The Pilgrims of Rayne

by D. J. MacHale

  Huh? Telleo saw the surprise all over my face.

  “You didn’t know?” Telleo asked playfully. “I thought you worked fast and had us all figured out.”

  “Guess not. Who’s your father?”

  “My full name is Telleo Genj. My father is the chief minister.”

  Oh man. The next sound we all heard was my jaw hitting the table.

  She continued, “I believe he will do what’s best for our village.”

  “Wow,” I gasped. My mind raced, trying to calculate what this new twist would mean.

  “I know the Jakills don’t trust the tribunal,” Telleo added. “Yet they defended them from the Flighters. They care about Rayne. They’re just…misguided. Once they grow up, they’ll appreciate how wonderful we have it here and will stop acting foolishly.”

  Things had just gotten seriously tricky. I guess they always were and I was just too dumb to realize it. Telleo was cool, but her father was the big cheese. According to Siry, he was the main guy who kept lying to the people. Telleo thought that was a good thing. Siry didn’t. Who was right? Don’t ask me, I was only passing through. Telleo seemed kind of, I don’t know, what’s the word? Naive, I guess. She wasn’t a dummy or anything, but she had blind faith in everything the authorities told her. She existed in a safe bubble that she didn’t want to risk bursting. Who could blame her? She lived in paradise.

  On the other hand, it looked like there was more to Ibara than this perfect little island. The village seemed like paradise, but I could see where some might consider it a prison. Making it more confusing, Remudi was on the tribunal, which meant a Traveler agreed with the whole keeping-the-past-a-secret thing. Bottom line? I had no idea who was right. But it wasn’t my job to pass judgment. I was there to figure out what Saint Dane was up to, not to interfere. Telleo didn’t seem to know about Siry’s plan to hijack a ship and leave the island. Fine. I wasn’t going to tell her.

  “I’d like to show you something,” Telleo said. “Would you come with me?”

  All I wanted to do was lie down and pass out, but how could I refuse? This girl helped save my life and was taking great care of me. I didn’t want to insult her, so I pulled myself to my aching feet, put on my best smile, and declared, “Sure!”

  Night had fallen on Rayne. The walkways had come alive with twinkling, golden lights that lined the pathways and sparkled from high in the trees. The effect was magical, like a tropical Christmas. Telleo led me along the path toward the center of the village. In the distance I heard the faint sounds of music.

  “Tonight is the beginning of the Ibaran holiday called the ‘Festival of Zelin,’” she explained. “It’s a time of feasting and fun. It’s a perfect time for you to be here. You can see the best of Rayne.”

  “What’s the holiday about?”

  “It’s all about being thankful for the wonderful island where we live. I think it’s just an excuse to have a party.”

  “Like Ibara Thanksgiving.”

  “Like what?”

  “Never mind.”

  The closer we got to the center of the village, the louder the music became. Telleo led me to the large thatched canopy where I had seen the musical performance earlier. The place was jammed with people watching a performance. On the raised, circular stage was a band playing loud, lively music that reminded me of the upbeat, fun Irish music from Second Earth. There was lots of percussion and tambourines pounding out the quick rhythm, while several flutes played a lively, fun tune. Telleo grabbed my hand and boldly led me through the crowd until we were nearly at the stage. I found myself in a sea of clapping, smiling people. Drinks were passed around for everyone to share. I was handed a cup and took a sip of what tasted like hyper-buzzed root beer. I wasn’t sure if it was alcohol or not, but it wasn’t up to me to refuse their hospitality.

  I saw familiar faces. I recognized the big security guy who had arrested me and the one who brought me to the tribunal. They didn’t look so intimidating now as they laughed and bounced to the music. I looked across the stage to see a small platform built up off the ground, where the three members of the tribunal sat. They weren’t rocking like the rest of the crowd, but looked like they were enjoying it just the same. The women clapped to the music while Genj tapped his foot.

  There wasn’t a single Jakill in the crowd. No big surprise. If they didn’t buy into the life here on Rayne, why would they come to party at the Ibara Thanksgiving?

