The Key of Kilenya (6 page)

Jacob picked up Butch and shoved him up the
wall to Akeno, who tried pulling the Makalo up as he'd done with
Jaegar.

“You gotta help,” Akeno said to Butch,
grunting. “You're too heavy.”

With Akeno pushing, Butch pulled himself up,
crying out in pain. Jacob urged them to go faster—the wolves were
only yards away. Someone lifted Butch over the ledge.

Akeno climbed the rest of the way, then
reached back down. Jacob took his offered hand and hoisted himself
over the edge and out of the reach of the wolves.

Kenji was at the top, Jaegar in his arms.
Jacob looked around for Butch and saw him with an elderly man who
supported most of Butch's weight. They hobbled to the right,
disappearing between buildings.

Kenji addressed a couple of Makalos who were
anxiously peering over the ledge. “Watch the wolves. Tell me when
they leave.” He fled down the path to his left, Jacob and Akeno
jogging to keep up with him.

“My son, my poor son—” Kenji said to no one,
the pain in his voice evident.

“I'm so sorry,” Jacob said.

“If he dies, I . . .” He cleared his throat.
“Jacob, before you came, the wolves never dared enter Taga
Village.”

Jacob bit his lip, trying to control the
guilt that overwhelmed him. If only he'd listened to the Makalos.
None of this would've happened.

They entered a house painted bright blue with
white streaks and splashes across the stone. Kenji gently placed
Jaegar on a large table on the left side of the room. Ebony burst
into tears at the sight of her tattered young son.

“What happened?” she asked.

“The wolves attacked while . . . ” Akeno
started.

“While I was trying to go home,” Jacob
finished. Guilt poured over him again.

Disappointment flushed across Ebony and
Kenji's faces before they looked at their young son again.

“Oh, Jaegar, Jaegar . . .” Ebony said. “What
if those wolves were poisonous? Will sap help?”

“We’ll need to work quickly,” Kenji said.
“This is hard, but I need your help. Gather yourself. You know what
to do.”

Ebony nodded, sniffing, and ran from the
room, returning moments later with some familiar things—a small
package, an armful of cloth, and a bowl.

Kenji mixed the sap while Ebony separated the
cloth. Most of it had been cut into strips, though one was big
enough to be a sheet.

Jacob leaned forward, wanting to watch
everything they did, since last time he'd been the injured
person.

Kenji poured the contents of the jug and the
small package into the bowl, creating a thick, brown liquid. A
smell Jacob recognized reached his nose. Maple syrup. Why on earth
did it smell like maple syrup?

Akeno and Ebony quickly cut off Jaegar’s
shirt, revealing severe bites all over his chest and arms. Jacob
shook his head, feeling helpless and at fault. The Makalos
saturated strips of cloth with the mixture and laid them on
Jaegar’s wounds.

Very soon, Jaegar was almost completely
covered. Ebony and Akeno stepped back, Ebony letting out a worried
breath. Kenji covered Jaegar with the sheet, and the three of them
stood near Jacob.

“Was it too late? Will he die?” Jacob asked,
but Ebony held up her hand.

“Give it time.”

Every few moments, she lifted the edge of one
of the strips and looked under, a deep frown on her face. Kenji
paced near the front door, his hands behind his back.

At first, nothing appeared to be changing.
But after a few minutes, Jacob was relieved to see that the wounds
were healing and disappearing.

After what felt like forever, Ebony let out a
breath and pulled off all the strips. Every single wound was gone,
leaving only pink skin underneath. Jaegar’s breathing was now
steady.

“All right,” Kenji said. “Now he needs to
rest.” He picked Jaegar up and carried him out of the room.

Back to Top

T
oday we came to the first element. It was lucky we
were not killed. Or drowned, I should say. The Lorkon had placed a
magical waterfall to completely bar passage from the castle and
neighboring city to anything beyond. The water was totally
invisible and difficult to feel. Perhaps it would be more correct
to say that
it was mostly invisible. When riding up to it,
it appeared as a great wall of air, shimmering in the hot
sun.

