The Key of Kilenya

by Andrea Pearson

  A large section of clouds had rolled into the shape of a face. As it became clearer, its eyes opened, glanced around for a moment, then focused on Jacob and Akeno.

  The cloud was also forming massive hands and arms that appeared to be gathering something, but Jacob couldn’t look away from its angry gaze.

  “Jacob! Run!” Aloren screamed. He ripped his eyes from the monster in the sky, surprised he was able to hear her. He hesitated for a split second before the adrenaline kicked in, then tore up the hill toward Aloren’s voice, Akeno running beside him.

  Suddenly his feet flew out from under him and he soared through the air, landing hard on his knees ten feet from where he’d been standing.

  Dazed, Jacob scrambled up and spotted Akeno about a yard away. He appeared to have been knocked unconscious. Jacob looked down the hill to see what it was that had thrown them forward and was surprised that a hole now smoldered, three feet in diameter, where he and Akeno had just been.

  Aloren stood at the edge of the trees, screaming. No sound carried to Jacob, though he wasn’t more than forty feet away. She motioned with her hands for them to run. Jacob picked up Akeno and both bags, and made a beeline for the trees. Another shock wave blew through the air, nearly knocking him over, but this time he didn’t turn around.

  He reached Aloren, tossed her the bags, and kept running. They ran up the hill, through the trees. Continual shock waves hit them on all sides with explosions and blasts of fire.

  Trusting that Aloren knew where they were going, he stayed as close to her as possible, following her far up the side of the mountain and away from the trail. He still couldn’t hear anything, and shock waves rammed into his body, making any kind of movement difficult.

  After what felt like an hour of solid running, Jacob saw several caves in the rock ahead of them. He followed Aloren into one, and they ran as far as they could until the cave stopped. Aloren mouthed something and darted out of the cave, unable to hear Jacob’s shouts to come back. Jacob wasn’t surprised—he couldn’t hear them, either.

  She was gone for a couple of seconds before returning. Racing back in, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the cave. Confused, he chased after her into the entrance of another cave. They didn’t stop running until they were almost completely enveloped in darkness. Dropping Jacob’s hand, Aloren faced the entrance. The only thing visible was a glimpse of the mountains on the other side of the lake. She put the bag down, slumping by one of the walls.

  Jacob stood for a moment, letting his eyes adjust, and then Akeno down next to Aloren. He ran his hand through his hair, raking out twigs, and leaned up against the wall near the others.

  After a moment, he got tired of standing and sat next to Akeno, whose eyes were now wide open. Jacob still couldn’t hear anything, and it occurred to him that his hearing might have been damaged by the shock waves.

  It wasn’t long, however, before the faint sound of an explosion reached his ears, making him jump. “Hey! I can hear again!” He turned to Akeno. “Are you okay? You blacked out for a minute there.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Akeno said, sitting up. “I think I’m doomed to be thrown over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes every time something bad happens.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” Jacob smiled. “What about the Minyas? Are they going to be okay?”

  “They’re much too fast for Lirone,” Aloren said. “Besides, he doesn’t care about them. They’re too small.”

  “Anyway, they probably went somewhere else to wait out the storm and will catch up to us when it’s safe again,” Akeno added.

  Jacob turned to Aloren. “All right. Now can you tell me what’s going on out there?”

  “That, Jacob, is Lirone,” Aloren said. “He’s one of the main reasons why most people don’t make this trip.”

  Jacob frowned. “What is he? And why couldn’t I hear anything? I mean, I know that shock waves and loud noises can mess up your hearing, but I wasn’t able to hear even before the explosions started.”

  “It wasn’t because of the explosions. Lirone has the ability to control particles and waves in the air. As soon as he spots someone, he takes away all sound before it reaches their ears or leaves their mouths. It’s part of his way of trapping people before he blows them away.”

  Jacob’s mind was reeling. What would’ve happened if Aloren hadn’t been with them? They’d be dead, he was sure of it. “How’d you know about him, Akeno?”

  “I’d heard stories and myths,” Akeno said, pulling the leaves off his shoes. “My father spoke of a creature big enough to cover the entire sky who existed in the form of clouds and used particles in the air to kill things. I didn't know much else about him, though.”

