“Jacob?” Aloren asked.
He rolled to face her. She was lying on her back, not making eye contact. “Yeah?”
“I, uh . . . I’m really glad you’re here,” she said.
Jacob couldn’t help it, but a sheepish grin crossed his face. “Uh, thanks. I’m . . . glad I’m here, too. Kind of.”
“We wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t been able to see the Molg.”
Jacob’s smile grew, and he felt uncomfortable—not in a bad way, but more of an embarrassed way. So he changed the subject. “What if you never find your brother?”
Aloren rolled onto her side, facing Jacob and Akeno, and curled up into a ball. “I don’t know. I guess I’d have to find somewhere else to put my focus.”
“You could live in Taga with the Makalos,” Akeno said. “I’m sure we’d have plenty of room for you, and besides, you could probably even get to know the humans from Jacob’s world if you did.”
“From Jacob’s world? I thought he was from Eklaron.”
Jacob smiled. “Nope, I’m not.”
Aloren looked at him quizzically. “Where are you from, then?”
“Mars. Ha ha, just kidding. You probably don’t even know what that is. I come from . . . well, a different land, I guess.”
It took a few minutes for Jacob and Akeno to explain to Aloren the specifics of the link near Jacob’s home and how he ended up in the Makalo village.
“Wow—a completely different world?” Aloren looked lost in thought for a moment. “If I can’t find my brother, I want to visit your land.”
Jacob hid a smile and agreed to show her around town if she came.
Aloren turned over, and Jacob assumed she didn’t want to talk anymore and needed to rest. No dad around, and a mom who’d constantly been sick, then died. How would it be? Both of Jacob’s parents were very involved in his life. Sometimes too involved—but at least he didn’t often get lonely. Matt was almost always there when there was nothing to do—like now.
Jacob pulled the journal out and opened it, tilting it toward Akeno’s light. The other two wanted to sleep, and he wanted information.
It has been two years since I last wrote in this journal. My father has become completely tyrannical. The tortures he places upon his subjects are too much for them to bear, and though my group of followers and I try to ease their suffering, the people can no longer shoulder their burdens. They are to the point of giving in to despair, of being beyond help—most are beginning to reject our assistance.
I am writing now because I’ve just received an upsetting note from Princess Arien. She has heard horrible things about what my father has been doing here in the castle—things of which I was not aware. Given the state of the people, I feel the time has come for me to go. I will leave behind a few members of my group, but have instructed them to depart in a week or two as well.
Jacob paused, fingering the pages. He’d just finished reading the added portion and was now about to start the journal itself.
Would my father kidnap his own daughter-in-law? The castle has been attacked and ransacked. We are trying to count how many are dead and missing . . .
Jacob read until he was tired. The journal had skipped a lot of details, because Dmitri and Arien were now married—Arien was pregnant and had been kidnapped, and Dmitri was trying to find her. And there was a woman named The Fat Lady—just like in Harry Potter. Jacob laughed when he read that part. He thought women hated it when people referred to their weight.
The light falling across the book changed, and Jacob glanced toward the entrance of the cave. “Akeno, turn off your light for a minute,” he said.
Akeno jerked awake. “What? Another Molg?”
“No, don’t worry,” Jacob said. “I think Lirone’s gone, though.” He got up and took a few steps forward. Sure enough, the light outside was brighter and had a warm appearance.
“Looks like the clouds are gone,” Akeno said, jumping up and dashing forward.
“Finally!” Jacob said, following Akeno.
“Wait!” Aloren called out.
They both stopped and looked back at her.
“We need to be cautious. Sometimes he hovers above the southern mountains and watches from there.”
“Aargh,” Akeno said. “I don't want to be cautious.”
They waited for Aloren to take the lead, then walked down the tunnel, being careful to stay as close to the sides as possible. Aloren paused every couple of feet, peering into the sky.
