Rise of Keitus (Kilenya Series, 4) Page 6

  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.”

  Jacob plopped onto one of the leather chairs in the library. “This is ridiculous. Why didn’t you tell me about this stuff before?” He put up his hands defensively. “I know you say you did, but honestly, I would’ve remembered it. It’s way too big of a deal.”

  “Regardless, now you know.” Azuriah reached down to help Jacob up. “Come on. Let’s try another time in the past. Somewhere else friendly.”

  “How about Gallus’s shop, before the Lorkon invaded?”

  “That’s fine.”

  And so Jacob Traveled back in the past by sixteen years. He looked around him in surprise—his magic hadn’t taken him to the store. He was in some little alley in Macaria—the white walls and dirt told him that much. Now to figure out where he was exactly.

  He walked out of the alley and with relief, recognized Gallus’s store on the other side of the street. Then he realized why his magic hadn’t taken him there directly—people were pouring in and out of the building. It was really busy, and seeing someone appear in the middle of the room would cause plenty of shock and suspicion—definitely changing the outcome of the future.

  Jacob strode across the street, anxious to see the store owner. With a twinkling of bells, he pushed the door open and entered the room.

  What he saw amazed him and warmed his heart. The people were happy. The overall color in the room was green—they enjoyed life. He shook his head. So much had changed since the Lorkon took over. Hopefully, Jacob’s group would be successful in restoring it all.

  Then he saw Gallus. The guy had hair—and lots of it! Why did he shave it all off? It was like an Afro! And so cool! Jacob stepped between shelves and stopped grinning like an idiot when Gallus turned toward him. No sense drawing attention to himself.

  He wandered down the aisle, looking at merchandise. He’d gone halfway when a black woman with long braids approached.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  Jacob shrugged. “I’m just looking.”

  She turned and stared at the items on the shelf, the colors around her showing confusion. “What are you looking at?”

  Jacob almost chuckled. On Earth, saying “I’m just looking” would tell the person you didn’t need help and to go away. “Nothing, really. I’ve never been here before.”

  Just then, Gallus walked up and put his arm around the woman’s waist and pulled her close. He gazed at Jacob, tilting his head. “You look an awful lot like Prince Dmitri. Has anyone told you that?”

  Jacob glanced away, cringing inwardly at the lie he was about to tell. “Uh . . . no.”

  “Well, you do.” Gallus smiled. “Anyway, we’re almost finished with another batch of Canush. Would you like to—” He frowned, staring. “You look like the prince, yes, but I’m positive I know you somehow.”

  Jacob shook his head and the tightness in his chest returned, making it difficult to breath. Not again.

  Gallus stepped forward. “I feel like I should still be a little upset with you for something you’ve done . . . but also that I should protect you. I . . . I apologize—I don’t understand any of this.”

  Jacob couldn’t get in enough oxygen to respond. He could only shake his head, wave goodbye, and struggle to the door, which he flung open. He ran across the street, grabbing at his chest, and barely made it to the little alley. It took every bit of his concent
ration to focus enough to get back to the present.

  Chapter Five: Odd Contraption

  Jacob slumped to the floor in front of Azuriah, still clutching his chest. “No good,” he gasped. “Can’t talk . . . to . . . people I know.”

  Azuriah started pacing. “Who this time? Aldo again?”

  “No—Gallus. He . . . he recognized me.” Jacob groaned, wishing the pain would fade. It held on much longer this time.

  “I don’t understand why this is happening.” Azuriah stopped, arms folded, and stared at the wall. After a moment, he shook his head and resumed pacing. “Doesn’t make sense,” he mumbled.

  Finally, the tightness in Jacob’s chest lessened, his breathing returning to normal. “It’s useless! There’s no way I’ll be able to study the Lorkon and see how they change themselves. They’ll recognize me immediately.”

