Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (5 page)

“You are.” Brojan shrugged, then spoke over the resulting noise of disagreement. “But only with the best of intentions. Jacob, you’re a celebrity here. We’ve known of you since your birth and have watched you closely.”

“You have? That’s really creepy. Why? And how?”

“We have ways,” Brojan said. “Besides, you’re the only one who
can
get the Key, since we haven’t been able to leave this part of Eklaron for years—we can’t get more than several feet past the entrance.”

“Oh? How come?”

“As you’ll see, when the Lorkon came, they tore through the barrier. But they did something to the forest on the other side of the entrance—weird things happened to us the instant we stepped through the tunnel. Our minds were rendered useless, basically. Self-doubt and fearful memories from the past started surfacing. We think it’s because of our age, as it didn’t happen to the younger Makalos.”

Kenji leaned forward. “Our people believe in you—they feel hope when they see you. Didn’t you notice how excited they were?”

Brojan didn’t wait for Jacob’s response. “And don’t think we haven’t tried other ways to get the Key—we have. We tried to contact old alliances, but to no avail. Aldo—one of our friends—for example. He stayed back in Gevkan to guard the entrance to Taga. But neither Early nor September, our Minyas, could make contact with him, so he’s either sick, dead, or has been kidnapped. And we don’t want to send more Minyas because the last time we did, one of them perished. Anything could be out there.”

“And . . . if I agree? How am I not going to die?” Knowing Jacob’s luck, he would. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe they were asking him to do something so dangerous. “This sounds like a plan for failure.”

“Don’t underestimate your abilities,” Ebony said. “You are more powerful than you know, and the future of both our worlds depends on you.”

Jacob slumped in his chair. Their confidence in him was overwhelming. What would they do if he couldn’t get the Key? “How long would it take?”

“Not long—maybe four or five days,” Kenji said.

“I still can’t imagine that you guys wouldn’t be able to do it on your own. I’ve seen what you can do. Akeno knocks out Rogs, Kenji makes things bigger, and Ebony heals with sap.”

“But if we can’t even get past the forest?” Kenji asked. “There isn’t another way to travel—not without the Key.”

Jacob rubbed his eyes. What a nightmare this was becoming. “What about my family? How would I explain all this to them?”

“We had a couple of Minyas give Matt instructions to let your parents know where you are as soon as they call in to check on you. And he’s pretty capable with your sister, isn’t he?”

“Yes . . .”

“And school doesn’t start for another two weeks—this is the best time for you to go, isn’t it?”

“I guess. But this could mean the end of my NBA career—you know that, right?”

Kenji sighed. “We understand you’re making sacrifices. We know this won’t be easy for you.”

“Yeah, it . . . it won’t be.” Jacob pushed his chair away from the table. “I need to . . . I need to think things over.”

“We’ll be here when you return.”

Jacob left Brojan’s house and turned left, skipping the path altogether. He went around the houses until he reached the ledge, then leaned against a stone wall and looked down at the meadow and the big tree with the door.

A gentle breeze swept his hair off his forehead, and a faint smell of spice lingered in the air, mingled with the mountain freshness. The sun was about to set and Jacob closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth on his face.

He was so confused—there were too many new things to think about, too many new ideas. What if he really did have magical abilities? Impossible. He wasn’t Harry Potter.

He ran his hand through his hair, then smiled, momentarily distracted. Matt was always getting on his case about playing with his hair. “
Chicks don’t dig guys with hair that stands up on end. They prefer perfectly messy hair—gelled, you know—like mine
.” It seemed like forever since Jacob had last seen his brother, and he wondered how Matt and Amberly were doing back home.

There was no way he could get the Key—regardless of what the Makalos thought or said. They would quickly discover how badly they’d misplaced their trust, how he didn’t have any magical abilities. The only power he had was in basketball. He’d been playing for as long as he could remember—since he’d learned to walk. And he didn’t want to miss the opportunities that had come his way because of years of dedication and practice.

