Golden Sun : Book 1
Chapter 4:
Thieves and Adepts
Dawn came near the end of Isaac's second shift. For once it didn't take several tries to wake Garet. They took down their tent and made their way to Vault without event. It turned out that they had made even better time than Isaac had initially thought. It was still fairly early in the morning when the low cliffs that surrounded Vault came into view over the horizon. They look so small at this distance.
Isaac and Garet had come to Vault with their fathers twice before. The first time Isaac was only eight, and there wasn't much about that visit that Isaac still remembered. The second time had been almost four years ago. Not long before the accident. His and Garet's father had come to Vault to buy what seemed like any and everything that they didn't have in Vale. They'd had so much fun on the week long trip. Now he and Garet were almost there again; only this time alone and for a much more serious reason.
"Hey," Garet interrupted his thoughts, "Look at that," Even at this distance Isaac could see the convoy of hoarse-drawn wagons heading south from Vault at a great speed. "Must be somebody important."
"And in a hurry." Isaac commented, "Come on, we're almost there."
Twenty minutes later they were outside the gates of Vault. Isaac was just about to walk into the city when Garet put a hand on his shoulder. "Isaac, wait."
He turned around and looked where Garet was pointing. Off to the south a caravan of wagons was running towards them. The same one that had left Vault in such a rush. Isaac ran over to the side of the path the wagons were following and began waving his arms. The lead driver gave a hand signal to those behind him, then stopped next to Isaac. "What is it kid?" the man asked gruffly, "If you can't tell we're kind of in a hurry."
Garet was obviously about to argue with the 'kid' comment, but Isaac grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I'm sorry to bother you, Sir" Isaac said politely, "But my friend and I couldn't help but notice you were heading south, not half an hour ago."
"Oh, that?" The man said, "The bridge that leads to Kalay was destroyed. Without it nobody can get to the southern half of Angara."
"Really?" Isaac said glancing at Garet, "Well, thank you for the information."
The man lifted his reigns, but stopped and looked back at Isaac, "Are you going into that den of thieves?" he asked, nodding towards Vault.
Isaac gave him a confused look, "Yeah, we are."
"Then good luck to you." Without warning he snapped the reigns, and the convoy was off to the north.
"Den of thieves?" Garet asked as the wagons headed off.
Isaac turned around and walked back toward Vault's gate, "We'll find out soon enough."
* * *
"Alright, Garet" Isaac said as he took out their bag of gold and carefully poured some into a small pouch, "We only have five hundred gold. I'll go buy some supplies and see if I can get our tent patched up," he patted the pack on his back. "I'll give you a hundred to spend in case you find some thing you need." Isaac finished holding out the smaller pouch.
"Oh come on!" Garet argued, pushing the pouch away, "You gotta give me like at least two hundred."
Isaac put another handful of gold into the smaller pouch. "You can have one twenty five. That's it." He threw the pouch at Garet, "Meet you at the gate in an hour."
* * *
Vault really hasn't changed that much. Isaac thought as he strolled though the city. Might have built a new building or two, but other than that, unchanged. "Ah, here we are." Isaac said to himself, "Same as it was three and a half years ago" The shop in Vault had been carved directly out of the cliffs that surrounded the city. I wonder if the same shopkeeper is still here. Isaac wondered as he opened the shop door. She was really nice; she reminded me of Mom.
Isaac walked inside and came to a halt as soon as he came into sight of the shop's counter. The shopkeeper was not the same one Isaac had known. And she definitely didn't remind him of his mother. She was a girl not much older than him; Nineteen or twenty by his guess. She had light brown hair put up in a pony tail, bright green eyes, and she was very attractive. "Uh…hi." he said awkwardly.
For the fist time she noticed him. "Hey there!" she said happily, "What can I do for you?"
"Um…I" Isaac could fell his cheeks warming, and he knew he must be starting to blush. "Well, my friend and I are out on a…" Quest? Yeah right. "…camping trip, so we need some supplies." He took their damaged tent out of his pack, "And a little help."
"What do you have there?" she inquired.
"Well, our tent got kinda… torn." he told her, "I was wondering if you knew any place I could get it fixed."
"Oh, is that it," she said with a smile, "Give that here. I'll get it fixed in no time."
"Really?" Isaac asked as he walked up to the counter. "You'll do it for free?"
"For a handsome kid like you?" she smiled again and took the tent from him, "Sure." She laid the tent out on the counter, then reached under the counter and pulled out a patch of cloth. Handsome? Does she really think I'm handsome? Wait she said kid… Isaac looked at the girl again, and she was motioning for him to sit in a seat that was in front of the counter. Isaac sat down quickly, not sure what he should say. "This was the closest color to your tent I could find," she said holding up the piece of cloth, "I hope that's ok."
"Oh! That- that's fine." he said feeling suddenly foolish. The girl began sewing the patch to the tent, still smiling at Isaac. He found it increasingly difficult to keep eye contact with her.
"So did you just get into to town?" she asked.
"Yes," Isaac said nervously, "We actually just got here an hour ago."
"Guess you're not the thieves then." She said offhandedly.
"I ,uh," Isaac remembered his conversation with the wagon driver, "I actually just heard some people talking about thieves."
