Chapter 3. Little Bushes
During lunch on Friday, Jacob groaned inwardly when Tani and Aloren started another conversation about the blond guy from her math class.
“Oh!” Aloren suddenly exclaimed. “He’s coming! What do I do?”
Jacob turned to see who Aloren had been crushing on for the past few days. He nearly spit out the food in his mouth. Kevin was walking toward them.
Apparently it shocked Tani too. “Kevin?” she hissed. “Kevin’s the guy?” She looked at Jacob, possibly trying to gauge his reaction. He put on his best poker face.
“Hey, Aloren,” Kevin said. He paused when he saw she was with Jacob. “So . . . are Jacob and Matt your host family?”
Aloren blushed, looking down. She actually blushed! “Sort of. Jacob and I are in many classes together. He’s helping me with my homework.”
“Hmm.” The two guys eyed each other. Jacob tried to mask his frustration and jealousy. He could tell by the swirling colors that Kevin felt the same way, but it didn’t show on his face—apparently he was good at hiding his feelings.
“Mind if I join you?”
Aloren scooted closer to Jacob, patting the spot on the other side of her, before Jacob could tell him to get lost. “Sure. There’s plenty of room.”
Jacob’s mouth popped open and he felt red creep across his face. How could she do that?
Kevin sat and ate his pizza, flirting and talking to Aloren. Tani looked like a third wheel, though she tried to join the conversation wherever possible.
Matt elbowed Jacob. “Competition, huh?” he whispered. “What are you going to do about this?”
Jacob shook his head. “Nothing I can do. She’s been talking about him non-stop.”
“Oh, don’t I know it.”
Sammy leaned forward. “You like Aloren, Jacob?”
Jacob flushed again and was about to answer when Matt cut him off. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Actually, no, it isn’t,” Sammy said. “I wouldn’t have guessed if you hadn’t said something.”
“Great, Matt. Thanks.” Jacob glared at his brother. “Don’t say anything to anyone else, okay? It’s no one’s business.”
Matt put his hands up. “No worries. I won’t.”
Jacob relaxed—Matt could be trusted, as long as he knew the boundaries.
“So, what are you going to do?” Sammy asked. “You can’t just let Kevin have her.”
“There’s nothing I can do,” Jacob said. “I can’t even date until I’m sixteen, let alone have a girlfriend. She doesn’t have to obey my parents’ rules. So, even if I did do something, I couldn’t do anything.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Matt said.
“Yeah, well, I can’t do anything about that.”
Jacob looked away when Matt rolled his eyes.
Ebony and Akeno were ready and waiting when Jacob, Aloren, and Dad arrived at the tree.
“I’m on a late lunch,” Dad said, “so I’m only here for a moment.” He motioned for everyone to sit. “I’ve got a map of August Township.” He pulled it out and indicated things as he spoke. “First, place doors here, here, and here. Make sure they’re well hidden.”
“That won’t be difficult,” Ebony said.
“How many did Kenji make?”
“Twenty. They’re all here.” She lifted a knapsack. “Shrunk and ready to go.”
“Place one every half mile or so. We’ll want to have as many escape routes as possible.”
She nodded, lowering the bag. “We numbered them so Jacob won’t have a problem figuring out which door to use.”
Dad nodded. “Good. Next, you have to go through the forest before you can get into the city itself. Be extremely careful—the Lorkon don’t use ordinary traps, as we know. I hoped Aldo could give you more instructions. He’s very familiar with the area. Unfortunately, the remedy won’t be ready until tomorrow, so in the meantime, we’re going to learn as much about the place as we can.” He folded the map. “We’ll need one of you to keep a detailed journal of what you find.” Dad held up a small leather book.
“I’ll do that,” Aloren said. “Gallus has me make notes of my trips all the time.”
“Excellent.” Dad handed her the book and the map. “Mark the placement of the doors on the map, and keep it with the journal.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair—what remained of it. “You’ll leave now, or as soon as possible. Check back with us frequently. Oh, and also, which Minya are you taking?”
“Mine,” Aloren said. “And Kenji will use Early, should he need to get in touch with us.”
Dad nodded. “Be safe.” He looked out the window of the tree. “I wish I could go.”
