Busy as a beaver ...

I focused on t h e n e w e s t D N A I carried inside me.

S C H L O D P !

My body began to shrink. A r m s and legs sucked into my

torso.

F W U U M P !

I hit t h e g r o u n d .

PING PING PING . . .

Thick b r o w n f u r s p r o u t e d all over my body. I felt suddenly w a r m , like I'd pulled on a w e t suit.

POOT. PODT.

My back legs reappeared as s h o r t little flipper-feet. A heavy weight pulled on my r e a r end. I t u r n e d my head a r o u n d .

S t r e t c h i n g my spine almost t w o f e e t beyond my main body was a thick, flat, formidable m a s s . A paddle, a t o o l , a tail.

Finally, my skull began to shrink, squeezing my brain into a new shape. Rock-hard skull bones, heavier t h a n a human's, elongated to f o r m a very rugged jaw. A n d inside, my f r o n t t e e t h w e r e growing. A n d growing . . .

The beaver didn't have t h e raw, quick s t r e n g t h of a tiger. B u t it did have amazing stamina. A n d its mind was s m a r t in a goal-o r i e n t e d , problem-solving kind of way. It also felt very anxious to get to its project. The beaver's mind was alive with a single t h o u g h t .

There are things to be done! Work! Work! Work!

CHAPTER 1

My name is Jake.

But you already know who I am.

Not "Commander Jake" or "Chief Jake" or OCRed By Arpit Nathany

even "Captain Jake." Just Jake. That's what

everyone calls me, even now.

Now that my entire life is devoted to strategy

, and preparation and battle against the Yeerks.

It's my job to keep us alive. It's my job to

think about the moral and practical conse-

quences of our actions.

I like to think I'm not one of those guys with a

huge ego. But sometimes I feel like no one no-

tices what I'm doing. And it bothers me. Both

that no one notices and that I care.

1

Okay, I get "Prince Jake," but only from Ax.

When the Yeerks attacked a U.S. aircraft car-

Definitely not at home.

rier not long ago, they took a huge and semi-

"Jake!" My mom. "Thank goodness you're

public step toward all-out, full-scale invasion.

home. It's about to storm and I'm late to pick up

We managed to hurt the effort enough to

Homer from the vet. Where have you been?"

make the Yeerks retreat. But they definitely

Mom doesn't have a clue about the Yeerks.

haven't given up.

I'd like to keep it that way.

"Listen carefully." Mom grabbed her keys,

"Out," I said. Exhaustion can make you act

put them in her purse. "It's going to start raining

like a jerk.

any minute. I want you to close all the windows

Truth is, it's been months since I slept a full

in the house right away. Then I need you to clear

night. There's no time for sound sleep anymore.

out the storage room in the basement."

Rachel, Cassie, and I barely make it to school

And I'd been hoping to catch five minutes on

these days. Marco and Tobias don't make it at

the couch. "Uh, Mom? Can't I do that tomorrow?

all.

Please?"

Because the Yeerks are on the move. Big

"Nope. The contractor's coming first thing in

time.

the morning to give an estimate on the new rec-

Ax monitors the Yeerks' Z-space transmis-

room. Besides, it'll earn you twenty bucks."

sions day and night. Most of the important stuff

Mom pulled on her rain jacket. "I piled some

is too carefully encrypted for even Ax to decode

storage boxes at the top of the stairs. If you want

using cobbled-together, human-made compo-

a cozy place for you and your friends to hang out,

nents. But little pieces of casual conversation

I suggest you get to work."

point to one thing. Something major. Something

Cozy place. I almost laughed out loud. There

huge.

wasn't going to be a cozy place anywhere if we

As if we needed Z-space eavesdropping to tell

didn't come up with a plan to stop the Yeerk in-

us what was already abundantly clear.

vasion.

The end is near.

I opened the door to the basement. A tall

We don't know when or how it will come. But

stack of cardboard boxes blocked my way. Fine. I

we know it's coming.

was leader of a group of resistance fighters,

2

3

Earth's only hope for freedom, and I had to clean

Rachel's dying to go public, kick butt, and

the basement to earn a lousy twenty bucks. Talk

never look back. Typical. Not that she's necessar-

about irony.

ily wrong, but she doesn't always think about

I gave the boxes a gentle nudge. Not mean-

consequences.

ing for them to tumble to the bottom of the

That's my job.

stairs. Which they did.

As I see it, the only reason the Yeerks haven't

"Jake!" Mom frowned and paused at the door.

yet made a full-scale, totally out-in-the-open at-

"I'm counting on you." Then she was gone.

tack is because the stealthy approach is still

I began to close windows in the living room

working for them. It must be.

and kitchen. The sky was getting darker, heavy

So if we blew the Yeerks' cover, what would

and threatening. Yeah, there was going to be a

be their incentive for not obliterating every major

storm.

city in the world?

I'm not a poetic kind of guy. Usually. But this

They could do it. We knew they weren't op-

afternoon I couldn't help but notice that today's

posed to using human nuclear technology. But

weather situation was a good metaphor for my

they wouldn't even need it. A couple of Blade

mood.

ships could destroy a city, and the Yeerks would

I'd just come from an after-school meeting

only lose a few million potential hosts in the

with the others. Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Marco,

process.

and Ax. It was not a pleasant meeting. Tempers

And we couldn't risk that.

were blown. Time was running out and we still

But we had to do something . . .

couldn't agree on anything.

Because the infestation has been going on for

Ever since Marco had to morph in front of his

a long time now. There are maybe thousands of

dad, there's been talk of dropping our cover all

Controllers in my hometown alone. Too many

together. Tell people who we are. Tell the media

people pass in and out of the Yeerk pool for us to

who we are and what's really happening on Earth.

keep careful track of the evidence.

So that we can all start fighting back. Well, those

Bottom line: Earth is losing its soul. People

of us who aren't Controllers.

have to know. There's no doubt in my mind about

There is a definite plus to telling our secret.

that. They have to be made to see. But going

But there's a downside, too.

public, taking that major step . . .

4

5

Sometimes, it's too much. The decisions, the

No one really believes the Andalites are com-

pressure. The basement. . .

ing. Not even Ax. But hope, even false hope, is

I went down to the basement. Past the running

better than none at all.

washing machine. On to the back room, dragging a

Over my head, another shelf of junk.

stack of boxes, a marker, and a tape gun.

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS went next to my mom's

It was dark. A cotton pull cord brushed my

stuff. I reached above my head for the next box.

arm and I yanked it. The single bulb that dangled

It was almost too big to manage. I heaved it to

at the center of the room brightened. The light

the floor. A Post-it note on top said, For Jake

made me squint and look away.

from Grandpa G in Mom's handwriting. So this

Stacks of boxes overflowing with papers.

was the box he'd left me in his will? Mom must

My old bike. A broken lamp. A whole roomful of

have been saving it for my next birthday or some-

junk.

thing.

I tripped over a pile of loose papers. Num-

It was an old-fashioned chest covered in dark,

bers, columns of figures, the words "Mutual

moldy leather. Decorative tooling and metal trim

Fund Allocation." I threw the papers in one of

made it look kind of fancy. The slightly curved lid

the empty boxes. Labeled it: MOM'S STUFF.

displayed the name Fitzhenry in raised leather

I grabbed another stack of papers off the

letters.

floor. At the top of the first page a kid had

The name was familiar. Had I met some Fitz-

scrawled: "What I Did This Summer." In the cor-

henrys at a family reunion? Mom's cousins?

ner were the stamped words: GOOD JOB!

I reached to open the lid of the chest and the

Tom's old schoolwork. From before he be-

light went out.

came a Controller. I threw the stack into another

The washing machine stopped.

box and started to write his name on the lid.

I could hear the wind and the rain beating

Stopped and crossed it out. Printed: TRASH. I

against the panes of the small basement win-

didn't have a brother anymore.

dows, rattling them loudly.

That depressing fact made me think back to

CRAAASSSSHHHH!

the afternoon's meeting.

I crept through darkness toward the source of

Ax favored continued secrecy, at least until

the sound.

the Andalite fleet arrived.

Just enough light seeped in from outside for

6

7

me to see the large, fallen tree branch that had

smashed the glass in the basement window. Wind

and rain tunneled inside.

Another crisis.

It would be nice if they were all so small.

CHAPTER 2

I stumbled up the stairs, sneakers crunching

broken glass. The rechargeable flashlight was in

the kitchen, plugged in next to the stove. I

grabbed it and the roll of duct tape from the

kitchen drawer and ran back downstairs.

I placed a sheet of cardboard over the broken

window and taped the edges to the wall. The

basement was completely dark now except for

the flashlight beam.

I went back to the antique chest. The raised

leather tooling was thick with dust. I lifted the lid

and aimed the flashlight inside.

Some sort of suit coat, folded and packed on

top. Dark blue wool. A row of large brass buttons

9

8

nearly the size of quarters. I lifted it out of the

was normal. My family's survival depended on my

box and set it, still folded, on the floor.

acting skills.

Beneath the coat was an assortment of small

"Some storm, huh?" I said.

objects. Old medals attached to faded pieces of

I smiled. Tom didn't.

colored fabric. A long, corroded knife with two

"If the power doesn't come back on, maybe

edges. At the base, where a handle should have

we won't have school tomorrow."

been, there was a curved metal ring and two

"It'll be back on in a few minutes," Tom said

holes. Like the knife was meant to attach to

flatly.

something.

"Right. Hey, want to help me organize the

There wasn't much more in the box. A tin

basement? Lots of cool stuff down there."

cup, a comb, a gross old toothbrush that looked

The last thing I wanted was to hang around

with Tom. He really freaked me out. He was

handmade. I wondered which box to put this

brother and alien, sibling and enemy. I always

stuff in. The crumbling chest wasn't going to last

worried I'd let something slip, something that

much longer.

would give everything away. But the nice younger

BANG! The back door, slamming shut.

brother act was essential.

"Mom?" I hollered. "Is that you? How's

Homer?"

"No," he said absently. "Tell Mom I won't be No answer. I left the contents of the box on

here for dinner. I have to be someplace."

the floor and carefully made my way upstairs.

"Where?"

The storm seemed to be quieting.

He didn't answer. Just walked away.

"Mom," I called again. "The power went out

"Preparations," he muttered, heading down

and . . ."

the hall.

I turned and saw him standing there, in the

I tensed. His Yeerk was stressed. Talking to it-

self. I pretended I hadn't heard.

doorway between the kitchen and the living

"Okay. Later."

room. Looking at me. Silent.

Maybe he was just talking about school.

"Whoa, man, you scared me," I said, trying

Maybe I was the one cracking up.

not to sound as startled as I felt.

I went back down to the basement. Propped

Tom. Not my brother anymore. A Yeerk. I pre-

the flashlight against a cabinet so that it shone

tended I didn't know that, pretended everything

10

11

on the wall behind the old chest. Picked up the

out in places. One entire page was smeared with

blue jacket with the big brass buttons.

ink and brown stains. I turned back to the first

THUNK!

page.

Something slipped from between the folds

"Jake?"

I heard Mom at the back door. Homer's claws

and hit the floor.

skittering across the kitchen tiles.

I shook out the jacket, looking for more hid-

Then, a straining whine from the laundry

den objects. It was long. Just about my size in

room. The washing machine laboring back to life.

the shoulders, but reaching all the way down

The bulb overhead flickered twice, then shone

past my knees. With a tear in the left breast.

brightly.

I refolded it, placed it into the box, and picked

"Jake?" Mom called again from the kitchen.

up the object that had fallen on the floor. It was a

I set the diary on top of the blue wool uni-

book. Leather cover. Pages that didn't quite align

form.

at the edges.

"Coming!" I called.

I crouched closer to the flashlight and opened

I turned away from the box. Stopped short

the cover. The front leaf read, Lieutenant Isaiah

and turned back. The old journal lay open.

Fitzhenry. I flipped to the first page.

We know that General Forrest and his cavalry

We know General Forrest and his cavalry are

are out there. But will he come? Will he ever

out there . . .

come? And if he does, shall we be ready?

Suddenly, I remembered where I'd heard the

I paused, then closed the book and shut the

name Fitzhenry. He was the great-great-uncle

lid of the box.

Grandpa G had talked about. The Civil War hero.

That was a different war.

And this had to be his journal.

A long time ago.

All the stuff in the box made sense now. The

coat was his uniform. And the knife.

I thumbed through the pages. The handwrit-

ing was neat and straight. Fancier than people

write today. Some of the letters took a second to

recognize, but on the whole the writing was

pretty easy to read. Words were neatly crossed

12

13

strode toward me, boots crashing across the

wood floor. His bootfalls sounded like the echo of

artillery and I jumped to my feet with reflex ac-

tion.

I pray that I, too, am not succumbing to

fever.

"Have we received an answer?" I asked

CHAPTER 3

quickly.

I'd sent him to telegraph for new orders.

I s a i a h

Marching orders, I hoped. We had to move east,

F i t z h e n r y

rejoin the regiment, get the sick men to safety.

"No, sir," Raines replied.

His anxious gaze shifted to the floor, then out

the window, then back to the floor. His clenched

S inkler's Ridge, Tennessee.

jaw looked tight enough to break a tooth.

December 23, 1864.

"What then?"

Early morning.

Raines's boots appeared at once wet and stiff.

We know General Forrest and his cavalry are

They were covered in mud, and frozen, no doubt.

out there. But will he come? Will he ever come?

I glanced through the window of the tumbledown

And if he does, shall we be ready?

house we'd taken as headquarters. A vile mixture

When we went into camp two days ago, Major

of rain and snow was falling outside.

Charles Shaw held the command of our detach-

I wiggled my own toes. Only the faintest sen-

ment. Major Shaw died last night, struck down

sation. And I know I am better off than most of

the men.

not by Rebel fire, but by fever.

I, Lieutenant Isaiah Fitzhenry, command the

Raines raised his piercing blue eyes.

"It's the telegraph line, sir," he said. "It's detachment now. The mission is in my hands.

been cut."

"Lieutenant!"

I felt blood drain from my face.

Sergeant Raines burst through the door and

We were cut off.

14

15

"Keep the Sinkler's Ridge rail junction in

Raines shifted his weight.

Union hands."

"It's General Forrest's Confederate cavalry,

Oh, how simple those orders sounded two

Lieutenant. One of Forrest's men cut the line."

days ago when the men stood tall and sixty

"How do you know?" I shot back. I prayed

strong.

Raines was mistaken. "Can you be sure?"

One's circumstance can change so quickly.

"Our boys on picket duty caught the Reb that

My men are dropping like flies, the fever is

done it, and brought him into camp."

spreading, and it is cold.

I looked back out the window. The mighty

So cold.

blue mist-shrouded mountains loomed like a

Of the many things we need, I would settle for

silent approaching enemy. Sniffing us out, roping

blankets.

us in, preparing to strike.

"How many men are ready for service?" I

So Forrest was near!

asked.

"Is the prisoner outside?"

"Fewer than twenty-five, Lieutenant. If For-

"At the hospital tent, sir. He tried to escape

rest comes this way with even a small force, we

and took a shot in the arm."

ain't going to be able to hold them and that's a

Sinkler's Ridge is a single street of drab clap-

fact."

board and log buildings. A worth-nothing town

Today is my twentieth birthday. Two years in

that we never would have seen. If it weren't for

the junction.

the army now and by all accounts a man, yet I

Two minor rail lines pass through here. Minor

do not look it. Though tall, I'm thin. Though an

only in size, for they carry goods to General Sher-

officer, my hair falls across my forehead like a

baby's curls and no amount of combing keeps it

man's army. Vital supplies like hardtack, coffee,

back.

coats, tents, rifles, shoes, socks, artillery, and

The men must see me as more boy than man.

ammunition.

