“Good answer,” she said. Her malice was palpable. “You’ve made a mockery of the Nagas and all we’ve accomplished on Earth—in the entire universe, for that matter! Allowing those creatures to live. And allowing the True Soul to gain control of his Eteea machine…absolute stupidity!”
Another blow across his face. Good thing it was only a disguise, a shell of his true self.
“All is well, my queen. I have the humans under control, and those silly little creatures will be nothing but a blight in the history of our great, new realm of Essinis.”
“Essinis will have no chance if we don’t destroy that boy. That means destroying his power protector also.”
“I know that.”
“Silence!” she gave him yet another lash, this time to his ‘chest,’ a location slightly more vulnerable than the cheek. She knew his weaknesses well. “It’s perplexing to me. You say the Tanakee need to be eliminated, yet you didn’t do it when you got the chance. You weren’t trying to harness their Eteea powers, were you?”
“No, no of course—”
“And why not, Davos? That would have made you the most powerful of all the Nagas. Even more than me.”
“Your Grace, no…”
“LIAR!” she quaked with unmitigated rage. For a second, she let her human appearance slip and her hair, dozens upon dozens of splendidly slithering serpents, stood on end. They lunged at him, each one with the same menacing glare, and each one brandishing long, razor-sharp fangs. In that second, she let out her true nature, the real beauty Davos had always known. Neera, Queen of the Earth Realm, had forever been the fairest of the Nagas royals. Yet, lately, she insisted more and more upon hiding it behind this counterfeit human disguise. Though lovely, her natural appearance meant only one thing—she was serious.
“Correct for a change, Davos. This is serious. You’ve allowed the True Soul and his protector to get away. Not only that, you’ve allowed everyone in the town of Willow to see what you are, and what we Nagas are capable of. That’s unacceptable!”
“True,” he watched her reform into the likeness of a woman. Many men would have called her a knockout. Curvy, leggy, and, of course, hair the color of deep space. Her features would have landed her on any fashion magazine cover. “But you don’t need to worry about the True Soul and his protector. I’ll take care of it.”
The queen giggled, then became unyielding again.
“Davos, do you honestly think, even in your wildest dreams, I would allow you to handle this? After the treasonous act you just pulled, you’re lucky I don’t order your execution,” she paused, and a flaming red sphere flared into existence, floating above her shoulder. “The only reason I don’t is because you’re my husband,” she faced the portico overlooking her fortress in the clouds. “Whatever that means anymore. I should put you in prison, but that would signal weakness. We cannot have that. So you will live, but I’ll be watching your every move from now on, Davos.”
He nodded once more.
“And as for the True Soul and his protector,” she grinned. “I have something special planned for them. Call it my…secret weapon.”
THREE
“WELCOME TO WILLOW! Home of the boy hero Jack James! See where it all happened!”
“Step right up! Getch’er official, bona fide, rarified and certified picture of a real, honest-to-goodness Tanakee—the living teddy bear!”
“Come one, come all, see for yourself—evidence of fairies, elves and pixies! See the very sticks and stones that made up the legendary woodland creatures!”
The walk down Main Street had never been so strange. Pitchmen and street entertainers and lively displays galore. Everywhere Jack turned, he saw a likeness of someone he knew. Then he spotted—in shop windows and hanging from doorways and awnings—banners and posters of his own face. That was hard to get used to.
“Look!” Amelia tugged his arm, pointing at the Old Columbia Theatre, in the heart of town. His friend and fellow adventurer didn’t need to draw his attention to the gaudy display. He’d already seen it.
“I’m trying not to,” he glanced at the life-size cardboard cutouts. The whole gang was there, the Tribe of the Teddy Bear as they were called, with Jack and Amelia leading the crew. Worst of all, it seemed as if the artist had borrowed from the classic Star Wars poster. Luke standing triumphantly, pointing his light saber into the sky, and Princess Leia at his knee. Only instead of Luke, it was Jack, wielding the O/A, a dazzling gem radiating with power. And Amelia took Leia’s place, crouched beside him, concerned yet confident.
