He watched for something he’d recognize as Gallus’s store. Nearly every place had its windows 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.
“That’s Gallus’s place,” Seden said, pointing at a building that had a few people going in and out of it.
They continued following the road, which eventually widened and split, encircling the building. It was only a short distance from the castle, and its placement had Jacob wondering if it was the city center. When he asked, Seden nodded.
“Gallus is a sort of mayor.”
“Are they humans?” Jacob whispered, motioning to the people.
“Most likely,” Seden said. “We don’t have many non-human visitors. The Lorkon haven’t made things exactly easy for anyone, especially those they feel are beneath them.”
“Like Makalos,” Akeno said quietly.
“Like Makalos,” Seden repeated. “Their loss.”
Chapter Seventeen
Seden led the way into the store. Only a couple of people turned at the sound of the door opening. Jacob 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.
There was an array of odd-looking equipment Jacob assumed was for farming. There were also saddles, bridles, and other things for horse riding. Even though he knew they wouldn’t have been able to use horses on the mud bubbles, he still wished they could have had some. They’d probably be at the castle by now if they had.
The man behind the counter looked up. “Back already, Seden?” he asked.
Seden nodded. “I have some people for you to meet.” He motioned to Jacob and Akeno.
“Your . . . Highness?” Gallus asked, looking at Jacob. His eyes flitted to Seden, who nodded.
“It’s an honor, truly.” Gallus came out from behind the counter and dropped to a knee in front of Jacob. “Anything in my store is yours.”
Jacob’s mouth opened and closed several times. “Please stand,” he said, not sure what else to say. “And thank you.”
Obviously embarrassed, though Jacob didn’t know why, Gallus 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.” He popped one into his mouth, closing his eyes and grinning.
Jacob looked at Akeno.
“We have them too,” Akeno said. “Try one. They’re good.”
“What . . . exactly are they?”
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.
“That’s really good,” he said.
Gallus smiled in response. “Your eyes haven’t darkened a bit since you were a baby,” he said. “That shade of blue is so unique.”
Jacob wasn’t sure how to respond. Girls were always complimenting him on his light-blue eyes. It wasn’t something he could control, so he had a hard time accepting the compliment.
Gallus turned to Seden. “I didn’t think the job would involve traveling with royalty.”
“Me neither. But if it helps us get back to where we were before, I’m willing to do it. And so far, it hasn’t been any more dangerous than traveling with regular teenagers would be.”
Gallus nodded, then looked 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. “Hopefully, you, Forsaken Prince, will fix that for us.”
Jacob did his best to keep a blank expression on his face, resting his hand casually on the top of the counter. Maybe his demeanor wouldn’t show just how anxious the thought of “fixing” things made him. The only thing he wanted was to save his dad and sister and to get back home before the first day of school and upcoming basketball tryouts. He didn’t need any additional pressure right now, thank you very much.
Jacob absentmindedly traced the grains of wood in the countertop, listening as Seden and Gallus started discussing the weather—something that seemed trivial to Jacob, but the two men were so intense about it, he didn’t dare interrupt them. For all he knew, the weather here was insane. He doubted it, though. Everything he’d seen so far had been mild.
He felt warmth in a few places on the countertop and stopped tracing, putting his whole hand over one of the spots. The heat increased considerably where his palm touched it and he recoiled, looking at his skin. What the . . .? Had there been a reaction between his skin and the wood of the counter?
It hadn’t hurt, so he ran his hand along the wood again. After a moment, he noticed that the longer he held his hand in one spot, the warmer that place became. Holding still for several seconds, he closed his eyes, enjoying the heat.
The conversation around him stopped, and Jacob jumped, opening his eyes when someone chuckled.
“It looks like you’ve decided to leave your mark here,” Gallus said with a slight smile.
Jacob looked down and felt himself blush when he saw there was now a deep handprint in the counter. He lowered his arm. “Oh, crap. I’m so sorry!” How embarrassing. “I was just feeling the warmth. How do you heat your counters here without electricity?”
Gallus gave him a thoughtful expression. “What warmth?”
“Right here.”
The man felt the spot where Jacob’s hand had been. “I can’t feel anything. Has this happened before?”
“No, never.” Jacob frowned, trying to think of something he could do to remove the print. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it—it’s a nice addition to the décor of the room.” Interest flitted across his eyes. “See if you can figure out why you felt heat. That is definitely fascinating.”
He and Seden exchanged knowing glances.
“What? What do you know that I don’t?” Jacob demanded.
“There are rumors that the Forsaken Prince has magical abilities.”