Respect is earned. I know such regard takes

Everything necessary to sustain the cam-

time.

paign.

But I feel I can prove my strength, show that

If we lose the junction, the Rebels could de-

my heart is free of fear and weakness, that I am

stroy Sherman's army. Union victories at Vicks-

built to serve the Union and prevail.

burg and Atlanta won't mean a thing.

16

17

"If we can't telegraph for new orders, we

must obey the orders we have."

"Lieutenant?" I could hear the shock in

Raines's voice.

"Prepare to defend our position. If the Rebels

want this junction, they have to fight for it and

fight darn hard. Am I right, Raines?"

CHAPTER 4

Raines was a good man, resilient and hard.

I'd never seen defeat in his face and I didn't see

it now.

"Yes, sir!"

"Assemble the men and reassign duties. But

first, alert the hospital tent that I'll be by directly.

The biting wind cuffed my ears as I walked

I will seethe prisoner."

toward the tents.

"Yes, sir," Raines repeated, saluting as he

We'd set up at the end of the main street, just

turned on his noisy heels.

across the tracks from the depot. One large tent

A tin whistle's jaunty tune filtered through the

served as the hospital. A dozen dirty-white wedge

window. It was the town boy I'd seen before, and

tents formed two rows of flapping canvas shells.

his friend with a drum. They marched back and

If the fever continues to spread, we won't need

forth on the main street, backs straight, heads

half the tents we've got.

high. Playing and drumming.

I tucked my journal into my right pocket and

"When Johnny comes marching home again,

crossed the tracks.

hurrah! Hurrah! . . ."

Ma sent the journal in her last package, in a

They'd been practicing.

box meant for Thanksgiving, but not received un-

They were ready.

til just days ago. The chocolate and potatoes

When we see action, I might have to call on

them.

were still good, but the turkey was rotten and the

19

18

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. A

cake had turned hard as mortar. I wish I had it

nervous mix of surprise and annoyance at a pre-

now to add to munitions.

posterous idea.

Other men kept journals, but never me. Why

I rounded the back corner of the hospital tent

remember all the things I wanted to forget?

and froze in my tracks.

In her letter, Ma told me why.

Three dozen men, perhaps more, stood before

"You'll be an old man someday, Isaiah. You'll

me in an uneven line. Tall, short, wide, slight.

think back on this war — on the boys you knew

Mismatched shirts and pants unified by a state of

and the towns you saw — and you'll need to re-

profound wear, as though each man had been

member."

born into the world with just one suit of clothes

"Lieutenant!"

and was wearing it still.

Sergeant Raines appeared from behind the

Such blistering sores on feet I've never seen

hospital tent, his face contorted in alarm and

even on my own ill-provisioned men. Mere sug-

confusion.

gestions of boots. Near them on the dirt rested

raggedy knapsacks tied to rickety sticks.

"There's some men coming into camp, sir."

I looked at the faces last, at features as di-

The intensity of his voice stopped my heart. For-

verse as those in our detachment, at dark skin of

rest?

varied hues.

"Who?" I yelled, falling into a run. "What ap-

"What'll we do?" Raines demanded, breaking

the silence of my observation. "Use them as con-

proach?"

trabands?"

"Not sure, sir."

Contraband was what we called these people

"For God's sake, Raines! Speak up."

early in the war, back before the Emancipation

"I guess they must be runaway slaves been

Proclamation. Back when the Union first realized

hiding back up in the hills."

that it could employ former slaves. Not as sol-

I started to breathe again, annoyed with

diers, but as laborers.

Raines for getting so excited. For getting me so

I didn't answer Raines, for there were more

excited. We had no time for distractions. This

than thirty faces fixed on me, each wanting an

would be a trivial matter, a corporal's job.

answer.

"What do they want?" I said shortly. "Food?"

"No, sir," Raines said weightily. "They say

21

21

20

they've come to fight."

Whom to address? Which face to look at? I

"You will refer to me by my rank," I said

sharply.

met one tall man's eyes, but his gaze dropped in-

"Yes, Lieutenant."

stantly to the dirt.

"Surely you know you cannot fight," I said

So I moved toward the tattered wall of men

with rising frustration. "Surely you know it's im-

and said, somewhat shakily, "I am Lieutenant

possible."

Fitzhenry. I see you're here to help the Union

"We're free men, Lieutenant. Everyone in this

cause. I am glad of that, for we need your help. A

line would rather die than lose that freedom."

Rebel attack is imminent."

Again, whispers ruffled the line, obvious sup-

At this, a wave of whispers rustled through

port for Jacob's words.

the men.

"And I know your men are sick with fever,"

"We must prepare defenses. That is my sole

Jacob continued. "You need men, Lieutenant.

concern," I continued. "There's no time to con-

Here we are."

struct gabions or chevaux-de-frise. We need

"Fighting is out of the question!" I shot back,

earthworks, simple and straightforward. And we

glancing at Raines. The presumption in Jacob's

need them dug fast."

candor and logic disturbed me. "We can provide

A smallish man with a wide-brimmed hat

you with minimal provisions — boots, stockings,

stepped out of the line.

a bit of food — in exchange for labor. We need

"We're here to fight, sir."

entrenchments dug! Raines will distribute shov-

I ran my eyes up and down the line of men,

els and pickaxes and whatever else he can find.

pondering how to phrase my rejection in clearer

Fatigue work is all I can offer you," I shouted, ex-

terms.

asperated. "It's all I can offer!"

"Do you understand that soldiering takes

They couldn't fight. It was impossible. My own

many forms? That fatigue work is as much a part

men would not stand for it. The townspeople, now

of victory as . . ."

only weakly pro-Unionist, would rebel. An armed

"We'll dig your defenses, Lieutenant. But

force must be unified, not divided!

when the attack comes, we want to fight."

And the men were untrained. They could not

"What's your name?" I said.

shoot muskets if they had them.

"It's Jacob."

23

22

Yet we were in desperate need of men. With

just twenty-five, we were a handful against a

multitude. What did Forrest's force number?

Hundreds?

More?

"Follow me, all of you!" Raines yelled,

marching off toward the supply shed.

Raines's order was premature.

CHAPTER 5

Jacob hadn't accepted.

J a k e

He stood still, staring at me with eyes dark as

night. „

"We'll do a job to make Lincoln proud, he

said finally, smiling faintly. Reluctantly, he

marched away after Raines. The other men fell in

after him.

Brrrr-ing!

I feared I hadn't won the argument. Indeed, I

I snapped awake. Grabbed the phone before

felt it had only just begun.

my eyes were open. Put it to my ear. Opened my

eyes.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Jake." Cassie.

I groaned. The clock said 4:55 A.M.

"Sorry. I must have hit the wrong speed dial.

But while I have you, I've been meaning to tell

you that Toby asked me to thank you for loaning

her your history notes. I think she likes you."

"Great," I said. "Okay. Go feed the chickens or whatever you vet types do at this hour of the

morning."

"Give the animals their meds, actually. 'Bye."

24

25

Cassie. Talking nonsense all so she could

tree and in near darkness morphed a peregrine

work in the code word "Toby." It meant one

falcon. And in no time I rose high into the early-

thing. There was trouble for the free Hork-Bajir.

morning sky.

I had to get to their valley. Now.

The predawn city spread beneath me. Every

I crept from my room to the hall and listened.

person on the street, in every car and every

Not a sound. The house was chilly, the carpet

house, was suspect now. Anyone could be a Con-

cold under my bare feet. I neared Tom's room

troller. And Controllers could be anywhere. But

and carefully cracked open the door. A bulge of

there were fewer of them in the woods. As the

covers. He was asleep.

houses and roads became less frequent and far-

I watched for a minute. No movement. I

ther apart, as the trees began to thicken, I began

walked into the room. The floor creaked loudly. I

to breathe easier again.

froze. Still, Tom didn't stir. I reached out and

I always think I know how to get to the valley

touched the covers, my heart beating in my ears.

of the Hork-Bajir. But every time I'm almost

What would I say if he woke up?

there, I get lost. East is suddenly west and north

I pressed gently. The covers rebounded softly.

is south until, all at once, the valley appears right

in front of me. And I'm never quite sure how I

Pillows. The bed was stuffed with pillows.

found it.

Tom was out on Yeerk business.

Again.

It was the same story this morning. I was fly-

Quickly, quietly, I made my way down the

ing in circles until, suddenly . . .

hall, past my parents' bedroom. Both were sleep-

I soared over a ridge and into the first rays of

the rising sun. There, before me, breathtaking as

ing soundly.

always, stretched the valley. And the stream,

I moved silently down the stairs. Slugged

slowly winding its way down from the ridge. I fol-

down a glass of orange juice from the container

lowed the stream to the camp and alighted on a

and wrote my parents a note.

branch before dropping to the ground to de-

Went running early. Going straight to school.

morph.

Don't worry, I'll catch an Egg McMuffin.

The others were already waiting.

I stuck the note to the coffeemaker and

<Hello, Prince Jake.> Ax kept his main eyes

walked out the back door. Climbed the maple

26

27

down. His stalk eyes kept constant watch all

pens. All of the free Hork-Bajir look to her for

around us. <The situation is very bad. The colony

guidance and advice.

is in serious danger.>

Toby stood in a circle with Ax, Marco, Cassie,

Ever since Ax acted alone in kidnapping

and Rachel. Tobias was perched on Rachel's

Visser Two from the aircraft carrier — a desper-

shoulder. The other free Hork-Bajir stood with

ate act he hoped would make the visser call off a

Marco's parents, listening from a distance.

captured American sub scheduled to release nu-

"What is it, Toby? What happened?"

clear weapons against China — he hadn't looked

"We raided a Yeerk facility yesterday, Jake,"

me straight in the eyes. And to be honest, I was

she said. "A day's journey from here. We rescued

almost glad.

four of our people." She paused and looked down

Yeah, Ax's gamble had worked. And in a

at the stream. "But one of our warriors was cap-

strange way I was glad he'd relieved me of having

tured."

to make the decision. Of having to choose death

for thousands in order to save millions.

I was proud of Ax. Mad at him, too. I missed

the times when our friendship was easier. Hoped

it would get better. But for now, we both kind of

pretended nothing major had gone down be-

tween us.

It's what we have to do.

"Why?" I asked. "What's going on?"

Marco nodded toward Toby, the young Hork-

Bajir with special powers. The "seer." She's

pushing seven feet, nearly as tall as the largest

male Hork-Bajir.

Most Hork-Bajir aren't terribly bright. Toby is

the exception. Some Hork-Bajir say she's clair-

voyant, that she sees the future before it hap-

28

29

*

"It's a no-brainer." Marco. "Haul butt before the Yeerks attack."

"There's no other way," Cassie agreed. "Even with our help, Toby, you can't fight an army of

Yeerks. They have sophisticated weapons. Lots of

reinforcements. There are fewer than a hundred

of you." Cassie gestured to the crowd of Hork-

Bajir. "Not more than sixty of you who are fit

CHAPTER 6

enough and old enough to fight."

"It's not fair," Rachel said angrily.

<No,>Tobias agreed. <But what choice isthere?>

Toby was silent. Her expression showed noth-

ing. She turned to Ax.

"The forest is too thick for the effective use of

A n awful silence followed Toby's words.

Bug fighters, isn't it?" she asked. "And the val-

ley's too narrow."

This was bad.

Ax's stalk eyes scanned the closely spaced

Capture is the stuff of nightmares, something

trees. <That is true. But that fact only improves

we all fear. Unless you immediately escape or

the odds by a very small percentages

die, it means the betrayal of everyone you love

Toby turned to me now. "Will you help us de-

and everything you value.

fend our valley, Jake? Our home?"

Because a prisoner is infested by a Yeerk. His

I was getting a little annoyed. Toby didn't

brain is probed. Every useful memory, all rele-

seem to get it. If we tried to fight the Yeerks,

vant knowledge, is extracted and stolen for the

we'd be slaughtered.

Yeerks to use.

"We want to help," I said. "But not if it

The Yeerk with access to the once-free Hork-

means setting you up to lose."

Bajir's mind would have the knowledge to lead

Toby looked up into the trees, then turned to

an army to the valley. Yeah, the Ellimist made it

survey the camp. She planted the stick she was

strangely difficult to locate the valley. But with a

holding into the yielding ground.

guide, the Yeerks would absolutely find their way.

31

30

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"This valley is our home," she said loudly.

"Wait!" I yelled. "You know the Yeerks have

"We will not give it up. We'll stay and fight."

advanced weapons. You've seen the Dracon

Marco threw up his hands in exasperation.

beams. Save yourselves!" I looked at Toby. "Es-

"Let me understand what I'm hearing, here. You

cape now. Live to fight another day!"

all want to die, is that it?" He looked around at

No one answered.

the other Hork-Bajir who remained politely with-

Marco strode angrily toward his parents, like

drawn from our discussion. "Don't be insane!

he was about to give them a piece of his mind.

Mom, Dad? You're with them?"

Rachel glanced up at me with her trademark

Marco's parents were as diffident as the Hork-

fearless look. She wanted me to reconsider.

Bajir. They stood impassive and expressionless,

Fine, we were taking sides. The decision would

feet firmly planted on the hard-packed dirt.

come down to a vote. I jumped from the tree.

I rubbed my forehead and tried to think. Time

"Come on!" I shouted, desperation pounding

was running out. The Yeerks were probably al-

in my brain. "All those who want to live, stand

ready on the way. Preparations had to be made.

over here with me. Those who want to die at the

I climbed iTito the V of a nearby tree, up about

hands of the Yeerks, stand over there, with Toby."

ten feet so everybody in the camp could see and

There was no mumbling, no movement.

hear me.

<This is your decisions Tobias said to the

"Listen!" I shouted. "The Yeerks will probably Hork-Bajir. <But I think you should listen to

be here by tomorrow morning, the latest. They

Jake. He only wants what's best.>

will kill or infest all of you if you don't leave right

"We all do," Cassie said.

now. Everyone must prepare to move out. We'll

I glanced at Ax. He stood a bit apart, aloof.

help you find a new camp."

He wasn't giving his opinion.

No one moved.

A serious question for Andalites, especially

"Jake," Toby said. "No Yeerk will drive us

now for Ax. Meddle where you might not belong.

from this home. I am willing to stay and fight and

Possibly save lives in the process. Or just walk

so are my people."

away. Let a people decide its own fate.

Grunts of accord rose from the free Hork-Bajir

A young Hork-Bajir stepped out from the

spectators.

33

32

crowd and walked toward Toby. He stood straight

and tall at her side. Jara Hamee and Ket Helpek

joined him. Others followed.

Until every Hork-Bajir in the colony stood

with their leader.

CHAPTER 7

I s a i a h

F i t z h e n r y

I threw back the flap of the hospital tent and

entered. Light became darkness. Cool, fresh air

became a stifling, acrid stench.

The smell of sickness and death.

I moved forward, eyes straining to see.

"Ah!"

I bumped something warm and soft and drew

back instantly as the object voiced a high-

pitched objection.

"I beg your pardon!" I groped to find a tent

pole. "Sally, is that you?"