"That's not too surprising," she replied looking back at her sewing, "The robberies are all anyone's talked about the past few days. Well, that and the eruption of Mt. Aleph." she suddenly looked worried.
"Oh! Me and my friend are from Vale." he told her.
"Really?!" This seemed to surprise and excite her, "We were all afraid for Vale. The mayor was going to send a rescue party, but Mt. Aleph was still too active." She looked at him hopefully, "Tell me. Is Vale ok?"
"Vale's fine." he told her, "The lava flowed down the western side of the mountains."
"That's great!" she said clearly relived. She started sewing again, but soon she stopped and looked up at him. "Wait, I recognize you! You, your father and another man and his son came here about four years ago." She remembers me? "Of course I wasn't the shop keeper at the time; my mom was. I was helping out around the store, when you guys from Vale came in and bought practically everything"
"Yep," he said giving her a goofy grin and feeling his cheeks start to burn again. "That's us. Actually, the other kid you remember is the friend I'm traveling with."
"Well isn't this a coincidence," she replied smiling back. "How's your dad doing?"
Isaac looked away, "He, um… he died in the storm three years ago."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie." She said reaching across the counter to put a hand and Isaac's shoulder. Sweetie? Does she…no, no she's just trying to console me. "We had heard there were casualties in the storm, but…" she dropped her hand from his shoulder.
"It's ok. Thank you, for you thoughtfulness though," he told her. "So you were saying something about thieves?"
"Right," she said, "Well, during the eruption everyone ran outside to see what was going on. And while we were all watching, some thieves ransacked the entire town! Almost every house had something stolen."
"That's terrible," Isaac said, thinking about the events had caused that eruption.
"Yeah," the girl agreed as she put one last stitch in the tent, "There we go," she held up the now patched tent, "All done!" She smiled and handed it back to him. "So you also said you needed some supplies?"
"Oh, yes," Isaac said, "Actually, there was something I wanted specifically. You see my friend and I are on a long trip, and I need some kind of food that I can buy in bulk but won't spoil."
"Huh," She considered this, "Ah! I think I have just what you're looking for." she told him with a wink. Isaac began blushing once more as she knelt behind the counter to grab something. Maybe she does…? No, I mean come on; she's got to be at least three years older than me. The shopkeeper came up with a small box. She opened the lid, and Isaac peered inside. "It's called jerky." she said noticing his confused look, "It's meat that's been cut and prepared with salt, so it will stay fresh for long periods of time."
"This is just what we needed!" he took the pack off his back and opened it up. "Can you fill this up?"
She giggled and began scooping the jerky into the pack, "Sure."
Isaac picked out a few more items of food and had to stop when his pack was jammed full. "So how much for all of this?" he asked.
"Well, normally it would be about seventy gold, but for you," she gave him a coy smile, "It'll be fifty."
"A-are you sure?" he asked nervously as he took out the money.
"Of course," she told him taking the money from him. "By the way, I never got your name."
"Oh," Isaac said as he put the pack back on, "I- I'm Isaac."
"Well I'm Mary." she held out her hand, "It was nice to meet you."
Isaac took her hand and shook it gingerly "It, um, it was nice to meet you too." His face felt like it was on fire now. He turned to walk out the door.
"Come back soon, handsome." she called after him. This only served to make him rush out even faster.
* * *
Meanwhile, Garet was not spending his money anywhere near as responsibly. Ohh, I think my stomach might burst. He thought as he exited the inn's diner. Isaac is going to be pissed when he finds out what I did. Oh well, it was worth it. Garet decided he would take a leisurely stroll around town, so he could walk off his meal. He stopped as he came by a building with a crudely drawn picture of a sword in its window. Hmm, weapons shop, eh? Garet opened the door and walked inside.
Garet took a look at his surroundings. It was relatively dark in the shop. There were swords of various lengths and styles laying on tables or hanging on the walls. Garet also saw a few different weapons such as maces and daggers, but nothing he thought his good old long sword couldn't top.
"Hey, boy" The shop keeper called out to Garet. He was an older man, middle aged, and bald headed with a thick, black beard. He stood behind the counter polishing a short sword. "You sure you belong here?" he asked giving Garet a dubious look.
Garet looked at the man. "I know my weapons," he said pointing to the sword sheathed at his side.
"Sure you do," the man mumbled to himself. With effort, Garet ignored the comment. He continued browsing for a few minutes, and was about to leave when something that was hung on the wall behind the counter caught his eye.
"What is that?" Garet asked excitedly.
"What, this?" the owner asked pointing to the weapon. It had a long handle which ended with a huge blade on each side. Garet nodded. "That's my pride and joy; a battle axe. It ain't for choppin' fire wood!" he told Garet with a deep laugh.
"I know that!" Garet said impatiently, "How much?"
The owner put down the short sword he'd been polishing "I'm not gonna part with that for less than two hundred gold."
Garet took out his pouch of gold and looked inside. Great only fifty gold left. I knew I should have made Isaac give me two hundred. He looked back at the shopkeeper. "All I've got is fifty." he told him.
"Well fifty ain't enough," the man said, "Now go on and leave, kid."
Ok, this is going to take some smooth talking. "Alright, I can see you mean business, so…" Garet put the bag of money on the counter, "I'll give you fifty gold," The man opened his mouth to protest, "And," Garet cut him off, taking his sword off his belt and setting it on the table, "My sword."
