Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun or any of the characters. :((

A/N: I spell-checked and edited this chapter.

We stopped for a picnic at Garet's great relief, and I stared in wonder at all the food his family had packed.

"They know you well." I commented, reaching for a loaf of his mother's famous homemade bread.

He grinned.

Flint, still on set, sighed. We Djinn don't eat, you know. Though that...what is that, anyway?...looks pretty good.

That's wolf meat, I informed him. I had learned to speak to him through my mind. I was glad he'd told me before we got to Vault.

Garet finally declared himself full, after polishing off most of the packed food.

"We're going to have to start hunting soon," I noted, "with an appetite like that."

We approached Vault, not sure what to make of the idea of a town other than Vale. But several covered wagons blocked the entrance. We could hear the people inside talking.

"We can't stay another minute in a dangerous place like this." decided a man's voice. "We return to Kalay immediately!"

The wagons rolled off to a nearby broken bridge. A man hopped out of one of the wagons. "Master Hammet!" he called. "This is terrible! The bridge has been destroyed! We cannot continue southward."

Another man walked out of a wagon, presumably Master Hammet, whoever he was. "What? The bridge? This is awful-how will we get to Kalay?"

The other man turned to him. "Master Hammet, I'm worried about leaving Ivan behind..." Ivan? Who was Ivan?

"As fond as I am of Ivan, it is his fault my rod was stolen." said Hammet. "And his strange powers will aid him in search of the rod."

The other man sounded confused. "Ivan has strange powers?" Strange powers? Psynergy? Was it possible? Were there Adepts outside of Vale?
Of course there are! I berated myself. Saturos and Menardi and Alex!

Then they both trembled.

Looking to their northwest, I understood. A great blue stone crashed from the sky. A Psynergy Stone...

"We must leave this place immediately!" Hammet told him.

"But to where?" wondered the other man. "Where can we go?"

Hammet turned to face our direction. "We're heading north."

"We'll wind up in Lunpa!"

"It's better than being smashed by falling rocks here!"

The wagons rolled off.

"I guess we better go into Vault now," said Garet cautiously.

I nodded.

My first impression of Vault was not very...impressing. It was small, much smaller than Vale, but it felt somehow cozy.

We walked up to a man, a little nervous. We'd never been around strangers before.

"Good afternoon." I said to the man.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to Vault, the town at the heart of Angara."

An old woman was pacing outside the Inn.

"Good afternoon." I greeted her.

"Good afternoon. Those travelers left in a big hurry. They looked like they were on the run. Did you see them coming in?"

"No. What was the group like?"

"It was a group of two women and four men. They were quite strange. The young girl and the old man didn't look too happy to be there." Two women and four men-it was Saturos and Menardi!

"How interesting." I said politely, trying to mask my fear and disappointment. They'd already left!

"Did you just arrive in town today?" asked the item shopkeeper.

"Yes." I answered, thinking that was a very strange question.

"Then I suppose you're not the thieves."

We met a very suspicious man on a ledge.

"Heard anything about those thefts?" asked Garet.

"Are you accusing us of stealing Hammet's treasured Shaman's Rod?"

"No," said Garet, puzzled.

"I knew you were too smart to listen to rumors. But it wasn't us. We don't even know what was stolen!"

That's not right, I thought. He just said "Hammet's treasured Shaman's Rod."

From the bell tower, I spotted a Djinni.

Get him! exclaimed Flint. That's my friend Sap! How could he tell the difference? I wondered. The Djinni looked just like Flint to me.

I can't reach him from here. I'll get him later. Besides, I didn't think I could stand another Djinni!

I heard that, Flint informed me in an annoyed tone. That's not very nice.

Well, I'm sure you have some "not nice" thoughts, too! I retorted. But you don't have some sneaky little Djinni listening to all your thoughts!

Hey! protested Flint. I'm not a sneaky little Djinni!

I concentrated on toning him out.

Upstairs in the Inn, we saw the two other men who the townspeople suspected.

"That kid Ivan creeps me out." admitted one. "He just came and grabbed my arm...I shook him off beause he made me uncomfortable."

A young boy informed me, "They left Ivan at the mayor's to look for the rod."