As my eyes adjusted, I saw a woman standing

over a table, wringing out a bloodstained cloth

into a bowl of water.

34

35

" ' l i s I, Lieutenant," Sally answered with

"And yet," I answered, "my men have man-

aged to shoot and capture you. That's not bad for

more cheerfulness than I expected. "You'd be

child's play."

looking for the prisoner?"

"I cut you off," he said to console himself.

"That I would, Sally." Sally Miller is a woman

"With no telegraph, Yank, you're as forgotten as

from town. If Sinkler's Ridge is worth its place on

on a desert island. Only difference here is that

the map, it is thanks to her. We'd have lost more

you're about to take a pounding."

men by now were it not for the morale boost the

"Is that right?" I mocked, intentionally disbe-

men found in Sally's excellent care.

lieving.

"This way," she said. "We sectioned him off

"Darn right!" he raged. "General Forrest has so he wouldn't upset the others. He's restrained,

five hundred troopers in Springville, plus a re-

of course, but I saw to his wound."

serve of —"

"You're a wonder, Sally."

He stopped short.

"So my husband tells me on occasion. But

His eyes grew wide as he realized what he had

these men need me, Lieutenant, and 1 believe in

done.

their cause." She pulled back a pitifully soiled

I now knew what the enemy's approach would

sheet strung up between the tent wall and a post.

likely be, their number, and their position.

"The Union cause," she emphasized, turning to

"I thank you, sir," I said, bowing my head.

leave me with the Confederate soldier who lay on

"You have been very helpful."

the floor.

He kicked the air and lunged as if to strike

His wrists and ankles were bound. The fresh

me, but the pain in his upper arm would not al-

white bandage wound around the left biceps had

low it. He fell back in a heap, cursing, sweating.

just begun to soak through with blood.

And I forgot my anger long enough to em-

He stared at me with defiant eyes.

pathize.

"So the Union has a kid in charge," he said

This low-ranking Rebel was fighting for a

softly. "Yankees got a boy commander."

cause he thought was right. For his home, his

The derisive remark cut through my pride and

people.

struck anger. I was fully aware that I didn't look

He was badly mistaken.

the part. I didn't need reminding.

37

36

"Twenty-five men," I said flatly. "That's all we But that didn't change his valiant spirit. Were

have. Forrest's force may be over five hundred."

our roles reversed, I hope I would rally in kind.

Mac wheezed.

I returned the soiled sheet to its position.

"Thirty men came down from the hills this

"You'll be wanting to visit your own men

morning," I continued. "They want to fight."

now?" Sally asked, pointing at a canvas flap be-

"Thank God," Mac said firmly. His family was

yond which lay my men.

progressive on all counts, abolitionism among

No, I didn't want to see them. I didn't want to

them. "You need the men and they've a right to

see suffering I could do nothing about.

fight. It's their war, too, now."

I hesitated.

"Be rational, Mac! You sound like the little

"It would be good for morale," Sally urged.

man who leads them."

"And your friend, Corporal Carson, has been in-

"Jacob?"

quiring after you."

"How did you know of him?" I asked, aston-

ished.

"Yes, of course," I said. I ducked through the

"I met him when we came into town. He

canvas before I thought better of it.

came down alone, looking for work. We shared

The bodies of my detachment lay motionless,

some soft bread."

packed tight in the tent like sleeping sardines.

"You spoke to him?"

I walked down the narrow aisle, looking in

"I should say! He's quite educated," Mac

vain for signs of recovery.

said. "Taught himself to read and write, but hid it

"Isaiah," a slender voice called from knee-

from his former master who would have sold him

South to be sure. He never knew his mother or

level.

father. They were sold or traded or some such

Mac Carson's half-open eyes looked up into

abominable thing."

mine. Corporal Carson. We'd grown up together,

"Has he been whipped?"

been schooled together, and now fought side by

"I imagine so, though probably not often. I've

side. Despite the new scar on his left cheek, he

sometimes thought that living life under the

looked like the boy I'd always known. Big bones,

threat of whipping and punishment would be just

white teeth, black hair, green eyes.

as bad as the thing itself. Perhaps worse."

I knelt and placed my hand against his fore-

head. It was on fire.

39

"What news?" he whispered

38

.

"I suppose," I said absently, glancing around

at my lifeless men. I was almost certain that the

body next to Mac had ceased to breathe.

"Can you cover my feet?" Mac asked.

I moved to the end of his cot and nearly

gasped. The first two toes on either foot were

bloody and brown.

CHAPTER 8

"Frostbite," he said with a weak smile.

I wrapped the wool blanket around them.

"Raines doesn't think we'll be able to hold off

J a k e

the enemy," I said.

Mac coughed and nodded.

"Let the Negroes fight," he said.

I rose to my feet in frustration.

"Isaiah," Mac said, catching my arm.

They're going to fight with or without us,"

"They're our only hope."

Cassie said, awed. As if maybe she'd suddenly

changed her mind about what our role should be.

"They're risking everything for their freedom."

"We have to respect that," Rachel said. "And we owe it to the Hork-Bajir to help."

I still couldn't believe what had just hap-

pened.

<This is just plain amazing,> Tobias said to

us privately. <These Hork-Bajir know who they

are and what they want.>

"Okay." I sighed. "We'll help you."

Marco glanced at me with a mix of exaspera-

tion and resignation. He knew this was an argu-

ment we couldn't win.

40

41

Cassie flashed me a look that said I'd done

A Hork-Bajir with a bundle of small tree limbs

on his back and a coil of rope in his hand would

the right thing.

scramble up a trunk, using heel and wrist blades

Toby smiled the strangely frightening Hork-

to climb. Like a telephone repairman in fast for-

Bajir smile.

ward. When he'd get about thirty feet up, he'd

"Tobias, as always, you're our eye in the sky.

dig his ankle blades in firmly, lock in with both

Check out the area and see if you can spot an es-

knee blades, and lean back. With both hands

cape route. I have a feeling we're gonna need one.

free, he'd lash the branches together. In about

Marco, get in touch with Erek. See if a few Chee

ten minutes, there was an elaborate but perfectly

can cover back home for those of us who need it."

camouflaged platform.

Toby stared at me.

When the builder finished, he'd climb onto the

"If we need to escape." I corrected myself

platform to test its strength. Then he'd descend

and smiled.

quickly, move to another tree, and begin again.

I began to draw a rough map of the area in the

Younger Hork-Bajir then climbed to the com-

dirt with a stick. Toby walked over to where I was

pleted platforms and stocked them with spears

crouched down.

and arrows. Weapons the female Hork-Bajir were

"Thank you," she said.

turning out with speed, efficiency, and skill. It

"Yeah, well . . . I just hope your people un-

was unbelievable to watch.

derstand what they're getting into. It ain't gonna

Hork-Bajir elders, the few who weren't quite

be pretty."

as quick at climbing as they used to be, dug

"They understand much more than you give

pits and trenches all over the camp. After one was

them credit for, Jake. They've been called upon

dug, the very smallest Hork-Bajir children were

to defend themselves before. They've been

lowered into it to place pointed wooden spikes

through a lot."

into the dirt. Whoever fell into these holes would

I nodded sheepishly and looked back at the

come out looking like Swiss cheese. If they

dirt map.

came out at all. With the spikes in place, the

After a while, I ventured further into the camp

kids were hauled up to help cover the pits. First

to check on the battle preparations. With advice

with twigs that spanned the opening. Then with

from Rachel and Ax, the Hork-Bajir were posi-

leaves that formed a bed to conceal it completely.

tioning platforms in the trees.

42

43

Satisfied as I could be under the circum-

"If we're forced to withdraw temporarily,"

stances, I called the others and Toby to the map

Toby said calmly, "we'll go to the hills."

"But the trees in the hills aren't the same

to discuss strategy.

kind as the ones in the valley. And they won't

"We're here." I pointed to two long, parallel

provide great shelter. You'll have to adapt all over

lines marking the narrow passage. "On either side

again."

of us are steep banks and cliffs. Impossible to

<And those hills are getting pretty close to

climb without serious time and effort. So I think

the suburbs,> Tobias added. <lt wouldn't be safe

the Yeerks will come up the valley this way," I

to hang there very long. Eventually, you'd run

said, pointing. "From the south, uphill."

into some humans.>

"That's good for us," Marco said.

"Maybe it's time the Hork-Bajir did run into

<lt will slow their approach,> Ax agreed, <but

some humans," Rachel said. "We can't count on

it will also interfere with our retreat. Tobias said

the Ellimist to appear and help out just because

our only escape route will be up the valley to the

we want him to. If the right people knew what

north.> Ax pointed to a place where the valley

was going on, all sort of things could happen —

widened, about a mile north of the camp. <The

good and bad.

valley walls become easier to climb at this point,

Marco smirked. "News flash: Your average sub-

but will still be slow and difficulty

urbanite ain't gonna tolerate a seven-foot-tall

I looked at Toby.

bladed alien for a neighbor. I mean, carpooling?

"You'd be much better off to climb the valley

Toby as a soccer mom? Think about it."

walls now and fight from up there."

Toby's eyes dropped.

"We will defend our home."

"I'm sorry. We don't think of you as freaks,

<We've got another problem,> Tobias said. <l

but the average guy on the street? Toby, humans

spotted a group of campers. And they're going to

can't even deal with other humans who root for a

be in the Yeerks' way.>

rival football team."

"I guess we'll have to try to convince them to

"Yes," Toby said slowly. "I've learned that hu-get out of there," I said.

mans don't care for groups unlike their own."

Cassie put her hand on Toby's arm. "Even if

"That's not always true," I said.

you survive, you'll have to go into hiding. Where

<My study of human history suggests that

will you go?"

44

45

Marco and Toby are both correct,> Ax said care-

fully. <Historically, humans are among the least

tolerant species in the galaxy, set apart by the

prevalence of violence and oppression."

"So, what would you suggest, Ax?" Cassie

asked. "Send the Hork-Bajir to some distant

planet? All because humans are tolerance-

challenged? That can't be the only answer."

CHAPTER 9

"It stinks," Marco said. "But take a look at what humans have done to animals. If there's a

I s a i a h

chance to dominate, we grab it. I'd rather be a

F i t z h e n r y

tiger or elephant on Neptune than a striped rug

or an ivory box on Earth. The farther away you

can get, Toby, the better off you'll be."

For a moment, Toby said nothing.

A t sundown, Sergeant Raines and two other

"But are we really that different from you?"

soldiers walked with me down the main street of

Sinkler's Ridge.

she said finally.

Sally Miller and her husband, Joe, were host-

She turned toward camp. Toward a Hork-Bajir

ing a Christmas party. They'd been kind enough

who bent low to the ground and scooped her cry-

to invite us and we were happy to oblige.

ing child into her arms.

I detailed a number of men for picket duty

The child had fallen. The mother carefully

and left Sergeant Spears in command until our

raised the child to her shoulder and gently patted

return. Our pickets were spread out through the

its back.

woods and hills skirting the town. Before the en-

No, the Hork-Bajir weren't really that differ-

emy attacked, we would be alerted.

ent at all.

Several townsmen, Joe Miller among them,

brought their own shovels and picks and joined

us in the digging this afternoon. They wouldn't

work near the black men, nor even within sight of

46

47

them. They said Jacob's men were a disgrace to

joined the town fiddler, then started in on a new

the Union.

song, the words of which I'd heard before.

Perhaps. But no one can deny the progress

they made. Trees covering the entire south face

"I hear the bugle sound the calls

of Topper Hill were felled and left lying, a formi-

for reveille and drill,

dable defense when time is short.

for water, stable, and tattoo,

And the Negroes shaped the earthworks like

for taps — and all was still.

seasoned engineers. Most of the men dug all af-.

I hear it sound the Sick-Call grim,

ternoon, and would dig all day tomorrow.

and seethe men in line,

We stopped before a white clapboard house

with faces wry as they drink down

with candles flickering warmly in the windows. Fid-

their whiskey and quinine."

dle music filtered through the walls and under the

door. I climbed the stairs and let the knocker fall.

The stress of the impending attack seemed to

Scents of cinnamon and vanilla rushed out as

melt away. The townspeople present clapped and

the door opened. Sally greeted us warmly. "Lieu-

tapped their feet in time. The young tin whistler

tenant. Hello, Raines. Welcome."

and drummer boy, the two I'd seen out my drafty

Sally was resplendent with golden hair

window, watched from beside the roaring fire.

bouncing in ringlets and a red-trimmed dress to

"Good evening, Lieutenant," Joe Miller said.

match her lips. She stepped back to let us enter

"Merry Christmas." He was a broad man, built

and nodded as we passed.

for agricultural life. His beard and mustache

We were drawn in by the sound of music and

were even redder than his hair. His wide smile

voices. Raines hastened to the banjo case that

matched his frame.

stood in the corner, threw it open, and pulled out

"And to you, Miller," I answered. "As you see, the instrument like a child opening a gift on

my men are glad to put aside their duties."

Christmas morning.

"Come." Miller took me by the arm and led

Private Tweed raised a tambourine. Corporal

me to a long table by the window. "Sample the

Fox unsheathed a pair of bones from his jacket

foods my Sally has prepared."

pocket. No words were exchanged. They simply

My mouth dropped open at the sight.

48

49

Spread across the table were the foods I

Miller's face grew still, like a bull before the

dreamed of at night. Milk, cheese, cake, pre-

charge.

serves, boiled ham, turkey, pudding, pickles, and

"Once you arm those Negroes, what stops

them from running wild?"

loaves of fresh-baked soft bread.

"Have you met the men, sir?" I said.

"Eat up," Miller said. "Maintain the strength

"I wouldn't go within fifty feet of those peo-

you need to save this town."

ple. I don't need to meet a wolf to know he'll

I reached for a buttery cinnamon roll.

cause all kinds of mischief. They'll take our

"I wish that I alone could save it," I said

chickens, our pigs, the house!"

solemnly. "As you know, our ranks are thin. We

"The Rebels will do far worse if they take the

may need to arm the men that came into camp

town. The Negroes have offered to help. They've

today. They're willing to fight, and they —"

offered their lives."

"Are you mad?!" The joviality drained from

"If you treat them as equals, Lieutenant,

Miller's face. He bellowed as though addressing

they'll begin to believe it." The color in Miller's

a plow horse.

face was rising. "For God's sake! If you let them

"I assure you I am not," I said quietly.

fight, they'll begin to believe they deserve other

Raines appeared beside me at the buffet

liberties. Where would it go from there? Would

table. The song had finished. The guests were

you have them living here in Sinkler's Ridge? In a

clapping loudly.

house on Main Street?"

Miller appealed to Raines.

Chuckles rippled through the group of towns-

"Your lieutenant says he would arm a band of

people, most of whom had stopped their chatter

runaway Negroes and let them fight the Rebels,"

now to listen in.

Miller said, forcing unwilling laughter from his

Mac once told me integration was the course

throat and patting Raines on the back. "Is he a

of the future, the only way.

jokester, Raines? Or does he take to the bottle in

"You believe peaceful coexistence to be im-

the evening?"

possible?" I asked, knowing Miller's answer.

"I assure you, sir," I said, loudly enough to si-

"Darn right I do!"

lence some of the guests. "There is no joke in-

"Joe, calm yourself!" Sally cautioned.

tended, nor any drunkenness among the

Raines spoke. "Lieutenant, these men, they've

detachment."

