“Explosion? Something blew up?” Jaden rasped.
“It’s the best way to describe that massive amount of light and sound that happened right before the gate disappeared.”
Jaden appeared confused. “The gate? What gate?”
“You know, the huge hole in the sky that all the Gaptors were coming through,” Atu coaxed. Kayla quirked an eyebrow at him. “What? Jaden’s taking forever to get it together!”
Kayla eyed Atu. It wasn’t at all like him to act like this. “What’s eating you?”
“Nothing.” Atu turned away, looking like he wanted to kick something.
“So that’s what he meant,” Jaden murmured.
Everyone’s attention turned back to Jaden.
“That’s what who meant?” Kayla asked. “And about what?”
Jaden’s smile was crooked. Not the open, friendly, amazing smile Kayla was used to. Was that guilt? “Uh, there’s something I probably should have told you earlier.”
“Another thing?” Kayla groaned. “This is getting to be a habit with you.”
Jaden hunched his shoulders. “I know, right?”
“Out with it,” Taz ordered.
“Remember when we were at the tower?” They nodded. “I thought I saw the Usurper just before we left.”
“He was there?” Taz exclaimed, glaring at Han.
“I didn’t see him,” Han contested. “Jaden said he saw him when he leaped from the tower, but I was looking at that exact spot so I wouldn’t miss catching Jaden, and I certainly didn’t see the Usurper!”
Jaden nodded. “Han’s telling the truth. When I told him I’d seen Slurpy, and that he’d spoken to me, Han told me I was imagining things, so I dismissed it as the after-effects of using the arcachoa. But now, I’m not so sure.”
“That’s why you didn’t tell us then?” Kayla asked. “Because you didn’t think it was real?” Jaden nodded. “So what’s changed?”
“When I jumped out the tower, Slurpy—”
“Please, stop calling him that.” Taz shuddered.
Jaden raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as he continued. “Well, he called me ‘Gatekeeper.’”
“That troubles you?” Iri asked. Kayla glanced at her, wondering what she saw or smelled on Jaden.
“Yeah,” Jaden admitted. “I didn’t know what he meant. But just now when Han said the opening was called a gate, and then Taz pointed out we didn’t know who closed the gate—well, it’s not a stretch to think perhaps he called me that because I can close the gate to the other world.”
Taz bounced her head excitedly. “That’s logical. It would explain why the gate closed when you came into contact with it, and why you weren’t cut in half like all the others caught in the opening.”
Jaden sighed. “Well, even if that’s the truth of it, the problem is that I don’t remember how I did it. I don’t even remember touching the gate.”
“Dude, you have super powers,” Markov breathed, reminding them all that he was there.
Kayla studied Markov from under her lashes. Little did he know Jaden wasn’t the only one with powers. Atu could heal, Iri could see and smell emotions, and Sven could create weapons no one even dreamed of. But what was her ability? Was it only to interpret languages?
“Kayla?” Jaden’s voice filtered through.
“Sorry, what? I missed that last part.”
“I wanted to know whether you had noticed anything strange today,” Jaden repeated.
Kayla frowned. How much of the conversation had she missed? What were they on about now?
“Are you okay?” Jaden asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
His worried face encouraged Kayla to concentrate on his questions. “Yes, I’m fine. And, yes, now that you mention it, I guess this was strange. Just before Taz and I left my home, my mom came out onto the roof and asked if Taz or I wanted something to ear.”
Jaden chuckled. “She asked if you wanted something to eat?”
Kayla slapped his arm. “Yes, what’s so funny about that?”
“It’s just such a bizarre question. I mean, why would . . . Oh!”
“Oh? What’s that ‘oh’ mean?” Kayla tensed.
“Such a mundane question might mean she had seen you out there for a while before she thought to come upstairs and offer food,” Jaden explained.
“Huh, I hadn’t thought of that. I just thought it was odd that she was up there and talking to us like we weren’t invisible. Which we weren’t!” Kayla shouted.
Jaden wasn’t the only one who jumped.