  Jacob looked to Aloren. “Why could I hear you scream?”

  “Because he’d only seen you and Akeno.If he hasn’t seen or heard something yet, it doesn’t exist to him, and he can’t take away its sound.”

  “And as soon as you yelled at me, he knew you were there?”

  Aloren nodded. “We can hear each other now because he’s given up trying to find us for the time being.”

  Jacob thought for a minute. “So, what’s the purpose of doing that? Make it so people can’t call out for help or something?”

  Akeno shrugged. “I’d guess it’s more of a cruel joke he likes to play than anything else.”

  “Calling out for help can’t save you from Lirone,” Aloren said. “And usually the people who know his tricks won’t stand out in the open.”

  Jacob rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks for letting me know.”

  Aloren laughed. “Sorry, I should have said something. I feel really bad. Honestly, it didn’t occur to me to mention it until I saw you step out of the trees.”

  “Even with my pestering you guys to tell me what was going on?”

  “Yeah, I was a little preoccupied and freaked out. Next time, though, I’ll let you know beforehand if something bad is going to happen.”

  Jacob snorted. “That’d be great,” he said. He shifted to a more comfortable position. “So, next time Lirone comes around, all we’ll need to do is remain hidden, and we’ll be safe?”

  “Not quite. He still throws bombs even if he can’t see anyone. If there are living things in the area, throwing the bombs will either kill them or scare them out of their hiding places.”

  “But why does he do that?”

  “He’s always been a violent creature,” Akeno said. “There are many theories and legends about why he’s that way, but no one really knows for sure.”

  Aloren rummaged through her bag, pulling out a hair tie. “The first cave we went into was too shallow, and he’d know we were there. That’s one of the many mistakes people make. They figure if they can’t see his face, he can’t see them. They don’t know the clouds they’re looking at are actually him. If they can see clouds, any part of them, then he can see them.”

  Jacob frowned. “So I wasn’t really looking at his face?”

  Aloren fastened her hair back with the tie. “Not in a conventional way. He doesn’t have the same shape we do.”

  “Why could I see a face, then?”

  She smoothed her hair. “He was probably doing it for your benefit. To scare you. I’ve seen him do that before, though today was the first time I’ve seen him form arms.”

  “Okay, so he’s made of clouds,” Jacob said, still trying to get a grasp on this creature. He was both fascinated and freaked out by Lirone—what guy wouldn’t be?

  “Yes,” Aloren said, then paused. “Well, no. I mean, he’s not made of clouds, but he looks like clouds. Any time a storm comes through this land, it’s almost impossible to tell if he’s part of it or not. He moves a lot when he sees someone, which makes it easy to tell if he’s there. But when he’s just waiting, he rarely moves, except to shift a little or follow the wind. He doesn’t look like a normal cloud when he moves, and that’s what Akeno and I were searching for.”

  “I think I saw that while I
was standing out in the open like an idiot.” Jacob grabbed his knapsack, feeling around inside it for the journal. He couldn’t see anything, though. “All right, I’m tired of it being dark. Akeno, why not light up the place? Aloren, do you think that would be okay?”

  Aloren nodded. “Yeah, there shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, I’m starving, and we’ll want to see what we’re eating.”

  A second later, the cave filled with Akeno’s bluish light, and Jacob resumed digging inside his bag for the book and food for the others. He handed them bread and jerky. “Where did Lirone come from?”

  “No one knows,” Akeno said. “He didn’t originate here, though.”

  “He’s existed for as long as there’s been a history kept by my people,” Aloren said.

  Jacob leaned back against the cave wall, munching on jerky and fingering the journal. “And how long do you think we’ll need to hide out in this cave?” Too bad they didn’t have a grill. And some steaks. Fresh, barbecued meat sounded really good.

  Aloren inspected her bread. “Until the sun is shining again and there aren’t any storm clouds in the sky. He only comes when there’s already a storm.”

  “Dang, that’s going to take forever.”