Kenji and Brojan had insisted Dad stay behind—he was too important to Gevkan to put himself in potentially dangerous situations. “Maybe when we get the Shiengols.” He put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Be careful, son. Take care of the group. And the rest of you,” he motioned to the others, “watch over my son.”
Jacob couldn’t believe they were out on another trek. He, Akeno, and Aloren—the only difference this time was the presence of Ebony.
It only took a couple of seconds to Key to Aldo’s ruined cabin. It looked a bit silly, having a fully intact door when the walls were broken down. At least Kenji had tried to make the door look old, so no one would suspect the cabin was still being used.
Ebony and Aloren chattered a great deal about parties and clothes as the group left the cabin. It didn’t bother Jacob—he was still so relieved to have Aloren out of Maivoryl City, safe and sound, that even this kind of conversation was refreshing.
Right then, the women were discussing clothing fashion in Macaria versus Taga. Jacob hadn’t even been aware there was a fashion in the village.
Akeno playfully nudged Jacob. “Let’s hope this trip through the infected forest won’t be as . . . fun as the last.”
Jacob stared at Akeno, then laughed. Makalos so seldom used sarcasm in their speech that it always caught him off guard when they did. “Yeah, I’d rather not deal with you and the two of them.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward Aloren and Ebony.
Akeno chuckled. “The Fat Lady said the Malono potion should resolve any issues we’d have.”
“I hope she’s right.”
The trail led them to the outskirts of the woods. Jacob held his breath, watching the others as they entered the forest.
Aloren gasped. “Weird! There’s no color here!” She turned to Jacob. “I don’t remember you saying anything about that.”
Jacob blew his bangs off his forehead. “I got over it when I saw how everything affected Akeno. He was so hard to deal with!”
Akeno laughed. “But I don’t feel anything this time.”
“Thank goodness.” Jacob looked at Ebony. “Which way to August Township?”
“Just follow the trail,” Ebony said. “When we get to the intersection, we’ll go straight.”
“How close will it lead us to the female Lorkon’s manor?”
“Not very. You’ll see—we should be okay.”
“Yeah—just so long as the snakes don’t come, right?”
Ebony nodded. “Right.”
Jacob couldn’t help the shudder that hit him when he saw the trees shift slightly away from the intruders. He knew it would happen, but it still unnerved him.
The group rounded a corner and came to the intersection. A weathered sign, partially covered with vines, pointed straight ahead for August Township. Jacob hadn’t noticed it last time he was in that forest, and probably because he’d been so distracted by the swarm of bugs chasing him.
He couldn’t help the excitement that crossed over him, mingled with nervousness. He could very well meet his first Shiengol that night! These were creatures he’d heard a ton about—they had to be amazing!
“Let’s put a door here,” Ebony said, pulling one out of her knapsack. Jacob noticed that the Makalos had put legs on the back of it—probably to
support it without a wall. She handed it to Akeno.
Akeno held his arm out straight, squinted, and dropped the door. It appeared about twenty feet away, and Jacob and Aloren rushed forward to drag it into the undergrowth. The trees freaked out, but the two of them were quick at getting it into place, so no real harm was done.
Jacob pulled out his sword and threatened the trees with it. “You’re going to feel very silly when you realize you’re fighting for the wrong side.”
The others chuckled, and Aloren marked the location and number of the door on her map.
They continued on. Ebony was right—the trail didn’t lead them anywhere near the manor, and Jacob was relieved that they didn’t see any snakes.
Two hours later, they stopped for a break at the end of the forest, sitting on top of a big hill which overlooked a small valley. A thin forest blanketed a large part of it, and on the other side, the walls of what must have been August Fortress rose between the trees.
Jacob couldn’t stop gawking at the fortress. It was magnificent—tall, without adornments, and very demanding. Imposing, actually, compared to the land. If he’d been involved in its design, he would have chosen something that graced the countryside, rather than dominated it.
“So, that’s August Fortress?” He looked at Ebony for confirmation.
“Sure is.”
How were they going to break in? Winding walls of brick and stone merged with rock outcroppings all over the other end of the valley. It looked like a maze, and Jacob couldn’t tell if the outcroppings were put there by the Shiengols or by nature. Ebony answered his unasked question.
