Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (31 page)

A few minutes later, Akeno began to shiver and mumble. He opened his eyes, staring straight above him, and gasped.

Jacob looked up, ready to see something falling from the ceiling, but nothing was there. He watched Akeno’s facial expressions for a second, then turned his full attention back to the tunnel and getting in as much distance as possible while Akeno was still conscious.

He paused a few times to catch his breath. The weight of Akeno’s body was starting to make his already-tired arms ache, and his head began pounding again. How was he ever going to make it to the end of the tunnel? He did his best to push the pain away, but was only successful when he heard Akeno start moaning. He paused to raise his friend’s pant leg. There were no breaks in the skin, but the spot was yellow, with angry pink edges.

Akeno’s muscles clenched up and his pupils dilated, making his eyes look almost black with only a sliver of blue. He looked as though he was about to slip into unconsciousness.

“No, no, Akeno, stay with me!” Jacob yelled, running as fast as his legs would take him—the end
had
to be near! The blue light only reached forty feet into the distance, and it was getting dimmer—Akeno probably wouldn’t be able to keep it lit much longer.

Finally, Jacob saw what looked like the end. Praying it wasn’t blocked, he sighed in relief at the sight of stairs leading up. Akeno’s breathing was shallow. His left hand was limp, barely elevated above his chest, and his light had dimmed to the point where Jacob could only see four or five feet ahead of him.

“Hang on, Akeno, we’re almost there,” Jacob said, trying not to panic. His legs were burning from the exertion, and he was forced to slow to a walk. He took the stairs as quickly as he could. It was difficult to carry Akeno
and
the bags, and the stairs seemed endless. He reached the top just as the blue light went out. Akeno must have fallen unconscious.

“Oh, no, Akeno, I’m hurrying as fast as I can!” Jacob put the Makalo down and started pushing frantically against the ceiling and the walls, trying to find the exit.

A stream of sunlight hit him in the face, nearly blinding him as he pushed against one section of the wall. He released the stone, letting it fall shut, enveloping them in darkness again. He pulled his bag off his shoulders and opened it. “September?” he whispered.

“Yes, Jacob?”

“When I push the stone open, I need you to sneak around and tell me what’s out there.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Arggh. Early, will you?”

“Of course!”

Jacob pushed the door just far enough to let Early out. He held it open with his shoulders, waiting for the Minya to return. She took longer than usual to come back, but after what felt like forever, she zoomed in past him.

“The tunnel opens in the middle of a forest very close to the mountains,” she said. “I wasn’t able to see much. I did find some honey, though.”

Jacob moaned in frustration. Was that what had taken her so long? “Were there any Lorkon?”

“Lorkon? Oh, yes, there were.” Early spun around a couple of times, doing some sort of dance.

“How many of them?”

She held up three little fingers.

“And? Where were they?”

She pointed. “Farther south.”

“What were they doing?”

She tapped the side of her head. “They looked like they were searching for something.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Of course they were searching for something.” He knew sarcasm would be lost on Early. “Were there Dusts or anything else?”

“I couldn’t see anything, no.”

“Which side of the wall are we on?”

“I didn’t check.”

Jacob grimaced—stupid Minya—and decided he’d have to see for himself. He pushed the door open slowly, letting his eyes adjust, then poked his head out. Roots grew over the side of the hill above the exit, and in front of him were several trees. It looked as though the tunnel opened in the side of a small canyon, facing the mountain, since there was a slope going up on the other side of the trees. To the right was the forest, thicker here than anywhere else he’d seen so far. Judging by the light, he figured the tunnel had led them under the wall and to the other side, though it was hard to tell. Something about this bothered him, and he wracked his brain, trying to figure out what.

Then it occurred to him. Aloren. He backed up and let the door fall shut. She had no way to leave Maivoryl City without him.

Jacob mentally kicked himself. He’d promised he’d help her get out of the city—that she would only have to be there for a couple of hours. Who knew what had happened to her after he and Akeno had run away? Who knew if Eachan had been successful in protecting her? Who knew if she was even still alive? He felt sick to his stomach when he thought he might never see her again. She’d trusted him! And he’d thought she could—that she’d be safe doing so.