The first step outside the cave was a little unnerving. There were still a few clouds above the mountains to the south. However, after they had watched for a few long moments, nothing happened, and Jacob relaxed. Aloren smiled in relief.
They decided to call the Minyas right away.
“Early? September?” Akeno yelled.
No response.
“Okay, we gotta find seeds, then.”
The group found some down by the lake, and Akeno put them close to his mouth and whispered.
“What are you saying?” Jacob asked.
“The names of the Minyas I want.” Akeno blew on the seeds, scattering them into the wind. “Hopefully they aren’t far away.” He sat on the ground and started taping leaves to his shoes.
Jacob looked at the position of the sun. “Will they still be able to find us if we keep going without them?” he asked. “I think we need to leave while it’s still light. I’d like to put as much ground behind us as possible.”
“We can go.” Akeno put the tape dispenser away and stood. “They’ll catch up.”
After checking their bags to make sure they hadn’t left anything in the cave, they made their way back to the trail. Jacob ached in a few spots where he’d hit the wall, but the pains were easily ignored. Being outside was so refreshing, he found it hard to focus on anything negative.
“We’re here!” a little voice announced. “You sure were gone a long time!”
Jacob turned and saw September and Early flitting in the air. He smiled. “Where did you go when the storm came?”
“We went to Taga Village,” September said, landing on Akeno’s shoulder and hanging on to his shirt. “And guess what? The humans came back!”
Akeno stumbled, almost falling. “Really?”
“Yes, they’re there,” Early said, landing next to September.
“Which humans?” Jacob asked.
“The ones who hollowed out the tree and lived there for a while.” Akeno looked anxious to be home. “It’s been five years since they last came. I hope we get back in time to see them.”
“Hopefully you will,” Aloren said. She then pointed ahead. “Ridgewood is around that bend. I should warn you—it’s a really weird place, with some of the strangest people you’ll ever come across.”
Jacob frowned. “Strange? In what way?”
“They’re superstitious about Maivoryl City. They do everything in their power to stop people from passing through their city and going on. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve never made it.”
“How do they stop people?”
Aloren tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “By trying to kill them. Last time they actually succeeded in killing a member of my group. They believe we’re better off dead than continuing on to Maivoryl City and never returning.”
Jacob raised an eyebrow. How did the members of this city possibly justify murder? “That’s pretty extreme.”
“Not to them,” Aloren said, shaking her head. “They have a law that forbids anyone to go to the city, and the punishment for breaking it is death.”
“That’s ridiculous. How do their laws apply to people who don’t live in their city? Or who have no say in how the law is carried out? Or who don’t even know about it?”
“I really don’t think they thought about democracy when setting up their rules,” Akeno said.
Jacob laughed. “Yeah, that’s pretty obvious. All right. Let’s figure out how to get past them.” They reached the bend in t
he trail and he stared at the city, spread across a large area of land between the lake and the forest. A small river flowed through the city from the mountain. “Do we go through tonight or tomorrow?”
“Whatever we choose, we need to figure it out fast, before they see us,” Aloren said. “I suggest we go tonight, before the sun sets. I’d just feel better getting past it. Assuming we make it, of course.”
Jacob looked at the landscape surrounding the city. “Maybe we could go around? Through the trees on the hill?”
“No, they keep lookouts up there at all times. And before you ask, going through the water is also a really bad idea.”
“Why?”
“There are many different varieties of fish in the lake, besides Eetu, and most will eat you if given the chance. The Eetu fish start coming closer to the surface to feed in the evening, and you already know what will happen if we encounter one of them.” Aloren looked at the lake. “We tried it once. A member of the group was attacked and severely injured before we realized what was happening. Three men tried to help her while the rest of us swam to shore as fast as we could. None of those four made it. When we got out of the water, the people of the city were waiting for us.”
Jacob frowned, glad he’d not been there. That had to have been gruesome. “What happened next?”
“After interrogating us and keeping us in prison for more than a month, they made us promise never to try going to Maivoryl City again. Now they’ll just kill anyone who attempts it.”