"This sword?" the owner asked skeptically as he unsheathed the it.
"Yes. That long sword was created by the best Valean blacksmiths." Garet told him proudly.
"Vale you say?" the man asked intrigued.
"That's right." Garet said leaning on the counter, "And Vale is a very isolated community, so you'll be the only shop with this style of sword."
"That is true…" he said looking at the designs on the sheath.
"So, what do you say?" Garet asked, "Not only would you get the sword and sheath, but I'll also throw in the bag of gold."
The shopkeeper sheathed the sword and set it back down on the table. He considered the offer for awhile, then he walked over to the battle axe and took it off the wall. "You got yourself a deal, kid!" he said as he turned back around. They exchanged goods, and Garet walked towards the entrance of the store.
"Hey, boy!" the man called after him. Oh no! I knew that sword wasn't worth a hundred fifty gold!
"Yeah?" Garet asked not turning.
"You're one smooth talker…" the shopkeeper said.
Crap! He thinks I'm trying scam him! This is just- His nervous thoughts stopped as he turned around. Instead of being angry, the man was grinning broadly. "Now get outta here!" Garet smiled and quickly complied.
* * *
As planned Isaac and Garet met at Vale's gate around noon. Isaac watched in shock as Garet walked up him. What in Venus's name is that on his back? "Garet what is that?" he asked when his friend was in earshot.
"This baby?" Garet asked patting the enormous weapon on his back, "This is my battle axe. Got her for just fifty gold." he told Isaac proudly.
"That's a pretty good deal," Isaac said, "So where's the rest of the money?"
"I, uh, I spent." he replied looking away.
"On what, Garet?" Isaac asked starting to get irritated.
Garet finally met Isaac's gaze, "Food."
"Garet!" Isaac said pinching the bridge of his nose, "I told you I'd get the food. Where is it anyway?" Garet looked away again. Suddenly it dawned on Isaac, "You ate seventy-five coins worth of food?!" he asked in disbelief. "Your sis told me you ate a lot, but this is ridiculous!"
"I hadn't had a warm meal in three days, Isaac!" Garet shouted.
"Well, you can't do this every time we stop at a town." Isaac told him.
"I know! I'm sorry, Isaac!" Garet exclaimed.
"It's fine, man," Isaac said, "I'm overreacting." Although, I probably shouldn't tell him about the jerky.
"Whatever," Garet said with a shrug, "We got everything we needed. Let's just leave now."
"Actually," Isaac said adjusting the loaded pack he was carrying, "I was talking to this girl, and she said that the entire town's been stolen from."
"So?" Garet asked.
"It was during the eruption of Mt. Aleph; The eruption we had a large part in causing." Isaac informed him.
"Ok?" Garet said confused. Then his eyes widened with understanding, "Oh," Garet began to look as guilty as Isaac felt.
"Exactly," Isaac stated, "So, I think we should go to the mayor and see if there's anything we can do to help."
"Alright, the mayor's house is across town," Garet said as he began walking in that direction. "So, was she hot?"
"Was who hot?" Isaac asked as they walked.
"Was who hot?" Garet mocked, "The girl you talked to, idiot."
Isaac looked at his friend nervously, "W-what does that have to do with anything?"
But Garet knew what happened immediately, "You chickened out, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Isaac said ashamedly, "But it's not how you think."
"How so?" Garet inquired.
"Well, she was like twenty years old!" Isaac told his friend.
"That was the problem?" Garet asked surprised.
"What do you mean? It's a three year age difference"
"Did she know your age?" the Mars adept asked unexpectedly.
"Well," Isaac thought back to the encounter, "Well, no…"
"Then there was nothing to be nervous about!" Garet turned to him and began walking backwards, "Really, Isaac. You're the bravest guy I know, yet you can't talk to a pretty girl without losing your cool. It's almost funny, actual."
"Well, it's not funny." Isaac told him, "And it doesn't matter anyway."
Garet raised an eyebrow, "Why no-" he then took a backwards step right into the low cliff surrounding Vault. "Ow!"
"Because we're here." Isaac said pointing to the only house built on the cliff. Isaac began climbing the stairs that were carved out of the cliff face, much like the steps in Vale.
"You could have said something." Garet said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Ya, I could have." Isaac said smirking at his friend.
"Jerk," Garet muttered as Isaac knocked on the door. An older woman, most likely the mayors wife, opened the door.
"Hello, Ma'am." Isaac began politely, "I'm Isaac and this Garet. We're citizens of Vale," the women's eyes widened at the mention of the town, "And we wish to speak with the mayor about the recent events."
"Oh! Please come in!" she motioned the boys inside. They followed her into what Isaac assumed was a den. One wall was lined bookshelves, all completely filled. In the center of the room was large wooden desk, covered with papers, letters, and more books. Sitting behind the desk was a man in his mid forties. He was reading over some report, running his hand through his gray hair, though it was apparent from the streaks of brown that he had just recently gone gray. He threw the papers he was reading down on his desk, half of them spilled over onto the floor, and put his hands over his face. The mayor's wife stepped into the den in front of the boys. "Honey, we have guests."
