Chapter 15. Keitus
The sunlight burned Jacob’s eyes as he wriggled out the other side of the tunnel. He had to be careful that his sword didn’t get caught on the rock.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Gallus said. He reached up to help Jacob down to the crate. Matt, Sweet Pea, and Aloren watched, worry written on their faces.
“Jacob, what on earth were you doing in there?” Matt asked. “We were freaking out—we couldn’t follow you into the hole, and then the Shiengols came out, but you still didn’t come, and they were seriously the biggest jerks I’ve ever met—wouldn’t let us go in after you—and . . . whoa. Who’s that?”
Azuriah had just climbed through the hole. “None of your business, human.”
Matt’s eyebrows raised. “Oh, uh . . . Okay.” He looked at Jacob, who shrugged.
Aloren gave Jacob a quick hug, then stepped back. “We were really worried about you. What took so long?”
Jacob wasn’t sure how to answer, and when Azuriah spoke, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“We were practicing. But now we must go to Taga Village to speak with the king and queen and the Makalos.” He turned to Aldo and shook his hand. “Thank you for sending Danilo.”
Aldo inclined his head slightly. “Don’t thank me—thank Arien. She was the most adamant about getting you out.”
Azuriah nodded, and his eyes sparkled. “Of course.” He turned to Jacob, his emotions changing to show intense excitement. “Take us to Taga.”
Jacob started, then fumbled in his pocket, grabbing the Key. Everyone followed him to the door and he opened it to Kenji’s house, unsure if that was what Azuriah wanted. He pulled back, letting the others go ahead of him.
He heard Aloren say something about being really excited to see Kevin again. Jacob rolled his eyes. He hated to admit it, but that hurt. How many times did he need to save her life before she actually decided to like him?
Azuriah was last. As he reached the threshold, he turned to Jacob. “Don’t forget what you’ve learned and what we practiced.”
Jacob sighed in exasperation. “Okay, I won’t. Let’s go.”
Azuriah gave Jacob a nod, then turned and walked through the door. Jacob stepped to follow him, but an arm reached through a crevice between the frame and the supporting rock and grabbed him. He struggled to get out of the grip and through the door, but it slammed shut. In his scramble to get away, he dropped the Key.
No!
He saw a shadow as someone came up behind him, and everything went black.
Jacob jerked to a sitting position, groaning when pain split across his skull. He rubbed his temples, trying to make the throbbing go away, then suddenly remembered what had happened. He’d been knocked out!
He looked around, automatically feeling for his sword, which wasn’t there. He was in a stone room with a window and door. Was he back in the fortress? He got off the cot, being careful not to make his headache worse by moving too fast, and tried to open the door. It was locked. He fished in his pants for the Key, then, with a sinking feeling, remembered he’d dropped it.
“Let me out!” He pounded on the door.
Jacob pressed his ear up against the wood, listening for any sign of someone approaching. Nothing. He jumped on the cot and looked out the window. Relief rushed over him when he recognized the township below—he was still in the fortress—but he must’ve been put in the tallest tower. He was several stories above ground.
He had to get out. Obviously, it was the Lorkon who’d trapped him. Who else would?
Gratitude for his talents flooded over him. He could mold a hole in the wall, then sneak away.
He started by the door, but jerked away when he felt a slimy texture on the stone. Disgusting! A brownish-green film covered his skin. What was it? He shivered when possible answers flew through his mind, and wiped his hands off on his pants.
But then he set his mind to the task. He had to get out—he’d touched many disgusting things before, including the faces of dead people, and there wasn’t any way he’d allow himself to be trapped there.
Jacob took a deep breath, put his palms on the walls once more, and worked on finding warmth in the stone. His headache slowly left as he worked. Possible solutions to his entrapment crossed his mind, and he quickly realized that if he were to escape, it would all be up to him. His family wouldn’t be able to help without use of the Key to get them. ‘Course, they could always ask the Fat Lady to come . . . but she lived several days’ travel away.
He’d finished checking all the walls except the one with the window in it when he heard tapping at the glass. Jacob jumped back onto the cot. “Early!”
She waved at him to open it, but he couldn’t find a lever anywhere. It wasn’t the opening kind, so he hit the frame and glass several times with his fists, but nothing budged.
