Chapter 6. Brojan’s Secret
When Jacob and Matt got home, Jacob was surprised to see Brojan there. Had he walked the entire way? He was sitting on the couch, looking very uncomfortable. He got to his feet after Jacob burst through the door.
“How are you?”
“Good. You?” Jacob dropped his backpack and took off his coat.
“I’m well.”
“Are you waiting for my mom or dad? Are they around?”
Brojan shook his head. “No, I’m here to see you.”
Jacob pushed his bag into the closet by the front door, then joined Brojan near the couch. “Okay. Did you want to talk about something?” The colors swirling around the Makalo said he was nervous.
“Yes. Would you mind taking us somewhere private—not Taga Village? I don’t want to run into anyone.”
Jacob nodded, his thoughts racing. What could the Makalo patriarch have to say that he didn’t want others to hear? And where was Jacob going to take them that would be guaranteed private? “How about Aldo’s cabin?”
Brojan shook his head. “No—there aren’t any walls.”
Jacob looked at his watch. Six o’clock. Tryouts had gone longer than he’d thought they had. “Well, we could always go back to my school and find an empty classroom. The cleaners were just finishing up when Matt and I left. As long as no teachers are hanging around, we should be fine there.”
“Yes, that would be excellent.”
Jacob Keyed them to the school, but went through the door near the pool, just in case someone was in the offices near the main entrance. The hallway was dark, and Jacob found himself wishing Akeno were there to light it up. He quickly walked them to the math section of the school and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it empty.
“We should be fine here,” he said, opening Mr. Coolidge’s classroom with the Key.
Brojan motioned for Jacob to sit, and the Makalo chose a student desk. Jacob stared. It was so weird to see a Makalo—especially this one—sitting at a desk. In his school.
After a moment, Brojan got to his feet and paced. Then he turned and faced Jacob, bright orange swirling around him, showing he was even more nervous now.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while. Tell you something—confess—what I did years ago.”
Jacob frowned. “Confess?”
Brojan sat again. “Do you remember the story of Onyev? How he and his people left the trees to live together as families?”
“Yes . . .”
“Do you remember why they did this?”
“They’d been focusing too much on power and their own abilities, and had forgotten the important things in life.”
Brojan nodded. “Yes, exactly. I’m not sure if Akeno told you, but they entered into an agreement that Makalos would never again introduce Kaede Sap into the finger of an infant.”
Jacob realized he’d been absentmindedly molding his desk. Mr. Coolidge would kill him if he saw that, so Jacob worked to fix it while concentrating on what Brojan was saying.
“And that agreement wasn’t broken,” the patriarch continued, “until fourteen years ago.”
“By who? You?”
Brojan folded his hands, looking at them. He flushed, his colors changing to show embarrassment. “Yes—I did it. To one of the Makalo children.” He looked up suddenly. “Jacob, you must understand my reasons for doing so before you judge me.”
Judge him?
“I couldn’t stand how helpless we were against the Lorkon. So many Makalos were slaughtered—it was horrendous. Absolutely terrifying and heart-wrenching. And, what’s worse—my beloved Sabelle . . .” His voice faltered, and the pain written on his face shocked Jacob.
“What happened?”
He sniffed. “She . . . and our children decided . . . They turned themselves over to the Lorkon.”
Jacob gasped. “Why? That’s insane!”
Brojan shook his head. “She hadn’t seen everything I had. They thought they could help the Lorkon get better. Our children were adults—they made their own decisions, and wouldn’t listen to me.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. Why would they even try, after what the Lorkon had done to the kingdom?”
Brojan buried his face in his hands. “I might have led her to . . . believe that things would work out . . . that they would end up helping us in the end.” He rubbed his eyes. “I was what your country might call an opportunist. I saw the Lorkon as powerful beings who desired control. I felt if we talked to them, channeled that desire, they’d come to see our side of things.”
Jacob nearly scoffed, then remembered his manners, softening his voice. “I’ll bet I can figure out what happened.”
“The Lorkon refused to acknowledge us, and I realized I’d been foolish. Sabelle wasn’t sure. She thought that if they were exposed to even more Makalos, they’d see our potential to create a more dynamic world.”
