The Key of Kilenya (16 page)

“I’d feel more comfortable hiding in a room
with four walls and a roof.”

“I don’t blame you.” Jacob walked forward.
“Let’s go to the back.”

They walked through a set of doors into a
dark and dingy, tall hallway with many doors leading off of it. The
walls went up six feet on either side and extended away from the
hallway, forming a large shelf, one on each side, running down the
length of the corridor. On top of the high shelves stood life-size
statues of humans, Makalos, and many creatures Jacob hadn’t yet
encountered.

“Why haven’t we run into any of these?” he
said.

“They’re probably extinct or in hiding
still.”

Jacob wandered down the hallway, looking at
the crumbling statues. He found two next to each other that were
identical, right down to their odd-looking hands. He stopped to
inspect them. “Why are there two of these?”

“One is a Dust, and the other is a Wurby.
They’re very much alike, except Wurbies are good and Dusts are
evil. The only way you can tell the difference between them,
besides how they treat you, is the color of their eyes. Wurbies
have light eyes and Dusts have dark eyes.”

“So, dark eyes represent evil?” Jacob
snickered. “My dad’s eyes are brown.”

“Obviously it’s not something that carries
over into other species. In the case of Dusts and Wurbies, though,
yes.”

Jacob continued down the hall. “When we get
back, I want you to tell me all about the other races and species
that lived in this world.” He saw the statue of a beautiful woman
and walked up to it. It fascinated him. She didn’t look human,
although she had all the features of a human. The only part of her
that was crumbling were her eyes.

“That’s a Shiengol,” Akeno said, noticing
Jacob’s fascination. “There used to be diamonds in her eyes.
Someone must have stolen them.”

“Why did they put diamonds there?”

“The eyes of a Shiengol are the most
beautiful part of him or her, and the part least understood by
anyone else. Diamonds were used to represent both the color of
their eyes and the power that originated there.”

“Power? As in magic? Like Rezend?”

“Not magic, no, and not power the way you’re
thinking. They had amazing eyesight, and in ways you’d never
imagine.”

“How so?”

“I can’t explain it very well, but I’ll tell
you what I know. A Shiengol could see more colors than we can, and
in three dimensions. They could see all the senses, including sound
waves, and they could even see and smell molecules. Other things
about them were different, too—like light and emotion.” Akeno
started opening doors in the hallway. “When we get back with the
Key, I’ll have my father explain it. I want to be there when he
does, though, since there’s a lot I don’t understand.”

He pushed open a door across from the
Shiengol statue. “This room is perfect.” He stepped back and
pointed down the hall. “All right, you go that way and I’ll walk
this way.”

Jacob jogged to the end of the corridor and
turned to face Akeno. The Makalo reached out, and Jacob felt a
strong, tight pressure around his waist and ribs that knocked the
wind out of him. The pressure disappeared, and then he was standing
on Akeno’s extended palm. Nothing in between—no whoosh of air, no
sensation of shrinking.

“Did I hurt you?” Akeno whispered.

Jacob tried not to gasp. “No, I’m fine.”

“Okay. I’m having Early take you back.”

Jacob felt warmth in his cheeks and turned
away for a minute, pretending to look around. Early was very
pretty. He contemplated asking Akeno to have September take him
instead, but didn’t want to hurt Early’s feelings. He clamped his
mouth shut and closed his eyes. Why was he still shy around girls?
He was fourteen—he should be over all that stupid stuff by now.

Jacob heard Early’s excitement about the job.
She accepted it in the way she normally would any request. He could
tell it had nothing to do with him, and he was surprised to realize
he was disappointed for some reason. His self-confidence went down
a notch, and he tried not to think of Early’s reaction as a
rejection. Feeling silly for even having the thought, his face
flushed more, which embarrassed him further. Glad that Early was
preoccupied with the task itself and not the reason for the task,
he shut his eyes tighter. Moments later, he saw a bright flash
through his eyelids, and the next moment he stood on a firm
surface. Opening his eyes, he wasn’t surprised to see huge figures
surrounding him.

“Jacob, would you rather stay small for the
conversation, or be enlarged again?” Kenji said.