50

51

never been trained. They'll only get in the way."

The objection was a practical one. Raines can al-

ways be relied upon for pragmatism. "Besides, at

the first shot, they'll run."

"I think you're wrong, Raines," I said plainly.

"You are wrong, Lieutenant," Miller argued.

"The people of Sinkler's Ridge are of one mind

CHAPTER 10

on this issue." He waved a hand to include the

observing group of guests.

J a k e

Heads nodded.

"If you persist in this absurd support of slaves,

you'll find that our support will disappear," Miller

said stiffly.

Sally turned abruptly and walked from the

The more I looked at the makeshift map, the

room. She understood her husband's meaning

more I realized there weren't going to be any

but obviously did not approve.

Hork-Bajir left to relocate after the Yeerks came

"Come, men," I said. Fox and Tweed rose

through.

from their chairs. "It seems we've outstayed our

I saw the battle in my mind. I saw the scouts

welcome."

storm the encampment and fire their Dracon

We left the warm, white house for the cold,

beams on everything that moved. I saw the

black night and walked in silence to the camp.

swarm of Taxxons. Hundreds of unstoppable

Spears reported that the pickets had seen

mouths devouring anything with a pulse.

nothing but trees in the woods and hills.

We could slow the Yeerks, inflict sufficient ca-

I climbed into my narrow makeshift bed and

sualties to make the visser in charge look bad.

closed my eyes.

But in the end, defeat was inevitable.

All I saw were the colorful foods on the buffet

The thought of a total slaughter made me sick.

table, the orange fire roaring in the hearth, and

I had to get away, get another look. Maybe

Sally's smiling eyes.

there was something I'd missed.

And all I heard was music.

53

52

I morphed peregrine falcon and flew down the

I gave in to an irresistible urge to preen and

valley to the south. The valley was like a wind

caught the eye of a man in a puffy yellow vest.

tunnel. A steady stream of rushing air that kept

Watched him magnify and focus a pair of field

me aloft almost as well as a thermal.

glasses, then show the kid standing next to him.

My raptor eyes caught a flash of movement,

I looked directly at them.

something bright and oddly colored in the for-

We had to get the campers out of there.

est. I banked and dove, soaring close over the

I flew up along the edge of the valley and

along the crest of the hill north of the colony. Fol-

treetops. Through the canopy of leaves and

lowed the stream that flowed down the valley,

branches, a cluster of tents. Three blue, one

through the colony and beyond.

green, one yellow, one purple. I banked again

WWHUUMPH!

and made another pass.

A small tree toppled. Rustled the brush along

A group of sixteen people. Four adults and a

the stream.

bunch of mostly high school kids. The campers

Who would be chopping down trees out here?

Tobias had told us about.

I doubled back and landed on the top of a

I dropped through the trees. I could smell

high pine. The small tree had fallen into the wa-

meat cooking, hot dogs I think, and singed

ter. Not into the rushing stream itself, but into an

marshmallows. I landed and my talons bit firmly

adjoining pond.

into the branch of a fallen tree.

I watched as two small brown heads pushed

I was less than fifty feet from the group. I

and tugged on the tree until it moved swiftly

could see everything. Camping equipment scat-

through the water toward the edge of the pond.

tered everywhere. Metal plates and pans. Boots

Until it became entangled in a pile of other wood

and wool socks drying on tree branches. Open

and debris.

backpacks, spilling their contents of brightly col-

One of the animals lumbered up onto the

ored camping gear onto the dirt.

bank. It was three feet long, covered in slick

Given the amounts of garbage the campers had

brown fur. A long, flat, paddle-shaped tail

strung up in the tree branches, beyond the reach

dragged along behind it.

of bears, they'd been camped for more than three

Beavers damming the stream.

days. Unless these people had portable Kandrona

The wall of wood and brush that held back

pools in their tiny tents, they weren't Controllers.

54

55

the pond was leaking. The beavers were working

hard to fix it. If the wall broke, all that dammed-

up water would rush down the hillside, into the

Hork-Bajir colony, and on through the^ valley

floor.

It was too good to be true.

A wall of water rushing toward the colony,

CHAPTER 11

tunneling toward the attacking Yeerks?

I checked the size of the pond, and the dis-

tance the water had to travel to reach the colony

and valley floor beyond . . .

No good.

The water in the pond would spread out and

diminish by the time it reached the Yeerks. It

We're going to flood them out," I an-

would spill over the banks of the stream and rage

nounced. "We're going to wash the Yeerks back

for a while. But where it mattered, it would end

down the valley.

up as little more than a puddle.

The beavers have already started things for

My brilliant idea began to die. I was about to

us. We just have to expand their dam to hold

fly away when the beavers pushed another clus-

back enough water to make a mini tidal wave."

ter of tangled branches into position. The wall

"Nap time!" Marco sang. "I think someone's

rose higher. The water level raised ever so

a little overtired."

slightly.

"I'm fine."

That's when it hit me.

Tobias laughed. <You know, this mission is

If two beavers could dam a pond, five beavers

seriously important. I'm thinking the morph

could dam a whole lot more.

should be a little more, I don't know, glamorous.

I mean, going beaver to save an entire colony of

aliens is like putting James Bond behind the

57

56

wheel of a minivan. With a bumper sticker that

"How much water is that?" I asked.

says, "World's Greatest Mom." No offense.>

"We have to make this pool Olympic-sized,"

"Very funny. Listen, we've gone mole." We've

Marco answered.

gone ant. You use what works."

A beaver popped up in the middle of the

"But will this work?" Rachel asked.

pond, pushing a branch with his nose. He placed

"Got any other ideas?" I answered.

the branch in the dam and dove back under-

We didn't have to morph to travel to the

water.

beaver dam. It was only about an eight-minute

We waited. And waited.

jog up the valley. As we approached the pond . . .

<Some lungs,> Tobias observed.

Whack! Whack! Sploosh! Sploosh!

"No," Cassie explained, "he's probably in the Thundering slaps loud as firecrackers, and no

lodge. See that dome-shaped pile of branches

beavers to be seen. New ripples crossed the

and moss and mud sticking up above water level?

pond.

There's air in there."

"They must have heard us coming," Cassie

"The lodge?" Marco echoed excitedly. "A

roaring fire. Hot chocolate. Britney Spears.

said. "Beavers slap their tails on the water if they

Brandy, maybe. The girl, not the drink. These

think they're in danger."

dudes know how to live!"

The pond looked promising. It was bigger

"The lodge is where they live," Cassie laughed.

than it had seemed from the air.

"Like bears have dens and birds have nests?"

Attached to a lake, it would have made a re-

"How do we acquire a beaver while he's in-

spectable fishing cove.

side the lodge?" Rachel said.

In my backyard, it would have made a fantas-

Cassie waded into the water. "Well, the en-

tic swimming pool.

trances are underwater," she said. "Maybe we

But I knew we needed more. I just didn't

can catch a beaver on his way out."

know how much.

She reached the lodge and bent down toward

<Three to four thousand cubic meters,> Ax

its base. Murky water slapped her chin.

said. <l believe that is what it will take to inun-

"Found it," she said. "I think. Someone knock lightly on the side of the lodge to scare a beaver

date the valley.>

out."

Marco batted his eyelashes. "Ax, you just

make me all tingly when you talk all smart-like."

58

59

"Are you kidding?" Marco said, wading after

her into the water. Rachel, Ax, and I followed.

"Gentle, thoughtful Cassie wants to scare a

beaver out of its mind?"

"Shut up and help. I'm not going to hurt

him."

Marco tapped the lodge with a fallen branch.

CHAPTER 12

"Got him!" Cassie cried. "Oowwwww! He

bit me!"

I s a i a h

"Cassie, let go!"

"I'm okay," she said quickly. Then she lifted

F i t z h e n r y

the beaver to the surface. His body was still from

the acquiring trance, buoyed weight.

Good thing, because this guy had to weigh at

December 24, 1864.

least forty pounds, big and sturdy. The body of an

Joe Miller's rooster crowed at half past five,

industrious worker. One by one, including Tobias,

leaving no question that it had survived the night

we reached out to touch the slick, bristly coat.

despite his predictions of raid and plunder by the

The beaver splashed away as soon as we were

Negros.

done.

While the coffee boiled, I rummaged in my

"You know," Cassie said, forcing a smile,

haversack for sugar. I found none, I had to drink

blood dripping from the cut on her hand, "when

my coffee black.

your mother tells you not to stick your hand in a

It felt like an ominous omen.

beaver lodge, you really should listen."

"Don't lag, men. Don't lag!"

Sergeant Spears's husky voice roared through

the frigid air. As I made my way across the

stream and down the hill, I saw him standing

statuesque in the morning fog, having staked out

the highest point of the earthworks to supervise

60

61

A rifle shot cracked the air.

Jacob and the other men, who labored dutifully

Jacob hit the ground.

below.

Spears began to chuckle again. He had fired

Spears's rifle was propped against his shoul-

into the sky.

der. That was as it should have been, for I'd

"Spears!" I yelled.

ordered all men to carry arms on every detail.

He returned the gun to his shoulder. Jacob

But from my vantage point, Spears seemed to

staggered to his feet. The eyes of all the black

have his hand rather too close to the trigger.

men turned to me.

"They're lazy men, Lieutenant," Spears said,

"Yes, sir?" Spears answered.

far too loudly, as he saw me approaching. "If our

"Ride out to scout for the enemy. Take a few

men was out working, we'd have finished by

men with you."

now."

"Are you relieving me of this detail?"

"The problem as I see it, Spears, is that the

"I will stand in until your return."

earth is frozen hard as granite."

"Very well, sir."

"No, sir," Spears said, chuckling, his Scot-

Spears scampered down the earthworks and

tish accent lengthening his vowels in a most defi-

strode past me in silence. Though he was my

ant way. "The earth is soft as butter, ain't it,

subordinate, I couldn't very well question his be-

boys? Soft as creamy butter."

havior in front of the men. I had to back him.

Jacob looked up, saw me, and dropped his

"Back to work, men!" I yelled. "Jacob, ap-

shovel on the dirt.

proach!" I said sternly, and retained a posture of

"Lieutenant!" he called, waving an arm and

severity until Spears was safely out of earshot.

pushing toward me over piles of upturned soil. "I

I sensed the reason Jacob wanted to speak to

want to speak to you about —"

me. The placement of the entrenchments was all

"You!" Spears bellowed.

wrong. I'd realized it, too. If we moved them back

Jacob froze.

a hundred yards toward town, we could place

"Resume your position and your duty!"

them behind the stream, a natural barrier to the

Jacob hesitated.

Rebs. A God-made moat.

"Lieutenant," he called to me. "It's about the

"Jacob," I said gently. "You have an opinion placement of the —"

to share?"

BAM!

63

62

He nodded.

"Yes . . . Lieutenant. This ain't the best posi-

Jacob's face grew hard and still. He did know

tion. Rebs coming up from down there. Make 'em

the name. But I would drive home the reality.

come all the way up, close to town. That way, you

"Right here in Tennessee, just over those hills

have more chance to shoot 'em down. Then,

a few days, General Forrest's Confederate cavalry

when they get to the stream, that slows them

captured a Union-held fort on the Mississippi.

down some more."

The Negro soldiers inside surrendered. But For-

rest didn't take them prisoner. He murdered

"I think you're right," I said.

them in cold blood. Jacob, it was a massacre."

Spears and three privates trampled down the

"I know, Lieutenant. If they take us, they'll

hill on horseback. When they reached the

most likely kill us, too."

stream, Spears's horse reared up and whinnied

loudly.

His calm sent chills down my spine. He knew

"Bronco!" Spears cried.

the truth, yet wanted to fight in spite of it.

The horse finally plunged into the water, step-

"The townspeople won't allow it," I said,

changing tacks. "Neither will many of my own

ping awkwardly over rocks and mud.

men. You know Spears. He won't fight beside

Jacob and I exchanged a glance of under-

you."

standing. The stream was the barrier we needed.

Jacob looked at me stubbornly.

"Start your men digging again," I said. "But this time, according to your plan."

"You need men," he said, echoing his words

from the day before. "Here we are."

I waited for Jacob to accept the new orders.

"How about rifles?" he said instead, hope

I looked angrily at the camp and the town.

flickering in his eyes.

Didn't Jacob see it was an impossibility? Yes, we

were outnumbered. Yes, we needed his men. Yes,

"Why are you so set on fighting? Once you

it was suicide to turn him down.

prepare these entrenchments, you can melt back

into the hills and be safe. Haven't you heard

"Give us a chance, Lieutenant."

Wagons loaded with household treasures

what these same troopers did at Fort Pillow?

stood outside several houses in town. The white

Don't you know the name of Nathan Bedford For-

townspeople were loading their possessions and

rest?"

preparing to flee.

64

65

I looked at Joe and Sally Miller's house. There

was no wagon there.

Clop-clop. Clop-clop. Clop-clop.

The pounding of hooves!

Spears's red and sweating face, flailing coat,

and screaming horse reared up before me.

"Lieutenant!" he cried. "They're not a mile

CHAPTER 13

from here!"

J a k e

J. put Ax in charge of the "dam expansion."

He had a clear sense of the mechanics of the

whole thing. Said something about how the nat-

ural curve of the beaver's dam was actually the

most efficient shape to hold back the water.

"Fluid mechanics was one of my specialties

as an aristh," Ax said.

Marco sighed. "What haven't you done?"

"I have never constructed an organic cellu-

lose hydrological attack assemblage."

"We speak English, dude."

"No, I get it," Rachel said excitedly. "He's never made a dam out of wood, mud, and moss."

Cassie was concerned about the beaver fam-

ily whose compound we were about to take over.

66

67

"They're scared. They think we're predators.

that no one would see us demorph and morph in

We need to convince them we're friends."

Tobias's case.

"What we need to do," Marco said, "is ex-

Then we walked toward the brightly colored

pand this dam and store up a whole lot of water.

tents. Thank God we could finally morph some

Fast."

halfway decent clothes, the result of a whole lot

Marco morphed. There was a big splash as he

of experience. Boys in T-shirts and jeans gener-

dropped into the water. A resounding crack as he

ally look a lot saner than boys in spandex.

slapped his tail.

We approached the campsite. A tall kid with

<Awesome!> he shouted. <These front teeth

glasses spotted us first.

are great. Let me at some trees, baby! I'm gonna

" H i , " he said.

build me a dam.>

"Hey," I answered.

Cassie morphed next. Then Rachel. The

Then we just stood there.

beaver was kind of cute, except for the small

<Jake? Fearless leader? Do you have a plan,

beady eyes. And the enlarged front incisors, like

or are you just going to smile and look stupid in

curving ivory chisels.

our morphing outfits?> Tobias said privately.

I later learned that beaver incisors never stop

"Just be cool. I'll handle it," I whispered.

growing. If the beaver doesn't wear them down

"I'm Jake," I said to the tall kid.

with use, they grow right down to the ground.

"Lewis Carpenter. I've had blisters for five

<There is the beginning of a small canal on

days."

the far side of the pond,> Ax said. <lt leads to a

"Huh. Bummer."

growth of young trees, some of which have al-

An adult stuck his head out of a tent. The guy

ready been cut down. We need that material for

who had sighted me in his binoculars. "What are

the construction. Rachel and Cassie, stay with

you two boys doing so far out in the woods?" he

me. Marco?>

asked, stepping outside. "Where's your equip-

<On my way.>

ment?"