Jacob shook his head. “Impossible. I’m human. Humans don’t have magic.”
Gallus snorted. “Whatever. Regardless, focus on it—see if it happens again. If it does, pay attention.” He scrutinized Akeno. “So, apparently Makalos really aren’t extinct. The last time we had one here was when Dmitri himself came by nearly seventeen years ago.”
“Gallus, this is Akeno, Kenji and Ebony’s oldest,” Seden said.
“Kenji and Ebony? That’s wonderful!” Gallus swooped forward and picked up Akeno in a huge bear hug, a big smile on his face. Akeno let out several small, fearful squeaks, his eyes wide. Jacob had to cough several times to control the urge to laugh at the Makalo’s expression.
Gallus chuckled, putting Akeno down. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “Kenji was just as shy around strangers until he warmed up to me. Ebony never was a cautious one, though, was she?” He smiled at Akeno, waiting for a reaction.
Akeno gave a small shake of his head, terror still in his eyes. Jacob didn’t hold back the laugh this time, and Gallus and Seden joined him. It felt good to laugh, but poor Akeno. Jacob resolved to get to know him better. He hadn’t put much effort into it—there’d been way too much to learn—but he would now.
“We need supplies,” Seden said. “And recent information.”
Gallus started walking around the store, gathering up food, a blanket, and a new knapsack as
he answered Seden’s questions.
“When were the Lorkon last sighted?”
“One of them came through just yesterday. He didn’t stop long, though. Just demanded his taxes and left.”
“And the other two?” Seden asked.
Gallus shrugged, picking up a bag of crackers. “The ‘king’ never comes around. I can’t keep tabs on him when he’s in his city.”
“Fair enough.”
“As to the third Lorkon, I heard rumors that someone spotted him in Ridgewood, but that can’t be trusted.”
Seden nodded. He motioned for Akeno and Jacob to come closer, stopping Gallus in a more secluded corner of the store. He glanced around to be sure they were out of earshot of other customers, then quickly explained the situation where Dmitri and Amberly were concerned.
Gallus’s expression was solemn. He shook his head when Seden finished. “This is bad news indeed. You won’t make it in time.”
“How is the Maivoryl-Macaria Tunnel? When was the last time you went down there?”
Gallus’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t possibly be thinking of trying it.”
Jacob felt his cheeks redden. He expected Seden to throw him under the bus, but the man didn’t.
“It’s the most direct route. Our king’s life is at stake.”
“The future of our country lies in the Forsaken Prince, not King Dmitri. You can’t put his life at stake.” He motioned to Jacob.
“King Dmitri is young. He has years of service ahead of him.”
“It’s not worth it, Seden. Not worth it at all.”
“Nevertheless, we need to know the current state of the tunnel.”
Gallus sighed. “Nearly the same—dark, dank. Never knowing who the water belongs to.” He put a hand on Seden’s shoulder. “Take care. Eklaron has rumbled a lot lately, and I worry about the magic holding those tunnels in place. God be with you, brother.”
Jacob’s hands became clammy as Gallus said the same thing to him and then Akeno. The man truly didn’t believe they were making the right decision. Were they? Jacob closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, searching how he felt. When the answer didn’t come immediately, he shook himself. He’d made the choice, and he was going to stick to it.
Thank goodness he was a basketball player—it forced him to be nimble and quick on his feet. It sounded like they’d need it.
Chapter Eighteen
“Did Aloren get hired as well?” Gallus asked. “Where is she?
Seden pointed at Akeno’s knapsack. “She was injured and is currently healing.”
If that surprised Gallus, he didn’t let on. “And her role in your group?”
“Guide. She retrieved Jacob from his town and brought him to the Makalo village.”
Jacob snorted inwardly. Aloren didn’t “retrieve him.” She hadn’t done anything to convince him to go with her. That had all been the Lorkon. He held back his thoughts, though, not wanting to correct Seden.
Seden continued. “I don’t know if we’ll need her any further, though.”
Gallus raised an eyebrow. “You’d be a fool to leave her behind, Seden, and you know it. She’s been with you on many of your treks. She’s traveled everywhere in this part of the kingdom except past Ridgewood. It would be good to have someone else who knows the land.”
Seden chuckled quietly. “I think having the girl and her mother live in your store has addled your opinion of her. She’s good, yes, but she’s still a child.”
Gallus bristled. “She did more than just live here. She worked, and very hard. That girl has done everything Bezza and I have needed, and then some. Housecleaning, managing the store, laundry, cooking, stable cleaning, you name it. And she’ll only be a child for another year.”