  Azuriah nodded. He crouched down near Jacob, hands resting on his knees. “This doesn’t happen to Shiengols. We’re constantly aware of time as though it’s happening all around us—we recognize each other. It’s never caused us not to Travel before.”

  He straightened, pulling Jacob up. “Gallus and Aldo didn’t know who you were, did they?”

  Jacob shook his head. “No, but they were trying hard to remember. They recognized me, and it was like they experienced something emotional too, and that confused them.”

  Azuriah didn’t respond. His emotion colors switched from concern—yellowish—to thoughtful—a yellowy-green shade.

  Finally, when several moments had passed, Azuriah broke the silence. “Here’s what must be happening. They see you and recognize you for who you will be to them in the future, but it doesn’t make sense to them since they haven’t met you yet.” He turned and faced Jacob. “As you know and have already stated, this is going to cause a lot of problems for you. It’ll put a halt on your future studies unless you find a way around it.”

  Jacob nodded, but then stopped. “Wait. Me? I have to figure it out?”

  “Yes. I’ve got other things to do, and besides, it’s not my problem. It’s yours.”

  “But the Lorkon—they’re everyone’s problem, not just mine! And you’re my teacher!”

  Azuriah shrugged. “I’ve told you before—there are things I must take care of as well. You’ve got a good brain, and you’ve got strong minds at your disposal. Talk to your friends. Figure out a solution.” He walked Jacob to the door. “I’m leaving for a couple of days. Don’t come back until you’ve found a way around this.”

  “But what if there is no way?”

  Azuriah ignored him and Jacob growled to himself, stepping out of the fortress. That Shiengol was so, so stubborn! And how could he know this wasn’t a permanent roadblock? He wasn’t all-knowing, was he? Obviously not. The guy hadn’t even known Jacob would encounter this problem in the first place.

  Jacob kicked a rock, sending it flying into the garden nearest him, and stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. So ridiculous, this entire situation.

  Rather than go home, he decided to visit Aldo and the Fat Lady. They wouldn’t have a problem with him venting to them, and perhaps they’d help him resolve this stupid dilemma. He called Early and had her deliver a message, letting them know he was on his way.

  He Keyed from the tree to the Fat Lady’s cabin and walked down the narrow hallway into the living room. He practically skidded to a stop, though. There were stacks and stacks of books and papers everywhere. The place was so disorganized, Jacob couldn’t even see paths through the jumble of piles.

  “Hello?” he called out.

  “Jacob?” the Fat Lady responded. “Come around where I can see you.”

  Jacob gingerly stepped over a pile that had toppled and moved farther into the room, trying not to knock anything down. The Fat Lady came into view. “Is Aldo still here?” He figured the old man had to be, since Jacob had Keyed him to her cabin earlier.

  “Yup!” Aldo’s cheerful voice said from behind another stack. “You like what we’ve done with the place?”

  “Where did all the books come from?”

  “My cellar.” The Fat Lady fanned herself. Streams of sweat had tracked lines in the dust on her face and neck, her hair was a wreck—half of it had come loose from its bun—and her clothes had random handprints everywhere. Jacob stepped to the right where he could see Aldo too. The old man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, several open books surrounding him.

  “Any luck finding a cure for the bugs?” Jacob asked.

  “No, but we’ve got several leads!” The Fat Lady practically bounced with excitement. “Wanna hear them?”

  “In a minute, but first, I actually came to ask advice from both of you.”

  “Oh? About what?” She tucked a sweaty strand of hair behind her ear and looked at him curiously.

  Jacob took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He didn’t feel so annoyed with Azuriah now, and he tried not to let his earlier frustration return as he explained what had happened.

  “You ran into me in the past—twenty years ago, you say—and I recognized you?” Aldo’s face lit up, and the colors around him changed to a very bright green.

  Jacob nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I don’t remember any of that. How fascinating!”

  “Okay, but I’ve got to find a way to Travel to the past without people recognizing me.”

