Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (65 page)

Aloren approached him, smiled, then quickly looked away. She lifted her sleeves, revealing white-patterned skin on her upper and lower arms.

Jacob stared at them in horror. “It’s like he . . . he tattooed you! How’d you
handle
that?”

She shrugged. “Same as how I lived through watching my mother die—there wasn’t anything else I could do. And I wasn’t going to tell them about you.”

A strong emotion flowed through Jacob—he wasn’t sure what it was. Pride? She’d defended him! He felt his cheeks redden, and he squared his shoulders.

“She’s got some pretty tender bruises and other wounds,” the Fat Lady said. “But we’ve fixed her up the best we can for the time being. She’ll be fine. No broken bones. What she really needs is a good, long night’s rest.”

The Fat Lady pointed at Gallus. “You’re next.”

“I’m fine—didn’t get hurt. Just tired.”

“Same here,” Sweet Pea said.

“Well, shoot,” the Fat Lady said, looking disappointed. “How’d you guys get off so easily?”

Gallus smiled. “We were evenly matched against the Ember Gods. They couldn’t get an upper hand on us, nor we on them.” He paused. “We’ll need more on our side if we fight them again.”

“When, more likely,” Ebony said.

The Fat Lady inclined her head. “We need Shiengols.” She motioned to Jacob. “
He
needs them.”

Jacob frowned. “Why would I need Shiengols?”

Gallus leaned back in his chair. “They’re wise, powerful beings, and will be better able to help you develop your abilities.” He sighed. “They’re still in August Fortress, though—they never got away.”

Jacob’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean, they’re still stuck where they were when Dmitri—er, my dad, rescued my mom?”

“Yes—yes, they’re still there.” Gallus rubbed his face.

“There wasn’t any way to release them,” Ebony said. “We tried, but the Lorkon stopped us each time. Realizing we were worth more to the Shiengols alive than dead, we gave up.”

Jacob felt himself flush. “Gave up?”

“Yes,” Gallus said. “Not forever, of course. We need to get them out soon.”

“Are they even still alive?” Matt asked.

Gallus snorted. “Of course they are.”

Matt frowned. “How do you know?”

“They’re Shiengols.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Gallus sat down, leaning back in the chair, eyes closed. “You can’t just kill a Shiengol. It takes special weapons to get rid of them permanently. They’re not immortal, but they do live for a very, very long time.”

The group was silent for several moments while the Fat Lady brought out drinks.

Matt took his cup and sniffed it. “Please tell me this won’t taste anything like that disgusting stuff you made me drink last time.”

The Fat Lady laughed. “Worse. It’s made from the juice of apples.”

“Oh, okay.” Matt downed the entire glass and asked for more.

Jacob turned to Gallus. “What made the Ember Gods run away from you guys back in Maivoryl City?”

“I’m not sure, really. We’d stopped fighting for a moment, and there was a pop and a small burst of flame in front of the Ember Gods. The flame went away and a black object floated in front of them. Couldn’t hear what was happening, but it looked like they were talking to the thing. Then another pop, a burst of flame, and the thing disappeared. The Ember Gods ignored us and raced down the street.”

“Fire Beetles,” the Fat Lady said. “They’re new—come from a different planet.”

“
Another
planet?” Jacob asked.

“Yup. The same planet where Pulsers and Turners originate. I've done my research since you and Matt tried to get Aloren last time. Fire Turner, by the way, is the correct name for these Ember Gods—from what I’ve heard, they enjoy their nickname, but we don’t need to be building up their egos. Beetles are the equivalent of a Minya on that planet, though they’re only good for one conversation. They appear, the people talk back and forth through them, then the beetles burst into flames and die.”

“They die?” Matt asked. “Seems kinda extreme.”

“Sure is.” The Fat Lady sat on the couch. “The Lorkon have discovered many things that are foreign to us. I’ve done my best here, researching and trying to figure things out, but with only a little luck.”

“Wait,” Aloren said, turning to Jacob. “You tried to get me once already?”

Jacob nodded. “Yeah. We weren't very successful, though. The Fire Turners burned my back and broke Matt's leg. Ebony was able to heal us, though.”

“They're so evil.”

Gallus stretched, then got to his feet. “I’m ready to head home. And we should report to Brojan and Kenji—I’m sure they want to hear from us.”

Jacob took Gallus home after they’d met with Brojan and Kenji. Once they were inside the shop, the taller man turned and offered his hand to Jacob.

“I owe you an apology for how I’ve treated you.”

Jacob shook his head. “No, you were right to be upset.”

“It was out of your control. I couldn’t have done any better than you did.” He paused to take off his armor. When he looked at Jacob again, his eyes were glistening. “Thank you for getting Aloren back.”

“No problem.” Jacob smiled. It felt good to be on the black man’s good side again.

They exchanged goodbyes, then Jacob returned to Taga and he and Matt went with Aloren to her tower to get her things. She’d decided to take Akeno up on the offer to live with the Makalos. He’d extended this offer while they’d been on the trail to get the Key of Kilenya, and she was excited for the new adventure.

After dropping Aloren off at the tree, Jacob and Matt Keyed home. Brojan decided Jacob could keep the Key, since Aloren had been rescued, but he made the brothers swear up and down not to do anything stupid and to talk to him before going anywhere.

Jacob was just fine with that.

“What happens now?” Aloren asked Jacob, pulling the coat she wore closer around her. “Any big plans?”

