Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (89 page)

“And we’re sure there won’t be any creatures or animals out there? Aside from the Cerpire?” Jacob wondered if he should mention what he’d heard last night. He decided not to—either they’d get attacked or they wouldn’t. Being paranoid would only make things much, much more difficult.

“Not entirely. We’re going off what Aldo said, of course. He doesn’t think big creatures would be able to cross the Argots. Small creatures are rarely dangerous.”

“And do the Argots surround the city?”

“Probably not. The fortress is right up against the mountains. The volcano eruption from a hundred years ago made the land impossible not only to live in, but to traverse. The Shiengols never had animal problems before. I assume it’s still the same.”

Jacob thought over this for a moment. “I’ve noticed something. The inhabitants of this world like to have only one point of entry for their castles. Even Macaria Castle is up against the lake.”

“Your world is the same,” Gallus said. His voice was muffled because he’d just stepped outside the tent. “Moats and walls and mountains and lakes. It’s a defensive tactic.”

Jacob nodded, then realized Gallus couldn’t see it, and laughed at himself. Of course, this made the others ask why he was laughing, so he told them what he’d done. “It’s frustrating, not being able to see.”

“I’m almost used to it,” Matt said, “but I can’t wait to get my taste back. I’m starving, and the food I’ve eaten isn’t doing anything for me. It’s like eating cardboard!” He paused. “I think.”

“Speaking of food,” Gallus said, “come out of the tent so I can pack it away. When I’m done, I want each of you to eat as much as you can handle. When we next get hungry, we probably won’t be able to feel our teeth and tongues, which could be quite dangerous. You never know if you’re biting your tongue off or not.”

Jacob and the others filed out, and Gallus somehow packed the tent up without seeing what he was doing. They sat in a circle and Gallus had Jacob divvy up the food, since he knew where everyone was sitting.

“I wish I had a Braille watch,” Matt said. “And I wish I could read Braille.”

Sweet Pea laughed at him, but Jacob could see his brother’s point. It sure would’ve made things more convenient.

“So, what’s the plan?” Akeno asked.

Gallus’s deep voice reverberated in the small space between the walls. “Akeno, make sure you keep your plant in your hands at all times. And we’ll need to be attached to each other again—in a row, with Jacob in the lead. Jacob, you remember the footstep sequence for how to get to the fortress, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Good.” Gallus’s emotion colors rose, showing he’d gotten to his feet. “Let’s get going.”

As soon as everyone else was ready, Jacob put them in the same order as before, then he and Gallus tied them all together.

“Whatever happens,” Gallus said, “Keep moving and keep talking, if you can.”

Jacob agreed. How they would make it out of this, he didn’t know. He raised his face to search for their Minya, again out of habit. “Early? Are you there?”

A flicker of green—her emotion for happiness—flitted next to him. “Yup!”

“Does Aldo have any last-minute instructions?”

“Let me check.” A minute passed, then her tiny voice returned. “He hasn’t seen the Cerpire for a long time, but doesn’t think that means it’s not here anymore. He also says you’ve done very well so far, and he’ll be giving me orders every now and then to help, but that you probably won’t know it once you’re in all the traps.”

Jacob nodded. “Okay, well, stay close. I might need you and Aldo to help me find the way if I get disoriented. Remember this: straight for thirty, turn right then walk seven, right and fifteen, left and twenty-seven, left and one hundred thirty.”

“Will do!”

Warmth radiated through him at the tone in her voice. She was a great messenger. “Is everyone ready?” he asked.

A chorus of “yes” returned to him and he faced forward, glad he had a good internal sense of direction. “Oh, and Akeno—are there any living creatures out there?”

No response for a moment, then, “Nope. Just the Argots. The area in front of us is empty of anything living.”

“Okay, then. Let’s go. Straight for thirty.”

Jacob started forward, making sure he took normal-sized steps.

At five feet, the next trap made its presence known.

Chapter 13. A Sixth Trap

J
acob stopped. He couldn’t feel the ground beneath his feet. He couldn’t feel himself swallowing. He couldn’t feel the rope around him any longer, and it was almost as if he were naked because he couldn’t feel his clothes. It was like he’d spent the day at the dentist’s, and that numb sensation had enveloped him completely.