  Me? I didn’t have any baggage so I was free to enjoy myself. I didn’t know if it was the excitement of the crowd, or the frothy drink they were passing around, or the music, but I suddenly felt all sorts of energy. The music was hard to resist. Telleo started dancing. She locked her arm in mine and soon we were spinning to the tune. I had no idea how to dance a traditional Ibaran dance. For that matter, I didn’t know any traditional dances on Second Earth, either. But I had rhythm. Pretty soon I was swinging around with Telleo and clapping my hands and locking arms with complete strangers and having a great old time.

  The festival was yet another example of how sweet life was in Rayne. The people lived in an idyllic, tropical world on the shores of a warm ocean. Everything they needed was right there for them. They had created a utopian society where everyone played a role in providing for the whole. As I danced among the festive people, I wondered if maybe Siry was wrong. What’s that old saying? Ignorance is bliss? The people may have been ignorant about the rest of Ibara, but they were definitely blissful. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Then I remembered the Flighters.

  And the people who mysteriously disappeared.

  And the outsiders, who were executed.

  And the secrets.

  I suddenly didn’t feel much like dancing. Telleo must have sensed my change in mood.

  “C’mon,” she said. “You look exhausted.”

  I was, in every sense of the word. She took my hand and weaved us back through the throng of revelers.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “You need to rest. I just wanted you to see a little about what life is like here.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  Sort of. As we walked back to the hut, I realized how torn I was. Rayne seemed like a pretty cool place. For many of the people, it was perfect. I wanted it to stay perfect for them. Would hijacking a ship to explore the rest of the territory insure that? Or mess it up?

  When we got back to the hut, Telleo gave me a warm hug. “Sleep well, Pendragon. I’ll bring you some food in the morning.”

  “Thank you. If there’s anything I can do for you…”

  “Maybe there is. Perhaps tomorrow you can tell me the truth about who you are. That is, if your amnesia isn’t still a problem.” She gave me a sly smile, as if to say she didn’t believe for a second that I had amnesia.

  “Good night,” I said.

  “Good night.”

  Telleo ran back along the path toward the mountain. I watched her until she disappeared into the palm trees and twinkle lights. I liked Telleo. She was smart and caring and didn’t have an ounce of cynicism in her. Maybe she was right. Maybe you shouldn’t mess with something that seemed so right. Unfortunately, that led me to another thought. A darker one. Messing with what seemed right was what Saint Dane lived for. Whatever the past of Ibara was, whatever the future had in store, I had no doubt that Saint Dane was going to try and bring it all down. It didn’t matter if I agreed with the tribunal or the Jakills, one thing was clear: I had to know what was out there.

  I dragged myself into the hut, kicked off my sandals and fell onto a cot, ready to sleep like the dead. I wasn’t horizontal for more than thirty seconds before dropping into oblivion.

  I can’t say how long I was out. Six hours? One hour? Two minutes? All I know was that one second I was closing my eyes, and the next second someone was gently shaking me awake. I wasn’t surprised, or scared. My body was too numb for that. My brain wasn’t far behind. I had enough trouble trying to focus on who it was that was disturbing my rest
.

  Looming over me in the dark was a figure. I didn’t jump up. I didn’t try to defend myself. If this person meant me harm, I’d already be dead. It suddenly hit me that these huts didn’t have locks. I didn’t move. All my energy went into focusing my thoughts.

  “Are you awake?” came a familiar voice.

  “Siry?” I croaked. “What the—”

  I tried to sit up, but he clamped a hand over my mouth and eased me back down.

  “Ready?” he whispered, and took his hand away.

  “For what?”

  “We’ve got an hour until dawn. It’s time to take our ship.”

  “Now?” I whispered loudly. “Tonight?”

  “You have other plans?” he asked.

  “I thought you wanted to wait until all the Jakills were healthy,” I stammered.

  I heard a squeaky voice from across the hut say, “You didn’t think a little bump on the head would slow us down, did ya?”

  I looked through my feet to see three more people in the room. The tall blond thief named Loque, the sniffy girl named Twig, and the little rat-eyed guy who now had a bandage around his head. Rat boy stepped forward and banged his bandaged head with the palm of his hand. “Pain keeps me alert.”