“Make me big,” he said. He didn’t want to
feel as though they were talking down to him.

“It increases your risk of being hurt.”

“That’s okay. It’s better than being
small.”

Kenji sighed. “All right, we’ll get you back
to normal size.”

He extended his hand, and Jacob hopped onto
it, grateful to have a choice—he was getting tired of people
picking him up.

Kenji raised his hand high in the air, and
Jacob felt the wind blow past him. The large, bouncing steps Kenji
took made him feel sick, so he sat down and closed his eyes,
concentrating on breathing the fresh air.

“Jacob, I’m going to put you down now.”

Jacob felt solid earth beneath his feet, and
he opened his eyes—he was back to his normal size. Looking up, he
saw Brojan, Kenji, and Ebony standing on the canyon wall above him
and was momentarily confused as to why he wasn’t up there with
them. Then it occurred to him there probably hadn’t been enough
distance for him to be put to his normal size without a building
getting in the way. He smiled at them, feeling a strong sense of
relief mingled with homesickness. He ran forward and climbed the
rope ladder that they lowered to him.

“Welcome back, Jacob,” Kenji said, shaking
Jacob’s hand.

A little curly-haired blonde girl smiled at
Jacob from behind Ebony's legs. Jacob waved at her, but she ducked
behind Ebony.

It took a few moments to reach Brojan’s
house. Ebony sent the girl to go play with a group of children
while she led Jacob inside with the adults.

The scent of spicy meat hung thick in the
air, and Jacob’s mouth started watering. The group entered the back
room, and Jacob felt like jumping for joy when he saw the table. It
was covered with steaming, savory things to eat.

“All right! Real food!”

“I thought you’d enjoy something different
from what you’ve been eating,” Ebony said, taking a seat next to
Kenji.

“Oh, I’ll remember this meal forever!”

Everyone laughed as the rest of them took
their places. Jacob ended up sitting nearest Brojan, who was at the
head of the table. The conversation started by covering all the
expected topics: their health, how Jacob enjoyed sleeping in
Akeno’s huts, how they were getting along, how well the Minyas were
behaving, and the city where Akeno was hiding. Then Brojan leaned
forward.

“We wanted to talk to you because we believe
the Lorkon are waiting for you,” he said. “The wolves dropped their
guard on the link as soon as you left, and we think the Lorkon are
using the Key as bait.”

Jacob almost choked on a piece of meat.
“What?”

Kenji shook his head, a concerned expression
on his face. “We suspected it before, but weren’t sure. Things are
finally adding up. For example, the wolves aren’t attacking, but
seem to be monitoring your progress. Nothing’s trying to stop you
from getting to the castle, and there have been no real
distractions.”

“But why are they trying to bait me?”

“They want you in their possession. It
appears they haven’t gotten past the spells on the Key yet.”

“What are they expecting from me?” Jacob
frowned. “That I’ll be able to teach them?”

Kenji took another helping of potatoes. “I
think they’re hoping you’ll be the answer to all their
problems.”

Jacob snorted. “Well, they’re stupid, then.
They have to know that this is the first time I’ve been in their
world—there’s no way I’ll know how to do anything for them.”

Kenji put down the potato spoon and looked
Jacob square in the eye. “Have you figured out why things heat up
under your hands?”

“No,” Jacob said. “I forgot about that,
actually.”

“It is immensely important you figure it out
as soon as you can,” Brojan said.

Kenji rubbed his shoulder as he spoke. “We
didn’t get the chance to explain about the Lorkon before you and
Akeno had to leave,” he said. “We’d like to talk to you about that
now. For starters, Lorkon are almost always male. Very rarely does
anyone come across a female, and there are huge differences between
the male and female.

“The females are beautiful, and they have
talents and abilities that come with that beauty. They are
captivating. The males, on the other hand, are disfigured and
hideous. While it is said you will never forget the first time you
see a female, the memory of the first time you see a male will have
the power to haunt your dreams for the rest of your life.”

“Was the lady I saw in the forest a
Lorkon?”

Kenji nodded. “We believe so.”

“We hesitate telling you more about them,”
Brojan said and then sighed. “However, Ebony and Kenji have been
very persistent in the belief that you should know as much about
the Lorkon as possible before you meet them.”