One of our men entered first, and he and his
horse started to drown before our eyes. It took several seconds for
us to realize what was happening. They were standing as if in plain
air, and yet could not breathe. We acted as quickly as we could and
pulled them out, barely in time.

It took us an hour, at least, to discover
the true size of the waterfall. It rose miles upon miles into the
air—Arien’s Minya was unable to reach the top—and it was at least
four hundred feet thick, most likely more. We couldn’t measure. We
knew the Lorkon must have created a means of escape, as they’d
returned to attack Aldo and Ezra, so we searched for a way through.
By trailing my hand in the water as I walked alongside it, I found
a tunnel of air that led us and our animals to safety.

Once we reached the other side, we were
surprised to find that Arien’s Minya was unable to go back through
the tunnel, even though she now knows where the entrance is. Her
magic will not allow her to find it anymore. What is this the
Lorkon have done, and how will we communicate with the king and
queen?

J
acob, Akeno, and Ebony were left standing in
the front room, waiting for Kenji to come back.

Jacob fidgeted with his hands, refusing to
look at the other two. “Jaegar's friend got hurt, too.”

“Oh, dear,” Ebony said, sounding worried. “Is
he being taken care of?”

Akeno nodded. “They took him to his home—I’m
sure Mara is doing everything she can.”

“Good. He is lucky to have her for a mother.”
She paused and took a shaky breath. “Jaegar has lost a lot of
blood. It will take several hours for him to completely recover. If
there was any poison in those wolf bites and scratches, hopefully
it has all been removed.” She grabbed a rag and wiped the table
down several times, scrubbing at food stains that wouldn’t go
away.

“Are these wolves poisonous?” Jacob asked.
He’d never heard of poisonous wolves. This world wasn’t the same as
Earth, though, and anything could be possible.

Ebony paused. “We’re not sure. I really hope
not. There wasn’t any pus, no redness around the wounds.” She
scrubbed for a moment longer, then spoke to Akeno. “I can't stand
this. Jaegar will be fine with your father here. Let's take some
sap to Mara.”

Akeno nodded, ran from the room, and
returned, holding a Kaede Sap package.

“We'll be back in five minutes,” Ebony said
before shutting the door behind her and Akeno.

Jacob took a deep breath and studied the room
around him. Everything in the small house was beautiful, including
the windows. The glass had a silver shine that made it sparkle. The
stone walls were painted scintillating shades of yellow, red,
orange, and blue, with silver streaks. The doors were large and
wooden. The floor was red-painted stone with a bright blue mat on
it, and the wood furniture, which was lower than what Jacob was
used to, was simple, yet elegant. The ceiling was plenty high, even
for him, and Jacob looked at it in awe, studying the intricate
design created by the streaks of metal. The room glowed from the
silver in the walls and ceiling, and Jacob found himself wishing
his room back home could be given light from the same source. It
was really awesome.

He walked to the wall closest to him to trace
one of the streaks of silver with his finger. He felt warmth in
places and stopped tracing, putting his whole hand onto one of
those spots. The heat increased considerably where his palm touched
it, and he pulled back, looking at his skin. This was the second
time he’d felt warmth like this. Was there a reaction between his
skin and the materials in this world?

It hadn’t hurt, so he shrugged and ran his
hand along the wall again. After a moment, he noticed that the
longer he held his hand in one spot, the warmer that place became.
Holding still for several seconds, he closed his eyes, enjoying the
heat.

A door opened, and Jacob jumped when he heard
laughter from behind him.

“It looks like you’ve decided to leave your
mark here,” Kenji said with a big grin, stepping through the door
to the back of the house.

Jacob looked down and felt himself blush when
he saw there was now a deep handprint in the wall. He lowered his
arm. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I . . . I didn’t mean to—I was just feeling
the warmth.”

