Rise of Keitus (7 page)

“Who is he?” Matt asked.

Jacob shook his head. “Not Sanso. I’ve never seen this guy before.”

The adults joined Jacob and Matt at the wall and watched. Ebony and Sweet Pea returned, decked in armor and weapons. They scurried down the side of the canyon and jumped into the fight.

Jacob smiled eagerly, sure things would become even now that it was three to one. But the Ember God merely adjusted his technique. He had no problem keeping up with his opponents. He seemed to be more skilled than the Ember Gods Jacob and his friends had found in Maivoryl City. Flames dripped and spit at Sweet Pea and Ebony, forcing them to jump away. This obviously was what the Ember God wanted, because he grinned and fought only Gallus while the others were preoccupied with not getting burned.

A large man came running from the garden, carrying weapons. Jacob recognized him as one of the people he and the others had pulled from the scented air a few months back.

“Coren!” Dad called to the man. “Give me a sword!”

Coren tossed one to Dad and both of them joined the attack on the Ember God. Jacob’s jaw dropped as he watched the fighting intensify. This Ember God was seriously good. He didn’t seem to be bothered at all that he was up against
five
people, but used his flames to keep four of them away while focusing on one person at a time. He alternated between Gallus, Dad, and Coren.

Jacob and Matt met eyes.

“Why’d the Lorkon send just one?” Matt asked.

Aldo blew out a breath. “What I’d like to know is how he got here.”

Mom’s hands were shaking and she hugged herself, looking at the others. “It doesn’t make sense. There must be more, hiding somewhere.”

Jacob agreed. “I’ll Time-See and find out.”

He and Matt ran to Kenji’s house. Jacob figured that would be the best place, since it was away from the action and he wouldn’t get injured while gone.

It only took a couple of seconds to see that the village was empty of any other threat. But as he was pulling back, Jacob noticed something outside of Taga Village, near the entrance. A small creature, built like a hairless, cat-sized squirrel, was cautiously exiting the forest.

Jacob’s lip curled when he saw an extra arm with a four-fingered hand on the creature’s back. Ugly. It pointed to the village entrance and the creature dashed in that direction, entering the short tunnel.

Jacob followed it with his Time-Seeing eyes and watched as the thing started picking at the wood Jacob had sealed into place last year. A moment later, several more of the creatures joined the first. He watched them with fascination, then realized they had to be Yoons—the Eklaron animal that broke through magical barriers.

The creatures were only at it for a couple of seconds before a Lorkon joined them, followed by the huge wolves. He pulled out a bag with various instruments and tools spilling out of it.

Then it dawned on Jacob. The Ember God was a distraction. The Lorkon wanted to break into the village without being noticed.

Jacob pulled back to Kenji’s place and found Matt still there, waiting. “What did you see?”

“There’s a Lorkon trying to get into the village!”

“Are you serious?” Matt followed as Jacob ran from the house. “What do we do?”

“Get Dad. I don’t know if we can stop the Lorkon, but we have to try.”

They reached the canyon ledge just as Gallus stepped away from the Ember God, who was on the ground near the tree. Matt and Jacob scaled down the canyon wall as quickly as they could. The Ember God was dead—Jacob barely noticed this before grabbing his dad’s arm.

“He was a distraction! There’s a Lorkon trying to get into the village right now!”

Dad spun, motioning to those who fought with him. “Let’s go.”

He and the rest dashed up the trail toward the entrance. Jacob and Matt followed—Jacob knew they wouldn’t be a lot of help in an actual fight, but at least he could use his abilities to reinforce the entrance or slow things down.

Jacob wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting to see when they got there, but the entrance looked just as it had last time he’d seen it—strong, secure. He closed his eyes and Time-Saw to the other side, but the Lorkon, wolves, and Yoons had left. He spotted them running away, already halfway through the infected forest.

Jacob returned to this side of the entrance. “They’re gone. Looks like they’re heading back home.” He put his hand against the wood he’d sealed in place, sensing his own magical touch, and turned to Dad. “It’s just as strong—they didn’t do anything to it.”

“Probably testing our defenses.” Dad shook his head. “I don’t like this.”

Gallus popped his neck, then stretched his arms and put his sword away. “We need to have a guard here round the clock, as well as posting a constant watch up in the tree.”

“Yes, good idea.” Dad looked at Jacob. “And you’re going to have to keep your eyes on the Lorkon all the time from now on. We can’t be surprised like this again.”

Ebony frowned. “What I don’t understand is how the Ember God managed to get into the village in the first place.”

“I bet it was through me.” Jacob felt his face redden. “I’ve gotten relaxed about shutting links immediately after using them.”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “Time-See into the past and make sure you’re correct.”

Jacob nodded, then did as his dad asked. He followed the Ember God, watching as the man slipped through the door of Gallus’s house while Jacob and Gallus were in the kitchen gathering Canush a couple days before. Jacob took a deep breath, then returned to the present.

“He went through the link earlier this week while Gallus and I were getting Canush.”

“Why did he wait to attack?” Ebony asked.

Dad rubbed his arms, which were probably sore from the fight. “I’d guess he wanted all of the ‘important people’ in one spot. Easier to keep track of that way.” He shook his head. “We can’t afford this sort of carelessness.”

Gallus stared at the ground, and even though he looked angry, Jacob could tell by the colors around him that he was more embarrassed than anything. “It’s just as much my fault as Jacob’s.”

Ebony sighed. “The fact is, we’ve all relaxed. The Lorkon haven’t put forth any efforts lately to get to us. We all need to be more diligent, to remember the danger we’re in.”

Jacob looked at his feet. “And I won’t allow it to happen again.”

Dad clapped him on the shoulder. “They’re right—it’s up to all of us to be more careful, not just you. But ultimately, you’re the one in charge of the Key.”

