Akeno pulled a baseball cap out of his back pocket. It had taken Matt over a month to convince him to stop wearing top hats and adopt a cap instead. “Sure. The Fat Lady and Aldo need me to grow a few things for their Maivoryl City medication, but they’re plants I’ve never heard of, so I also need to talk to Onyev.”
“Do you think you’ll start up your training again?”
Akeno shrugged. “He hasn’t said anything.”
Jacob laughed. “You haven’t seen him since the last time I took you back—how could he have said something?”
Akeno shrugged again, smiling. “Let’s go find out. I’d like to know too.”
They Traveled back in time to Onyev’s city and entered it, merging with other humans and Makalos streaming down the streets. Jacob had long since gotten past his surprise over how glorious Gratitude City was, but this time, his mouth dropped.
“Something’s changed,” he said.
Akeno nodded.
The trees glowed even more brightly and the colors were more brilliant, looking like prisms that had been magnified by two or three hundred. And the Makalos themselves also glowed more blue than usual.
“What do you think’s going on?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know, but there are a lot of Makalos.”
Akeno was right—the normally open and airy city felt congested.
It didn’t take long for the friends to walk to Onyev’s palace. Once they’d been admitted to the usual garden room and Onyev had handed them watering cans, Jacob got up the courage to ask why the changes had occurred.
Onyev straightened after watering a small rosebush. “A couple of the outlying villages were attacked by unknown pillagers, and the Makalos moved into the city.” He stretched, then motioned to some seats. “But come. I sense you’re here for specific reasons.”
Akeno and Jacob did as directed, and Akeno immediately started asking Onyev questions about the various plants he’d need to grow. Jacob didn’t really pay attention, finding himself instead thinking about the Key in his pocket. He was tempted to bring it out, but the pain in his chest—the one that prevented him from breaking magical rules—told him that wouldn’t be a good idea.
“And what about you, Jacob?”
Jacob started. “Huh?”
“You’re also here to gain information, are you not?”
“Oh, yeah. I am. You created Keys—the Key of Kilenya and the Key of Ayunli. I wanted to know more about them.”
A satisfied expression crossed Onyev’s face. “So they’ve survived the many years. This is very nice to hear.”
Jacob nodded. “Survived, and the Lorkon want them. Really badly.”
“That doesn’t come as a surprise.” The patriarch leaned back in his garden seat. “I created them several months ago, and Ayunli was crowned king just last week. Your timing is excellent.” He flashed a smile at Jacob, then delved into a history.
“The humans of my time have a peculiar wedding custom. In order for them to marry, they must draw up paperwork, sign it, and keep it locked away from every living person for a full week. They aren’t allowed to see each other during that time—not even a glimpse of the other person. When the week has ended, the couple is legally married.” He smiled. “It isn’t a very romantic tradition, and the queens and princesses have tried to change it many times. They’ve been unsuccessful, as you can imagine.”
Jacob shrugged. He couldn’t see why the women didn’t get what they wanted, but he also didn’t know the people of Onyev’s time.
Onyev continued. “Only the king has access to the combination and locks that hold the wedding papers. This is very good for people who get scared before marriage—once you’ve chosen your mate, you aren’t allowed to change your mind, since there isn’t a way to retrieve the papers before the week is over.”
He shook his head. “But it’s bad for those who have no choice in whom they marry, as was the case with Kilenya.” He looked at Jacob. “How much of her story do you already know?”
“I know that she and Ayunli fell in love, but that Ayunli’s father, the king, had already chosen her to be his next wife.”
Onyev nodded. “When Ayunli came to me for help, I didn’t want to step in to human affairs. Like the patriarchs before me, I’ve always allowed the humans to run things as they see fit. But Ayunli’s father, Broalt, was in the process of destroying the land and his own people. Yes, this has happened before, but in this case, he was very determined. He had no love for the people of his land. His subjects were uprising, plaguing the Shiengols—never a good thing—and with the Makalo magic waning, I realized that if I didn’t resolve the issue early, while I still could, there would be centuries of war and terror, and not just for the humans. I wasn’t willing to allow that to happen.”