Kayla grinned. “My mom normally needs to be wearing the relic stone to see Taz. How is it that she could see Taz without it today?”
“And how was it I could see those monsters earlier?” Markov added. “Or that those people out on the streets knew they were under attack? Or that I can see all your gliders now?”
Jaden snapped his fingers. “That’s what changed!” He noticed their bewildered faces. “Remember how I told you I had a bad feeling when I left the alternate timeline? Well, I think that when I gave my mother the relic stone, it made Gaptors and gliders visible to everyone again. That also means it’s possible the time freeze effect doesn’t work when they’re around anymore.”
Stunned silence followed Jaden’s revelation. Kayla shivered. Such a small thing Jaden had done. And yet it had such far-reaching ramifications. They really didn’t know what they were doing. Worse, when they left on their travels now, her parents would know she was gone and for how long.
Jaden’s hand slid into hers. “What’s troubling you?”
“We won’t be able to keep my parents oblivious to our travels now—or the perils we’re facing.” Jaden’s hand tightened around hers. Kayla was thankful for the warmth and the comfort his touch always brought.
“I’m sorry,” Jaden murmured.
Kayla nodded. It wasn’t his fault, not really. He hadn’t known it would happen. “Just promise me that next time you have one of your crazy ideas or those feelings of yours, you’ll tell us, and we can really thrash out the options before you go haring off and doing your own thing again?”
Jaden gave a grim smile. “You’ve got it.”
“I hate to interrupt, but what are we going to do now that we know all of this?” Markov asked.
He wasn’t the only one looking to Jaden for an answer. Poor guy! Leadership wasn’t getting any easier. Jaden’s face showed the strain. Although, to his credit, he didn’t snap at anyone. “From the Gaptors’ behavior today, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say war is imminent. An incident like this won’t stay under the radar. And when more people start seeing Gaptors, there’s going to be panic. The military will get involved, if they aren’t already. I guess that’s when we’ll find out whether our conventional weapons will kill those monsters. With luck, they will, and we’ll be able to go on with our mission without worrying about those abominable creatures anymore.”
“And if they don’t?” Markov asked.
Jaden looked him square in the eye. “That’s the more likely scenario. And if that happens, then it’ll be up to us to fight them.”
“What are you saying, bro?” Markov asked.
“Exactly what you think.”
“Which is what?” Atu asked, looking from one to the other. “You two may know what you’re agreeing on, but the rest of us sure as little eggs do not!”
That’s the second time today that he’s lost it. Something was definitely going on. Was Atu wishing he could’ve helped his parents the same way Jaden had? Or was it something else? She would speak to him as soon as Jaden had laid out his plans.
The long stare Jaden gave Atu before answering indicated Jaden also noticed Atu’s strange behavior. “We have to build an army. We have to train more people on the gliders. Pallaton’s been preparing the gliders for centuries, so I don’t think they’ll need much training. But they will need people to fly with them. And we’ll need a boatload of DDs. I hope Sven’s up to the task.”
&n
bsp; “Who’s Sven?” Markov asked.
“Our friend, fellow seeker, and armorer.” Jaden grinned. “Do you know he invented pulse weapons?”
Markov looked incredulous. “No way!”
“Yes way! He’s phenomenal! He crafted these babies for us.” Jaden drew his DD from its sheath, slipped the safety off, and set the bright blade slithering free. “Sven’s been working on something that’ll pack a bigger punch. Let’s hope he’s ready for mass producing those too.”
“You mean a cannon?” Markov looked way too excited. Boys and their toys.
Although Kayla had to admit she loved her own weapon. And the smart suit. She shouldn’t be a hypocrite. “Alright, boys, I know the weapons are thrilling, but you’re getting sidetracked. Jaden, what’s the plan for now?”
“Simple. We call the rest of the group and see who’s interested in joining this grassroots resistance. Then we summon Pallaton and the Legion and send them with whoever wants to fight to Sven’s for training. I know Sven has more smart suits, but I don’t know how many. Hopefully enough that people can train in rotations. But that’s his problem to figure out—one I’m sure he’ll probably excel at.”
