Jacob keyed to the door number Early gave him. Gallus was waiting on the other side and led Jacob back to the makeshift camp they’d set up.
“I wish you’d been here when we first arrived,” he said, motioning to Jacob to enter a stick hut—obviously Akeno’s handiwork. “It would’ve been much easier, actually, to get ourselves out of jeopardy.”
Jacob stepped into the hut and found Aloren, Matt, Sweet Pea, and Akeno there, sitting around a small fire in the center of the space. He joined them, holding his fingers to the heat. “Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun.”
Matt laughed. “Yeah, after everything you’d said about Dusts, I figured Wurbies would be easy.” He shook his head. “They weren’t.”
Jacob sighed in disappointment. “Man, I hate missing out on things like this.”
Gallus pulled up a log and sat. “From what we heard, you had just as much excitement as we did—probably even more.”
Jacob nodded, then filled them in on what had happened. After he finished, Gallus told him more about the Wurbies’ desire to meet him.
“Fubble, the leader of the Wurbies, begged to meet you.” Gallus shifted forward. “They’ll recruit as many Wurbies as they can. They’ll gather in their main village—the one we’ll take you to—and in a year, will let us know they’re ready. At that point, you’ll key them to Taga, where they’ll receive further training.”
“So . . . we have at least a year before the war starts?” Jacob asked.
Gallus rubbed his forehead, then dropped his hand. “I hope we have more time than that, so we’re better prepared.”
“Sometimes it feels like it’s on the verge of happening.”
“I know. And either way, we can’t count on anything, really.” He got to his feet. “Let’s get going.”
Aloren rolled her eyes. “At least this time we’ll have Jacob—they can fall to the ground in excitement instead of tying us up.”
Gallus snorted—a half laugh—then got back to business and motioned for the others to gather their things. “Fubble has been waiting near the entrance to their village since we told him you were coming. It’s farther up the canyon. I’ll lead you there before coming back here.”
“You’re not coming?”
Gallus shook his head briefly. “No—I need to take note of everything that has happened. Besides, they don’t see me as a leader, so it won’t matter if I’m there or not.”
Jacob watched the man carefully, waiting to see if he was disappointed or annoyed at all by this turn of events. If he was, he covered it very well—including masking his emotions, even the colors in the air. Maybe he really didn’t care.
Jacob stepped out of the hut, taking a look around. The canyon had received a lot of snow since the last time he’d been there—everything was pristine. And the view of Sonda Lake and Gevkan was astounding. The water was an intense shade of blue. Maivoryl City had the typical smudge over it, and Macaria was just as white and bleached as ever. Dunsany Mountain was covered with snow and looked very dramatic.
Just then, Jacob noticed that the forest surrounding him appeared to have burned recently. He glanced up at the sky. “What about Lirone? Has he come? Will he?”
Gallus shook his head. “We’ve been watching. According to the Wurbies, he attacks every three or four days. This one happened two days ago—right before we got here. The Wurbies have a warning system in place and we’ll know when he’s on his way. Frankly, I don’t understand how they can live here, with him going on the rampage all the time.” He reached into the hut and pulled his bag out. “The skies are really clear right now—the Wurbies say he’s sleeping.”
“So, you’re telling me not to worry?”
“Exactly. Unless clouds form and you hear alarms going off.”
Good to know. Jacob stamped his feet on the trail, trying to stay warm, while Akeno finished unfolding the hut, letting the branches go back to their normal position. Gallus looked at Jacob, who nodded.
“Okay, let’s go see this Fub guy.”
“Fubble,” Aloren said.
“Your Highness, would you like to lead the way?”
It took Jacob a moment to realize Gallus was talking to him—the man had never referred to Jacob in that way before. He didn’t know how to answer. “Uh . . . why?”
“Because you are the future king of this land. You need to get used to people following you.”
Jacob felt his cheeks flush. He really didn’t want to walk in front of Gallus. “How about I go in the back, and the rest of you act like you’re escorting me or something?”
Gallus half-smiled. “As you wish. Though, let’s have Matt walk behind you. Let him get attacked by random creatures instead of you.”
