The Key of Kilenya (15 page)

I was not surprised when he almost
immediately decided he preferred everyone else to me, and I’ve
given him to Kenji for safe keeping. Perhaps permanently.

Minyas.

I’m afraid I’ll never like them.

J
acob was excited to go into the city, even if
it was in shambles. Akeno taped new leaves on his shoes, and, while
walking, they sent Early off to report that Jacob would be coming
as soon as they found a place where Akeno could hide. Early quickly
returned with the message that Brojan and Akeno’s parents were
eagerly awaiting Jacob’s return.

“But why would it be better to hide in the
city?” Jacob asked. “I mean, wouldn’t we want to stay away from
people, just in case the Lorkon or the wolves come around?”

Early flitted to him. ”Brojan said it would
be better to hide in a deserted house in the city. He feels it
would be safer.”

They headed down the mountainside. Jacob
didn’t notice that the two black wolves were watching them from
bushes near the path until September pointed it out.

“Why do they do that?” Jacob said. “It’s
really creepy.”

“Yes, it is.” Akeno glared at the wolves.

They made a wide circle around the animals
and got back on the trail. Jacob kept one eye on the predators as
they walked, but they didn’t do anything—just watched the entire
time. He decided to ignore them.

After a few minutes, Jacob and Akeno reached
the road that led into town and turned to follow it. A faded wooden
sign with
Macaria
etched in it showed an arrow pointing
ahead. The Minyas floated above them, and Jacob’s spirits rose a
notch. They were going to see people!

The city was small, and at one point might
have been considered quaint. Everything was white. The buildings,
the walks—even the dirt had a white appearance to it. It looked as
though the whole town had been bleached by the sun, and it made the
city beautiful, even with the war-ravaged look. The road was dusty,
and each step Akeno and Jacob took caused a little cloud to billow
up around their feet. The street was deserted, and the sun was
bright as he and Akeno walked down the center of the road. It was
almost as if they were about to have a face-off with someone at the
opposite end of the street. Jacob smiled, feeling like he was in
his favorite James Garner western.

He watched for buildings he’d recognize as a
store or maybe a hotel. Most of the windows were boarded up, and
nothing looked familiar. The buildings ranged in size from one
story to two and sometimes three stories high, with the remains of
the castle being the tallest. The road led toward the castle, which
seemed to be situated on the shores of the lake.

“Hey, let’s use the castle as our hiding
place,” Jacob said.

“That would be trespassing.”

Jacob laughed. ”Yeah, but what’s the
difference between that and using an old house? I bet it’d be okay
with the people here. Besides, it’d be fun.”

“You and your ideas of fun. Broken bones,
sneaking into castles—is this normal?”

Jacob laughed. “For a guy my age, yes.” He
looked around them. “I say we first find a town center. See if we
can learn something about this city before you shrink me.”

Akeno agreed, and they continued following
the road, which eventually widened and split, encircling a building
that had a few people going in and out of it. It was only a short
distance from the castle, and Jacob figured it was most likely the
center of the city.

“Are they humans?” he whispered, motioning to
the people.

Akeno shaded his eyes from the morning sun.
“Looks that way.”

“I say we go in. Wouldn’t hurt.”

“As long as we don’t tell them why we’re
here.”

“Of course not.” Jacob stopped and turned to
the Minyas. “Would you be okay in my bag? I don’t want anyone to
see you, but it would be better if we didn’t get separated right
now, in case something bad happens.” He was almost surprised when
the Minyas agreed, and he pulled his bag open, letting them fly in
before shutting it.

Only a couple of people turned at the sound
of the door opening. No one had their heads covered, and they were
all human. At least Jacob thought so. He saw shock register in
their eyes as they looked at him and Akeno, and he wondered if
they’d ever seen a Makalo before. A black man, wearing an oily
leather apron, worked behind a counter.

“Your . . . Highness?” he asked.

Jacob faced him and saw the look of
recognition leave the man’s face.

“Er, no, I’m Jacob.”

“Oh, I’m sorry . . . please . . .” The man
fumbled with a jar on the counter full of little brown squares that
looked like caramel. “Would you like to try some Canush?”

“Um, no, thanks.”

“Are you sure? They are quite excellent.” The
man popped one into his mouth, closing his eyes and smiling.

Jacob looked at Akeno.

“We have them, too,” Akeno whispered. “Try
one. They’re good.”

“You eat one, then,” Jacob replied.

The man opened his eyes. “Oh, I’m
sorry—excuse me,” he said. “I’m sorry. Here, you can have one,
too.” He held the jar out to Akeno—who took one—then extended his
arm to Jacob.

“What . . . exactly is it?”

The man flashed a smile, his white teeth in
contrast to his dark skin. “A popular sweet here. It’s made from
the roots of the Canush tree.”

Jacob looked into the jar. Not too scary, but
he hated trying new foods. He hesitated a moment longer, then took
one and put it in his mouth, biting down on the corner. He was
surprised when the entire thing dissolved as soon as he bit. A
cool, sweet juice gushed over his tongue. He almost choked on the
unexpected liquid, but it didn’t disagree with his taste buds, and
he smiled.

“You like it, don’t you?” the man said. “Oh,
I knew you would. It’s quite a popular treat here with the
children. I mean, you aren’t a child, but I thought you would like
it because you are still in your youth. Of course, I don’t mean to
say that you are a boy, because you aren’t, but you are young
still, and not quite a grown man—though you are a man already. I’m
sorry, I’m—”

“No, you’re fine,” Jacob said, almost
laughing, but remembering his manners just in time. “And yes, I do
like it a lot.”

