Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (15 page)

Jacob agreed, then stretched, wanting to work out the kinks he’d accumulated since arriving on Eklaron. “Let’s head into the city first thing in the morning.”

Together they set up camp, then Akeno cooked dinner.

“So how’d you end up as cook for our trip?” Jacob asked.

“You’re the guest, so I just felt like I should do it.”

“Well, if you show me how to make those potatoes you made yesterday, I’ll do it next time.”

“Yesterday?” Akeno said, smiling. “You mean five days ago?”

Jacob laughed. “Oh, yeah.”

Chapter 10. Macaria

Today a most entertaining thing occurred. As we were traveling, Kelson, Kenji, and I overheard a very heated Minya argument—my first. Kenji informed me that it happens rather frequently, and so we ignored it. However, moments later it became impossible to ignore when a Minya was hurled through the air and hit me smack-dab on the side of the face. It was difficult not to laugh as this little Minya indignantly shook his fist toward the forest from whence he’d come, then latched onto my collar, refusing to leave. He calls himself September.

I was not surprised when he almost immediately decided he preferred everyone else to me, and I’ve given him to Kenji for safe keeping. Perhaps permanently.

Minyas.

I’m afraid I’ll never like them.

Jacob was excited to go into the city, even if it was in shambles. Akeno taped new leaves on his shoes, and they headed down the mountainside. Jacob didn’t notice that the two black wolves were watching them from bushes near the path until September pointed it out.

“Why do they do that?” Jacob said. “It’s really creepy.”

“Yes, it is.” Akeno glared at the wolves.

They made a wide circle around the animals and got back on the trail. Jacob kept one eye on the predators as they walked, but they didn’t do anything—just watched the entire time. He decided to ignore them.

After a few minutes, Jacob and Akeno 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 Minyas floated above them, and Jacob’s spirits rose a notch. They were going to see people!

The city was small, and at one point might have been considered quaint. Everything was white. The buildings, the walks—even the dirt had a white appearance to it. 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 Akeno and Jacob 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.

He watched for buildings he’d recognize as a store or maybe a hotel. Most of the windows were boarded up. The buildings ranged in size from one story to two and sometimes three stories high, with the remains of the castle being the tallest. The road led toward the castle, which seemed to be situated on the shores of the lake.

Jacob looked around. “I say we first find a town center or a store. See if we can learn something about this city before looking for Gallus.”

Akeno agreed, and they continued following the road, which eventually widened and split, encircling a building that had a few people going in and out of it. It was only a short distance from the castle, and Jacob figured it was most likely the center of the city. Judging by the posters in the windows, it was a store of sorts.

“Are they humans?” he whispered, motioning to the people.

Akeno shaded his eyes from the morning sun. “Looks that way.”

“Let’s start with this place. Wouldn’t hurt.”

“As long as we don’t tell them why we’re here.”

“Of course not.” Jacob stopped and turned to the Minyas. “Would you be okay in my bag? I don’t want anyone to see you, but it would be better if we didn’t get separated right now, in case something bad happens.” He was surprised when the Minyas agreed, and he pulled his bag open, letting them fly in before shutting it.

Only a couple of people turned at the sound of the door opening. They were all human—at least, Jacob thought so. He saw shock register in their eyes as they looked at him and Akeno, and he wondered if they’d ever seen a Makalo before. A black man wearing an oily leather apron worked behind a counter.

“Your . . . Highness?” he asked.

Jacob turned to him and saw the look of recognition leave the man’s face.

“Er, no, I’m Jacob.”

“Oh, I’m sorry . . . please . . .” The man fumbled with a jar on the counter full of little brown squares that looked like caramel. “Would you like to try some Canush?”

“Um, no, thanks.”

“Are you sure? They are quite excellent.” The man popped one into his mouth, closing his eyes and grinning.

Jacob looked at Akeno.

“We have them too,” Akeno whispered. “Try one. They’re good.”

“You eat one, then,” Jacob replied.

The man opened his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Excuse me,” he said. “I’m sorry. Here, you can have one too.” He held the jar out to Akeno—who took one—then extended his arm to Jacob.

“What . . . exactly is it?”

The man flashed a smile, his teeth white in contrast to his dark skin. “A popular sweet here. It’s made from the roots of the Canush tree.”

Jacob looked into the jar. Not too scary, but he hated trying new foods. He hesitated a moment longer, then put one in his mouth, biting down on the corner. He was surprised when the entire thing dissolved as soon as he bit. A cool, sweet juice gushed over his tongue. He almost choked on the unexpected liquid, but it didn’t disagree with his taste buds, and he felt the corners of his mouth lifting.

“You like it, don’t you?” the man said. “Oh, I knew you would. It’s quite a popular treat here with the children. I mean, you aren’t a child, but I thought you would like it because you are still in your youth. Of course, I don’t mean to say that you are a boy, because you aren’t, but you are young still, and not quite a grown man—though you are a man already. I’m sorry, I’m—”

“No, you’re fine,” Jacob said, almost laughing, but remembering his manners just in time. “And yes, I do like it a lot.”

He looked around the store, noticing that people glanced away as he did. They must have been watching him try the candy. How awkward. The man put the jar back and waited, leaning on the counter with both hands.

“Sir, may I ask your name?”

“Of course, of course. It’s Seden. This is my shop.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Like I said, my name is Jacob, and this is Akeno, my friend.”

Seden studied Akeno, a thoughtful expression on his face, then addressed Jacob again. “What brings you to our city?”