“Hey!” Matt said. “I’m his brother—doesn’t that mean I should be treated better?”
Aloren jumped to Matt’s side, linking her arm with his. “And I’m Matt’s sister!”
Gallus only laughed, then turned and followed the trail in the snow. Aloren, Sweet Pea, and Akeno walked in line behind him. Jacob tried to see the expression on Aloren’s face, but couldn’t. He followed Akeno, with Matt bringing up the rear.
After five minutes of walking, Jacob heard a high-pitched voice up ahead.
“He coming? Coming? Where?”
Everyone stopped, and Jacob stepped into view. “Hi.”
He saw a bright flash of blue cloth, then felt something pelt him in the legs, knocking him into the snow. “Whoa! Hello.”
The short creature released him, then stepped back and pointed to himself. “Fubble the Wurby.” He shook his hands in the air, an expression of intense excitement on his face. “So glad! So glad you here!”
Jacob swallowed his laughter. “Nice to meet you, Fubble.”
“Sorry, sorry. Not Fubble. Fubble the Wurby.”
“Oh, I apologize. Nice to meet you, Fubble the Wurby.”
“Eeep!” Fubble’s hands turned into a blanket, which he put over his head.
Jacob felt red creep across his cheeks and his ears burned. He smiled sheepishly at Gallus. The black man shrugged. Jacob would really need to get used to this treatment.
Fubble removed the blanket and jumped away, his hands returning to normal. “Come! See Wurb!”
“Wurb?” Jacob asked, but Fubble had already dashed off.
“A baby Wurby,” Aloren said.
Gallus sighed. “They’ll only help us if you see Fubble’s baby. It’s ridiculous.”
Aloren frowned. “It’s a sign of respect and mutual agreement to Wurbies and Dusts alike. The Wurbies show you their most beloved possession—something that symbolizes the future—and depending on how you respond, it seals whatever deal was made. It’s a thing of trust.”
“Sounds more like a way for them to go extinct,” Matt said. “I mean, listen. How many babies have died after being shown to strangers who weren’t really the good guys?”
Aloren’s frown deepened, but Jacob could see his brother’s point.
“Anyway,” Gallus said, “the more support we show the Wurbies, the more support we’ll receive. Go ahead.”
He and Sweet Pea stayed behind while Jacob, Aloren, Akeno, and Matt rushed to catch up with Fubble. He waited near some stone ruins.
Jacob followed Fubble as he dashed under a half-crumbling arch, then stopped on a snow-packed road. Fubble motioned to the village around him, pride on his face, and Jacob’s eyes nearly popped out as he took in everything that surrounded them.
The buildings were . . . different. That was the first word that entered Jacob’s mind. Their construction was incredibly haphazard—nearly every kind of material he knew had been used. Stone, brick, wood, branches, rugs, tile, dirt, even plastic. How did they get plastic?
Everything was thrown together without an apparent plan, and many of the buildings had multiple items holding them together. Jacob laughed when he realized what must’ve happened—the Wurbies probably changed design a hundred times while working on the same project. It looked like they did the best they could, but he guessed their hands were like Dust hands—adapting to situations without the owner’s permission, and thereby shifting the focus.
The result was a village that was visually pleasing while also somewhat disorienting. Jacob wished he had his phone—he’d have to come back and take a picture sometime. He could stand there for hours, just looking at it all. One building was brick on one side, rope and branches in the middle, and what looked like a slippery slide on the other side. The brick was red and the slide bright blue. Another house looked like it had been built completely of leaves and banana peels.
Jacob jumped with fright when a Wurby rushed out to meet him, hands shaped like a spoon and a fork. He relaxed when he realized it must’ve been eating.
The next Wurby’s hands were normal, but the third’s were stuck in the hair of another Wurby . . . Jacob couldn’t figure out why. All of their faces were flushed. Some touched their mouths, lowering their eyes when he looked at him. Then they bowed.
Fubble started forward again, and the other Wurbies fell into line behind the humans and Makalo.
Finally, Fubble stopped in front of an edifice that had been created out of old statues, some tarp, and carpet. The tarp looked suspiciously like something from Walmart, but Jacob didn’t ask.