The mayor didn't remove his hands, "If it's Anderson again, tell him I've got bigger problems than his little feud with his neighbor."
"No, It's two boys from Vale," she told him. He dropped his hands after hearing this.
"Hello," he jumped from his seat and walked across the room to Isaac and Garet, "I'm the mayor of Vault." He stretched out his arm and shook both boy's hands. "Please excuse the mess."
"Don't worry," Garet said waving off the comment, "It's completely understandable"
"Yes," he said giving the boys a quick once-over, "I suppose you would know."
Garet scratched the back of his neck, "I guess things have been a little hectic back home."
"But don't worry," Isaac added quickly, "No one in Vale was injured during the eruption. The lava flowed away from the city."
"That's good to hear. One less thing for me to worry about." the mayor said, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "So was there anything else you needed to tell me?"
Isaac and Garet looked at each other. "Well, we heard about the robberies," Isaac told him, "and we feel kind of responsible since it was Mt. Aleph's eruption that caused them, so we wondering if there was anything we could do."
The mayor seemed unsure, "I don't think there is anything that the two of you alone could do…"
" Actually," His wife spoke up, "Maybe they could help Ivan."
"Hmm, you're right." he agreed.
"Wait, who's Ivan?" Garet asked.
"He's a teenager, a little younger than you boys," the mayor told them. "He is the servant of Lord Hammet."
"Hammet, Hammet…" Garet repeated, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Isn't he some big-time merchant?"
"More than just a merchant," the mayors wife said. "He's the leader of Kalay, the second largest city in Angara. The thieves stole Hammet's rod and Ivan had to stay behind and find it."
"Where is Ivan?" Isaac asked.
"He's in the room down the hall," the mayor pointed out the den.
"Thank you." Isaac said giving them a short bow. Garet did the same then quickly followed him out of the den. They walked down the hall to the room the mayor had indicated, which turned out to be a small living area. Inside a small boy and girl were playing in front of the fireplace. Standing in the farthest corner of the room, looking out a window was an older boy. Isaac walked up to the two children playing. "Excuse me" he pointed to the kid at the back of the room. "is that Ivan?"
"Yep," the young boy said.
"I know a secret about Ivan," the little girl piped up. "Do you wanna know?
"Sure," Garet said.
"Too bad!" the girl giggled, "I can't tell you; it's a secret!"
"Wait! But you just said-"
Isaac grabbed Garet's arm and pulled him along, "C'mon, you're not going to win an argument with a seven year old." They walked up to the boy who was still staring out the window. Isaac was about to call his name when the Ivan turned and looked at him. Ivan held out a hand towards Isaac and suddenly it was enveloped in an eerie glow. What kind of power is this? Isaac thought taking a step back.
"Yes," Ivan said almost monotone, "I- I do possess strange powers. You have them too, don't you?" His hand began to glow again, and Isaac suddenly understood what it was. He's using Psynergy!
"What?" Ivan said slightly confused, "My power, it's called Psynergy? I had no idea!"
"Um…yeah" Isaac said still caught off guard by this apparent mind reader. Garet on the other hand looked thoroughly confused.
"We have so much in common," Ivan continued, "I feel I can trust you with this." He turned back around and looked out the window again, seemingly lost in thought.
"What just happened?" Garet whispered to Isaac.
"He just read my mind using Psynergy," he whispered back.
"Oh," Garet said a lot less surprised than Isaac thought he would have been.
Ivan turned back to face them. "I am quite troubled. Master Hammet's rod was…" he look at his feet, "…stolen. Would you please help me get my master's rod back?"
"Of course," Isaac told him.
"Thank you!" Ivan's mood was clearly lifted by this. "With your help, I believe we can recover the rod." He stopped as if something just occurred to him, "Your names are?" Isaac opened his mouth to answer him, but the boy's hand glowed once more. Isaac stepped back involuntarily. "Isaac and Garet. I am Ivan. Pleased to meet you."
Garet and Isaac looked at each other. "Uh…Pleased to meet you to." Isaac said.
"Um, likewise," Garet said.
Ivan seemed uncertain, "My ability to read people's minds frightens you, doesn't it?" he said looking at his feet again.
"Well…" Isaac started, unsure of what to say, "Not exactly frightened…"
"Am I really…" Ivan couldn't finish that sentence, so he started again. "Is my Mind Read so frightening?"
"No!" Garet said right away. "It's fine."
Without saying a word Ivan reached out and clasped Isaac's hand. Ivan looked at Garet, and the latter took an involuntary step back as Isaac had just done. Ivan merely raised his hand and cast Mind Read again.
Ahh! My mind… Stop reading my mind, Ivan!!! Isaac has shocked to hear Garet's thoughts in his own head.
"So, Isaac…" Ivan asked, "Could you read Garet's mind?" Isaac nodded his head still a bit freaked out from hearing his friends thoughts. "Just as I thought."
"What? You read my mind, too, Isaac?" Garet asked confused. They both looked at Ivan.
"I guessed that I could help you read minds if we shared Psynergy." he told them.
"Hey that's not fair!" Garet said annoyed, "Why do you get to read my mind?"
"You're right," Ivan said. "It's not fair to read one-way." He clasped Garet's hand now, and his hand began to glow again.
Alright Garet, Isaac thought, You've had your fun. That's enough.