He left the ledge, heading toward the rope ladder and the path back home. The Makalos would have to find another way to get the Key.

Chapter 4. Maple Syrup

Our journey has finally begun, after a week of preparation. It was with much trepidation that I bade farewell to King Roylance and Queen Ara Liese. Neither of them is in good health, and with the stress of their daughter’s kidnapping, is it any wonder?

I’ve been trying to get in contact with the Makalo Patriarch. It would be wise to have his opinion on the situation. I hope he will help us.

Jacob had nearly made it to the tree when Akeno caught up with him, hand on his top hat to keep it from falling as he ran.

“You didn’t come back. They were worried—sent me to check on you.”

“Yeah, I’m heading home. Let them know I’m not going, and tell them I said good luck.”

Akeno stopped walking, then hurried to catch up. He met Jacob’s pace, glancing sidelong at him. Jacob ignored him. He wasn’t about to let the Makalo convince him to stay.

“Well . . . I’ll come with you.”

Jacob looked at him in surprise, but continued on. If that’s what Akeno wanted, that was okay. The Makalo would have to explain to Jacob’s family why he was there—some random alien in their town. That would definitely make the news.

They entered the forest, walking in silence for a while. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as Jacob had expected it to be—Akeno didn’t act disappointed or disapproving.

After some time, Jacob groaned in frustration. “I don’t understand why
I’m
the one they chose to go. I mean, Matt’s older, stronger, and he always knows what to do. So, why me?” He hesitated, but Akeno didn’t say anything. “I mean, this isn’t even my planet. And it’s not my problem. I’m not the one who lost the Key, and I’m not the one who thinks it should be protected. And I
don’t
have magical abilities!”

Jacob paused to think. “Besides, I’ve got my own things to deal with. I was supposed to try out for varsity today. And I know I would’ve made it. I’m actually really good at basketball. If it weren’t for those . . . those stupid wolves . . .” He let out a long breath. “Oh, forget it. It doesn’t even matter.”

Another silence. Jacob guessed they were about halfway through the forest. Akeno stopped, and Jacob slowed to see why.

“Hold on a second,” Akeno said. He plucked a couple leaves and sat on the ground. Rummaging through a bag strapped across his chest, he pulled out a tape dispenser and started taping the leaves to his shoes.

Jacob’s eyebrows went up as high as they could. “Tape?”

“It keeps the leaves on my shoes, and the leaves keep the dust off me. I use my Rezend—which is our form of magic—and as long as the leaves are fresh, they do what I ask them to do.”

“But . . . where did you get tape?”

Akeno glanced up. “From the humans. They gave me a lot of it last time they were here, along with a ton of books—I love reading books from your world.”

“Humans? What humans?” For some reason, Jacob had assumed he was the first human to step foot on this world. The fact that there had been others caught him off guard. Were they like him? Did
they
have special abilities? And why did Akeno care if some dust got on him?

“Oh, they didn’t tell you? Humans used to live in the tree. That’s why it’s human-sized.”

“What? Where’d they go?”

“They moved. They used to visit, but it’s been a long time—several years, in fact. We still keep in contact with them through the Minyas.”

“Oh, yeah, Minyas. You guys sent them to tell Matt where I was, right?”

Akeno taped the last leaf to his shoe, put the tape dispenser back in his bag, and got to his feet. “Yeah. It took them a while to convince Matt that they were real, living things. And even longer for him to believe you were safe.”

Jacob turned, but Akeno grabbed his arm.

“What?” Jacob said in irritation, facing Akeno again.

“The wolves.” Akeno gestured with his other hand. “I should’ve made sure they weren’t here before we entered the forest.”

Jacob looked ahead and froze. The two black wolves were sitting on their haunches about twenty feet away, just staring at them. There was a rustling sound on either side of them, and at least ten more wolves—the smaller, gray kind—appeared, stepping forward to form a semi-circle around the boys.

“What’s going on?” Jacob whispered.

“I don’t know.” Akeno’s low voice had taken on a high pitch.

