Telleo recognized him, but didn’t relax. At first I thought she was having trouble waking up and shaking off what must have seemed like a nightmare because she kept shaking her head no.
“It’s okay,” he assured her.
Telleo grabbed Siry’s hand and pulled it away from her mouth. She looked terrified. “It’s not okay!” she whispered with force.
“It’s all right,” Siry whispered soothingly. “We need your help.”
“You need to get out of here!” she whispered quickly. “They’ve been watching my hut since you left.”
Uh-oh. Telleo’s house was under surveillance. That’s why she wanted us out, not because we frightened her.
“Go!” she commanded, getting up. “Go back to the jungle before you are-“
“Arrested?” came a bold voice from the doorway to the first room.
Siry and I spun to see several security guards. They were as intimidating as I’d remembered, with their long hair and their heavy clubs strapped to their waists. Or in some cases, held tight in their hands, ready to bean us if we made a move.
Siry thought faster than I did and turned back to Telleo. “Ibara is in danger,” he said quickly. “That’s why we came back, to warn everyone. We need to speak with the tribunal.”
The security force made a move toward us. I didn’t fight them. They had us.
“He’s serious, Telleo,” I said. “We need to speak with your father.”
“Stop!” Telleo ordered the security force.
They didn’t. They grabbed us roughly, twisting our arms behind our backs.
“I said stop!” Telleo demanded. She pulled one of the goons away from me.
“Please, Telleo,” the guy said. “They are thieves and pirates. Let us do our job.”
We stood there awkwardly. They wanted to arrest us, but it didn’t look like they wanted to go against the daughter of the chief minister, either. Telleo walked right up to me and looked me in the eye. “What kind of danger is Ibara in?”
“The island is going to be attacked,” I said. “We think most of the Jakills are dead. If we don’t get to your father and warn him, the whole island might end up the same way.”
I saw the surprise and horror in her eyes. “Is this true?” she asked Siry.
Siry nodded. “I think they’re all dead, Telleo. We found the truth and it’s a nightmare. We have to see Genj.”
Telleo looked numb. The security goons didn’t look much better. Telleo said to them, “I’m not asking you to let them go. I’m asking you to bring them to the tribunal. With me. I’ll take responsibility.”
The security guys exchanged nervous looks.
“Arrest them,” Telleo added. “Do your job. Just let me bring them to the tribunal to tell their story. If they have something to say that will help Ibara, my father should hear it. If they’re telling the truth, you don’t want to be responsible for keeping it from them.”
Several of them looked at the one guy who was holding Siry. My guess was he was the boss.
“All right,” he said reluctantly. “But if this is a trick-“
“You’re going to wish this were a trick,” I said bluntly.
Telleo took charge by boldly walking out the door. The others weren’t so sure what to do.
“Hurry!” Telleo shouted from the next room.
Obediently the security goons pushed us out, and we were on our way to Tribunal Mountain. I heard the sounds of birds waking up to start the new day. Sunrise wouldn’t be far behind. I worried that along with it would come tens of thousands of dados and complete havoc. When we got to the mountain, Telleo left us alone with the security force in one of the lower-level cavern rooms and went to rouse the tribunal. It was an awkward few minutes. Siry and I sat along one wall, while six security thugs stood across from us with their arms folded, staring. To them we were dirt. They weren’t going to like us any better after they heard our story. Too bad for them.
Telleo wasn’t gone long. She ran back into the room excited and out of breath. “They’ll see you,” she announced. “Right now.”
“They’re here already?” I asked. “Isn’t it a little early?”
Telleo’s eyes were wide with excitement. “It’s an incredible day,” she said. “I had no idea!”
“What’s going on?” Siry asked.
“Come and see,” she said, and hurried off.
We started to follow but were quickly grabbed by the security force. They kept us under control as we followed Telleo. I didn’t fight. Truth be told, we deserved this kind of treatment. We were thieves and pirates. I was just happy to know we were going to get the chance to talk to the tribunal. We traveled the same route up several days before. The routine was the same. The guards kept us on the far end of the large, cavernlike room until the three members of the tribunal called for us. We had only been in the cavern a few seconds when Genj and the other two women of the tribunal came hurrying across the large space, headed for their seats in the dead center of the room. As he walked, Genj gestured for us to be brought forward. The security guys gave us a shove, and we were on our way. The tribunal sat down and stared at us. They looked anxious, as if we had pulled them away from something important. I wasn’t sure if I should talk or wait until I was asked. Telleo stepped forward and kicked things off.
“I know what you think of these boys,” she began. “They stole a valuable ship.”
Drea, the freckled woman on the tribunal, interjected, “You have no idea just how valuable that ship was.”
“I agree,” Telleo said. “But whatever you think of their methods, I believe they have discovered something that is vital to the future of Ibara, and today’s success.”
Today’s success? What the heck did that mean? Something big was going on, but what? The tribunal continued to stare at us skeptically. I’m embarrassed to admit that my brain froze. I guess it was because I put myself in their position and imagined what it would be like to hear what I was about to say. I didn’t know what to do. Should I just blurt out that an army of deadly robots from another territory was headed to their island on Jet Skis, ready to overrun the place? How could they possibly believe that? It all suddenly seemed so futile.
Luckily, Siry didn’t have the same problem. “The ship we stole is on the bottom of the ocean. All my friends are dead.”
The tribunal snapped a look at him. He had definitely gotten their attention. The last time we stood there, Siry was belligerent and obnoxious. Now he sounded about as deadly serious as, well, as the situation was.
“All we wanted was to learn the truth about our home and our lives,” Siry continued with passion. “I’m sorry to say that we found it. I don’t want my friends to have died for nothing. The best thing I can do to honor their memory is to stand here today and tell you that we learned Ibara is in deep trouble.”
The members of the tribunal exchanged looks. “Leave them here,” Genj ordered the security team. “But sir!” the big one protested.
“We’ll be fine,” Genj assured him. “Keep your men down below. We’ll call if we need you.”
Once again the security team exchanged nervous looks. “Go!” Genj ordered.
They backed off quickly, nearly bumping into one another. They left the cavern, though I was sure they were waiting just beyond the entryway. The old man looked between the two of us and took a tired breath.
“So,” he asked. “Did you find Rubic City?”
You could have knocked me over. Siry looked as stunned as I felt.
“What is Rubic City?” Telleo asked, as confused as I was, but for different reasons.
Genj stood and paced behind his chair. He looked troubled. He had no idea just how troubled he was about to be.
“You went in search of the truth,” Genj said. “A truth that has been kept from the people of Ibara for centuries.”
“You admit it?” Siry asked, stunned. “You admit keeping the secrets of our past from your people?”
“It was necessary,” Genj replied.
“Necessary?” Siry shouted. “What about all those who questioned you? The people who disappeared? Was it necessary for them to die?”
“Why do you assume they’re dead?” the dark woman, Moman, asked.
“Because they’re gone!” Siry snapped. “You can’t tell me they’re not dead. Or stuck in some dungeon to keep
