The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson Page B

and wasn’t sure he’d get one. After
tossing for several minutes, he finally fell into a deep sleep.
     

     
    The next morning Jacob woke early, feeling
well rested. Akeno murmured something in his sleep on the other
side of the hut, and Jacob got up, trying not to wake him. He
wanted to move around a bit to stretch out his sore muscles.
    He climbed his way through the hole Akeno had
left for him in the mess of brambles and leaves. The mountains were
to his back, dark and tall. He glanced up at them. They were
beautiful in their ruggedness. No trees, no bushes—nothing but huge
granite outcroppings. Though he was able to admire them, he was
grateful the path didn’t go any higher. Instead, it led across a
plateau shaped by the foothills they’d climbed yesterday.
    Walking away from the campsite and back to
the path, Jacob looked down at the switchbacks, maintaining a safe
distance from the edge. The view was dizzying, and he had to steady
himself momentarily.
    He looked down again and saw the wolves
making their way up the switchbacks. He rolled his eyes. What
ridiculous creatures.
    There was a sound behind him, and Jacob
turned. Akeno was just getting out of the shelter.
    “Jacob, what are you doing?” Akeno asked,
picking a bunch of leaves from the branches on the hut.
    “Just looking. The wolves are coming up the
mountain.”
    Akeno finished picking the leaves, then
joined Jacob at the ledge. He glanced over. “Are they just now
catching up to us?”
    Jacob nodded. “How long did it take us to get
up those switchbacks? A couple of hours?”
    “Or a little more.”
    Jacob frowned. “Let’s get out of here right
now.”
    Akeno turned. “I’ll go put the branches back
where they were last night.”
    “Why does it matter if they’re put back?”
    “Because they die quickly when under so much
pressure. While I’m around them, I can use my Rezend to prevent
them from being damaged, but once we leave, they won’t have that
protection.”
    He went to the hut and Jacob followed,
grabbing his backpack before Akeno dismantled his creation. The
Minyas flew out, brushing themselves off and looking irritated.
    “Good morning,” Jacob said, but they ignored
him and flew away. He turned to Akeno. “Why don’t they talk to us
very much? I’ve barely had a handful of conversations with
them.”
    “They’re like most Minyas,” Akeno said,
pulling his tape dispenser from his bag. “They prefer games to
conversing, and they’re very light-minded. They don’t find anyone
but other Minyas to be interesting.” He sat down and taped the
leaves to his shoes. “If they didn’t have such good memories for
relaying messages, no one would keep them around.”
    Jacob took a drink of water from his canteen,
then put it back in his knapsack. “I’ve noticed they never get
tired of going back and forth between people.”
    Akeno picked up his bag, and they headed to
the trail. “And they won’t. They never mess up the messages and
never get lost. They’re better than cell phones.”
    Jacob smiled. “Ha. Good one.”
    He looked over his shoulder toward the
switchbacks. No sign of the wolves. He took a breath, telling
himself to relax. The wolves didn’t want to attack. At least he
hoped not.
    The trail curved a couple of times around
huge rocks, but it was level. There weren’t many trees here, and
the mountain rose on the right with the drop-off on the left.
    Strange-looking wild flowers grew in patches
on both sides of the trail, and Jacob picked one to examine while
walking. It was a type he’d never seen before, with bright blue
petals and soft thistles on the stems and leaves. He noticed
something odd and stared at it. “That’s weird. Are the petals
moving?”
    “Yes, they are,” Akeno said. “That’s how they
attract bees. They’re my mom’s favorite flower. The petals are
edible, with a spicy-sweet flavor. It does take a bit to get over
the feel of them wiggling in your mouth, though.”
    Jacob