Eyes of the Sun (23 page)

Early kept Jacob company while he messed around with his hand-held video games in his room. He wasn’t quite ready to start Time-Seeing. His focus was still off and he was mentally exhausted after the events of the day. Leaning against his window frame, video games forgotten, he continued watching the activities in the forest and tried not to replay in his mind the gruesome scenes that he’d witnessed earlier.

After nearly twenty minutes, he realized there was just too much commotion and he’d never be able to concentrate enough to Time-See. Frustrated, he left the window, strode downstairs, and went through the link back to Taga Village. Since nearly everyone was leaving the village, he should be able to find peace there.

The meadow and tree were bustling with activity, so Jacob veered left, following the trail that led to the gardens, Azuriah’s fortress, and Aldo’s cabin.

He walked past those buildings and entered the forest. Rogs and other large creatures wouldn’t be a problem—they’d since moved on to other areas of the mountains. Jacob found a huge tree that had fallen some time ago and sat on it, closing his eyes.

So much had happened that day. He pushed past the things he’d witnessed and cleared his mind. He opened his eyes to Time-See, and nearly fell off the log in surprise.

Onaly stood in front of him.

“Oh, oops. Sorry to frighten you.”

Jacob scowled. “Did you follow me? And aren’t you supposed to be studying with Tani right now? I need to be alone. I have to get—”

Onaly held up her hands. “Okay, okay. I won’t disturb you.” She sat down several feet away from him on the log.

Jacob glared at the trees ahead of them. “Look, I’m not going to be able to concentrate with you here.” And he wouldn’t—she’d made it obvious she was interested in him, and staring at him while he was miles away in his head would make things really awkward.

Onaly scooted closer. “Then don’t worry about that right now.” She put her hand on the log between them. “What exactly are you trying to do, anyway?”

“I have to figure out where Queen Ara Liese ended up.”

“Why do
you
have to do it?”

She again scooted closer—now she was only a foot away. Her hand still rested between them, and Jacob knew she wanted him to hold it. He got goose bumps, thinking about that, but pushed the thought away. She was cute, yes, but . . . he didn’t want . . . he shouldn’t . . .

He swallowed, feeling sweat drip down his back. His parents had told him he was too young to have a girlfriend, and he didn’t want to disappoint them.

Onaly put her hand on his arm and tried to turn him to look at her. “My mom said you’re a hard worker, that you’re a good person.”

She was trying to distract him and he knew it.

Jacob pulled his arm away, then jumped down from the log. “Onaly . . .” How should he say it?

She pouted. “Don’t, Jacob. Don’t.”

“I’m in no position to get serious with a girl right now. There’s way too much for me to—”

“I’ve seen you watching Aloren. What’s she to you? Do you think she’s actually
better
than me?”

Jacob immediately thought of at least five things Aloren had going for her that Onaly didn’t. The biggest was how well he knew Aloren compared to Onaly. For all he knew, Onaly had been Ridgewood’s biggest flirt. Judging by her actions now, that wouldn’t surprise him.

He took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter who the girl is. We’re about to have a huge war, and if I lose focus, we all could die.”

Onaly scoffed. “If
you
lose focus? Why are
you
so important?”

Jacob stiffened. She’d struck a nerve—her question was something he himself had been considering for a long time. And suddenly, the answer popped into his head. “I’m the only living person who can touch the Lorkon without becoming infected with a horrible disease. I’m part Shiengol, and I’ve got Makalo Rezend in me. Onaly, I really
am
the only one who can get rid of the Lorkon in the end. I won’t be able to do a whole lot of fighting, but it has to be me who administers that antidote.”

She lowered her eyes. “So you’re serious. You don’t want to be around me.”

Jacob raised his hand, about to put it on her arm, but then thought better and dropped it. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you—it’s that I can’t be romantically involved with you. Or anyone else.” The moment those words left his mouth, he knew they were true. He had to stop wanting to be with Aloren. He needed to believe what he’d just told Onaly—his focus was that important. He
couldn’t
lose it. Too much rested on his shoulders. And while he wouldn’t have to battle the Lorkon on his own, his involvement in the process was crucial.