He looked around the store, noticing that
people glanced away as he did. They must have been watching him try
the candy. How awkward. The man put the jar back and waited,
leaning onto the counter with both hands. “Sir, may I ask your
name?”

“Of course, of course. It’s Gallus. This is
my shop.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Like I said, my name
is Jacob, and this is Akeno, my friend.”

Gallus studied Akeno, a thoughtful expression
on his face, then addressed Jacob again. “What brings you to our
city?”

Jacob rubbed his neck, his eyes flicking to
Akeno’s. “We’re actually just passing through,” he said. Then,
wanting to deflect further inquiries, he said, “Um . . . can I ask
a question?”

“Certainly.”

“Why did you call me ‘Your Highness’ when we
walked in?”

“Oh, well, because—that is—because the last
time a human was seen traveling with a Makalo, it was many years
ago.” Gallus turned to hand something to a customer before
continuing. “He, well, he was a prince from a faraway kingdom.
Dmitri was his name. He was a really extraordinary man who went
through quite a lot during his short lifetime.” Gallus looked
wistfully at Jacob. “It has been a long time since we experienced
true peace here. Dmitri would have been our king, if the Lorkon
hadn’t taken over.” He rubbed his left shoulder, then again
scrutinized Akeno. “The Makalos are all but extinct, though there
are rumors of a village not far from here.”

Akeno looked away, and Jacob worried about
the attention Gallus was giving him. “What kind of money do you use
here in exchange for products?” he asked.

“We don’t. Our money system was completely
destroyed when the Lorkon took control of the city.”

Jacob exchanged a glance with Akeno. If the
Lorkon were in control, would Akeno be able to hide safely while
Jacob went back to Taga?

“They took control?”

Gallus nodded. “Yes, but they got bored with
us a year or so ago. They were searching for something and thought
we were hiding it here, but when they didn’t find it, they gave up
and no longer care what we do.”

Jacob relaxed at this news. “That’s
good.”

Gallus stooped to pick up a jar of grain from
the floor. “Many of our loved ones were taken away during that
period and never returned. We’ve tried several times to find them,
but have only been met with a great deal of resistance, and even
death.” He set the jar on a shelf behind him. “We’re still in the
process of fixing things around here. Mainly the government, but
the city is much safer now.” He turned to Jacob, a slight frown on
his face. “I’m surprised you don’t know this already. Where do you
come from?”

“East of here,” Jacob lied, and immediately
felt guilty. He hated being dishonest.

This appeared to satisfy Gallus, however, who
excused himself to assist a customer. Jacob turned to look around
the store.

There was an array of odd-looking equipment
Jacob assumed was for farming. There were also saddles, bridles,
and other things for riding. Jacob’s thoughts drifted, thinking how
much nicer the trip would be if they had horses. The switchbacks
alone would have taken a lot less time. Then he remembered the
bubbles and realized they would have had to leave the animals
behind anyway.

He found a small stand displaying pretty
necklaces and picked one out he thought his mom would like. Akeno
made eye contact with him, motioning to the door. Jacob gave a
small nod, but wanted to see if he could buy the necklace
first.

He walked back to Gallus. “If you don’t use
money, how do you buy things?”

“We exchange for products. If you have
nothing to exchange, you can work for what you need.”

“Okay, well, maybe next time.” He had nothing
to trade, and taking time to work off debt was out of the question.
“It was nice to meet you.” Jacob put the necklace back on the rack,
then gave a small wave as he and Akeno left the store.

Once outside, he looked at Akeno and raised
an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you talk?”

Akeno fidgeted with his bag. ”I don’t know .
. . I didn’t know what to say.”

Jacob ducked down a small alley, then pulled
open his knapsack to let the Minyas out, and grabbed a sack of beef
jerky as well, offering some to Akeno. “Are you shy?”

“A little, I guess. It depends.”

Jacob took a bite of jerky. “Let’s find a
place where you can hide after shrinking me.” He walked back onto
the street again.

“I see where you’re headed,” Akeno said, a
smile coloring his voice.

“It’s really not out of the way.”

“Fine, we can use the castle.”

“Awesome!” Jacob said, jumping into the air.
“I’ve always wanted to go inside a castle!”

Akeno laughed and fell into step next to
Jacob. “But if something goes wrong, we’ll know who to blame.”

The road they followed turned a few times,
leading them away from Gallus’s store. It was lined with old,
intricately designed flag poles. A few of the flags remained, and
they must have been magnificent once. They were royal blue, with
gold and silver designs.

“This street has to lead to the castle,”
Jacob said.

“It does. Look.”

Jacob looked ahead and saw where Akeno
pointed. They were just coming around one of the bends in the road,
and the remains of an impressive wall were now in sight. Jacob
whistled. The wall was magnificent—obviously designed more for show
than anything but still imposing.

They walked over the crumbling bridge and
past the wall. The courtyard was filled with flowering trees and
was overgrown with ivy and bushes. Tulips and daisies pushed
through the dirt, weeds, and vines in clumps.

Most of the castle walls had crumbled, except
for the one farthest from them. It was the tallest, with a turret
and tower still attached and was closest to the lake.

Even though the front wall was non-existent,
the huge, wooden doors were standing intact. Jacob walked up to the
door, pushing it open. “Looks like the castle is still trying to
keep people out.”

“Wait. Let me see what’s around us.” Akeno
walked to a tree, putting his left hand on it. He closed his eyes
for a moment, a look of concentration on his face. “There’s nothing
here. We should be safe to go in.”

Jacob stepped through the doorway, and they
entered what must once have been a grand receiving room. It was
very wide and tall, and the remains of second and third floor
balconies were visible on a few of the walls. The ceiling was gone,
except near the back.

“Where should we go?” Jacob said.