Tobias and I had other business. I morphed,

<Good question, Jake.>

and together we flew out of range of the con-

"We're camped on the ridge," I said easily,

struction below. It was a short flight to the camp-

pointing up the valley wall.

site. We were careful to land far enough away so

"Right," Tobias added.

68

69

More silence and staring. This was getting

The guy held out a tiny portable television

ridiculous.

flickering a commercial for an SUV.

"Look," I said. "We came to tell you we all

"The local news meteorologist predicts sunny

have to get out of here. We just met a ranger and

skies and no wind for the next three days." His

he told us the park is closed. There's a huge

voice bristled with adult annoyance. And with

storm coming this way. Guy said they're predict-

confidence. "We're staying right where we are."

ing straight-line winds and tons of snow, enough

I could feel my ears getting hot. They turn red

to strand us all. Everyone's got to pack up and

sometimes when I'm embarrassed.

get out of the area before sundown."

Three more adults, two women and a man,

A girl stood up from the group of kids sitting

came from their tents. Asked the kids what was

around the campfire and came closer to us. She

going on. I started to feel a little sick. Like I was

was maybe Tom's age.

going to get sent to my room or earn a week's

"It never snows this early in the year."

worth of detention.

"Yeah, I know," I said quickly. "That's what's

"Listen," Tobias said loudly, "you have to be-so dangerous about this storm. No one's pre-

lieve us. If you don't get out of this valley now,

pared. I mean, who's gonna have cold-weather

something really bad is going to happen. Your

gear? Right?"

lives are in danger."

The girl grinned.

The campers didn't respond. Emily looked

"I'll be fine. I hiked Mount McKinley."

at Lewis, then at the man. A kid near the

"Emily, Lewis?" The adult binocular guy. "Let campfire started to laugh. Pretty soon, all six-me handle this."

teen people in camp were snickering. Four adults

<They're not buying it,> Tobias said privately.

and twelve kids, laughing at the two pathetic

"Frostbite is bad news," I said, trying to

losers.

sound all serious and worried.

"Get a life," Emily said.

"Look," said binocular guy, "you boys need to I turned to Tobias. "Okay. We're desparate. I

learn a thing or two about hikers' etiquette. Peo-

don't want to do this, but I don't think we have a

ple need to trust one another in the wilderness.

choice."

You don't make up stories just to get someone

"Are you sure?" Tobias whispered. "What if

else's campsite."

one of them bolts? Or attacks us? Or runs straight

70

71

to the local media? If the Yeerks hear that two

like liquid spilled out of a jar. Until finally, I

human boys were morphing . . ."

fell forward onto the dirt. All five hundred pounds

"I know, Tobias," I snapped. "I know there

of me.

are consequences."

I was a male Siberian tiger standing before a

That was my job. To know the consequences.

group of whining, whimpering campers, in a

It was also my job to make the tough decisions.

place no Siberian tiger should be.

To lead.

I growled gently. Just enough to let them

I started to morph.

know the tiger was real.

"It's okay," Tobias called. "What you're going When Tobias started to demorph, I began to

to see will shock you, but don't panic. We're only

demorph to human,

trying to help."

Emily backed up, tripped, fell to the forest

Lewis was the first to react. He clutched at

floor. Tears streaked her face.

his glasses and stepped back. Groped behind

The red-tailed hawk shrieked once, then

him with his free hand until he bumped into a

morphed to human.

tree. His mouth hung wide open.

"Who . . . what are you?" the man cried.

The man dropped his television in the leaves.

"Its a long story," I said, fully human again.

His face went white.

"I can't explain it all now, but you've got to be-

One boy by the campfire stumbled to his feet,

lieve we're not here to hurt you."

then took off into the woods.

The campers were silent. At least no one else

"Don't be frightened," Tobias repeated.

ran.

Morphing is not pretty. It's disturbing and

"Sometime before tomorrow noon," I said

grotesque. Of course the campers were fright-

solemnly, "an army of aliens is going to march up

ened. Anybody would be.

this valley. If you're still here, they'll kill every

My human body began to twist violently. Big,

single one of you."

flesh-tearing teeth sprouted from my gums. Ears

migrated to the top of my head. Shoulders

hunched, spine expanded, skin toughened. Fur,

orange with black stripes, spread across my flesh

72

73

My men on picket duty were streaming from

the woods now, hollering and whooping, running

toward the earthworks like the devil was at their

heels.

Jacob picked up his shovel.

"I'll be staying, Lieutenant."

He was a fool!

CHAPTER 14

The men from camp raced from their tents

and rushed down the hill. They pulled on coats

I s a i a h

and parkas as they came, and fastened bayonets

F i t z h e n r y

to muskets.

"Take up your posts!" Raines cried, pulling a

pistol from his belt. "Take aim, but do not fire!"

One by one, the men in blue fell into line be-

% ly heart stopped.

hind the earthworks. Raines, Spears, Roth,

Spears gasped for breath.

O'Connell, McDonnell, Price . . .

"Not a mile from here! A good-sized detach-

We were pitifully few.

ment of Forrest's cavalry. A hundred or more."

"Dear God," I breathed, drawing my own re-

"Sound the alarm!" I ordered. "Get the men

volver.

down here with everything we've got! Bayonets,

A Rebel drum beat in the woods. General For-

muskets, revolvers . . . Spears, we're not ready

rest was upon us.

for them."

I watched the trees.

Spears raced toward camp with a desperate

The tree trunks suddenly multiplied, dou-

look in his eye.

bling . . . tripling in number!

Jacob was running down the hill to rejoin the

"Hold!" I cried, uncertain of the visual effect.

digging men. They were still building up the de-

All at once, the illusion vanished and I knew

fensive position.

what it was that I saw.

"Jacob!" I shouted above the bugle cry. "You've The forest was dense with brown horses, gray-done your part. Get your fellows out of here!"

coated cavalrymen, and dully reflective carbines.

74

75

"Lieutenant." Raines turned to me. "They're

The order was rumbling inside my mind . . .

forming up for a charge!"

waiting to explode!

Jacob and his men were still piling up dirt.

"FIRE!" I raged.

Still digging.

"FIRE!" boomed the Rebel commander.

"Get down, you fools!" I yelled. "You'll be

The Union line pulled twenty-four triggers

shot!"

and riddled the air with lead.

A few of the men lay down against the dirt.

The Rebels replied in kind.

One took off up the hill toward camp.

"Ahh!"

But Jacob and the rest ignored my warning.

Blood spattered my face and sleeve. Private

"Prepare to fire. . . . "

Foster clutched his neck. Blood poured through

The woods erupted with whoops and shouts.

his fingers. He slumped and fell to the cold

Angry cries.

ground.

"Yeeeeeee! Hah! Yooooop! Yeeeeeeeeeeeha!"

"Ahhh!"

The Rebel yell.

A Negro was struck in the chest! He hit the

"I'll answer you with lead!" Spears shouted

dirt and rolled, screaming. Still, Jacob didn't

down his gun barrel.

take cover. He raised his shovel like a weapon.

The Rebs pulled out of the woods. Numbering

"RELOAD!"

only fifty or so, they screamed as loud as a regi-

I hit my target in the thigh, but he kept gal-

ment.

loping. I shot again. Missed!

The galloping hooves grew louder and louder.

Two Rebel horses down! A man falling from

The whoops and hollers tortured my ears.

his mount.

The Rebels jumped the trunks of the slashed

"FIRE!"

trees, leaped over branches until they were so

My men shot again before the Rebels could

near I could almost see their faces.

reload, a difficult task while riding.

I could almost see the whites of their

Three Rebs down on the east flank. Six or

eyes. . . .

more on the west.

I stepped up to the line and aimed my re-

"BAYONETS!" I cried. No time for another

volver at a snarling blond cavalryman who raised

shot. I picked up Foster's musket and gripped it

his carbine at me.

hard. Fire coursed through my veins.

76

77

The hooves grew thunderous, racing, pound-

Strong hands clasped my arms, lifted, raised

ing. Roaring up to the earthworks!

me off the ground.

"FORWARD!" I ordered.

All around, men locked in combat with the

We stabbed the air, whooping like banshees.

Rebs who'd fallen from their mounts.

The Rebel horses faltered, reared up. The rid-

The Rebs on horseback were broken up, scat-

ers struggled to draw their sabers, but too late!

tering to retreat.

We were upon them!

Jacob heaved his shovel like a javelin. It

Union men stabbed through Rebel trousers,

struck a Rebel in the side. The man slumped and

pulled bodies from horses. Everywhere I looked,

slid off the saddle.

punching, stabbing, beating.

Four of the other men swarmed another caval-

One Rebel cleared his saber of its sheath.

ryman and dragged him off his horse.

And skewered O'Connell.

The men carrying me placed me on the ground

"STEADY, BOYS!" I ran for the man I'd struck

and raced away to aid their fellows.

with my revolver. I didn't realize until too

I ripped open my coat and groped my stom-

late . . .

ach, searching for the injury. My ribs and guts

BAM!

felt crushed and broken, but there was no blood,

He'd saved his carbine shot for me!

no bullet, no hole at all!

"Ahh!"

How!

The bullet struck my stomach, threw me back!

My head was swimming. Footsteps stopped

I hit the dirt and clutched my stomach. No

beside me. I looked up and saw Joe Miller's face

air!

against the sky. He had a shotgun in his hand, a

The Rebel snarled, turned, and retreated.

revolver in his belt, a knife in his boot. He smiled

No air!

and picked up the brass belt buckle I'd just

My head was empty and full, calm and

thrown off.

crazy. . . .

It was utterly deformed, nearly cut in two, and

"Lieutenant!"

folded up around a point at its center.

It was Jacob's voice. He told his men to drag

He handed me the buckle and I saw the flat-

me back behind the entrenchments.

tened lead bullet embedded in the buckle.

78

79

"You're a lucky man, Lieutenant. That buckle

is lead-lined."

I'd been shot in the gut and survived. No

words would form.

"Those slaves," Joe Miller said. "I'll give

them credit for determination." He glanced at

the battlefield, at the Union men rounding up

Rebel prisoners, then looked back at me.

CHAPTER 15

"This was just a slight effort," I said hoarsely.

"A testing of our defense. The Rebs will be back

J a k e

soon."

Miller nodded.

"That's why you need the help of every man

you can find," he said, looking at the Negros.

"Arm them, train them, and let them fight."

The campers believed.

The initial terror on their faces softened to

looks of curiosity and recognition. An adult re-

trieved the kid who'd run off into the woods. The

rest glanced at one another, then back at us,

and, suddenly, began to beam.

I didn't get it.

"We'll follow your instructions," one of the

men said. About twelve of the others nodded in

agreement.

<Okay. That was too easy,> Tobias said pri-

vately.

The man who'd spoken stepped delicately

toward us. As if the snap of a branch would make

us disappear.

80

81

"I've waited my entire life to make contact,"

"We're just normal kids with a special

he said suddenly. "My name is Richard Carpen-

power," Tobias said carefully. "We're not aliens."

ter. What do you call yourselves? What system do

"If you don't want us to call you aliens, we

you call home?"

won't call you aliens," Richard said with a wink.

"What system?"

<Jake? These people spend way too much

"What solar system are you from? Are you

time watching Star Wars.>

with the Federation? Is your ship in orbit or on

"Look," I said. "There are aliens taking over land?"

Earth, but we're just regular kids. You know, from

Unbelievable. I almost laughed.

here. Trying to stop them. The bad aliens."

"Uh," I said, "we're from Earth, just like

Emily's forehead scrunched with skeptical

you."

wrinkles.

"Ah, yes," Richard said. "I always knew you

"It's a long story." Tobias sighed. "Just trust lived among us. I have friends who've seen your

us. Please. You need to get out of here."

ships."

"Can't you just beam us somewhere else?"

"We don't have any ships," Tobias said.

Lewis asked.

Richard reached out, grasped Tobias's hand,

"Or you could generate a shield to surround

and pumped it in a too-long handshake. Then he

us," said another kid with spiky blond hair and

grabbed my hand.

sunglasses. "You could cloak our entire campsite

"I'm honored to meet you. So very, very, very

so we could watch all the action!"

honored."

"Yeah!" That was one of the adult women.

"Can you become anything you want?" Lewis

"Okay, look," I said, fed up. "This is real life.

said.

This is not a Star Trek episode. I'm not Captain

"No, not anything, but a lot of things. Any an-

Picard. I can't beam you anywhere."

imal we touch," I said.

"Justin," Richard said to the blond kid. "They Yeah, morphing was gross and uncomfort-can't put that kind of technology in our hands. It

able. But it had been a long time since I remem-

would violate the Prime Directive."

bered it was also very, very cool.

"Oh, right," Justin whispered loudly. "Of

Lewis grinned. "So, like, what's your natural

course."

form?"

Richard looked at me.

82

83

"I know that revealing yourselves to us is a

I ignored the knot in my stomach. I was tak-

major violation of the Prime Directive. But you

ing a risk with these people and I knew that.

did the right thing. We're ready for contact."

Their lives were in my hands. But times were

Tobias snorted.

desperate. Things had changed.

"Are you official Trekkies or something?"

"Okay. The Yeerks are parasites. In their nat-

"Actually, yeah." Emily blushed. "Our par-

ural form they're just slugs. Pretty much blind,

ents, too, like my dad here," she said, pointing at

deaf, and dumb. They need bodies through

Richard. "This is the annual camping trip. You

which they can live and be powerful. So they

know, a few days away from computers and

invade the brains of other species. Like Hork-

videos and stuff."

Bajir."

"So you're not with the Federation?" Richard

"Hork-Bajir?" Lewis repeated.

pressed.

"A naturally harmless group of aliens. Almost

Tobias and I helped break camp. In less than

completely enslaved by the Yeerks. The Yeerks

an hour everyone had assembled, packs on their

are coming to destroy the small colony of free

backs.

Hork-Bajir in this valley and infest any sur-

"You need to take the quickest path out of the

vivors."

valley," I explained. "The Yeerks will be coming

"'Infest'?" Justin.

from the south, so you can't go that way."

"Yeah, infest," I said. "The Yeerks crawl into

"Who are the Yeerks?" Emily asked.

your head through your ear canal. Then they at-

I looked at Tobias. He shrugged, then nod-

tach themselves to your brain. Enslave you. Take

ded.

total control of your mind. You become what we

"I'll tell you," I said, "but you have to

call a Controller. A prisoner in your own head.

promise not to tell anyone about anything you've

Basically, you can say good-bye to free will. The

seen or heard tonight. Secrecy is essential. For

Yeerk totally manipulates you to get other bodies

your safety and ours. For the, uh, Federation.

for other Yeerks."

Can we count on you?"

Justin made a face. "Why don't people just

"Absolutely," said a female adult. "If there's say, like, no to these Controllers?"

one thing we can do, it's keep an intergalactic

"It's not that easy," Tobias said. "Controllers secret."

look and act just like you and me, which makes

84

85

them seriously dangerous. Look, the Yeerks are

"We're talking real battle. Real war. Pain and

all about betrayal. No one can be trusted."

blood and even death," I said. "Spilled guts and

"No one," I emphasized. "Not neighbors, not

severed limbs and psychological horror you won't

relatives, not friends. That's why you need to

ever get past. This isn't a trip to a theme park.

keep your mouths shut about what you've just

It's not TV or some video game. It's an appoint-

seen. And about anything else you might see. Be-

ment with a seriously grim reality."

cause if a Controller overhears you, you're his-

"I understand," Justin said. "And I'm going

tory."

home. Sorry, guys, but I'm no hero." He handed

<Nice try,> Tobias said dryly. <But you know

Lewis a small black case. "Take some pictures,

okay, Lew? This stuff sounds perfect for our Web

someone's going to blab.>

page."