"Whoa!" Garet exclaimed, "I did it! I read your mind, Isaac!"
Ivan was obviously in a better mood now. "Let's use Mind Read to find the thieves!"
"Wait a second…" Garet warned, "Won't people know that we're using mind read?"
Ivan looked confused for a second then realized something, "Oh I see. You two can tell when I'm using Psynergy?" they both nodded. "Isaac, both you and Garet are Adepts. Maybe that's why you can tell when I'm reading your minds. Ordinary people can't see anything. There's nothing to worry about. Don't worry…" he assure them, "I will not read you minds again."
Isaac and Garet looked around slightly embarrassed, "Uh, thanks" Isaac said. The three of them left the mayor's residence in a slightly awkward silence.
"So…um, where should we look?" Isaac asked as they walked down the cliff-side steps.
"I think we should try out the inn," Garet told him. "I heard a few people talking about the thieves while I was there." They both looked questioningly at Ivan who was walking with his eyes on the ground. Ivan stopped when he realized they were looking at him expectantly.
"What?" he asked confusedly.
"Well," Garet said, "What do you think?"
Ivan was somehow even more confused by this, "What…what do I think?"
"Yeah."
Ivan looked down at his feet, "I- it's a good idea." he started walking again, and Isaac and Garet followed, "I tried reading one guy's mind there, but he got suspicious."
"Well," Isaac said, "We better get going then the inn's all the way back across town." They continued across town falling again into an awkward silence.
"So…" Garet tried to start a conversation with this new kid. "Do you always have to hold out your hand like that to read minds?"
"Only if the person is too far away," Ivan replied quietly. "If I'm standing next to the person all I have to do is concentrate." Isaac glanced over at Garet. He just has to stand next to the person… So he could be reading my mind right now? "Don't worry," Ivan told him, "I'm not reading your mind right now." Isaac's eyes widened, and Ivan turned to him and gave him a small smile. Garet, who thought this was hilarious, cracked up laughing.
* * *
The three boys made it to the inn a few minutes later. A ladder was leaning against the side of the building, just in front of a large hole in the roof. They entered the inn looking around for anything suspicious. Isaac and Garet would walk up to people and start an innocent conversation; not one person noticed the younger boy standing a few feet away with an outstretched hand. After reading almost everyone in the diner and living room of the inn, the group sat down at a table and talked about their discoveries.
"So," Garet began, glancing at Ivan, "Did you find out anything useful?"
Despite having spent the past few hours with Isaac and Garet, Ivan still seemed considerably uncomfortable. He obviously wasn't much of a people person. "Um…" he began glancing down at his hands, "Well, almost every person I read suspects the new guests that are staying in the room upstairs."
"Alright," Isaac stood up, "Let's go see what they have to say." They crept quietly up the stairs. At the end of the hall one of the doors was cracked open. Two of their suspects could be heard conversing quietly inside the room. "I can't make out what their saying them from here…" Isaac whispered. "Wait, I got an idea. Just follow my lead." Without another word Isaac practically burst into the room.
The two men jumped and reached for their swords. "The hell are you kids doing!?" the larger of the two yelled. He didn't look like the obvious thief type; he was in his mid twenties, with long brown hair and a muscular build. Just like any other guy. But looks can be deceiving.
Isaac looked around the room confused, but kept walking forward slowly. "Wait a sec'? This ain't our room…"
"No," the other man glared at him, "so get the hell outta here!" He pointed back at the door.
Isaac didn't comply, and continued strolling forward, scratching his head. "Are you sure you not supposed to check out or somethin'? The lady told us this was our room?" Isaac turned his head and gave Ivan a questioning look. The boy gave him a fractional shake of the head. He's not close enough yet…I've got to think of something else.
"-and get out, you freaking kids!" the brown-haired man was shouting.
But then the other man noticed Ivan for the first time, "Hey, Boss, look!" He pointed to Ivan, "It's that weird kid!" The two men began backing up and looking around the room as if to find some escape route. Isaac knew this gambit was up. He dashed forward, blocking Boss' left side. Ivan quickly covered enough distance to cast Mind Read. 'Boss' tried get around Ivan on his right and nearly ran straight into Garet. The other man had backed up a few paces and was looking at each person in turn, completely unsure of what he should do. "He- he closed his eyes! What's he doin'!?"
Ivan's eyes snapped back open. He looked around nervously then dashed out of the room. For a moment the two men and two teens just stared at each other. Then Isaac and Garet quickly followed after Ivan.
* * *
"So, what did you learn, Ivan?" Garet asked as they all sat down around the table in the diner.
"It's them, all right," Ivan told them, "I think they took a lot of other things, too. It looks like they're hiding it all somewhere in this inn…"
"Do you…um," Isaac glance over at Garet, "Know where exactly?"
Ivan looked down and shook his head. "And they won't let me near them again."
Garet didn't seem too pleased by this. "Then I guess we have no other choice; we have to search the entire inn…"
"Yeah," Isaac said, "This is gonna be fun."
Ivan look away again, "I'm sorry guys…"
"Don't worry about it, man," Garet told Ivan, giving him slap on the back. "Leave it to us!" he said jumping to his feet. "Isaac always comes through!" He put his friend in a playful headlock.
