Chapter 16. Slime and Muck
With a nod from one of the Lorkon, the Molg nearest Jacob picked him up and carried him through the fortress. One Lorkon trailed behind.
“Put him down,” the Lorkon said when they got to the cell.
The Molg flung Jacob onto the cot. Jacob bounced off and cracked his knee on the stone floor. He called out in pain, and the Lorkon grabbed the Molg by the throat.
“I didn’t say for you to throw him!”
The Molg grunted in response and the Lorkon and Molg left, slamming the door behind them. Jacob heard the Lorkon give muffled orders to the Molg, having the beast stand guard near Jacob’s door.
He got up and wiped off the floor slime as best he could. He couldn’t wait to get home and to a shower. He bit his lip in fear, wondering what would happen if he never got out. No—he couldn’t think that way. He had to remain positive.
Jacob lay on the cot gingerly, trying not to cause himself any extra pain. This just wasn’t fair. He shut his eyes tightly. Crying wasn’t going to happen, no matter how exhausted he was and no matter how much he hurt.
It seemed like everything bad in the world happened to him. In both worlds. Getting kidnapped. Not making varsity. Nearly being turned into a Lorkon. And Aloren dating Kevin, of all people. Sure, he’d had plenty of time to adjust to it. But that did little to make him feel better, especially now, in his current predicament.
He sat up. Enough self-pity. He needed to concentrate on how to get out of the room.
Starting near the door, Jacob felt his way around the walls again, going up as high as possible, pulling his cot around the room to stand on so he could inspect every possible inch, dealing with the slime on his hands.
Nothing.
He searched the entire floor with no luck. The ceiling was a couple of inches too high. But he couldn’t skip it—he had to do everything possible.
An idea popped into his head. He flipped the cot up against the wall, then climbed the underside like a ladder. He smiled—that was perfect.
It took an hour at least to feel every bit of the stone above him. But just like the walls and floor, there wasn’t even a fraction of an inch that emitted heat. How was it possible that the Shiengols had constructed this place so incredibly well?
Jacob righted the cot and sat on it, fully discouraged now. Early rapped on the window and he scooted the cot under the glass to be near her. He waved, giving her a little smile. She sat on the window sill and waved back. It was good to have her company, even if talking to each other wasn’t possible.
He sighed, turning his mind back to the dilemma at hand—escaping. It was obvious to him now that he couldn’t mold his way out of the room. Maybe he’d be able to bribe the Molgs?
But when a Molg brought him dinner, the expression on the beast’s face told him he’d have more luck convincing the fortress to open itself up for him than he would getting the creature on his side.
The sun set while Jacob watched, face pressed against the window. Hours had passed since Keitus had him locked up again.
A while after the last rays of light had disappeared, Jacob finally lay down. The pain and exhaustion from the day caught up to him, and he fell asleep.
Sunlight through the window woke him the next morning and Jacob jerked up, looking around in panic. It took a couple of moments before he remembered where he was and what had happened.
He fell back onto the cot, sighing in frustration. He hated being in such complete solitude. Yes, he knew others had experienced worse—being stuck in rooms that were so small they couldn’t stand or fully lay out, and bathroom facilities lowered through the ceiling by way of a bucket. ‘Course, the bucket idea wasn’t new to him. He sent a withering glance to his own bucket in the corner of the room.
Jacob ran his hand through his hair, almost immediately wishing he hadn’t. He desperately needed a shower. And breakfast. His stomach growled. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be long before someone brought him something to eat. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, feeling grateful for yet another thing—good food that hadn’t been poisoned.
His mind wandered as he gazed at the ceiling. How did the Lorkon get Molgs all the way out here?
He rolled over, then jumped when a Molg opened the door, putting a tray of food on the floor. The Molg sneered at him and slammed the door shut.
Jacob bounced off the cot and grabbed the tray. It only took a minute to down breakfast, satisfying his empty stomach.
When he’d finished eating, he thought about home, wondering how his family was doing. They had to be completely panicked. He’d never disappeared like this before. ‘Course, he was positive they’d figured everything out, especially with Early’s messages.
