugs, tile, dirt, even plastic. How did they get plastic?

Everything was thrown together without an apparent plan, and many of the buildings had multiple items holding them in one piece. Jacob laughed when he realized what must’ve happened—the Wurbies probably changed design a hundred times while working on the same project. It looked like they did the best they could, but he guessed their hands were like Dust hands—adapting to situations without the owner’s permission, and thereby shifting the focus.

The result was a visually pleasing, though somewhat disorienting, village. Jacob wished he had his camera—he’d have to come back and take a picture sometime. He could stand there for hours, just looking at it all. One building was brick on one side, rope and branches in the middle, and what looked like a slippery slide on the other side. The brick was red and the slide bright blue. Another house looked like it had been built completely of leaves and banana peels.

Jacob jumped with fright when a Wurby rushed out to meet him, hands shaped like a spoon and a fork. He relaxed when he realized it must’ve been eating.

The next Wurby’s hands were normal, but the third’s were stuck in the hair of another Wurby . . . Jacob couldn’t figure out why. Their faces were flushed. Some touched their mouths, lowering their eyes when he looked at him. Then they bowed.

Fubble started forward again, and the other Wurbies fell into line behind the humans and Makalo.

Finally, Fubble stopped in front of an edifice that had been created out of old statues, some tarp, and carpet. The tarp looked suspiciously like something from Walmart, but Jacob didn’t ask.

A female Wurby came out the door, one hand forming a blanket which was wrapped around a baby, the other tucked somewhere inside the cloth folds.

“My woman Wurby!” Fubble said, gesturing to her. “Her name are Tast!”

Tast bowed low. “Highness.”

Jacob nodded at her, not sure what else to do. “And the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Boy!” Fubble said, jumping up and down with excitement. “He are Pug!”

“Like the dog,” Matt whispered to Jacob.

Jacob waved his brother off, wondering what he needed to do to show his respect and desire to “seal the deal.” “Can I hold him?” he asked, reaching for Pug.

Fubble looked like his most favorite dreams were about to come true. “Oh, yes!” He motioned to Tast, and she handed the baby over. Jacob’s face flushed when he saw that one of her hands formed the baby’s diaper. His stomach flopped when he realized how much easier it would be to change the baby—she just had to wash her hand when the diaper was full. Disgusting.

Jacob gawked down at the ugliest baby he’d ever seen. Weathered-looking skin that was wrinkly and slightly browned; large, hairy ears; a nose similar to a pig’s. It did have one redeeming quality, though—eyes that were the biggest and bluest he’d ever seen, lined by dark, long eyelashes.

Pug returned his stare, sucking a thumb that had swollen slightly to fit his mouth. Jacob almost gagged at the sight of the large thumb, but smiled instead, handing the baby back to Tast. “He’s a nice little baby.”

“He are!” Fubble said, an expression of love on his face as he watched Tast and Pug go back into the home. He turned to Jacob, an expectant expression on his face. “You want something? Highness? What want?”

Jacob stammered when he realized this was the most important part of his visit to the village. “We . . . uh . . .” How was he supposed to sound official? He decided that being straight-forward was the best route. “Fubble the Wurby, we’d like your assistance in a war. Would you recruit Wurbies to help us?”

All joviality left Fubble’s face. “Sir, yes. We will.” He bowed low, swinging his arms to the side.

“Thank you. We . . . I look forward to our future communications.”

Fubble grinned, nodding his head emphatically. Then he lightly pushed Jacob. “You are go to home now!”

Jacob blinked. That was abrupt.

Fubble smoothed the front of his brown button-up shirt. “You are
go
to
home
now.
Now
.”

“Whoa,” Matt said. “Not one to beat around the bush, is he?”

Jacob opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Guess not.” He shook Fubble’s hand and said goodbye, then led the others away.

The Wurbies followed them to the city wall, cheering. Jacob glanced over his shoulder and waved back as he and the rest of the group trudged away through the snow.

After a few minutes, they caught up with Gallus and Sweet Pea, who were waiting near a door. The black man smiled at Jacob, and Jacob assumed it was because of the expression on his face, which was probably a mixture of shock, confusion, and surprise.

“So . . . what did you think?”

Jacob shook his head in disbelief. “That was interesting.”

Gallus nodded crisply. “Yup. But they’ll be a huge help in the upcoming months, possibly years.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “How? You saw their city. It’s awesome, but shows they lack concentration. They have almost no control over what their hands do, and they’re practically incoherent.”

Gallus glowered at Jacob. “Your Highness, you’ve got a lot to learn. A creature may not appear to be useful, but that doesn’t mean you turn them down when they’re excited and willing to be of assistance. Even the littlest, most
incoherent
creature can turn the tide against the Lorkon.”

Jacob looked at his feet, feeling smaller at that moment then he’d remembered ever feeling before. He wanted to disappear. “You’re right. Sorry.”

Gallus clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll teach you to be a leader yet.”

“Can we go home now?” Matt asked. “I’m absolutely starving. Not to mention freezing.”

Gallus nodded. “Yes, we’re done.”

Jacob Keyed Gallus back to his shop, where the black man’s family was really happy to see him. He then took Aloren and the two Makalos to Taga, dropping them off at the tree, then he and Matt returned home. Jacob went straight to his room and shut the door, wanting some time alone.

Gallus was right. He had a lot to learn.

Chapter 10. Aldo’s Advice

D
ad called a meeting with everyone a few hours after the Wurby recruitment group returned. He started it off by having Gallus and Jacob report separately. He then changed the topic, a serious expression crossing his face.

