Ebony filled Jacob’s knapsack with fresh food before he left. The trip back with Early was just as quick as the trip to Taga, and soon they entered the same hall from which they’d exited. It echoed with shouts and loud crashes.
“Early! Early! Move him fast! Hurry!”
Early jerked Jacob upward just as a hand with long fingers swept through the air at him.
He yelled and clung to her arms, then watched in relief as whatever it was that had tried to grab him appeared smaller as he was raised higher. Early set him down on the shelf by the statues. Jacob scrambled toward the edge to see what was going on, but Early yanked him back, stopping him.
“September, what’s happening?” she asked.
“Don’t know. I was looking for honey and heard loud noises. A bunch of wolves and a Dust were attacking Akeno. You got here right after I did.”
“A dust?” Jacob said. “Dirt?”
“No,” Early said. “You saw the statue earlier. They’re creatures in this world.”
“Let go—I want to see.”
Jacob pushed Early’s arms away and jumped forward, dropping to his stomach and army-crawling to the edge of the shelf. Peering over, he saw Akeno brandishing a sword that was much too large for him, trying to protect himself. The wolves were snapping, growling, and barking at him. He was using the sword to fend them off, only taking a few swipes at the Dust every now and then. Jacob frowned. Why didn’t Akeno just use his Rezend?
The Dust was an odd-looking humanoid creature with large hands, small ears, and a big mouth. Brown pants were its only article of clothing. It was fast, but it didn’t seem to have rhyme or reason to its advances. It held two long knives that it was attempting to use as weapons against Akeno.
Jacob watched the way the Dust moved and realized that the only thing that made it any sort of a threat was its speed, and the fact that it was almost as big as Akeno. The Dust had no skill with the knives, and kept acting surprised to see them in its hands. Every time it swiped at Akeno, it looked down, saw the knives, yelled out, and jumped back a step or two before looking at Akeno again and resuming the attack.
September crawled up next to Jacob to watch as well.
“Does it have a short-term memory problem?” Jacob whispered. “It keeps getting surprised that it has weapons in its hands.”
Suddenly the Dust pivoted in place, yelling, and looked up at Jacob. “Said get human!”
Jacob was astonished to see the knives disappear to be replaced with hooves that the creature quickly used to cover the distance between Akeno and Jacob. The wolves also abandoned their attack and ran to the base of the wall. As soon as the Dust reached the wall and lifted its hooves, long-fingered hands appeared where the hooves had been, grasping the wall and climbing.
Jacob jumped to his feet and started to back up, but watched as the creature slid off the wall, staring at its hands.
“Fingers?” the Dust yelled. “Fingers? No fingers! Knives better!” It turned and screamed at the wolves. “I trying! It complicateder than looks!”
A loud crack sounded in the air, and the wolves and Dust fell to the ground.
“September! Early! Bring him down now! We have to go!”
Jacob was lifted in the air by both Minyas and flown to Akeno.
“Hold on to him. We’ve got to get out of the castle before they wake up!”
Akeno led the way toward the front of the castle. He raced around a corner and almost ran into a girl who was tearing down the hallway from the opposite direction.
“No, no!” she exclaimed. “You can’t come this way! There are tons of wolves coming into the castle through the front. We’ve got to go somewhere else.” She grabbed Akeno’s and tried to pull him with her, but he shook off her hand.
“Stop it!” Akeno blurted. “Who are you, and why should we go with you?”
The ferocious sound of enraged wolves echoed down the hallway in front of them. More angry noises came from behind as the wolves and Dust woke up. Jacob’s heart nearly choked him when he saw several wolves round the bend at the other end of the long hall, trapping the group.
“Run, run!” He tried to scream, but only squeaked.
“Okay, let’s go!” Akeno yelled.
The girl pulled Akeno down a side hallway, taking a couple of turns until they reached a heavy door. She shoved it open with both hands, revealing a descending staircase. Grabbing Akeno’s arm, she pulled him down a couple of steps, then turned and shut the door behind them. September and Early, carrying Jacob, barely made it through before they were plunged into darkness. Jacob was at once grateful that he didn’t have to worry about tripping over his feet on the way down the stairs. He could feel the Minyas speeding up as they followed the girl.