Onaly took a deep breath, then expelled it. “I won’t give up, you know.” She rushed to go on when Jacob started arguing. “But I
will
back off. Give you space.”

Then she turned and ran from him. He felt his heart beat oddly—should he go after her? Comfort her? How upset was she really?

Deciding her departure was for the best, he returned back to the log, determined to focus.

Concentration didn’t come, though. His stomach growled, and he realized it had been hours since he’d last eaten. He groaned in frustration and got down, then made his way back to the village, hoping he wouldn’t run into Onaly.

Instead, he was approached by a man and a woman. It took Jacob a moment to remember who the man was, but the second a ridiculous grin spread across his face, Jacob was able to place him. It was Trunt—one of the people rescued from Maivoryl City.

Trunt bounced forward and shook Jacob’s hand. “Jacob—I mean, Your Highness—we were looking for you.”

“Or your father,” the woman said, putting her hand on Trunt’s arm. They looked into each other’s eyes with adoration, and Jacob really didn’t want to be there with them at that moment.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

“Well, first, Veese here and I would like to get married,” Trunt said. He pulled her close. “As is custom in Gevkan—or was, before we were stuck in Maivoryl City—”

“We had planned to get married before the Lorkon took over,” Veese interjected. “But we didn’t have the opportunity to make things legal with the king.”

Trunt nodded, his hair flapping back and forth in his exuberance. “Before, the king had to approve all marriages.”

Jacob almost rolled his eyes. That sounded like a ton of busywork. Why would the king enact such a stupid law?

“And second,” Trunt said, “we’d like to vouch for Myler’s character, along with giving you information about him you’ll want.”

Jacob bit the inside of his lip before responding. “You don’t need to tell me he’s a good man—I already know it. It’s everyone else who hasn’t been convinced yet.”

Veese raised her eyebrows. “Even after everything that happened today?”

Jacob shrugged. “They’re stubborn. All of them.”

Trunt and Veese followed as Jacob walked back to the tree and the open link to his house.

“We knew him and his beloved very well,” Trunt said. “The four of us spent a lot of time together.”

Jacob looked at Trunt, not sure if he believed the man. “Myler? Spent time with . . .
you
?” He raised his hands, rushing on. “Don’t get me wrong, but he’s really, really grouchy. And you’re very . . . well, happy.”

Trunt laughed. “He wasn’t always this way.” The smile left his face. “Regardless of how off he seems now, he’d never do anything to harm his beloved kingdom.” Trunt took a deep breath. “He was a guard in the castle. His brothers were, too—all of them.”

Veese motioned for Jacob to step away from the link. “What we need to tell you is important.”

Jacob hesitated. Was it more important than figuring out where his grandmother had gone? Pushing aside his concerns, he followed them to the other side of the meadow, his full attention on them. “All right. I’m listening.”

Trunt half smiled, showing his appreciation. “Myler’s family has always been very supportive of the kingdom—more so than anyone else I’d ever known. All five sons served in the guard, as did their father. Naturally, their mother worked in the castle as well. You’d never find a more loyal family.”

Veese nodded. “They only had one sister, and she was my friend. She talked all the time about Arien and Ara Liese—always speaking highly of them.”

Trunt continued. “Watching his fiancée get killed by the Lorkon wasn’t the only thing that upset Myler, you know.” He hesitated for a moment. “He was betrayed by one of the Lorkon.”

That got Jacob’s attention. “Betrayed? How?”

“You know who each of the Lorkon are, correct?”

“Yes—Keitus is my grandfather. Two of them are my uncles, and the fourth . . .” Jacob stopped, then shook his head. “We actually never figured out who he was.”

Trunt met eyes with Veese. “You don’t have to wonder anymore—we know. His name is Ferron. He was a member of the royal guard, assigned to protect Dmitri and Arien. Your father will remember him, I’m sure. He was the one who kidnapped Arien, in fact.”

