Black Water tpa-5

by D. J. MacHale

  “This is terrible news,” the brown klee said. “Would Saint Dane really bring a poison from another territory?”

  “I don’t understand,” Spader said.

  “It’s okay,” Mark assured him. “Klees are the superior beings here on Eelong.”

  “No, I’m talking about the note,” Spader said. “I asked Yenza to send that note to the acolyte, Yorn.”

  “She did,” Boon answered. “Yorn gave it to me just before they left for Black Water-that’s why I’m here to meet you. Is it true? About the poison from Cloral?”

  “It’s true,” Spader answered. “Why didn’t they wait for us?”

  “There’s something else I don’t get,” Mark said. “How come we can understand you, Boon? I mean, you’re not a Traveler. We’re not Travelers either, and I’m pretty sure you don’t know English. And now that I think of it, neither did Ty Manoo on Cloral.”

  Courtney said, “Bobby said that things were changing. Maybe something changed in us because we can use the flume now.”

  “Uh-oh,” Mark said.

  “Now what?” Spader asked.

  Mark raised his hand to show that the stone in the center of his ring was glowing. He took it off and placed it on the dirt floor. The familiar events followed quickly. The music, the lights, the growing ring…and the arrival of a roll of parchment pages. Mark reached down and picked up the next journal from Bobby Pendragon.

  “Maybe all the answers we need just came in,” Spader said.

  JOURNAL #18

  EELONG

  Howdoes he know?

  It’s a question that’s always bugged me, but now it’s pissing me off. Ever since I left home with Uncle Press I’ve had to accept a lot of things that made no sense. On top of that list of course, is the question of why I was chosen to be a Traveler. But there are a thousand other questions rolling around that have yet to be answered, like: Who made the flumes? How can they shoot us through time as well as space? What is the power behind it all? Where did the rings come from? I could go on forever, but there’s one question that’s making me totally nuts right now.

  How does he know?

  I’m talking about Saint Dane. Time and time again he’s found the perfect moment in a territory’s history to step in and work his evil. Why is that? Can he predict the future? Can he look into a crystal ball and see the entire history of a civilization and pick a moment in time when he can do the most damage? If I ever find the answer to that question, I think I’ll unravel the entire mystery as to why all of this is happening. Maybe then I can forget this whole mess and go home for good.

  I guess the reason I’m obsessing about it now is because I’m angry. Mostly at myself because I’ve been an idiot. We are at a critical turning point in the history of Eelong; an event is about to happen that will alter the course of this territory forever, and Saint Dane is once again ready to step in and push things the wrong way. What makes it all so frustrating is that I had a chance to stop him, and I blew it. The truth was staring me square in the face and I didn’t see it. Saint Dane made a critical mistake, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I should have been smarter. Now Eelong is on the verge of catastrophe, and I don’t know what we can do to stop it. I’m feeling totally helpless. All I can do now is go back and write about what’s happened since I finished my last journal. At least that way there will be a record of my failure, so that when the history of Halla is written and they get to the chapter on Eelong, they’ll know which Traveler was to blame. Me.

  I finished my last journal after we found Seegen’s map to Black Water. Our plan was to have Boon stay in Leeandra to spy on Timber and the Council of Klee while Kasha, Yorn, and I followed the map to Black Water. At first I thought only Kasha and I should go because Yorn was kind of, well, old. I don’t mean to sound like I’m against old people or anything, but this was probably going to be a dangerous trip, and I wasn’t sure if Yorn could handle it. But Yorn told me he wanted to help make sure Seegen’s last request was carried out. I figured the real reason he wanted to go was because he didn’t trust Kasha. Truth was, neither did I. But Kasha understood Seegen’s map. I didn’t. To me it looked like a bunch of circles with random numbers and some arrows that represented…whatever. But Yorn could read it. I figured if Kasha bailed, Yorn could take over. Besides, I was happy to have somebody along who wanted to be there, as opposed to Kasha, who didn’t. So we became a trio.

