Jacob realized Akeno was still waiting for a response. He took a deep breath, finally deciding that the truth was always best. “Yeah, I think I do.”
Akeno nodded. “What about Onaly? She likes you a lot.”
“I know. And she’s way too forward. It’s a little freaky.”
Akeno laughed. “I saw her grab your hand yesterday and wondered what you thought about that.”
“I was thinking about ways I could get her to let go without hurting her feelings.”
Akeno stopped outside Onyev’s place. “It might not be possible, Jacob. Forward girls—forward guys—they all end up experiencing emotional pain at one point or another. It’s just part of life.”
He turned and entered, leaving Jacob to ponder what the Makalo had just said. But what about the guys who weren’t forward? Jacob was one of them, and he’d been hurt too. Was it possible for no one to get hurt in these situations?
Deciding he didn’t know the answer, Jacob followed Akeno inside.
Onyev seemed happy to see them. They wandered his garden for a while, talking about Akeno’s plants—how they were growing, what colors they exhibited, and when they’d be ready to harvest for Aldo and the Fat Lady’s newest potions and experiments.
Then Onyev turned to Jacob, a serious expression on his face.
“You’ve mentioned the Lorkon several times. They’re rather large, aren’t they? And they have blood-colored skin that chafes and peels?”
Jacob nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, we’ve had a visit from two of them.”
Akeno’s mouth popped open. “You have? Are they the same ones from our time?”
The patriarch smiled, putting his watering can away. “No, they’re not. But they’re formidable and dangerous. As I told you previously, a few villages had been attacked by something unknown. Well, the attackers have come to light, and I’m finding they’re difficult to control and keep away. Until I can figure out how to get rid of them, we’ll have to be extra diligent.”
“Have any died?” Jacob asked.
“Not a lot—we’re fairly resilient, and the people were quick to act.”
Jacob glanced at Akeno. Too bad they weren’t resilient anymore. And neither were they quick to act. Jacob smiled, thinking about how many times the Makalos had asked him not to move quickly, to wait and watch things unfold.
He realized Onyev had started talking again, and looked back at the patriarch.
“ . . . lucky that there are only just the two. If I’d been motivated before to help you figure these creatures out, I’m doubly so now.”
Jacob tossed his empty watering can from hand to hand. “Do you think it is possible to get rid of them?”
“Oh, yes. Certainly. But it’ll be difficult and dangerous. I’ve learned how they become Lorkon, and it’s quite disgusting.”
The patriarch reached for the watering can, and Jacob handed it over. “Yeah, it is. I figured it all out a couple of weeks ago. Blood. And lots of it.”
Onyev nodded, putting away the cans. “The antidote will be very difficult to put together, I’m sure.”
“Do you have any clues to what it might be?”
“Not really. I may never figure out this puzzle.” He sank into a chair. “And I already know you and your people won’t be able to help. This is ancient magic. The more I study and research, the more I realize a simple potion or spell won’t rid us of these beings.” He motioned for Jacob and Akeno to sit as well. “I don’t have much information, but the three of us ought to figure something out, right? I have access to a great deal of knowledge, and you two have already learned much about the Lorkon. Let’s start thinking our way through this.”
Jacob scooted to the edge of his seat, eager to brainstorm with one of the smartest people he’d ever known.
“The antidote . . . the antidote,” Onyev began. “What would it be?”
“What about what my parents did to me when I was a baby?” Jacob asked. “To save me from the Lorkon? Could we replicate that?”
Onyev shook his head. “No. That didn’t get rid of the Lorkon influence in you—you carry some of their traits.”
Akeno raised his hand. “Have you tried full Rezend? Maybe the blood of a Makalo would counteract the Lorkon potion.”
Onyev pinched his lips. “I’m not sure it would. But I see your reasoning. If diseased blood creates a Lorkon, then perhaps clean blood would cure them.” He nodded. “I like that. I’ll focus on that idea here, if you’ll continue researching in your time as well. From what you’ve told me, things are a bit more precarious there.”
