Kilenya Series Books 1 2 and 3 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  The Key of Kilenya

  Dedication

  Pronunciation Guide

  Chapter 1. Into the Woods

  Chapter 2. The Rog

  Chapter 3. The Key of Kilenya

  Chapter 4. Maple Syrup

  Chapter 5. Speed of Light

  Chapter 6. Infected

  Chapter 7. A Bucket Full of Nuts

  Chapter 8. Mud Bubbles

  Chapter 9. Minyas Up Close

  Chapter 10. Macaria

  Chapter 11. Grrr

  Chapter 12. Storm’s a Comin’

  Chapter 13. Caves and Bones

  Chapter 14. The Fat Lady

  Chapter 15. Stone Barricade

  Chapter 16. Deformities and Eerie Lights

  Chapter 17. Breakneck Speeds

  Chapter 18. Bacon and Pancakes

  Acknowledgments

  The Ember Gods

  Dedication

  Chapter 1. He’s Awake!

  Chapter 2. An Army Coming

  Chapter 3. Bright Pink Lipstick

  Chapter 4. Aldo’s Cabin

  Chapter 5. Such a Sweet Pea

  Chapter 6. Footprints

  Chapter 7. Hazel

  Chapter 8. Silver Trees

  Chapter 9. Speaking

  Chapter 10. Catalyst

  Chapter 11. Unpredictable Behavior

  Chapter 12. Operation

  Chapter 13. Take a Turn

  Chapter 14. Hidden Information

  Chapter 15. The Decision

  Chapter 16. Kaede Leaves

  Chapter 17. Consequences

  Chapter 18. Choices

  Chapter 19. The Passage

  Chapter 20. The Lorkon Barrier

  Acknowledgments

  August Fortress

  Dedication

  Chapter 1. Attack of the Indians!

  Chapter 2. Mushroom Beetles

  Chapter 3. Little Bushes

  Chapter 4. Discombobulated

  Chapter 5. Midian of the North

  Chapter 6. Brojan’s Secret

  Chapter 7. Party!

  Chapter 8. Sonda Lake Tunnels

  Chapter 9. Wurby Village

  Chapter 10. Aldo’s Advice

  Chapter 11. Argots

  Chapter 12. Blindness

  Chapter 13. A Sixth Trap

  Chapter 14. Azuriah

  Chapter 15. Keitus

  Chapter 16. Slime and Muck

  Chapter 17. Only Opportunity

  Chapter 18. Sacrifices

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three

  The Key of Kilenya

  The Ember Gods

  August Fortress

  Books by Andrea Pearson:

  The Kilenya Series:

  The Key of Kilenya

  The Ember Gods, Kilenya Series Book Two

  August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three

  Rise of Keitus, Kilenya Series Book Four

  Eyes of the Sun, Kilenya Series Book Five

  The Golden Symbol, Kilenya Series Book Six

  The Key of Kilenya: Special Edition with Illustrations

  Grail Bestiary Volume I: Creatures of Grail and Kilenya

  Kilenya Romances:

  Samara, A Kilenya Romance

  Midian, A Kilenya Romance

  Katon University:

  Discern, Katon University Book One

  The Focus (A Katon University First Year Novella)

  The Manor (A Katon University First Year Novella)

  The Angel (A Katon University First Year Novella)

  Praxis Bundle One: The Focus, The Manor, The Angel

  Perceive, Katon University Book Two (coming early 2015)

  Ranch City Academy:

  Bezza’s Book of Enchantments (coming mid 2015)

  For information on the above books, click here. (http://www.andreapearsonbooks.com/p/my-books.html)

  The Key of Kilenya

  Andrea Pearson

  Copyright 2011 Andrea Pearson

  Book design and layout copyright 2011 Andrea Pearson

  Cover design copyright 2011 James E. Curwen

  This book is available in print at most online retailers.

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Summary: We all have a choice—but we can’t choose the consequences.

  Jacob Clark is chased down a path that takes him to another world—a world where he is a wanted young man. The Lorkon want to control him and the special powers he possesses. The people of the new world want him to save them from the destruction of the Lorkon. All Jacob wants is to go home, but even that choice has consequences. If he waits too long to decide, the new world and the one he came from will be destroyed.

  As Jacob looks for people he can trust, he finds himself in the center of a fight for freedom—both for himself and the people he’s come to know. And when he meets a pretty girl named Aloren, everything he understands about his role on Eklaron is challenged.

  Jacob has no idea where the path he chooses will take him, but once the choice has been made—bring on the consequences.

  Dedication

  To Josh.