“So, we can’t go through the water on the south, and we can’t go through the forest on the north,” Jacob said. “And we can’t very well go under the city. What else can we do? Walk through and pretend we’re not doing what they’ll know we’re doing?”
Akeno shook his head. “No, that wouldn’t work.”
“Obviously,” Jacob said, then laughed. “You know, we could always grab a bunch of bushes and hide under them—like they do in movies.”
Aloren frowned. “Movies?”
“Never mind.”
“There’s a much simpler way,” Akeno said. “One that’s guaranteed to work. I could shrink both of you and have the Minyas transport you to the other side of the city.”
“What about you?” Jacob said. “How would you get across?”
Akeno pointed up at the forest. “Use the trees, of course.”
Aloren gave Akeno an incredulous look. “I just said it isn’t possible to go that way.”
Akeno gave a mischievous smile. “But when was the last time a Makalo attempted it? I’ll have the trees hide me, and, if necessary, lift and carry me across their branches. No one will see me, and it won’t take any time at all.”
Jacob watched Aloren as she thought it through. She bit her lip. “Okay, we’ll try it,” she said. “But let’s get it done as soon as possible. I want to travel by sunlight as long as we can.”
“Okay, then,” Akeno said. “Ladies first.”
“What do I need to do?”
“See that big rock? Just go stand by it.”
While Aloren walked over to the rock, Jacob called the Minyas down and asked them to carry the two of them across the city and put them in a safe place out of sight of any people.
Aloren reached the rock, stopped, and turned around. Akeno reached out, squinting one eye. Aloren disappeared, and then stood on Akeno’s palm.
Akeno lifted his hand until it was level with his face. “Are you okay?”
“Wow!” Aloren said. “I’m so tiny!”
Jacob turned to the Minyas. “Ready?”
“Of course,” Early said, picking up Aloren.
“Fly her over the city,” Jacob said. “You don’t need to use your magic—just make sure to stay high.”
Early flitted off, and Jacob was surprised at how quickly she left his view, even without magic.
Then it was Jacob’s turn. He ran down the trail to the rock, turned to face Akeno, and gave him a thumbs-up. One second, he was being pinched around his waist, and the next, he stood in Akeno’s hand. September picked him up, and then they were flying through the air. Jacob kept his eyes closed most of the way to keep from getting dizzy. Only a few seconds later, they passed the city and landed on a huge rock next to Early and Aloren.
Jacob checked his bag, making sure it was in one piece, then looked at Aloren. “How was your first trip via Minya?”
She half smiled. “It wasn’t very comfortable—I’ll have to get used to it.”
Jacob turned to Early and told her to make sure Akeno didn’t need help, and to send word if anything went wrong. She left, September floated to look at something on the other side of the trail, and Jacob and Aloren sat on the rock to wait.
They were alone for the first time. Jacob cleared his throat, feeling self-conscious, and wracked his brain, trying to think of something smart or funny to say. He fished around, finally grabbing the first thing that came to mind. “You have a dimple in your cheek,” he said. “It’s deep . . . and . . . shows when you smile. And sometimes when you talk, too.” He paused, then blurted out the rest. “Did you know dimples are tissue defects?”
She gave him one of those looks that only a girl can give.
“Um, not that you’re defective, or anything. I mean . . .” He scrambled for words, and then gave up. A skeptical expression crossed Aloren’s face, and he flushed. Why would he say something like that? He kicked himself mentally, wishing he’d just kept his trap shut. So much for sounding smart.
Jacob stayed quiet, breathing a sigh of relief when Akeno, Early, and September came back.
Akeno returned them to their normal size, and the group followed the trail for a while longer before deciding to set up camp deep in the forest. The brush was thick, and in no time Akeno had separated it into two separate quarters, the entrances barely visible. They ate a small dinner and then turned in for the night.
The Key of Kilenya Page 33
