Sometime in the middle of the night, or what Jacob assumed to be the middle of the night, he was awakened by something shuffling outside the tent.
He bolted upright in his sleeping bag and grabbed the tent zipper, holding it down.
The shuffling stopped. Jacob couldn’t see any emotions through the fabric, so whatever it was must not have been intelligent. He didn’t know if this made him feel better or worse.
A moment later, the shuffling started up again and gradually got quieter until it disappeared.
Jacob waited several minutes longer, still holding the zipper. No one else had been disturbed by the sound, so why had it awakened him? He finally snuggled back into his sleeping bag, completely exhausted, but so wired he doubted he’d be able to fall asleep.
Sure enough, after what seemed like an hour of trying, he gave up. He decided to use the opportunity to practice Time-Seeing into August Township. Maybe his ability would allow him to see through the Lorkon traps.
He’d found a while ago that it worked best when he unfocused his eyes and told his body where to go and when. He did that now.
At first, he couldn’t see anything, so he concentrated, ignoring the chest pains that started. It seemed like he was standing near a tall wall, but he couldn’t be sure. A bit of light appeared to the side of him. He focused on that—it looked like the sun was rising. Excited, he turned back to the city, eager for the light to brighten the mass in front of him. But everything was so smudged and unnaturally hazy, he couldn’t make out any shapes. Nothing at all. He wasn’t even sure if the mess of rock and wall in front of him was part of the actual city. He frowned, perplexed. Had the Lorkon figured out his ability? Did they do something to make him unable to Time-See? Or were the traps powerful enough that he couldn’t pierce them?
The pain in his chest increased until he couldn’t ignore it anymore, and his body jerked him back to the present like a rubber band.
He fell asleep quickly after that.
***
Aloren’s voice pulled Jacob out of his dreamless sleep.
“All right, everyone. Get up. I’m tired of waiting.” A smile tainted her rushed words, and the emotions surrounding her were impatience and excitement. Jacob also thought he detected a bit of gratitude, then realized she probably didn’t think they’d make it through the night. “It’s morning now,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“How can you tell it’s morning?” The question came from Matt, his usual color of happiness, which was green, was tinged with a slight yellow—suspicion.
“My body says it is. We need to eat and get our things together.”
Matt sighed in exasperation, his green turning to a light pink. “Who died and made you queen?”
Jacob laughed, then jerked to a sitting position when the word “died” entered his brain. “Gallus? Are you awake?”
Gallus chuckled, probably at the panic in Jacob’s voice. “I am.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better—completely back to normal.”
Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good.”
“Yes, I’m pretty relieved myself. Thank you for what you did last night.”
Jacob felt his cheeks flush and he turned to roll up his sleeping bag, nearly forgetting that Gallus couldn’t see his face anyway. He smiled at himself—those habits wouldn’t go away so easily.
He shoved his bag into the largest pocket of his backpack, hearing the others cleaning up as well. His thoughts turned to the upcoming traps. Loss of hearing and loss of touch. How long would the traps last, and would they be all-encompassing?
Jacob decided to voice what was on his mind. “I can’t help but wonder how much losing our sense of touch will affect us. I mean, the more I think about it, the more I realize I depend a lot on what I can feel. I know I’m kneeling now because my shins feel the ground beneath me, and the skin on the back of my knees is pinched. I know what my hands and arms are doing—also thanks to the sense of touch.”
Silence for a moment. The colors swirling around the others changed to an orange-yellow for concern, and for a moment, Jacob felt bad for having brought up something that would potentially worry or depress them. But he recognized it was important to consider these things.
Gallus let out a long breath. “Yes, I’ve been pondering similar points.” His color moved to the tent door, and Jacob backed away. “And I don’t have an answer. The best we can do is be ready for anything. We’ll have to figure things out as they come.” He paused. “Luckily, the sense of hearing will be last to go. We’ll be able to communicate even after we’ve lost the sensation of touch.”
“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 impassible. 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. “Oh, 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?”
Jacob ran through it in his mind. “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—the color 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 yeses surrounded 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.