Jacob bit his lip. Why would anyone think that? “And the Lorkon killed her?”
Brojan nodded. “Didn’t even let her speak. Slaughtered my entire family.” He closed his eyes, turning his face from Jacob.
Goodness. No wonder Brojan acted the way he did—gruff, and never personal with people. He’d been hurt really badly by what happened.
Finally, he spoke again. “After we moved into Taga Village and sealed the entrance, I had plenty of time to think about how things had gone. I recognized how weak the Makalos had become. We all did. But I decided to do something about it.”
He stood again. “What I’m going to tell you, you cannot repeat to anyone.” He turned and looked Jacob in the eye. “No one! Not even your brother.”
“I promise I won’t.” Jacob was nearly positive he could see where this was leading.
“Akeno . . . Akeno was the firstborn Makalo in Taga. During the Welcome Ceremony, it is customary for the Makalo patriarch to place a shield on the left ring finger of the baby—symbolic of the early Makalos’ decision to protect that finger from Kaede Sap. While I was doing it, I pretended to put it on wrong, injuring him in the process. He cried, as was to be expected, but quickly calmed when Ebony held him. The shield covered the wound he’d received when I injected him with sap.”
Brojan looked up quickly, probably to analyze Jacob’s reaction.
Jacob realized too late that his mouth was hanging open. And even though he’d heard nearly exactly what he’d expected, it was still pretty brutal. Brojan had actually stabbed Akeno’s finger! “Wow. Okay, well . . . wow.”
“I understand your shock. I also understand what you quite possibly do not: I have broken a very serious Makalo law. And it’s incredibly wrong that Akeno and his parents don’t know about it.”
“What would happen to you if they found out?”
Brojan shook his head. “I don’t know—we don’t have a consequence in place for this sort of action. It was unthinkable that anyone would ever do it.”
Jacob scratched at some pen markings on the desk, trying to figure out what to say. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“So that someone knows the real reason behind Akeno’s abilities. Why he is more powerful than the others. So that person can help him progress more quickly than he would otherwise.”
That made sense. “My brother already asked me why—he’ll figure it out.”
Brojan shrugged, looking worried even though his body language said otherwise. “Just . . . just do your best.”
“Okay.”
“Akeno shouldn’t know for several more years what’s happened to him. At least, not until after I’ve gone.”
Jacob scowled. “Why, so you don’t have to face all of this yourself?” He immediately felt bad for his disrespect, and quickly said, “I’m sorry. It’s just . . . I’m just trying to understand.”
Brojan held his hands palms up. “It’s been difficult living with this lie for the past thirteen, nearly fourteen years.”
“Wouldn’t telling them help get rid of the guilt?”
“I’ve told you. Why would I need to tell anyone else?”
Jacob blinked in surprise. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself, but it was very much unlike a Makalo to act so selfishly. “How am I supposed to keep this a secret? What if you live another twenty years?”
“You’ve become very adept at hiding things. How many of your schoolmates know what’s going on in your life?”
Jacob didn’t answer. He didn’t have to—Brojan was right. Some of the biggest things he’d ever experienced couldn’t be shared with anyone aside from his family and the Makalos.
“It’s time for me to return. If you wouldn’t mind taking me home, I’d appreciate it.”
Jacob did so, his thoughts jumbled. The last week and a half had been very hard. The hallucinations, Aloren and Kevin, Aloren and Matt, and now Akeno and his abilities.
Jacob rushed to the locker room Friday morning, so excited and nervous, he felt like his insides were about to jump into his throat. A group of people already clustered around the list, and Jacob had to push his way through.
“Sorry, man,” a guy said, putting his hand on Jacob’s shoulder.
Jacob ignored him, determined to see where he’d ended up. He quickly scanned the sheet for varsity, a sick feeling dropping his organs back into place when he didn’t find his name.
What? No way. He scanned again, making sure he hadn’t missed anything. How did he not make it? Wait—Kevin’s name was on the list. Kevin? He got in and Jacob didn’t? Jacob was much better!
