Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (27 page)

The tunnel turned several more times—Jacob lost count of how many. He closed his eyes, realizing he didn’t need them open anyway. “Hey, wait,” he said. “Akeno, let’s see if your finger will light up the tunnel.”

The walls were immediately swathed in the eerie blue light. Jacob yelled at what he saw, jumping backward into Aloren. “Turn it off! Turn it off!” he shrieked, squeezing his eyes shut, willing the images that had filled the view in front of him to leave. He couldn’t get his mind to clear, though. Hundreds and hundreds of faces, bodies, embedded in the walls of the tunnel. Fingers reaching forward, eyes unseeing, staring into nothing.

“What happened?” Aloren gasped.

“What’s going on?” Akeno said. “I can’t see anything!”

“Please, Akeno, turn it off!” Jacob said. Through his closed eyelids, he saw the blue light fade out. He remained motionless, trying to calm his heart. Those couldn’t have been real people. They couldn’t have. He realized his hand was still on the wall and he jerked it off, wiping it on his pants. Wiping didn’t take away the feeling of filth that remained. He wiped harder, groaning in frustration.

“Jacob?” Aloren said, her voice pleading. “Please . . . tell us what you saw.”

Jacob furrowed his brow. “No, no, it was nothing,” he said. “Nothing.” He couldn’t seem to take in enough air—even it felt grimy now.

“Keep going, keep going,” Akeno said, his voice sounding higher than usual.

Jacob braced himself. “Okay.” He used his feet to guide him instead of his hand, touching the wall as little as possible and cringing every time he brushed against it. They didn’t make much progress this way, but he’d never touch the wall again if he could help it.

Jacob became aware that Aloren was holding his hand too tightly. “Aloren? I can’t feel my fingers.”

“Sorry.” Aloren loosened her grip, but it wasn’t long before she held on just as tight again.

Jacob still hadn’t opened his eyes, and the muscles in his face were getting tired of squeezing them shut. He refused to open them, though, preferring darkness and muscle cramps to the alternative.

Aloren pulled in a ragged breath of air. “How . . . much farther?”

“Don’t know,” Jacob said, concentrating on not letting his emotions flow into his words. “I hope not much.” He wouldn’t be able to take any more of this if it didn’t end soon. He couldn’t believe he’d actually been touching faces and hands . . . people. He wasn’t sure if they were dead or trapped in the wall alive—he didn’t know how to tell if they were breathing. He hoped they were alive and could be helped eventually. But finding out about the people that way had been awful.

After what felt like an eternity, a slight gust of wind brushed his face. He peeked through his eyelids, bracing himself for whatever had caused the air to move. A small shaft of light crossed the ground several feet ahead of them. Relief coursed through him as he realized what it meant. “I think we’re almost at the end of the tunnel,” he whispered. “No one talk until I make sure we’re safe.”

Aloren squeezed his hand, showing him she understood. After two more turns, the tunnel was lit well enough for Jacob to walk forward without using his feet to guide himself. He tried not to look at the walls, but couldn’t help it. They were made completely of stone again. Oh, good.

Right before what he thought was the last turn, he stopped. There was something familiar about the light that flowed into the tunnel. He inched forward, paused, pressed up against the wall, then peered around the corner.

Chapter 16. Deformities and Eerie Lights

“Not again,” Jacob groaned.

The light was muted, the trees dark and shriveled.

“What is it?” Aloren whispered.

“The trees look the same here as they did in the infected forest.” Jacob surveyed the scene before leading them out of the tunnel. The air was heavy and dark, the sunlight barely visible, making it appear to be almost nighttime. “Are you still holding on to Akeno?”

“Yes, he’s here.”

“Grab on tight, just in case.”

After making sure no one waited for them in the trees, Jacob guided Akeno and Aloren out of the tunnel. The trees were so thick that getting through them would be next to impossible. There wasn’t a path, and the forest came right up next to the wall. Rock outcroppings were everywhere.

“Can you guys see yet?”

Aloren took several deep breaths. “Yes,” she said. “Why is it so dark?”

“I’m not sure. It wasn’t exactly like this in the infected forest.” Jacob turned to look at his friends. “Akeno, can you see?”