He took a deep breath, struggling to control his emotions. There was no way he’d be able to save both Aloren and Akeno. This he knew, and he hated it.

He forced himself to put her smile and sparkly brown eyes out of his mind, knowing there was nothing he could do but pray she’d be okay. He had to focus on getting Akeno to someone who could help, and as soon as possible.

Jacob made sure both September and Early were out of his knapsack and swung it over his shoulders, alongside Aloren’s and Akeno’s bags. Then he picked up Akeno and pushed open the heavy door.

He let his eyes adjust to the sunlight and stepped outside, feeling very exposed, even with the thick forest closing in on him. He lowered the door, then squeezed past a couple of large trees into a small, enclosed area to the left that would keep him hidden for a few minutes while he checked on Akeno.

The Makalo’s fuzzy skin was cold to the touch. He had huge, dark rings circling his eyes that made them look sunken, and he was breathing rapidly.

Lifting Akeno’s pant leg again, Jacob drew back in horror at what he saw. The skin on his lower leg had broken and was blistered, oozing blood and pus.

“Oh, gosh, that’s disgusting,” Jacob whispered, pulling the fabric down to hide the sore.

He tried to pour a little water into Akeno’s mouth, as he’d seen in the movies. But he couldn’t get Akeno to part his lips, so drank the rest of it himself. Akeno was unresponsive to everything.

Deciding it would be a good idea to find out where they were before moving Akeno again, Jacob got up and squeezed through the small opening between the trees. He moved past the tunnel entrance, looking through the roots that hung over the door. At first he didn’t see anything, but then he was able to pick out a shape he hadn’t noticed before. While he watched, the shape shifted, coming into better focus. It was a very tall figure, wearing a large black cloak. A Lorkon. Jacob watched as it bent over, digging through the brush. It was only thirty or so feet away from where they were. Why was it doing the dirty work, and where were the Dusts?

Jacob crouched down and pushed through the underbrush to check the other side of the small canyon. He stayed still, trying to catch any movement through the thick trees, but didn’t see anything. He crept back to the little hiding place, deciding Akeno wouldn’t last long enough for the Lorkon to leave.

September and Early had taken positions on Akeno’s chest and were having a heated discussion.

“Shhh!” Jacob hissed, crouching down next to them. “I need both of you to do something that could be very dangerous. You both care about Akeno, right?”

“Yes, of course,” September said.

“I know you have no tie to me to keep you here right now, but Akeno needs you. Are you willing to help me get him back to Taga, where they’ll take care of him?”

“We are!” Early said.

Jacob looked at the other Minya. “September?”

“Okay, fine.”

“Good. First, Early, go find Kenji and ask if there’s anything I can do for Akeno.”

With a flash, Early disappeared. Upon returning, she reported that the only thing Jacob could do was get Akeno to the village as quickly as possible.

“Okay,” Jacob said. “I’ll need one of you to keep an eye on the Lorkon. There’s one about thirty feet from here. Who wants to do that?”

“I’ll do it,” September said.

“Awesome. Early, would you act as a messenger between me and September? I’ll need to know everything these Lorkon are doing.”

The Minyas disappeared, and a second later Early returned. “The Lorkon have split up. The one that was closest to us is now moving toward Sonda Lake. Another Lorkon is moving farther south, closer to the Dust mound. The last is heading up the mountain.”

Jacob frowned. “Where is the lake compared to where we are now?”

“That way,” Early said, pointing through the forest straight ahead of them. “The trail is there too.”

“Okay. We’ll go more to the left, then, away from the Lorkon.”

Jacob grabbed the bags, swinging them over his shoulders, then picked up Akeno. He stood and squeezed between the trees, trying to make as little noise as possible. Looking around and seeing no one, he stepped to the left, keeping his eyes open for anything dangerous.

Every few minutes, Early would fly to him, relaying a message from September. The Lorkon to the south kept moving in that direction, rummaging through the underbrush, probably looking for the tunnel entrance or maybe for them. The one that had moved up the mountain was now searching somewhere above them. Only the thick leaves and branches of the trees kept Jacob out of sight. The Lorkon moving toward the lake had raised his hands to the sky and yelled words into the wind. Jacob could think of only one reason for doing that.

Lirone.