He looked at the paper for JV and found his name there. What a . . . a . . . He couldn’t find an appropriate word to fit his thoughts. It had to have been rigged. Or—and Jacob’s heart nearly stopped when this new thought hit him—Kevin’s dad was still favoring his son. Of course he was. But hadn’t they gotten past that?
He backed away from the list, oblivious to the people around him, and left the locker room in a daze. He barely acknowledged a couple of girls saying hi to him as he wandered the halls. What a piece of junk tryouts had turned out to be. He’d played so well! So much better than anyone else. Why hadn’t he made it? He and Kevin played different positions—there was room enough for both of them!
Jacob didn’t notice Tani and Aloren until Aloren touched his arm, making him jump.
“You didn’t make it, did you?”
He shook his head.
Tani’s mouth popped open. “Not any team? Not even sophomore?”
“I made JV.”
“What’s that?” Aloren asked.
“Junior varsity,” Tani said. “It’s a step below varsity. Jacob, you were robbed!”
“Where did they put Kevin?” Aloren asked, her voice too nonchalant.
Jacob fisted his hands, too frustrated to answer at first. Why was she even asking? She probably knew already. “Varsity, of course. His dad wouldn’t have him anywhere else.”
Not wanting their words of sympathy, he left, heading to math early. Aloren and Kevin. Kevin on varsity. This was the worst day of his life. No—the worst week.
Math, woods, and lunch crawled by—Jacob ate in Matt’s truck, wanting to distance himself from Aloren and Kevin—but history and science were especially painful. Not only did Aloren keep trying to comfort him, but Shirley tried, too. He could barely handle Aloren’s awkward attempts—knowing that she was keeping her excitement for Kevin well hidden—but Shirley’s put him over the edge. She did everything she could to get the attention of the entire class, and by the end of the period, Jacob had heard “Dude, I’m sorry” so many times, he couldn’t stand it.
Anytime he saw Kevin in the hall, he turned and walked the other way. Even when Kevin called to him to stop.
There wasn’t a thing he could possibly have to say to Jacob.
That night was the last game of the football season. Jacob sat with his family and Tani to watch Matt in all his glory. Jacob glowered nearly the entire game, barely able to keep up with what was happening on the field.
His parents had been disappointed that Jacob didn’t make varsity, but said he’d probably been too young. Until he told them Kevin was on the team. Neither said anything, but Mom’s lips tightened, and she and Dad shared a dark expression.
During half-time, Jacob was listening to Tani and didn’t notice Kevin and Aloren coming until they sat right in front of him. He didn’t have the opportunity to escape.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said before either could say anything.
“Dude, knock it off,” Kevin said. “Stop being petty. I’m not trying to gloat—I want to tell you how mad I am that you didn’t make it too.”
“Yeah, well, that’s good and all, but . . .” Jacob paused. “What?”
“You heard me. Dad knows varsity needs you, but he says you don’t have enough experience.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m just as experienced as you are, and you know it!”
“That’s what I told him. He’s being really dumb.”
Aloren nodded, the expression on her face showing how badly she wanted Jacob to understand.
Jacob sighed in frustration. He believed them. Kevin had been a lot nicer since he and Aloren had hit it off, but that didn’t make Jacob any happier. At that moment, he’d rather be talking to the Lorkon.
“Okay, well, thanks for saying something. The game’s about to start again.” He turned back to Tani. He knew it was rude, but he didn’t care anymore. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kevin and Aloren leave.
Tani acted like she wanted to say something. Finally she blurted, “How do you feel about those two going out?”
“It doesn’t matter—they do what they want,” Jacob mumbled under his breath.
Tani blushed. “Oh, sorry—bad timing.” She turned back to watch the game.
Jacob had a hard time paying attention to the last quarter. He was glad it was the weekend—he didn’t think he could handle going to school in the morning and facing more disappointment and “I’m sorry”s.
Matt led Mountain Crest to victory. Jacob didn’t realize it until Tani pulled him to his feet, jumping up and down, screaming, “We won! We won!”
Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3 Page 113