  Freak.

  “This was the plan all along, wasn’t it?” I asked, reality dawning. “You were always going to take the ship during the festival.”

  Siry shrugged. “The party is still going strong. It’s the perfect time.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t trust you,” Siry answered. “I still don’t. Prove me wrong.”

  The four Jakills looked down at me. They were ready to go.

  So was I.

  It was time to steal a ship.

  JOURNAL #30

  IBARA

  We traveled quickly through the predawn silence of Rayne. I could hear the sounds of the all-night party in the distance. Everyone was either still dancing, or asleep. Everyone but the Jakills, that is. And me. I had to shake off the grogginess while trying to keep up with these stealthy rebels as they moved quietly toward their target.

  I was having second thoughts. If we failed and were caught, I had no idea what punishment the tribunal would slam on the Jakills. For me it was different. I was an outsider. If outsiders were executed for being outsiders, I didn’t want to think about what they’d do to one for trying to hijack one of their cool new sailing ships. Had I made a mistake? Was this the best way to hunt down Saint Dane? I decided it was too late to worry about it.

  Everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going. Everybody but me. We moved silently along the shore and into the jungle. The narrow trail wasn’t much wider than my shoulders. Thick vegetation clawed at me from either side. If not for the light coming from the sky full of stars, it would have been impossible to see anything. As it was, the only way I could stop from running headlong into the jungle was to keep my eye on the silhouette of the Jakill in front of me.

  The trail led us around the rock outcropping where Siry and I had stood the day before to view the colorful fleet of ships. Instead of climbing, we stayed at sea level. After about twenty minutes of dashing through the dark jungle, the silhouette in front of me slowed to a walk. We were approaching the beach. As if on cue, everyone stopped and crouched down. The Jakill in front of me tugged on my shirt and silently motioned for me to move forward on my own. I crouched low and moved quickly to the front of the line.

  Waiting for me was Siry. He knelt on the edge of the jungle, scanning the rocky beach with an intensity I hadn’t seen in him before. The cocky rebel was gone. There was no fooling around here. He had his game face on. Or maybe he was just scared. Whatever. This was serious. Waves crashed against the volcanic stone, creating a steady white noise that would hide any sound we made.

  “We all know how to sail,” Siry said softly. “All we need to do is get on board and the ship will be ours.”

  “What’s the plan?” I asked.

  Siry motioned for me to follow him out onto the beach. He looked back quickly to the others and motioned for them to wait. He crept ahead, staying close to the edge of the jungle. I followed right behind. We got only a few yards when he stopped and pointed. I looked to see the first of the five long piers about a hundred yards farther up the shore. Tied along our side was a ship with its bow pointed out to sea. In the starlight it looked to be a light yellow color.

  “Each ship is guarded by five men,” Siry explained. “Three on the pier, two on board. There are sixteen of us, including you. Ten will get in the water and swim to the ship, using blowguns to stay low and breathe.”

  “Like snorkels.”

  “Like what?”

  “Never mind, keep going.”

  “The ten swimmers each have cords with hooks, to climb aboard. I’ll be with the second group onshore. As soon as I see the swimmers start to climb, we’ll move into position near the pier. When I’m sure the swimmers are on board, we’ll use the blowguns to knock out the guards on the pier and board the ship. From there we know how to get under way. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “What do I have to worry about?”

  “You’ll be one of the ten swimmers,” he explained. “You can swim, right?”

  “What if I said no?”

  “We’d leave you here.”

  “I can swim.”

  “Once you get on the ship, your job is to take out the two guards on board.”

  “Take out?”

  “It was the weakest part of our plan,” Siry explained. “The blowgun darts won’t work after they get wet. The only way to get past those guards is to fight them. None of us would be able to handle one of those guards, let alone two. But you—”

  Ahhh, now I knew where this was going. They looked at me like some kind of fighting-commando-dude. I didn’t.

  “I’m no different from you guys,” I said quickly.

  Siry shot me an incredulous look that said, “Give me a break.”

