The boys changed, hiding odds and ends in their pockets. Matt found a couple of old air pellet guns while Jacob grabbed some beef jerky. They wanted to be completely prepared.
They met outside Jacob’s door. Both of them had on black baseball caps, though Jacob realized his hair was dark enough that he didn’t need to wear a cap. But he felt better having the shade over his eyes.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jacob asked.
Matt raised an eyebrow. “It depends on how much this girl means to you.”
“A lot.”
Matt laughed. “You’re not really having doubts, are you? ‘Cause she’s all you’ve talked about since coming back.”
Jacob grunted in reply, the butterflies in his stomach returning. He made sure the Key was securely attached to his chain and belt loop before putting it into the keyhole. “Vacant house, Maivoryl City,” he said, putting the Key in the lock.
He opened the door a little, pressed his face up against the crack, and looked through. The room was in shambles—broken furniture strewn across the floor, papers everywhere, shredded clothing draped over some of the furniture. He waited for several moments, making sure the room was empty before pushing the door open farther and stepping through. Matt followed closely on his heels.
Jacob stepped onto a floorboard that groaned in response, and he jumped. When nothing happened, he let out a sigh of relief. They tiptoed through the rooms and halls, making sure the entire place was vacant before proceeding.
The brothers returned to the front room and glanced out the window. The streets were deserted—but who knew how long they would stay that way. A slight glint of sunlight forced its way through the green atmosphere.
“Do we split up, or stick together?” Jacob asked.
“Stick together. You lead the way, watching in front of us, and I’ll stay behind and keep an eye out for anything that tries to sneak up on us. Get your knife out—just in case.” Matt pulled his pellet gun from a pocket, making sure the clip was securely attached.
After some discussion, they opted to use the back door.
The door creaked as it opened, making Jacob jump, and Matt choked back a hysterical laugh. “Wow—that freaked you out.”
Jacob glared at his brother, but Matt only motioned him to go out the door.
They looked both ways, then jumped off the porch into the tall grass, dropping to their hands and knees. The grass was a blessing—if they stayed low enough, it would actually cover them fairly well.
Army crawling, they reached the forest edge. There were no lights, and the sun was barely visible, the houses dark. Jacob led the way toward the town hall. A noise behind them made Jacob’s heart nearly stop, and they both froze.
A shadow passed by, but didn’t pause.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jacob scurried behind a shed, then—making sure the coast was clear—stood, dusting off his jeans.
“Now where?” Matt whispered.
Jacob crept to the corner of the shed, peering around it. A person wandered the street, looking lost—Jacob couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. The town hall was three buildings away. He waved to Matt and pointed toward it.
“Town hall,” he breathed.
Matt nodded. Jacob waited, worried the person on the street might also be heading to the Town hall. Once the individual had gone beyond the house, Jacob dropped to the ground again and rolled into the filtered green sunlight. He looked both directions, then rushed to the back of the house nearest them—twenty feet away.
So far, so good.
A movement in the window—Jacob froze. He motioned Matt to stop as well. The person left the window, and Jacob prayed he’d been far enough away not to be seen. He waited a full five minutes, checking his watch, before doing anything.
Jacob motioned to Matt to follow. He edged to the corner, peering around it to make sure the person on the street hadn’t changed course. He or she was still following the same path, straggly black hair more visible now that the brothers were closer. This house was situated nearer the street, making Jacob feel vulnerable.
Only a woodpile lay between the houses. The boys raced toward it, crouching as low as they could. As he ran, Jacob tripped over something in the grass and crashed down on top of the woodpile. Something stabbed his leg, and he cried out in pain before remembering to keep quiet.
“Dang it!” Matt said. He pulled Jacob up, and they ran away from the houses. Jacob tried not to limp, but his leg hurt pretty badly. A ruckus and voices sounded behind them. Slamming doors, things banging.
He and Matt fell into the tall grass close to the forest right as a mass of people poured out of the nearest house.
Jacob prayed as hard as he could that the people hadn’t seen them. He felt blood tickling his leg hairs, and hoped the wound would stop bleeding.
“We saw you, kiddies,” a feminine voice called.
Jacob and Matt looked at each other. What should they do?
“Come out—we won’t hurt you.” A man’s voice this time.
Someone snickered.
“They went that way, I think.”
The sounds of footsteps drifted to the left.
“No, they went around the house.”
“Idiot! You didn’t see! You were behind me.”
“No matter.”
“Oh, I bet they went into the forest.”
Some of the people hissed.
“We can’t find them there.”