  “Not necessarily. The weather can change fast, so it might only be an hour. Soon after we see sunlight, we should be fine to leave.”

  Jacob sighed, then stuffed the last of his jerky into his mouth, leaned his head against the wall, and looked toward the back of the cave. It opened into a medium-sized room a couple of feet from where they sat, then tunneled off to the left, out of sight. He stood, wanting to know how far into the mountain the tunnel led. A pile of junk sat to the side of the room just before the bend. Approaching it, he saw that most of it was covered with a thick, coarse material. Jacob lifted one edge, peeking underneath. He jumped back in surprise, letting out a small exclamation of shock.

  “What?” Akeno asked, leaping to his feet.

  “Sick,” Jacob said. “Human bones.” He moved closer and kicked the cover aside, revealing torn and tattered clothing, broken dishes, a fork, and a smashed pocket watch, all of which had been strewn across skeletons.

  “Bones?” Aloren asked.

  “Yes. Skulls and femurs. And other junk.”

  Aloren came over and picked up one of the bigger bones, holding it with a corner of the material. Akeno moved his finger closer, and Jacob gasped. Weird-looking marks were all along the bone, and Aloren dropped it. The marks had been made by teeth.

  Aloren looked at Jacob, then back at the bone, shaking her head with an expression of horror on her face. “No, no, no,” she wailed. “Oh, I forgot.”

  “Forgot what?” Jacob asked.

  “This is bad, isn’t it?” Akeno said, taking a step back.

  “Shhh!” She waved her hand at Akeno’s finger. “Off, off, off!”

  Blackness covered them as Akeno’s finger stopped glowing.

  Aloren’s moan was barely audible. “I can’t believe—stupid of me!” She grabbed Jacob’s arm, making him jump, and whispered, “Back away as quietly as you can, both of you.”

  Jacob followed Aloren’s, stopping when he felt the wall behind him.

  Aloren stood close to him, and Jacob could barely see Akeno’s outline on the other side of her. “Be quiet and no moving,” she said.

  Standing as still as he could, Jacob tried not to concentrate on his awkward position up against the cave wall as it curled into the ceiling. He blinked a couple of times, waiting for his eyes to adjust in the near-complete darkness.

  After what felt like forever, he heard a slight shuffling sound coming from the back of the cave, around the bend. Images crossed his mind as he tried to imagine whatever it was that might eat humans and prowl in dark caves. Wolves, bears, Big Foot, ogres, and orcs—all from books he’d read and movies he’d watched. He remembered the white monster in the beginning of Star Wars 5 and wondered if it would have eaten Luke if given the chance.

  The sound got louder and Jacob glanced at Aloren, barely able to see her in the dark. He grabbed her hand.

  She gave him a quizzical look. “What?” she whispered.

  Jacob put a finger to his lips and nodded toward the back of the cave. An expression of understanding crossed her face, quickly replaced by fear. She turned to her other side, and Jacob heard Akeno’s small, quick intake of air.

  A few moments later, there was another shuffling sound, and a massive body came into view. Jacob pressed back as hard as he could against the stone as he stared at the creature that had entered the room. He was surprised at how much of the monster he was able to see in the dark. It was almost as if a light were shining on it, though there was no source.

  It wasn’t as big as he’d expected it to be—it was only about five and a half feet tall—but it made up for its height in mass. Long, heavy arms hung from huge shoulders, and its legs were thick and powerful.

  It had large eyes and very pale skin that covered only part of its face. The skin on the beast’s huge chin was interrupted by spikes that curved out and downward from the roots of its teeth. These spikes came to a sharp point about an inch below its chin and turned slightly outward.

  The creature had no lips, and its teeth were visible. The incisors were sharp and pointed, the molars large and blunt. Food was stuck between the teeth, and Jacob’s stomach turned as he tried not to think about the human bones he’d found. Short hair stuck out all over the creature’s head and neck like needles.

  As the three continued to press against the wall, Jacob risked a quick glance at Aloren. She faced the entrance of the cave, and her eyes were out of focus. She appeared lost in thought. Had she not noticed the beast yet? How was that possible?