“Most of the walls are natural. A few hundred years ago, that mountain behind the fortress,” she pointed to a large, craggy hill with a dip in the top, “was a volcano. The top of the mountain burst off when the volcano erupted, and rocks landed everywhere. The Shiengols incorporated them into their defense.” She folded her arms. “‘Course, they didn’t really need defense. Nothing could beat a Shiengol.”
Jacob had to say it. “Until the Lorkon.”
No one responded.
He sighed. “Where should we begin?”
“We’ll put another door here,” Ebony said, handing one to Akeno.
After it was set into the forest, out of sight, Ebony started down the hill, followed by the others.
The group waded through nearly waist-high grass. Jacob held his hands out, feeling the tops of the grass hit his palms as he passed. He jumped when something large at his feet moved, but relaxed when he saw bright blue petals. It was a flower Akeno had introduced him to when they’d gone to get the Key of Kilenya. According to Akeno, the petals—which the Makalos used to season foods—continued to wiggle in your mouth when you ate them. So disgusting.
Akeno laughed. “It’s just a reca flower.”
“What did you call it?”
“Reca. That’s their name.”
“This one is huge.” Jacob knelt beside it, examining the vivid petals. It was shaped somewhat like a pansy from Earth.
Ebony got down by him. “I’ve never seen a reca get this big. And yes—they’re really quite tasty.” She motioned for Jacob to go ahead and try one.
He hesitated, then decided it probably wouldn’t kill him. He reached for the plant and tore off a corner of one of the petals—smaller than bite-size. He let it fall into his palm and watched it wiggle. “That’s so gross.”
“Creepy, as Matt would say,” Aloren said, watching over Jacob’s shoulder.
Jacob laughed. “Yes, creepy.” He inspected the petal, then popped it in his mouth, chewing. Nothing happened. “I can’t taste it.”
“Are you positive?” Ebony bent to examine the plant. “That’s interesting.”
“Maybe I should try a bigger piece?”
She didn’t answer his question. “It’s possible this plant is too old—maybe the flavor has left.”
Aloren shook her head. “They don’t lose flavor as they get older.”
“I didn’t think so.” Ebony crossed her arms, contemplating the plant. “Have they been changed somehow?”
Suddenly a sensation of vertigo hit Jacob so strongly it made him fall, knocking the wind out of him, the world spinning.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” The cold sweat that hit him confirmed this. He rolled away from the others just before his stomach emptied itself. He was vaguely aware of Ebony patting him on the back and Akeno and Aloren standing together, watching. Awkward.
He coughed a few times, clearing his throat. Akeno gave him water, and he rinsed his mouth and sat up. The dizziness slowly dissipated. “Wow. Sorry ‘bout that.”
Ebony was inspecting the reca flower. “Why would it make you become ill? And why couldn’t you taste it?”
“Maybe it’s not really a reca,” Akeno suggested.
Aloren shook her head again. “It is. I see them this big near Macaria all the time. And they’ve never made me sick before.”
Jacob took a few deep breaths, waiting for his heart to slow and his stomach to calm down. After a moment, he realized with surprise that he felt completely fine.
“Weird.” He slowly got to his feet. “I feel great now.” As if nothing had happened. He took a few more swallows of water, then held his hand out to Akeno. “And I’m starving. Can I have some jerky?”
Akeno gazed at Jacob like he was crazy, then handed over the knapsack. Jacob rummaged through it, insisting he was fine and they needed to keep going. He found the bag with beef in it and popped a good-sized chunk in his mouth, then knit his eyebrows.
“I can’t taste this, either.”
Aloren knit her eyebrows. “Is something wrong with you?”
Jacob sighed with exaggeration. “No, of course not. Here, you try.” He handed the bag to Aloren.
She fished out a piece and ate it. “It doesn’t have any flavor.”
Ebony glowered. “It does too have flavor—I made it.” She snatched the knapsack from Aloren and sniffed. “Smells fine.” She sampled a chunk, then frowned. “Odd.”