Jacob rubbed his neck, his eyes flicking to Akeno’s. “We’re actually just passing through,” he said. Then, wanting to deflect further inquiries, he said, “Um . . . can I ask a question?”

“Certainly.”

“Why did you call me ‘Your Highness’ when we walked in?”

“Oh, well, because the last time a human was seen traveling with a Makalo, it was many years ago.” Seden turned to hand something to a customer before continuing. “He was a prince from a faraway kingdom. Dmitri was his name. He was a really extraordinary man who went through quite a lot during his short lifetime.” Seden looked wistfully at Jacob. “It has been a long time since we experienced true peace here. Dmitri would have been our king if the Lorkon hadn’t taken over.” He rubbed his forehead, then again scrutinized Akeno. “The Makalos are all but extinct, though there are rumors of a village not far from here.”

Akeno looked away, and Jacob worried about the attention Seden was giving him. “What kind of money do you use here in exchange for products?” he asked.

“We don’t. Our money system was completely destroyed when the Lorkon took over the city.”

Jacob exchanged a glance with Akeno. If the Lorkon were in control, would they be able to find Gallus and the journal?

“They’re in charge?”

Seden nodded. “Basically, but they got bored with us a year or so ago. They were searching for something and thought we were hiding it here, but when they didn’t find it, they gave up and no longer care what we do.”

Jacob relaxed at this news. “That’s good.”

Seden stooped to pick up a jar of grain from the floor. “Many of our loved ones were taken away during that period and never returned. We’ve tried several times to find them, but have only been met with a great deal of resistance and even death.” He set the jar on a shelf behind him. “We’re still in the process of fixing things around here. Mainly the government, but the city is much safer now.” He turned to Jacob, a slight frown on his face. “I’m surprised you don’t know this already. Where are you from?”

“East of here,” Jacob lied, and immediately felt guilty. He hated being dishonest.

This appeared to satisfy Seden, however, who excused himself to assist a customer. Jacob turned to look around the store, wondering if he could trust Seden enough to ask him about Gallus.

There was an array of odd-looking equipment Jacob assumed was for farming. There were also saddles, bridles, and other things for horse riding. Jacob’s thoughts drifted, thinking how much nicer the trip would be if they’d had horses. The switchbacks alone would have taken a lot less time. Then he remembered the bubbles and realized they would have had to leave the animals behind anyway.

He found a small stand displaying pretty necklaces and picked one out he thought his mom would like. Akeno made eye contact with him, motioning him to hurry. Jacob gave a small nod, but wanted to see if he could buy the necklace first.

He walked back to Seden. “If you don’t use money, how do you buy things?”

“We exchange for products. If you have nothing to exchange, you can work for what you need.”

“Okay, well, maybe next time.” Jacob had nothing to trade, and taking time to work off debt was out of the question. “It was nice to meet you.” He put the necklace back on the rack, then took a deep breath. Time to test out the water. “Do you know a man named Gallus?”

Seden froze, his eyes darting to Jacob. “Why? Where did you hear that name?”

Jacob bit the inside of his lip, deciding to take the more “commanding” route. “Never mind that. I was sent to meet with him. He’s been holding something for friends of mine.”

Seden stared at Jacob for several minutes before responding. “Gallus is practically family and if you’re out to do him wrong, I’ll make sure you regret it, I promise.”

Jacob held Seden’s intense gaze. “We definitely mean no harm to him—he is friends of people who are helping me.”

Seden hesitated, then, when he seemed sure of Jacob, he nodded. “You’ll find him in a small house with a painted red door next to the castle.”

Jacob thanked the man before leaving the store with Akeno. Once outside, he looked at Akeno and raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you talk?”

Akeno fidgeted with his bag. “I don’t know . . . I didn’t know what to say.”

Jacob ducked down a small alley before pulling open his knapsack to let the Minyas out. He grabbed a sack of beef jerky as well, offering some to Akeno. “Are you shy?”

“A little, I guess. It depends.”

Jacob took a bite of jerky. “All right, let’s go find Gallus.”

He walked back onto the street again and looked both ways. The castle wasn’t in sight at the moment, but if he remembered correctly, it was closer to the lake, which was to the left from Seden’s store. They walked in that direction.

The road they followed turned a few times, leading them far away from the store. It was lined with old, intricately designed flag poles. A few of the flags remained, and they must have been magnificent once. They were royal blue, with gold and silver designs.

“This street has to lead to the castle,” Jacob said.

“It does. See?”

Jacob looked ahead to where Akeno pointed. They were just coming around one of the bends in the road, and the remains of an impressive wall were now in sight. Jacob whistled. The wall was awe-inspiring—obviously designed more for show than anything, but still imposing.

The house with the painted-red door was easy to spot, and Jacob and Akeno approached with caution. They knocked, but no one was home.

Jacob glanced at Akeno. “Let’s hang out in the castle for a while then check back.”

Akeno shrugged. “All right.”

They walked over the crumbling bridge and past the wall. The courtyard was filled with flowering trees and was overgrown with ivy and bushes. Daisies pushed through the weeds and vines in clumps.

Most of the castle walls had crumbled, except for the one farthest from them. It was the tallest, with a turret and tower still attached, and was closest to the lake.

Even though the front wall was non-existent, the huge wooden doors stood intact. Jacob walked up to the door, pushing it open. “Looks like the castle is still trying to keep people out.”

“Wait. Let me see what’s around us.” Akeno walked to a tree, putting his left hand on it. He closed his eyes for a moment, a look of concentration on his face. “There’s nothing here. We should be safe to go in.”