He could, however, sense his movement. He lifted his hand, and knew his arm was rising. He could tell which way was up, and that he was standing. His body still knew its directions.

“Just entered the next trap,” he said.

“How is it?” Gallus asked.

Jacob shrugged, even though he knew Gallus wouldn’t see. “I can’t feel anything. But I know I’m standing, and I know when I’m moving.”

“Excellent.” There was a pause. “Can you sense the rope?”

“No. Or my clothes.”

Matt snickered.

“Wait until you’re here,” Jacob said. “You won’t be laughing anymore.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. But it’s funny. What if you
aren’t
dressed anymore?”

Jacob snorted in response, but an insane desire to back up and check nearly overwhelmed him. He didn’t want to lose his place, though. “Going forward. Each of you say something when you enter the trap.”

Jacob continued, counting out loud. His legs knew how far to go—at least, he trusted they did. “Six. Seven. Eight.”

After Akeno had gone through the trap, Jacob asked him to check again if there was anything living around them.

Akeno didn’t respond for a moment, then he said, “Oh, weird. It’s hard to find the plant when I can’t feel it. I know I’m touching it by the visions that enter my mind, but it’s going to take a while for me to adjust. And no—there’s still nothing.”

Jacob breathed in relief. “Good.” He continued walking forward.

One at a time, the rest of the group announced when they’d entered the trap. By the sound of the others’ voices, they were keeping up with Jacob just fine.

“Coming to the first turn,” he said. “We’re going right. The rest of you count your steps so you know when to turn.”

Jacob didn’t pause, trusting the others to follow his instructions. He kept an eye on the Shiengols’ emotions, making sure they were in sight as much as possible. They helped him know where he was in relation to the fortress. He announced the next turn, then followed it.

So far, so good.

Forward fifteen feet. Suddenly Jacob wasn’t able to move any longer. He turned, putting a mental bookmark in his place in the footstep sequence. “I’ve stopped.”

“Me too,” Matt responded.

“Is it because of me?” Gallus asked, his voice sounding muffled. “It feels like it might be me.”

“Aldo says Gallus is stuck behind a broken door,” Early said, her green emotions floating near Jacob’s head.

Jacob nodded. “Gallus? Did you hear that?”

“Yes. Can you guide me?”

“Yep!” Early said. “Step to the right. One more step. There.”

Jacob noticed that Gallus’s colors got brighter, probably because the door had partially blocked them from view.

“Everyone ready?” he asked. “Gallus, you should be able to continue.” Jacob faced forward again, glad when he felt himself moving. “Okay, we’re turning left now. Follow me, same as before. One, two . . .”

He kept track of the numbers as closely as he could, concentrating on their shapes in his mind—picturing them—and giving them colors just to help make them different from each other.

“Wait,” Early said. “Gallus—you’re off track again.”

“Oops. I apologize.”

Early guided the man back in line with the rest, and Jacob smiled at her barely-visible emotion floating in the air. It was so small! “Thanks, Early.” He resumed walking. “Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three—”

He paused when the emotions of the Shiengols suddenly appeared to his left, much brighter than before. His heartbeat doubled before he remembered it was them. He hadn’t noticed their colors disappear. It must have been very gradual, because their abrupt reappearance freaked him out.

He took a deep breath. “We’re coming up to our last turn. And the path leads directly to the fortress—the emotions of the Shiengols are especially strong right now.”

“That’s excellent,” Gallus said.

Jacob got to the corner, then paused. “Early, does Aldo have any last-minute advice? Pretty soon, we won’t be able to hear anything, so he should give it now.”

No response. Then, “He says you’re doing fine and that he’ll have me help you with a boost of magic if you need one. Your families all send their love.”

Jacob nodded. “Thanks. Akeno, would you check the area?”

“Yes.” The Makalo didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, “Jacob? I can sense the Cerpire. Not to scare you or anything, but it’s . . .” His voice cracked. “It’s really, really,
really
big.”

The others in the group moaned in dismay, and Jacob looked back. He wasn’t surprised at the fear and panic flowing in the air behind him. He nearly gave in to the panic himself, but all of a sudden, he felt the weight of the responsibility he held. It was up to
him
to make sure they made it out safely. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before addressing the others.