  “What would you do if I wasn’t here?” I asked.

  “You are here,” Siry said. “You said you wanted to help? This is it. I don’t know where you came from or why you’re really here, but maybe this is the way it was meant to be.”

  I shot Siry a look. “Where did you hear that?”

  He shrugged. “It’s something my father always said.”

  How could I argue with that? Though I didn’t like being thought of as some kind of professional “muscle.” Loor gave me training and tools to defend myself, not to go around “taking out” people. That couldn’t be the way it was meant to be. Could it?

  Siry continued, “We’ve got to be quick and quiet. If the other guards hear trouble, they’ll come running and people will get hurt.”

  “We don’t want that,” I said.

  “We really don’t want that,” Siry echoed. “They’ll think we’re Flighters.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “They’ll kill us.”

  Oh.

  “Understand?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  He motioned for the others to come forward, then reached into a cloth sack he had strapped to his back. He pulled out one of those short blowgun weapons and a small coil of rope that had a three-pronged hook tied to one end. He held them both out and gave me a dark look. “Don’t cross us, Pendragon.”

  I took them. “Don’t worry.”

  The other Jakills had reached us. They sat crouched along the edge of the jungle. Siry faced them and whispered, “Once we start, there’s no going back. We’ll be criminals. We may never be able to return to Rayne. If anyone has second thoughts, this is your last chance.”

  Nobody spoke. Siry smiled.

  “There’s a huge world out there. It’s ours to explore.”

  Everyone exchanged excited looks. They were ready.

  “Be careful,” Siry added. “Be smart. Let’s go.”

  There was no cheering, obviously. The Jakills mov
ed quickly and quietly forward, creeping along the edge of the jungle toward the pier. I felt a tug on my arm and saw the blond thief, Loque.

  “You’re with me,” he said, and kept moving.

  I gave Siry a quick look. He nodded. I followed Loque. When we got halfway to the pier, Loque motioned toward the water. Instantly he and eight more Jakills split off from the main group. They got on their bellies and crab-walked toward the ocean. I went belly down and followed. The distance from the edge of the jungle to the ocean was about forty yards over rock. I was feeling pretty good. Physically, I mean. The bee stings weren’t bothering me anymore, and my strength was back. It’s amazing what a little food and sleep will do. It also helped that I was bursting with adrenaline. We got close to the water and dropped down behind low rocks a few yards from the crashing surf. We looked to the ship. There was no movement. No alarm had sounded. So far so good.

  “Now what?” I asked Loque.

  “Now we swim” was his answer. “Time the waves. Get in quick and move out beyond the break.”

  Yeah, no kidding. The waves weren’t huge, but they were breaking directly on the rocky shore. If we didn’t time this right, we’d get thrown right back onto the rocks. Getting bashed would end the mission very quickly. Everyone had their wooden weapons gripped between their teeth and their cords wrapped around their waists. I did the same. They had practiced this. I wished I’d been to a few of those practices. Loque crept closer to the water, scanning the surf. A big set was coming in. Three waves bashed the shore, one after the other.

  “Now!” he called out in a strained whisper.

  We all ran the last few yards across the rocks and dove into the water. I did a fast crawl to get past the break before the next set came in. It was a jumble of thrashing arms and kicking legs. A couple times I got rapped in the head, but it wasn’t the time to stop and complain. A few seconds later we were all floating beyond the break.

  With no further instruction, everyone started doing an easy breaststroke toward the ship. We made very little sound. It was more about silence than speed. The breaststroke might not be fast, but it’s quiet. As we slowly approached the ship, I wondered how I had gotten involved with this crazy commando mission. Here I was with a bunch of kids who weren’t even as old as I was, and who were going to hijack a ship and head off across the sea in search of something they weren’t even sure existed. We were about to become outlaws and traitors. Was I nuts? The only thing I could hang on to was that Siry was a Traveler, whether he liked it or not. Whatever was going to play out on Ibara, Siry would have to be part of it. I had to believe that his passion for learning the truth about their history was justified. I just wished we didn’t have to go on such an extreme adventure to get there.