And another thing was bothering him—how much school had he missed? Today was . . . Tuesday. Or maybe Wednesday. That meant he’d missed five days. Last Monday and Tuesday, and the first half of this week.
Jacob spent the next couple of hours in boredom, scratching designs in the slime on the nearest wall. Sometime around ten or maybe eleven—he couldn’t tell—he decided he should probably be practicing his Time-Seeing ability. Maybe he’d be able to find the Key of Ayunli, and then not tell Keitus he’d seen it. Jacob seriously doubted he’d be able to accomplish the goal that day. But if the Lorkon kept him there for the rest of his life, he’d definitely be able to do it with practice.
He sat on the cot, facing the door, and concentrated on the Key of Ayunli. He unfocused his eyes and centered on the pain in his chest, willing it to grow and envelop him.
With a pop, it did. And things were different this time—easier. Suddenly everything around him changed, and he was in a much different castle from any he’d ever seen before. All the walls were covered with ornate tapestries, the floors with rugs. Not one inch of stone was visible. He only knew it was a castle because of the spaciousness, and the fact that he could see towers through the many windows.
He turned his attention to the hooded man who stood in front of him, holding the Key in one hand, gaping at it. He held the leather package with his other.
This was the most detail Jacob had been able to see yet. He looked around in wonder, taking in the entire room. Beautiful tapestries and swords hung decoratively on the wall. Gold and marble statues graced the hall, and the carpet underfoot appeared to be plush, though Jacob couldn’t feel it. There was a hallway behind him lined with stained-glass windows. Sunlight filtered in, making colored patterns on the floor.
With a start, Jacob realized the man had left. Dang it! How had he missed that? He tried Time-Seeing to find the man, but everything went black.
Jacob found himself waking up on the floor of his cell. The light from the window was different—it was late afternoon, almost twilight. Several hours had passed. Had he blacked out? How long had he been Time-Seeing? He tried to get up, but his body freaked out with spasms of pain and he was barely able to roll onto his side. What was wrong? He’d been sore that morning when he woke up, but not that sore.
He rolled to a sitting position, groaning. The food tray had been replaced with a full one, and something dawned on Jacob. The Lorkon must have returned. Horror washed over him. Would they attack him while he was unconscious? They must have done something—his entire body ached. He pulled up his shirt—sure enough, his stomach was black and blue. He felt like retching. Why would the Lorkon do that? Were they the reason he blacked out? Or had he blacked out because he’d been Time-Seeing too long, making the Lorkon frustrated when they couldn’t wake him?
An urgency to get out of his situation flooded over him, replacing the horror he’d felt earlier. He had to get home! He had to get away!
But how?
Jacob eased himself off the floor and onto the cot. He slumped in exhaustion, noticing he was covered with slime again. So much for keeping it off—nothing he could do about it anyway.
Early rapped on the window, and he scooted over to where he could see her. They kept each other com
pany. She danced on the window sill, smiling at him, mouthing things he didn’t understand.
He couldn’t help but wonder why she wasn’t able to break through the window. Maybe her magic had a rule that prevented her from breaking things? He didn’t know. ‘Course, it wouldn’t do him any good for her to get the glass open. He was way too high above the ground to jump. But it really would be nice to talk to her. Even though her conversation was trivial, it was still conversation. And they’d done a lot together in the past month—he’d really grown to care for and appreciate her.
The sun was about to set, and he watched the rays fly across the sky. A moment of stupor hit him—he hadn’t allowed himself to relax or take a mental vacation for a long time. He invited it in, enjoying its simple calmness.
But then, a few minutes later, Jacob shook his head to clear it. He’d wasted precious time and energy trying to find the Key when he should’ve been focusing on Seeing how the Lorkon had trapped him. There had to be something special about the fortress or this room that hadn’t been the case earlier. If he found out what it was, perhaps it would give him the needed information to escape.
Jacob Time-Saw to the Lorkon castle, “rewinding” until he reached the point before the Lorkon left. An involuntary shudder crossed him when he saw Keitus on his throne with the other Lorkon around him and remembered how it had felt to be in that room the first time—the awe at seeing the Key of Kilenya, followed by the fear and pain from his encounter with that disgusting individual. That had happened only five months ago, but it felt like ages had passed.