  Relief spread through him when the creature didn’t see them right away. It shuffled over to the pile of junk, bent over, and moved the coarse material.

  Suddenly it stopped, its back stiffening. It lifted its head as if to sniff the air, then turned until it faced the small group that cowered against the wall of the cave. Jacob’s breath caught when the creature’s eyes met his.

  For what seemed like an eternity, they held each other’s gaze, neither moving.

  His breath caught again when he realized he was able to sense the creature’s feelings. Did the beast have the ability to transfer its emotions to other beings? It was confused at not having noticed right away that there were humans in its cave, angry at finding its things had been touched, surprised the human could see him.

  The last feelings Jacob sensed from the beast were determination, stubbornness, and then another wave of anger. These emotions were caused by the gaze Jacob held with the beast. It was not used to small, insignificant humans defying it as Jacob realized he was doing. He tried not to tremble or show fear, refusing to look away. But he’d never had a poker face—there was no chance the beast wouldn’t recognize how terrified he was.

  The creature opened its jaws, a hiss issued forth, and Aloren stiffened. This small movement caused the brute to lose its eye contact with Jacob and it looked at Aloren instead, surprised. The creature hadn’t expected a female. Taking a small step forward, it stared at her.

  Aloren’s gaze was directed toward the bend in the cave, still unable to see the beast. Jacob bit his lip, trying to remain level headed. This was disturbing. It was an evil creature, and yet here was Jacob, recognizing its emotions. What was wrong with him that he could connect with it?

  He suppressed a growl, recognizing that if he didn’t maintain his focus, they’d all be toast. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to put aside any speculation on the matter. He looked back into the creature’s huge eyes, again sensing its emotions. A sudden feeling of protectiveness came over him when he saw its plan to get rid of Akeno and Jacob first, leaving Aloren for last—like dessert.

  Jacob put his hands on the wall behind him, bracing himself against the cold stone. The wall warmed under his palms and he gritted his teeth, wishing he’d spent time figuring o
ut this ability of his. It might’ve helped him right now.

  His hands sank into the stone, and he straightened in surprise—of course the ability could help him! There was no reason why it couldn’t! If the wall became squishy at his touch, wouldn’t it let him pull out chunks? Chunks which he could then mold into rocks to throw?

  An excited smile crossed his face. Keeping his eye on the monster, Jacob dug his fingers into the now-soft rock. It gathered easily into his hand, and he pulled several sections of it from the wall. This was so cool!

  He started molding the lumps into a large rock, but stopped himself when another idea hit him—wouldn’t a sword be better? He and Matt used to swordplay all the time with sticks—if he got the weight close enough to one of those sticks, theoretically, he’d be just as good with it . . . right?

  Squeezing and pulling, he tried to make a sword, but couldn’t get the edges sharp enough. Instead, he twisted it into a club. Not as cool, but he could at least defend himself and the others with it. He hoped it would hold its shape long enough for him to distract the beast.

  He was surprised that the rock seemed to know what he wanted and went cold, becoming solid once more. Wow—that was awesome.

  Jacob focused his concentration back on the beast’s feelings. Its anger had been replaced by determination. It hadn’t noticed what Jacob had done and Jacob moved forward, realizing he was, in essence, challenging the feral creature. The monster sensed the challenge, and a deep rumble came from its chest. Jacob scowled, recognizing a laugh. He tried not to think too much about the extraordinary strength the beast most likely had, focusing instead on the fact that he now had something with which he could fight.

  The creature dropped into a crouched position, getting ready to attack. Jacob felt a burst of adrenaline shoot through his body, along with intense fear. He took a deep breath, doing his best to appear self-assured.

  Using his right hand, Jacob grabbed Aloren and pulled her behind him, pushing her toward the entrance of the cave. “I guess it doesn’t matter if we talk, since this ugly thing knows we’re here,” he said.

  “It’s in the cave with us, isn’t it?” Akeno asked just as Jacob grabbed him as well, pushing him next to Aloren.

  “Careful not to get too close to the entrance,” Jacob said, trying to sound confident. He was glad his voice didn’t crack. “There’s no sense in being attacked on both sides.”