"Well, I want to help," Emily declared. "We

"Secrecy, remember!" I barked.

have to free the Hork-Bajir and crush the

Justin looked startled. "Oh. Right."

Yeerks!"

Then two other campers walked off with him.

Tobias grinned. "Remind you of anyone,

The remaining thirteen, it seemed, were com-

Jake?"

ing with us.

"Yeah," Lewis said. "Let's help the good

<ls this smart?> Tobias said. <l mean, can we

aliens!"

do this? Can we take these people to the free

"Wait," Richard cried. "Your mother would

Hork-Bajir? Can we involve them this way?>

have a fit."

"We already have. And besides," I reasoned

Lewis grabbed his dad's arm.

pathetically, "no one will believe reports of aliens

"Real aliens, Dad."

from a bunch of Trekkies. I hope."

Richard looked down at his son's glowing

We led the thirteen campers, ten kids and

face.

three adults, the mile or so back to the Hork-

"You're right, kid," he declared. "It's a once-Bajir settlement.

in-a-lifetime chance. We'll join your fight!"

We approached the outskirts of the colony. A

Tobias shot me a glance. <Jake, they just

dozen Hork-Bajir, eerily visible in the flickering

don't get it yet. You need to get g r a p h i o

torchlight, stood in two rows on either side of the

"I don't think you understand what this

path. Toby stood in the middle.

means," I said, looking hard at each camper.

86

87

"Welcome," she said. "We're honored by your

presence. We thank you for your help."

The campers didn't speak. They just walked

on through the canopy of branches and the tow-

ering, bladed extraterrestrials.

"How did you know we were coming?" I asked

Toby.

CHAPTER 16

"The trees whispered something about new

friends who would take up our cause. Human

friends who would join our fight," she said. "I see I s a i a h

things, Jake. Many things."

F i t z h e n r y

All told, the Union lost five men, the Rebels

thirteen.

It was fine fighting by our side. Accurate

shooting and brave hand-to-hand.

But we know it was a gift. A sweet, ephemeral

moment of triumph.

Forrest's cavalry will return and in full force.

I do believe that anticipation of an event can

be as powerful as the event itself, as Mac had

said of whipping. We don't know when the attack

will come and we surely can't prevent it. Yet we

can live it in our minds a hundred times.

Sinkler's Ridge is doomed.

Everyone is aware of this truth, but no one

will let on. Not even for a moment.

88

89

"Atten-SHUN!"

best friend. Your only chance against the enemy.

I stared into the black faces of nearly thirty

Do you hear me, Samson?"

men. Their bodies stiffened tall before me. The

He nodded. I stepped back from the line and

sun beat down from the zenith of its path, but its

Sergeant Raines moved forward. He would teach

rays weren't sufficient to warm us. Misted breath

them how to load.

billowed and steamed from the noses and

"Most soldiers get days or weeks to drill," I

mouths of men seething with excitement.

added, looking down the line. "You men have

For they had just been armed.

minutes, and since ammunition is in short sup-

The rifles of the sick men, the rifles of the

ply, only ten practice rounds."

dead — together they numbered just enough.

"Ten rounds!" Samson whined. "How we sup-

One of the Negros, a young man with a square

posed to learn to shoot a Rebel with only ten

jaw, couldn't contain himself.

tries?"

"I wish my massa could see me now!"

"Silence!" Raines bellowed.

He raised the rifle and made as if to shoot the

It was his turn now and I would leave him

older Negro next to him.

to it.

"Atten-SHUN!" I repeated, stepping closer to

"Don't speak until spoken to! Don't act until

the line.

ordered! Don't load your weapon until I —"

The young one lowered the weapon to his side

"Are these the bullets?" Samson suddenly

and fixed an obedient stare on a distant point.

said, disbelief widening his face as he looked at

"This is not a toy!" I snapped. "What's your the .58 caliber conical balls in his hand. "These

name?"

ain't no bigger than peas!"

"Samson," he answered, avoiding my gaze.

A raised vein pulsed across Raines's redden-

"Do you know what you hold at your side?"

ing face. Jacob stepped in.

"A weapon, sir?"

"Shush, boy!" he called down the line to

"The model '61 Springfield musket with ri-

Samson. "The peas are lead. When they blast out

fled bore and socket bayonet," I clarified for all

the muzzle, they move fast enough to rip a hole

to hear. I gripped my own weapon tightly. "Nine

through your guts."

pounds and fifty-eight inches of hope. Your new

Raines took a deep breath.

90

91

"Samson, step up and load your gun!"

pulled out a cap, pulled back the hammer, in-

"Sir?"

serted the cap, closed the frizzen.

"Load it!"

"Fire!"

Samson unhooked the copper powder flask

There was a line of tin cups on a fence post

that dangled from his belt and fumbled to

fifty yards off.

open it.

Samson raised the gun, closed one eye,

"I don't know how."

sucked in a breath and held it.

"I'll guide you. Pour the premeasured powder

BAM!

charge down the barrel."

A tin cup blew off the post. The men in line

Samson leaned the barrel awkwardly toward

began to whistle.

him, struggled to funnel down the powder.

The kickback sent Samson staggering, eyes

"Rip a patch of cloth. Place a lead ball on it."

wide, but he saw that he'd struck his target.

Samson drew a length of cloth from his

"Yeehah! If massa could see me —"

pocket, ripped off a patch, opened his pouch,

"RELOAD!" Raines roared, slowly raising a

grabbed a ball, placed the lead and patch

revolver to point in the air over Samson's head.

against the muzzle.

The men fell silent.

"Ram it home!"

Samson smiled nervously and lowered the

Samson pulled the ramrod from the barrel,

gun, grabbed the barrel . . .

dropped it on the dirt, picked it up. The ball and

"Ah!"

patch fell to the ground. He reached down,

The barrel was hot and Samson released it,

picked them up, raised the ramrod, lowered it

but caught it before it fell.

into the barrel, and pumped it so the ball would

His fingers were shaking now. The powder

pack against the powder charge.

spilled. He ripped the cloth, grabbed a ball . . .

"He looks like a fool!" said a man in line.

Ka-bamm!

"He won't look a fool when the Rebs are

Raines shot his revolver into the air.

charging," Jacob shot back.

Samson rammed home the patch ball, fum-

"The percussion cap!" Raines boomed.

bled for a cap, pulled back the hammer. . .

Samson's fingers opened another pouch,

Ka-bamm! Raines fired again.

92

93

Samson's whole body trembled now. He

At the end of the drill, not one cup sat on that

raised the gun and it shook like a tree branch in

fence post. Indeed, the rail was fairly well de-

the wind.

stroyed. These men learned faster than any en-

BAM!

listed men I'd seen.

The rifle fired. Samson missed.

Perhaps because for Jacob and his men the

"RELOAD! FASTER!" Raines raged.

stakes were somehow higher.

Samson gaped at Raines as one might gape at

"Keep your powder dry!" Raines called to the

a madman, but he reached for the powder flask,

men as they filed away for rations. Almost as he

the barrel, the patch, the ball . . .

said this, the man in line in front of Samson lost

BAM!

hold of his powder flask. It rolled across the

Ka-bamm!

snow-dusted dirt.

Another charge released in the air over Sam-

Samson bent down and retrieved it, then

son's head as he loaded and fired a third time.

turned toward Sergeant Raines.

And missed.

"Keep your powder dry!" he repeated with a

"Stop," Raines ordered, suddenly calm.

wary smile.

Samson was panting, trembling, and sweat-

ing. He stood as still as he could, the rifle shak-

ing at his side.

Raines let the echo of the gunshot die.

"In the heat of battle, with guns firing in your

ears and men exploding next to you, a good sol-

dier can load and fire three shots per minute, and

make each of them count. Blood will spatter in

your face, gentlemen. You may even take a bullet

in the arm or leg. But you must fill your mind

with only three words: Load. Fire. Reload. Gen-

tlemen, load your weapons!"

I returned to headquarters and watched the

remainder of the training through the window.

94

95

released, Richard examined his hand. Not a

scratch.

A flash of light!

"This is the greatest day of my life!" Lewis

said, sticking Justin's camera back into his bag.

Without a word, I reached into the bag. Re-

trieved the camera. Opened it. Ripped out the

CHAPTER 17

film. Placed the camera back in the bag.

Lewis gulped.

J a k e

"Jake!" Marco's dad jogged up to our group.

"So it's true? We've got people willing to help?"

"Willing and ready," Richard replied, giving

Marco's dad a hearty handshake.

"Then come with us. We're running out of

The Hork-Bajir welcoming committee walked

time!"

after us. The campers kept their distance, fear

The thirteen campers followed Marco's dad

and wonder on their moonstruck faces.

up the hill to where Marco's mom was waiting. I

"They don't bite," I told them. "At least, not swear those two were made for wilderness living.

the free Hork-Bajir. The blades are just for har-

They looked younger and happier than I'd ever

vesting bark. They wouldn't hurt a fly."

seen them. Like helping stranded aliens with key

Richard was the first to approach a Hork-

concepts like organization and productivity was

Bajir. He stuck out his hand and said, "Greet-

their destiny.

ings."

I could hardly believe what I saw at the top of

The Hork-Bajir slowly raised his hands and

the hill. A hut with torchlight had become a kind

enclosed Richard's palm in a cage of blades.

of factory.

Richard flinched, but didn't move away.

This is how it went. The first Hork-Bajir in the

"Hallloooo," the Hork-Bajir grunted, shaking

assembly line grabbed a stick off a pile. Using

Richard's hand up and down several times. Once

his razor-sharp wrist blades, he stripped it of all

96

97

bark and knots. Then, he tossed it to the next

from the air. A new layer of sticks and trees

Hork-Bajir in line. That Hork-Bajir inspected the

topped the original dam. The water level was at

stake and gave it a second straightening trim. If a

least two feet higher. Water spilled over a new

stick was too bowed, the Hork-Bajir tossed it into

section of the forest.

a separate pile. That pile was given to the

<Where've you been, Prince Jake?> Marco,

younger Hork-Bajir for sharpening. The bent

packing mud into the cracks with his tail.

sticks became the stakes at the bottom of the

<You've missed all the fun with our new friends,

pits.

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.>

I The sticks that passed inspection were

I landed on the bank and began to demorph.

handed on to several older Hork-Bajir. They fas-

<They've been excellent help,> Cassie said.

tened sharpened stone arrowheads to the tips.

<At first they were afraid of us. But they seem to

Grooves had been carved in the tips during the

have realized that we're just here to help, so

stripping process so that twine could be easily

they've gone back to work."

tied around the arrows. A last group of Hork-Bajir

"That's great," I said absently.

| carried the completed spears up to the tree plat-

I had to tell them. But suddenly, I wish I

forms.

didn't have to say a word.

Richard, Lewis, Emily, and a mother-daughter

" I , uh . . . Listen. Those campers from down

pair of campers named Meg and Chloe were as-

the valley want to help the Hork-Bajir."

signed duties in this assembly line. I'd never

<You mean, they know?> Rachel. <Jake, are

seen such willing workers.

you nuts?>

"I've got to check the progress at the dam," I

"Drastic times call for drastic measures," I

told Marco's dad. "I'll be back."

said evenly. "You used those words at the meet-

Tobias had already demorphed and was flying

ing yesterday."

lookout. We were taking no chances. It seemed

"Oh. Okay, I did. Thanks for listening."

unlikely, but the Yeerks might stage a night at-

<This could be the beginning of something

tack. Might go for the element of surprise.

big,> Cassie said reluctantly. <The first volun-

j; I morphed owl and flew to the construction

teers^

site. The owl's superior night vision, and the

<Right,> Rachel said. <They'll tell others, en-

bright moonlight, allowed me to see the progress

courage them to join the fight.>

98

99

< Exactly the problem!> Marco said angrily.

<Jake, who decided it was okay to make public

appearances?>

"Well, you, actually," I said. "And that's not an accusation. It's a fact. When you told your

dad about us. You did what you had to do and so

did I."

<That was different with my dad,> he said

CHAPTER 18

forcefully. <Maybe even with those sailors and

marines on the aircraft carrier. I don't know. But

come on, Jake. You don't even know these

campers. Who they work for, who they're related

to, where they're from.>

"They're a bunch of sci-fi fanatics who be-

lieved in aliens before Tobias and I even showed

< Prince Jake.> Ax. <Time is running out. We them anything." I tried to smile, pretend I wasn't

need your help to finish the dam.>

as worried as Marco. "They thought we were from

Not a word about what I'd done. With all that

the Federation. Can you believe it?"

had happened between us, all that had gone

No one laughed.

down in this war, Ax still considered me his

leader. Still followed my orders and accepted my

decisions.

T h e c o u n t d o w n h a s b e g u n .

Not that it really mattered what Ax, or anyone

else, thought. As long as they acted with loyalty.

As long as they also understood that I'd already

I t will all b e o v e r v e r y , v e r y s o o n .

taken full responsibility for revealing us to the

pampers. Nobody else was to blame. Not even

T5bias.

I focused on the newest DNA I carried inside

me.

100

101

SWZOOP!

The beaver didn't have the raw, quick

My body began to shrink. Arms and legs

strength of a tiger. But it did have amazing sta-

sucked into my torso.

mina.

FWUMP!

And its mind was smart in a goal-oriented,

I hit the ground.

problem-solving kind of way.

PING PING PING . . .

The beaver felt anxious to get to its project.

Thick brown fur sprouted all over my body. I

Its mind was alive with a single thought.

felt suddenly warm, like I'd pulled on a wet suit.

There are things to be done!

POOT. POOT.

It was the mind of a workaholic.

My back legs reappeared as short little flipper-

There was a sapling. A dead branch just

ahead. A vine beyond. Choose one and move!

feet.

I was an enlightened worker bee.

THWUMP.

An ant with a college education.

A heavy weight pulled on my rear end.

I turned my head around.

I slid off the shore into the dark pond. Swam

with my head above the water. The beaver's oily

Stretching my spine almost two feet beyond

fur repelled the water, keeping its skin dry.

my main body was a thick, flat, formidable mass.

I paddled purposefully down a small canal.

A paddle, a tool, a tail.

Away from the pond and toward the place where

Morphing is unpredictable. The most dra-

Ax was gnawing through a large tree.

matic changes often happen last.

<We need this tree for the main spillway,> he

Finally, my skull began to shrink, squeezing

said.

my brain into a new shape. Rock-hard skull

I climbed out of the water and started to

bones, heavier than a human's, elongated to

chew.

form a very rugged jaw.

Oh, it felt good to sink my teeth into the tree

And inside, my front teeth were growing. And

fibers. To efficiently rip them away.

growing.

Scraping more layers with each pass! Carving

And growing . . .

through the growth rings!

I opened and closed the jaw. Could feel the

Suddenly, Ax cried, <Stop! Get back!>

strength of the incisors, huge as carpenters' chis-

The tree quivered in the rising wind.

els, sprouting from my gums.

102

103

Creeeekkkkk!

toward the dam. Ax had shaped a place for it. We

The wonderful sound of splintering wood.

nudged it in. The current flowing over the top of

Ba-boom!

the dam did the rest.

