Ember Gods

Chapter 15

Jacob keyed home to change his clothes and drop Matt off so Matt could hang out with Sammy, then he returned to Taga Village. Back in the tree, Sweet Pea had Jacob face him, then he showed him a few defensive moves. They practiced those moves for almost an hour—over and over again until Jacob was sure he'd have permanent bruises on his arms and wrists. One of them he really struggled with, and they practiced that one the longest.

Finally, when Jacob was sure his body couldn't take anymore, Sweet Pea called it quits.

"Where'd you learn all this?" Jacob asked, panting, hands on knees.

Sweet Pea chuckled. "Ebony, actually."

Jacob straightened, shocked. "What? Are you serious?"

"Stretch out—I don't want you whining tomorrow because you're sore." Sweet Pea bent to touch his toes. Jacob was surprised the Makalo could actually reach them. "She's an amazing fighter—that was her specialty. And sneaking around."

"Wow. I never would've guessed it."

"She didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, so she had me do the teaching."

Jacob shook his head. "And here I thought Makalos were helpless, physically."

"We are—well, the older generation is, at least. Except Ebony. She joined the original group at the age of ten, so she's much younger than everyone, including Kenji."

"But if Ebony could've trained me herself, why didn't she go get the key?"

"Well, duh. She has people here who need her. Like a baby. Plus, you're the hero now—the Forsaken Prince. It's your job."

Jacob still wasn't sure how he felt about all of that. He couldn't wait for his dad to wake up, though, so he could get answers. They finished stretching, and Jacob keyed home.

***

The next day after school, Jacob sat on his bed, massaging his feet. They were still sore from yesterday's adventures, and he wasn't looking forward to doing it all over again.

His eyes drifted to the stuff that had come out of Aloren's bag when he and Matt opened it. He hadn't touched anything since then. Acting on impulse, Jacob picked up the parchment. What would Aloren have written on it? He sat on his bed again.

To you who is in possession of my bag,

Please return it to Gallus, the shop owner in Macaria. If it isn't with me, you can safely assume someone's life, under my care, may be at risk

Oh, crap. Jacob jumped up. "Matt?" he called. No answer. He left his room and went into Matt's. "Read this."

Matt took the parchment and scanned it. "Did this come out of Aloren's bag?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Why didn't she tell me anything about it?"

Matt shrugged. "Don't know. Get her stuff—we'd better go see Gallus."

Jacob agreed. He ran to his room, put Aloren's things back in the bag, then keyed himself and Matt to the shop in Macaria.

Gallus was helping someone at the counter when the brothers entered. They waited, browsing the aisles. When Gallus finished, Jacob handed him the note.

"Oh, no. Hazel." He raced to the door, then spun around. "Is there a key in that bag?"

"Yes," Jacob said, pulling it out. He handed it to Gallus.

The black man took the key and jumped to the door.

"Wait!" Jacob called. "Where are you going? Maybe I can use the Key of Kilenya to get us there."

Gallus looked mildly annoyed, then agreed. "To Aloren's tower."

Jacob put the key in Gallus's lock and said, "Aloren's tower." He opened the door, not sure what he'd see behind it.

What greeted them was definitely not what he was expecting. The room was large and circular, with many windows. It was bright and cheerful. Fabrics with playful patterns adorned the walls, drapes were at the windows, and Aloren's bed was nicely made. Not a thing appeared out of order.

Gallus strode to a desk and started going through the drawers. Obviously not finding what he searched for, he ran to look beneath the bed, pulled a loose stone up from under it, and dug around in the items there.

"Can we help?" Matt asked.

Gallus only grunted in reply. He stepped around a hole in the floor where stones had fallen through, and, mumbling to himself, went to a wardrobe against another wall. He flung it open, revealing scores and scores of dresses and other feminine clothes. Jacob wondered where Aloren got them, then wondered why she didn't wear them. He shook his head at himself—her leather clothes would offer much more protection against weather and danger than those dresses.

Finally, after digging through a few more things in Aloren's room, Gallus turned to Jacob, impatience and frustration filling his voice. "I'm looking for a silver box—a Minya box."

Realization dawned on Jacob. He dug through Aloren's bag and pulled out the silver container. "This?"

"Give it to me," Gallus said, hand extended. He snatched the box from Jacob and opened it, then sighed in relief. Jacob and Matt crowded around him.

A female Minya backed into the corner of the box. Her hair was black and slightly curly. Her skin was pale—paler than Early's. And she looked frightened.

"Aloren?" she asked.

Gallus shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hazel. She's not here."

"Why?"

Gallus's expression darkened. "Ask him." He handed the container to Jacob.

Hazel looked up at him expectantly.

"Uh . . ." How on earth was he supposed to explain things to her? "Well, Aloren, Akeno, and I went to get the Key of Kilenya, and Aloren asked me to carry her bag for her in a really dangerous place, and I forgot to give it back." He cleared his throat. "And she's stuck in Maivoryl City now."

She folded her arms and scowled. "I want to be with her."

Jacob hesitated again. "You can't—Maivoryl City won't let you enter, and I can't go back until the Makalos give me permission." He saw the disappointment on her face and rushed on. "But I promise that as soon as I do go, I'll take you with me, okay?"

A smile crept across her features. "I'd like that."

Gallus took the container from Jacob, but Hazel flitted back to Jacob.

"I want to stay with him. Until he gets Aloren."

Gallus frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Jacob shook his head when he saw the expression on Gallus's face. "No, Hazel, you should be with Gallus. He'll take good care of you and make sure Aloren gets you back."

"No. I'll go with you."

The black man handed the box to Jacob. "Minyas choose their company. I can't force her to stay with me." He glared at Jacob. "You take extremely good care of her. Make sure you give her everything she needs."

His jaw clenched and he swallowed several times before saying, "Don't fail me again."

Jacob nodded, his chest burning and an intense desire to prove himself overcoming him. "I won't."