He got to his feet, hands behind his back, and faced away from Jacob and Akeno. “So I agreed to help the young couple. I first created the Key of Kilenya. It allowed her the ability to escape any situation of danger or discomfort. The king was notorious for not keeping to the strict week of no contact, and Ayunli wanted to protect the delicate feelings and virtue of his love.
“And for the prince, I created the Key of Ayunli. It allowed him to open the safe box where the marital certificate was stored so he could steal it, thereby preventing the marriage from becoming legal.”
“Safe box?” Jacob asked. “You have them here?”
“Of course we do. We have all types of combinations and codes and boxes.”
Jacob frowned. He’d just figured Eklaron was like a medieval version of Earth. But had they invented combination locks long before Earth had? “So the Key of Ayunli opens safe boxes? Wouldn’t the Key of Kilenya do that as well?”
Onyev shook his head. “The Key of Kilenya will only work if the safe box has a proper door on it. The one used to hold marital certificates doesn’t have a door or a traditional lock. It is sealed with a code that unfolds the entire box.”
“So, the Key of Ayunli unlocks whatever the Key of Kilenya doesn’t.”
“That’s what I intended. It gives the person holding it the codes to any lock ever used or that will be used.”
Jacob rubbed his chin, thinking. “Does it also open doors?”
“Certainly—it figures out the lock and combination used to seal the door. But it doesn’t create links. It will only open the item directly in front of you. If you want to go anywhere, you’d need to use the Key of Kilenya.”
Onyev looked sidelong at Jacob. The emotion colors swirling around the Makalo showed he was curious. Jacob’s cheeks flushed. Onyev obviously knew more than he let on, and Jacob would need to be more careful.
What would the patriarch do or think if he knew the Key of Kilenya only worked for Jacob?
Something then crossed Jacob’s mind. “Combinations and such are very, very complex on Earth now. I doubt—”
Onyev waved his hands dismissively, sitting down again. “It doesn’t matter. The magic behind the Key of Ayunli will figure its way into anything with a combination or lock on it. The complexity does not matter, nor does how or when the thing was created.”
“But what about biological locks?”
Onyev tilted his head, confused. “Biological?”
“Yes. Some locks require you to look into something and it reads your eye, or to put your hand or thumb on a sensor.”
“Fascinating!” Onyev seemed to go off on his own for a minute, thinking about that. Then he returned to the conversation. “I’m not sure how the Key would approach such a thing, but it’ll get through. As I said, it doesn’t matter how complex your situation is—this was the purpose for which the Key of Ayunli was created. The magic is stronger than any pattern ever made. I’m positive that would include these . . . biological locks.” He looked at Jacob. “They sound very interesting.”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know much about them.”
Onyev sighed, possibly disappointed. “No matter.” He got to his feet. “Jacob, if you don’t have further question
s, I’d like to continue training Akeno.”
Jacob also stood. “No, nothing more. I’ll leave you guys now.”
As he was returning home, Jacob couldn’t help but doubt Onyev’s confidence in the Key of Ayunli. How could it possibly get through all the things Jacob had seen in movies?
He’d need to test it somehow.
The moment Matt walked through the door from his pizza-delivering job, Jacob was ready. “I talked to Kenji, and he gave me the Key of Ayunli and told me to test it out. Wanna come?”
“Definitely!” Matt took off his work hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Where we going?”
“The school. We’re going to test it first on your locker combo.”
“Sweet. Let me change.”
Five minutes later, Jacob Keyed himself and Matt to Mountain Crest High School. The hall lights were on for off-season, summer activities, and Jacob and Matt had no problem getting to Matt’s old locker.
“How does it work?”
“Oh,” Jacob said. “Onyev didn’t tell me. Maybe it’s like the Key of Kilenya, and if you put it close to the thing you want to open, it’ll . . . open the thing.”
“Well said, Jake, well said.” Matt turned to his brother. “Give it to me.” He held out his hand expectantly.