I turned to Garet. "Sounds like we better visit this Ivan."

"Yeah." he agreed. "The whole town's in an uproar over him."

In the mayor's house, a little girl told us, "Ivan has great powers. Don't say it if you don't mean it, 'cause he can tell in an instant."
Sounds useful, I thought to myself.

Sounds like a Jupiter Adept, said Flint.

We approached Ivan.

"Good afternoon," I greeted.

He frowned in concentration, and I could tell he was using Psynergy.

"Yes. I... I do possess strange powers."

He'd read my mind!

He used the Psynergy again. "You have them, too, don't you?" He mind-read me again and exclaimed, "My power is called Psynergy? I had no idea!"

"We have so much in common," Ivan continued. "I feel I can trust you with this. I am quite troubled-Master Hammet's rod was stolen. Would you please help me get my master's rod back?"

"Sure. We'll help in any way we can." I said.

"Thank you. With your help, I believe we can recover the rod. Your names are.."

He used his mind-read again. I subconsciously stepped back. He kind of creeped me out.

"Isaac and Garet. I am Ivan. Pleased to meet you." He read the look on our faces. "My ability to read people's minds frightens you, doesn't it?"

"Am I really..." he started, then changed his approach. "Is my Mind Read so frightening?"
"Well, I guess not." I admitted. "But to people who'd never seen me use Move would think it frightening."

"I have an idea," he whispered to me. "Hold my hand."
I did so.

Ivan walked up to Garet and Mind Read him.

Ahh! My mind...Stop reading my mind, Ivan! Garet thought angrily.

"So, Isaac...could you read his mind?"
"Yes. I did read Garet's mind."

"Just as I thought." Ivan nodded, satisfied.

"What? You read my mind, too?" Garet was furious.

"I guessed that I could help you read minds if we shared our Psynergy." Ivan revealed.

"That's not fair!" Garet exclaimed.

"You're right." agreed Ivan. "It's not fair to read one-way."

They clasped their hands and walked up to me. I could feel my face burning. I tried not to think about any secrets as I felt their probing minds touch mine. Stop it! I thought at them. First Flint, and now you two! Stop it!

"Whoa! I read your mind, Isaac!"

"Let's use Mind Read to find the thieves!" said Ivan, excited.

"Wait a second," Garet said slowly. "Won't people know we're using Mind Read?"

Ivan looked puzzled, then his face lit up. "You two can tell when I'm using Psynergy?"

"Yes."

"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...I will not read your mind again."

I nodded. "Let's read the minds of those people the townspeople suspect."

We clasped hands and walked up to the man on the ledge.

It looks like they're onto us, he thought grimly. We better leave as soon as possible.

Now for the ones in the Inn. As we entered their room, the closest one glared at us. "What do you want?"

The other gulped. "It looks like that weird kid is with them!"

The first shuddered. "I can't stand him. Don't let him near me!"

We chased them around the room, but no avail.

"They're acting suspicious. Something's not right..." Ivan looked rather upset.

"But you can't use Mind Read if they keep running away!" said Garet, annoyed.

"I've got an idea!" exclaimed Ivan. We looked at him for an explanation. "Maybe the three of us can surround one of them."

I looked at him skeptically.

"Don't worry!" he assured us. "This will work!"

I led the way back into the room.

"Hey, they're back!" complained one.

"Uh-oh! They're comin' for us one-on-one!" the other deduced.

"Do whatever it takes." ordered the first. "Just keep away from them, like before!"

Garet stood, blocking the doorway. I walked around one bed and Ivan walked around another, trapping the man in the middle.

"Now, Ivan!" I said.

"Okay..."

He began using Mind Read on the man. "What is this? What's he doing?" worried the possible thief. "He shut his eyes..."

"Are you done, Ivan?" asked Garet.

He nodded. We let the man free from our scissor-hold on him, and returned to the doorway.

"What did you learn?" asked Garet eagerly.

"It's them all right." confirmed Ivan. "I think they took a lot of other things as well. It looks like they've hidden it somewhere in the Inn...but they won't let me near them again."

"Then we have no choice...we have to search the Inn." Garet said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "And I have a hunch where it might be..."