Jacob stayed as close to the trees as possible, noticing with panic when they began to thin, taking away his cover.

“Oh no,” he muttered, looking up constantly, checking if the Lorkon above could see him yet. A few yards later, the forest ended. Dang it—what now? Jacob struggled to stay in control and not give in to the fear.

Jacob paused before stepping from behind the last tree, trying to figure out what to do and where to go. He wished Akeno or Aloren were able to help him decide.

The sky darkened with clouds, and the Lorkon near the lake was now closing in, as was the one on the mountain. Only the Lorkon to the south had maintained a large enough distance not to worry Jacob.

He glanced around the tree, hoping to figure out where they were. What he saw caused relief to spread over him. There was the paddock, the clothesline, and—Jacob moved to the left—the cabin!

“Oh good, oh good, oh good,” Jacob breathed. Only one problem remained: the cabin was a good two hundred yards from where he stood, and between here and there was nothing but meadow, with no cover—except for a few small apple and pear trees.

He looked at Akeno—the Makalo appeared nearly lifeless. Only a slight movement of his chest showed he was still breathing. And he looked so sick! A pasty-yellow color accentuated the rings around his eyes, and his hair was matted to his head.

Early’s next report was that the Lorkon to the south had turned around to head back their way. Jacob stopped her before she left. “Go get September. I need both of you here with me now.”

She flew off, and a split second later, both she and September returned.

“The Fat Lady’s cabin is right over there,” Jacob said, pointing. “I’m going to make a run for it. But first, September, I need you to fly ahead and let her know we’re on our way. Early, help send him off, please.”

Light flashed, and September was gone. He returned only moments later. “She said you need to have the Key out, ready to use, and she’ll tell you what to do.”

Jacob shifted Akeno to one arm and pulled his bag off his shoulder, grabbing the beautiful box that contained the Key. He opened it, jumping when its sweet melody poured out. He removed the Key, then peeked around the tree to see if the music had caught the attention of the Lorkon. It hadn’t.

The clouds rolled, warning of Lirone’s appearance. A dark spot moved by the shore, and without having to ask Early, Jacob knew it was a Lorkon.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, putting the box and his bag away. He took a deep breath. “September, you keep a lookout on the left, Early to the right. Fly back and forth between me and those Lorkon as fast as you can, keeping me aware of their every move. I need to know exactly where they are the entire time. Be careful they don’t see you.”

Taking another deep breath, Jacob stepped around the tree, holding Akeno securely. Then, putting all his energy into his already tired legs, he took off as fast as he could toward the Fat Lady’s cabin.

Only a few seconds passed before Lirone spotted him, making his presence known by taking away all sound. A sudden explosion to the right nearly knocked Jacob over, and he stumbled along, trying to stay on his feet. An explosion behind him was followed by one in front. Jacob lurched to the side, avoiding the huge hole that was created, nearly dropping Akeno in the process. The remaining distance grew shorter. Early flitted to his side, yelling in his ear. Jacob was surprised she could still speak, then realized she was too small for Lirone to see.

“The Lorkon by the lake just spotted you. He’s on his way.”

September appeared on Jacob’s other side, yelling that the Lorkon from the mountain was also in pursuit.

The ground all around Jacob was pelted by several smaller explosions, many of which missed him by a few feet.

“Hurry, Jacob!” Early yelled. “Hurry!”

Jacob watched as a large blast of fire bounced off the Fat Lady’s cabin and fell into the brush out of sight. Her house wasn’t harmed in any way. Another huge blast went off in front of him, and he veered to avoid the hole. The explosions were much bigger now and coming more rapidly, but something was odd. If Lirone wanted, he could easily hit Jacob, so why didn’t he? There were no trees providing cover this time, just the wide-open meadow through which Jacob ran. What was going on?

“You must run faster!” Early yelled. She paused. “I have an idea. Can I use it?”

Jacob nodded, nearly dropping Akeno when an explosion went off right behind him.

Early disappeared, and seconds later Jacob felt warmth spread through his body, originating from a spot on his back. He felt as though his calves had been given an immense supply of energy. He put on a burst of speed, feeling he was about to lift off the ground. There were fewer than a hundred yards to go when Lirone’s bombardment suddenly stopped.