Waking up, Jacob could tell it was not going to be a good day. He was exhausted and sore from trying to stay away from the wettest parts of the ground throughout the night.
He rolled over and saw that Akeno had already left the hut. Stretching out on his back, he lay for a few more minutes, reluctant to stand and discover how many kinks he had in his muscles. Finally, he stood. “Come on, Jacob,” he said. “Be cheerful.” It didn’t make him feel any better.
He poked his head out of the makeshift tent. The sunlight was muted because of the thick clouds overhead. A flash of light signaled a thunderstorm.
A smile crept across his face. He’d always loved thunderstorms. If he was going to be wet all day, at least it would be for a good reason. He pulled himself the rest of the way out of the brambles.
Spotting leftovers from breakfast near the fire pit, Jacob grabbed some food and munched, listening to the rumble of distant thunder.
Akeno and Aloren were down the hill, hiding under the trees at the edge of the forest. Jacob made his way to them, curious why they were staring up at the clouds.
“Uh, good morning?”
Aloren gave a brief smile, but didn’t look at him. Akeno didn’t acknowledge his presence at all.
“Why are the clouds so interesting?”
“We’re looking for Lirone,” Aloren said.
“Um . . . right,” Jacob said. “Lirone. Of course.” He turned to watch the clouds. Nothing happened. “Who’s Lirone?”
“Did you see that?” Akeno asked, pointing at a spot over the lake.
“Yes, I did,” Aloren said.
“Is it really him?”
“It’s been like this before when he’s shown up, so I wouldn’t doubt it.”
Jacob grunted in exasperation, then hiked back to camp to eat more breakfast. Akeno and Aloren were still watching the skies when he finished, so he put away the few dishes. He tried to force the branches of the huts to go back to where they’d been before, but they wouldn’t budge. Walking down the hill, he stood next to Akeno again. “Hey, I can’t put back the bushes without your help.”
Still no answer. Jacob growled in exasperation. “Where are the Minyas?”
“We might not be going anywhere,” Akeno said.
“We have to leave,” Aloren said. “Those huts won’t protect us from Lirone. We need to make sure it really is him, and then get to the caves in the Dunsany Mountains as quickly as we can.”
“Dunsany Mountains?” Jacob asked.
“Yes. The caves will provide us with protection. They’re dangerous themselves—if you’re not careful and go too deep into them, you’ll never find your way out of the mountain—but they’re the only place where we might find safety from him.”
“How do your people survive?” Akeno asked.
“He very rarely goes anywhere but north and south. He’s been near my city a couple of times, and I’ve only heard of him going west once. The Lorkon got upset with him for doing that, and it hasn’t happened since.”
“What on earth are we talking about?” Jacob folded his arms.
“How could a Lorkon possibly stand against Lirone?” Akeno said.
“You’d be surprised, actually. The rumor is that the Lorkon brought him to guard their city.”
“All right,” Akeno said, turning. “I’ll go put the bushes back. At least we can be prepared for him if he does come.”
Aloren turned as well. “And I’m going to see if I can climb a little higher through the trees. Maybe I’ll be able to see better from up there.”
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
They ignored him, both running up the hillside—Akeno to the campsite, and Aloren farther through the trees. Jacob stood where he was, glaring at their receding figures. Finally, he decided to find the Minyas instead. He turned and scanned the forest for them.
Weird pock marks dotted the mountain. It was almost as if a war had occurred there, and Jacob wondered if the holes were from the war with the Lorkon. Hadn’t that happened years ago, though? Shouldn’t the marks have leveled by now—from rain and the passage of time? Or maybe there was some weird animal that roamed the countryside, digging random holes everywhere.
Aloren emerged from the trees high above him, and he waved at her. She was staring up at the clouds, though, and didn’t see his hand. He felt tension in the air, but didn’t know where it was coming from, or why.
Jacob caught a slight movement from the corner of his eye, and turned to face south. The waves on the lake were much bigger than they’d been earlier, as if there was a huge windstorm. No wind was blowing past him, though.
The clouds rolled grotesquely—forming weird, twisted shapes—and were a brown, almost gray-green color. Jacob turned and yelled back to camp, wanting to know what was wrong with the clouds, but no sound came out. Surprised, he clamped his jaw shut and then opened it again, trying to talk. He could feel his lips forming words, but he couldn’t hear anything.
Someone jerked him around and started to drag him toward the trees. He ripped his hand out of the person’s grasp before realizing it was Akeno.
Akeno said something to him, but Jacob shrugged, motioning to his ears. Akeno shook his head, apparently exasperated, and grabbed Jacob’s arm. Pulling Jacob with one hand, he motioned to the sky with the other.
Jacob looked up again. His jaw dropped and he stumbled backward. What on earth?
The Key of Kilenya Page 30