Jacob took a deep breath and released it. “Yeah, we’re pretty much stuck in the Makalo village, and there aren’t many willing to help us.”
“Being trapped is never a good option. You might want to look into removing the block on that entrance.”
“But don’t we want to keep the Lorkon out of the village?”
Onyev shrugged. “They’ll get through either way.”
Jacob nodded, but hoped Onyev was wrong. The seal he’d put on the entrance was the only thing protecting the humans and Makalos from the Lorkon. It needed to last much longer.
Chapter Twelve: A Shiengol Quest
A Minya approached Jacob almost as soon as he and Akeno returned to the present time. “Azuriah must speak with you now.”
Jacob said goodbye to Akeno, then headed over to Azuriah’s fortress. The Shiengol stood on the front step, hands on hips, waiting.
“Shiengols are approaching August Fortress. I need your parents and that Makalo Patriarch to find a place for the humans currently spoiling it. Some of the Shiengols who are coming won’t tolerate their presence.”
Azuriah’s arms shook, his hands still on his hips, and for a moment, Jacob wondered if he should be afraid. The color red swirling in the air around the Shiengol was incredibly bright, and Jacob realized the mistake Dad had made: he hadn’t asked Azuriah’s permission to take the humans to August Fortress. And that would annoy anyone, especially a Shiengol.
“Okay. I’ll be back,” Jacob said.
Azuriah nodded, folding his arms across his chest.
Jacob Keyed himself to the different locations, gathering Mom and Dad and stopping at Kenji’s.
He quickly told Kenji and his parents what had happened, then took them to Azuriah’s place.
Dad shook Azuriah’s hand. “I’m truly sorry—”
“I don’t want your apologies. I want solutions. Now.”
Dad nodded. “I’ve already come up with an answer. I’ll have Mr. Coolidge and Hayla keep the people in some of the outlying buildings in the city until the Shiengols leave. The Shiengols won’t see them at all the entire time they’re in August Township. I assume this will suffice.”
Jacob couldn’t help but smile at the irritation swirling in the air around Azuriah. He’d most likely expected Dad to take a long time to come up with a solution and probably even expected Dad not to be so . . . well, commanding. Dad knew Azuriah was a powerful being, but Dad, not Azuriah, was the king of Gevkan. And no one was going to tell Dad what to do.
Azuriah must’ve had the same thoughts. He turned his face away. “Get it done, then.”
Jacob ran out of Azuriah’s place, searching for Mr. Coolidge and Hayla before anyone asked him to do so. While searching, Onaly found him. Yet again, she threaded her arm through his and held on when he tried to get her to let go.
“Why are there so many Wurbies here?” she asked.
“They were getting attacked by the Lorkon. They live here now.”
“I figured that, but why? What good will it do to have them around?”
Jacob barely glanced at her. “I used to feel the same, but have found that they’re actually very good at things. They’ve completely taken care of themselves—we don’t need to provide food for them or materials for their buildings.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Onaly scrunched up her nose, staring at the part of the village where the Wurbies
lived. “What are you doing right now?”
“Finding Mr. Coolidge and your mother.” Jacob opened the door to the school and walked inside.
“Oh, they’re not in their offices,” Onaly said. “They went to the tree to go through books.”
For once, Jacob was glad Onaly was around—she just saved him from searching. They didn’t say anything while walking to the tree, and Jacob found his annoyance with her leaving. She was clingy and a little smothery, but at least she didn’t talk non-stop like some girls he knew.
“Well, I’ll see you later,” Jacob said.
Onaly smiled, then gave him a quick hug and danced away. Her walk was so different, almost a skip—dancing was the only way he could describe it. He watched her leave, wondering how he was ever going to give her the message that he wasn’t really interested. And if he did, would it totally and completely ruin her and make her cry all the time? He shook his head, turning to the tree, but found he had two audiences: Hayla watched from the doorway with a smile, and Aloren from the trail to Mendon with a scowl.