“When you say the ‘rest of the group,’ you mean Stovan and the crew?” Markov asked.
“I do. I know our group. I know I can trust you guys.” He put a hand on Markov’s shoulder. “And I’m going to ask you to lead the group that I’m sending to Sven’s. What do you say?”
Markov blinked. “Dude, you know I’m clueless about any of this. I don’t know that I’m the best person.”
Jaden smiled. “I didn’t know anything about all of this a few months back either. You’re not in a unique position. The difference here is that I need someone I can trust to lead this group. And you’re it.”
Markov shrugged. “In that case, I accept.”
“Excellent.” Jaden grinned. They exchanged one of their complicated handshakes. Then Markov did the same with Atu. When had that happened?
“It’s time to fill the others in,” Jaden said. “I’ll ping the crew. Can we meet here?”
“Sure. When?” Markov asked.
“It will have to be soon. Before news of this gets out. Maybe in an hour or so?”
“Yeah, that works. Better that we do it earlier anyway. I think Bree and Stovan are working this afternoon, and Shianna’s scheduled for one of her wildlife exhibits tonight. Man, can you imagine what she’s going to be like with the Gaptors and gliders?”
Jaden laughed. “That’s going to be interesting. I’ll have to warn the gliders beforehand. What about Tarise?”
Markov scratched his head. “Not sure. She’s been a little off-grid lately.”
Why had Jaden tensed when Markov answered? Had something happened with Tarise? Ugh, why do I have so many questions today! It’s aggravating! Eager to act and not be standing around thinking of more questions, Kayla said, “Should Atu summon Pallaton?”
Jaden shook his head. “Not yet. I’d like to speak to the group first and see who’s interested in going. Once we know that, we can call Pallaton. We’ll have to get more voyagers too—or whatever they’re called if they fly with gliders but aren’t seekers. Perhaps Pallaton will have some ideas on how to recruit more people. Once Pallaton gathers that force, whether he gets them here or along the way or gets Sven’s help enlisting them, he and Sven can start training them.”
“What if there are more people who want to fight than there are gliders?” Iri asked.
“Zareh could perhaps send more gliders through. But there’s no point in worrying about problems that haven’t presented themselves yet. Let’s cross one bridge at a time. The first would be letting our group know what’s going on.”
“Actually,” Kayla said, “there’s something else we should do first.”
Jaden’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
Kayla turned and focused on Atu. “We need to deal with whatever’s bothering Atu.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Atu squirmed. “Nothing’s bothering me.”
Kayla placed a hand on his arm. “That’s not true. Are you worried about your parents?”
Atu scowled and moved away. “Of course I am.”
“But that’s not the issue, is it?” Iri pressed.
Kayla could’ve hugged the girl. Iri’s senses corroborated that something was genuinely troubling Atu.
“What’s this? Pick on Atu day?” No one said a word. They just looked at him. Atu kicked at a stone that had somehow ended up on the roof. Probably from one of the transports.
“Fine!” Atu eventually spat. “But I still think all this is a bad idea.”
“What is?” Kayla prompted.
“Going to the Buried Forest.”
Kayla almost smiled as she noticed Jaden trying to contain his excitement. “You’ve remembered how to get there?”
“Not quite.” Atu sighed. When they resumed their silent vigil, he huffed out a breath. “I remembered asking my grandpa how I could avoid the Buried Forest. He told me there was no way to find it intentionally. Most people who ended up there did so by accident. Except he had heard there was one person who could find it.”
“Who?” Jaden breathed.
“You, I think,” Atu grunted.
“Me? I wouldn’t have the first inkling of where to start,” Jaden sputtered.
“Wait, you said you think it’s Jaden,” Kayla interrupted. “Why?”
“Because when I asked my grandpa, he said this person could find it because he would be able to sense it.” Before they could guess, he added, “I think it has to do with those ‘feelings’ Jaden gets. That’s how we find the Buried Forest.”