It was quiet for several moments except for the echoes of feet on stone. After a while, they stopped going down and moved forward into pitch-black darkness. Jacob widened his eyes as much as he could, trying to see anything. He hoped the girl knew where she was going.
The faint sounds of howling, barking, and growling wolves came from above. Jacob heard the voice of the Dust, though the words were unintelligible. They must have made it through the door.
“Give me your hand now!” the girl said.
Heavy footfalls echoed through the tunnel as Akeno and the girl started running. The wind streamed through Jacob’s hair and he knew the Minyas were keeping up, though he detected no movement. He opened his eyes—still couldn’t see anything. How did the girl not run into the walls?
The tunnel seemed to go on forever. The sound of the wolves was distant behind them, but growing louder.
The girl spoke and the footfalls slowed down. “We’re going to enter a very large room now. There’s a lot of water in the middle—do not touch it or go near it. Stay as close to the wall as you can, and follow me.”
The sound of their feet hitting the hard floor quickened, and the Minyas sped up again. Jacob glanced over his shoulder at the faint light glowing from a torch down at the other end of the tunnel. He barely made out the figures of the wolves and Dust running toward them.
“Hurry, hurry!” he urged the Minyas on.
They soon reached a point where the wall turned in and to the right, forming the first corner of the room. This section was longer than the first, and it took more time for them to reach the next corner.
Just as Akeno and the girl arrived at the second tunnel, the wolves and Dust entered the room. One of the Dust’s hands formed a lit torch, casting weird shadows in the oblong room and over the puddle, which was black as coal.
The wolves caught sight of them and rushed into the water. “No! No! No water!” the Dust yelled, but the wolves didn’t turn back.
The girl grabbed Akeno’s hand, pulling him into the tunnel as the room erupted in a frenzy of commotion. Loud roars echoed, and waves splashed everywhere. Hundreds of roiling things moved in the water, joining with the thrashing wolves as they tried to reach the other side of the room. The wolves howled and yipped, the Dust screamed, and the Minyas took off into the tunnel, following the girl and Akeno. They were soon enveloped in darkness. The howling and roaring coming from behind grew so loud, echoing in the tunnel, that Jacob had to cover his ears to block out the sounds.
After a few moments, the roaring stopped, and the shouting faded away.
The girl exhaled loudly. “I doubt the water got on the Dust—I’ve seen him before, and he knows this castle pretty well—but there’s no way he’ll be able to walk around the side of the room now. It’s too wet, which means nothing is following us anymore. Do you have a torch or something with you? I didn’t bring a light source with me.”
“No, but I’m a Makalo.”
The tunnel filled with the eerie blue light that emanated from Akeno’s finger.
“Oh, wow!” the girl said, slowing to a walk. “I’ve heard of Makalos, but I had no idea there were any here! And you’re still magical!”
Akeno laughed. “Yes, we’re still magical.
Not by much, though.”
“But why are you here?”
“Mostly because Jacob came.”
“Who’s Jacob?”
Jacob waved at the girl. “I am.”
“Who’s Jacob?” she asked again after a pause.
He waved both hands in the air, and the girl glanced at him. “I’m Jacob!”
“How did you get three Minyas?” she asked, still walking. “My mother was only able to catch one.”
Jacob scowled at her and yelled, “I’m not a Minya!”
No response. He cleared his throat. “Hello? I said I’m not a Minya!” Again, no response, and Jacob felt like kicking something. “Are you serious? How is it possible that you can’t hear me? Akeno, tell her.” He blew out a breath of air in frustration. “And can I go back to my normal size now? I’m tired of not being able to walk.”
Akeno shot a look at the girl before answering. “Not yet. The tunnel has too many curves in it. You’d only be about as tall as me if I were to try enlarging you right now.”
“This is really annoying,” Jacob said. “And my sides are starting to hurt from the way the Minyas are carrying me.”
The girl turned to walk backward, watching Akeno. She smiled, as if amused by the attention he was giving his three “Minyas.” Jacob scowled again.
Akeno moved the strap of his bag. “I’m sorry. Here, you can sit on my shoulder.”