A female Wurby came out the door, one hand forming a blanket which was wrapped around a baby, the other tucked somewhere inside the cloth folds.
“My woman Wurby!” Fubble said, gesturing to her. “Her name are Tast!”
Tast bowed low. “Highness.”
Jacob nodded at her, not sure what else to do. “And the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Boy!” Fubble said, jumping up and down with excitement. “He are Pug!”
“Like the dog,” Matt whispered to Jacob.
Jacob waved his brother off, wondering what he needed to do to show his respect and desire to “seal the deal.” “Can I hold him?” he asked, reaching for Pug.
Fubble looked like his most favorite dreams were about to come true. “Oh, yes!” He motioned to Tast, and she handed the baby over. Jacob’s face flushed when he saw that one of her hands formed the baby’s diaper. His stomach flopped when he realized how much easier it would be to change the baby—she just had to wash her hand when the diaper was full. Disgusting.
Jacob gawked down at the ugliest baby he’d ever seen. Weathered-looking skin that was wrinkly and slightly browned; large, hairy ears; a nose similar to a pig’s. It did have one redeeming quality, though—eyes that were the biggest and bluest he’d ever seen, lined by dark, long eyelashes.
Pug returned his stare, sucking a thumb that had swollen slightly to fit his mouth. Jacob almost gagged at the sight of the large thumb, but smiled instead, handing the baby back to Tast. He noticed that Aloren didn’t seem as thrilled about the baby as he thought a girl would be. She probably thought it was ugly too. “He’s a nice little baby.”
“He are!” Fubble said, an expression of love on his face as he watched Tast and Pug go back into the home. He turned to Jacob, an expectant expression on his face. “You want something? Highness? What want?”
Jacob stammered when he realized this was the most important part of his visit to the village. “We . . . uh . . .” How was he supposed to sound official? He decided that being straight-forward was the best route. “Fubble the Wurby, we’d like your assistance in a war. Would you recruit Wurbies to help us?”
All joviality left Fubble’s face. “Sir, yes. We will.” He bowed low, swinging his arms to the side.
“Thank you. We . . . I look forward to our future communications.”
Fubble grinned, nodding his head emphatically. Then he lightly pushed Jacob. “You are go to home now!” His grin disappeared. “You are go to home now. Now.”
Jacob blinked. That was abrupt.
“Whoa,” Matt said. “Not one to beat around the bush, is he?”
Jacob opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Guess not.” He shook Fubble’s hand and said goodbye, then led the others away.
The Wurbies followed them to the city wall, cheering. Jacob glanced over his shoulder and waved back as he and the rest of the group trudged away through the snow.
After a few minutes, they caught up with Gallus and Sweet Pea, who were waiting near a door. The black man smiled at Jacob, and Jacob assumed it was because of the expression on his face, which was probably a mixture of shock, confusion, and surprise.
“So . . . what did you think?”
Jacob shook his head in disbelief. “That was interesting.”
Gallus nodded crisply. “Yup. But they’ll be a huge help in the upcoming months, possibly years.”
Jacob raised an eyebrow. “How? You saw their city. It’s awesome, but shows they lack concentration. They have almost no control over what their hands do, and they’re practically incoherent.”
Gallus glowered at Jacob. “Your Highness, you’ve got a lot to learn. A creature may not appear to be useful, but that doesn’t mean you turn them down when they’re excited and willing to be of assistance. Even the littlest, most incoherent creature can turn the tide against the Lorkon.”
Jacob looked at his feet, feeling smaller at that moment then he’d remembered ever feeling before. He wanted to disappear. “You’re right. Sorry.”
Gallus clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll teach you to be a leader yet.”
“Can we go home now?” Matt asked. “I’m absolutely starving. Not to mention freezing.”
Gallus nodded. “Yes, we’re done.”
Jacob keyed Gallus back to his shop, where the black man’s family was really happy to see him. He then took Aloren and the two Makalos to Taga, dropping them off at the tree, then he and Matt returned home. Jacob went straight to his room and shut the door, wanting some time alone.
Gallus was right. He had a lot to learn.