“I can’t open it!” he mouthed to her, then motioned for her to come into the room through the door. She shook her head. Had she tried already? Was someone standing guard? That seemed likely.
Stepping off the cot, Jacob searched the room for something to break the window, but stopped when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He motioned frantically at Early to go away and lay on his cot, trying to look innocent.
Voices sounded outside the door, then it swung open, and Jacob sat up.
A Lorkon stepped through the door, but it wasn’t Keitus. Obviously, visiting a prisoner was below Keitus’s “station.”
“Come with me,” the Lorkon said, light purple-blue—the colors for boredom—floating in the air around him.
“Why?”
Bright red immediately replaced the more calm colors, and the Lorkon lurched toward Jacob, slapping him across the face. Jacob collapsed on the cot. He brought his hand to his cheek, gasping at the sudden pain that pulsed through his head. His eyes smarted, and he glared at the Lorkon and the two Molgs behind him.
“Save your questions for Keitus,” the Lorkon said, growling. He grabbed Jacob’s arm and dragged him to his feet, pulling him through the door.
Jacob struggled to stand on his own, but the Lorkon continued to drag him. “Okay, it’s not like I’m going to run away. Let me walk.”
The Lorkon released his grip, allowing Jacob a second to get to his feet, then continued down the hall. The Molgs prodded Jacob from behind with something sharp and he yelped, jumping to follow the Lorkon.
The group walked through several rooms and corridors and down a few flights of stairs. Something about the place felt off—different. It took Jacob a moment to put his finger on what. There were no doors anywhere, which made sense. The Lorkon had removed them to prevent anyone from Keying into the fortress.
They finally entered a large room. Jacob almost snickered when he saw the makeshift throne in the middle, along with thick curtains on the walls. What was Keitus’s deal? Was he seriously that ridiculous? Couldn’t feel like he was in charge without a stupid chair?
Speaking of Keitus, he sat on the throne, watching Jacob. A flash of green—excitement—swirled in the air around him, but it was quickly replaced by a light pink. Keitus was cranky, albeit somewhat excited to see Jacob.
Jacob’s sword leaned against the throne, and his hands ached to hold its comforting weight. He wasn’t very good with it, but at least he’d feel less exposed.
The Lorkon shoved Jacob to the center of the room, near a table and chairs. Jacob straightened, ignoring the urge to sneer back at Keitus.
Keitus said nothing, and Jacob waited. He wasn’t about to break the silence.
While waiting, he took the opportunity to glance around. Bright sunlight filtered through several windows, and Jacob wondered why Keitus hadn’t covered the glass. Didn’t he dislike the sun?
The Lorkon who’d brought him there joined the other two, standing in a line behind Keitus. Molgs guarded the corners and doorways, watching him with their large eyes. They looked like they were in pain—the colors definitely showed how irritated they were—and Jacob wond
ered if it was from the sun, since they usually lived in caves.
Keitus cleared his throat. “Danilo, is it?”
“I go by Jacob. You already know that.”
“Drop your insolent attitude, boy. I have no patience for stupidity.” Keitus glared, his face nearly completely masked in shadow.
Jacob stared at the Lorkon’s mouth in disgust—the teeth were dark—and he opted not to respond. It wouldn’t matter anyhow. Everything he said would come out as “insolent.”
Keitus beckoned for Jacob to come closer, and Jacob took one step. The Lorkon blew out a breath in exasperation.
“Come on, Jacob, let’s not play games. We have things to discuss.”
“Why would I want to talk with you?”
“Because I hold the key to your freedom.”
Jacob looked closely at Keitus’s hands. He couldn’t see the Key of Kilenya there. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? One word from me and you’re dead.”
Jacob held back his retort. That was one of the most over-used threats in movies and such. He didn’t think Keitus would respond well to the remark, though, and his head still hurt from the earlier punishment. “What do you want from me?”
“You ask ignorant questions, son. You already know what I want—I can see it in your eyes. I seek the power I gave you. It’s rightfully mine. And you’re rightfully mine.”
“I don’t belong to anyone.”
“I created you.”
Jacob scoffed. “No, you didn’t—you tried to destroy me.”
Keitus took a deep breath. The colors swirling around him flickered from red to blue, showing that he was trying to stay calm.
