After a while, he let his mind wander to high school, wondering what everyone there was doing, how Coach Birmingham had taken him dropping out, and how team practices were going. They all probably thought he was throwing a temper tantrum. Oh, well. Nothing he could do about that.
What really bothered him was the fact that he hadn’t heard from Tani, his best friend from school, in almost two weeks. Why hadn’t she called or come by or something? It was very unusual for her to ignore him. Maybe she was dating someone, or just really busy with homework.
He rolled over, facing the wall.
“Wow, Jacob. What happened?”
He sat up. Early stood on the edge of his desk, the color for concern—yellow—flowing through the air around her.
“I was practicing Time-Travel with Azuriah and made a mistake and it, well, bruised me all over.”
She flitted across the room and landed on his knee. “Are you going to be all right? I could get your mother, if you wish.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll talk to her about it later—Azuriah said it’s not life-threatening.”
She patted his knee. “Okay. Goodbye.”
Early zipped out the window and Jacob lay back down. This time, sleep came fairly quickly.
Mom knocked on his door sometime after nightfall. “Jacob?” She opened the door and came in. “Azuriah contacted us. He said to let you sleep for a while, that you were in bad shape, but that you’d be okay.” She handed him a cup of steaming liquid. “Drink this. It’s hot chocolate with Kaede Sap. It’ll help you get better sooner.”
He took the cup and sipped from it slowly. The chocolate didn’t completely cover the bitter sap taste, but it helped.
Mom sat on his bed. “I’m afraid to turn on the lights. From what Azuriah said, you look awful.”
“Yeah. And I don’t feel very good, either.”
She put her arm around him, lightly touching his shoulders. “I feel so helpless. I’m sorry all this is going on. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be doing anything but school and basketball.” She sighed and rubbed her face. “Sending children out to conquer the worst demons in the universe . . . how smart is that? Where is the common sense? I wish there were some other way.”
“It’s okay, Mom.”
He leaned against her shoulder and she brushed his hair off his forehead. Neither said anything for a moment. She straightened, taking the empty cup from him.
“Get some sleep, okay, honey?”
He settled back into the bed. “I will.”
A smile crossed his face as the Kaede Sap started working and the warmth from the hot chocolate spread through his body.
Chapter Three: Bugs and Gardens
The next morning, Jacob was stiff and sore everywhere, but in less pain than the day before. The bruises actually looked worse. He sighed, staring at himself in the mirror. He made sure to dress in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, attempting to cover everything up. But his face—he couldn’t do anything about that. Those bruises had spread down across one eye and over his left ear, making it look like he’d been in a boxing match. He debated staying in his room, but shrugged off his pride and went downstairs.
No one reacted the way he thought they would. Apparently, Mom or Dad or someone had told them not to act shocked. Instead of acknowledging him, though, they completely ignored him. Only Amberly said hi.
Jacob poured himself a bowl of cereal and shuffled over to join his family at the table. He was halfway through his breakfast when he couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
“Okay, guys, stop pretending like nothing happened. It’s annoying.”
Matt grinned. “You mean, stop acting like you and the Shiengol got in a fistfight and he won?”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Something like that.” Then he sighed. “Ignoring it is ridiculous. I expected a couple of compliments at least. I mean—I look spectacular. Especially my face.”
Mom glanced up, seemingly relieved he wasn’t grouchy. “Did the Kaede Sap help at all?”
“I think so. I slept really well. And things hurt less today.”
She reached across the table and patted his hand. “Oh, good.”
Dad told Jacob to take things easy, then left for work. Matt leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head, and looked at Jacob. “So . . . what are you doing today?”
“Probably going to Azuriah’s to practice more.”
Mom shook her head. “He said you won’t be doing anything until tomorrow. You need time to heal. Why don’t you and Matt see if the Makalos need help? And maybe they could give you more Kaede Sap.”
“Help with what?” Matt asked. “They’ve got the Wurbies there, doing everything.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something to make yourselves useful.”
Jacob frowned. “What about Matt and school?”
Mom’s cheeks reddened, but she didn’t answer, so Matt volunteered the information. “She wants me to babysit you today. Make sure you don’t die or do something stupid.”
Jacob rolled his eyes, but decided not to argue. If anything, he looked forward to spending time with Matt. And if it helped Mom not stress so much, he’d let the “babysit” comment slide.
He finished his cereal, then Keyed himself and Matt to the Makalo village. They wandered around, exploring the section of Taga Jacob hadn’t seen when he’d first come to Eklaron—the fields, gardens, and forest where the Wurbies, Azuriah, and many humans now lived.
This part of the village didn’t experience a lot of bad weather. The Makalos used their Rezend to keep the plants warm enough to produce all year round. Jacob had been fascinated to learn this about their powers. Even with their magic waning significantly, when several Makalos combined their Rezend, they could do cool things—like maintain a thriving garden and keep the link between Mendon and Taga closed to strangers.
Jacob noticed with disgust that the bugs were everywhere. They’d really increased. But luckily, the critters seemed to dislike humans as much as humans disliked them.