A small burst of flame near Keitus startled Jacob—luckily none of the Lorkon could see him. That flame had been familiar, though, and in surprise, Jacob nearly lost control of his Time-Seeing. He grimaced. He’d seen that flame as he’d been about to go into August Fortress.
A crackly voice addressed Keitus. “The boy and his group are on their way to release the Shiengols.”
Keitus jumped to his feet. “We leave now,” he said to the other Lorkon in the room with him.
“You were right, Your Majesty,” one of the Lorkon said, grabbing things from behind a curtain, “about having beetles spy on the boy.”
Keitus glared at the Lorkon. “And if you were doing your job, you would’ve thought of the idea.”
“Yes, but they can’t get into the Makalo village, so it would’ve been pointless.”
Keitus ignored him. “Send for Sindons. And we’ll need as many Molgs as possible.”
“What about Dusts?”
Keitus’s disgusted grunt said enough. Jacob figured he was probably sick of the nearly useless creatures. Maybe training them was too difficult? Jacob felt little hope that was the case.
“You were right about that too, Keitus. You think of everything!”
The Lorkon continued to praise Keitus, and Jacob felt sick at how he received the compliments. Such arrogance! If anyone treated Jacob like that, he’d avoid them. Like how he avoided Shirley from school.
He fast-forwarded through time, wanting to see what the Lorkon did rather than hear their annoying conversation. They mounted the Sindons—Keitus, of course, sitting on top of one in a rather silly-looking caravan-type thing—embellished with gold and silver and dark blues and purples.
Jacob watched as the group rounded up several Molgs and passed through Maivoryl City and the tunnel in the wall. The Sindon barely fit inside it.
A moment later, when the Lorkon reached the scented air, Jacob slowed down time, watching in interest as the Molgs got stuck. The Lorkon had a hard time pulling the large creatures out. He laughed when he saw Keitus throw a fit from the top of his Sindon, screaming at the other Lorkon to get the Molgs. Then he stopped laughing when Keitus ordered one of the Lorkon to rip Kenji’s warning signs out of the ground and throw them into the lake.
Stupid Lorkon.
The three Lorkon in the scented air bickered like little kids, and Jacob drew near to hear them.
“This is ridiculous,” one said.
“If I’d known when I accepted his challenge that I would become a slave . . .”
“Shut your mouth!” the third Lorkon said. “You aren’t a slave. If I’m ever in charge, you will be, though.”
The first and second Lorkon responded, and it looked like things would escalate. Jacob watched with interest. The Lorkon certainly were childlike sometimes.
Keitus called orders from the top of the carriage, but the other three weren’t paying attention. Finally, he stepped down.
“Enough!”
The Lorkon stopped and stared at him. At a flick of his hand, they fell to the ground, terror on their faces, groveling before him, begging for forgiveness.
Jacob raised an eyebrow. How had Keitus gotten them to change their attitudes so quickly? Did he have them under a spell?
“My own flesh and blood! How dare you act like this? You’re worse than Dusts!”
“Father, please—”
“Shut your mouth!” Keitus spat. “You will not speak until I command it!”
Flesh and blood? Father?
The Lorkon pressed his face into the ground, and Keitus paced. “The next who speaks out of line will become meat for the Molgs!”
Jacob thought that sounded like a dumb threat until he noticed the affect it had on the Lorkon. They were trembling with fear. Why? And it didn’t seem like the Molgs had any desire to eat a Lorkon. Speaking of the Molgs, they’d wandered back into the scented air and had stupid grins on their faces. Jacob laughed—they looked even more ridiculous than any human he’d seen there before.
Keitus finally stopped pacing. “I’m undoing this Counter. I’m tired of dealing with it every time we pass through with inferior beings.”
Counter?
Keitus lifted his arms waist high and chanted something. He raised his hands higher, still chanting, staring ahead, until his arms were pointed to the sky. The ground shook, every blade of grass, including the dead ones, straightening, pointing up. The brush in the area nearly uprooted itself. A bluish substance, not quite liquid, not quite gas, flowed from the earth all around the group. It rolled along the ground, floating upward, then swirled around Keitus, faster and faster. Suddenly, like an explosion, the substance burst and then dissipated into air.