The Lorkon didn’t speak for a moment. Then, “Sit down; eat,” he said in a much more conciliatory tone. “I insist.”
He waved to a table loaded with food. Jacob approached cautiously, expecting an attack at any moment. When one didn’t come, he sat on a chair at the table and regarded the food. He hadn’t realized how starving he was until the smell of rotisserie chicken and warm bread flooded into his nose. “Did you poison it?”
“If I wanted you dead, you’d be that way already.”
Jacob grunted impatiently. “Yes, I know. But did you put something in it that’ll make me talk? Like a truth serum?” He knew Keitus hadn’t read modern Earth fiction, so the Harry Potter reference would be lost on him.
“Oh, no. I expect we’ll have a very open, honest conversation.”
“Fine.” Jacob decided to eat. He was so hungry he didn’t think he could wait any longer. And if Keitus had done something to the food, he figured he’d find out sooner than later.
The food was wonderful. Breads and soups and salads of every kind. Fruits and vegetables and meats. Jacob ate the rotisserie chicken first. He couldn’t tell what kind of meat most of the rest were, but he opted to eat the fish and chicken, because he knew what they were. He didn’t want to eat something disgusting. Like human. Gross.
When he’d finished drinking everything down with a tall glass of fruit juice, he leaned back in his seat, sighing contentedly.
“Better already.” Keitus said. “Walk with me, Jacob.”
“Uh . . . okay.” Jacob got to his feet and followed Keitus down the hall. They entered a longer hallway lined with paintings of many different kinds of Shiengols.
“How did you get in the fortress?” Jacob asked.
“You do know I am the one who sealed it before, right? Don’t you think I could unseal it?” Keitus motioned to a painting of Azuriah. “You’ve met him now.” A statement, not a question. “He trained you to see into the past.” Keitus turned to Jacob. “I know he did—you can’t deny it.” He bent over, looking into Jacob’s eyes.
Jacob backed up against the wall. His stomach turned, having Keitus that close. The Lorkon reeked of mold and blood and sweat.
“And you will now use that ability to help me achieve my ends.”
Jacob scowled. “You think I’m going to help you? After everything you’ve done to me and my family?”
Keitus sighed. “You are an impertinent little cub.” He walked several paces, then paused again, examining another painting. “I expected more of you.”
Jacob clenched his jaw. How much longer until the guy actually got to the point? Keitus glanced at Jacob, then indicated the painting with his eyes. Apparently Jacob was supposed to look at it. He took a breath to calm himself, then did as was expected.
It was a woman. A beautiful woman, and breathtakingly so. Dark hair like the rest of the Shiengols, a partial smile that was familiar, mocking. In fact, she was familiar, and he looked at her with his brows knit, trying to remember where he’d seen her before. She wasn’t the woman who’d earlier put her hand on Azuriah’s arm—he was sure of it. And he was sure Keitus wanted to be asked who she was. Well, Jacob wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d pricked Jacob’s curiosity.
Finally, Keitus turned to Jacob. “Your parents were meant to marry each other.”
Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Are you taking credit for that, too?”
“Of course. And I’ll even take credit for your grandparents’ marriage. None of it would’ve happened without me.”
Jacob snorted. “You planned it? How’s that possible?”
Keitus’s hands twitched. Red flashed in the air around him. “I’ve been alive for a very long time, Jacob.”
“Oh, yes. Lorkon are immortal. How’d I forget?”
“The point is, I bred you. Your abilities are because of me.”
Jacob gawked at Keitus, not wanting to believe him. It was too great a stretch of the imagination to think that Keitus had actually arranged for his parents and grandparents to meet each other. And even if he had, why go to all the trouble? Jacob deflected the comment by saying, “I already know you poisoned me when I was little.”
“I didn’t poison you.” Keitus paused, as if to think before he spoke. “I tried to make you into a Lorkon. My own blood went into you.”
“Wha—” Jacob’s mouth popped open. A Lorkon? Jacob almost became a Lorkon?
“Yes. You’re surprised? Hadn’t heard that before?” Keitus laughed. “Don’t think for a moment that your parents and your precious little Makalos actually know what I was intending to do with you. They can’t possibly see that clearly.”
Jacob couldn’t help himself, even though he’d vowed not to show curiosity. “Why didn’t it work?”