“Guys, we’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that,” Sweet Pea said.

Aloren sniffed. “At least we won’t feel pain when we die.”

“Hey!” Jacob said. “No one’s going to die!”

“And again, you don’t know that,” Sweet Pea said, his negativity surprising Jacob. “And you can’t say anything to make us feel better. Either we’ll make it or we won’t.”

Gallus sighed loudly. “Sweet Pea is right. Honestly, we just have to keep going.”

Jacob nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to need everyone’s help to remember what number I’m on—one hundred and thirty is too large to track, especially if anything distracts me. If you count with me, that would be great.”

“Do we know when the Cerpire will attack?” Akeno asked.

“No, we don’t,” Gallus said. “But the fortress is one hundred and thirty feet in front of us now, so we can assume it will come sometime before then.”

Jacob checked that everyone was still in line. “I can see your emotions—I’ll make sure you’re not going off to the side. And it’s a pretty straight shot—the Shiengols are directly in front of me. As long as I can see them, we should be okay.”

“Let’s go, then,” Matt said. “Take us to safety, fearless leader!”

Aloren giggled and Jacob rolled his eyes. “One, two, three . . .”

The others chanted with him. Then, when he reached fourteen, they stopped counting. The sudden silence was very unnerving. “Uh . . . guys, are—” He slammed his mouth shut. He couldn’t hear himself! He might not even have said anything, since he couldn’t tell what his mouth was doing. He still felt like he’d spent the day at the dentist’s, and not being able to hear himself made it worse.

He took a breath. “Okay,” he said, hoping his mouth was obeying his brain, “I’ve entered the last trap. Um . . . I’m just going to keep walking. I’ll keep track of the numbers in my head. Do the same, so you know where we are.”

The strong sensation that he was going mad filled his chest. He was talking to himself, but couldn’t hear it; walking forward, but couldn’t feel it, and leading people he couldn’t see. A sudden appreciation for what Kelson and the others had gone through flooded over him, along with the need to say thanks to Aldo for the information he’d given Jacob and the others before they left.

There wasn’t a pause behind him, so he continued forward, counting out loud even though he couldn’t hear himself.

“One hundred one. One hundred two. One hundred three.” Almost there! Where was the Cerpire? “One hundred four. One hundred five.”

Jacob paused when he sensed something he hadn’t felt in a long time—the ability to discern others’ magical powers. He hadn’t even realized this gift disappeared after he fought the Ember Gods a few weeks ago.

But now he felt it. And something was nearby. Something with a very strong, very large, very old magical pulse. He hesitated. The magic felt . . . distracted. Like it was being used up. Worn out. Exhausted.

Jacob realized what this meant. The Cerpire was nearby. And it was tired. Could that help him win the fight? It felt like the hair on the back of his neck rose, but he couldn’t be sure.

Suddenly, the emotions of the Shiengols disappeared. Jacob stopped in surprise, unsure what to think. Had they turned their feelings off? If so, how? He blinked several times, trying to clear his eyes, then looked up and nearly fell backward in shock.

The brightest red he’d ever seen hovered about twenty feet in the air above him.

The Cerpire had made its presence known. And it was
very
angry.

Jacob felt himself slide backward and couldn’t tell what had caused it. The Cerpire? Akeno?

There was a flicker of movement in front of him, and he blinked. It was almost as if something had pierced his blindness, returning his sight for just a moment. But only in fragments. He squinted, trying to see.

Another flicker.

A third flicker and the entire Cerpire shifted into view, though very hazy. Jacob could see it! He froze, completely unable to believe his luck. Was this like in the cave, when he’d fought the Molg? Akeno and Aloren hadn’t been able to see it until Jacob touched it. The Molg’s features had been easier to see, but at least Jacob wouldn’t lose track of the Cerpire.

Faint—very faint—details appeared. It had scales, as Jacob had expected, but fur as well. That was weird. The image flickered, and Jacob caught the color of the scales—bright blue-green.

Jacob stared up at the beast, at its emotion, its indistinct shape, wishing he could see the dinosaur’s face.

It didn’t move. Had it lost sight of Jacob and the others? He itched to turn to see the emotions of the rest of his group, but he knew that doing so would be disastrous.