Kelson motioned to Aloren. “And I’ve got a friend who can help you learn to be a Troosinal woman. I’m sorry to say it, since it’s not a bad thing, but you’re too independent.”
Aloren flushed and looked down. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
Dmitri pulled out a pair of gloves and put them on. “The three of you haven’t lived in Troosinal as long as you claim. I still don’t know why you’re here, but I don’t worry about your reasons. You’re against my father and will help us.” He met eyes with each of them. “But don’t even think about turning against my group of followers.” After being satisfied by what he saw, he sighed and turned to Kelson. “Let’s go home.”
“Great idea!” Kelson waved to the three friends, then he and Dmitri strode around the corner of the house. Moments later, they rode past on horses.
Jacob released a long breath of air. “Wow. That was insane.”
“Yeah,” Matt said. “Dmitri’s intense!”
“But Dad was cool.” Aloren grinned. “He wasn’t bad-looking, either, though I still think Dmitri’s more attractive.”
Jacob laughed. “That’s weird, Rora.”
She shrugged. “Sorry.”
He shook out his legs—they were cramped from all the walking and standing they’d done. “I have an idea. Let’s go home.”
Aloren nodded. “It’s about time. Show the way.”
“No, I mean, to the present. I want to shower.”
“Oh! Even better! I can’t wait to get these contacts out.”
Chapter Fifteen: A Way In
It was dark in the living room, and Jacob couldn’t tell if anyone was home. “Hello?”
“Jacob?” Mom responded from somewhere upstairs—probably her room. The light in the staircase turned on and she rushed down, also flipping the switch in the living room.
“You’re back!” She rushed to give them hugs. “Oh, I’m so glad. It’s been a rough day.”
Jacob could see that—her eyes were red-rimmed and filling with tears. Wanting to distract her, he asked, “Any word from Dad?”
“They’re fine. Early will probably have more details for you, but last I heard, they were approaching the city and about to set up camp.”
“Oh, good.” Jacob took off his hat and dropped it on the floor. “I hate wearing that thing.”
“So? Tell me everything!”
“We met Kelson and Dmitri!” Aloren said. “And Your Majesty, Dmitri was very, very good-looking.”
Mom smiled and a flush crossed her cheeks. “He sure was. Still is, of course, but what a dashing prince he made!”
Jacob held back his eye roll. “Okay, you guys can talk all about it. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Oh! Good idea. Aloren, dear, you can use my shower. Matt, you’ll have to wait until Jacob is done.”
“Whatever.” He plopped on the couch, but Mom pulled him back up.
“Please, honey, not in those clothes.” She sniffed. “They’re filthy already.”
Jacob headed up the stairs, not hearing Matt’s response. The only thing he wanted was that shower. He grabbed clean clothes from his bedroom and hopped in the water. It was hot and felt really good. Thank goodness for plumbing and cleanliness.
He didn’t shower as long as he would have liked, wanting to save hot water for Matt and Aloren, but got out and dressed, then went to his bedroom. He’d only been there for a couple of minutes before Early zipped inside with messages.
“Things are going well. Those inside the tunnel have found an entrance to Troosinal. They almost got eaten by Molgs a few times, but that didn’t happen ‘cause they’re really lucky.”
“Wow! Sounds exciting.” Jacob grinned at his Minya, wondering who had asked her to deliver the message. It definitely had her personality in it. “Anything from my father?”
“He had a message for you earlier which I gave to your mom, but that has probably changed. They’re in prison now!”
She said it so excitedly, it took a moment for the message to sink in.
“Wait . . . what?”
“They’re being held in a prison until the commander of the Lorkon army comes and talks to them.”
Jacob jumped off his bed. “Are you serious? Are they okay? What do I do?”
Early shrugged. “Your father is worried—I can tell. I heard him say he didn’t realize there were this many humans working for the Lorkon.”
“Can you talk to him right now? Ask him if there’s anything I need to do to help.”