“I know. It’s horrible, isn’t it?” she smirked. “I mean, look at me. They make me look like a cowering little girl. So typical. Sickening, really.”
“I don’t know,” Jack felt himself warming up to the gaudy exhibit. “It’s not that bad.”
“Oh, sure. You would say that. You look fabulous. Just look at you.”
He smiled. She smacked his elbow.
“Don’t let this go to your head, Jack James. You’re called the True Soul for a reason. You’re supposed to be incorruptible.”
He sighed. “I know. It’s just…” he looked down the road, the sidewalk littered with sandwich signs and pinwheels and stuffed animals, all festive messages and sales in honor of the town’s newfound heroes.
“You didn’t think things would change this much this fast?” Amelia voiced his thoughts. They caught a clear view of the marina below, and a large sign stole Jack’s attention. “River Dragon Tours” it read in huge, bold, handmade letters. Underneath, in smaller print, yet still legible even from where Jack was standing, was the slogan, ‘Come see Queenie with the famous Captain Kimbo!’
“No,” he admitted. “It’s only been two weeks and already all this? How did everybody have time for this stuff?”
“People worked night and day to make the town look like this. They all got together and did this for us.”
“They did this to make money. I guess the town’s economy needs it.”
“Hey!” a pitchman on the corner spotted Jack and Amelia. “If it isn’t the man of the hour himself! Everybody! It’s Jack James! And he’s got Amelia Klein with him!”
All of a sudden, Jack regretted walking to school instead of letting his mother drive him. A small crowd gathered. People came from inside bookstores and cafes, the kite-works and bike shops. Jack smiled and nodded and waved, but both he and Amelia quickened their paces. They knew the adoring crowd would take their whole morning.
“Hey, Jack! Way to go, buddy!”
“Jack! Come back and sign some autographs!”
He turned once they crossed the street.
“I will…after school, okay?” he said to a small sea of disappointed faces. Then something else trapped his eye. Too quick for comprehension. Somehow, though, his senses perceived it, whatever it was, standing in the group. He looked young, like Jack, but was cast completely in shadow. For a moment, Jack thought it was possibly one of his dimensional duplicates, somehow stuck in a glitch in the O/A’s omnidimensional field. Then he shook off that thought. No way.
“Come on, Jack,” Amelia yanked him hard, much harder than normal. Her rush to get out of there told him she must have seen something too. Or at least she, like him, sensed it.
TAKOTA DUCKED to evade the tree limb. He knew it was coming. He’d hit it so many times before, it had been committed to physical memory. Always the same thing—after the big turn and the muddy curves came the Great Maple with its excessively long branches.
He pedaled hard three times and it felt like the earth disappeared beneath him. The wind rushed through his furry mane, cooling his steamy skin, hot from the ferocity of competition, the intensity of the race. The long, straight drop seemed so steep it couldn’t possibly be navigated on a bicycle. Takota tucked his center of gravity low, angling tight to the ground and leaning into a swift power slide. Somehow he made it, and, at the bottom, paused. Only for a moment, toiling to catch his breath.
“No you don’t! You�
��re not gonna beat me! EVER!”
Pud’s voice made him snap into motion, pushing off and pedaling wildly, traveling deeper into the dense forest. He heard Pud cruising down the hill, kicking up gravel and dust. Coughing and spitting, the mangy Tanakee taunted ceaselessly.
“You’re just gonna lose again, so don’t get your hopes up!”
That’s what you think, using Eteea, Takota sent a mental message. He knew Pud heard it. He could tell by Pud’s tormented groans.
Takota’s legs felt on fire. He had no time to think. The trail weaved through a tight grouping of hemlocks and firs, and he needed all of his focus for navigation. Lean left, then right. Brake slightly, but not too much. Mustn’t lose speed. Mustn’t let Pud gain on him, even an inch. Tree trunks blurred by, though it took great skill and practice to pilot his miniature bicycle at such a rapid pace.
A protruding root, one he’d seen many times, and one he kept forgetting about, seemed to pop up out of nowhere. He straightened his leg and leaned slightly, readying for the bump. When it came, he was nearly thrown off the bike. A firm grip and quick reflexes kept him on. That didn’t stop Pud from berating his performance.