“Yeah, that’s not embarrassing or anything,” Jacob said, giving in and allowing the Minyas to put him down. “Hey, you!” he yelled at the girl. “I’m not a Minya! I’m a human! And who are you, anyway?”
Either the girl didn’t hear him or she pretended not to hear him.
“Sorry, Jacob,” Akeno whispered. “Not many people outside the Makalos respect Minyas . . . or even address them directly.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Jacob said. “Anyone who actually looked at me would see that I’m human.”
Akeno sighed. “I know, but—”
“And I really don’t like being this little. It’s stupid.” Jacob looked at the Minyas, who were now flitting back and forth near the ceiling. “No offense to them, of course.”
He settled in for a long ride. Yesterday he had been excited to be shrunk again, but this wasn’t what he’d envisioned. And the tunnel seemed to go on forever.
Finally, after the umpteenth curve, they reached what Jacob hoped was the end. Stairs were cut into the stone, heading up.
The girl looked back at Akeno. “These stairs will lead us to a building not far from Gallus’s store.”
Jacob started. “Gallus! We need to talk to him!”
“Okay, we’ll do that before leaving the city,” Akeno said.
After climbing for several minutes, they reached the top of the stairs. The girl pushed a slab of wood away and peered over the top. Then she and Akeno crawled out, Jacob hanging on to Akeno’s shirt. The Minyas flitted through the hole behind the group. They entered a small, grimy room full of broken furniture, then went through a doorway into a slightly larger room with a big glassless window which overlooked an empty street.
“I need to set Jacob right again,” Akeno said. “Are we in danger of the wolves coming here?”
“No, we’ll be fine. It will take the wolves quite some time to find us. If they do at all.” The girl looked around the room as she spoke. “And who’s Jacob again?”
Jacob yelled out in fury, but Akeno’s “Never mind” covered his voice. He looked up and saw that Akeno was smiling, which made him even more irritated.
Akeno walked out the open doorway onto the street, took Jacob off his shoulder, and, using his Rezend, put Jacob down at least fifty feet away, returning him to his normal size. He watched Akeno go back inside.
Jacob brushed himself off and took a deep breath, getting ready to storm back into the building and tell the girl a thing or two.
The distance between himself and the old, run-down building quickly disappeared as Jacob walked up to it, and he sighed in exasperation when he heard the girl’s voice again, coming from inside. He leaned against the wall, feeling his determination waver. What would he say to her, anyhow? “Why couldn’t you tell I’m human?” That sounded stupid. He stalled for as long as he could until Akeno yelled out the open door. “Hey, Jacob, are you here yet?”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” Jacob scowled, mentally preparing himself as he entered the building.
The Minyas flitted around the ceiling, Akeno leaned against a wall, and the girl lounged in a broken chair. Her long hair was dark brown, and she had sparkly brown eyes. There was a dimple in one of her cheeks. She was cute, and his mind went blank, irritation forgotten. Cute girls did that to him, and he hated it.
“Jacob, this is Aloren. She wants to join us on our trip, and I think it might be a good idea.”
“Uh . . .” He looked away from Aloren and focused on Akeno. “What?”
Akeno just smiled, and Aloren jumped to her feet, extending a hand. “Akeno said you were with us the whole time we were running through the tunnels.”
Jacob dropped her hand, his frustrations coming back. His response was curt—there was no reason to have her on his side. “Yes. I was. Apparently you didn’t notice, though.” He turned to Akeno, scowling. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to have other people come with us?”
“I don’t see any harm in it,” Akeno said. “She was amazing at helping us get out of the castle alive. Besides, I’ve had a chance to talk to her. She’s looking for her brother who’s been missing for a while.”
Jacob raked his hand through his hair in annoyance. “What does that have to do with her coming? Honestly, Akeno, I don’t like the idea.”
“No, listen. It is a good idea. I think we can trust her, and she’s traveled the road many times we’ll be taking.”
“I can help you with any obstacles or other things you’ll come across,” Aloren said.
Jacob turned to her. “You expect we’ll have trouble on the road?”
“The chances are very high,” she said, nodding.
Jacob dropped his bag and folded his arms. “How often have you traveled the way we’re going?” He knew this was a silly thing to ask—if she lived here, she must have gone that way a lot. He pushed his thoughts aside, though.