“We need to get the Shiengols out of August Fortress. Those who will be going are Jacob, Matt, Gallus, Aloren, Akeno, and Sweet Pea.”

“Already?” Mom asked. “But they just got back!”

Dad nodded. “This is the best time to go. It’s Thanksgiving weekend, which means the kids won’t be missed in school.” He ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “Now then. Before we get into logistics, I need you all to understand something. Your safety is more important than getting the Shiengols. They’ve been there for several years—a few more weeks won’t make a difference. So, if anything happens, Jacob will Key everyone home.”

Jacob nodded. Hopefully that wouldn’t be necessary.

“Your next priority is to ensure that Jacob gets to the fortress. I’ve got a feeling he’ll be the only one able to open it up—he’s gotten through other traps set by the Lorkon. Guard him, then help him in.”

He looked Jacob squarely in the eye. “There’s something you need to know about Shiengols. They’re dangerous, and they have varied and hard-to-predict emotions. They’ll be rude one minute, then nice the next. Just expect it.”

Kenji laughed. “I remember my first encounter with a Shiengol. He slapped me when I asked his name.”

Dad chuckled. “Yes—didn’t he say it was none of your business?”

“That was his excuse. Who knows the actual reason.”

Dad turned back to Jacob. “Just be polite and you should be fine.”

Jacob bit the inside of his cheek. “And don’t ask them what their names are, right?”

“Right.” Dad leaned back. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. We’ll eat dinner around eleven in the morning. I’ll send Jacob and Matt to Taga Village at one.”

Everyone stood to go, but Dad put his hand up. “One last thing.” He motioned to Aldo. “Will you take everyone to your lookout point and show them what they’ll be up against?”

“This way,” Aldo said, gesturing to the left of the door they had all just come through. The door overlooked August Fortress and the valley, and was one of the ones the scouting group had placed right after exiting the infected forest. “It’s a bit of a walk, but nothing you can’t handle.”

Aldo led the group along the top of the hill. They were careful to stay away from the branches of the infected forest and were mostly successful. After walking for twenty minutes, he took them around some dense bushes near the edge of a sharp drop-off, then hiked up when the hill rose steeply in front of them. After nearly ten minutes, he had them stop. They’d reached the pinnacle of the hill.

Aldo then pointed out where their sense of sight would be taken away, also showing them the location of the Argots. He continued, pointing at the walls of the fortress. “You’ll lose your next sensation there—feeling.”

Gallus stepped up between Jacob and Aldo. “We plan to bring a potted plant. Akeno will use it to see living creatures, since that ability doesn’t have anything to do with physical senses.”

Aldo nodded. “Good. Once you enter the township, you’ll need to remember the following: walk thirty paces. Turn right. Walk seven. Right. Walk fifteen. Left. Walk twenty-seven. Left. Walk one hundred and thirty.”

A roar echoed through the valley, originating from somewhere near the fortress. Jacob looked out, but didn’t see where exactly it had come from. He gnawed on his lip and turned back to Aldo. “Uh . . . could you repeat that?”

“Yes,” Aldo said, and he gave them the numbers again. “And I’ll write it down for you, too. These are according to my footsteps.”

Matt frowned. “Why’d you memorize them?”

“I figured the Lorkon would do something to prevent people from entering the area, and I wanted to know how to get to the fortress from the entrance, just in case.”

“Impressive,” Sweet Pea said. “I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

Aldo squared his shoulders. “It’s what I’m paid to do.” He turned to Jacob. “I’ll expect a bag of cash from your father as soon as possible.” The twinkle in his eye let Jacob know he was kidding, and they chuckled together.

Aldo then compared the length of his stride to the others, finding that Jacob and Matt were the closest. Jacob sighed—he should’ve seen that coming. Gallus was too tall, and Aloren and the Makalos were too short. Because of Jacob’s abilities, Aldo and Gallus decided he would take the lead. But that just meant Jacob would be in the most danger. As he’d thought earlier, he should’ve seen that coming.

Aldo put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Remember to walk naturally. Don’t run, don’t make your steps bigger than usual, and you’ll be fine.”

“What if we get chased?”

“You won’t be—not while you’ve still got your hearing. After your hearing leaves, you’ll be dealing with something else entirely.” He looked back at the city. “And I hoped we’d see it from here. We might not.”

“What is it?”

“A Cerpire. Similar to a dinosaur.”

Matt raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding.”

Aloren looked confused. “What’s a dinosaur?”

Matt cleared his throat, putting on a comical, professor expression. “Prehistoric creatures, which have been extinct for thousands of years and roamed the lands of my world until they were destroyed by a meteor or something.”

“Most of them were dangerous,” Akeno said.

Jacob looked at Aldo. “How on earth did the Lorkon get one here? And how will we know where it is if we can’t hear, see, or smell it?”

Aldo folded his arms, grimacing at the fortress. “Cabins eat breakfast foods on Wednesdays,” he started. “Oh, excuse me.” He took a deep breath. “I would assume they brought the creature here from another world. And you’ll have to count on other senses—yours and Akeno’s, to be exact.”

Another roar echoed across the valley, and recognition showed on Aldo’s weathered face. “He’s still there.”

Matt held up his hands. “Wait. That sound was it?”

Aldo motioned to the forest. “Maybe he’ll show himself.”

The group waited, but nothing happened.

Aldo sighed. “Either way, I’d better describe him to you. He’s about as tall as a Sindon—maybe taller, with a large tail. Walks on two feet and has long arms lined with spikes. He might be hungry. It’s possibly been quite some time since he last ate.”