Keitus turned from Jacob. “All my experimentation with babies proved useless once I got my hands on you. You weren’t like any of them. You were stronger. More resilient. And I’m sure Azuriah informed you that you inherited certain . . . traits . . . which prevented you from turning Lorkon when I expected. In my haste to research why, they were able to take you away.”
He stopped talking, his hands forming fists at his side. Jacob watched as a drop of blood fell to the floor. Keitus resumed walking. “My research suggested I’d be able to unlock your gifts and assume complete control over you once you’d reached the age of maturity. A simple touch was all that was required. But your parents ruined that opportunity by introducing foreign agents to your blood. That attempt to heal you has proven a challenge to overcome.” He scowled at Jacob. “I’m forced to resort to other . . . methods. More persuasive, you might call them.”
“Why are you telling me all this? Aren’t I the enemy?” Jacob hesitated before going on. “I’m just going to tell them everything you’ve told me. You know that, right?”
Keitus paused, looking away. Then suddenly he turned and towered over Jacob. He grabbed Jacob’s shoulders and squeezed very tightly, making him gasp as fingernails pierced his skin. An intense expression of greed crossed the Lorkon’s face and he pushed Jacob against the stone wall.
“Join me. Help me unlock the secrets of the universe. Your life will improve greatly. Anything you want, you’ll have. We can rule together.”
“Secrets of the universe?” Then the other pa
rt of what Keitus had said entered Jacob’s mind. He snorted. “Dude, look. I’m not Luke and you aren’t Darth Vader. I’m not going to ‘join’ you.” Jacob smiled. Usually it was Matt who had the quick tongue.
Confusion clouded Keitus’s face. “What are you talking about?”
Jacob sighed in exhaustion. “Never mind. Okay, I want to go home. Can we just say we had the conversation, you asked me to come with you, I said no, and call it good?”
Keitus released his hold on Jacob and growled, the color in the air around him changing to bright—very bright—red. He raised his fist to attack, slamming it into the wall near Jacob’s head instead. Rock and bits of mortar fell to the floor.
He took a deep breath, speaking through clenched teeth. “I created you so we could work together. Do I need to repeat myself? I’ll give you everything you want.”
Jacob’s mouth popped open. Did Keitus actually think he could convince him? “You can’t give me friendship. Or love. Or happiness.”
Keitus held his breath, then released it slowly. “Is it happiness you want? I can give it to you. I can provide anything.”
“I don’t want counterfeit happiness. I want the real thing.” Jacob stepped out from under Keitus’s arm. “And I can’t live my life in dishonesty. You’re a living lie. You think you’re happy, but it’s obvious you aren’t.”
“I—”
“I can see emotions. The truth is coloring the air around you.”
Keitus frowned, hesitating for several seconds, then he pushed Jacob to the wall, pinning him there. “You will help me. You’ll die if you don’t.”
Jacob tried to look brave, even though he definitely didn’t feel that way. “If I die, that means you’ll never get what you want.”
The Lorkon swung Jacob around, dragging him back down the hall and into the room where the other Lorkon waited. “I’ve tried to reason with you,” he said as he stormed. “You are an impertinent, insolent brat.” He motioned to the other Lorkon. “We’ll do things the old-fashioned way.”
One of the Lorkon laughed gleefully, his excitement evident in the colors around him. He strode to a curtain and pulled out a chair with chains and leather straps attached to it. Another Lorkon dragged a table to the center of the room. It was covered with sharp instruments.
Panic hit Jacob. He wasn’t an idiot—he knew right away what they intended to do.
“Wait, wait, wait! Okay, I’ll do whatever you want!”
Keitus threw him to the ground. “I know that voice—you’re lying. You’re going to try to find a way out of here.” He motioned to the other Lorkon. “Strap him in the chair.”
“No!” Jacob said, ignoring the pain in his hip where he’d hit the floor. “I promise! I’ll help!”
Spittle built up at the corner of Keitus’s mouth. “I can only tolerate being the good guy for so long, Jacob.” His sneer grew broader. “See into the past. Seek out and find the Key of Ayunli.”
“Okay, I’ll try!” Jacob took a deep breath. “But I only just started learning this ability.”