Early nodded and disappeared with a flash. She was gone for several minutes and Jacob paced the carpet, fingering the Key in his pocket. Should he go to his dad?
She returned. “It’s very hard to sneak into the prison to talk to Dmitri. He says not to worry—so long as I check on them all the time, they’ll send a message when they want help out.”
Jacob shook his head. “I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.” He sat back on his bed. “What an awful situation for them!”
“Yup. Want me to do anything else?”
“What about the Wurbies who are destroying the Molg tunnels?”
A sad expression crossed Early’s face. “They’re okay now, but they had an accident and a fight with the Molgs. Seven Wurbies died. It was sad.”
Jacob set his mouth. He’d known things would be bad, but hearing all of this was still hard. “Do they need anything?”
She shook her head.
“Okay, thanks.”
Early disappeared and Jacob went downstairs to sit on the couch until Aloren and Matt had finished their showers. Mom brought them another set of Troosinal clothes, they changed, and she took their old things to the laundry room. When she returned, Jacob updated them all with what was going on with the other groups. As expected, Mom freaked out when she heard that Dad was being imprisoned. It took several minutes to calm her down—Jacob didn’t want to leave her upset.
Then he, Aloren, and Matt returned to Troosinal.
“How is Dmitri going to find us?” Aloren asked.
“Not sure.” Jacob thought over that for a moment. “Maybe they use Minyas?”
“We’ll find out in the morning.” Matt yawned and stretched. “I’m going to bed.” He disappeared behind his sheet-and-blanket wall.
Not wanting to be alone with Aloren, Jacob said goodnight to her and went to his own section. He fell asleep quickly—he’d already spent a few nights in the shelter and didn’t need to adjust, but he was sure the others would struggle. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too bad.
Early the next morning, Jacob was awakened by someone knocking on the door of their shelter. He sprang off his mattress and changed his clothes as fast as he could.
But someone got there first. He heard the door open, then Aloren said, “Oh, it’s totally okay.”
How’d she unlock the door without the Key? Dang it—Jacob must have forgotten to close up last night.
“Is Ondel ready?” he heard Dmitri ask. “And what about Thojac?”
Jacob walked around the hanging blankets and sheets right as Matt emerged from his own sleeping area. Dmitri and Kelson stood in the doorway. Dmitri looked regal in a dark purple suit. Kelson had a huge grin on his face, and Jacob was struck by how much of his personality Matt had inherited.
Dmitri nodded to Jacob. “I’ll have more information for you later, but it’s looking like I’ll be able to get you in to work under the king after all.”
“That’s great!” Jacob grabbed an apple from the table. “How did you guys find us?”
“I sent feelers around last night,” Dmitri said. “My people see and know pretty much everything.”
Jacob nodded and rubbed the apple clean. “Makes sense.”
“If Rora and Ondel are ready,” Kelson said, “we should be going.” He glanced at Aloren. “You’ll be spending time with a friend of mine. Her name is Jansa.”
“And you, Ondel, are coming with me.” Dmitri pushed the door open. “Ready?�
�
The four of them left. Jacob sat at the table and Time-Saw to the castle, wanting to get acquainted with its layout.
Several hours later, Matt returned. “Okay, so Dad is seriously the coolest person in the world!” He flopped into a chair at the table.
“Your dad or ours?”
“Ours—Dmitri. There weren’t that many shadows, but he taught me how to stay in them anyway—how to creep around so no one sees you. And he told me I’m a natural!”
Jacob smiled to himself. That sounded like something their dad would say to make a person feel good when really, they’d done very poorly. He decided not to mention this to Matt.
“So where all did you guys go?”
“Pretty much everywhere,” Matt said. “Back to the lady’s house to check up on her.” The smile left his face. “Another one of her kids died after we left last night. There’s only her and a three-year-old left. We gave her some food, but Jacob, it was awful. She really didn’t even care anymore. Stared at the food like she didn’t know what it was. I don’t think she ate it or fed the kid.”
