Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (86 page)

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.”

Chapter 12. Blindness

J
acob put his foot on the plank and looked up to find the rope. It was level with his head, which would make things more difficult. It was at that height for a reason, of course. Sweet Pea and Akeno wouldn’t be able to reach it if it was higher.

His hands were still sore from using the machete. He should’ve taken the time to fix them with Kaede Sap. No chance to do that now.

Jacob walked slowly, looking back occasionally to check on the progress of those behind him. The emotions emanating from them were surprising. Everything from nervousness to fear to excitement and even slight boredom—that one was Aloren, of course. But no, Matt’s emotions showed some indifference too, along with his excitement. Why was he bored? Then Jacob smiled when he remembered all the rope courses his brother had completed over the past few years. He wasn’t really afraid of these sorts of things.

He felt a tug in the rope around his waist when he was at least fifteen feet across and turned to see that Gallus was just getting on the plank. Jacob took a deep breath. The entire group was on the board now. If they fell, no one would be able to save them.

He continued onward, trying not to think about that.

A moment later, everything went black. He gasped, pausing. It was the weirdest thing ever—as if someone had turned off the sun or the lights, with no action on his part, and no residual vision. He’d never been in such complete blackness.

Jacob shuffled forward, feeling with his feet, making sure he knew what was under him before stepping.

Akeno practically freaked out when he went through the trap, and Jacob instinctively looked back to see what was wrong. He nearly stumbled in surprise at what he saw. “I can still see your emotions!”

“That’s wonderful!” Gallus said.

“Yeah! I’ll check on you guys every few steps.”

“Good. You’re about twenty feet from the wall.”

Jacob nodded, knowing Gallus was watching. He counted the steps in his head, listening as the others went through the trap one at a time.

He’d nearly reached twenty when he felt a strong lurch in the rope tied around his waist, causing it to dig sharply into his stomach. His sword shifted, its weight knocking him off balance, and he lost his footing, holding onto the line above as tightly as he could while his legs swung out from under him. The board banged sharply against his shins, and his hands burned from the sudden friction. He slid backward down the line by what felt like a couple of feet, bumping into Akeno, who cried out.

Everyone yelled in shock, and the line bounced Jacob up and down. He scrambled back onto the board, wishing he could see what he was doing.

“Quiet!” Gallus said. “Who fell off the board first?”

“I did,” Sweet Pea said. “Lost my grip. I’m holding on to the board. I . . . I think I can pull myself up.”

Jacob heard grunting, and the rope dug into the skin of his waist, making him wince from the pain.

“Careful, Sweet Pea,” Gallus said. “I’ve got you.”

The rope slackened and Jacob faced away from the others, toward the wall again. He held tight to the line above. “You guys ready? Or do you want to take a break?”

“Keep going,” Gallus said. “The sooner we get off this board, the better.”

“That was really close,” a tiny voice said near Jacob’s ear, making him jump.

Jacob looked and saw a tiny spot of green—her emotion, representing happiness. “Early! Where have you been?”

“Watching and visiting Aldo—I would’ve come to help if you needed it.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Okay, well, how far from the wall am I?”

“Close. Very close.”

“Glad someone can see,” he mumbled.

Jacob scooted forward, feeling the board with every step, making sure not to put his foot down without being confident he wouldn’t fall off the side. How would they do stuff like this without the sensation of touch? Hopefully Early would take it upon herself to help.

Then his foot found nothing. He shuffled to the side and felt solid stone. Great! “I’ve reached the wall!”

“Wonderful!” Gallus said.

Jacob found the lamp post and clung to it for support with one hand while helping Akeno get off the board. The wall seemed to be at least three feet wide on top.

“Gallus, now what?”

“Um . . .”

Jacob frowned, hoping Gallus had thought this far in advance.

“I need you to climb past the pole, then drop to the ground in the middle of the archway. Aldo said the wall is about ten feet tall. Don’t go into the city and don’t exit—stay right in the middle of the archway. From what Aldo mentioned, we’ll have around six feet of area under the arch to work with.”

“Okay.”

“And I’ll help you!” Early said.

“Thanks, Early. You totally rock.”

He felt his way around the pole, then paused. “How am I going to drop to the ground without pulling all of you with me?”

Silence. Then, “Good point. Untie yourself. The rest of us will stay together and undo ourselves one at a time. When we join you, we’ll do up the knots again.”

Jacob untied the rope and continued with Early guiding him.

“Just a little farther. Just a little farther. Stop. You’ve reached the arch.”

Jacob sat on the part of the wall closest to where the stone rose, then twisted and lowered himself until he was hanging by just his hands.