After a moment of silence, Keitus lowered his hands and pointed to the Lorkon. “Get up. Now. We have work to do.”
The Lorkon and Molgs got back on the Sindons, which had appeared to be unaffected by the scented air. They moved quickly and Jacob zoomed to keep up, finding himself fast-forwarding through time to skip the boring parts.
He was somewhat surprised when the group took a shortcut through the Dunsany Mountains, then came out in the city Kenji had called Fornchall. If only Jacob had known that shortcut before. It would have been easier than going around the mountain. Then he decided that wouldn’t have been good—the Lorkon passed several areas thick with Molgs. If he and Akeno had gone that way, they would never have made it out. Plus, he wouldn’t have met Aloren, and she’d never know that Matt was her brother.
Jacob fast-forwarded even more, realizing his body would be getting tired soon. Azuriah’s warning sounded in his ears—he needed to get to the point quickly, before his body gave out on him.
The group finally stopped near the fortress, on the opposite side from where Jacob and his friends had been.
Another burst of flame near Keitus, and again, a crackly voice reported. “They’ve found a way into the fortress.”
Keitus said something curt in another language—Jacob could tell it was a swear word, due to the tone of the Lorkon’s voice and the expression on his face. He motioned for the others to follow him on foot.
They left the Sindons behind and slunk around the huge building to the front, followed by several Molgs. They moved into the trees, and Jacob caught a glimpse of Aldo and Aloren looking up at the fortress wall. Things blacked over for a moment and Jacob worried he was slipping out of consciousness again, but then the
scenery returned with usual clarity. The Lorkon were watching Jacob’s friends, who were gawking at a hole in the fortress. Jacob realized he must have just gone through that hole.
Two of the Lorkon tried to go forward to attack, but Keitus held them back. A moment later, the Shiengols emerged, and Jacob watched the Lorkon’s reaction with surprise. Their emotions went so quickly from eagerness to fear that he nearly jumped in shock. They were afraid of the Shiengols! No wonder they’d trapped the creatures! Could he use that to his advantage?
A few of the Shiengols stared at the Lorkon as they passed, and anger flashed through Jacob. They’d known the Lorkon were there! Why hadn’t they done anything about it?
Had Azuriah known?
Jacob gasped when he realized that of course the Shiengol leader knew about the Lorkon. He’d insisted on having Jacob practice his new ability before leaving the fortress. He must have known Jacob would be kidnapped, but how? And why hadn’t he done something to stop it? Why hadn’t he warned Jacob?
Jacob realized that Keitus and a two or three Molgs had gone around a corner, and he opted not to follow them for the time being. He wanted to see what the three Lorkon did. A couple of the Molgs hid behind the door Jacob and his friends had set up. He shook his head, making a mental note to check behind every makeshift door just to be sure nothing was there.
Azuriah came out of the hole in the fortress, followed by . . . then everything got muddled again and Jacob couldn’t see details well enough. He tried everything he could—going around the haze, below, above. Nothing worked. He sighed in frustration, realizing there wasn’t anything he could do but go See where the Lorkon leader had gone.
But then he felt an odd sensation flooding through him—originating at his heart—and he hesitated. What was wrong? His body—exhaustion crept into his mind. Oh! He was about to black out again! Time for a break.
Lights flashed around him, and he found himself back in his cell. It was nighttime—he’d been Time-Seeing for half an hour at least, if not more. No wonder it’d almost knocked him out.
He rolled to a sitting position on the floor, then jumped when a shape on the other side of the room shifted too.
A Lorkon was with him in the cell.
“Keitus?”
“No. He sent me to check on you. You were Time-Seeing, were you not?”
“Yes.”
“What have you to report?”
“Not much. I . . . I still need more time. I mean, I’ve been trying, but—”
Jacob jerked into the corner when the Lorkon jumped forward, looming over him. Any feelings of smugness Jacob had felt earlier at the ineptitude of the Lorkon fled when he saw the expression on this one’s face. Keitus might have been much, much more powerful than the other three, but that didn’t mean this guy couldn’t inflict a whole lot of damage. “I swear! I’m doing my best! And I have made progress—I saw the entire room the hooded man was in this time! And he went through a hallway. I’m going back to see where he—”
“I don’t care about the trivialities. You will find what Keitus desires.”
