Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (29 page)

“What’s wrong?” Akeno asked.

“I . . .” For a second, it felt as though he could see another person’s thoughts, similar to what had happened in the cave, except this time without the emotions. Pictures flowed into his mind, and he saw the way to the Key. Realization dawned on him, and his headache began clearing as suddenly as it had come. He became aware of Akeno hovering over him, and he rubbed his temples. The headache was mostly gone now, and the dizziness had passed. He slowly got to his feet and took a deep breath. “Uh . . . I know how to get there.”

Akeno startled. “You do? How?”

“I don’t know how,” Jacob said. “It just came to my mind. And we’ve really got to hurry. No one’s around the Key right now, but I doubt it’ll stay that way for very long.”

“How can we be sure it’s not a trap?”

“I don’t think we can be.” Jacob closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the images, making sure he had them memorized.

“What other options do we have?” Akeno asked.

“We could send the Minyas to find it.”

“That might work.”

Jacob thought this through. “Except, if we got split up, they might be stuck here for the rest of their existence. It’s probably better if we stay together.” He frowned. “We could always just search the whole castle.”

“I don’t want to dig through every corner of the castle when you already know where to find the Key. That would be pointless.”

“And there’s no way we’d find it by searching. This place is huge.”

“So we follow what you saw, then?”

Jacob nodded. “I guess so. It’s our only choice.”

He opened the door again, peering both ways down the hall. It was still very quiet. He took a few cautious steps, being as silent as possible, then scurried down the hall and into another room. There was a set of stairs on the opposite side, which he took two at a time. It felt weird to be so sure of the way, as though he’d been there before, but he knew these memories weren’t his. They belonged to someone else.

He pushed open a heavy door and, hearing someone coming, hid behind a curtain, motioning to Akeno to follow. A dark figure strode past them, turning a corner. Jacob couldn’t tell if it was human or not.

He waited a moment, finger to his lips, then walked past an alcove to a door behind another curtain. He put his hands against the rough wood. “This is where we’ll find the Key.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Jacob said. “Stick close to my side. Let’s just run in, grab the Key, then get the heck out of here.” He looked up. “September, get in my bag again, just in case. I don’t want anything to happen to you guys. If we die, you’ll need to get back to Aloren somehow.” September flew down and joined Early in Jacob’s knapsack. After securing his bag over his shoulders, Jacob opened the door a couple of inches and glanced into the room, verifying it was empty before pushing the door all the way open.

The room looked nothing like he’d anticipated—his vision had shown a magnificent white throne room lined with paintings and statues. The walls in this room were covered in thick drapery—there was no throne or artwork. There was, however, a simple table in the center with a beautiful box on top. Warmth struck Jacob in the chest, and he knew this was where the Key was kept. The box was intricately designed in silver, and he could have sworn there was a slight glow around it. He’d never seen anything like it before. He walked to the table, motioning for Akeno to follow him.

Jacob couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard a quiet strain of music. He looked around, trying to find the source. The heavy draperies made it obvious the sound hadn’t come from outside. Focusing his attention back on the box, he could now see for sure that it was glowing, and there was light coming from under the lid.

Jacob drew the box across the table. It wasn’t very big, maybe four inches long and only two or three inches tall. The silver was shaped into ivy, roses, and flowers.

Jacob opened the box and got a brief glimpse of the Key before he was nearly blinded by a beautiful radiance that filled the entire room—warm yellows, light pinks, greens and blues all together—the happiest and most peaceful colors he had ever seen.

Accompanying the glow was a beautiful melody. Joy and melancholy hit him simultaneously as he was reminded of all the happy times he’d had with his family—laughing with his little sister while playing dress-up, throwing a football or playing basketball with Matt, camping with his dad, talking to his mom. A pang of homesickness hit Jacob hard in the stomach, and he wished his family were there to feel the joy as well.

“Wow,” Akeno whispered.