They leaned against the ledge of one side of the canyon in Taga, watching the first snowflakes fall. Makalos bustled around them, readying the village for winter.

“Tryouts are coming up soon,” Jacob said, then smiled. “The real ones. I need to get ready for those. And I’ll be helping to get the Shiengols out of August Fortress. Gallus is organizing that.” He paused, then glanced at her. “You?”

She sighed. “Explore your world, eventually. Forget about the past. And . . . and my brother. Live a normal life.” She turned to him. “I want to help Eachan somehow. I know he didn’t do very many good things, but he did save my life—more than once.”

Jacob nodded. The Fat Lady had gone to the tunnel to check on the man, but he wasn’t there. She guessed the Lorkon had taken him back to Maivoryl City.

“Tell me about the town hall. I . . .” Jacob paused. He wanted to tell Aloren how happy he was that she was back now, but he wasn’t sure how to say it. “I’m really glad you made it—I mean, I know you got hurt, and not just physically, but it’s nice that you weren’t hurt more and are here now. I had nightmares all the time that you’d died, and it was really awful. Aloren, I felt so bad for leaving you there! I promise, I’ll never do something like that again. You wouldn’t even believe how mad Gallus was. And . . . and I don’t blame him, because I missed—” he clamped his mouth shut, feeling a blush creep across his face.

Aloren laughed. “Oh, I can imagine how Gallus responded. He can get pretty intense sometimes.” She faced the canyon floor below them again. “It’s really good to be with you again. And Jacob, I missed you too. A lot. It was weird to me, how much. I mean, my mom has been dead for nearly six months now and I miss her too, but it’s different from how I felt while being in the town hall. I knew you were still alive—prayed you were—and held onto that more than anything else. I even wondered what you were doing more than I wondered about my brother.”

They fell silent for a while. Jacob mulled over what she’d just said. She’d thought about him! Probably as much as he’d thought about her. He sneaked a few glances in her direction—wondering what she was thinking now. A half-smile slowly crossed her face, showing her dimple, and a sudden warmth flowed through him. He remembered how irritated that little smile had made him when he first met her. But now he knew it would never annoy him again.

Her hand rested on the cement barrier near him. He looked at it, then glanced at her again. He almost—almost—put his hand next to hers, but hesitated, not sure how she would react. She pulled away when excited voices drifted toward them, her eyes lighting up. Jacob turned to see where she was looking.

“Jacob!” Matt called. “You’ve got to see this!”

Akeno was running toward them without a limp! Matt ran next to him, and they were followed by Kaiya, Jaegar, and Sweet Pea.

Aloren laughed, then a solemn expression crossed her features. “About my brother and mom . . . I’ll always love them. I’ll always hope to find my brother someday. But there’s so much to enjoy in the present. Why stress over what’s been done in the past—the things I can’t control? And maybe he’ll find his way to me if I stop running all over the place looking for him.”

Jacob agreed, but then looked over the canyon again. How different his situation was from hers. Nearly everything depended on learning from what had happened in the past.

He smiled, put his serious thoughts away, and turned back to the approaching group. For now, he was content with simply enjoying the friendships he’d forged.

###

Acknowledgments

I’ve decided that writing the acknowledgement section is very difficult. I’m always so worried I’ll leave someone out! If I do, please forgive me. :-)

I first need to thank my super-cool, amazing, awesome, and hot husband of six months for his loving support, patience, and faith. I’m such a lucky gal!

Next, my parents, for their dedication to being the best parents ever, for helping me during the tough times, and for guiding, proofreading, and assisting me in the writing journey.

A huge thank you to Tristi Pinkston for cheerfully slashing the bad grammar from my manuscripts, for her patience with my incessant questions and emails, for putting together my blog tours, and for being a great support and a wonderful friend.

Thanks to Jenni James for her friendship, constant help, and for always pointing me in the right direction. And for getting a cell phone so I can text her. :-)

A big hug to BJ Rowley for his amazing typesetting skills—he’s made the Kilenya Series into a beautiful set of books. Thank you!

James Curwen deserves my gratitude for yet another wonderful cover, and for the time he’s put into creating illustrations for the series. (To be released in future special-edition versions of the books.)

A huge thanks to my in-laws, James and Nancy, for making the billion-hour drive to our place and helping us catch up with yard work and appliance repairs so I could meet my deadlines. Also, for the phone calls, keeping us up-to-date on everyone in the family, and for being so very supportive.

Thank you to Lon Pearson for his wonderful assistance with proofreading, for his patience, his enthusiasm, and his encouragement.

A shout-out needs to go to my contest winners: Tani Lee, Tyler Ficiur, Megan Krahenbuhl, Levi Wolfley, Amanda Smith, Amber Hann, Elizabeth Sanchez, Sarah Kammer, Katlyn Binns, LaShanah Tillar, Ariella Stewart, Sarah Elizabeth Benjamin, and Elizabeth Fansler. Thank you for your help with everything!

Ida Mae, the star of Secret Sisters and creation of Tristi Pinkston, deserves thanks for allowing me to name a character in my series after her. Also, thanks to Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson for their amazing music. I spent most of the time while editing this book listening to them on repeat.

Rifftrax needs to be thanked for making fun of my favorite movies, and the poorly made ones, so my husband and I would have a reason to watch them over and over again.

Gratitude goes to my brother Josh for his amazing BBQ chicken. And to my mom for the zucchini and summer squash. I also need to thank the makers of sugar-free gum. I doubt any editing would’ve been completed without it. :-)