The gardens were full of Wurbies and Makalos working quickly and almost frantically. Jacob and Matt watched while they went from plant to plant, pulling bugs off the stems and putting them in containers. Others sprayed the plants with what Jacob assumed was some form of pesticide.
Kenji waved at the brothers and strode out of the garden to talk to them. “Jacob, did you get the chance to ask your father about these bugs?”
“Yeah. He’s never heard of them, aside from what Gallus said. Speaking of Gallus, have you talked to him? He said the bugs just started appearing in Macaria recently.”
“I’ll contact him as soon as possible.” Kenji turned and motioned to the gardens. “They’ve moved in on the plants here and destroy everything they touch. We’re doing our best to salvage our fruits and vegetables, but nothing seems to be working.”
Jacob knitted his eyebrows. “Kenji, I’m nearly positive we brought them with us when we got the Wurbies. I’m really sorry—we didn’t know.”
Kenji put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. I have a feeling they would’ve come either way.”
“Can we do anything to help?” Matt asked.
Kenji sized up the boys. “Yes, you, Matt, but Jacob, you’re looking pretty bad. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll find something else for you to do?”
Jacob nodded, relieved. In truth, he couldn’t wait to sit down again. His body wasn’t ready just yet to jump into the kind of work the Wurbies and Makalos were doing.
Kenji pointed him to some lawn chairs, then scurried off in the direction of the village. Jacob sat down. Cold! The warmth from the garden didn’t extend to the furniture, apparently.
The Makalos and Wurbies became more frantic as time passed, and Jacob wondered if what they were doing was pointless. He wished he could help.
Thirty minutes after Kenji left, he returned, carrying a large stack of books and a blanket. “Figured you would be cold.” He handed the blanket to Jacob, then
the books. “Go through these and see if you can find anything that mentions the bugs.”
“Where did you get them?”
“From the tree—we’ve got quite the collection there.”
Jacob nodded. He’d forgotten that the Makalos used the tree not only as a storage place, but a library too.
He started with the top book and worked his way down, learning all sorts of things. About Onyev, who was an earlier Makalo Patriarch; the Makalo plans for Taga Village; how to help a Kaede tree flourish and how to gather the sap, which was similar to gathering sap for maple syrup. It didn’t surprise Jacob that the process was similar—even though Kaede Sap didn’t taste a thing like maple, it sure smelled like it.
Nowhere in the books did he find mention of the strange bugs, however.
A couple of hours after he’d started, he set everything aside, needing a break. The Wurbies and Makalos had moved to a different garden, and new ones had replaced them. Matt was far away—easily visible in his jeans and bright red hoodie.
Sometime later, Kenji called it quits and everyone started dispersing from the fields. Matt, Kenji, and Sweet Pea joined Jacob, slumping on the other lawn chairs.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Kenji said.
Sweet Pea wiped his hands off on his pants. “Starve, is what. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard it’s a great—”
“This is why they invented Walmart,” Matt said. “I’m sure my dad could help you get enough food.”
“For this many people?” Kenji motioned to the workers as they trickled out of the fields and into their small huts. “Not for very long. We need a permanent solution. We must find out how to get rid of these bugs.” He sighed, then pushed himself up. “Time to go see how Ebony is doing.”
Jacob and Matt followed Kenji back to the village, then Jacob Keyed them home. He really hoped the bugs wouldn’t destroy every living thing in Taga.
Bright and early the next day, Jacob went to Azuriah’s fortress. He was very hesitant to practice again. But once more, Azuriah wasn’t pushy, grouchy, or temperamental. Jacob wondered how long that would last.
“Travel to your room again, but this time, make sure you return the exact same way you go.”
Jacob nodded. He took a deep breath, wiped his sweaty hands on his jacket, and tried to control the doubt he felt. This wasn’t impossible. He could do it—easy as anything.
He followed the necessary steps and appeared in his bedroom. He picked up his basketball, showing himself he’d actually Traveled.
After being there for only a minute, he felt a familiar tightening pain in his chest. He needed to go back.
His heartbeat sped up, the sweat on his hands increasing. He put the ball down and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s just like coming here,” he said to himself over and over again. Except, if he made a mistake, he’d be dead.
Jacob unfocused his eyes, pictured Azuriah’s fortress, and willed each section of his entire body to return to the present. For a second, he got stuck in the middle again, but this time he knew what to do: he doubled his concentration and forced himself through.
It worked. He slumped to the floor in relief. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until just then, and that tension made his bruises ache. His body felt like it had been run over by a semi-truck.
“Very good,” Azuriah said. “Now we need to perfect it by getting the exact moment down and going farther and farther into the past for longer visits.”
“It hurt my heart again—just like when I would Time-See for too long.”
“And it’ll continue doing so until you’re better at it. Like I said, this is a muscle you’ve never used before. It needs strengthening.”
Jacob nodded, getting to his feet. He still couldn’t believe things had gone so well.
An hour and a half later, he had successfully gone a year into the past for three minutes. Even though Jacob was excited and wanted to keep practicing, Azuriah had him go home for an hour-long break before returning to study. They’d build up to longer sessions.