Jacob resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His life was perfectly fine back on Earth, where all he had to deal with were girls who liked him because he played basketball really well. Mothers never got in the way. And Aloren . . . moody Aloren. He sighed and entered the tree.
Jacob told Mr. Coolidge and Hayla what was going on with Azuriah, and the three walked back to the fortress. From their colors, Jacob could tell they were antsy. He smirked to himself—it was probably because of Azuriah.
Dad greeted Hayla and Mr. Coolidge, made sure they knew what to do, and then had Jacob open a link to August Fortress. They all stepped through into the huge stone building.
The moment they were through the doorway, a feeling of déjà vu overcame Jacob. He was momentarily blinded by the sheer number of Shiengol eyes that turned their way.
“Close your eyes,” Azuriah said.
The room immediately darkened.
“Where is Renforth?” Azuriah asked.
“He hasn’t arrived yet, my lord,” a blue-robed Shiengol responded.
“Let me know the moment he does. Who else isn’t yet present?”
“Just Renforth and his company,” the same voice said. “They’ll be here shortly. Within a day or two.”
“Good.” Azuriah took a deep breath. “We’ll take care of the human problem, then leave you to situate yourselves until it’s time to go.”
The blue-robed Shiengol nodded, and Azuriah turned to Dad. “Get those people out of here. I’m going home.” He stepped through the link back to his place, and an awkward silence fell over the group. Many of the Shiengols opened their eyes, causing the room to lighten enough for Jacob to see the humans huddled in a corner. Myler was in front of them, maintaining a protective stance, his lips curled in disgust and fear.
Hayla rushed through the group of Shiengols to her former students. “Oh, my poor dears. Let’s get you out of here.”
It didn’t take long for Hayla and Mr. Coolidge to convince the people to leave the fortress and to occupy a handful of small buildings near the edge of the Argots. The people were so frightened, Jacob wondered if they’d ever recover. Shiengols made him nervous, and he was pretty much one of them.
After making sure things were settled, Jacob Keyed everyone to their proper places, and then returned home. He followed Matt up the stairs and plopped on his bed, glad to finally get a break. He’d just barely closed his eyes, however, when he heard Matt call out in shock.
Jacob jumped up and dashed down the hall to Matt’s room. His jaw dropped when he saw what had made Matt yell.
Aloren sat on Matt’s bed, holding his pillow, sobbing. Mascara streaked down her cheeks. She looked awful! The girl saw Jacob and sobbed even more, falling to her side on Matt’s bed.
Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh . . . let’s get Mom.” The brothers backed out of the room and ran downstairs, where they found Mom in her study. They told her what had happened and she went upstairs alone, making the boys wait in the living room.
“Why was she in my room?” Matt asked. “I bet she and Kevin are having problems . . . but why my room? Is it because I’m her brother?” He slumped into the couch. “Oh, boy. I’m her older brother. It’s like in the movies—girls think the main reason to have older brothers is so they have someone to cry to!”
Jacob almost laughed at the expression on Matt’s face. Obviously, he wasn’t ready to have that sort of relationship with Aloren. He was still in the mode of, “my little sister is only six and isn’t dating boys yet.” Even though Amberly wasn’t technically his sister, Matt still felt that way toward her.
“And even though Aloren is my sister, I don’t know. I just don’t like it when girls cry. It’s weird. And awkward.”
Jacob completely agreed.
They waited in silence. Eventually, Mom came down the stairs, with Aloren following. The two went into the kitchen, and Jacob and Matt stayed where they were on the couch. Jacob tried not to listen, but couldn’t help overhear their conversation as Mom made hot chocolate for Aloren.
“I mean, he wasn’t even mad at me,” Aloren said. “He just nodded and said he would always love me. Always.” She snorted. “We’re just teenagers—how could he possibly always love me?”
Mom made some sort of comforting noise, and Aloren continued.
“What bothers me the most is I didn’t really have a good reason to do it. Things just didn’t feel right anymore, and I can’t figure out why. Every time I was around him during the past couple of weeks, I felt sick. And the more time I spent with him, the worse it got.”