"Alright thanks, Garet." Isaac pushed him off, "Well we better start looking."
* * *
The sun was beginning to set when they stopped in the diner again, exhausted from their search. "I don't get it," Garet was saying, "We looked practically everywhere." He pounded a fist on the table, "Where could they be hiding it?!"
"Alright, let's think about this," Isaac said, running a hand though his mop of light brown hair. "We looked around, and there's no secret closet or basement to hide anything. It can't be in one of the rooms, or someone would have seen it." He mulled it over some more. "We've looked everywhere in this building…"
Ivan, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "What if…" he said hesitantly, "What if it's not inside the hotel?" Isaac and Garet looked at him skeptically. "We should check the outside of the inn!" Ivan told them, finally seeming excited about something.
Garet jumped to his feet. "Of course !" He ran to the nearest exit, attracting confused glances from many of the diner's patrons.
Isaac stood up and began to walk after Garet, "We better go after him." He turned his head and smiled at Ivan, "Nice idea by the way."
Ivan got to his feet and followed, "Uh, thanks."
Outside Garet was looking over the inn. "Find anything?" Isaac asked.
"No…" Then the ladder leaning against the side of the inn caught Garet's attention. "Hey wait a sec'."
"What's up?" Isaac asked as Garet walked over to the ladder.
"This was here when I was here earlier, but there was a guy working on that hole in the roof," Garet pointed to a hole about three feet in diameter. Its edges were blackened as if the hole had been burned through the roof. "C'mon!" Garet said, climbing up the ladder. "Let's check it out!"
When Isaac and Ivan got on top of the roof, Garet had already dropped through the hole. Isaac and Ivan followed him inside. They were standing in a small attic space with a low ceiling. A large crate was sitting on one side of the room. A quick glance around showed there were no obviously stolen good inside.
"Well this is great," Garet said, his expression dropping. "Looks like there's nothing in here. Guess we better climb back out of here before somebody finds us."
"Wait," Ivan told him. "Look around…"
"We already did," Garet said impatiently. "It's just a dusty old attic."
"Exactly," Ivan said with a small grin, "But that crate is the only thing not covered in dust."
Garet and Isaac both inspected the crate. "You're right," Isaac agreed. "We need to move this."
"Leave that to me," Garet told him proudly.
"Y'know I can cast Move too, Garet," Isaac said a little annoyed with his friends boasting.
"What's Move?" Ivan asked as Garet got in position to move the large crate.
"Oh, you'll see," Isaac told him. Garet concentrated on the crate then thrust out his arm. An enormous psynergetic hand appeared in front of him. Ivan's jaw dropped slightly at the sight of this new psynergy. Garet closed his hand into a fist. The psynergy hand likewise gripped the crate. Still concentrating deeply, Garet slowly moved his hand to the left. The crate moved in suit. Garet released his mental hold on the crate, and the psynergy hand vanished. Sure enough behind the crate was a door just tall enough for them to walk through, although Garet had to duck.
Even though they found what they were looking for the boys were still shocked by what they saw. This room was much larger than the one they had just exited, and it was almost packed full with boxes, barrels, and chests.
"We-we found it!" Ivan said enthusiastically. "We actually-"
"Shh!" Isaac held up a hand. "Listen," he whispered.
"Uhnn…" They heard a quiet moan. "Uhnn…"
"It's coming from over here!" Isaac exclaimed as he rushed around the nearest stack of boxes. Leaning against a stack of boxes was a young man, just a year or two older than Isaac. His arms were tied behind his back, and his mouth was gagged with a piece of cloth. Taking out his long sword, Isaac cut him free from the ropes. The man immediately ripped the gag out of his mouth.
"I came into this loft while I was fixing the roof," the man said as he got to his feet. "But I found I couldn't get all the way to the back of the loft." He rubbed the back of his head, "So I was looking into it when WHAM! Someone whacked me in the head from behind! When I came to, I was all tied up." He looked around the room. "Strange… I don't remember all these crates being up here before!"
"All that stolen stuff is in these crates…" Ivan told the man.
"Looks like we've been found out!"
They all turned to the source of the voice. Through the doorway stepped 'Boss', followed by the two other thieves. "You're pretty persistent for one of Hammet's whelps, kid!" the leader said. Ivan took a step back from the men, gripping his staff tighter.
"Why are you working so hard for Hammet?" one of the other thieves asked. It was the one they saw talking with the leader earlier, Isaac noted. "What's it to you?"
"Anyway, Hammet's already been caught by a worse bunch of thieves than us!" the last man spoke up. Ivan looked at them in confusion.
"I hear Hammet fled to Lunpa after the eruption," Boss elaborated.
"Did you say Lunpa!?" the young man they had rescued asked incredulously. "A man with Master Hammet's money shouldn't go anywhere near Lunpa!"
Both Isaac and Garet looked questioningly at Ivan. "What kind of place is Lunpa?" Garet inquired. Ivan only looked at the floor seemingly lost in thought.
"The town was named after its founder, Lunpa, the noble thief," the young man told them when Ivan didn't reply.
Boss took the explanation from here. "That family of thieves remained noble even when his son Donpa, took over. But Donpa's son, Dodonpa, is an evil thief."
"The man has no morals," one of the thieves spoke up. "I've heard he's truly vicious."