“Ha! You’re screwing up, Potato! I’m coming! I’m right on your heel! Keep it up and I’ll pass you!”
“NO!” Takota clenched his teeth and pedaled harder. Wind Whisper Woods whipped past in a blur. “I’m winning this time!”
“ARE YOU READY for this, Jack?” Amelia looked into his eyes. He knew she was trying to get a read on him. “This is your first day of school since…well, you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” he tightened his lips. “It’s been two weeks, and I was starting to feel like a prisoner in my own home. I just want to have a normal life. Is that too much to ask?”
“Jack,” she gestured up the sidewalk, to the contingent of children, all of whom seemed to be waiting with baited breath for their hometown hero to step foot into the schoolyard. “I don’t think your life will be normal ever again.”
Jack kept a straight face and they walked through the metal turnstile leading into the Willow Elementary playground. It seemed the entire student body, every kid from grades one through five, and even the kindergarteners, were there, clogging the blacktop, the old tennis courts, the athletic field. To get a better view, some had climbed and sat on atop the slide, some stood at the highest point on the monkey bars, and some had even managed to get up on the basketball rims and were hanging like chimpanzees.
Jack and Amelia strode in silence. Then, all at once, the awaiting kids broke out in cheers, surrounding the pair enthusiastically, peppering them with praise and, mostly, questions.
“Jack, how did you meet Takota?”
“Amelia? Did you know this was all going to happen?”
“Jack, how does the O/A really work?”
He had no time to educate his schoolmates on the finer points of the interdimensional masterpiece, his father’s invention, the Omega/Alpha, aka the O/A. He couldn’t tell them how the machine drew power from all the infinite dimensions, the omnidimensional field, and concentrated it into one person, in effect transforming its user into a superhero. The inquiries were so numerous, and they came so fast, neither Jack nor Amelia had the chance to get a word in edgewise. One person after another, without pause, came forward to voice their thoughts. After a while, all the two could do was grin at each other and allow the information-seekers their questions.
“Amelia, do you really see people’s auras?”
“Jack, when did you first know Takota wasn’t just a teddy bear?”
The questions kept coming, and, just when it seemed there would be no end to it all, a rough, skeptical voice silenced the otherwise good-natured interviews.
“Where is your precious little Takota?” Dillon, speaking in his trademark rapid style, shoved aside a pair of second-graders. He squinted and studied Jack up and down, approaching carefully. Then his buddy Mike came up behind him, striding with confidence.
“Yeah, Jack,” he scowled. “Where’s your so-called protector now?”
TAKOTA’S GUTS just about shot up into his mouth when his bike pitched down the insanely long and even more insanely steep decline, boulders and branches and the occasional chipmunk serving as obstacles. With nimble maneuvering, he guided his handlebars in small nudges and tiny corrections. Anything more would have taken him off course, and, at such high speeds, that would have been ugly.
He knew what came next—the bottom of Sorrel Canyon, where the first of two crucial jumps was waiting ominously. A pivotal moment in the race. Takota knew it. They all did. Behind him, he heard Ayita, almost neck-and-neck with Pud. Behind them, Cheyton and Enola followed within only a few bike lengths. That meant they’d all see him. They’d all bear witness to his make-or-break moment.
“He’s gonna do it!” Ayita shouted.
“No way!” Cheyton answered his sister.
“Go, Takota!” Enola was always good for some encouragement. “You can do it!”
“This is gonna be ugly!” Pud chided, and Takota feared his was the most accurate assessment of them all. He’d never actually done it, and several failed attempts made the entire group quite doubtful he ever could. This time, he was determined to prove them wrong. No tricks. No Eteea. Just pure physical ability, combined with the proper skill and grace of a Tanakee.
“Whoa!” he almost fell off the bike again. Okay, maybe not grace.
“Takota! Be careful!” were the last words he heard. Both Ayita and Enola shrieked them at the same time when he hit the point of no return. No going back. No stopping. The forest was nothing but streaks of green and gold and earth tones. He gripped the handlebars tighter and tighter to keep from slipping off. The tiny tires spun ferociously, smoking and spitting rubber. Somehow he got the feeling the human manufacturers hadn’t designed it to go this fast.