  The Fat Lady rubbed her chin. “I’ve got a theory as to what’s going on, but I need more information. When exactly did Gallus and Aldo start to recognize you?”

  Jacob chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking. “It wasn’t until they came close and talked to me directly.”

  “Do you think it was because we’d heard your voice?” Aldo asked, shifting a pile of books on his left to a more general, in-front-of-him position.

  Jacob shook his head. “You didn’t act weird until after I’d said a few things. I think it was while you were actually looking at me.”

  The Fat Lady squealed. “Yes, yes! That’s it. That’s what I was thinking.” Her hands waved in the air as she spoke. “You’ve got Shiengol blood in you—you know that now, right?”

  “Right.”

  “The Shiengol's magic is centered in their eyes. This is what it has to be: when people who know you now—in the present—get close enough in the past to actually look at your eyes, that’s when they start to remember you. But it’s not a real remembering. Like Azuriah said, they’re feeling the emotions they’d have for you in the future.”

  Aldo chuckled. “You said I wanted to hug you, huh? I must think you need comforting or something. Don’t worry—I’ve felt that way before, but it’s not a constant thing.”

  “So,” the Fat Lady continued before Jacob could respond. “We need to find a way to mask your eyes—keep people from recognizing you through them.”

  “I could create glasses!” Aldo jumped to his feet, knocking over one of his stacks. “I’ve always wanted to wear them, but don’t need to. Second-best thing? Making a pair for someone else!”

  Jacob laughed. “That sounds like a great idea.”

  The Fat Lady and Aldo then took turns sharing what they’d learned about the bugs. Jacob had been expecting it to be a lot, but it really wasn’t. However, the two were so excited about their findings that he left in much better spirits.

  Over the next couple of days, he Keyed back and forth from Taga to Earth, running errands for Aldo to hobby and craft stores in the valley where he lived.

  Finally, Aldo had a design ready for testing.

  “Be very careful with them,” he said, handing over the odd contraption.

  Jacob held them up, trying not to frown. They weren’t exactly what he’d pictured, but then, Aldo didn’t have a lot of experience with actual glasses.

  The lenses were square-shaped and had a slight brown tint to them—just like Jacob’s neighbor’s glasses. And she was a really old woman. The frames were made of wood and plastic intertwined awkwardly.

  “Go ahead,” Ald
o said. “Try ‘em on.” He was practically bouncing with excitement.

  Jacob placed the frames over the bridge of his nose and looked through the lenses. His actual vision didn’t change—the glass wasn’t constructed to correct things—but the frame was very uncomfortable. He wouldn’t be able to wear them for long.

  “Oh, so dashing,” the Fat Lady said. Jacob rolled his eyes.

  Removing the glasses, he handed them back to Aldo. “Is there a way to smooth down a couple of spots on them?”

  “Which spots?”

  Jacob showed the older man a few sections where the wood had pressed uncomfortably into his skin.

  “Easy enough! Give me just one second.” Aldo jumped over a stack of books and grabbed a box of tools, pulling out a knife. After hunching over the glasses for a moment, he handed them back to Jacob. “Try them out again.”

  Jacob put them on. “Oh, that’s much better.”

  “Great! Go ahead, see how they work.”

  Jacob cleared his throat. He’d only Time-Traveled in Azuriah’s presence so far, and wasn’t sure if doing it away from the Shiengol was allowed or not. But it would take too much time to walk to Azuriah’s fortress and back. “Okay.”

  He got in his familiar stance, stared across the room, and unfocused his eyes. He decided to go to the wedding again, but when he got there, he wasn’t able to enter the room. Then it dawned on him that he couldn’t be in the same room with himself. Since Aldo hadn’t been there right off the bat, Jacob decided to wait outside for the old man.

  He didn’t wait long—Aldo strolled down the hall, whistling to himself.

  He stopped when he saw Jacob. “You don’t like weddings much either?”

  Jacob peered up at the man, waiting to be recognized. “I guess not.”