The Lorkon rapped on the door, it swung open, and he stepped out.
Jacob clutched his chest as soon as he was alone again. Another fright like that—first, nearly going unconscious, then the Lorkon freaking him out—and he’d probably not make it. His heart hurt so badly. What would happen if his body gave out on him while Time-Seeing? Would he be stuck halfway between two places? He hoped not.
In the dim moonlight, he saw a tray of food on the floor and picked it up, then scarfed everything. Why were they feeding him so well? The food was still warm.
His hunger appeased, he lay on the cot, gazing out the window. Early was there—she waved at him and he lifted a hand in response, glad to have her company.
The next morning, he woke before the sun had risen, deciding to start Time-Seeing as soon as possible.
He Saw back into the past and searched through the fortress until he found where Keitus had gone when he left the other Lorkon. He had a couple of Molgs with him, and they were walking down the hall toward Jacob’s cell.
Keitus pointed at one of the Molgs. “Go get a door. Our guest will need something to keep him in place.”
Jacob wondered where they’d find a door. Hadn’t Keitus removed all of them long ago? Maybe they’d brought some with, and Jacob hadn’t noticed. The creature ran off, and Keitus and the other Molg entered the cell. Jacob nearly panicked before realizing that in the time line he was seeing, he wouldn’t be in the cell yet. He was still outside with his friends.
Keitus stood to the side, allowing the second Molg to bring in a couple of large buckets full of—Jacob looked closer—sludge. Was that what he thought it was? He looked around the cell to verify. Yup. The stone was completely clean.
“Spread it on every inch of rock.”
The first Molg returned, hung the door, then the two of them got to work, pulling out gobs of the grease at a time, rubbing it all over the floor, ceiling, and walls. Keitus watched from the doorway for a couple of minutes, an evil smile on his face, then turned to go. “We’ll bring the boy soon.”
A few moments later, the Molgs finished smearing the stuff everywhere and took the buckets away. Jacob heard grunting in the hallway, then everything went foggy and he couldn’t see any longer. He allowed himself to return to the present time, many questions running through his mind.
Why did Keitus put the slime everywhere? Was it to intimidate Jacob? To gross him out? Make him feel dirty and miserable? Or did it have a bigger purpose?
Jacob inspected the wall closest to him. He swiped a finger across it, then looked at the slime up close. “Why did Keitus put you all over my cell?” he whispered.
What if . . . Jacob stared at the door in wonder. Would the stuff counter his ability? Make it useless? But how? And how would Keitus know to concoct something like that?
Jacob used his sleeve to wipe off as much of the gunk on a spot as he could. Then he put his hand on the stone, trying to warm it. Nothing happened. He shook his head, knitting his eyebrows. The stuff would leave a residue—he wouldn’t be able to clean that off without water and lots and lots of rags. And what if everything it touched was permanently immune? It had been all over his hands—had Keitus removed Jacob’s ability to mold things?
He suddenly felt claustrophobic and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He’d find a way out—he had to. If not, he’d be stuck there forever. He kept breathing deeply and glanced out the window, past Early. The sky was clouded over—it’d been snowing.
He had to concentrate. It wouldn’t do him any good to panic and stress over things he couldn’t control. After several moments of focusing on calming down, Jacob decided he needed to go through his options.
He could wait for the Fat Lady. That is, if she was coming at all, of course. Maybe she’d gotten hold of Gallus’s family and they’d send someone. Was there a town closer to the fortress than Macaria? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t know much about Eklaron, aside from where he’d been already.
He could accept Keitus’s offer. He snorted, thinking about that. Yeah, right.
Maybe his family would find another link that would lead them here. His experience with the Eetu fish showed him there were far more links between the two worlds than they’d all originally thought. Perhaps one of them would work. If that were the case, they might be close!
Jacob jumped to his knees, staring out the window. Early flitted up next to him, a hopeful expression on her face. He scanned the forest toward the link to Taga Village and saw nothing, then looked the other way as far as he could—no sign.
He sighed, lowering his head, and pressed his face on the glass.
