The Key of Kilenya Read Free

warm aroma that was almost pine, but not
quite. As eventful as his evening had been, he couldn’t imagine
sleeping well, especially in a strange place. But after a long
time, he was able to relax, and fell asleep.
    A while later, something startled him awake.
A touch on his forehead—light as a whisper. He kept his eyes shut,
trying to decide if he’d imagined it. He waited for a moment in the
pressing silence, then felt a hand on his face. Someone was in the
tree with him.
     
     
     
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Chapter 2. The Rog
    I went to the cabin of Aldo and Ezra’s mother to meet
them, but found Ezra dead. Someone had broken into the cabin and
torn it to shreds. Aldo was nowhere to be found, nor was his
mother.
    I found a paper crumpled in Ezra’s hand,
with several notes scribbled on it: “Lorkon behind attack?” “What
motive?” “Pregnant” and “Fury of the Elements.” What is a
Lorkon? And how will I know where to find my Arien?
    I plan to return to the cabin with a few men
as soon as possible for a more thorough search.
     

     
    J acob jumped up, swinging out with his hands,
but too late. Nothing was there. The door to the tree opened,
momentarily blinding him with late-afternoon sunlight, then shut
just as quickly.
    “Hello?” Jacob called out. No answer. He
shook himself, trying to get rid of the creepy feeling that
surrounded him.
    A roar outside the tree made him jump.
    Oh, no, not the wolves again. He forced
himself to calm down. Wolves didn’t roar, and this roar hadn’t
sounded very close. Maybe he had time to get away! He couldn’t
stand the idea of being trapped again. Jacob raced to the door and
swung it open, but jerked to a stop as soon as the meadow came into
view.
    The biggest bear he’d ever seen charged at
top speed toward the tree—straight for him.
    He yelled and slammed the door shut, making
sure it clicked, then backed as far away from it as he could. He
bumped into a staircase and dashed up a couple of steps, waiting
for the bear to hit the door. Only, it didn’t.
    Something heavy breathed outside—the bear,
obviously. The knob shook—jiggled a bit. A thump against the tree,
and Jacob froze, waiting to see if the bear would break through.
Another loud roar, and the knob jiggled again. Jacob stared at it,
wondering if the bear had the intelligence to try to open it. He
hoped not. The light shining through the cracks on either side of
the door shifted as the creature tried to find a way in.
    The knob turned, the latch released, and the
door swung open. Jacob straightened in fright. The bear roared,
opening its mouth farther than Jacob thought possible—the largest
set of teeth he'd ever seen dripped with saliva. He fumbled
backward, nearly falling when his foot hit the step behind him.
    The animal roared again, then took a leap
toward Jacob, who spun around and dashed up the stairs.
    The bear swiped its paw across his back. He
expected pain from claws, but felt nothing. Relief flushed through
him, though it was short lived. There wasn't anywhere to hide in
this tree. He kept running up—passing rooms as he did so. Beds,
books, shelves—what was this place? Hot breath rushed over his
neck, making the skin there crawl.
    The bear took another swipe at him, but
again, the claws didn't catch. Jacob nearly stumbled as he reached
the top of the steps, entering a room without an exit—just windows.
He ran at them as fast as he could, almost falling forward from the
momentum, intending to jump through, but his body merely slammed
against the glass. He spun around right as the bear jumped at him,
knocking him to the ground, roaring at him. Spittle flew onto
Jacob’s face.
    Expecting the animal to bite off his head, he
was surprised when large fingers gripped him around the shoulder
and dragged him down the stairs. He jerked around, looking for the
person the hand belonged to, but only the bear was there. It had a
human hand? How was that possible? More surprised now than
anything, Jacob