“We should let Keitus know.”
“No, leave it to the traitor—that’s his job.”
The boys heard the sound of swishing grass very near them, and they looked at each other. The fear racing across Matt’s gray eyes was enough to make Jacob think they were doomed. They’d failed!
The footsteps stopped and there were several moments of silence. Then a voice said, “They’re long gone.”
And another. “I’m going back inside.”
The footsteps receded, doors opened and closed, and the voices became muffled, then gradually went away. The brothers waited several moments.
Nothing.
Jacob breathed a sigh of relief.
Matt shook his head. “That was close,” he whispered. “Too close. We should wait a few minutes more, just in case there are stragglers wandering around.”
Jacob nodded. The cut on his leg must not have been very bad, because it only stung a little now. Either that, or the fear of being caught surpassed the pain.
After a few more minutes, Matt sneaked toward the town hall. Jacob followed him and looked back—he couldn’t understand how the people hadn’t found them. The indentation he and Matt had created in the tall grass was very obvious. He would’ve seen their hiding place right away. Maybe these people had poor eyesight? He shook his head—no, he couldn’t count on that, even if it were true.
As soon as they’d reached the end of the grass, Matt and Jacob came to their feet and hid behind a large tree in the back yard of the town hall. Jacob looked around the side—there was a light on in one of the rooms, a warm, welcoming yellow. They decided to head to that window, ignoring the back door for now. Someone, at least, would hear them knocking there.
Jacob took a step forward, but stopped when a deep, gruff voice spoke behind him.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Jacob turned. A tall, muscular man—nothing like the villagers—leaned against a tree not far from the brothers. His brooding expression and black, shoulder-length hair gave him an imposing appearance. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a action movie, and Tani would’ve fallen for him immediately. A light purple color, indicating boredom, surrounded him. Jacob’s eyes strayed to an interesting necklace the man wore. It was oddly shaped metal, and appeared to be on fire with blue flames. How was it not burning him?
“Just keeping watch . . .” Matt said. “Like we’re supposed to.”
“On whose orders?” The man crossed his arms, and Jacob noticed he wore b
lack leather clothes. Two swords were strapped cross-wise on his back. His hands and feet were bare.
“Eachan’s,” Jacob said. “We’re . . . uh . . . watching the townspeople. Making sure they . . . don’t do anything stupid.”
The man raised his eyebrow and stared at Jacob, the light purple changing to a medium shade of purple. “I don’t think I believe you.” He put his arms behind him and strolled forward, stopping not far from the brothers. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I know just who you are.”
Jacob expected the man to bring out his swords, but he didn’t do anything, just stared at Jacob. A gust of wind brought a scent of smoke with it.
“And you shouldn’t have come to this place—not if you are as intelligent as the Lorkon seem to believe you are.”
“I have to. There’s a per—there’s something I need to get.”
The man cocked his head and half smiled at Jacob. “Oh, really? Pray tell—what is it you are searching for?”
Jacob wracked his brain, trying to decide what would sound the most legitimate. Matt was faster in his response.
“His lucky watch.”
Jacob looked at Matt and frowned. Lucky watch?
The man laughed, the light from the muted sun glinting off his perfect teeth. “Yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s searching for. A watch.” His face grew serious. “You are to come with me now. The Lorkon very much want to see you.”
Jacob shook his head, fear making him stutter. “N—no. I’m not going back to them. Ever.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.” The man whipped his hands in front of him, and Jacob jumped back, expecting the blades. Instead, the man’s hands glowed bright red. Jacob’s eyes widened, and the man smiled at his reaction. “And that’s not the only unique thing about me.”
A burst of flames shot from his feet, licking up around his legs. He reached out, and an eruption of light came from his hands, the flame rolling up his arms and dripping off his fingers.
“I’m a Fire Turner, Jacob.” He shrugged in a mock-humble way. “An Ember God, as the villagers call me. You can call me that too—I’m sure you’ll agree sooner rather than later that it’s a fitting name. But remember, I am not to be toyed with. One touch of my hand will cause you more pain than you’ve ever felt before in your life.”
Jacob wasn’t sure what made him say it. “I doubt that. Nothing could be worse than what I felt when the Lorkon touched me.”
The man snorted. “Diseases aren’t anything compared to the pain of burnt flesh, I assure you.”
Matt fidgeted at Jacob’s side, pulling things out of his pocket. “Well, it’s been nice chatting with you,” he said, “but we’ve got to go now.”
The man laughed. “I don’t think so.”