Garet grinned. "Leave it to us!" he told Ivan. "Isaac always comes through!"

I walked back out of the Inn, and climbed up the ladder leading to the roof.

We faced a challenge-a large box blocked the way.

Move, I thought silently. It moved almost noiselessly out of the way. I hopped across the gap, hoping my hunch was right.

"Uhnnn..." said a muffled voice. "Uhhh! Huuuuuh! Uhnnn!"

My hunch was right. The man who had previously been standing outside the Inn was bound and gagged, lying on the floor. I used my sword to cut him free.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "I came into this loft while I was fixing the roof. But I found I couldn't get all the way to the back of the loft...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. "Strange...I don't remember all these crates..."

"Maybe all the stolen items are in the crates," suggested Ivan.

"Looks like we've been found out!" snarled an angry voice. The three thieves entered the room. "You're pretty persistent, kid! Why are you working so hard for Hammet? What's it to you?"
One of them sniggered. "Hammet's already been caught by a much worse band of thieves than us, anyway!"

"What do you mean?" asked Ivan.

"I hear Hammet fled to Lunpa." another said.

"Did you say Lunpa!?" asked the man we'd freed. "A man with Master Hammet's money shouldn't go NEAR Lunpa!"

I was appalled. "What kind of place is Lunpa?" I demanded.

"The town was named after its founder, Lunpa the Righteous Thief..." explained the man.

"The family of thieves remained noble even when his son, Donpa, took over." a thief continued for him.

"But Donpa's son, Dodonpa, is an evil thief." another thief said.

"The man has no morals." shuddered the third. "I've heard he's truly vicious."

"We're not bad compared to the thieves in Lunpa, are we? Will you let us go?"

I nodded. "If you return the stolen goods."

"Seriously?" asked one incredulously. "You'll let us go?"

"You must be joking!" scoffed another. "We stole this stuff fair and square!"

"We'll just have to keep you quiet!" the last one sneered.

"And there's only one way to do that! Get 'em!"

Flint, let's see what you can do, I instructed silently.

Yeah! he cheered. Which one?

The one in the middle.

Ivan smiled. "Whirlwind." he muttered.

A great tornado came rushing through, throwing one of the thieves against the wall.

The middle one glared at us. "You'll pay." He tossed a bomb at us...luckily, when it exploded, it only blinded us with a cloud of smoke.

"I can't see!" cried Garet, but the smoke cleared quickly.

"YEEE-HAH!" shrieked Flint, throwing his small body at the thief.

"Oof!" grunted the thief. "What was that thing?"

"You'll get it for that!" cried another thief, slicing at me with his sword. The third attacked Ivan.

While Garet called up a Flare, Ivan asked me privately, "What was that thing?"

"Flint, my Djinni." I gestured to the small creature, who was visible right now.

"Ooh...summon Venus, summon Venus!" begged Flint.

"Fine, I will."

"Ray..." I heard Ivan murmur.

The thieves were then devastated by an electric storm. I could see the teeth through the skin of the one opposite me. "Make it stop!" he groaned.

"Venus!" I shouted.

What happened happened too quickly for me to see it, but from the thieves' reactions, I knew it was powerful.

The thieves attacked Garet and me, and Garet returned a blow.

Ivan attempted to strike the thief opposite him, but the thief was too quick and jumped back. The middle thief was healing the one on the left's injuries with an herb mixture, which reminded me I had to do the same to myself. I healed myself while Garet and Ivan were further attacked.

Flint silently squeaked, I'm set now!

OK, whatever. I'll call on you when I'm ready.

Ivan was healing himself during this discussion, and I held myself at the ready while the bandit attacked me fiercely.

Now, Flint!

"WAA-HOOO!" Flint yelled insanely, tossing himself at the bandit, making him almost to the point of collapse. Another thief healed him with herbs, while Garet did the same to himself.

Ivan used Whirlwind again. The rightmost thief gasped and collapsed. "I can't take any more..." he said weakly.

The thief opposite Garet hurt me so badly I could barely move, but move I did. I pointed to Flint. "Venus."