Jacob hesitated, fingering the Key in his pocket. This would be his first time trying to use it, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to give that up.
“Come on. You get to have all the fun. My turn.”
Jacob sighed in irritation and handed it over. Matt faced his locker. He lifted the Key, holding it by the long metal stem, glass part on top, and inched it closer to his locker.
Suddenly something thick and sparkly in the glass started swirling, then faded. Numbers flashed quickly into view.
“Wait, it’s going too fast!” Matt said.
“Then pull it back and try again.”
Matt did so, and this time, both of them watched closely as the numbers pulsed by.
Matt frowned. “Those aren’t the numbers for my locker. It’s broken.”
Jacob shook his head, grabbed the Key, put it close to the locker, and watched for the numbers. He held them in his mind and turned the dial to each one. The locker popped open when he pulled on the lever.
“It’s not your locker anymore,” he said. “They’ve changed the combos already.”
“Freakin’ cool!” Matt took the Key again. “Let’s try another one.”
The same thing happened with the locker next to Matt’s, and he insisted on opening every locker in that hall. Jacob was really glad the hall was a short one.
“Too bad school’s out,” Matt said. “Seriously. I’d crack into Kevin’s locker and put a squashed frog in it.”
Jacob laughed. “You’re evil.”
Matt didn’t respond, and by the colors swirling around him, Jacob could tell he was concentrating. “Okay, so it does simple stuff really easily. Let’s find something more complex.”
“Like what?”
“A bank!”
Jacob folded his arms. “Heck, no. I’m not about to get arrested for attempted robbery.”
“Well, what else is there?”
“Dad’s safe at home—it’s a lot more complex than these things.”
“Why didn’t we try that first?”
Jacob shrugged. “Didn’t occur to me.”
“Let’s go!”
Jacob Keyed them back home, and the brothers dashed to the family room where the tall, slender safe was kept. This time, there were too many numbers, and the brothers were forced to write them down before trying to crack the box. It took a couple of tries to get the arrow pointed exactly at the numbers—the thing was very sensitive—but finally they pulled the door open.
“This is so cool!” Matt said, bright green swirling in the air around him.
“I wonder what would happen with a biological entry.” Jacob stared at the combination, trying to envision what the Key would do if the safe required a thumbprint instead.
Matt shrugged. “Who knows? But I’ll bet the glass part would do something awesome.”
“Wish we knew of a place where we could test it.”
Dad walked into the family room just then. “Glad to see you’re figuring things out. Close the safe.” After the door was shut, Dad held out his hand, and Matt gave him the Key. Dad pocketed it, then sat in his favorite recliner, grabbing a couple of remotes. “Jacob, have you heard from Early lately?”
“Yeah—she says the people of Macaria are getting rid of their doors voluntarily. There are still a ton up, but the people don’t want problems with the Lorkon, so they should be all gone by tonight.”
He nodded. “Good. It’s best they comply for now to avoid raising suspicion. A lot of people are talking about wanting to move to Taga Village. I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
Dad turned on the TV to an NBA pre-game show. Basketball season was nearly over, and the playoffs had begun. Jacob knew Dad would be pretty distracted for the next couple of hours.
The brothers left the room. Dad didn’t seem to notice.
The next day, Jacob, Matt, and Sweet Pea helped Akeno start digging a garden. The Wurbies tried to help too, but Akeno wouldn’t let them. Fubble and his wife left, obviously disappointed.
“Hey, Fubble!” Jacob called to the Wurby. He hated seeing the Wurby so sad.
The Wurby turned around. “Fubble the Wurby!” he said with a smile.
Jacob laughed. “You wanted to show me something, right? When I’m done here, I’ll come see what it was.”
Fubble grinned. “Okay!”
Jacob sighed in relief. He felt bad that Akeno had turned down the Wurbies, but he didn’t blame his friend. Wurby hands were too unpredictable.
The sun beat down on them and Jacob started sweating. Early flitted around them, obviously trying to get Matt’s attention, but the boys ignored her.