The Makalo didn’t answer for several seconds. “Yeah, I can,” he said finally.

“What’s the matter?” Jacob did his best to sound casual—hopefully Akeno was just being cautious.

“I’m waiting to see how I’ll handle this.”

“And?” Jacob mentally crossed his fingers. If Akeno flipped out here, it’d be nearly impossible to keep the group safe. The trees looked worse than the last forest—they were shorter, more gnarled, and because they grew so closely together, they almost appeared to be one huge, squat tree. With boulders everywhere, it would be dangerous enough without the Makalo running off.

Akeno slowly shook his head. “I can feel negative emotions, but they’re nowhere near as strong as before. I think I’ll be fine. Maybe the potion helped.”

“This place gives me the heebie-jeebies, so if you guys can see well enough, let’s keep moving,” Jacob said. “There isn’t a trail here, but I’ll bet if we stick close to the wall, we’ll come across some kind of path eventually.”

“We’ll follow you,” Aloren said.

Jacob looked down at her hand, still clutching his. “But I might need to use both my hands,” he said, almost wishing that wasn’t the case.

“Oh, sorry.” Aloren pulled away.

Jacob smiled, then opened his knapsack to talk to September and Early, noticing he still had Aloren’s bag around his neck. He decided not to give it back to her yet, though. The going would be hard enough.

“Are you guys okay to stay in there for a while?”

“Yes, we’re fine,” Early said. “Lots to do.”

“Good. It would be really, really bad if we got separated right now. You wouldn’t be able to get out of this place.”

The ground was rough and just as bad as he’d expected it to be. At least the trees weren’t as violent here as the ones in the infected forest. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the group was trying to go around the trees, not between. Jacob was quick to note, however, that anytime he brushed up against a tree, he received a swift reminder to stay away. But it was pretty difficult not to touch them, and after just a few minutes of climbing over rocks and clinging to the wall, he felt thrashed.

After half an hour of climbing, jumping down, crawling through, stepping over, and hiking up, they got to a place where the ground evened out and the dirt road appeared up ahead.

“There’s the trail!” Aloren said.

“I really wish I could use my Rezend to see what’s out there,” Akeno said.

Jacob nodded. “You could try it if you want to, but I doubt the trees will let you touch them.”

“I’ll leave Rezend as a last resort for now.”

The group followed the trail west and away from the wall. It led deeper into the forest, which was now the only thing that appeared to separate them from the castle. Jacob felt a small tightening sensation in his chest. He did his best not to imagine the possibilities the day might hold for them, opting instead to concentrate on each step he took.

The group neared a large tree with oddly shaped branches growing wild at the bottom, then coming to a point at the top. It stood out from the other trees—being several feet taller, and having lighter-colored bark. There was a spot where the branches parted, leaving what looked somewhat like an open-ended box.

“Is this a Kaith tree?” Jacob asked. “Dmitri mentioned one where he found a note from Aldo.”

“Yes, it is,” Akeno said. “Long ago, the people of this kingdom would leave things here for passing travelers. They’d put spells on the tree so only those who were meant to take the things would be able to get them. If I remember correctly, there used to be several similar trees throughout our land for this purpose. This is supposed to be the only one left—the rest died or were destroyed.”

Shortly after passing the Kaith tree, they came to a fork in the road. There was a sign with the words “Maivoryl City” etched into it, pointing to the right. Jacob assumed the left branch led to the castle. His heartbeat sped up, and he had to consciously change his thought process to keep from freaking out. He looked at Aloren. “Isn’t this where your brother should be?”

Aloren peered down the road, then started fixing her hair. “Yes, that’s the theory.”

Jacob hesitated, trying to decide what to do. “Maybe Akeno and I should go with you into the city . . . at least to help you get started.”

“That would be nice—I’d enjoy the company. Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with your own plans.”

“We’ll stay with you until we’re sure things are okay. If it doesn’t look right, I’d feel better if you came with us to the castle.”

Aloren agreed and they started down the road to Maivoryl City.

The trees grew thickly on either side, and it seemed as though they were reaching toward Jacob. He looked at them, but could see no movement. The thick, greenish air, the trees, the eerie quiet—he almost couldn’t take it. It made him feel he was suffocating.