  Holding the creature’s gaze, Jacob strode—glad he didn’t trip—to the center of the cave, keeping the weapon behind his back.

  “Hdakr djksla bi skr!” Low, gutteral words came from the creature’s throat. Jacob took a step back—he didn’t know the thing could talk. The words didn’t make sense, but Jacob could sense their malicious intent. His body was tense, ready for an attack to come at any second.

  The brute took a couple of small steps to the center of the cave as well, then stopped. A long pause—was the creature waiting for Jacob to do something first?

  Jacob closed his eyes, trying to figure out what he could do. Concentrate on what the beast was feeling—an obvious thing—but hard to do when he needed to figure out how to defend his companions.

  A thought crossed his mind. Touch its skin.

  Jacob opened his eyes. Touch the creature’s skin? Where did that come from? He hesitated, appraising the beast. Nearly every inch was covered in needle-like hair. Only its cheekbones and forehead were clear.

  He looked the monster in the eye, trying to gauge where the thought had come from. The monster was concentrating on its hungry stomach about to be appeased and was amused by Jacob’s show of bravery. But Jacob was able to see something else—something the beast seemed positive he’d never figure out.

  Jacob almost took a step back in surprise. The monster’s main source of protection was its ability to remain invisible to its prey, and for some reason Jacob could see the creature, which had shocked it. Touching the skin would somehow minimize the creature’s defense, thereby allowing Aloren and Akeno to see it as well.

  As soon as this occurred to Jacob, he was ready for action. Defending two helpless individuals from something they couldn’t see would be next to impossible. However, if they could see the creature, they wouldn’t be helpless. They’d be able to do something.

  Jacob was six feet away. He pulled the bat from behind his back and held it in a defensive position in front of him.

  The creature sauntered to one side of the cave, and Jacob got the feeling it wanted to play with him first. He had no desire to give the monster any sense of enjoyment, and put all his concentration on what he had to do.

  The monster cocked its head to the side. Another laugh came from inside its chest when it seemed to notice the weapon for the first time.

  Jacob tossed the bat from hand to hand, ignoring the brute’s laughter. He leaped forward, swinging the blunt weapon. It connected with the monster’s head with such force that Jacob almost dropped it. His bones jarring from the impact, he moaned when he saw that it didn’t even stun the monster.

  No longer laughing, the beast grabbed the weapon and tried to rip it from Jacob’s grasp. Jacob, holding onto it, was swung into the air.

  He kicked his legs, but couldn’t get the weapon out of the beast’s grip. Deciding instead to use it as leverage, he flung himself around the back of the monster, landing on its shoulders, the weapon falling to the ground. Aware of the sharp sting of thousands of needles piercing the skin on his shins and arms, he reached around and touched the monster’s face. Aloren gasped, and he heard an exclamation of surprise from Akeno.

  Visions of the beast’s memories flashed before Jacob’s eyes—dark tunnels, fire, a huge city under a bright sky, a large, poorly lit cavern full of other beasts like this one, humans, animals. Then he saw one thing that would get them out of this situation.

  “Lirone!” he shouted. “The beast is afraid of Lirone!”

  The creature’s loud, responding roar erupted in the cave. It reached back, grabbed Jacob, and threw him across the small enclosure. Hitting the wall hard, Jacob bounced off and knocked into Aloren and Akeno. He jumped to his feet as the beast charged them.

  Jacob ducked the creature’s massive arm as it swung around to hit him. “Akeno, you’re going to have to shrink it!”

  The creature swung again, this time at Aloren and Akeno, who tried to scramble out of the way. They were barely fast enough to avoid being hit, and the monster growled.

  “Hurry, Akeno!” Jacob yelled, attempting to kick the monster in the stomach, doing his best to buy Akeno some time.

  The beast, in a quick movement, grabbed Jacob by the leg and swung him across the cave. Jacob slammed hard against a wall and fell to the ground. Dazed, he couldn’t get up for a second.

  “Shrink it? Now?”

  Jacob shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Just do it!” He got to his feet as the monster came after him. He spotted the club lying where it had fallen and grabbed it, running to meet the creature. Swinging with his might, he brought the weapon across the monster’s head.