  This story was, is,

  and always will be

  for you

  Pronunciation Guide

  For those difficult to say names and words

  Akeno: ah-KAY-no

  Aldo: ALL-doe

  Aloren: ah-LOR-en

  Ara Liese: AR-uh Lees

  Arien: AR-i-en

  Brojan: BRO-zhun

  Canush: KAN-ush

  Danilo: dan-EE-lo

  Duana: do-AH-nuh

  Dunsany: DUN-suh-ni

  Eachan: EE-kun

  Eetu: EE-tu

  Eklaron: EK-la-RON

  Ezra: EZ-ruh

  Gallus: GA-ll-us (NOT like tall, ball, etc, but like CALifornia)

  Gevkan: GEV-kun

  Jaegar: JAY-gar

  Kaede: ka-ay-day

  Kaith: KAY-th

  Kaiya: KIGH-ya

  Kenji: KEN-ji

  Kilenya: Keh-LEN-yuh

  Lahs: Law-s

  Lasia: LAY-zhyuh

  Lirone: LEE-row-n

  Lorkon: LOR-kan

  Makalo: muh-KA-low

  Maivoryl: MY-vor-ul

  Molg: molg. :-)

  Rezend: RE-zend

  Shiengol: SHEEN-gull

  Troosinal: TROO-si-nal

  Wurby: wur-bi

  Chapter 1. Into the Woods

  Would a man kidnap his own daughter-in-law? The castle is in ruins, its people bloodied and broken. I suspect my father was behind it. We are trying to count how many are dead and missing, and I’m in despair because I can’t find her anywhere. My beloved Princess Arien, eight months’ pregnant with our first child—and such a difficult child to come by, after years of trial and loss.

  Aldo and Ezra have instructed me to meet them at their mother’s
cottage, nearly a mile from the castle. They believe the princess was indeed kidnapped, and that her captors will demand ransom. What else would they want from the royal family?

  Jacob tossed his favorite hand-held video game onto his bed, then grabbed his basketball and dashed down the stairs. As he entered the kitchen, he paused, glancing out the window to check on Amberly—still playing in the sandbox out back—and turned and bolted through the front door, eager to take advantage of the last rays of sunlight.

  Matt, Jacob’s sixteen-year-old brother, was working in the garage. “Hey, I wanna shoot too,” he said as he popped his head out from under the truck.

  “Fine, but I really need this practice. So challenge me.”

  “Don’t I always?” Matt said with a laugh.

  They played a quick game of one-on-one, with Jacob barreling past Matt and leading the game consistently by fifteen points or more. He ended it with a spectacular three-point shot and bent over panting, hands on knees.

  “Yeah, well, I can still beat you at football.” Matt grinned.

  Jacob laughed, then tossed the ball to his brother. “Here. You need to practice more.”

  “You still trying out tomorrow?”

  “‘Course—I have to.”

  “Uh-huh.” Matt tucked the ball under his arm and glanced at Jacob. “You know . . . letting Kevin win at something might not be a bad thing. ‘Sides, you could both make it.”

  “No, we couldn’t. You know Coach—he’s not going to let two fourteen year olds on varsity.”

  A rustle in the trees next to the driveway made Jacob turn his head. It sounded like a large animal or a person. “You hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Matt was back to shooting hoops again.

  Jacob motioned for Matt to stop and took a step closer to the trees, squinting to see better. But the sun had already set, and the brush was dark. “Hey, turn on the light. I think something’s in there.”

  Matt’s footsteps faded, then light flooded across the concrete driveway, deepening the already ominous shadows in the forest. That wasn’t much better.

  “Hello?” Jacob called.

  Matt came back and stood next to him for a moment. “Nothing’s there, man.” He dropped the ball at Jacob’s feet. “I’m gonna go work on the truck some more.”

  Still unsure, Jacob slowly picked up the ball and started shooting again. After several satisfying swishes, he forgot the sound in the trees, picturing himself on the court at Mountain Crest High School, playing in front of Coach and the varsity team. He had to make it. He just had to. He’d never live down Kevin’s teasing and Coach’s patronizing glances of pity if he didn’t.

  Thirty minutes later, he dropped the ball, caught it with his foot, and pushed it up the driveway, watching it roll toward the open garage door. It bounced off the truck’s tire closest to Matt. Jacob was ready for tomorrow. He could do this—he really could. He just had to make sure he got plenty of sleep that night and warmed up before tryouts began.

  “Matt,” he called into the garage, “we need to get Amberly inside and to bed.”

  A grunt came from under the truck. Jacob pushed the hair off his forehead and wondered what his mom would say if he bleached the tips while she was gone.

  Leaves rustled in the forest again, a twig snapped, and he glanced to the right. A large form shifted in the moonlight, then froze. Light flashed across a pair of eyes almost level with his. He’d been right—something was there! The form moved again. It was too bulky to be human. Jacob stepped back, fumbling for his pocketknife. Nothing that big lived in this part of the mountains.

  A scream raked the air—Amberly!—and he nearly fell over, stumbling away from whatever it was that had been watching him from the forest.

  “What’s going on?” Matt asked, scrambling out of the garage.

  “Amberly—backyard!”

  They raced around the garage and jerked to a stop as they spotted the sandbox, lit by the back porch light. A monstrous black wolf towered over Amberly as she sobbed, with her shoulders hunched and hand held up as if to shield herself. It sniffed her hair and clothes, then growled at Matt and Jacob. Footfalls sounded behind them and they whirled—another huge wolf lurked at the forest edge.

