It took a moment to find the right spot in her neck, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a faint heartbeat.
Shuffling and grunting sounds reached Jacob’s ears. He looked around and felt his insides twist into knots. Several huge forms moved in the shadows, circling them just outside the ring of light caused by the hole in the bubble.
“Hello?” he yelled toward the hole above. “Is anyone there? We’re not alone down here.”
What did Seden know about these creatures? Why hadn’t he warned them better?
The grunting grew louder, and Jacob stumbled to his feet, curling an arm around his side. He refused to face whatever was coming while sitting down.
He kept his eye on the closest form and blinked when a man’s hand became visible. What the . . .? The body it came from was definitely not human. The creature stepped forward, and Jacob gasped. It was a bear—or something very similar to one—with human hands and feet. Thick brown fur covered it snout to ankles, and the eyes, ears, and nose definitely belonged to a bear.
It roared, and all similarities to a bear disappeared. The roar was like fingernails on a chalkboard times a thousand. The tongue was forked, and the teeth were green and long, like a saber-toothed tiger.
The bear-like beast pounced, its movement eerily similar to a cat’s, and before Jacob could react, it had knocked him to the ground.
He gasped through the pain, doing everything he could to keep those teeth away from his face. Adrenaline shot through his system, pushing the pain away and giving him more strength than he could have found without it.
With a grunt, he rolled out from under the bear-thing, flinging it to the side away from Aloren. It was much lighter than a bear should have been, and he couldn’t help but wonder why.
He growled when more of the creatures rushed him. He didn’t have time to concentrate, to think, to wonder how best to defend himself and the unconscious girl. Jacob practically danced around her, keeping the beasts back, throwing stones and pieces of broken bubble at them and tossing them away when they got close. They formed a tight circle around him, coming closer and closer.
Sweat trickled down his face and into his eyes, blurring his vision.
A bear grabbed Jacob’s arm, yanking him away from Aloren just as one of them jumped on top of her, teeth flashing.
A loud crack—like a rifle going off—echoed through the bubble, and all the monsters around Jacob crumpled. Ears ringing, he looked up, shielding his eyes from the bright light that hadn’t been there before.
“Give me a minute, and I’ll get you out of there,” Akeno called down.
Jacob frowned. How was the little Makalo going to do anything from up there? Rope wouldn’t attach to the bubbles, and he wasn’t nearly strong enough to pull without help. Where was Seden?
Jacob jumped back when Aloren disappeared. “What the crap?”
“Sorry,” Akeno said. “I’ll explain when we get you somewhere safe.”
Something from the shadows grabbed at Jacob’s back, clinging to his shirt and yanking him off his feet. He slammed against the ground and yelled out at the daggers of pain stabbing into his chest. He twisted to grapple with the bear that held him. Not all of them had fallen unconscious, apparently.
Jacob struggled against the grip, struggled against the pain. The edges of his vision started turning black. It took him a moment to notice he was being dragged across the unmoving creatures. Where was the thing taking him?
A new level of pain washed over him when he was lifted from the ground. The bear made a confused sound, and Jacob forced his eyes open. They both were moving upward at an incredibly rapid pace.
The sunlight rushed nearer, and once again, Jacob was above the bubbles, the heat of the sun bearing down on him. He shut his eyes against the glare. Akeno’s voice was loud and it surrounded him, hurting his ears. “Okay, I’m going to make you big again.”
Jacob blinked. Make me big again?
He had a split second to notice his surroundings.
He and the bear were in Akeno’s hand.
Chapter Fourteen
With another rush of wind and light, Jacob was on solid ground again. He stumbled backward, falling to his butt just as Seden jumped forward, knives in hand.
Seden and the bear grappled for a minute, then the bear dropped to the ground.
“It’s dead,” Seden said, panting over the creature, his knives covered in blood. “That was much easier than it should have been. Surprise was definitely on my side.” He glanced at Jacob. “Are you okay?”