He didn’t go on, but Jacob got the drift anyway. The responsibility was on his shoulders to make sure what happened that day wasn’t ever repeated.

They returned to the tree and the dead Ember God. Dad didn’t want anyone to have to bury the guy, so he had Akeno shrink the man and enlarge him on the porch of the town hall of Maivoryl City after Jacob created a link there. Jacob closed the door and Keyed Gallus, the Fat Lady, and Aldo home.

“Can I go somewhere fun this time?” Jacob asked Azuriah.

The Shiengol glanced over, an expression of skepticism on his face. “Like where?”

“I don’t know . . . maybe a really cool castle, or when my dad fought someone and won by a lot.”

Azuriah retied a sash around his long robes. “Go to your parents’ wedding.”

“Are you serious? A wedding?”

“Personally, I don’t see the point in going anywhere ‘fun.’ And their wedding would be educational for you—you need to learn about the social customs of Gevkan. While you’re there, try talking to someone. It would be good for you to adjust to that aspect of Traveling.”

Jacob sighed and got in his usual Time-Travel position: standing straight, hands at his side, staring ahead. He felt himself leaving the present time and he ended up in a quiet hallway in the castle the Lorkon now inhabited. Following the sounds of laughter and music, he walked around a corner, down some steps, into another corridor, and stepped inside a huge room that was full of people. A couple stood at the front. Jacob recognized them immediately as his parents. The woman, Mom, wore a light blue dress. She was so young! And Dad wore a matching light blue suit with all sorts of fancy decorations all over it.

Jacob stayed in the rear and leaned against a wall as someone who looked like Aldo asked Mom and Dad to repeat things while holding hands. They gazed into each other’s eyes, listening to the man. This was something Aloren or even Amberly would like, but Jacob quickly got bored. He spent the next several minutes looking at other people. Many were dressed in robes and very rich-looking clothing. Others were in drab browns and creams.

An older man strolled into the room, catching Jacob’s attention, and paused in the back.
This
was Aldo! Jacob almost called out, but caught himself in time. Was he sure it was him? It certainly looked like him. Jacob frowned, staring. It
had
to be.

But what about . . . ? Jacob looked at the man in the front again.
He
looked like Aldo, too. One of them was the real guy, right?

Jacob compared them to each other, then finally decided the guy in the back had to be Aldo. Then he smacked his forehead as he remembered something—Aldo had a brother named Ezra. Weren’t they twins?

Realizing he’d just hit himself in public, Jacob shrank against the wall, hoping no one had noticed.

It looked like Aldo had, because he approached, a twinkle in his eye. “Did a fly land on your face?” he whispered.

Jacob stifled a chuckle. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Aldo tilted his head, holding Jacob’s gaze. “Do I know you?”

Jacob’s insides froze. “No . . . I don’t think so.”

But Aldo shook his head. “I have to know you. Where are you from?”

A tightness started in Jacob’s heart and slowly circled outward, reaching to his lungs. He coughed, trying to get it to go away. That didn’t work, and the tightness began burning.

Aldo reached for Jacob, almost like he was about to give him a hug, then dropped his arms, embarrassed. “Sorry. I must know you—I feel like you’re my long-lost son. Though that doesn’t make sense.”

The burning increased until it made Jacob double over. It felt like someone had kicked him in the chest, then twisted their foot on his skin. Realizing he was about to be torn from the past, he dashed around the corner and into an empty hallway where he stopped, gasping, trying to control the pain in his heart. The agony increased with every breath, though, and he had no choice but to go back to the present.

“What happened?” Azuriah asked, scowling. “You flickered in and out of view, and I almost took you by the head and pulled you back.”

“I ran into Aldo and he recognized me. It freaked me out—made me return.”

“What else were you doing?”

Jacob straightened, pushing on his chest, testing things. “Nothing. Just talking to him.”

“If you were about to do something that would affect the future, your magic knew it, and it forced you to come back. I repeat:
what
were you trying to do?”

Jacob grunted in frustration. “Nothing! I swear. I just saw Aldo and he said he recognized me.”

Azuriah’s scowl deepened. “You’re being insolent. Remember the rule? You can’t do anything in the past that will affect the future. Did you see something you wanted to take home with you?”

Jacob clenched his jaw. Azuriah hadn’t been much of a jerk lately, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be. “Of course not! How stupid do I look? I’m not a thief. And I
don’t
remember ‘the rule.’ You haven’t taught me that one yet. The only thing we’ve worked on is Traveling farther in the past and lengthening my stays.”

Azuriah whirled away, his bright red robes flashing. “Jacob, we’ve gone over this before. But obviously, you’ve forgotten.”

Jacob dug his fingernails into his palms. They hadn’t talked about any of this, but he realized that arguing with the Shiengol would only make things worse. “Then re-teach me.”

Azuriah kept his back to Jacob. “You are permitted to Travel insomuch as you never, ever try to change the outcome of events. You are allowed to walk among others, converse with them, research, do basically anything you can now. But if you ever tried something that would alter the future—even something so simple as straightening a picture—your magic would force you to return to the present.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Jacob said. “To what extent are we talking here? I mean, straightening a picture is hardly disruptive.”

“If, as a rather ridiculous example, a servant’s life depended on how straight that picture was, and fixing it would cause him to stress and wonder if someone else was doing his job and he was about to be put to death, and that in turn upset the balance of the rest of the servants, you wouldn’t be allowed to straighten the picture.

“Here’s what you need to remember: If your magic lets you complete an action, then you know it won’t be causing disruption.”

Azuriah finally turned around. “The point here is to proceed with caution at all times. Give yourself a way out of every situation. It’s possible for you to die in the past, and yes—that pain in your heart can and will increase until it kills you. Your body would stay there until it could safely return you without being noticed.”