Jacob knitted his eyebrows, leaning his head against the wall behind him. “Dmitri’s journal said that the people of the city eventually reached a point where they had no hope anymore. It didn’t matter what he did—he couldn’t revive their interest in life. According to the time line, that’s going to be happening really soon.”
“That sucks.” Matt folded his arms and stared at the wall. Neither said anything for a moment, then Matt returned to talking about his experiences with Dmitri.
Aloren came back soon after, carrying new food. “I picked up some stuff from the market. Jansa showed me a bunch of really good places to buy food without getting ripped off.”
Jacob and Matt crowded around her as she showed them what she got: pears, apples, eggs, and a loaf of bread.
“Only cost me one brass coin!”
Jacob whistled. “That’s impressive. It would’ve cost me at least five.”
“I know.” Aloren turned to go to her room. “Oh, and Dmitri wants to talk to us. He’ll be here in a couple of minutes.”
Jacob quickly ate so he’d be ready when the prince arrived. He finished right when the knock sounded at the door.
Dmitri didn’t waste any time saying hello. “Are the three of you willing to work hard? To put in more time than you already have?”
Matt shrugged. “We’ve got a lot of time. I’m speaking for myself, but I’m willing to do whatever you need me to do.”
Aloren nodded. “Same.”
Dmitri looked at Jacob. “I’m sure you agree with your friends.” He grabbed a chair and sat. “The thing is, there is so much to do, and members of my group have families and responsibilities and so many things pulling at them. I’ve got the feeling you three don’t really have to deal with any of that right now.” He motioned to Matt. “We’d like Ondel to work with Cholan, Kelson’s brother. And you, Rora, will continue working with Jansa.”
Dmitri turned to Jacob again.
“I’ve found a way to get you in the castle, but you’ll have to live there permanently—until you’re released or have accomplished what you came to do.”
Jacob felt his stomach practically enter his throat as his heart started racing. Things were about to get much more dangerous. How would he communicate with Matt and Aloren? What if something happened to them and he wasn’t there to get them back home?
Dmitri must have sensed his worry. “You’ll still be able to attend meetings, and you’ll see me in the castle occasionally. We’ll make sure your two friends are cared for. And you can get caught up with them at meetings.” He leaned back, folding his arms. “What do you all think? Are you up for it?”
Jacob picked at his lips. “Can we have a moment to talk?”
Dmitri got to his feet. “I’ll be outside. Let me know when you’ve decided.”
Jacob looked at Matt and Aloren. The colors for excitement and panic swirled in the air around them. He could tell how freaked out and eager they were, and knew a similar expression was on his face.
Matt tugged on his hair, making it stand up on end even more than usual. “Guys, I really don’t know. I mean—not seeing you all the time? How are we going to know if one of us is safe or not?”
Aloren organized food on the table that didn’t need to be organized. “I really wish we could’ve brought Early and Hazel.” She looked at Jacob. “Is there any chance . . .”
He shook his head. “No. They’re too small. If I try to warm their hands, I’d probably destroy them from the shoulder down. We can’t even risk practicing.” He started pacing the room. “I wish Azuriah were available.”
The leader of the Shiengols had left to work with his people and would be out of contact again for a while. Azuriah’s wife, whom Jacob still hadn’t met, had found a group of Shiengols who didn’t want to help. Azuriah predicted a difficult time trying to convince them to join the fight against the Lorkon. Jacob honestly didn’t have a lot of hope that he would be successful—it had been hard enough to get that Shiengol to help, let alone many Shiengols who lived halfway across Eklaron.
Aloren grabbed Jacob’s arm. “Go ask your dad and mom for their opinion. They’ll know what to do.”
“Good idea.”
Jacob returned to the present and found Mom watching a chick flick in the living room with Amberly asleep by her. Mom paused the movie, and Jacob told her about Dmitri’s suggested arrangement.
