Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (4 page)

Jacob looked back at the Rog. He tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry. Finally, he managed to say in a croaky voice, “You guys are telling the truth, aren’t you?”

Kenji nodded.

“I’m not on Earth anymore, am I?”

Kenji shook his head.

“Oh, man,” Jacob said. He sank to the ground and buried his face in his hands.

Chapter 3. The Key of Kilenya

I returned to the cottage a short time later and, after further investigation, found another note attached to the underside of a chair—this one from Aldo. It was addressed to me, with instructions to go to the nearest Kaith tree, not far from the castle. When I arrived, I found a more detailed note protected by spells, allowing me—and only me, its intended recipient—to read it. It seems that the attack wasn’t led by my father after all, but by a group of evil creatures known as the Lorkon. I was to choose several trusted companions of varying talents to embark on a journey to find my princess, who, he believes, is being held in the land of the Shiengols.

I have chosen Kelson, my closest friend. He was one of my followers when I was living under my father’s rule in Troosinal. I’ve also chosen Kenji the Makalo. I don’t know the Makalos very well, but formed a close bond with this one. These two have each recruited a few good men. In all, there are eleven of us—six humans and five Makalos.

Several of our group have been affected by the Lorkon attack. A few have lost loved ones, and five, including Kelson and myself, have been unable to locate their wives.

Arien’s mother, Queen Ara Liese, is very closely associated with the Shiengols, and instructed me to bring one of them along for protection and guidance. However, we were unable to locate any on such short notice, and are still in need of a Minya. I’ve never found one I trusted, though, so I’m not sure what to do. We may have to use Arien’s—a sour old Minya who hates me, possibly more than I detest her. I can’t even remember her name.

Aldo’s note, similar to Ezra’s, also mentioned the elements—fire, wind, water, and earth. He believes they will be used as a deterrent to keep me from reaching my Arien.

“Where should we take the Rog?” Akeno asked Kenji.

“Far away—to the other side of the farm. Knock it out again so it doesn’t struggle while being transported.”

Akeno put his left hand on the nearest tree. “Plug your ears, Jacob. We don’t want you to experience too much hearing damage.”

“Huh?”

Akeno waved at him to hurry. Jacob did as he was asked, noting that the others had already covered theirs. A loud crack, similar to the one he had heard earlier, pierced the air, and the Rog slumped inside the cage. Jacob shook his head. He felt like he’d just been in a blender—he couldn’t keep his thoughts straight.

“Akeno, help them carry the Rog,” Kenji said. “We’ll get Jacob up to Brojan’s place—join us there once the Rog has been deposited.”

Akeno nodded and ran to join the others. On the count of three, the group heaved the cage onto their shoulders and lumbered down the trail.

Ebony reached for Jacob, motioning for him to follow her and Kenji.

Jacob stared at her. Her eyes were more circular than they should be, the irises too large, and she had no eyelashes. How did she keep stuff from falling into her eyes? “Uh . . . it’s time for me to go home.” He looked at Kenji. “I told you only five minutes, remember?”

“Jacob, you can’t leave,” Kenji said. “Not yet. Everyone is so excited that you’re here.”

Jacob paused. “How do you all know my name?”

Ebony and Kenji glanced at each other. “We need to take you to meet Brojan now. He’s our leader and he’ll explain everything.”

Jacob nodded and followed reluctantly.

The Makalos led Jacob back down the trail and stopped at the edge of the meadow, near the first canyon wall Jacob had seen. He looked up at the split in the rock and watched as someone lowered the rope ladder.

“You first,” Kenji said.

Jacob raised his eyebrow, studying the ladder, then shrugged and began climbing. He stopped just as his head made it over the ledge of the fissure. His eyes widened. The split in the rock was a massive natural cavity, hollowed out of the side of the canyon wall. It was filled with little stone buildings cut into the rock—many brightly colored.

A large group of Makalos stood in front of him, waiting. Their average height looked to be around four feet, and their heads and bodies were proportioned like a regular adult human. Most had blue eyes, though there were some whose eyes were green, but none with Ebony’s dark hue. They watched him closely. Several nervously whispered to each other, while others smiled at him confidently. Everyone looked excited.

A few of the men approached Jacob, who let them help him over the ledge. Framed by small stone buildings, the area looked like a sort of gathering place and market area for the people.

As Jacob came closer, he was surprised by what appeared to be a wide age gap in the group. Most looked older, with graying hair and wrinkles, while the rest looked as though they were Akeno’s age or younger. There weren’t any in between.

The group of Makalos parted, allowing Kenji, Ebony, and Jacob to pass through the crowd. Kenji smiled at many, while several of the women approached Ebony and whispered to her. She smiled, nodding in reply.

Jacob did a double take when he noticed that all of them had something in common—their left ring fingers glowed blue. How had he missed that earlier, when Ebony and Kenji were working on his legs? He’d probably been too confused and in too much pain.

After passing through the crowd, they walked along a well-worn path—skipping around holes in the ground, skirting houses, and running parallel to the ledge and back wall of the cavity.

Jacob stayed behind Kenji and Ebony, letting his eyes wander as he took in the surrounding scenery. Above them were dark spots where the Makalos’ fires had left smoke marks, and Jacob realized how similar this village was to Mesa Verde, the deserted Indian village in Colorado. There were only a couple differences—painted buildings, rather than stone-colored, and people still lived here.