“Six trips coming and going, and each time, we ran into trouble.”
“We who?”
“Me, and the people traveling with me.”
Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Did you stop to think that maybe the problems happened because you were there?”
Aloren thumped into her seat, glaring at him. “Of course it wasn’t because I was there. Most people die taking the trail to Maivoryl City. Maybe the trips were so successful because of me.”
Jacob raised his hand to run it through his hair again, but lowered it instead. “Can I talk to Akeno, please? Alone?”
“Fine.” Aloren stood, flipped her hair, and left the room.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Jacob motioned for Akeno to stand near the front door with him.
“Akeno, I trust your judgment, I really do, but I just don’t think this is a good idea.”
“It’ll be fine.” Akeno sat and pulled the tape dispenser out of his bag. “You need to talk to her. I don’t think she’ll cause problems for us.”
“And how do you know that? She’d probably slow us down, or make us need to be cautious about what we say, or—you know what? I’d bet anything the Lorkon sent her.”
Akeno snorted and started re-taping one of the leaves to his shoe. “After what happened at the castle, you’re worried she might be working for the Lorkon?”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “And you said you’ve read a lot of human books. It’s how it always goes. The good guy trusts some seemingly innocent person who only wants to help, but in the end, turns out to be working for the bad guy.”
Akeno was silent for a moment before responding. “It’s just a feeling I have. Besides, we don’t need to decide
right now. Didn’t you say we’re supposed to see Gallus again?”
“Yes, I did.” Jacob frowned, thinking. “Let me just talk to her and get a better idea of who she is.”
Akeno put the tape dispenser back in his bag and stood. “Okay.”
“It’s all I’m promising, though.”
“That’s fine. It’s a start.”
Jacob started toward the back of the room, then stopped. “Hey, Aloren!”
Her voice came from somewhere up above them. “Coming!”
After a moment, Aloren breezed into the room, giving him a look he couldn’t read. She half-smiled, her dimple showing.
Jacob watched her facial expressions, mostly her eyes, trying to sense if there was any dishonesty there. After a brief moment, he gave up. She was a very guarded person. He’d just have to talk to her.
Akeno leaned against the frame of the front door, watching them.
“Where are you from?” Jacob asked, sitting on one of the broken chairs.
“This city.” She kept her eyes on Jacob, but played with a section of her hair.
“How long have you lived here?”
“Most of my life.”
Jacob stood and paced. So far so good—she seemed to be answering his questions honestly. He couldn’t get the edgy feeling to go away, though. A cute girl—this was Matt’s arena, not his. Understanding the “mission” objectives had been easy. Get the Key. Read the journal. Figure out his ability. “Invite stranger to come along” wasn’t one of them. “Do you have any relatives here?”
“No, none.”
“Where are they?” Jacob turned to face her.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t have any, except my brother and my father—if they’re still alive.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirteen, almost fourteen.”
“And why, exactly, do you want to come with us?”
Aloren looked down and bit her lip, a troubled expression crossing her face. Jacob glanced at Akeno, who shrugged.
“My mother has been dead for a couple of months. She and my father were separated from each other years ago by the war, and my older brother went with my father. I don’t remember him or my father.”
“I, uh . . . I’m sorry,” Jacob said.
“It’s fine.” She took a deep breath. “Naturally, my mother wanted to be reunited with them. It just never happened. She was always in poor health and unable to travel. For the past few years, I’ve tried to find them by searching this and other valleys. The only place I’ve never been to is Maivoryl City. The groups I’ve gone with always run into trouble before getting there, and each time, we’ve had to abandon our quest.”
“I thought you said you’d been able to take the road six times,” Jacob said.
“Six times to Ridgewood, but never to Maivoryl City. No one ever makes it to Maivoryl City.”
“Why not?”
“We don’t really know. They never come back.” She looked at Jacob for a long moment, her eyes pleading. “Please, Jacob. This is really important to me. I know it might cause problems for you to bring me, but I really can help.”
“Well, give me time to think about it.” Jacob figured he’d first speak with Gallus before making any decisions.
Aloren stood and walked to Jacob’s side, giving his arm a quick squeeze. “Thank you.”
Jacob’s face flushed and he turned away, picking up his bag.