Jacob heard shuffling—sounded like Aloren and Mom sat at the table.
“I don’t like boys. I’m done with them all.”
Mom chuckled. “It’s okay to feel that way for a while, but remember, someday you’ll meet a nice young man who will treat you like gold and cherish you forever.”
Jacob’s hopes started to rise—he really liked Aloren. And though he didn’t know about forever, he could totally cherish her now. And hold her hand. And maybe even . . . His cheeks flushed when he thought about possibly kissing her. Weird. He had to get that idea out of his mind.
But all of his eagerness to prove himself as a “nice young man” left when Aloren answered.
“That might be true, but for now, I’m just going to avoid them all.”
Mom laughed again and the two of them fell silent for a while. Jacob swallowed a few times, trying to control the disappointment that rushed over him. Why would it matter to him if she decided to stay away from boys? According to house rules that he’d agreed to, he wasn’t even old enough to date. So why was he upset and disappointed and even sad?
Then Jacob made his own decision. He wasn’t going to think about Aloren anymore. At all! He rolled up his sleeves, got up from the couch, and went upstairs to his room. He had things to get done. Azuriah had said as soon as that other Shiengol—Renforth—came, they’d be leaving for Sonda Lake, where they’d get rid of Lirone. Along with all the preparations Jacob needed to make, he still had to study, and the fact that Aloren was probably going to ignore him only made him want to bury himself in his work even more.
The next day, Azuriah sent another Minya to Jacob, letting him know it was time to leave. Jacob jumped out of bed—it was only six thirty in the morning! He threw on his clothes, grabbed Dad, and Keyed them to Taga Village, where Azuriah already had everyone else waiting. Sweet Pea, Ebony, Akeno, and Gallus were there, along with Aloren, who didn’t look at him.
Azuriah paced in front of everyone. “We’ll have Jacob Key us to August Fortress, where the Shiengols are ready. Then we’ll march straight to Sonda Lake.”
Sweet Pea cleared his throat. “Uh . . . wouldn’t it be faster to have him Key us to the Fat Lady’s cabin and walk from there?”
Azuriah waved his hand impatiently. “We’d have to march through Ridgewood to get to Sonda Lake, and I am unwilling to deal with foolish villagers.
Now, then. Those of you who are not Shiengols will protect those of us who are.”
Sweet Pea wasn’t done asking questions. “Why would a Shiengol need protecting?”
Azuriah glared at him before answering. “Because we’ll be focusing on ridding this land of that monster and won’t be able to concentrate on what’s going on around us. Only a few Shiengols have the ability to fight and see things at the same time.”
He nodded to Jacob, and Jacob created a link to August Fortress. He wanted to ask how they’d get everyone across the Argots, but after Sweet Pea’s question, he didn’t want to start another discussion with the grumpy Shiengol.
Jacob was the last through the door, and even though he was part Shiengol, he still felt his heart constrict at the sight of the other Shiengols. There were so many! Hundreds and hundreds. So much power—not to mention testy moods—in such a small place. Where had they all hidden before coming to the fortress? The entire room in front of him, where he’d fought the Molg, was full. He craned his neck, and sure enough, the hall was brimming with more Shiengols.
Azuriah began organizing them. He put himself and his wife and children—Azuriah had kids?—with Dad, Jacob, and the other humans. The rest were organized in groups of twenty. While Azuriah was occupied, Dad, Akeno, and Jacob wandered through the fortress, watching the flurry of activity. They commented on the intricate designs on the faces, robes, and clothing of the Shiengols, the way they did their hair, and the fact that a lot of the time, it was difficult to tell the difference between the men and the women. Most had a sort of genderless quality about them, neither feminine nor masculine.
Azuriah was one of the more masculine Shiengols, and it seemed natural to Jacob that he’d marry a more feminine woman. Pambri was her name, and she had a soft, unobtrusive air about her that Jacob found appealing. He glanced across the room toward Aloren. She looked sullen and angry. Yeah—she wasn’t anything like Pambri.
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