  “What do we do?” Jacob asked under his breath.

  At the sound of his whisper, both wolves bared their teeth. The one closest to Amberly lifted its nose, then took several steps toward the boys. Jacob almost stopped breathing as he waited to see what it would do. Intelligent green eyes locked with his. He tried to look away, but couldn’t. Neither wolf paid attention to Matt as he edged closer to Amberly. Jacob wondered if he should follow, but something about the wolves’ behavior made him decide to stay in place.

  The gentle August breeze ruffled his hair. Both animals sniffed the air, then stiffened. The one closest to Amberly snarled and took a few steps in Jacob’s direction. Suddenly, to his horror, both of them lunged forward, pouncing straight for him.

  Matt made a run for Amberly, while Jacob had a split-second decision to make—his only possible escape route was a tree house deep in the forest that bordered their property on most sides. A low fence separated the yard from the trees.

  The decision was made. In an instant, he had hopped the fence and was racing through the forest, running as fast as he could into the darkness. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Matt grab Amberly and dash toward the house. Both wolves leaped over the fence and bounded after Jacob. Amberly’s screams were cut off by the slamming of the back door.

  Jacob’s breath came fast, and his lungs were starting to burn. He dodged trees and darted through tight spaces and underbrush, looking back every so often in the hopes that he’d lost the wolves. There was no way he’d be able to outrun them.

  He heard the wolves’ paws thundering on the ground behind him, and adrenaline shot through his veins as he realized how close they were. They growled and snarled, but didn’t leap. Jacob gripped his pocketknife tighter, not sure it would do any good, but wanting something—anything—to use to defend himself. The weight in his hand was comforting.

  Stumbling onto a game trail, he veered a sharp right, knowing the tree house wasn’t far. The trail led him toward a small canyon. The moon offered just enough light for him to see, and he searched through the darkness for the correct tree. Why hadn’t they caught up with him yet? He risked another glance backward—they weren’t there anymore. Where’d they go? And where was that tree house?

  The path became springy under Jacob’s feet, the bushes on either side of him thickening. The rich smell of old wood assailed him, and he looked up in surprise. The aspens and evergreens had given way to maples and magnificent oaks—trees he’d never seen in this forest. Had he gone farther now than he’d ever been before? How was that possible? He and Matt had thoroughly explored these forests on numerous occasions. For a moment, hysteria nearly overcame him. He started to look for markers, familiar trees, other paths—anything so he could find his way back.

  Jacob’s foot caught on something and he tripped, falling onto the rocks, knife flying through the air. Groaning and gasping in pain, he rolled over and squinted as lights flashed before his eyes, his head pounded, and his breaths came in short, shallow bursts.

  After several moments, he propped himself up, moaning as something warm trickled down the side of his face. He touched the liquid and held up his hand. The exact color was hard to tell, but it looked like blood. A wave of nausea suddenly hit, and he put his head between his knees.

  The sick feeling was soon replaced with panic, and Jacob hurriedly pulled himself to his feet. The pounding in his head nearly forced him back to the ground, but he leaned against a tree and bit his lip to keep from crying out.

  Jacob’s mind became clearer with each breath he took, and soon he was able to straighten again. Blackness was everywhere and the path was overgrown—he couldn’t even tell which direction he’d come from.

  Suddenly, the sensation that he was not alone swept over him
once more. Something was watching him. A wolf? Or wolves? His muscles tensed and he held his breath. Could they hear his heart pounding? He didn’t move—maybe they would leave him alone. Small flickers of moonlight shone through the dense scrub oak, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine animals watching as the shadows danced around him in odd shapes and sizes. Something, either blood or sweat, tickled his forehead, but he didn’t want to move to wipe it away.

  Something rustled in the brush. Jacob spun around, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head. There was a glint of light from a pair of eyes, followed by movement and a growl. As he gingerly took a step back, a bird startled from the branches behind, and he raised his hands to shield himself from its beating wings.

  A howl pierced the still air, and was answered by a closer howl. He tried to swallow, but couldn’t get his throat to function.

  Then a growl came from what sounded like only ten feet in front of him. Should he run? How many wolves were there? The underbrush rustled again, much louder this time, then another long growl sounded, coming closer, and fast. Something was racing at him through the bushes.

  Jacob turned and ran. Thistles snagged at his clothes as he sprinted, and a branch whipped him across the face.

  As he struggled forward, he could sense the animal closing in from behind. Right when he thought it was over, he burst through the trees and fell into a moonlit meadow.

  A huge tree stood in the middle of the clearing. He lurched forward, head pounding, guided by the moonlight.

  As Jacob got closer, he was surprised to see that the tree was as big as a house. It was old and its branches were large and twisted, without a single leaf. He ran toward it as fast as he could and circled to the left, looking for a low branch to climb.

  As he approached the tree, he was surprised to see a door in the trunk swing open, revealing a hollowed-out interior. He stumbled in shock—a door in a tree?—but then let his breath out in relief. This was better than climbing. He changed course and made a dash for the door.