  The creature turned on Jacob and shoved him over, growling. Jacob jumped to his feet as Akeno rushed toward the entrance of the cave, attempting to put space between himself and the beast.

  Jacob turned back, hesitating, unsure what his next move should be. Nothing seemed to affect the creature.

  The monster reared on Aloren, grabbed her around the neck, and thrust her against a wall, holding her a foot above the ground.

  Anger coursed through Jacob, and he screamed, charging. He slammed hard into the creature’s side, surprised when the beast dropped Aloren and almost fell over. Without hesitation, Jacob grabbed Aloren’s arm, pulling her up and away from the beast.

  “Shrink it!” he yelled over his shoulder as he ran with Aloren to the back of the cave. Turning around to face the beast again, he swung Aloren behind him.

  The creature roared, making Jacob’s ears ring, and charged them. It smashed hard into Jacob, knocking him into
Aloren. They both fell to the ground. Jacob threw his arms over her just as the monster reached for them. Suddenly it jerked and disappeared.

  “Got it!” Akeno yelled.

  Jacob grabbed Aloren’s arm, helping her up, wincing at the pain all through his body. “Run to the entrance!” he shouted to Akeno.

  Akeno turned and ran. Aloren and Jacob followed, but Jacob’s leg gave out, and he collapsed on the cave floor. Pushing the pain aside, with Aloren’s help he lurched to his feet and continued on, reaching Akeno.

  The Makalo yelled in surprise as Lirone’s explosions erupted all around him. He turned back to Jacob and Aloren, a panicked expression on his face.

  “Put him out in the storm!” Aloren yelled. “Put him out in the storm!”

  Akeno spun around, holding the monster at arm’s length, then threw it. The monster landed on its side in a small clearing about forty feet away from the cave, now large and fully visible to Lirone.

  Aloren and Jacob grabbed Akeno, pulling him back into the cave entrance just as Lirone sent a ball of flame smashing toward the ground where Akeno had been standing.

  Jacob looked over his shoulder as they turned and ran the length of the cave. The monster jumped to its feet and roared, starting to charge.

  “Come on, Lirone, come on!” Jacob said.

  The monster bellowed again, but the din was cut off. Jacob glanced back in time to see the aftereffects of an explosion. The monster was no longer there.

  They stopped and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

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

  “Yes . . . it was,” Aloren wheezed.

  “What was that thing, anyway?”

  “It was . . . a Molg,” Aloren said.

  Jacob frowned. “A what?”

  “A Molg. They’re a race that . . . lives in the Dunsany Caves and . . . as you figured out, they eat humans.” She paused for a minute, taking a couple of breaths. “They never leave their caves, and I’ve never seen one. I’ve heard of them, but wasn’t even sure they existed—that’s why I forgot about them.” She gasped. “There are probably more! We can’t stay here!” She tried to jump to her feet, but Jacob grabbed her arm.

  “No, no, we’re fine,” he said, holding her down.

  Aloren stopped, and Jacob let go of her. “How do you know?” she asked.

  “The others aren’t even near where we are.”

  “The other Molgs?”

  “I’ll explain—”

  “And another thing,” Aloren said. “Why could you see it, and we couldn’t?”

  Jacob scratched his head. “I’m not sure. When it first came into view, it didn’t even notice us. I could clearly see it and was surprised you two couldn’t.”

  “Of course we couldn’t,” Aloren said. “There wasn’t any light.”

  “What changed?” Akeno asked, brushing the new dirt off his shoes.

  It took Jacob several minutes to explain to Aloren and Akeno what had happened, from sensing the Molg’s feelings to touching its skin, causing him to see that the Molg had just come from a meeting with other Molgs.

  He tried to keep the worry he felt out of his voice. Being able to connect with something evil was disconcerting to him. He didn’t want to let on to feeling that way—not until he figured things out.

  “So, let me get this right,” Aloren said. “You pulled rock out of the wall? How?”

  “Well, I’ve got this ability to feel heat in things. I don’t know why, or where it came from, but I can mold things with my hands.”