She lowered the bag, her expression changing from irritation to frustration, then shock. “The Lorkon. I wonder if they’re behind this. They must be!”
“But how?” Akeno asked.
“It’s the area. Maybe it’s one of the traps? If so . . .” She gasped. “Those reca plants are probably poisoned!” She turned to Jacob, grabbing his arm. “What was your first instinct when you couldn’t taste the petal?”
“To eat a bigger piece.”
She nodded. “What you did have was very small, and you got sick—imagine what would’ve happened with a much larger section.”
“It would’ve killed him, probably,” Aloren said.
“That is so brilliant,” Akeno said. Ebony scowled at him, and he ducked his head. “Sorry.”
Jacob motioned to Aloren. “Maybe we should put it in the journal.”
She nodded, pulling the book out of her bag, then hesitated. “How do we know where the trap starts?”
“Just mark the general area,” Ebony said.
Jacob looked over the meadow around them. “Include a note not to eat anything from the land here. We need to assume that everything edible is poisoned.”
Ebony tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she gazed at Jacob. “If this really is a Lorkon trap . . .” She paused. “Jacob, you aren’t immune to it. And you probably won’t be safe from the rest around the fortress either.”
Jacob raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t thought of that. He’d relied heavily on his resistance to Lorkon traps in the past, but if Ebony was right, he’d struggle just as much as the others in their group.
After a few more minutes of walking, they came across many, many more recas. Jacob shook his head, wondering how many people had died here, eating these things. He couldn’t help but wonder how the Lorkon had poisoned them. Was it genetic modification? Or could it have been like the scented air and more of a blanket potion that covered the area?
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Soon, the meadow of flowing grasses ended and the group entered the thin forest, placing doors every hundred feet around the edge of the forest—making sure there were plenty of ways to escape. Jacob kept his eyes open for potential problems—Lorkon, Molgs, Dusts, and other dangerous creatures—occasionally looking at the fortress through breaks in the trees to judge how far they’d come in relation to it.
As he stared at it, he noticed something odd and paused, the rest stopping as well.
“Can you see the glow around the fortress?”
Ebony squinted, shading her eyes. “No.” The color swirling in the air around her changed to a light yellow-green—interest. “Describe it.”
Jacob frowned in concentration. “It’s not really a glow. There are a ton of different colors, swirling together. Very bright colors. It’s like . . . emotions! I can see emotions coming through the walls! I’ve never had that happen before.” How cool! He beamed, meeting eyes with Ebony.
“The Shiengols!” Ebony said. “It has to be them.”
Jacob nodded. “Awesome! I can’t believe I can see them this far away!” The group was at least two miles from the fortress.
Ebony snorted. “Doesn’t surprise me. They’re rather . . . exuberant in the way they feel about things.” She looked at the fortress. “What are the colors you see?”
“Red—angry.”
“Makes sense.”
“Green—excited. That’s odd. Why would they be excited? They’ve been in the same place for a long time—I hardly think that’s worth getting excited about.”
Ebony shrugged and Akeno and Aloren exchanged glances, looking as intrigued as Jacob felt.
“Also, they’re sad. And disgusted. There’s some fear, too—that’s the bright yellow.” He rubbed his chin as he tried to make out the rest of the colors. “There are some very deep colors, too. Harder to make out. Depressed, bitter, and a little thrilled.”
Aloren chuckled. “You’re like a palm reader.” She grabbed his arm, getting his full attention. “What emotions am I feeling right now?”
Jacob flushed at her touch, but recognized she wasn’t flirting with him. He wished she were. “You’re a little nervous and slightly bored.”
“No, I’m not!” She swatted at him and he jumped away, laughing.
“All right,” Ebony said. “Let’s keep going. I think we’ve set up enough doors around the perimeter. We’ll see if we can get in closer.”
After a few minutes of walking, Jacob started feeling restless. Jumpy, even. It took him a moment to figure out why. It was like they were being watched, and not just by one person or creature, but by hundreds. He couldn’t help the shudder that came over him.
A few times, he swore he saw eyes on either side of them, marking their progress, but when he looked, all he saw were thorny bushes.