“I think I’ve got some broken ribs—can barely breathe.” The adrenaline was still pumping through his system, and he hoped it would stick around for a while. The pain was there, but nowhere near as strong as it had been earlier.
“Let’s get some Kaede sap on you,” Seden said, offering his hand to Jacob. “You’re going to be very miserable soon.”
Jacob accepted the older man’s hand, letting him pull him up. He looked back across the bubbles, watching as Akeno gingerly made his way toward them.
“What happened?” Jacob circled the bear, inspecting it. By all accounts, it was a bear—apart from the mouth, hands, and feet.
“You fell in first, followed by Aloren and me. Our bubbles were weakened when yours collapsed. Akeno helped me first, then shrank Aloren and put her in Early’s Minya container to heal before shrinking you and the Rog.”
Jacob’s head started spinning. “He shrank us?” He didn’t need to ask what a Rog was—he’d had firsthand experience with one now.
“Yes. All part of being a Makalo. Their magic doesn’t just allow them control over living things. It also includes the power to make things smaller and bigger. That ability is exceptionally rare in Makalos now, though it was quite common a couple hundred years ago. From what I’ve heard, Akeno is something of a legend amongst the Makalos. It’s why they sent him—he’s much, much more powerful than the others.”
Jacob looked at Akeno in this new light. “You’re pretty cool, you know that?” he said when Akeno joined them.
Akeno flushed. “Thanks.” He smiled. “Should we continue?”
Seden pointed at Jacob. “He needs Kaede sap.”
Akeno’s blush deepened. “Oh, sorry, I should have asked. Where were you injured?”
“I think I broke a couple of ribs.”
The Rogs awakened below, and Jacob breathed a sigh of relief when it became apparent that they couldn’t reach him or the others. Now that he was out of danger, though, the pain was coming back in huge waves that made him feel like throwing up. With some difficulty, he removed his shirt, grateful he was wearing a button-up one. Pulling a tee shirt over his head would have been agony.
Seden tsked when he saw Jacob’s side. “Bruising already. Too bad Minya containers can only hold one person at a time—you could definitely use some healing too.” He glanced at Akeno. “Should we get off the bubbles first or take care of him now?”
Akeno bit his lip. “It would be safer to do it where we aren’t running the risk of falling.”
Jacob was afraid he’d say that. “Let’s go, then. The faster we get off this stuff, the quicker we can get to my dad.”
Chapter Fifteen
It took another twenty minutes for them to reach the end of the bubbles. Jacob was grateful that nothing happened during that time—especially with his awful balance.
Akeno taught Jacob and Seden how to mix the Kaede sap in case either of them ever needed to know how. The syrup-smelling stuff was dried down to a powder that was reconstituted with water when needed. Apparently, if not dried, it went bad fairly quickly. After water was added, strips of cloth were saturated in the liquid and then wrapped around the injury.
While wrapping himself, Jacob asked where Early had gone, since Aloren was using her container.
“She’s hanging out in my knapsack,” Akeno said. “I have to be extra careful with it until Aloren is healed and Early can get back in her container.”
&nbs
p; Almost immediately after they’d applied the cloths to Jacob, a wave of exhaustion rolled over him. It was so severe, he could barely keep his eyes open.
Akeno noticed. “Kaede sap works best when the person is sleeping, so it makes him or her tired. It’ll heal you while you’re awake, just not as quickly.”
“We don’t have time for me to sleep.” Jacob’s words slurred from the tiredness.
“Nope,” Seden said. “You’re going to have to push through it and aim to sleep it off tonight.”
The man started walking, and Akeno followed, Jacob stumbling after, clutching his chest when the familiar pain raced over him.
“I’m still hurting.”
Akeno glanced back at him apologetically. “And you will until you’re healed. Kaede sap doesn’t numb pain.”
“Great,” Jacob said.
Not only was the pain nearly overwhelming, but he was practically drugged on top of it. How was he going to get to that stupid castle on time? Apparently, not easily.