"See," Boss said. "We're not so bad. How about it? Will you let us go?"
"You think just because there are worse people in the world, than we'll let you go?" Isaac asked in disgust. "Of course not!"
"What?" Boss asked, sounding truly surprised by this turn of events. "You mean, even if we return everything we stole and apologize, it's still a crime?"
"You must be joking!" one man yelled, "We stole this stuff fair and square!"
"We'll just have to keep you quiet!" the other told them. The thieves looked at each other in turn. Garet pulled his new battle axe off his shoulder.
"You better step back," Isaac whispered to the man they saved. He quickly complied and fled to the opposite side of the room.
The two thieves took out their short swords. Their leader brandished a nasty looking sword with a curved blade. "And there's only one way to do that!" Boss said menacingly. "Get 'em!!!"
Before anyone could make a move, Ivan stepped forward and held up his hands. Although he had just met the boy, Isaac thought he knew him enough to assume that he and Garet would be the ones doing the fighting. Because of this, Isaac was just as surprised as his foes when a small whirlwind came to life in the middle of the room. Boss and one of the thieves were swept off their feet and spun around in the miniature vortex of wind. Despite his obvious shock, the third man continued charging straight towards Ivan.
Garet jumped in between them and block the thief's clumsy strike. By this time, the whirlwind had died down, and the other bandit was thrown into a stack of boxes which toppled over on top of him. The leader, who obviously had some battle experience, landed nimbly on his feet. Even though he was sure he was outmatched, Isaac attacked Boss with all he had.
Garet on the other hand was having a much easier time with his enemy. The thief's blows were sloppy and frantic, and Garet effortlessly blocked each attack with the massive blades of his axe. Eventually Garet was confident enough to go on the offense. Needless to say, Garet was disappointed with what he got. It only took one strong sweep of his axe to knock the bandit's sword clear across the room. The man looked at his unequipped hand then at Garet. He was too surprised to speak, but his eyes pleaded for him to be let go. Garet responded with a kick to the jaw, knocking him out cold.
Meanwhile, Isaac was having trouble with the leader. No matter what angle he attacked from, Boss blocked each blow with ease. This isn't working, Isaac thought, I can't get through his guard. I'll have to try to overpower him. Isaac put all his strength into one more strike, but this is just what the leader wanted. They locked blades and struggled for a bit, then Boss jerked his knee up, plowing it into Isaac's stomach. Isaac was thrown onto his back, barely keeping hold of his sword. Boss lifted his curved sword, prepared to deliver a killing blow.
Ivan, who had stayed back so far for fear that he would just get in the way, rushed forward and raised his staff to intercept the attack. Though Ivan succeeded in preventing the swing, the leader's sword cut two-thirds of the way through his wooden staff. But this didn't discourage Boss. He merely shoved Ivan off his weapon with all his might. The small teenager was sent stumbling back into Garet who had just been on his way to help his friends. They fell into a heap on the floor, Ivan's staff snapping in half.
Luckily, this distraction had given Isaac enough time to get to his feet. I've got one option left. "Flint, I could use your help!"
The Djinni popped out of his pocket and began flying around him. "I was wondering when you'd ask!" Boss's eyes widened at the sight of the creature, but he stood his ground. Isaac made jumping strike, just as he had the day before in the woods. Boss raised his sword to block it, thinking it was some last ditch attack. Isaac watched in slow motion as his sword sliced though the air. It continued as it met the leader's blade, not even slowing as it cut though that as well. Boss stared in disbelief as half his weapon fell to the floor. He was still gawking at his destroyed sword when Isaac cracked the hilt of his sword against Boss's head. He dropped what was left sword, took a few shaky steps backward, then fell down. He wasn't unconscious, but it was apparent that he wouldn't be fighting any other teenagers any time soon.
The thief who had been buried by the stack of boxes was beginning to stir. He slowly opened eyes, and was greeted with a close up view of Garet's battle axe. "They…" he said finally, "They got us…"
The young man they had rescued walked out from behind the a stack of boxes. "Actually for a second there, I thought we were goners." He walked over to the semi-conscious men. "Wow! We won!" Garet looked over at Isaac and raised an eyebrow. "We?" he mouthed. Isaac just shrugged, and Ivan couldn't stop himself from snickering. "I…" the man continued, "I'll get the mayor!" He told them, rushing out of the room.
"After all the trouble we went to," Boss said ,sitting up and rubbing his head. "Stealing all this stuff…" One angry look from Isaac and he laid back down.
"Haven't you heard?" Garet asked disgusted, "Stealing from others is wrong!"
But the thieves were paying little attention to him. "Sheesh! I told you…" one of the bandits was saying. "I told you we should have skipped town."
Their disregard only served to make Garet angrier, "Evil never prevails!"
Ivan looked around the treasure-filled room. "If you'll give me Master Hammet's rod," he told the thieves, "I'll head to Lunpa now." He turned to Isaac, "What will you be doing, Isaac?"
"I suppose we have to go after Felix and the others…" Isaac told him, almost feeling guilty for having momentarily forgotten their mission. Ivan tilted his head to the side confused. Isaac looked over at Garet; the other nodded. Isaac opened his mouth to explain, but Ivan closed his eyes and concentrated.