Kenji frowned, crossing the room to Jacob.
“What warmth?”

“Right here.”

The Makalo felt the spot where Jacob’s hand
had been. “I can’t feel anything. Has this happened before?”

“In the tree last night, but I don’t think I
left a mark.” Jacob bit his lip, trying to think of something he
could do to remove the print.

“And before then?” A smile played at the
corners of Kenji’s mouth.

“No, that was the first time,” Jacob said,
shaking his head. “I’m really sorry.”

There was a twinkle in Kenji’s eyes. “That’s
fine—it’s a nice addition to the décor of the room.” Interest
flitted across his eyes. “See if you can figure out why you felt
heat. That is definitely fascinating.”

The front door opened and Ebony and Akeno
entered the room.

Kenji put his arms around his wife, a grim
look on his face. “Jaegar will be fine, but we need to talk.” He
led her to the table, and Jacob and Akeno followed.

Kenji addressed Jacob after sitting. “What
happened?”

Jacob couldn't meet his eyes. “I . . . I
left. I wanted to go home. Akeno came with me. The wolves stopped
us and attacked.”

Kenji nodded. He didn't question Jacob's
decision to go home, which made Jacob feel even more uncomfortable.
The need to defend himself rose, but he didn't dare say anything.
He'd almost cost two people their lives. Three, including
Akeno.

Kenji finally broke the silence. “Jacob . . .
I do not believe the wolves will leave the villagers alone until .
. .” He sighed, then looked at Jacob, a worried but tender
expression on his face. “Until you leave to get the Key. If they
won't even let you go home, there really isn't another choice. It
is too dangerous for all of us—you included—to have you here.”

Jacob's face tightened. He stood up and paced
near the front door. Kenji was right. There was too much danger for
innocent people if he didn't go. The wolves wouldn't let him go
home, and they didn't hesitate at the thought of attacking others
to coerce him into following the Lorkon plan. He wanted to curse.
He wanted to throw things, to rip something up. He hit his palm
with his fist, frustrated at how things had turned out. Why now? It
wasn't fair. He faced the Makalos.

“Okay, I'll go. It's just so annoying . . .”
He growled. He sounded so selfish. He sat down in resignation,
trying to think how the Makalos must feel. They were practically
helpless. He sighed. “But I can't do it alone.”

Relief spread across Kenji's face, but he
quickly covered it with a serious expression—the expression adults
got when they were planning something important. “Akeno will
accompany you, along with the Minyas, September and Early.”

Jacob nodded and glanced at Akeno, who smiled
back. “But you’re sending more than just us, right?”

“There’s no need. The four of you are
enough.”

“What?” Jacob frowned. “I don’t want to
offend Akeno, but I figured you’d also send an adult with us. At
least, someone a little older than me, and more experienced.”

Kenji smiled. “Actually, Akeno is older than
you.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “He looks like he's
ten. Maybe eleven.”

“He's thirteen, but Makalos age differently
than humans,” Kenji said.

Akeno leaned forward. “If I were human, I’d
be seventeen or eighteen. Our bodies mature physically, mentally,
and emotionally much more quickly than do the bodies of
humans.”

“Kind of like my dog,” Jacob said. He
flushed, realizing how what he’d said would sound to the Makalos.
“I’m not saying that you’re dogs or anything like that, or animals,
or . . .” He stopped talking, wanting to kick himself for not being
more tactful, but relaxed when the others laughed.

Kenji stood and walked to a window to look
out. “The sun is about to set. You'll need to leave now—even though
night is coming. It isn't safe for you to stay any longer.”

Jacob nodded. “Which way do we go?”

Kenji motioned to Akeno. “Get the map,
please,” he said.

Akeno left through the back door. He was gone
for several minutes, and while waiting, Jacob spoke to the others.
“I still don’t understand why an adult doesn’t come with us. I’m
really glad Akeno will be there, but if he’s never left the village
. . .”