After ten minutes of Jacob trying to walk without tripping, Seden ended up next to him with Akeno leading the way.
“I should have helped you walk from the start,” the man said. “Sorry about that.”
“Would it be faster if we stopped and slept and then caught up later?” Jacob asked.
Seden shook his head. “We don’t know how many ribs you broke. The length of time you need to sleep in order to heal depends on the severity of your injury.” He glanced at Akeno. “How long do you think he’d need?”
“One broken bone usually requires several hours,” Akeno said. “Even if he only has the one, by the time he wakes up, it would be too dark to travel. Better to push through it.”
“How long does it take to get to the Lorkon castle?” Jacob asked.
“About two days, if we don’t take any breaks,” Seden said. “The Lorkon knew what they were doing when they gave you that deadline.”
Jacob grimaced. “We’re not going to make it.” Oh, his poor dad. He couldn’t even think about what would happen if they didn’t get there fast enough. “And there aren’t any shortcuts? Nothing else we can do? Borrow horses? Find a hypogriff and fly?”
Akeno snorted. “Hypogriffs don’t really exist.”
“I know, but is there anything else we can do?”
“Seden?” Akeno asked the man.
Seden frowned, concentrating on where his feet fell. He didn’t respond for a moment. “Yes, there’s a faster way. But it’s dangerous under ideal circumstances and deadly otherwise.”
Jacob stopped and turned to him. “Have you gone that way?”
Seden nodded. “Twice. We lost members of our party each time.”
“How big were the parties?”
“Twenty men.”
“And how many people died?”
“Two, both times.”
Jacob frowned, thinking. “Could the three of us—and Aloren, when she wakes up—make it?”
An uneasy expression crossed Seden’s face.
“Please, Seden. The Lorkon have my dad and baby sister. I’ve got to get to them.” Jacob couldn’t even think of his sister being there. Would the Lorkon make her watch their dad get tortured? Nausea rolled up the back of his throat.
Seden took a deep breath. “Yes . . . we could make it.” He shook his head. “You have to understand, though, Jacob. It is exceptionally dangerous. It’s a tunnel through Sonda Lake. Sonda Lake houses hundreds of deadly species, several of which have never been bested by a human. If we get through, it would be a sheer miracle.” He closed his eyes. “I won’t make this decision—as prince, it is yours.” He opened his eyes, gazing at Jacob. “My judgment insists we take the safer, slower path, even with your father at risk. But we will do what you choose.”
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. “No pressure, huh?”
Seden half smiled, but didn’t respond.
“If things start looking ugly, would we be able to turn around and go the long way?”
Seden shrugged. “That puts more time on our traveling.”
Jacob nodded. “I think it’s worth the risk.”
With the decision made, the three of them continued down the trail. The pain in Jacob’s chest made his eyes smart, especially when he stumbled from exhaustion. He couldn’t help but wonder why they’d given him Kaede sap—why they couldn’t have waited until it was nighttime.
When he asked, Seden said, “You wouldn’t have had enough time to heal. It’s best to give the process a head start.”
Akeno agreed. “Waking someone who is sleeping with the help of Kaede sap is really difficult. If we did it before you were fully healed, you’d be in pain and much groggier than you are now. So giving it to you ahead of time helps. It really does.”
Realizing he was in the best situation he could be given the circumstances, Jacob resolved not to complain or show his companions the pain he was in. No use making things worse for all of them.
As they neared a turn in the path, though, he was startled when a negative feeling passed over him.
Chapter Sixteen
A few steps later, Jacob felt it again. He looked around, sure it hadn’t come from inside him. What was bothering him? Was it the valley they’d entered after leaving the mud bubbles?
Akeno and Seden seemed unaffected, but the feeling got stronger until Jacob paused, not sure if it was a warning to leave or a warning to get off the path. Akeno, who was walking behind them now, ran into Jacob, apparently caught off guard by the sudden stop.
“Sorry, I need to figure something out,” Jacob said. “Do you guys feel that?”