  Kasha guessed it would take a full day, riding on zenzens, to follow Seegen’s map to the end. We decided to rest that night and start out at dawn. That was fine by me because my batteries were dead. While Boon and Yorn went out to arrange for the zenzens and stock up on provisions, Kasha and I returned to her home. I was glad to get the chance to talk to her alone. She was the Traveler from Eelong now, whether she accepted it or not. I knew what she was going through, and I felt bad for her, but there were more important things at stake than her feelings. I needed to get her up to speed, fast. So when we got to the privacy of her home, I tried to do just that.

  “How do you feel?” I asked, opening the conversation as innocently as possible.

  “About what?” was her sharp answer.

  I didn’t want to push. She got mad easily, and I didn’t want her thinking the problem was me and decide to go all klee on me and take my head off. Or some other vital body part. So I tried to make nice. “A lot’s happened,” I said. “I remember how tough it was when I first found out I was a Traveler and-“

  “Stop!” she roared. “I amnota Traveler!”

  “But, you saw what Saint Dane did to the gar-“

  “It was a gar,” she shot back. “It wasn’t like he was torturing a klee.”

  “I don’t believe you feel that way.”

  “I don’t care what you believe,” she spat at me. “My father is dead because of you Travelers. I’m not going to make the same mistake.” She tried to walk back to her room, but I cut her off.

  “I saw you risk your life to save a gar,” I argued. “And you did the same for me, more than once. That’s not the way somebody acts when they don’t care.”

  “Look!” she snarled. “I told you I’d help you follow the map. But I’m doing it for my father, not because I’m a Traveler.”

  “Fine, whatever.” I was getting tired of arguing with her. “I’ll leave you alone, but I need to see your father’s journal.”

  “You can’t. When we burned his body, I threw the pages on the fire.”

  “You didn’t!” I shouted.

  “I absolutely did.”

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t want anything to remind me of how he wasted his final days. I’ll follow his map for you, Pendragon, but then I’m done.”

  She brushed past me. I didn’t give up.

  “But Eelong is in danger-“

  Kasha whirled on me. “I told you if anything happened to my father because of you Travelers, I’d tear you apart. I meant it. After I get you to Black Water, if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.”

  She stormed out of the room, leaving me a little dizzy. Not only had I bungled the chance to get her on board, I pushed her into threatening my life. Nice work, Bobby. Real diplomatic. I could only hope that she’d make good on her word. At least the part about getting me to Black Water, that is. The killing me part I’d just as soon she forgot. With that ominous thought in mind, I laid down on the couch and turned my thoughts to the task ahead.

  Black Water. What exactly was it? A place? A state of mind? Another dimension? A lost underwater city like Faar? It had to be real, because Seegen had been there and drawn a map. And Gunny was there. It was definitely important enough to the gars that they chose death over revealing its secret. And what did those little amber cubes have to do with anything? I hoped to find some clues in Seegen’s journal, but that chance went up in smoke. Literally. But in spite of all the setbacks and uncertainties, I felt sure that Black Water was key to Saint Dane’s plan. I had to get there and find answers.

/>   I tried to get some sleep but it was tough. My mind was racing in eighteen different directions. Thankfully my body took over and I nodded out. Sleep is an amazing thing. It heals the body, and the brain, too. Good thing. I desperately needed healing. I even had a dream. Boon was bouncing around wearing a tall, red-and-white-striped hat and saying nonsensical rhymes like: “Where is Gunny? I think he’s funny. I don’t like eggs all soft and runny.” Yeah, I know. Twisted dream. But hey, no more twisted than Eelong. The next thing I knew I was being shaken awake.

  “Pendragon,” a voice whispered. “It’s time.”

  I was still half asleep, but opened my eyes to see Boon. I said, “Imagine that, you’ve lost your hat.”

  “Huh?” was Boon’s confused reply.

  I didn’t bother to explain my bizarre Dr. Seuss dream. “Where’s Kasha?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

  “Down with the zenzens,” he answered. “She wants to get out of Leeandra early, before anybody asks where you’re going.”

  I dragged myself off the couch and took a couple of deep breaths. Every move I made hurt, because my body was covered with bruises from sleeping in that gar prison. Even my hair hurt.

  “I wish I was going with you,” Boon said, sounding like a disappointed kid who didn’t get the pony he wanted for his birthday.