  Akeno scratched his head. “I’ve never heard of someone being able to do that before—let alone sensing warmth.”

  “Neither had your dad. He told me to figure out when and how the heat comes.”

  “Have you?”

  Jacob shook his head. “I completely forgotten about it before going back to Taga yesterday, and since then I haven’t had the chance.” He paused. “Akeno, your parents are just as bad as my teachers at school. They’ve given me a ton of homework. ‘Jacob, figure out your abilities. Jacob, read the journal. Jacob, get the Key. Jacob, save the world.’ The pressure my teachers and parents put on me is nothing compared to this!”

  Aloren and Akeno laughed.

  “Wait,” Aloren said. “Get what key?”

  Jacob mentally kicked himself. That was a stupid slip-up. “Uh . . .” His mind raced as he thought of what he could or should say. “See, there’s this key. It’s a magical key that was creat—”

  “You’re not talking about the Key of Kilenya, are you?” Aloren asked.

  “Actually, I am.” Jacob raised an eyebrow. “You know about it?”

  “Of course I do. Everyone does. Most people just think it’s a myth. But Gallus has seen it. He told me and my mom that the Lorkon were searching for it when they took over Macaria a couple of years ago.”

  “Well, that makes explaining much easier,” Jacob said. He and Akeno told her how the Key had been stolen and they’d been asked to bring it back.

  Jacob sat up, feeling pain in every inch of his body. He tried not to let on that he was hurt. Matt would’ve been able to handle it. ’Course, Matt was on the football team and was used to getting battered around. If Matt were here . . . but Jacob wouldn’t let himself finish the thought.

  “You really took a beating,” Aloren said. “Akeno, can you light up the room again?”

  Akeno did so, and Aloren shuddered when she looked at Jacob. There were little holes all over in his clothes from the Molg’s hair.

  “Oh, wow,” she said. “Jacob, you’re stuck everywhere.”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Just bruised. I might be slow on the trail for a while.” He turned to Akeno. “How are your hands? I’ll bet you’re even worse off than I am.”

  “Fine,” Akeno said. “By the time I had him, the spikes were too small to even break the skin. But it was hard to hold on to him. He really struggled to get away.”

  They were silent for a few minutes. For the first time in a long while, Jacob wished he had his guitar with him. He almost laughed when he thought of it sitting in the corner of his room, dusty from lack of use. He’d bought it at a pawn shop several months before, hoping to impress a couple of girls with his mad skills. He’d given up on the idea, though, recognizing he’d never outshine Matt. Matt had always been the talented one at basically everything—including winning over girls.

  Jacob shook his head, remembering what he’d heard a girl at school say a couple months before—something about how she’d just die if Matt ever stopped smiling. “His dimples are so cute!” she’d said, giggling. Jacob had almost snorted his drink when he’d heard that. It was disgusting the way the girls at school talked about his brother.

  Jacob knew he wasn’t ugly—even if he couldn’t keep up with Matt. Girls always made embarrassing comments about his “really nice dark hair” and his eyes, which were the “prettiest, lightest blue” they’d ever seen. But he realized he didn’t have the type of personality that drew most girls. He wasn’t confident like Matt. He only took the lead when he was forced to, which was only when Matt wasn’t around. The thought crossed his mind that if Matt were here, Aloren and Matt would be best friends by now, talking about everything. Aloren would be giggling as Matt told some hilarious joke or story.

  Jacob grunted, recognizing how ridiculous he was being. He forced himself to come back to the present. “How much longer until Lirone leaves?”

  “I don’t know,” Aloren said. “I’d rather wait and be absolutely sure he’s gone, though.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He lay down again, trying to relax. He smiled and closed his eyes, imagining he was in his own bed, pulling the blankets up under his chin. What he wouldn't give for that to be true.

  Chapter 14. The Fat Lady

  I received word today from Lahs that his army is assembled. I was surprised at his speed in gathering an army until I learned that King Roylance had already prepared everything before h
e died. The army was stationed in the land east of us and has located Brojan’s army. They are ready to begin the battle as soon as I send word.