“Feel what?” Seden asked.
“The—the negative stuff.”
“No . . . I don’t. You, Akeno?”
Akeno shook his head. “Nothing has changed.”
After standing still for a moment or two longer, the discomfort increased. A gross feeling now came with it, making Jacob want to wash his hands, and all he could think about was getting out of the valley. He started walking again, almost grateful for the distraction, but wanting to move on anyway.
The path entered a narrow little canyon, and Jacob felt the negativity leave him. He breathed a sigh of relief, then focused all his attention on making his way down the canyon without further injury.
“Everything better now?” Seden asked.
“Yes,” Jacob said. “That was weird.” It reminded him of the way he felt whenever he did something wrong. Guilt, almost, as though he’d just finished swearing up a storm at his mom.
Once they got out of the canyon, it was too dark to travel anymore, so they decided to set up camp. That was when Jacob finally realized that he’d lost his knapsack when he fell. He’d been so tired and in so much pain he hadn’t thought about it.
“That’s bad,” Seden said. “We need the food your bag held.”
“Sorry—”
Seden hushed Jacob with a hand motion. “It’s not your fault. We’ll have to stop by Macaria and get more food, especially with Aloren’s bag shrunk with her. It adds more time to our journey, but since the tunnels in Sonda Lake start in Macaria, not much.”
“Doesn’t Gallus live in Macaria?” Akeno asked. “My parents wanted us to see him anyway, if possible.”
“So, it’s decided,” Seden said.
Once Akeno had the hut set up—just one this time—they all went to bed.
Jacob woke exhausted and groggy, but completely out of pain. He stretched, wondering at the fact that there wasn’t even residual pain.
“Kaede sap is pretty amazing,” he said.
“Glad you think so,” Seden said. He glanced at Jacob. “I wasn’t sure you were finished sleeping it off and let you go two hours longer than I should have. We’re going to need to make up as much of the lost time as possible.”
And with that, they headed down the trail. The farther they went, the more the view opened up, revealing a huge valley almost completely framed by large mountains. Near the middle was a lake with
dark green water. The mountains on its left rose sharply with no gradual incline, making the scenery even more dramatic. Jacob remembered seeing pictures of the fjords in Norway, but they didn’t compare to this. It was beautiful.
There were three cities visible—one on this end of the lake, one to the right of the lake, and one—difficult to see—on the far side.
Jacob studied that far city, noticing it had a weird look to it. It was dirty and smudged, as though there was a cloud hanging over it, even though the sky was cloudless. The outline of a large, dark castle was visible. A nervous feeling hit him in the pit of the stomach and he realized he was probably looking at the castle where the Lorkon lived. His palms started sweating when he thought about his dad and sister trapped there. Was he going to get there on time? And if he did, what happened next? He was supposed to be exchanged for Amberly. No one had even brought that up, and it made Jacob a bit nervous.
“What are we going to do when the Lorkon give my sister over, but expect me to stick around?”
“That’s why we have to get the key first,” Seden said. “As long as it’s in your possession, we’ll all be able to get out.”
Jacob hoped the man was right. He looked back at the city closest to them. It also had a castle, but it seemed desolate and war-ravaged. So did the whole city, actually. He frowned as he started walking again, wondering what it had been like in its prime.
After a few minutes, they reached the road that led into town and turned to follow it. A faded wooden sign with Macaria etched in it showed an arrow pointing ahead.
The city was small, and at one point might have been considered quaint. Everything was white. The buildings, the walks—even the dirt was white. It looked as though the whole town had been bleached by the sun, and it made the city beautiful, even with the war-ravaged look. The road was dusty, and each step they took caused a little cloud to billow up around their feet. The street was deserted, and the sun was bright as they walked down the center of the road, almost as if they were about to have a face-off with someone at the opposite end of the street. Jacob smiled, feeling like he was in his favorite James Garner Western.
Forsaken Prince (Kilenya Chronicles Book 1) Page 6