Aloren was Jacob’s age? He blinked. She looked younger.
“She’s practically my daughter, I know,” Gallus said. “But she knows her stuff. I couldn’t recommend her higher.”
Seden put his hands up. “All right, all right. We’ll take her with.”
“You won’t regret it. Just take care of her, okay? You know how much she’s been through.”
“We will.”
After making sure they had everything they needed, Jacob’s group left the store and started down the path toward the castle.
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.
As they walked, an impressive wall came into sight. Jacob whistled. Although the top of the wall was crumbled and breaking, the thing as a whole was awe-inspiring—obviously designed more for show than anything.
They walked over a crumbling bridge and past the wall. The castle courtyard was filled with flowering trees and overgrown ivy and bushes. Daisies pushed through in clumps.
Most of the castle walls had also 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 nonexistent, 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,” Akeno said. “Let me see what’s around us.”
Seden nodded his approval, and 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.” He glanced at Seden. “If this is the way we go for the tunnel?”
“It is. Nearly all the tunnels start in the castle. Not a very smart move, strategically speaking. That’s what you get when you have centuries of royalty trying to escape their own lives.”
The front room of the castle was huge—it must have been for receiving guests. It was very wide and tall, and the remains of second- and third-floor balconies were visible on a few of the walls. The ceiling was gone, except near the back.
“Where do we go?” Jacob asked Seden.
“Toward the back and down. Follow me.”
He led them through a set of doors into a massive hallway with many doors leading off it. The walls went up six feet on either side and extended away from the hallway, forming a large shelf, one on each side, running the length of the corridor. On top of the high shelves stood life-sized statues of humans, Makalos, and many creatures Jacob hadn’t yet encountered.
“Why haven’t we run into any of these?” he asked, looking at them as he walked.
“Some are extinct,” Seden said. “The rest are still in hiding. The Lorkon don’t appreciate diversity.”
Jacob found two statues next to each other that were identical right down to their extremely large, knobby hands. “Why are there two of these?” he asked, motioning to them as he passed.
“One is a Dust, and the other is a Wurby,” Seden said. “They’re very much alike, except Wurbies are good and Dusts are evil. The magic they possess is in their hands, literally. Their hands change into whatever their magic perceives they need at the time. Because they’re so unintelligent, they don’t recognize the benefit their magic is presenting them. It can be quite entertaining to watch them try to figure something out.
“The only way you can tell the difference between them, besides how they treat you, is the color of their eyes. Wurbies have light eyes and Dusts have dark eyes.”
“So, dark eyes represent evil?” Jacob snickered. “My dad’s eyes are brown.” He immediately felt horrible for making a joke about his dad under the circumstances. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
Seden put a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think it would have offended your father. In either case, levity is good during times of stress.”
Appreciating the calm way Seden handled his embarrassment, Jacob said, “When we get back, I want to learn more about the other races and species that lived in this world.”
He saw the stat
ue of a beautiful woman and paused, staring at it. He couldn’t help it, even though they were in a hurry. She looked too angular to be human, although she had all the features of one. Her eyes had crumbled away, but the rest was in perfect condition. Robes draped her slender form, and she held one hand up, as if instructing someone.
“That’s a Shiengol,” Seden said. “There used to be diamonds in her eyes. Someone stole them years ago.”
“Why did they put diamonds there?”
“The eyes of a Shiengol are the most beautiful part of him or her, and the thing least understood by anyone else. Diamonds were used to represent both the color of their eyes and the power that originated there.”
“Power? As in magic? Like Rezend?”
“Kind of, but not in the way you’re thinking. They had amazing eyesight, and in ways you’d never imagine.”
“How so?”
“All I know is that a Shiengol could see more colors than we can, and in three dimensions. They could see all the senses, including sound waves, and they could even see and smell molecules. Other things about them were different too.” Seden continued. “They’re extinct now, unfortunately.”
Akeno startled next to Jacob. “I hadn’t heard that.”
Seden glanced back at him. “I’m not surprised. Word doesn’t travel to Taga Village much, I assume.”
Jacob found himself transfixed by the statue of the Shiengol. There was something powerful about her—even in this form. She was commanding, intelligent. It made him want to meet one, but he knew that was no longer a possibility. Too bad.
Akeno jerked. “Oh!” He took the Minya container from his knapsack, pulling off the lid.
A very annoyed and very tiny Aloren stood there, a deep scowl on her face and her hands on her hips.
“What happened?”
“We’ll explain,” Akeno said. “Give me a minute to get you to the right size.”
Forsaken Prince (Kilenya Chronicles Book 1) Page 7