She immediately shook her head. “No way, Jacob. No way. I’m not okay with this. Separating you from the only people you trust? Not a good idea.”
“I trust Dmitri, and I’ll see him in the castle.”
“Not enough.” She looked up. “Get Early. We need to find out what your father thinks.”
Jacob couldn’t help but smile to himself as he ran to his room and grabbed some seeds. Of course Dad would be okay with it—it was his idea, after all. But Jacob didn’t find it necessary to tell Mom that.
Early appeared a moment later. She’d been with Fubble the Wurby and the others, trying to help them find a specific tunnel. Jacob quickly explained the situation, then asked her to find out what Dad wanted.
“Let him know Mom doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Then tell me what he says. I’ll be downstairs with Mom.”
Early disappeared with a flash.
But after five minutes, ten minutes, then fifteen minutes, she still hadn’t returned. Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Mom. She sat with her arms folded, the grumpy expression on her face mirroring the pinkish-red color of irritation that flowed in the air around her.
“I can’t stand this anymore,” he said. “I’m going to talk to Kenji about it.”
She nodded, relaxing her position. “Very well.” She pointed at Jacob. “But you tell him how I feel.”
Jacob Keyed to Kenji’s house. The patriarch sat at the table, surrounded by books and papers. He was still spending a great deal of time studying Brojan’s notes. He listened while Jacob talked, then took a deep breath.
“Jacob, you need to be willing to do whatever is necessary in this situation, regardless of how your mother feels. And I’m sorry about that, since she should have a say in what happens.” He leaned back in his chair. “You’re going to have to be separated from Matt and Aloren for a time.”
Jacob nodded. “That’s what I was thinking—Dmitri found me a way in, and I’ve got to take advantage of the situation.”
“Exactly. But good luck with your mother, anyway.” Kenji smiled.
Jacob Keyed home and relayed the message to Mom. She took a deep breath, then obviously pushed her feelings aside, changing the topic.
“Early came back while you were gone. She couldn’t get hold of your dad, but decided to go to the Fat Lady’s instead and ask her.”
Jacob frowned—Early had done something of her own accord? Wow. “What did the Fat Lady say?”
Mom wouldn’t respond. She stared at the carpet and played w
ith Amberly’s hair. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Jacob knew what the answer had been. He put his arms around her shoulders.
“It’s going to be okay.” He didn’t know that for sure, but Mom needed to hear it.
She was still crying when he went back to Troosinal.
Aloren and Matt looked up and stared at him expectantly.
“Well, Mom freaked out and we couldn’t get hold of Dad, but the Fat Lady and Kenji said the same thing: we have to do it. It’s necessary, regardless of the danger.”
Aloren tucked her hair under the scarf. “We’ll just have to do our best to keep in contact with each other.”
A worried look crossed Matt’s face. “How are you going to handle this when you need breaks from Traveling? Doesn’t it make it harder having all of us in the past?”
Jacob nodded. “Yeah, but I can go for several days now. And so long as we return home for a few hours each meeting, we’ll be fine. Since my ability allows me to do that—spend lots of time in the present without lots of time in the past going by—we’ll be okay.”
Matt didn’t look totally convinced. “All right,” he said, his expression serious. “I’ll go get Dmitri.” He opened the front door and invited in the prince. “We’re on board with your plan.”
Dmitri smiled. “Good. Get your things, Thojac.” He motioned to Matt and Aloren. “Kelson will be along soon. Let him know your decision, then he’ll take the two of you to where you’ll be staying.”
“What sorts of things do I need to bring?” Jacob asked. “Blankets? Clothing?”
“Clothing, yes. Blankets and bedding, no.”
Jacob walked into his sleeping quarters, made sure the Key was still in his pocket, and grabbed his extra shirt and pair of pants. The rest of his Troosinal clothes were in Mendon. He rolled them up and tucked them under his arm.
Rise of Keitus (Kilenya Series, 4) Page 18