After a few turns in the trail, buildings came into view, and Jacob kept his eyes on them as the group continued. With the light of the sun barely visible, the city felt dark and ominous. Most of the buildings were boarded up, but had muted light coming from inside. It wasn’t natural light, but a sickly mustard-green color. The feeling that came from the city wasn’t welcoming, and the air was now so heavy, Jacob felt a constant need to clear his throat.

As they passed the first house, Jacob saw a face press up against one of the windows. It disappeared, but then came back, accompanied by another. A moment later, the door opened a crack, and an old, withered hand appeared, reaching toward Jacob and his friends.

He almost stopped walking when he saw the tired-looking woman kneeling at the door. She had gray hair that was pulled into a loose bun. “Please, please help us,” she wheezed, her light-colored eyes begging.

Aloren looked at Jacob, a troubled expression on her face.

“I really don’t feel good about this place,” Jacob whispered. “I don’t think we should go near anyone.”

As soon as he’d said this, the woman’s expression turned to one of such hatred that Aloren gasped and stepped into Jacob, nearly knocking him over. She grabbed his arm, holding on to it tightly.

The woman’s eyes turned black and empty, glaring at them. “Yes, that’s right, children,” she said. “Keep walking away if it makes you feel better. You rats.” She moved forward into the muted light. “But I wouldn’t go that way if I were you.”

Suddenly her eyes changed from black to bright, fire red. She reached out, palm down, and flames shot from her hand, surrounded by black smoke. Her hair started growing, turning dark and pouring down her back.

Whoa—Jacob took a step back. Where had that come from?

The fire didn’t reach very far, though, and her hair stopped growing as quickly as it had started. The woman jerked forward in a coughing fit, curling up into a ball, her hair shrinking back to the bun and going white again. She shut her eyes and turned her face away from them.

“Please help us.” The whisper carried through the still air, the voice pitiful.

Jacob shook his head to get the sound of her voice out of his ears. He pulled Akeno and Aloren close to him, walking down the center of the winding road. He did his best to ignore the disfigured faces that watched them from almost every window. “Uh, Aloren, where do you want us to take you?” he said, trying to distract himself.

“I’m not sure,” Aloren said. “The town center? If there is one.”

A few moments later, the road opened into a large area with a building in the middle. Jacob paused to scrutinize it. The windows weren’t boarded up, and the light that came from inside was warm and welcoming. It was more likely than any of the other buildings to be a town hall. He still hesitated, though, wanting to be sure it was safe. He took a breath, then began to inch forward, step by step. Aloren and Akeno stayed close to his side and he kept his eyes open, watching for any sign of potential danger.

They were almost to the porch when the front door opened, and a man stepped out carrying a rug. He was large, wearing a white shirt and a blue apron, and had a mustache that covered at least half his face. He shook the rug out, then noticed them and jumped, dropping the rug and putting his hand on his chest. “Oh, you startled me!” he said, laughing.

Jacob noted the twinkle in his eyes.

“Can I help you?” the man asked.

“You might,” Aloren said.

The man gave her a friendly smile. “I might?” He laughed. “Well, let’s hear what you have to say, and we’ll see if I can.”

“I’m looking for my brother.”

“And who is your brother?”

“His name is Devlin.”

“You believe you might find him in Maivoryl City?” The man stroked one side of his mustache. “Hmmm. You do know that no one has come or gone from this city in many years, right?”

“Yes, I know,” Aloren said. “But he hasn’t been seen for a very long time, and I’ve searched everywhere for him—except this city.”

“Have you considered that he might be dead?”

Aloren faltered, but then a determined expression came into her eyes. “Yes, I have. But I don’t think he is.”

The man smiled again and picked up the rug. “How can you be sure?”

“I can’t explain it. I just know. I want to search the city, but I’m not sure where to start, or how.”

A young woman came to the door and stood behind the man, her arms folded. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he brought her forward. “My name is Eachan,” he said. “This is my eldest, Duana.”

Duana’s features relaxed, and she smiled at Aloren, who returned the smile.

Hope was starting to come into her eyes. “My name is Aloren, and these are my friends, Jacob and Akeno.”