Jacob didn’t blame him. He was so scared he could barely breathe. “What do we do?”

Akeno shook his head. His whole body was shaking.

Jacob stared back at the wolves, unflinching, waiting to see what they would do. Nothing happened. Why weren’t they attacking?

“Should I knock them out?” Akeno asked.

“No—don’t. They’re not doing anything.”

“Maybe we could go around?”

Jacob shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to step any closer. “You think we should?”

“No . . . but what else is there?”

Jacob’s emotions were conflicted. Fear—that was the strongest. The night before had been horrendous. He hadn’t been that afraid in a long time—if ever. But he also wanted to go home—desperately
needed
to go home. He wanted to play basketball, yes, but more than that, he just wanted the comfort of his house and family. He wanted the last twenty-four hours to be erased—rewound, if possible. He wanted to be normal. He wanted to forget all about this other world.

Jacob took a deep breath. Go around. That’s what they should do. He took a step to the right. Nothing happened.

His heart was racing, and he willed it to calm down. What were the animals doing? It seemed unnatural for them to sit so quietly. Then he remembered Kenji saying that the Lorkon had sent the wolves to get Jacob. Was it possible that’s what they were trying to do? And they wouldn’t let him pass? That didn’t work for him—he had to get home, and no “otherworldly” creature was going to stop him.

He cautiously took another step, trying to make a wide arc around the wolf formation. Akeno stayed close, only moving when Jacob did. A low grumble came from one of the wolves, but still, none of them moved.

“Maybe they’ll let us pass.” Jacob doubted it, but hoped that saying so would make the Makalo feel better.

He took another step. This time, one of the black wolves growled and jumped to its feet. Jacob nearly fell as his knees went weak in fear, and Akeno jumped. It took a moment for Jacob to realize what was going on. The wolf stood, pointing its muzzle toward Taga. The message was clear:
go back
. Jacob’s heart pounded so hard he felt he would have a heart attack.

“What are they doing?” Akeno asked.

“Stopping me from going home.”

Akeno took a deep breath. “They can’t stop you. They can’t force you to do anything.”

“So . . . what do they want you to do?” came a voice from behind. Jacob whirled, half expecting a ghost or Lorkon or something to be standing there. It was only two Makalos—a shorter one, and one with lots of facial hair.

“Don’t
do
that!” Jacob hissed. “You scared the heck out of me!”

The hairier Makalo grimaced. “Sorry. We . . . uh . . . heard your voices and came to investigate.”

“Jaegar, aren’t you supposed to be home with Mother?” Akeno asked.

The shorter Makalo looked away. “Yeah, well, I . . .” He cleared his throat. “What’re the wolves doing?”

Jacob looked at the animals. “Trying to keep me from going home, I’m guessing. They want me to turn back.”

As if in response, the other black wolf jumped to its feet and stepped forward to join the first. Jacob held his breath, waiting to see if they would attack. They didn’t.

“You don’t want to go back to Taga?” asked the hairy Makalo—or Butch, as Jacob decided to call him. “Then don’t. How are they going to stop you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Kill me, maybe?”

A concerned expression crossed Jaegar’s face. “We won’t let them kill you. You’re too important to everyone here.”

“Okay, well, it’s probably better if I go on alone.” Jacob nodded to Akeno. “Thanks for trying to come with me. Maybe I’ll see you around.” Hopefully, the wolves wouldn’t touch him.

He took one full step away from the Makalos and toward the wolves. They responded by growling and shuffling closer together as if to form a wall. It felt like they were pushing him back. Well, he wasn’t about to let that happen.

He breathed deeply, then took a few strides forward, almost a jog, but came to an abrupt stop as the two black wolves leaped in front of him, blocking his path. All of the gray wolves rushed at the Makalos. Jacob whirled in time to see some of them chase Butch up a tree. Others charged at Jaegar, who spun around, trying to shield himself with his hands. Jacob sprinted toward them, but it was too late—Jaegar was already pinned to the ground, with two wolves on top of him, barking and slashing with their teeth and paws.