4 DeLay in disguise

Chapter 4 DeLay in disguise "The cord on the inro must have broken," said Sarah, "or maybe the netsuke fell off so it slipped from Kojima's belt. Let's retrace our steps. Don't worry, Kojima, I'm sure we'll find it." But they found no trace of the inro on the way back to the gate. "I'll ask the guard if he's found it," Sarah said. But when she approached him, she saw immediately that it was a different guard on duty now. His helmet was small enough for her to see his face, and his eyes twinkled. When she asked if he'd found an inro, he said, "Sorry, I haven't," in a voice that was friendly, not gruff. "Maybe the guard who was here before found it," Sarah said. "Where can we find him?"

The new guard said, "He ran off, I'm afraid. He suddenly headed that way across the castle gardens without a word. I don't know what got into him." Sarah's heart sank. She was pretty sure why the guard had vanished... She hurried back to the others. "That wasn't a guard who searched us," she said grimly. "He was DeLay in disguise!" "DeLay?" said Kojima "Who's DeLay?" "It's a long story," Jackson said. "DeLay is a villain who causes trouble wherever he goes. And now he's stolen your inro." The samurai looked horrified. "That means Daimyo Matsuzo's message has been stolen, too! Peace in Japan is in terrible danger!" Sarah laid a hand on his arm. "We'll get the inro back, Kojima. Promise." We just have to figure out how... she thought. "Let's go after DeLay before he gets too far ahead," said Jackson. Following the direction shown by the new guard, they raced between carefully trimmed trees and tidy flower beds, through a copse of nut trees, then stopped to catch their breath. "Where could he have gone?" Jackson wondered. The three friends, with Tempo swooping alongside, carried on. They passed two grand houses and came to a lawn that was so smooth it looked like velvet. Kojima was behind them, looking hot in his heavy armor.

Sarah stopped suddenly. The lawn was shooting up before her eyes, into tall and wild grasses. Beside it, a row of crab apple trees was shedding blossoms that turned brown before they reached the ground. Sarah and Jackson looked at each other. "Time Crunch!" they said together. Time Crunches were DeLay's secret weapons. They looked like pocket watches, and as he threw one, it would make a tick tick tick sound, then erupt into smoke. When that happened, time might freeze, move forward or backward, or even keep repeating. "DeLay must have thrown a Time Crunch that has messed up the plants," Sarah whispered to Jackson. Kojima gave a surprised yelp. "What's happening?" They turned to see what was up. Kojima pointed to a miniature tree in a clay pot. "That bonsai oak grew in seconds, right before my eyes!" he said. "How can it be? It takes many years to grow and train a bonsai tree."

Sarah said, "It's hard to explain, but what's happening in the garden is connected to DeLay." "Let's follow the messed-up plants," said Jackson. "If we're quick, they might lead us to DeLay." A trail of withering bushes and rotting flowers led the friends to a small gate and out onto a busy street. People were gathered together, talking earnestly to each other. Kojima asked a worried-looking woman what was happening. "Come this way," she said, "and I'll show you." Jackson and Sarah followed her into a small house, where the woman pointed to a strange wooden box. "This is my incense clock," said the woman. The top was divided into square sections, and a flowery, spicy aroma rose from it. In a tray below the dividers, they could see a trail of burning incense. "It's gone wrong," the woman explained. "The incense is burning much too fast. How can I tell what time it is?" She gestured toward the crowd outside. "Everyone's incense clocks have gone wrong." The Timekeepers knew why. DeLay is nearby, thought Sarah.

"We're on the right track," she said to Jackson and Kojima. Then she said to the woman, "Things will be normal soon, we promise." The moment they stepped outside, Jackson cried, "There he is!" Across the street stood DeLay. He had changed out of his guard disguise into a kimono patterned with leaves falling from a branch. But the leaves looked wrong. They weren't the gold, yellow, and red of fall—they were bright green. "Hey! Stop!" Sarah shouted. DeLay smirked at the Timekeepers, waved the stolen inro at them, and disappeared into the crowd. "How rude!" fumed Jackson. Sarah had an idea. "Tempo! Where's Tempo?" she cried, scanning the sky. "Tempo!" The cuckoo was perched on a tall pine tree. She heard her name and streaked like an arrow toward the Timekeepers. "Please follow DeLay!" said Sarah.

Kojima looked with amazement at the cuckoo as she soared into the air. "Your bird friend understands you," he said. Jackson grinned. "You'd be surprised at what she can do!" The friends followed the direction Tempo had taken. Moments later they heard, "Cuckoo!" "This way!" Sarah cried, darting down a side street. She could tell that DeLay was trying dodging tactics, because Tempo kept changing direction: left, right, straight ahead, left again... The cuckoo flew higher and circled around and around over the same location. "That must be where DeLay is," said Jackson.