The tree crashed to the ground.

<Are you ready?> Tobias, from overhead.

The beaver mind was pleased. But wait. . .

<Almost,> Ax said proudly. <The water vol-

The tree wasn't aligned with the canal. It had

ume has exceeded my predictions.>

fallen across it. Ax and I stood up on our hind

<lt better have,> Tobias replied. <Because

legs and pushed. The tree rocked but we couldn't

the Yeerks are less than an hour away. And, Jake?

dislodge it.

There are more of them than we thoughts

<We need some help down here!> I shouted.

Marco and Cassie joined us. The four of us

pushed together. The tree rocked up and down

the sides of the impression it had made when it

fell. But it still wasn't going anywhere.

The beaver was frustrated. It felt it had failed.

Suddenly . . .

"Rrrrroooaaaarrr!"

In one sudden movement the tree rose off the

ground! Twisted around in the air. Aligned with

the canal and crashed into the water. Bobbed

crazily, then calmed.

<You just need the right tool for the job.>

Rachel's grizzly snorted proudly in the moon-

light. <Now let's get this thing into place.>

Mr. and Mrs. Real Beaver disappeared at the

sight of Rachel. But the five of us pushed and

pulled at the tree, like tugboats guiding an oil

tanker into the harbor.

The log moved easily into the pond and

104

105

"Sir?"

"Sworn into service as Union soldiers. All the

white men are and I thought that perhaps

"Just tell us what we need to do," he said ea-

gerly.

The singing stopped. Heads began to turn my

way.

"Just gather 'round, I suppose. I've, uh . . .

I've never done this before."

CHAPTER 19

I had a copy of the oath in a beat-up pam-

Isaiah

phlet found among Major Shaw's effects.

F i t z h e n r y

I pulled it from my pocket.

The hardworking, sweat-covered men gath-

ered close.

LJusk, and still no sign of Forrest's forces.

"Raise your right hands, I would guess."

Will he wait until dawn?

Thirty strong and calloused hands lifted into

Forrest has a reputation to uphold. That's

the air.

hard to do in darkness. Strike at night and brav-

"Now, I'll just read the oath a line at a time.

ery and flamboyance go unseen.

You repeat it back, see? It starts with your name,

The Negros drilled once more, then stacked

so go ahead and fill that in yourself. . . . Let's

their rifles and returned to the earthworks to fin-

see, n o w . . . "

ish the job.

I cleared my throat and flipped to the water-

When I walked down to inspect the works, I

soiled page entitled "Oath of Muster."

found the men singing a low, rhythmic song.

I imagined I was Lincoln. I summoned the

"Lieutenant," Jacob called. "My men are

most presidential voice I had.

mighty happy with the training and the food."

' " I , Isaiah Goodhue Fitzhenry, do solemnly

"We'd have won the war a year ago with more

swear that I will bear true allegiance to the

volunteers like you." I paused. "Jacob, do you

United States of America, and . . .'"

and your men wish to be mustered in?"

"Lieutenant?"

106

107

"Samson?"

They were soldiers.

"Can you stop there?"

Wild cheers erupted.

"Of course."

The men jumped and hollered and I lost my-

I let the men repeat back the phrase. They

self in their joy.

Let their clapping hands chase away the dread.

filled in their own names — a sound, to me,

Let their voices, which broke slowly into song,

sweet as music.

draw me home, until that's all I saw.

Jacob, Samson, Moses, Washington, Jackson,

The crackling fire.

Jefferson, and Tennessee . . .

My sister, curled up with a book on the floor

Thirty men to replace my own.

before the hearth.

Tomorrow we would fight.

Ma in her rocking chair, with her mending

And stand or fall together.

bag.

I continued the oath.

The smell of bread baking in the kitchen, the

"'And that I will serve them honestly and

feel of Rover's fur on my fingers. The taste of ale.

faithfully against all their enemies and opposers

The sound of Ma's gentle soprano humming

I whatsoever. . .'"

in the corner.

Is General Forrest in his tent now, playing

I was home.

cards, sipping gin, or writing home, perhaps?

If I fall in battle, I might be home again by

Confident that he will crush the boys in blue

sundown tomorrow.

up on this mountain?

'"And observe and obey the orders of the

President of the United States, and the orders of

the officers appointed over me . .

The orders we have might be the last we ever

receive. May it not be so.

'"According to the rules and articles for the

government of the armies of the United States.'"

The men repeated back the last phrase.

A momentary silence while I checked the

page, then told them that was all.

109

108

Visser One. Our old nemesis, the former

Visser Three. Andalite-Controller. Commander

of every Yeerk on Earth. Only a mission of the

highest importance draws Visser One to the

scene.

"It wouldn't be a party without the Earl of

Evil," Marco said solemnly.

I sent Tobias ahead to the Hork-Bajir camp.

CHAPTER 20

We followed, racing through the trees and down

the hill. When we arrived, Tobias was announcing

J a k e

the news.

<The Yeerks are coming and coming strong.

Everyone take up battle positions.>

Thought-speak was still new to the campers.

We started to demorph. Based on their cur-

Emily touched her hands to her head in confu-

rent position, the Yeerks had chosen to attack at

sion.

dawn. It was showtime.

"No, you're not losing your mind," I said.

<Tobias, what did you see?>

"Morphs let us communicate telepathically. That

<You know my eyes aren't great at night. But I

was Tobias." I pointed up through the trees.

could make out at least one company of heavily

<Hey, I can see those campers a mile away!>

armed Hork-Bajir. More than a hundred strong.

Tobias said privately. <Tell them to lose the yel-

And they have blue bands around their arms.>

low coats. They're sitting ducks.>

My heart began to pound. The Blue Bands.

"You people have to blend in," I said. "Bury your coats and anything else yellow or orange or

Visser One's own elite guards.

fluorescent green. Then get some camouflage.

"Tell me that's all you saw."

Anything but earth tones will get you killed."

<Can't lie, Jake. There are almost as many

The campers covered their gear.

Taxxons.>

Lewis took up position on a battle platform

My stomach knotted.

with a Hork-Bajir warrior. A guy whose right arm

<Oh. And one Andalite.>

110

111

had been blown off during one of the free Hork-

"I'm not going anywhere!" Lewis shouted

Bajir's raids on Yeerk facilities.

from the tree platform. "These guys need our

The air crackled with prebattle tension. Bodies

help."

gave off the strong smells of fear and adrenaline.

Richard shook off my hand. "Come down now

Richard stared silently up at his son.

or you lose all privileges for a month!" he

"Move anyone who's hit up behind the boul-

shouted wildly.

ders," I shouted. "Anyone who's killed on the

"No, Dad." Lewis's voice was strong. "I'm

field, we'll have to leave until later. Until after."

staying."

Richard walked over to me, still wearing his

<Quiet!> Tobias yelled. <They're close.>

bright yellow vest, his face clean.

"Battle morphs. Now!"

"When you say 'killed,'" he asked quietly,

Richard stared at me. Paralyzed, panicked,

"you mean 'killed' as in 'stunned' or 'captured,'

scared. Waiting for me to save him.

right?"

I started to go tiger. "Get out of here,

"Unfortunately, Mr. Carpenter, I mean killed

Richard," I told him while I still had a mouth.

as in dead."

"Get up behind those boulders. You'll be all

Richard's eyes widened, and I knew it was the

right. Just stay out of the way."

first phase of panic. I'd made the dangers of this

He glanced up at his son, then back at me.

mission clear, hadn't I? Yes. This was just a guy

His mouth opened but nothing came out. Then

who'd let the excitement overwhelm him. If he

he turned and ran up the hill.

panicked, he could screw up everything.

The sky in the east glowed a pale and bright-

"Oh, my God," he whispered, voice harsh.

ening blue. The sun would appear in minutes.

Like he'd thought all along that my graphic warn-

Free Hork-Bajir were hunched in the trees and

ings were just part of some game, some dialogue

crouched low in trenches. We were in battle

from a Deep Space Nine episode. "I didn't real-morph. Tiger, gorilla, grizzly, and wolf. Ax was

ize. I've seen enough. We're going home. Lewis!

stationed at the dam.

Emily! Get down from there!"

There wasn't a sound in the camp except a

I put a hand on his arm, tried to calm and si-

gentle rustle of wind in the treetops. We waited.

lence him. "It's too late," I said. "You can't leave My heart pounded like a rock in my chest.

now."

This would be a losing battle. It had to be.

112

113

with blue bands on their arms until the edge of

camp overflowed with soldiers. They paused and

scanned. Searching.

Then, a smaller Hork-Bajir walked toward the

center of camp. It was the free Hork-Bajir cap-

tured on the raid and now infested. The Yeerk in

his head had led the enemy here. It was his job

CHAPTER 21

to turn over the free Hork-Bajir. To betray his

people.

<Steady!> I warned.

The weapons we had — spears and arrows,

teeth and claws — would only work at close

range. Our attack had to come at the last possi-

ble second.

Near silence. The light from the sun grew

<On my word . . .>

brighter. A gray mist rose off the earth.

The Blue Bands began to move forward. In

Kwreeek!

seconds they would fall into our camouflaged

A snapping twig.

trenches. In moments, they would be close

<Quiet!> I commanded. Our defense de-

enough to touch.

pended upon surprise. Without i t . . .

The newly infested Hork-Bajir brought some-

Movement!

thing that looked like a cell phone to his mouth.

And another sound.

"All gone, Visser."

Quick rhythmic footfalls striking moist earth.

Unbelievable. He'd reported we weren't

I searched through the mist. A glint caught my

there! Maybe the soldiers would give up, turn

eye. A blade. Attached to a seven-foot-tall Hork-

away, retreat. . .

Bajir.

But then he raised his eyes into the trees, and

He paused at the edge of camp. Turned slowly,

froze. We'd been spotted.

pointed his Dracon beam everywhere he looked.

<ATTACK!>

More footfalls. More blades. More Hork-Bajir

Pthoo! Pthoo! Thoo, thoo, thoo, thoo!

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115

A rain of heavy spears, arrows, and sharp

wounded. They'd hold him. Hide him. Hope that,

rocks pelted the enemy before they could fire.

in the end, they could starve the Yeerk from his

"GhaaaaaLhaaaa!"

head.

Cassie bounded across the dirt. Clamped her

I raced back to the battle.

wolf jaws around a Hork-Bajir ankle.

Sprang at the biggest Blue Band I could find.

<Ah!>

Sank my fangs into the back of his neck. Felt his

A gash bloodied her flank. She didn't let go.

muscles slacken, watched him fall.

<Heeyahhh!>

Tseeew!

Marco, a hulking gorilla charging into the ad-

The air over my head crackled with the sound

vancing line of Blue Bands.

of Dracon fire, flashing blue and white like light-

Whoompf! Whoompf!

ning.

His wrecking-ball fists slammed two warriors

I lunged for another Blue Band.

to the ground.

Bam!

Thwoosh! Thwoosh, thoosh, thoosh!

Slammed him against the trunk of a tree.

Toby slashed into the fray, nimbly slicing the

Thumph!

enemy with wrist, knee, and ankle blades. Skill-

We crashed to the dirt and rolled.

fully anticipating strikes before they came.

Knocked into fallen Hork-Bajir. Bodies were

The free Hork-Bajir screamed. Jumped from

beginning to cover the floor of the valley. Those

tree platforms onto the backs of the enemy.

with blue bands and those without.

Drove their ankle blades deep into the backs of

Rachel's grizzly galloped into view. Charged a

the Blue Bands.

Hork-Bajir pointing a Dracon beam into the

ZING ZING ZING!

trees.

The sound of blades whipping through the air

Wooomph!

as Hork-Bajir battled Hork-Bajir in a sad civil

Tseeew!

war.

Bam!

I lunged. Gripped the small Hork-Bajir in my

She clobbered him, drove him into a rock.

jaw. Dragged him back behind our line. Two free

But he'd discharged his weapon. The tree burst

Hork-Bajir were waiting with restraints. They

into flames. A battle platform incinerated!

would bring him to Marco's parents, tending the

Agonizing cries, . . .

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117

Another flood of arrows and spears pounded

Because behind the mammoth, monstrous

the ground. Bounced harmlessly off blades. Sank

visser came an undulating line of Taxxons. A

lethally into flesh.

lumbering line of death.

"Ghaaaaaah!"

<Positions!> I screamed above the naive yells

The air was thick with this deadly rain. Lewis

of victory. <Stop! Look! They're coming again!>

and Emily. Meg and Chloe. The other campers

The joyous voices fell silent. Laughter tum-

and Hork-Bajir. Heaving spear after spear.

bled into desperate, flustered cries as warriors

And the Blue Bands ducked and ran . . . back

rushed to ready their weapons. To draw fresh

the way they had come.

sticks and spears from piles.

Retreat?

And then came the voice. That crackling,

A moment of stunned silence. Then, the free

roaring, crushing voice.

Hork-Bajir began to shout. To jump up and down.

<You are outnumbered! Surrender at once. Or

die!>

To dance.

Those on the ground emerged from the battle

trenches. Cries of triumph filled the air. Warriors

shook their spears above their heads. Even the

campers began to smile. The few captured Dra-

con beams were fired into the air.

I knew better. Marco, the others. We weren't

celebrating.

The victory dance was premature.

I'd just spotted him, through the trees and

mist, silently approaching as the Hork-Bajir and

campers cheered.

Visser One. In a morph I hadn't seen since all

of this first began. Eight fire-breathing heads.

Legs thick as trees. Serpentine necks. Eyes like

gobs of molten lava.

I staggered back.

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119

Spears was already there, loading the one ar-

tillery piece we'd managed to tow with us.

"Looks like a frontal attack, Lieutenant," he

gasped as he and Price released the massive ball

into the barrel.

I raised my field glass and focused on the

Rebel line formed in the trees. My heart began to

CHAPTER 22

hammer. I could see the panting horse noses, the

gray flannel coats, the shining saber sheaths.

I s a i a h

Why weren't there more than yesterday?

F i t z h e n r y

Could the Rebel prisoner have been wrong?

Could the force not number more than the hun-

dred troopers Spears had seen?

"Lieutenant!"

Christmas morning.

I turned toward town. A group of ten men

loped toward our line, shotguns and pitchforks in

A shrill bugle call startled me from sleep.

tow. Joe Miller waved.

There was a pounding on the door of headquar-

"This is our town and, by God, we'll fight to

ters where I slept, fully dressed, in the corner.

keep it."

I jumped to my feet, grabbed my long gun

It was nearly all the men from Sinkler's

and revolver, and opened the door.

Ridge. Even the drummer boy and penny whistler

"They're here," Raines said, eyes wide, face

had revolvers in their hands.

calm. "A small force in the trees, same as yester-

My smile was faint but genuine. "It's good to

day."

see you, Joe. It's a frontal attack. Would you

We threw our guns on our shoulders and ran.

serve as flankers?"

The bugle stopped and, for a moment, the only

Joe directed five men to the east end of the

sound was the pounding of boots on the dirt as

line and took the rest with him to the west.

Union men converged on the works. Rifles rattled

"TAKE AIM!" I ordered.

as they ran. Flasks and canteens knocked together.

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121

The Rebels edged out from the trees. Why

BA-BAMMM!

didn't they charge? What were they waiting for?

The cannon whistled.

I raised my field glass again, ran it down the

Ka-boom!