Jacob was amazed at the craftsmanship of the buildings. Drapes hung at windows made of what looked like real glass. He spotted a few Makalos watching him, but they quickly looked away. Children ran all over the place, climbing ladders and jumping across the closely-built roofs.

They walked for about five minutes before reaching a small red-and-blue sandstone house. Kenji strode to the door and opened it, waving the others to enter ahead of him.

The front room was dark at first, the only light coming from under one of the doors at the back. Kenji touched his left ring finger to the wall, and a strip of silver lit up in the rock. The light raced upward, where it was soon one of many streaks that crisscrossed the ceiling, illuminating the entire room.

“Wow,” Jacob said. “That was awesome.”

Kenji grinned broadly, and Ebony smiled. “Yes, it’s how we light our buildings here.”

The room was clean—stone floors with a few grass-type rugs here and there—but it smelled musty and old, like the home of the elderly lady who lived next door to Jacob’s family. He wrinkled his nose.

The door in the back opened, and another Makalo entered the room. Jacob figured it must be Brojan. He looked much older than the others, with a very wrinkly face and long, gray, curly hair. He was a little overweight, but stood tall—though still shorter than Jacob. He approached, hand extended.

“Jacob, my name is Patriarch Brojan, and on behalf of the Makalos, I welcome you to both Eklaron and Taga Village.”

Jacob shook the older man’s hand, then followed as Brojan motioned the group to join him in the other room. The patriarch sat at the head of a large, rectangular table surrounded by chairs. Everyone took a seat.

He leaned forward. “I’m going to get right to the point. Two weeks ago, an object was stolen from our village. It’s a magical key that was made hundreds of years ago, along with one other, which has also been lost. This key was created to save a princess from an evil king.”

“What does it do? Open a treasure box or something?” Jacob asked.

“Yes—every treasure box ever made, and more,” Ebony said. “It’s a powerful instrument. When placed into any lock and turned to the right, it opens the door—or box—regardless of the spells or locking bolts used. When turned to the left, one can go through any door, anywhere, regardless of one’s current location.”

Kenji nodded. “Because the Key is magic, an evil race called the Lorkon sought after it. They started a war about fifteen years ago that almost destroyed the entire Makalo civilization. That was not an easy feat—Makalos used to rule over the lands and people in our world, and there are only three members of the Lorkon race that we know of. Millions died. We are all that remain.” He paused and stared off into the distance. “It was horrendous. So much bloodshed and destruction.”

The room was silent for a moment. Jacob couldn’t imagine a war like that. He’d seen things in movies before, or heard stories in his history classes, but still, it was difficult to process. And it was obvious these Makalos had lost many loved ones—the pain was written across their faces. Fifteen years wasn’t enough time to lessen their suffering.

Kenji met eyes with his wife. “Many of our loved ones were murdered. Slaughtered.”

“We hid here, in Taga, to protect the Key of Kilenya from the Lorkon,” Brojan said, leaning back in his chair. “But they were able to break through our safeguards and steal it. Our alarms didn’t even sound.”

Akeno entered the room, top hat in one hand and a book in the other. “We deposited the Rog on the far side of the corn fields.” He handed the book to Brojan. “What did I miss?”

“Not much—have a seat,” Brojan said.

Akeno sat next to Jacob and smiled at him.

“The fact that the Key opens any door anywhere isn’t the only reason it can be dangerous, though,” Kenji said. “It creates links between worlds.”

Jacob frowned. “Are you telling me whoever has the Key could use it to get to Earth?”

“Yes.”

“But why is that bad?”

“Because the Key is in the possession of the Lorkon,” Kenji said. “And they seek power. Your world is far more advanced than ours, and they want knowledge and technology. They won’t ask for it—they’ll take it, and make sure your people don’t get in the way.”

Jacob smiled. He knew too many people obsessed with their gadgets to let
that
happen. “How?”

“Violence. Murder. Destruction of everything.”

“Is that possible? We have a pretty good military in my country.”

Kenji leaned forward. “There aren’t many Lorkon, and yet, in a matter of weeks, they were able to annihilate nearly the entire Makalo civilization. Millions died in the first week. So, yes, they could do it.”

“If the Key is in their possession, shouldn’t they have already come and gone from Earth?”

Kenji shook his head. “We put protective measures on it a few years ago, and they must be holding up, but we don’t know how much time we have before the Lorkon figure out how to get through the spells.”

“What does all this have to do with me?”

“We need you to get the Key for us.”

Jacob paused. “Wait, what? You can’t . . . there’s no way. I . . . I can’t do that.”

A sympathetic expression crossed Ebony’s face, and she and Kenji exchanged a glance.

“We’re unable to get it, Jacob,” Kenji said, rubbing his shoulder. “How many youth have you noticed here? The war killed them all off. We who remain aren’t in any position to go on a trip like this. We’re old—slow. We need someone fast and powerful.”

Jacob shook his head. “Powerful? You must be confusing me with someone else—Matt or someone. Matt’s captain of the football team and he’s only sixteen. He can date any girl he wants. He’s strong. And he figures things out faster than anyone I know.”

Ebony leaned forward. “Jacob, you are not yet aware of your abilities. Magic resides within you, waiting to be unlocked. We want to help you find it—we want to know what skills you have.”

Was what Ebony said possible? Did Jacob have magic? He frowned, trying to remember if anything special had ever happened to him. Nothing came to mind. “But . . .” Jacob paused, then frowned when something occurred to him. “Why do I feel like I’m being used?”