Keitus growled in anger and Jacob rolled to the side, trying to dodge the Lorkon’s foot. He didn’t go far enough, and the tip of Keitus’s boot struck him in the side. Jacob gasped at the sharp pain.
“Find it. Now!”
Jacob held his arms over his ribs. He couldn’t help the tears that streamed down his face. He coughed, dragging himself to his knees, holding a hand up in a gesture of surrender.
“Finally,” Keitus said. “We’re getting somewhere.”
Jacob dragged in a breath. “I . . . I need time. Takes time.”
Keitus motioned to the table that had the food on it. “Make yourself at home. We’ll wait.”
Jacob pulled himself to the table and got into the chair. His body still tense, he massaged his forehead, trying to get the headache to leave. How was he supposed to concentrate well enough to see into the past? And why did they want the Key of Ayunli, anyway? Wouldn’t the Key of Kilenya be enough? Then it dawned on Jacob—Keitus wanted him for the Key of Kilenya. It only worked when he used it.
He took a deep breath. “If you want this key, I’m going to need information. When was the last time it was seen? Who had it? How many years ago?”
Keitus motioned to one of the Lorkon, who pulled a roll of parchment from his robes.
The Lorkon glanced over the parchment. “It has been four hundred years since it was carried from the castle by a hooded man.” He looked up. “That is all we know.”
Jacob’s heart fell, disappointment flooding through him. “That doesn’t give me anything.” He put his face in his hands. “It’s going to take forever to get to a spot four hundred years in the past!”
Keitus leaned forward in his chair. “Then you’d better start, hadn’t you?”
“You need to understand something,” Jacob said. “Doing this is very dangerous, and I have to build up my endurance. Azuriah told me it could kill me.”
“I’m losing my patience with you, Danilo.” Keitus glared at him, the bright red and green of his eyes boring into Jacob’s. “Get started!”
Jacob nodded. He couldn’t afford to make Keitus any angrier than he already was. No telling what the Lorkon would do. Jacob put his elbows on the table in front of him, resting his head in his hands, then focused on the wall in front of him, concentrating on the time period he wanted to See.
Suddenly, everything around him broke into commotion as his reality shifted. He tried to grasp onto something—anything—that would give him a clue to the whereabouts of the Key of Ayunli. He strained into the past—further and further away from the current time. The pain in his chest amplified with each hundred years he scanned until he felt his body would explode.
Finally, he caught a brief glimpse of the hooded man. Then, it was as if the curtains had fallen on Jacob’s vision, and he slammed back to the current time.
He opened his eyes and gasped. He must have flopped out of his chair. Keitus held him up by the collar of his shirt.
“Did you find it?”
Jacob shook his head.
In disgust, Keitus dropped him and walked back to the throne, his cloak swirling behind him. “Then keep going.”
Jacob gasped for breath, his bones aching from all the times he’d been flung to the ground. He used the chair to pull himself up again, then sat, wishing now more than ever that he was at home. Why hadn’t he gone through the door before everyone else?
Nearly whimpering, he tried Time-Seeing again. The pain in his chest began as he glared ahead and he focused on it, willing it to spread to his entire body. Slowly, the intensity crawled from his heart and to his lungs, then it finally made that familiar pop as it pulsated over him.
A thousand flashes. Jacob felt his body being pulled in every direction. It took him what seemed forever to grasp on to the image of the hooded man. He finally did, but nothing else worked. His ears roared, he felt a constant sensation of vertigo—as if he were about to fall off a cliff—and his eyes burned.
Whipping around, Jacob flew back to the present time. He found himself on the floor once more and tasted bile in his mouth. Keitus had risen from the throne, his hand reaching toward Jacob, an intense expression on his face.
“Success? Did you see where it is?”
Jacob shook his head. “Only the man. He’s holding a small leather package. It all happened too long ago. I have to build up to it. It could take days—weeks, even.”
Keitus growled in anger and jumped to the table, flinging it on its side. Food scattered across the floor. “Get it! Now!” He hovered over Jacob, his arm back, ready to strike. “I’m in no mood to wait!”
“I know, but Keitus—”
“You foolish, naive, useless boy!” Keitus stormed from the room, calling over his shoulder. “Return him to his cell. He’ll practice there.”
Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3 Page 122