“What about me?” Iri asked. “I have senses too.”
Atu rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess it could be you. But my gut is telling me it’s Jaden.”
Markov held up a hand. “Wait, you all have super powers?”
Kayla rolled her eyes. “You seem upset that you don’t.”
“Darn straight! What are yours?”
“I don’t seem to have any either. Well, not anything that’s awesome like what the others can do.” Kayla shrugged.
“How do you think it works?” Jaden asked, ignoring Kayla and Markov.
Atu shook his head. “I couldn’t say. What is your gut telling you?”
Jaden laughed, but it was a mirthless sound. He turned away and paced toward the edge of the landing site. For a moment, Kayla feared he might just jump off the edge, but he swiveled and paced back. Anger punctuated every step. “I don’t know. Why don’t we just get on our gliders and fly around until I feel we should change direction? Then we can keep going until I get another one of those feelings, and we can change direction again. Oh, it might take a hundred years to get where we’re going, but I guess that’s what we have to work with.”
Kayla put a hand on his arm. Just when she thought he’d managed to get his temper under control. “Jaden, don’t.”
Jaden glared at her, but to her surprise, instead of turning away or continuing with his tirade, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her hair. “What would I do without you here to help me?” Jaden whispered. He held her there for a few more minutes until his heartbeat slowed and his breathing calmed. Then he released her and stepped back.
Kayla peeked at the others. They were all watching them. Again. She sighed. Time for her to step up to the plate. “Let’s get hold of the group. That’s what we can do today, so that’s where we start.”
Within the hour, Jaden’s friends surrounded them. It was lovely to be with all of them again. Bree, bless her heart (and her now purple-tipped hair), had arrived with a mountain of food, claiming she had been testing some new recipes and needed guinea pigs. Stovan looked like he had just stepped out of the gym, his clothes still stained with sweat. Shianna was clutching a file filled with photographs of wildlife. Ignoring what was going on around her, she took a seat on the couch and began making notes in the file.
As Kayla studied each face in turn, wondering how they would take the news, her eyes fell on Tarise. She was holding herself stiffly. When Jaden sat beside Kayla and took her hand, Tarise looked away. But not before Kayla saw the anger that flared in Tarise’s every feature. Ziggety! Had Tarise confronted Jaden about him and Kayla? Kayla sighed. Just another thing she would have to deal with.
Jaden cleared his throat. “Thanks for coming. I’ll get right to the point. Did any of you notice anything strange today?” With the exception of Markov, they all shook their heads. “Well, pretty soon you’ll be seeing things you won’t believe. You’ll be wondering if you’ve lost it. Do you remember the annual spring hike we took right before finals?”
“You mean the one where you had altitude sickness?” Bree asked.
“Yes, that one.” Jaden grimaced. “Only I wasn’t suffering from altitude sickness. What I was seeing was real, except it was hidden from the rest of you. When you start seeing it too in the next few days, you’ll believe me.”
“And what’s that?” Stovan asked.
“A monster so terrible you’ll know that you couldn’t find it in even your worst nightmare,” Jaden replied.
Shianna tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Jaden, you know there aren’t such things as monsters. Why don’t you describe it to me, and I’ll help you identify it?”
Kayla watched, incredulous, as Jaden began laughing. “How about I let you see the monster first, and you can tell me then whether monsters are real?”
Shianna frowned. “I don’t think —”
“They’re real. Believe me, I saw them today,” Markov said.
“Where?” Shianna demanded.
“Right here. Outside my house. If you want proof, why don’t you come look at this?”
The entire group rose and followed Markov. When they reached the shattered window, they seemed surprised, but they weren’t unduly concerned. That was, until they saw the claw marks around the window frame.
Shianna immediately stepped closer and began inspecting the gouges. “These are impressive claws.”
“They’re actually talons,” Jaden corrected. “And if you think those are scary, wait until you see the beak. The tail will totally blow your mind.”
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