After two hours of digging rows, Matt growled in annoyance when Akeno asked him to straighten the row he was creating for a third time. Jacob held back his laughter. If Matt hadn’t been irritated, Jacob would have been, and he didn’t want to feel that way toward Akeno.
“Is this how Onyev said to do it, or is it how you want it done?” Matt asked, leaning against his shovel.
Akeno flushed, his mouth opening and closing several times before he finally sputtered out, “I’m sure it’s important to have an orderly garden.”
Matt laughed. “But not that important. And not this perfect! You’re so OCD! You’ve just been hiding it really well lately.”
“I am not OCD.” Akeno glared at Matt, the colors in the air around him showing irritation. Jacob wasn’t surprised—everyone had been getting a little testy, even the usually even-tempered Makalos.
“He doesn’t know what OCD means,” Sweet Pea said, sitting in the dirt.
“Do too!” Akeno grabbed Sweet Pea’s arm and tried to pull him up. “Don’t ruin the row. And it’s you who doesn’t know what OCD means.”
Sweet Pea snorted. “Doesn’t matter—I know how to get women.”
Akeno frowned, finally giving up on pulling the other Makalo to his feet. “You know how to get woman. Not women.”
Matt straightened, nearly dropping his shovel, staring at Sweet Pea. “What? You’ve got a girlfriend and didn’t tell anyone?”
Sweet Pea blushed. It was the first time Jacob had ever seen it happen. The Makalo puffed out his chest, pretending not to be embarrassed. “Well, it wasn’t hard once she saw my amazing biceps.”
Akeno scoffed, turning back to his garden. “After you pointed them out.” He squinted an eye, measuring the rows with his thumb.
“At least I’ve got some. And you have to admit, they’re freakin’ amazing.”
Akeno raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have to admit anything. Unless you want a guy Makalo to drool too.”
“Male, female—they can’t help themselves.”
Akeno punched Sweet Pea in a very non-feminine way and
Matt cheered, laughing and clapping. He and Sweet Pea had spent a great deal of time a couple of months ago trying to teach Akeno how to hit another guy without looking weird. Jacob let a smile show at Matt’s obvious pride in having taught someone to do something. Then he rolled his eyes.
“Okay, let’s get back to work. I want to be done with this before the Lorkon rule the universe.”
He was grateful they’d taken a break, though, because it made Akeno relax, and things went much more smoothly.
As soon as they’d finished, Jacob and Matt went to find Fubble. Jacob wasn’t surprised that the thing Fubble wanted him to see had to do with children, but he did enjoy Fubble’s excitement. He and several other Wurbies had built something that was supposed to look exactly like the building where Kevin and Aloren taught English.
“For school of Wurbs!” Fubble said.
Matt tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. “That doesn’t look a th—”
Jacob elbowed his brother. “It’s fantastic! You guys are really good at putting together interesting buildings.”
Matt looked at Jacob, then at the thing in front of them. It had been built using branches tied together, grocery bags from Walmart, small logs propped against each other, and moldy hay from last year’s harvest.
“Oh, yeah,” Matt said. “It’s . . . it’s good stuff.”
Fubble invited Jacob and Matt to go in, but they both declined. Neither wanted to enter a place where something moldy might fall on them. They said goodbye to Fubble and separated—Matt going home to get chores done and Jacob heading over to Azuriah’s.
It only took a couple of minutes for Jacob to reach the Shiengol’s fortress. Azuriah opened the door, banana in hand.
“Thank you for being so . . . prompt,” Azuriah said.
Jacob frowned, looking at his watch. He was only a minute and a half late. “I had things to do.”
“Come with me.”
Jacob followed Azuriah to his library. Azuriah sat at the desk, indicating a chair across from him. “We’re done practicing your abilities.”
Jacob’s mouth popped open. “Done? What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’ve discovered all your powers, and you’re well on your way to developing them. You don’t need my assistance from now on.”
Eyes of the Sun (Kilenya Series, 5) Page 8