The next thief attacked me, and I was starting to feel woozy. "Hang in there, buddy!" called Garet as he cast another Flare.

Ivan held the remaining thieves at bay while I cured myself.

Ahh...I thought. That feels so much better.

Flint, are you set?

I'm ready for action!

Ivan electrified the thieves, but one had enough strength to attack me.

Flint!

"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Flint happily, rendering one foe unable to fight.

The remaining thief could not attack because he was trembling. After a blow from Ivan and another from me, he relented like the others, dropping his sword. I picked the sword up and hefted it. Not as good as my sword, but I guessed we could sell it, anyway.

"They got us..." moaned a thief.

"Actually, for a second there, I thought we were goners." admitted the man I'd freed. Who's this "we"? I thought to myself.

He walked over to the bandits. "Wow! We won!" he exclaimed. "I-I'll get the mayor!"

"After all the trouble we went to, stealing all this stuff..." grumbled one of the thieves.

Garet glared at them. "Haven't you heard? Stealing from others is wrong!"

"Sheesh!" complained another. "I told you we should have skipped town!"

"Evil never prevails!" declared Garet.

Ivan turned to me. "If you'll give me the Shaman's Rod, I'll head to Lunpa now."

"We will." I agreed. "But wait for the mayor to get here."

Ivan nodded. "What will you two be doing, Isaac?"

"I suppose we have to go after Felix and the others..." answered Garet.

Ivan began reading my mind.

"He's reading out minds again!" cried Garet indignantly. "Shouldn't we stop him?"

"Yes." I agreed, but it was too late. He was done.

"I see...So that's what happened..." Ivan said slowly.

The man reentered the room. "These are the thieves, Mayor..." he introduced, gesturing at the bandits. The mayor and two men-bodyguards?-came with him.

"What you did was horrid." the mayor scolded. "Stealing in the middle of a disaster!?!" He looked almost like he could be related to our mayor in Vale, he was so mad.

"Hey, you practically invited us to steal!" protested a bandit. "Hey-ouch!"

"Sorry," apologized the formerly tied-up man. "I couldn't help myself."

"What should we do with them?" one of the men asked the mayor.

"We're going to lock them up for a long, long time." he decided grimly.

We bound them up. The leader glared at me. "Hey...Isaac?! I won't forget this!"

"Take them away!" commanded the mayor. After the thieves had been herded off to jail, the mayor thanked us, and walked past, opening the chests to discover stolen items. The mayor found his urn in the first chest, a gold statue in the next chest, and Hammet's prized Shaman's Rod in the last.

"I'm afraid this won't do you much good," sighed the mayor. "I believe your Master Hammet has been kidnapped."

"How can I save him?" asked Ivan frantically.

"No one can enter once the gates are closed."

"What will happen to Master Hammet?"

"He is probably alive and unharmed. They wouldn't hurt such a precious captive!" comforted the mayor.

Then he turned to me. "Your name is Isaac, right?"

"Yes, sir." I answered politely.

"And you are...?"
"It's Garet." he replied.

"Thank you both." continued the mayor. "You have my deepest gratitude. Let's go then." Stopping near the doorway directly in front of us, he added, "Before you leave town, please come see me. I have something for you."

"What a mess." Garet complained. "We finally get the rod back and now this."

Ivan sighed.

"I wish I could cheer you up." said Garet.

"I just want to rescue Master Hammet. That's all. But I couldn't ask you two to help me. You have a very important mission, right? I saw it in your minds. I had no idea that the eruption held such a secret!"

"Yeah, we have to find Felix and his gang or everyone'll be in real trouble." Garet agreed.

"Then, I suppose this is good-bye, then." Ivan sounded wistful.

"Yes," I agreed. "But maybe we'll meet again someday."

Ivan retrieved the Shaman's Rod from the chest, and left, stopping to say, "I shall never forget this town's hospitality...I wish you all the best."

"Well, I guess we'd better get moving, too." Garet reminded me sadly.

I smiled. "But first, I think we need some well-deserved rest! Let's stay at this Inn tonight."

"OK," he agreed.

The innkeepers were very gracious, and as I laid my head on my pillow that night I thought about our busy, busy, day...