Relief that he didn’t have to go to school flooded over Jacob as he walked through the gardens toward Taga and the tree. If he were doing basketball and homework in addition to learning how to Time-Travel, he would be in serious trouble.
When he got home, he set his alarm to wake him up in forty-five minutes, then pulled the covers up tight.
When he woke up, Early was waiting. She flitted to his face and patted him on the nose, then drifted down and landed. “I found a whole ton of honey! It was wonderful.”
Jacob chuckled. “That’s great. How did you find it in the middle of winter?”
“It’s not winter where I went.”
That made sense—she didn’t have to stay around Mendon. There were plenty of other places to explore.
She jumped up. “Oh, and Kenji wanted me to tell you that the bugs have completely disappeared—they left the garden early this morning and nobody has seen them since.”
“That’s great news!” Jacob sat and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. The relief he felt surprised him—he’d been more stressed about those creatures than he’d realized. But they were no longer an issue. A smile spread across his face.
The next month passed swiftly. Jacob was busy with homework from Mr. Coolidge and Time-Traveling and studying with Azuriah. He’d barely translated a page of Shiengol language. Azuriah also had him memorizing the various political factions that had popped up and disappeared in Eklaron since pretty much the beginning of recorded time. It was boring.
The Shiengol slowly increased the amount of time Jacob spent in the past, along with how far back he Traveled. Jacob found that if he was in the past for ten minutes, ten minutes also passed in the present. His body simply disappeared and reappeared ten minutes later in the same spot. He wasn’t sure how it worked, but knowing this was helpful since it would most likely prevent problems later.
Gallus was working hard in Macaria, trying to help the people there patch up their city. Kenji and Ebony were busy further orchestrating work and living quarters for the Wurbies and humans, as well as the Shiengols who’d started arriving. Taga Village was filling out, and even though there were acres and acres at their disposal, things were getting tight.
Meetings didn’t happen often—everyone was too distracted with work, study, and winter. When Jacob asked if they’d be getting the Molg tunnel map soon, Dad told him they were waiting for warmer weather. This worried Jacob—the Lorkon weren’t waiting. What if they attacked?
A couple of weeks before Christmas, Shirley, the annoying girl from school, came for a visit. They sat on the couches in the living room. Jacob played with a pillow, trying not to seem too eager to have her there. But even though he really didn’t enjoy her company, he found himself prolonging her stay, trying to get as much information from her as possible. She didn’t give a lot, though, and when she left half an hour later, he was depressed and discouraged. Why hadn’t Tani come? Seriously—Shirley’s crush on Jacob had lasted since the third grade, but Tani and Jacob had been best friends since preschool.
It crossed his mind that maybe Tani was waiting for him to do something. He dismissed that idea quickly—Tani didn’t wait for other people. She took charge and made sure things went her way. Maybe she was dating someone. Well, if that were the case, good for her. And by now, she’d definitely found a new group of friends. But he still missed her.
Because of the influence the Makalos had on nature in and around Taga Village, spring came earlier there than it did in Mendon. In February, the trees started blossoming, flowers bloomed, and the village became really beautiful.
One day in mid-February while Jacob was practicing Time-Travel, Kenji dropped by Azuriah’s fortress in a complete state of panic.
“Emergency meeting! Now!” he said. “Jacob, go get Gallus, the Fat Lady, and your parents.”
“Dad’s at work.”
“Get him anyway. This can�
��t wait.”
Jacob blinked. Kenji was never snappy or impatient—something was wrong. He jumped up and Keyed himself from Azuriah’s fortress, gathering everyone to Kenji’s home.
As soon as they were all in place, Kenji started the meeting.
“The bugs—the larvae and the bugs—left the gardens for a reason,” he said, his words stumbling over themselves. “They’ve found the Kaede trees! We started the early spring harvest this week to replenish our stores, and the sap that came out was red—like blood! It’s completely unusable, and it’s so wide-spread that nearly half of the Kaede trees are permanently diseased. We don’t know what to do.”
He slumped in his seat, looking like he was about to cry.
Dad rubbed his chin. “What have you tried so far?”
“Everything we can think of—sprays, healings, potions, cleansing. Nothing is working or slowing the progression.”
Gallus leaned forward, palms on the table. “I noticed that the bugs in Gevkan were only found on Kaede trees. They attacked everything else but moved on quickly, seeming to settle in with the Kaede. We haven’t tried to harvest the sap, but I wouldn’t doubt the results would be the same since the trees are withering, even though it’s winter.”
Kenji dropped his head onto his arms. Ebony rubbed his back, her eyes welling up with tears. “You realize what this means, right?” she said to the others.
Everyone nodded. Jacob felt out of breath, and he didn’t need to hear what Ebony said next to understand how awful the situation was.
“Without Kaede trees,” she said, “Makalos will become completely useless. Without the trees around us to sustain us, our Rezend will leave. It won’t fade through generations, but will be gone in a few months, maybe a year, if we’re lucky. And without the trees, there will be no way for us to become magical ever again.”
Chapter Four: Village Bells
Rise of Keitus (Kilenya Series, 4) Page 4