Garet realized what he was doing, "He's reading your mind again! Shouldn't we stop him?"
"No," Isaac told him, "I know what he's looking for."
Garet wasn't convinced by this, "If you say so, Isaac…"
Ivan finished reading Isaac's mind. "I see…" he said almost to himself, "So that's what happened."
Before Isaac could reply, the young man walked back into the loft. "These are the thieves, Mayor." he told the mayor, as he and another man came through the doorway. The other man was tall and muscular, and he had a definite air of authority about him. Likely the local sheriff, Isaac thought. Another man walked in after him. And an officer.
The muscled man walked over to the thieves. "What you did was horrid," he told them appalled. "Stealing? In the middle of a disaster?!"
"Hey," one of the bandits spoke up, "you're the ones who left all you doors open! You were practically begging us to - OUCH!"
He was quieted by a kick from the sheriff, "Sorry," he said smiling, "I couldn't help myself…" He turned to the mayor. "What should we do with them?"
The mayor glared down at the thieves. "We're going to lock them up for a long, long time."
The thief who Garet had kicked in the face had passed out again. The officer stepped over to him and nudged him with his boot. "Hey, wake up!" he kick him again, harder this time, "Let's go! Get up! Get up!"
The sheriff turned Isaac and the others. "Hey, can you help me tie them up?"
"Sure thing!" Garet said cheerfully. They quickly tied up the thieves and dragged them to their feet.
"Hey, you!" Boss yelled as he was shoved forward by the officer, "Isaac, right? I won't forget this!"
The mayor shook his head, "Take them away!" The thieves were led out of the room by the officer and the young man they had rescued. Once they you were gone the mayor looked at Isaac. "Thank you for catching the thieves! You have our sincerest gratitude."
The sheriff nodded, "Really, you were a big help!"
The mayor walked over to some of the treasure chests, "Let's take a look at what they stole." He opened a chest and pulled out an expensive looking urn
"Mayor…" the sheriff said hesitantly, "Isn't that you family's urn?"
He nodded, "My precious urn has been returned." The sheriff opened another chest and pulled out a golden statue. The mayor frowned at the statue, "Hey, that belongs in the…they stole from the Sanctum?! Those monsters!" The mayor tuned back to Isaac and the others. "The town's treasures, they're back at last."
The sheriff looked into one more chest, "Mayor," he called, "come look at this."
He walked over and looked inside the chest. "Ivan, isn't this what you were looking for?" The Mayor took out an ancient looking staff. Ivan's face lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.
The sheriff grinned broadly, "Now, you can return to Master Hammet!"
"Oh, that's right!" the mayor remembered, "I heard that Master Hammet was seen heading toward Lunpa!"
"Oh no…" Ivan face fell. "Dodonpa wouldn't miss an opportunity like that."
The mayor looked away, unable to meet Ivan's eyes. "I'm certain that your master has been kidnapped."
Ivan looked down at his feet for a few moments. "How can I rescue Master Hammet?" he asked eventually.
The mayor just shook his head, "No one can enter once the gates are closed."
Ivan raised his head, "What will happen to Master Hammet?" he asked concerned.
The mayor walked over to Ivan. He put a hand on Ivan's shoulder as he handed him Master Hammet's rod. "Calm down, Ivan. Master Hammet is probably still alive and unharmed." the mayor assured him. "Dodonpa knows that he can use Hammet to extort a ransom from Kalay. We can't do much until Dodonpa makes his move, but at least we know Hammet's safe," he looked away again, "…for now." He turned to Isaac, "Your name is Isaac, right?" Isaac nodded. The mayor looked at Garet "And you are…"
"It's Garet." he told the mayor.
The mayor nodded to them, "Thank you both. You have my deepest gratitude." He turned to the sheriff. "Well, let's go then." They both began to leave the loft, but the mayor stopped just in front of the doorway. "Before you leave town, please come see me. I have something for you." He nodded to them again, then left the room.
The three teens stood in silence for a few moments. "What a mess…" Garet said finally, looking around the loft. "We finally get the rod back, and now this." Isaac chuckle, but Ivan just stared at his feet, lost in thought. Garet frowned at this, "I wish I could cheer you up; you look so depressed."
Ivan raised his head, "I just want to rescue Master Hammet…that's all." Both Isaac and Garet nodded. "But I couldn't ask you two to help me," he continued, "You have a very important mission, right?" Garet looked at Isaac in surprised. "That's right." Ivan told him, "I saw it in Isaac's mind. I had no idea that the volcano's eruption held such a secret!"
"Yes," Garet confirmed, "we have to find Felix and his gang, or we'll all be in trouble."
"Then…" Ivan paused, "I suppose this is goodbye, then."
"I guess so…" Isaac agreed.
Ivan took one more look around the loft, "I shall never forget this town's hospitality." He started to leave, but paused in the doorway and turned back to them. "I wish you all the best." he continued through the door, and it was just Isaac and Garet left in the room.
They stood there a moment, neither of them sure what to say. "Well," Garet decided, "I guess we'd better get moving, too."
* * *
Outside, the sun had already set. Isaac and Garet jumped down off the roof and looked around. "Wow," Garet said with a sigh, "long day."
Isaac yawned loudly. "I guess were not going anywhere tonight. Let's stay at the inn."