Even the bushes were somewhat different. Not their height, which was knee to thigh high, but their branches, circling in on themselves, surrounding a center mass. Nearly perfect spheres. And the strangest thing—all of them had a slight green glow. Was it because of the leaves? Jacob didn’t think so. It reminded him too much of the emotions he saw coming from people and intelligent creatures. But undergrowth doesn’t have emotions, right?
“I think I’ve seen this kind of bush before,” Aloren said.
Ebony nodded. “Yes, I’ve been thinking the same.”
Jacob paused, peering at one. He decided to voice what he’d discovered. “They’re glowing.” The others looked at him. “They are. A green color—excited, or happy.”
“Emotions?”
“I don’t know. Why would plants have emotions?”
“I can’t see anything but their natural colors,” Aloren said.
Akeno stopped walking. “That’s it. I can’t stand it anymore. I have to know what’s around us.” He stepped to a tree, putting his left ring finger on it. A shocked expression crossed his face.
“What is it, son?”
“We’re surrounded. Completely surrounded!”
Jacob started, his heart pounding, and looked into the bushes. “By what?”
“Tarri!” Aloren yelled, jumping to Ebony’s side. Akeno did the same and Jacob followed suit, not sure what was going on, but wanting to stick to the others.
Ebony drew her sword. “Get your weapons out.”
Aloren pulled two long knives from sheaths on her thighs, and Jacob found himself wishing he was wearing his father’s armor. At least he had his sword. Though, with only two lessons, he wasn’t sure how effective it would be. “What are tarri?”
“There’s one.” Aloren pointed.
Jacob turned. The thigh-high bush moved, and he gasped.
It rolled, unfolding tons of branches that surrounded a dense circle in the center. A face with two sets of eyes and sharp teeth appeared in the middle of it. A moment later, the branches finished unfolding, and Jacob’s mouth popped open. Arms! They were arms! How many did it have? At least fifteen, maybe more, coming out on all sides.
The creature paused and glared at Jacob and his friends. It spoke something unintelligible and the entire forest around them shivered, then stirred. Jacob squeezed in closer to the others as hundreds, if not thousands, of bushes moved.
He knew he’d felt eyes watching!
The first tarri spoke a few more garbled words, and Jacob shifted his grasp on the hilt of his sword.
“Everyone, backs to each other!” Ebony yelled. “They’re extremely dangerous and fast. Make sure to use your water!” She pulled out her canteen with the hand not holding her sword.
Water?
All at once the tarri attacked, rushing forward and surrounding the group. Jacob yelped when a branch—an arm—whipped him across the knees, and he knocked the creature away. It was surprisingly light, even with all the branches. As soon as it was gone, two more jumped at him. He tried kicking them too, but one of the little beasts grabbed his ankle, causing him to stumble into Aloren. He struggled, finally getting out of the thing’s grasp.
Jacob swung his sword back and forth, swiping at the tarri. He found himself wishing he had daggers like Aloren’s—his sword was too long, and he almost hit the others several times.
“Your water—use it!” Ebony called.
He heard splashes and Ebony yelled in rage, her sword making swishing sounds through the air. Tarri all around them hollered in pain, more garbled screams issuing from their mouths.
Jacob pulled out his water bottle, then knocked a tarri away from Aloren, who was busy with her daggers. “How?”
“Pour it on them,” Ebony said.
Akeno growled, scrambling to get away from one of the tarri. “I thought plants like water!”
“Not these!” Ebony shrieked.
Jacob undid the top of his bottle, then shook water on the nearest tarri. It hissed, two of its brown eyes turning black, and backed off. Several more took its place, and Jacob sprinkled them as well. They dashed off.
The rest of the group did the same, Jacob noticed, with similar results. But it didn’t seem to matter how many creatures got wet—there were hundreds more streaming in.
“I’m out of water!” Aloren called.
Jacob used the rest of his on some of the beasts near her, then yelled that his was gone too.
Aloren stabbed at one of the tarri, then swung around, attacking several near Jacob. “We can’t hold them off any longer!”
Jacob yelled when one of the creatures bit him on the arm. He shook it off, then drop-kicked it away. “This isn’t possible! There are too many of them!”
“To the fortress!” Ebony shouted. “Fast!”