Wait. “The glass!” he whispered. It didn’t have slime all over it! As if in response to this idea, the sun broke through the clouds, lighting his cell.
He was about to touch the surface to warm it when he realized his hands had grease on them. He couldn’t afford to infe
ct the glass, too. The fact that the Molgs hadn’t touched it, or the frame around it, made him nearly giggle in hysteria—just like Shirley at school. But seriously, how would Keitus react if Jacob were able to escape that way? He’d be furious!
Just then, he heard voices down the hall. Someone was coming! Jacob had always been an awful liar. They’d sense the hope in him—they’d know he was planning something.
He quickly dropped to the floor and closed his eyes, pretending to be Time-Seeing. No—just lying there wouldn’t do it. He had to make it believable.
Just as the door opened, he started convulsing.
Would they buy it?
Two Lorkon voices. One laughed. “Stupid human.”
Jacob heard the rush of a cloak before the Lorkon’s foot connected with his side. His already very bruised side.
A groan of pain slipped out before he could stop it and an involuntary shudder passed through him. One of the Lorkon laughed.
“This boy is idiotic. Why does Keitus want him so badly?”
“Flesh and blood—you know how it is with him.”
Jacob heard a smirk in the first Lorkon’s voice. “Yeah, well, that didn’t help us, did it?”
What were they talking about? Flesh and blood? Then Jacob remembered—Keitus had mentioned blood. His own blood had gone into Jacob, trying to change him into a Lorkon. Was that all they meant?
He realized he’d stopped shaking and hadn’t heard anything from the Lorkon for several seconds. He groaned again and rolled to the other side, hoping—hoping!—the Lorkon would think he was still Time-Seeing.
Silence.
Finally, one of the Lorkon spoke. “We could kill him now.”
No response. Jacob held his breath, convulsing occasionally, waiting to hear what the other said.
A grunt. “We could, but . . .” The Lorkon took a deep breath, then let out a watery-sounding cough. “Keitus would never forgive it.”
The first Lorkon snorted. “He never forgives anything.” Someone nudged Jacob with a foot. “We’d be free from hearing about Danilo.”
Another pause. “We’ll think on it. Leave the food. Let’s go.”
Something scraped across the floor, then the door shut and Jacob heard footsteps receding down the hall.
He waited for a moment, making sure he was alone, then peeked through his lashes. No one was with him. He got to his knees, a huge sigh of relief expelling itself from his lungs. “Oh, wow, oh, wow,” he whispered over and over again. That was way too close!
Jacob pulled the tray of food to himself, not forgetting his decision from earlier to get out through the window. He ate quickly, then looked at the water, wishing he had soap. The water alone would have to do.
But first, he jumped up and looked out the window to the ground below. No one was there. He watched for a moment, waiting to see if anyone would come. When no one did, he got down and poured a trickle of the water on his hands, wiping them off on the underside of his cot—the only place clean enough in the cell.
Thinking better of using all the water, he put the half-empty cup under his cot, behind one of the legs where it wouldn’t be immediately visible from the doorway. Just in case.
Then, with clean hands, he jumped up and put his palms against the glass, willing it to heat up.
Nothing happened.
He moaned in despair. The Molgs hadn’t put slime on it—he’d been so sure!
He nearly smacked himself in the forehead when he remembered that if something was well built, it wouldn’t warm up. He felt around the edges of the window and nearly jumped off the bed with excitement when he felt warmth—warmth! He kept going. The frame itself had a few potentially good spots, but the caulking—was that what they called it?—heated up really quickly. He could pull it out, then remove the window!
Jacob got to work, pulling the caulking out, wadding it up, and sticking it to the underside of his cot. He felt like he was six again, with all the stuff he was putting there.
Every time he heard one of his guards moving outside, he dropped to a sitting position, careful not to touch anything. He didn’t even have to ask himself what would happen if he got caught removing the sealant. And while he wasn’t sure this plan would work, he was positive the Lorkon would either move him or slather the window with sludge.
He had barely a second to fall to a lying position on the cot and pretend to be staring out the window when he heard voices right outside his cell. The door swung open and he turned.
It was Keitus.
Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3 Page 123