Kenji looked at Jacob, then closed his eyes.
“Jacob, I really wish things were different. I wish your first
experience in our world had been under better circumstances. And
more than anything, I wish the Lorkon weren’t what they are.”

Ebony leaned forward. “We believe the more
you know about them, the better prepared you’ll be.”

“I think so, too,” Jacob said. “Tell me as
much as you can.”

“They are horrible and very powerful,” Kenji
said. “They’re taller than humans, nearing nine feet. Sometimes
they hunch over inside their cloaks and it’s difficult to know how
tall they really are. Their teeth are stained black and yellow.
They are very swift on foot and are extraordinarily strong, both
physically and mentally. So strong, they don’t have need for
weapons.”

He sighed. “All this aside, however, the most
disturbing feature of the Lorkon is their skin. It’s deep, blood
red in color and is constantly chafing and peeling. They infect
whatever they touch with disease, and the blood that oozes from the
cracks in their skin burns like acid.” Kenji shuddered at this
point, rubbing his shoulder.

“That . . . is disgusting,” Jacob said. “And
I have to get the Key from them? How is that even possible?”

Kenji sighed again. “It will be possible,” he
said. “But remember, do not attack them. You’ll lose if you do. The
Lorkon are immortal and invincible. We discovered this during the
last war we had with them. Sneak into the castle, using the Minyas
to look out for danger. Hide until you know the coast is clear. Use
the abilities you and Akeno have at your disposal to get the Key
and escape.”

“So I can be shrunk again?”

“Yes, but only if it’s necessary. And while
in the Lorkon castle, do everything in your power not to get
separated.”

Ebony leaned forward. “I’m particularly
interested in what the Lorkon woman said to you.” She looked at him
expectantly.

“I . . .” Jacob thought back to the infected
forest. He could picture the woman—could see her mouthing the word,
but nothing came to mind. Everything had happened so quickly, and
she’d been so pretty. He felt a blush creeping across his face. “I
. . . uh. I can’t remember.” He stared at his hands, feeling
sheepish. “Sorry.”

She sighed. “Let us know if and when you
remember. It could be very important.”

There was silence for a moment. Jacob
finished his food while waiting for one of the Makalos to say
something.

“We’ve decided to allow you to take something
back with you,” Brojan said. “It is a journal that tells the
history of a man very important to this land. It also explains how
the Lorkon took control, which is necessary for you to know.”

Brojan reached over, took a book from a small
table behind him, and put it in front of Jacob.

He gave Brojan a questioning look and reached
forward to take it. It felt worn and fragile in his hands. The
leather binding was rubbing away, and the pages were old and
tattered. Flipping through it, he was surprised that the first page
was the only one with writing. The rest was blank.

“Only the first page has something on it,” he
said.

Ebony smiled. “It’s intended to be read one
page at a time. The rest of the information will be available only
after you have read what comes before it. The ultimate book—it
prevents skipping ahead.” She smiled again. “You’ll notice that the
first couple of pages were torn from another journal and added to
the beginning of this, as a sort of introduction.”

Jacob inspected the pages, seeing where the
first few were attached. If Ebony hadn’t said anything, he might
not have noticed the difference. He turned to the introduction. The
writing was loose and haphazard and somewhat similar to his dad’s
writing, so it wasn’t difficult to read.

My name is Dmitri. I am twenty-three years
old, and I live in the kingdom of Troosinal.

“Wait,” Jacob said. “This book is about a guy
named Dmitri?”

“Yes, it is,” Kenji replied. “Does that mean
something to you?”

“When we got to the city, we stopped off at a
store, and the guy there told me about a prince named Dmitri. Is
this the same person?”

“Yes, probably. Who was the man in the
store?”

“He said his name was Gallus.”

“Wait—Gallus?” Kenji sprang to his feet,
making Jacob jump.

“Yes . . . uh . . . he was a tall black man
with a deep voice.”

Ebony squealed, jumping up, and she and Kenji
threw their arms around each other, laughing and crying. “Oh, I
can’t believe it!” Ebony said. “I just can’t believe it!”