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Akeno’s low voice had taken on a high pitch.
    Jacob didn’t blame him. He was so scared he could barely breathe. “What do we do?”
    Akeno shook his head. His whole body was shaking.
    Jacob stared back at the wolves, unflinching, waiting to see what they would do. Nothing happened. Why weren’t they attacking?
    “Should I knock them out?” Akeno asked.
    “No—don’t. They’re not doing anything.”
    “Maybe we could go around?”
    Jacob shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to step any closer. “You think we should?”
    “No . . . but what else is there?”
    Jacob’s emotions were conflicted. Fear—that was the strongest. The night before had been horrendous. He hadn’t been that afraid in a long time—if ever. But he also wanted to go home—desperately needed to go home. He wanted to play basketball, yes, but more than that, he just wanted the comfort of his house and family. He wanted the last twenty-four hours to be erased—rewound, if possible. He wanted to be normal. He wanted to forget all about this other world.
    Jacob took a deep breath. Go around. That’s what they should do. He took a step to the right. Nothing happened.
    His heart was racing, and he willed it to calm down. What were the animals doing? It seemed unnatural for them to sit so quietly. Then he remembered Kenji saying that the Lorkon had sent the wolves to get Jacob. Was it possible that’s what they were trying to do? And they wouldn’t let him pass? That didn’t work for him—he had to get home, and no “otherworldly” creature was going to stop him.
    He cautiously took another step, trying to make a wide arc around the wolf formation. Akeno stayed close, only moving when Jacob did. A low grumble came from one of the wolves, but still, none of them moved.
    “Maybe they’ll let us pass.” Jacob doubted it, but hoped that saying so would make the Makalo feel better.
    He took another step. This time, one of the black wolves growled and jumped to its feet. Jacob nearly fell as his knees went weak in fear, and Akeno jumped. It took a moment for Jacob to realize what was going on. The wolf stood, pointing its muzzle toward Taga. The message was clear: go back . Jacob’s heart pounded so hard he felt he would have a heart attack.
    “What are they doing?” Akeno asked.
    “Stopping me from going home.”
    Akeno took a deep breath. “They can’t stop you. They can’t force you to do anything.”
    “So . . . what do they want you to do?” came a voice from behind. Jacob whirled, half expecting a ghost or Lorkon or something to be standing there. It was only two Makalos—a shorter one, and one with lots of facial hair.
    “Don’t do that!” Jacob hissed. “You scared the heck out of me!”
    The hairier Makalo grimaced. “Sorry. We . . . uh . . . heard your voices and came to investigate.”
    “Jaegar, aren’t you supposed to be home with Mother?” Akeno asked.
    The shorter Makalo looked away. “Yeah, well, I . . .” He cleared his throat. “What’re the wolves doing?”
    Jacob looked at the animals. “Trying to keep me from going home, I’m guessing. They want me to turn back.”
    As if in response, the other black wolf jumped to its feet and stepped forward to join the first. Jacob held his breath, waiting to see if they would attack. They didn’t.
    “You don’t want to go back to Taga?” asked the hairy Makalo—or Butch, as Jacob decided to call him. “Then don’t. How are they going to stop you?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Kill me, maybe?”
    A concerned expression crossed Jaegar’s face. “We won’t let them kill you. You’re too important to everyone here.”
    “Okay, well, it’s probably better if I go on alone.” Jacob nodded to Akeno. “Thanks for trying to come with me. Maybe I’ll see you around.” Hopefully, the wolves wouldn’t touch him.
    He took one full step away from the Makalos and toward the wolves. They responded by growling and shuffling closer together as if to form