His eyes adjusted to the sudden light, Jacob lifted the box and reached in. The moment his fingers brushed the Key, warmth filled his entire body and he stood still, overcome by feelings of joy and happiness. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he tried to make the moisture go away while allowing himself to revel in the moment. He hadn’t realized how much pressure he’d been under, or how stressed and frustrated he’d been, until now. It felt as though the sun had broken through the clouds of a storm that had stayed for several weeks.

“We’ve got the Key—let’s go now,” Akeno said.

Jacob held up his finger. “Just wait.” After a moment, the wave of emotions subsided, and he pulled the Key out to inspect it. The melody stopped as soon as the Key was removed from the box, and the glimmer faded away. He put the Key back to see if the music and the glow would return, and they did.

Jacob brought the box closer to his face. The Key was silver, delicate, and several hundred years old, judging by the scratches and wear. It looked as if it would break with the least amount of applied pressure. The handle was intricate, and diamonds lined the shaft. Two of the diamonds were different from the others, giving off a rosier sparkle.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” a rough, deep voice said from the left side of the room.

Jacob stiffened and dropped the box, causing the Key to fall onto the table. The glow and the melody ceased, and the room was once again bathed in eerie light from the windows. Jacob put the Key into the box and shut the lid, then turned to the voice.

The heavy curtains that had covered that side of the room were now drawn back, showing the throne Jacob had seen in vision and a large, cloaked figure that now sat there.

“Though, I must say, it never gave off that light and music until you arrived.”

Swallowing several times, Jacob couldn’t respond. Finally, he asked, “Who are you?”

“Do you even need to ask? You know who stole the Key.”

“A Lorkon?” Jacob tried to keep his voice from cracking.

“Of course,” the Lorkon said and then laughed. Jacob’s stomach churned in response to the sound, and he was aware of how close to him Akeno stood. On either side of the Lorkon, two huge black shapes moved and two pairs of green eyes fixed on him. With a start, Jacob realized these were the wolves that had been following them for most of the trip. “You may refer to me as Your Majesty,” the Lorkon said. “I am king here. Now activate the Key.”

“W—what?”

“Come on, child. It was deactivated, and only you can activate it.”

“Me?”

The king laughed. “Did they not tell you? You don’t know any of it? What a delightful surprise! We were starting to wonder why you hadn’t come yet. It never occurred to me you weren’t even aware of our presence!”

Jacob stiffened. “What are you talking about?”

“‘Jacob,’ they call you, right?” The Lorkon shifted on his throne. “We got tired of waiting for you to come, and so we devised a means to get you here. Het and Isan, of course, were able to chase you to the Makalo village, but stealing the Key of Kilenya seemed the best way to make the Makalos want you to enter Eklaron. Their prize possession couldn’t be gone for long before they would want it back.”

Akeno trembled at Jacob’s side. “You know we kept it to prevent it from falling into your hands,” he spat. His voice quivered—whether from panic or anger, Jacob couldn’t tell, but he grabbed the Makalo’s arm, trying to keep him from doing anything they’d regret.

“Besides,” Jacob said, “I already knew you were using the Key as bait. You don’t even need it, so why ask me to activate it?”

“Oh, we do need the Key. Very much. We realize how powerful it can be and how much good it would do us.” The king leaned forward, stopping just shy of the light streaming in from one of the windows. “Of course it isn’t anything without you.”

“Get on with it!” a voice said from behind Jacob. “Enough chatter!”

Jacob whirled to see three Lorkon step forward from the curtains behind him. They were just as shrouded in shade as the first.

“You would do well to hold your tongue,” said the king, almost standing from the throne. “How dare you speak out in my presence? This is none of your concern. I will deal with it!” The two large wolves arose and lumbered past Jacob to encircle the Lorkon on the opposite side of the room.

“Forgive me.” The voice was full of bitterness, and the three Lorkon stepped back again.

The king stood. “As you can see, Jacob, we have grown impatient in our wait for you.” He paused, then strolled across the room.

Jacob straightened, his hands forming fists at his sides. The Lorkon king stopped right in front of him, towering over Jacob by three feet, at least. Then he bent until his face was close to Jacob’s.

Jacob’s stomach curled at the close-up sight of the Lorkon’s crimson face. It was just as Kenji had described—black hair, eyes the color of blood with bright green irises. He drew back when he saw the creature’s chafed and peeling skin.