“Wow,” Jacob said. “Thanks for telling me. I know it’ll help my parents a lot.”

“But that’s not all,” Trunt said. “Ferron is also Myler’s oldest brother. They were best friends growing up. In fact, he was the one who introduced Myler to his beloved.”

Veese grabbed Trunt’s hand, holding it tightly. “And it was his brother who killed Myler’s fiancée in the end. He was the one who performed tests on the poor girl.”

Jacob’s mouth popped open. “You’re serious? Oh, my gosh. That’s awful!” He couldn’t believe it. Being betrayed by your brother was bad enough, but when he’s also your best friend? Then watching that brother turn into a disgusting, evil creature, and, in the end, kill your fiancée? “No wonder he’s so angry.”

Trunt nodded. “We need to figure out a way to protect him. To help him find peace without getting himself killed in his quest for revenge.”

“No kidding.” Jacob scratched his neck. “Seriously—thanks again. I’ll go talk to my parents now.”

“Thank
you
for listening,” Veese said.

Jacob shook Trunt’s hand. “Oh, and I’ll also have my dad look into getting you two married.”

The couple smiled at each other and Jacob turned and jogged across the meadow, back to the link.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. So much to think about! And this new information—it wasn’t something he felt comfortable holding inside until things calmed down. Mom and Dad needed to know what had happened as soon as he could find them.

The moment he was in his house again, he searched for them. They were in the study, talking. Rather than waiting for them to end their conversation, he burst through the door.

“I know who the fourth Lorkon is,” he said.

Mom and Dad looked up in surprise.

“Who?” Dad asked.

“His name is Ferron, and he was a guard in the castle.”

A shadow crossed over Dad’s face. “Ferron wasn’t just any guard—he was
my
guard. I can’t believe this.” He looked at Jacob. “Are you sure? How did you come across this information?”

“Trunt—the super-happy, really obnoxious guy—told me. Apparently, Ferron is Myler’s older brother. And not only that, but Ferron killed Myler’s fiancée.”

Mom gasped, her hand at her mouth. “That’s awful!”

“Yeah, I know,” Jacob said. “Trunt and his fiance, Veese—who, by the way, want to get married as soon as possible—say we need to find a way to protect Myler from getting himself killed. He’s going to do everything possible to get back at his brother.”

Dad nodded. “Yes, I agree. It’s good to know why he acts the way he does. Anyone would.”

“But how do we stop him from doing something stupid?” Mom asked.

Dad sighed. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to. He survived crossing the Argots somehow. He’s proving to have quite a bit of tenacity. If we can’t keep him contained, even when he’s surrounded by deadly creatures, we won’t be able to protect him from his desire for revenge.”

“But we have to try,” Jacob said.

“Of course we do.” Dad rubbed his face. “Goodness. At least we know the story behind all the Lorkon now.” He looked at Jacob. “Speaking of knowing someone’s story, have you figured out where Ara Liese went yet?”

Jacob shook his head. “I got distracted. There’s too much going on. And I’m hungry.”

Mom got up and put her arms around Jacob. “Well, let’s find you some food, then help you relax. I bet a game of basketball would do it.”

Jacob sat on his bed with his back against the wall and a bowl of his mom’s white chicken chili next to him. She’d been right—all he needed was a little fun. Kevin, Matt, Aldo, and Dad had joined him in a quick game of basketball, and now he was ready to get to work.

He started by going back to the time when Dmitri had left to rescue Arien, and when one of the Lorkon—probably Ferron—had infiltrated the castle. Queen Ara Liese had been very sick, and King Roylance had already passed away.

Jacob watched as Ferron sneaked through the halls, stationing his own guards here and there. He slipped into the queen’s room and killed all the nurses before she even knew he was there. She stirred in the bed, her eyes opening and then closing, too sick to do anything. The Lorkon approached her, then slowly, carefully, gathered her up in her blankets and carried her from the room. Using the servants’ stairs and hallways, he took her to the basement.