Rebel line, and picked out a face among the

"Ahhh!"

branches. A thin man, with dark hair and promi-

Two horses and troopers were thrown into the

nent cheekbones that stretched his skin almost

air.

violently. Stars dotted his collar. The horse

"FIRE!"

beneath him was the only equine not chafing at

BAMM! BAMM!

the bit. Shadows concealed the man's eyes.

For one instant, pride swelled my heaving

Strung across his chest was not one carbine, but

chest. This was the largest force I had ever com-

two.

manded. . . .

Was it Forrest?

"FIRE!" the Rebel commander yelled.

Why didn't he charge? Why?

Lead shot cut the frozen air. An indiscrimi-

"Raines? Spears? Are you ready?"

nate wave of death.

"Yes, sir, Lieutenant!"

"Yahhh!"

"Jacob?"

"Ahh!"

"Ready, sir."

"Ah-ahhhh!"

Would this be the day that Forrest fell?

Men were falling, crying, screaming.

Joe Miller crouched behind the works, steady-

Samson was down. And Spears.

ing his aim against the piled dirt.

"STEADY, MEN! RELOAD!"

We were ready. Yet I felt that something . . .

I heard the wild rattle of ramrod and hammer.

something was wrong. . . .

"FIRE!"

"CHARGE!"

We shot again. The Rebels galloped on.

The Rebel troopers pulled out from the

Screams and cries met my ears as we brought

woods, whooping, hollering, galloping over and

the enemy to the ground.

around slashed trees.

"RELOAD!"

"TAKE AIM!" I repeated nervously.

"FIRE!"

The Rebs raised their guns.

The Rebels wavered, drawing back short of

"SPEARS, FIRE!"

our trenches.

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123

All at once it began to rain. Icy drops splat-

tered my face.

"They're retreating!" Raines yelled.

Was it possible?

Forrest would sooner die than take defeat.

No. Something in this was wrong.

All wrong.

CHAPTER 23

The rain came in a torrent now, turning the

works to mud.

The Rebel line broke and scattered back

toward the trees.

It couldn't be victory.

Jacob poured a powder charge and ripped a

patch from his shirt.

"Jacob," I called. "You've done your fighting.

You've shown you can stand with the white men

and not fail. Now go! Escape to the hills!"

Jacob continued loading.

Men all around us, black and white, were

moaning.

All were bloody. Some were motionless.

124

125

The men who'd been spared did what they

after horse strain and struggle up and over the

rocky pass.

could.

"They're attacking on the west!" Miller yelled

Tied makeshift bandages around the wounds.

from the other end of our line.

Offered drinks from canteens.

"And the south!" Raines shouted. "They're

"Listen to me, Jacob! Forrest will be back.

riding up from the south again!"

He'll make prisoners of us, but he will kill you.

"TAKE AIM!"

Do you hear me? Save your men, Jacob. It's your

The mud sucked at my boots, the rain

duty as a leader."

pounded my back.

Jacob looked up now. I'd gotten through.

"Aim where?" Raines yelled.

"I want all you men who still can to choose

"At the closest target!"

life. Get back up into them hills and stay alive to

The men raised their rifles.

fight another day."

Townsmen raised their shotguns.

No one moved.

Our line stood firm as Rebs galloped at us

"Move out!" he cried, shaking his arm.

from three sides, powering through the rising fog.

Still, no one moved.

"FIRE!" I yelled.

Suddenly, a drum beat from the east.

Our lead blasted east, west, south.

We froze. Me, Jacob, everyone.

There were cries from the enemy. We'd shot

Another drum beat from the west.

well. They were falling!

To our east and west was nothing but craggy

But not enough.

rock, terrain impossible to climb on horseback.

From the east alone, no less than a hundred

"We'll be staying," Jacob said.

troopers poured from the gap in the rock.

"You'll die."

"RELOAD!"

"Lieutenant, the Lord may take me whenever

The motion was almost futile in the rain. Wa-

he chooses. But I choose whether to die a free

ter poured down our barrels, soaking the powder.

man fighting for what's mine, or a coward en-

"FIRE!" the Rebel leaders cried.

slaved by fear."

Suddenly, time stopped.

The Rebel yell rose like the cries of a thou-

I fired my revolver at the swarming mass of

sand demons.

animals and men.

Through the curtain of rain, I watched horse

127

126

They were closing in on our melting fortifica-

tions . . .

Closing in . . .

WHAM!

The impact threw me to the mud.

My chest!

I reached for it. No need to open my coat. The

blood was there. Already on the surface.

CHAPTER 24

Just under my heart.

Flowing through my fingers.

J a k e

Gushing down my ribs.

"No," I breathed.

I turned my head, looking for hope.

For help . . .

The Rebs had broken our line to the west. . . .

The retreating Hork-Bajir-Controllers stopped

I can see Jacob fighting. Swinging his musket

just beyond the range of our spears. Turned.

like a club, like he swung his shovel on the first

Aimed their Dracon beams at the trees and

day.

picked off one free Hork-Bajir at a time.

Striking the troopers streaming though.

Free Hork-Bajir screamed. Scrambled down

No, behind you! Jacob!

from the platforms. Flames devoured tree after

tree. Along with the brave warriors who didn't

Bamm!

make it in time.

Jacob. Shot in the back.

Then . . .

His eyes catch mine . . .

As he falls . . .

"Ssssssny-ssssnit-ssssnit-sssnnnaaaaaa!"

Taxxons poured through camp.

And I fall . . .

"Skreeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Together.

The first tumbled into the pits, impaled by

the wooden spears. The skewered bodies, two

and three layers deep, made a bridge for those

128

129

who followed. The Taxxons surged toward the

dam that Ax would open with his tail blade. If he

fallen Hork-Bajir. Some stopped to feast on their

ever got the order.

own dead. Some didn't.

Suddenly . . .

"Rrrrrrrrroaaaagh!"

ZWIIIP! ZWIMP!

I leaped. Sank my teeth into slippery, puffy

Streaks of blinding orange stuff raced

skin. Disgusting. Like piercing a balloon filled

through the air. Flying fireballs.

with something hot and foul.

Visser One!

I stumbled away from the deflated body.

I froze.

Saw Rachel squeeze a Taxxon until it burst.

Eight colossal legs, thick as trunks, stormed

Heard Cassie snarling frantically. Marco bel-

through the woods. The ground shook! Full-

lowing.

grown trees snapped like toothpicks.

Eight horrific heads with simmering orange

<Tobias!> No answer. I broadcast my

eyes belched balls of flame.

thought-speak as loud as I knew how. <The wa-

Then . . .

ter! Tell Ax. NOW!>

"Tseeer!"

Hork-Bajir elders and youth ran chaotically.

<Tobias! No!>

Crying, howling. The forest burned around them.

Tobias, diving at the monster again and again.

Sniper fire sprayed the trees, the ground.

Scratching eyeballs with his talons. Ripping flesh

Everywhere, the free Hork-Bajir were falling.

with his beak.

Dying.

But he was no more than a flea to the visser's

<Out of the camp!> I yelled. <Everyone get

giant monster, inflicting more annoyance than

into the hills. The water's coming!>

pain. The monster's eight spindly arms clutched

But how could I be sure? Why hadn't Tobias

at the air. Unless Tobias flew to safety, the tenta-

answered? Was he down? Would Ax get the mes-

cles were going to catch him!

sage?

<Tobias, stop! That's an order!>

A Taxxon reared up behind me. I leaped into a

I felt my throat closing. My mouth clenched

turn. Sank my fangs into its miserable, bloated

with fear. I sent another desperate thought-speak

mass.

message to Ax. Prayed he would hear.

The battle was a mess and I was responsible.

<Open the dam! Send the water! NOW!>

I turned and raced up the valley, toward the

130

131

A horrible screech!

Tobias was hit! Slapped off by a tentacle.

<Ahhh!>

Hurled into the trees!

I twisted and dodged, dug deeper with my

The visser's monster morph stomped closer to

claws. Barely enough strength to hold on!

the fleeing Hork-Bajir. Fireball after fireball flew

Tssssssssss!

from its mouths. Young and old alike, instantly

Hot teeth burned a hole in my back! Flesh

incinerated.

scalded! Muscle seared! It was agony!

No choice. I charged. Bounded over the fallen

WWUMPH?

bodies of sagging Taxxons and burnt Hork-Bajir.

I lost my grip. Fell to the ground. Rolled onto

And in one gigantic leap of pure power, all my

the bank of the stream.

strength and speed concentrated in one blow . . .

I struggled to get up, but a tremendous

I smashed into the visser. Sank my four-inch

weight pushed me back down. Crushed me so I

could barely breathe.

fangs into one of the monster's eight serpentine

<At last,> the visser roared. Two of eight

necks.

clawed hands closed around my neck. Three of

<You're pitiful,> he growled. <You will die.>

eight heads breathed scalding breath into my

I bit harder, jaw tightening like a vice. Ex-

face.

tended the claws on all four paws so they pierced

And I knew I was dead.

the bleeding neck.

Barely hung on as the neck whipped the tiger

through the air like a rag.

The monster's red-hot blood burned my

mouth.

But as long as I held on, the visser couldn't

fire at me. If he did, he'd burn himself.

He could, however, strike at me with the teeth

of neighboring heads. Teeth that glowed hot as

branding irons.

Tssssss!

132

133

The opened dam!

And then I saw the visser's monster swept off

its feet.

Eight ludicrous legs waved in the air.

Eight long necks, whipped by the current into

knots.

The monster's fire was squelched.

CHAPTER 25

<Ahhhhhh!>

His roar filled the valley, the forest.

I had to save myself!

Coughing. Choking. Drowning.

The world rushing past like super-fast-speed

film.

Couldn't get a grip, couldn't slow down!

Thoooph! Thoooph! Thoooph!

The tiger spun and whirled. Gulping water,

Fireballs shot from his mouth!

sipping air.

I shut my eyes and screamed.

The visser's monster was traveling down-

<Ahhhhhhhhh!>

stream with me. Tentacle-like arms smacked me.

Then . . .

Serpentine necks slapped.

A cool, tingling sensation from the tiger's

He'd entangle me again if he could. Pull me

head to tail.

down!

And I was tumbling. Swept mindlessly away

Even if we both drowned in the process.

by a forceful current.

Get to the bank, Jakel

Body spinning, out of control . . .

Hork-Bajir tumbled in the water all around

Was this death by fire? Strange. Was this the

me. Blades grazed the tiger's stomach and back.

end?

It was a waterslide to hell.

<Aaaaaarrgh!>

Then I saw . . . Coughed. Gasped. No!

Visser One's voice, raging in my ear. What?

I was headed toward a massive tree trunk!

I opened my eyes. Not flames. Water!

But maybe . . .

134

135

<Yaaaah!>

Jara Hamee and Ket Helpek's newest child.

I stretched out my front legs. Gripped the

Rachel had kept him alive.

<Jake!> Cassie and Marco limped toward me.

trunk with extended claws.

One of her legs was bleeding badly. The skin

Had to hold on! But I was slipping!

The current dragged my body forward.

on his chest was raw and burned.

We demorphed.

Had to find a way to use my back legs and

"Ax did it," I said quietly, human again. "We claws, too.

did it."

Hug the tree for life.

But it didn't feel like victory.

WHAP!

How could it, with so many bodies from both

One of Visser One's tentacle arms smashed

sides lying lifeless?

the tree just over my head. The arm fell away, limp.

I spotted Lewis and Emily, struggling to their

And the monster swept past me, fires extin-

feet.

guished, voice raging.

A few of the other campers, holding each

Still I hung on. Back throbbing, mouth numb.

other tight.

Slowly. . .

<Jake!>

The force of the current began to lessen.

I looked up. A hawk circled overhead.

The water level dropped until, finally, finally I

"Tobias! You're alive!"

could let go of my desperate grip.

<Yeah. I morphed. Ax is okay, too. But Jake?

Found myself standing in mud.

There are a lot who didn't make it. Mr. Carpenter,

I dragged my body into the camp, splashing

Jake. Richard. Emily and Lewis lost their dad.>

through mud and water and blood.

Fallen Hork-Bajir lay everywhere.

Drowned Taxxons sprawled like popped bal-

loons.

Yeerk slugs slithered from their fallen hosts.

I spotted Rachel, still in grizzly morph, climb-

ing to her feet in the mud.

Out from under her massive legs crawled the

youngest free Hork-Bajir.

136

137

Those warriors too hurt to walk were dragged

in stretchers made of branches, bark, and rope.

Everyone mourned the dead, but the colony

knew it had to move out quickly.

Now that the trees had burned, Visser One

might be back with Bug fighters. He might be

mad enough to risk detection.

CHAPTER 26

It would be a long and painful march up and

out of the valley and into the hills.

I pulled Toby away from her preparations.

"You know they'll be back. Not today, but

soon."

She nodded.

"I know, Jake. But we won today. It may not

I he aftermath of battle.

feel like victory, but the valley is ours now. For-

I heard sobbing up on the hill. Emily sat with

ever. We've paid for it."

She took a deep breath.

her hands covering her face. Lewis stared at his

"We'll stay away until the war is over. We

sister, blank-faced and lost.

know we have to. We had our chance to fight for

Tobias and Cassie had broken the news.

I wouldn't have known what to say.

freedom. That's all we really wanted."

Toby had a diagonal slash across her chest

"Toby," I said softly, "I don't know how the war will end."

and blood dripping from her fingers, but she was

"No. But it will. And someday . . ." She hesi-

seeing to her people.

tated.

Comforting, commending.

Explaining that it was time to leave the valley.

She knew as well as I that if the Yeerks won

At least for a while.

out, she and the other free Hork-Bajir would be

Marco's parents acted as the primary medics,

enslaved.

I finished her thought for her.

tying tourniquets and organizing the uninjured to

"Someday," I said, "you'll be able to return."

help the wounded.

138

139

She looked at me, eyes full of hope.

"Jake, honey? Lunch is ready."

After the free Hork-Bajir headed out of the

I jumped. Mom's voice had startled me.

valley, Marco and his parents leading the way, I

"Coming, Mom," I called. "I'll be right

there."

flew to Cassie'sfarm.

"You'd better, Midget," Tom yelled down the

Demorphed and walked home in the early af-

stairs. "Or I'll eat your burger."

ternoon sun.

I looked at the diary's last words, where blood

Tobias had promised that by the time I got to

and rain had smeared the ink.

my house, the Chee covering for me would be

"/ fear I am killed. I hope I have done my

gone. Just.

best. I hope..."

My parents — and Tom — would know noth-

Those were the last legible words.

ing.

Fitzhenry had tried and lost.

I was shaking and weak by the time I reached

the front door. Yes, I was hungry and tired, but it

How would my last page read?

How would my story end?

was more than that.

"/ hope I have done my best."

I slipped quietly in through the front door.

"Yeah," I whispered, closing the book. "Me,

Mom, Dad, and Tom were in the backyard, hang-

too."

ing by the grill.

I headed for the basement. It was dark and

quiet.

I felt safe there, among the boxes of accumu-

lated memories.

Memories of times and battles past.

I flipped to the last page of Fitzhenry's journal.

"Hooves trampling the dirt all around. . .

screams and wails of bloody, dying men ... un-

ending nightmare. Cannot get a full breath . . .

numbness spreading down my arm. Vision blur-

ring . . . growing narrow like a field glass, a dark-

ening tunnel. . . . "

140

141

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26