  “I know,” I said. “But if anything happens to us, you’re the only one who knows what’s going on. You’ll have to stop Saint Dane yourself.”

  Boon gave me a long, worried look and said, “Now Ireallywish I was going with you.”

  I laughed. “Stay close to the Council of Klee, but don’t let them know you’re watching. Saint Dane doesn’t know who you are. Keep it that way. When we get back, tell us where they stand on Edict Forty-six.”

  D. J. MacHale

  Black Water

  “Got it,” he said. “Good luck, Pendragon.” Boon grabbed me in a big bear hug. Or cat hug. It was kind of scary, but sincere. So I hugged him back. I liked Boon. I liked Yorn, too. It was Kasha I was shaky on. I left Boon and took the elevator down to the jungle floor. Three zenzens were at the base of the tree. Kasha sat tall in the saddle of one; Yorn was in the second; the third was loaded with equipment. Swell.

  “I guess the gar walks,” I said snottily.

  “Only until we leave Leeandra,” Yorn said. “It’s against the law for gars to ride alone.”

  “Of course it is,” I said sarcastically. “Maybe you should just load the equipment on my back so the zenzen won’t have to work so hard. Better yet, maybe I should carry the zenzen.”

  “Do you want to go or not?” Kasha said flatly.

  “Absolutely,” I said quickly. “I amsoover this town.”

  I was being obnoxious, but I was in a grumpy mood after having just been woken up three years too early, discovered I was one big black-and-blue mark (which Boon’s hug didn’t help, by the way), and then told I was the only one who had to walk. It wasn’t a good way to start the day.

  Our little caravan made its way along the jungle floor, headed for the giant gates of Leeandra. I glanced at the zenzens to see a number of vicious-looking weapons lashed to the sides of the strange horses. There were a couple of spears, some short wooden clubs, a few coiled ropes with the three balls on the end, and even a bow and arrow. It all looked good to me. I was pretty sure that at some point we’d need some firepower against a hungry tang. As we trudged along, I saw that the city was quiet. We hadn’t passed a single klee, andIwas about to ask ifIcould ride when a dark shadow leaped out of a tree, landing right in front of Kasha. Her zenzen reared back and she had to wrestle it to a stop. At firstIthought it was a tang and was ready to go for a weapon, but beforeIcould make a move, it spoke.

  “The gar is mine,” Durgen said.

  Uh-oh. What wasthisguy doing up so early?

  “You had no right to take him in the first place,” Kasha answered.

  “You owed me,” he spat at her.

  “And you got value for him,” she snarled back. “Step aside, Durgen.”

  Durgen didn’t move. This was bad. For me. Islowly moved toward a zenzen and reached for one of the short clubs. Iwouldn’t stand a chance in a fight against Durgen, butIdidn’t know what else to do.

  “Durgen, please,” Yorn said calmly. “You two are friends. Be reasonable.”

  Durgen spoke angrily through clenched teeth, saying, “The klee who was killed on the forage was my friend too. You, Kasha, have become dangerous. You are no longer a forager. I’ve had you ejected.”

  “What!” Kasha shouted, stunned. “You can’t do that!”

  “I can and I did! And if you continue this subversive behavior, you’ll be banished from Leeandra. Now get out of my way and give me the gar!”

  Durgen pushed past Kasha’s zenzen, headed for me. In that one instant, all the horrible memories of prison came flooding back. It gave me a shot of adrenaline like I had never experienced before. I clicked into survival mode. I yanked the club out from the last zenzen and made a quick decision. Attack. I thought if I surprised Durgen, I might get in a lucky shot. Or not, and he’d kill me. Either way, I wasnotgoing back to that gar prison. I leaped out from behind the zenzen with the club held low. Durgen didn’t expect that. The big cat swiped at me. I ducked. His paw swept over my head so closely, I felt his claws cut the air. Cut was the right word. Durgen wasn’t trying to capture me. He wanted to kill me.