The group rushed forward, kicking tarri out of the way, prying the things off each other’s backs. Akeno tripped and fell and Jacob turned back to grab him, throwing the Makalo over his shoulder. Several tarri clung to the boys, whipping both of them with their long, branch-like arms, getting in bites wherever possible.
Akeno called out in pain and swung hi
s legs and arms wildly, beating the creatures off as best he could.
Jacob caught up to Aloren and Ebony and joined them in forcing a path. He swung Akeno from his shoulder, using the leverage to fling off the rest of the tarri.
Then, just as quickly as the attack started, it stopped.
The group fell to the ground panting, watching. The creatures were behind them, speaking angrily, trying to rush forward. But something was stopping them.
“Why aren’t they coming?” Jacob asked.
Ebony got to her feet, pulling out a cloth. “Looks like that’s the end of the trap—that’s as far as the Lorkon want them to go.” She wiped her face with the rag, then cleaned her blade. Then she got out a Kaede Sap package and treated everyone’s wounds.
After she finished, she put her blade and the leftover sap away. “Why didn’t we smell them? I would’ve known they were near if I’d smelled them.”
Aloren nodded, glancing up from the journal where she’d been taking notes. “Good point.”
“They stink?” Jacob asked.
“You wouldn’t miss their stench. It’s incredibly overpowering. Like sewage mixed with the smell of old socks and rotten eggs.”
Jacob stopped watching the tarri and wiped off his sword, then re-sheathed it. “I’m betting it’s another trap of the Lorkon.”
“It would seem so,” Ebony said. “In fact, I still can’t smell anything.” She rolled back on her heels, an intense expression on her face when the rest mentioned they couldn’t, either. “Jacob, the fact that you can’t smell them shows for certain you aren’t immune to these Lorkon traps.”
Jacob thought over that, then considered what else the traps meant. He got to his feet and paced. “I’m not sure if you guys realize it, but this is important. Five senses. Two gone: taste and scent. Three remain.” He counted them off on his fingers. “Sight, sound, touch.” He looked at Ebony. “Should we continue? We have to recognize that losing one of the other senses would be extremely dangerous.”
Ebony’s face clouded up as she apparently thought through the matter. “We would probably be fine without touch, assuming it’s next.”
Jacob shook his head. “No. Imagine if we got attacked by something. You wouldn’t feel the pain. You wouldn’t even know that something had touched you—you’d just keep going until you bled to death. And if you can’t feel your sword, or pain, or anything else, you’re as good as dead.”
“Good point,” Ebony said. “Taste and smell aren’t as strong as the others, yet the Lorkon exploited them well. We can expect the rest of the traps to be just as dangerous—if not more so.”
As if in reply, Jacob heard a roar, loud and ferocious enough to challenge any living creature.
Akeno looked at him, and Jacob saw fear in the Makalo’s eyes. “That sounded like a T. rex,” he said.
Jacob couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face. “How would you know what a Tyrannosaurus rex sounds like?”
“I’ve watched the movie Jurassic Park too, you know.”
Jacob laughed. “That’s fiction. People were guessing how they’d sound.” A chill went up his spine, even as he chuckled at Akeno’s reaction. A dinosaur? Here? Was it possible? And would they have to face it to get the Shiengols?
Ebony took a deep breath. “We’ve gone far enough. Let’s put a door here. Akeno, set up a couple of huts for us to sleep in. Make sure nothing can get through them, even yoons. In the morning, we’ll do as much scouting as we can to the left and right—without advancing—then go back home.”
Akeno nodded, pulled a door out of his bag, and enlarged it. Jacob and Aloren went to work disguising it with branches and vines in a section of underbrush. Jacob could tell Aloren was watching the foliage closely—he didn’t blame her. As long as eyes didn’t appear, though, they’d be fine, right?
As soon as the huts were complete, the group entered them, saying goodnight to each other.
The sun hadn’t even set yet, but Jacob didn’t want to be out in the open anymore. He thought over a conversation he’d had with his dad the night before regarding Kelson’s death. Aldo had witnessed it. He’d nearly been sobbing fourteen years ago when he told Dmitri what had happened.
What were Jacob and the rest up against?