Or jump this far.
Suddenly, after traversing the long, hollowed-out tree trunk which doubled as a ramp, he found himself airborne. He held his breath, remembering what Enola had told him. Tuck the knees and elbows. Become a bird, with wings of steel. Soaring, soaring, soaring. Higher and higher. Takota thought he’d never stop. He heard the others behind him, a mixture of gasps and glee.
“He’s doing it!” cried Ayita. “He’s actually doing it!”
“Good job, Takota!” Enola shouted.
“NO!” Pud’s exclamation filled the forest. “No way! Not possible!”
Takota shared Pud’s disbelief. Never, in the dozens of times he’d taken the jump, had he actually hit it with the correct speed and trajectory to reach the big limb way up high in the tree. Because of that, he’d never once won a race. Not one. Ever. Yet now, for the first time, he performed the jump perfectly, just like Ayita so happily had predicted.
He opened his eyes to make sure, still not convinced it was real. No way did he really make it this time. Blinking, he looked down and beheld the proof—a thick, aromatic tree limb under his tires, its rough, mossy bark flying by at the speed of sound.
He had only a moment to look, then another branch took its place, then another, and another. The raceway had taken to the canopy, high above the forest floor. Like circus high wire artists, the Tanakee racers navigated a series of narrow little passages where branches crisscrossed, one after the other, touching and overlapping. Ruts in the limbs had been worn deep from use. Still, following the official course proved difficult. Speed was the major factor. Takota had to keep it fast or else he’d lose balance and topple over, falling, in some places, a hundred feet to the ground.
None of that mattered now. Takota knew he was the genuine leader of the pack. He’d gone over the course already, so he knew there weren’t any more of Pud’s special surprises. He also made sure Pud had stayed with the group, legally and lawfully taking the whole course, same as the other competitors. And, with such a commanding lead on the scruffy, orange fellow, Takota felt confident. He wouldn’t have to worry.
BASH!
Something hit him hard and he heard giggling. Somehow, someway, Pud had caught up with him and, with the finish line in sight, had that look in his eyes. Nothing was going to stop Pud from getting there first.
“You’re going down, Potato! You still have one more jump to go and you’ll never make it!”
“DILLON SHANE AND MIKE MILLER,” Amelia stared both boys down. “Haven’t you two learned your lessons?”
A murmur of solidarity from the other students meant everyone agreed, yet nobody did or said anything about it. Jack knew Dillon and Mike upheld a certain level of respect among their peers, even after what had happened at North Point. The two boys seemed to know it too, and played their hands in the open, with confidence, paying Jack special attention, scrutinizing him closely.
“I don’t see what’s so special about you, Jack,” Dillon ignored Amelia. “I don’t see your little attack teddy bear,” he hit the side of Jack’s backpack. “It’s not in there, is it?”
“And I don’t see some funky machine in your hand,” added Mike. His tuna fish breath made Jack cringe.
“What’s the matter, Jack? Teddy bear got your tongue?” the boys laughed, hitting each other on the back. They then turned to the students, compelling a few nervous smiles, even some chuckles.
“You’re not so tough without your teddy bear, are you, Jack?”
“Or that stupid machine!”
“Jack?” Amelia threw him an anxious glance. “You do have the O/A, don’t you?”
He kept his eyes locked with Dillon’s, hands in his pockets, teeth clenched. “I don’t take it everywhere I go.”
Muted gasps. The whole crowd took a deep breath all at once.
“He doesn’t have his machine,” Dillon slapped his own thighs.
“Probably because it’s broken again,” added Mike.
“You really should carry it with you,” Amelia said. “You never know when you’ll need it.”
“Oh, I know,” he smiled, feeling for the device deep in his jacket pocket. He didn’t lie. Sometimes, when he went into the backyard, he’d leave the machine in his room. He wasn’t dumb enough to leave home without it, though. He just didn’t want the world to find out. “Believe me, I know.”
Jack James and the Call of the Tanakee Page 2