Matt brought up his air pellet gun and a LED flashlight. He switched the light on, shining it in the man’s eyes, and shot him in the face with the gun. The man roared, grabbing his eyes.
“Run!” Matt yelled, and he and Jacob tore around the tree, heading for the lit window as fast as they could go. Voices came from the houses around the town hall as the brothers reached the back wall of the building and pounded on the window. The light went out. Someone grabbed Jacob from behind and he kicked backward, releasing himself. He whirled and gasped. Villagers surrounded the brothers. Hundreds, it seemed, still poured from the houses.
Jacob jumped to his brother’s side, punching someone away from Matt. They fought back to back, Jacob using the techniques Sweet Pea had taught him. He expected a burst of flame to engulf both of them, but it never came. Where was the Ember God? He wasn’t one of the attackers. Jacob looked back at the tree, trying not to be distracted, but wanting to know where the man had gone. There he was—leaning up against the tree, arms folded, watching. What was he doing? Waiting for them to be finished off?
Jacob returned to the fighting with renewed vigor. The people were so weak, he almost felt bad about returning their punches. He couldn’t count how many he’d knocked to the ground.
Finally he and Matt scared everyone away. He squinted, focusing on the tree. The man was no longer there. Where’d he go?
“Key,” Matt breathed. “Front door.”
They ran around the side of the town hall, jerking to a halt right before reaching the porch. A man was there, a large grin on his face. It wasn’t the same guy as earlier—this one had shorter hair. No shoes, black leather clothes. Another Ember God.
“I can’t allow you to enter this building.”
“Oh, we’re just leaving . . . so . . . don’t worry about us,” Jacob said.
The man sneered. “Really? Allow me to escort you.”
“No, thanks, we’re good,” Matt said. He didn’t wait to see what the guy’s reaction would be. He turned and ran toward the nearest house, Jacob on his heels. “We’ll go home, then come back in a little while,” Matt said in a whisper loud enough for Jacob to hear.
They almost got to the door when suddenly, the first Ember God was on Jacob’s right. He used the flat side of a sword to stop the boys. It hit them across the chest and they fell to the ground, gasping for air. The man smiled down on them as they struggled to their feet and tried to run away again.
“Time for this to end,” he said.
Before Jacob knew what was happening, the man brought the handle of his sword down hard on Matt’s thigh. With a snap, Matt’s leg crumpled beneath him and he howled in pain, falling to the porch near the door. Jacob dropped to his knees by Matt, then glared up at the man, anger and hatred making his eyes sting.
“You . . . jerk!”
“Jacob, you have two choices. Watch your friend die right now, or watch him die later, when the Lorkon take you both.” He stepped closer—close enough for Jacob to feel the heat rising from his hands. The Ember God sneered again. “Personally, I’d choose now, since I’ll be more merciful than the Lorkon.”
Jacob shook his head, trying to think up a way out of the situation. He did his best to control his voice, coming to a decision quickly. “I’ll take my chances with the Lorkon, thank you very much.”
He acted as if he were surrendering, casually putting his hands in his pockets. His fingers closed around the pocket knife in one hand and the Key in the other. He couldn’t use an air gun—the Ember God would be expecting that. The knife was the next best thing.
“As you wish,” the man said. He reached for Jacob’s arm, but Jacob jerked away from him.
“Don’t touch me!”
“I’ll hurt you if need be.”
“Just—just hold on, will you?” Jacob helped Matt up, trying to keep the items in his fists from the man’s sight while also trying not to cause his brother too much discomfort. Matt’s face was white and he gasped, using the door behind him to steady himself.
Jacob put Matt’s arm over his shoulders, and put his own arm—the one with the Key in it—around his brother’s waist. “This is going to be slow, you know. He’s in a lot of pain, thanks to you.”
The man smiled, but took a step back, gesturing for Jacob to go first.
Instead, Jacob flipped the knife open and flung it at the man. It went into his shoulder.
The Ember God grunted with anger. Not waiting to see what would happen, Jacob turned Matt around, pushed the Key in the lock, and said, “Kenji’s house.”
He flung the door open and pushed Matt inside. Matt called out in agony when he landed on Kenji’s floor. A burst of light illuminated the door in front of Jacob, fire surrounded him, and a searing pain rushed up and down his back and legs—the Turner had blasted him with flames.
Screaming, Jacob pushed through the door and slammed it shut, then fell to the floor next to Matt. The last thing he saw was Kenji’s family staring at him from over dinner, light yellow with a hint of orange—the color of surprise—around their faces. Jacob heard someone say his name, then blackness closed in.