Ember Gods

Chapter 25

Jacob got home after basketball practice—which had gone so well, he was still smiling—and fell onto the couch. For once, he didn't have anything to do that night with the Makalos—they'd decided to give him some time off. The Fat Lady's potion, according to Kenji, should be finished in another week.

Jacob rolled onto his stomach, trying to decide what to do. He really wished he could help Aloren. The dreams had gotten so bad lately. Were they somehow warning him of her condition?

The garage door opened and Matt entered the house, Sammy on his heels. They plopped onto the couch across from Jacob.

"Hey," Matt said. "Mom and Dad are at Amberly's dance rehearsal. Wanna come to Sammy's house and watch a movie?"

"Which one?"

"Probably Wolverine or something."

Jacob shrugged—he'd just watched it a couple of weeks ago, and wasn't in the mood to see it again. "Nah, I think I'll hang out here."

Matt and Sammy grabbed a bunch of DVDs and left, and Jacob went to read in the living room. He really struggled with concentrating, though. Aloren's predicament kept crossing his mind. What if she died? How would he react to something like that? As soon as he'd thought it, he pushed it as far from his mind as possible. He couldn't dwell on it. Wouldn't.

He hated sitting around, not doing anything, while she was in Maivoryl. He rolled onto his back, hands behind his head, thinking. A plan would be good, just in case the Fat Lady's potion didn't work, or if something happened that prevented the Makalos from going with him.

He needed to focus, make sure he'd thought of every possible situation, make sure he was ready for anything that could happen. If they didn't get more potion, it would only be a two-person rescue team: Jacob and Matt. He couldn't ask Akeno to come, not with his leg the way it was now.

Jacob got to his feet and paced the living room. He could key them to the city—that would be the fastest way to get there and back. But how would they get in unnoticed, and where would they key to? He bit his lip, thinking. Not straight to the town hall. He didn't know if the Lorkon had placed traps for him or not, and he wasn't about to find out.

Then he remembered seeing several houses that looked vacant. One of those would be perfect! If he said, "Maivoryl City, vacant house," they'd be fine. Not having Akeno would make things a lot more difficult, since Akeno had that ability to sense other living creatures, but then again, the trees wouldn't let Akeno touch them anyway.

They'd first check the town hall, since that was where he'd last seen Aloren. After, they'd search around the city—keeping in the shadows. His excitement grew as he thought over the details of his plan.

The door behind him opened, and Jacob jumped.

Matt laughed. "Boy, someone's tense."

"Where's Sammy?"

Matt plopped on the couch, a can of soda in his hand. Jacob was used to Matt's characteristic green swirls, and barely noticed them. "She insisted on watching a 'bonnet' movie instead. Something about persuading. Then, she fell asleep after it had only been going for twenty minutes. I didn't want to sit there watching it, and I can't wake her up from naps—she's super grouchy. She'd bite my head off. So, I left. She'll be asleep for at least two hours."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You're the perfect boyfriend."

"Hey, she'd do the same." He leaned forward. "So, what's on your mind? You're gonna wear a hole in Mom's carpet."

Jacob sat on the other couch. "Just stressing over Aloren's situation. What if the potions never get finished? What if they don't work? What if the 'team' never gets put together, and she ends up staying in Maivoryl City for the rest of her life?"

Matt shook his head. "We'll go get her if the Makalos can't fulfill their end of the deal."

"Exactly. And I've been planning how to do that. You and I would go, of course." Jacob jumped to his feet again, too antsy to sit. "We'd key there—to an empty house or something."

Matt nodded eagerly. "Then we could sneak to that town hall place where you left her, right?"

"Yeah. We'd have to be careful no one sees us, but I'm sure we could do it. The whole city is almost black, and if we dressed in dark colors, we'd blend right in. Plus, the people avoided the forest and stuck to the streets while we were there. We could hide in them."

"Except for the fact that they'll try to beat us up," Matt said. "Didn't you say that's what they do?"

"Oh, yeah." That wouldn't work. Jacob scratched his chin. "We could still stick close to them, though, just out of reach."

"Why do the people avoid the woods?"

"I don't know why exactly, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was because they've learned that the trees beat up anyone trying to enter."

"So . . ." Matt said, then paused. He cleared his throat. "Why do we have to wait until the Makalos tell you they don't have the potion?"

Jacob hesitated, turning to face Matt. "Because they asked me to wait. And they want to send a large group."

"But wouldn't it be better—quick and painless—if only two people go?" Matt got to his feet and started pacing too. "I mean, catch the people in Maivoryl City off guard, you know? Slip in and out before anyone notices we're there?"

Jacob ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know, Matt. I can't break my promise to the Makalos. And there's got to be a reason they're so adamant that a lot of us go at once."

"It wouldn't hurt to try, would it? What's the worst that could happen? You're practically invincible, and I'm fast and strong. If we get there, find Aloren, and bring her back, they'd be grateful, not mad. If we get there and can't find her, we come back. Simple as that. And listen—Mom and Dad are with Amberly at her dance rehearsal, Sammy's asleep, the Makalos don't need you tonight—right?—and we don't have anything else to do." Matt put his empty soda can on the end table. "Let's go now."

"Wait—I need to think through this first."

"Sure, whatever. I think you've put plenty of thought into it, though. The opportunity won't come again for a long time."

Jacob frowned. Matt was right—the open window fell perfectly onto tonight. And if they brought Aloren back safe and sound, the Makalos would most likely be grateful. They'd be mad, of course, which he'd deserve, but grateful.

He paced a couple of times. If they couldn't find Aloren, they wouldn't have to tell anyone. Could he live with a lie like that? He wasn't sure. "Man, Matt, I don't know. I don't feel good about it."

"That's only because you're nervous you'd end up disappointing the Makalos. Jake, I'm not going to push you into this. If you don't feel good about it, we shouldn't do it. On the other hand, I'm just as interested in getting her out of there as you are."

Jacob took a deep breath. His sick feeling dissipated with each breath—maybe it was only because he was nervous. What if this really was the right decision? What if the Makalos were misguided, and every minute Aloren stayed there meant more damage to her? He sat on the couch, putting his head in his hands. He'd never considered whether the Makalos might actually be wrong. He'd been impatient with them, and frustrated, but hadn't ever truly doubted. If they were wrong, and waiting was the worst thing they could do, the best thing—the correct thing—was to go get her. Now.

He stood quickly. "Okay, but we need to bring things with us. Our biggest pocket knives, flashlights, dark clothes, and hoodies. It's kind of cold there."

"We can even bring your gnat."

Jacob hesitated again. He'd promised Hazel she could go when they rescued Aloren. Another broken promise. He shook his head. "No, not this time. I don't want to tell her we're going if it just ends up being a disappointment."

Matt shrugged. "Fine."

Jacob took a deep breath, then smiled at his older brother. He was so glad Matt would be around this time.