“You are disgusted by my appearance, are you not?”

“Yes, I am.”

The king straightened to his full height. “And yet, you control your fear well.” He reached to Jacob, who took a step back. The hand was just as revolting as the Lorkon’s face—scabby and peeling, with blood on the fingers. Jacob’s stomach clenched, looking at it.

The hand stopped short of touching Jacob’s face, and Jacob wondered why the Lorkon ignored Akeno. The group behind them shuffled their feet.

“What do you want with us?” Jacob asked through clenched teeth.

“Nothing from the Makalo.”

“What do you want from
me
?”

“Many things,” the king said, then reached his hand out again. This time he didn’t stop, and all though Jacob shied away, the Lorkon’s finger made contact with his forehead.

Jacob felt as though he’d been punched in the face and chest simultaneously. The wind was knocked out of him, and he fell to the floor. Bright flashes of light burst through the room and he closed his eyes, trying to block them out. His blood was on fire, burning every inch of him as it coursed through his veins. He rolled onto his side, his body convulsing in pain as he gagged, trying to get enough air. His muscles cramped, and tremors ran through his body.

He heard hundreds of sounds all at once and was no longer able to focus on just one. They were so loud, they pulsated in his brain like a migraine. Opening his eyes, he gasped as the bright lights flashed again, alternating with blackness. Thousands of people moved through the room at once. His body was on sensory overload. Even the temperature seemed to be fluctuating.

He tried to stand and right himself, but barely managed to lift his head. The walls around him would not stop spinning. He struggled to stay conscious, almost failing several times. The thought kept entering his mind that he had to remain alert—he couldn’t let the Lorkon win.

He heard a loud crack, and his head felt as though it was about to explode again.

Someone pulled him to his feet. He struggled against the person until he recognized Akeno’s voice commanding him to walk. He slumped against the Makalo—he couldn’t hold his own weight. Akeno nearly fell under the load, but struggled forward.

They staggered through a door, across another room, and into a hall. Jacob was so disoriented he couldn’t even tell which way was up. Pain was the only thing he knew. He longed to fall to the floor—to give in to the black, to stop the spinning. He brushed against a doorjamb and nearly fainted from the agony the contact caused. He opened his eyes. Hundreds of people streamed through the huge corridor—Lorkon, humans, Makalos, and other creatures. The lights still flashed, and he had to close his eyes again. He felt himself losing his grasp on consciousness as Akeno yelled unintelligible things at him.

They stumbled down a hall, a door opened, and he was pushed inside a room. He slumped to the ground, trying not to give into the convulsions.

“Jacob . . . Fat Lady . . . vial? . . .” Akeno’s words didn’t make any sense.

He was aware of his bag being ripped off his arm, and moments later a bitter fluid was poured into his mouth. He gagged, trying to spit it out.

“Stop it! Swallow . . . please, Jacob!”

Jacob felt his nose being plugged, and then his mouth was jammed shut, forcing him to swallow. The liquid burned its way down his throat and he fought the urge to throw up as it hit his stomach. Writhing on the floor for what felt like an eternity, he was aware of Akeno at his side.

Suddenly, the potion entered his bloodstream. The sensation started at his heart, inching outward from there. It soothed the pain away, first in his chest, then his lower body, then his arms and neck, and finally his head.

The liquid was cold—cooling his burning blood. His muscles relaxed, and the sounds disappeared. The lights stopped flashing.

Then his brain relaxed, and he surrendered to the peaceful calm of sleep.

Chapter 17. Breakneck Speeds

Just as soon as the relief of rest came, however, Jacob was awakened.

“Jacob, you can’t sleep!”

He moaned, not wanting to move.

“Please, Jacob. Come on.”

Jacob moaned again and tried to clear his mind. He didn’t open his eyes for fear the bright lights would flash again and make him want to throw up. “The Key . . . did you get it?”

“Yes, it’s here.”

Jacob took a deep breath. “And the box?”

“Here as well.”

“Put . . . put them in my bag. I just need . . . a minute.”