  I drove the club forward, ramrodding it into Durgen’s exposed ribs. He let out a sharp, pained cry that made me think I might have broken something. But it didn’t stop him. It made him angry. He came at me with his paws swiping like I was a boxing speed bag. I backed off, using the club to knock away the relentless attack. The big cat hissed angrily. His ears were back. I was way out of my depth. I knew I couldn’t defend myself against this onslaught for long. I took another step back and fell on my butt. How pathetic was that? Durgen dropped to all fours and crouched down low. He was a jungle cat who had his prey in sight.

  Suddenly he yelped and stood right back up. His eyes were wide and he arched his back as if something had hit him from behind. He snarled and turned his back to me. I saw that sticking out of his shoulder was a round, polished disk the size of a CD. But this was no CD. It had sharp teeth like a miniature buzz saw, and its blades were imbedded in Durgen’s back. The cat squealed with pain. He desperately grabbed at the disk to pull it out, but his arms didn’t reach.

  “Kasha!” he screamed, and yelped in pain as he jolted again. He spun back toward me. I saw another disk imbedded near the top of his other arm. Blood blossomed from his wounds, spreading across his tunic. The dark, wet stain glowed with light from the street lanterns that hung overhead. Durgen fell to the ground, breathing hard, growling in pain.

  Kasha walked up to him calmly, holding another killer disk ready to throw.

  “You might as well kill me,” Durgen said through clenched teeth. “You’re as good as dead any Way. You’ve attacked a forager within the city. AkleelYou know the penalty for that.”

  “Death,” Kasha said. She put the disk back into a pouch on a belt around her midsection. “You are a good klee, Durgen,” Kasha said. “You’ll do what you think is right.”

  Durgen couldn’t move. Or maybe he decided not to. He must have known that if he attacked Kasha now, with his wounds, he’d be done. Kasha strode over to the last zenzen and yanked off the saddle bags, revealing the saddle. She tossed them up to Yorn, who sat on his zenzen with wide, stunned eyes.

  “Carry that,” Kasha commanded.

  Yorn caught the saddle bags and fixed them across his own saddle.

  Kasha looked to me and said, “Get on the zenzen.” I was too stunned to move. Kasha stared down at me. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”

  “Can you ride?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then get on the zenzen, Pendragon,” she commanded firmly. “Now!”

  I wasn’t about to argue. I got to my feet and ran to the strange horse. I was
n’t graceful about it, but I was able to climb aboard and get my feet into the stirrups.

  “What has happened to you, Kasha?” Durgen screamed. “Don’t you see what you’ve done? And for what? A…a…garl”

  Kasha walked deliberately to Durgen and looked down on him, saying, “What you and the handlers do to these poor animals is criminal. It’s bloodthirsty, and it’s wrong.” She coldly yanked one of the disk weapons out of his arm. Durgen screamed in agony. “I may need this,” she said. She stuck the weapon into her pouch, then backed away and leaped onto her zenzen. She gave the animal a kick and shouted, “Don’t stop. It’s our only chance of getting out.”

  Her animal reared up and bolted forward. Yorn kicked his zenzen and with a loud “Yaa!” he charged after Kasha. Though I had ridden on the back of Boon’s zenzen when I first got to Eelong, I hadn’t had to control a horse since my fantasy adventure on Veelox, but I knew how to ride. I could only hope that riding a horse with a few extra joints was the same as riding a regular old Second Earth-style horse.

  “Yaaa!” I shouted and gave my zenzen a kick. I sprang forward and galloped after the others, leaving Durgen in a cloud of bloody dust. As it turned out, riding the zenzen was easy. In fact the extra joint somehow made it pretty smooth, don’t ask me why. I galloped behind the other two, headed for the gates of Leeandra. We sped past surprised klees who were coming out to start their day. They didn’t expect to see three speeding zenzens flying by…with a gar picking up the rear. In no time I saw the tall gates to the city. They were open to let out a wagon of foragers. Our luck was holding.

  That’s when I heard the alarm.

  It was a horn that pierced through me like fingernails on a blackboard. A quick look ahead made me realize what Kasha meant when she told us not to stop. Several klees were scampering toward the gate to close it. I didn’t know if Durgen had sounded the alarm, or if it was because a gar was riding a zenzen, or both. Either way, the klees now hurried to close the gates.