Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun.

A/N: A longer chapter!

This is the last one I plan to check.

Even just from the entrance, I could tell that Bilibin was a bigger than Vault had been. The town apparently had a wall all around it. To keep out intruders? I wondered. Vale had had no use for such things.

At the entrance was a small tree-looking thing, but from the minute I saw it, I knew it was no tree. "It's a person," I told Garet and Ivan.

Ivan stepped forward. "Let me use my Mind Read," he requested. He concentrated a second. He opened his eyes. "You are correct-it is human. Or at least, it used to be human."

Garet shuddered.

"Welcome to Bilibin!" greeted the first man we talked to. "Please, just ignore that strange tree out front. Many warriors have been sent to Kolima."

Kolima? Another town?

"Good afternoon," I said pleasantly to the first woman I saw. "Heard any news?"

"Good afternoon." she replied. "A group of travelers crossed the Goma Range, heading toward Imil. They stopped by Bilibin, but only for a night at the Inn."

Saturos and Menardi were still ahead of us. I sighed. At this rate we'd never catch up to them.

"Any news about Imil?" I asked a man. "We're, uh...thinking about going there."

"The snow is already piling up in Imil, and the weather is freezing. If I were you, I'd wait until spring to go there." he advised. That was no use. It was only late fall, so waiting was not an option.

We spent most of our shared money on weapons and armor, leaving a small pile of coins for the Inn this night.

I climbed the steps leading to the Sanctum, then I winked at Ivan and Garet. "Wish me luck," I said as I took one step, then another, on the wall that surrounded the city. Ivan and Garet followed. I was feeling a little queasy, but I reminded myself these walls were wooden-part of the Earth element. Finally we reached a moss-covered doorway.

"Allow me," Ivan cast Whirlwind, revealing the entrance to a cave. I entered first, and climbed down the ladder.

There was a glowing statue made of pure gold blocking our way-I used Move on it.

Inside the small compartment was what I guessed to be a Jupiter Djinni.

"Oh, brave and mighty rescuers!" she chirped, fluttering around excitedly. "You have come to save me from the evil depths of the earth...somewhere no self-respecting Jupiter Djinni should be! But that evil lord, he locked me in here! You are here to save me, aren't you?!" She eyed us suspiciously.

Then she caught sight of Ivan. "A Jupiter Adept! Oh, wonderful and noble rescuers, you are Adepts!" I wondered if she ever ended a sentence with a period instead of an exclamation point.

"I will forever be in your debt! I know! I'll help you! I've got a great attack! I really do!"

Flint and Forge suddenly appeared on standby.

Flint squeaked, "Hi, Gust! Great to see you!"

"Flint!" Gust exclaimed, hopping up and down. "And Forge! You too are in debt to these noble Adepts?!"

Forge hid his face in his hands, groaning. "...Hello, Gust..."

"Oh, this will be great!" Gust squealed, annoying Forge even more.

"Can't you turn her off?" complained Forge.

Gust ignored him. "You know what I can do?!" she asked Ivan.

"What?" replied Ivan warily.

"I can Attack with mighty wind gusts!" she answered excitedly. "Ooh! I'm going to go on set now! I want to see where I'll be living! See ya, Flint!" Gust disappeared with a whooshing noise.

"I'm going back on set." Forge said sulkily. "I can't believe that we had to be so cursed as to have Gust around..."

"They're going to get all of us," Flint informed him. "So you'd have to deal with her sooner or later...After all, you do want to see Ember again, am I right?"

If Forge had been some other color instead of red I'm sure he would have blushed. "Be quiet," he growled, disappearing.

Flint went back on set, also.

I'm glad you got Gust, he thought at me, but I want you to pick up a Venus Djinni next! Please, please, please!

I'll do my best, I promised him silently.

Once we were safely back in the middle of town, I decided, "It's time for us to see this lord. Let's head up to the palace."

We met the snooty Lady McCoy outside. "Are you telling me that I'm responsible for this?" she demanded haughtily after I raised the subject of the castle.

"Well..."

"If anyone is a victim, I am! I've been waiting for my palace for months!" she complained.

I gave up in digust and walked over to the guards.

"The lord will only meet with mighty warriors," sneered the guard.

"We are mighty warriors!" Garet declared, furious. "You want to fight us?"
"Uh..." The guard shook his head. "Umm...If you want to come in, I'll take you to the lord."

"We do want entrance." I ordered.

"Follow me," said the other guard, leaving his place at the entrance.

The palace was magnificent. I didn't see the guard anywhere, so I led the way down the red carpet to what I hoped was where Lord McCoy was.

We entered to find the guard talking to McCoy.

"Why don't you come closer?" ordered McCoy. He looked surprised when we came up. "Hey, are these the ones yeh were talkin' about?"

"Y-yes, m'lord."

"They're but children!" McCoy exclaimed. He turned to us. "And yeh expect me tae believe yeh can save Kolima?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," I said bravely. "We can save Kolima."

"Hmmm. Well, I'll grant yeh're a brave lot." He placed a key on the table. "This key'll get yeh past the barricade tae the east...But...even with the key, such wee lads as yerselves'll never reach Kolima."

"He's making fun of us!" Garet protested angrily. "That's just irritating, don't you think, Isaac?"
I glared at him. "Yesitis," I said quickly out of the corner of my mouth. "Butwedonnotneedtogetonhisbadsideotherwisewewon'tgetpastthebarricadeandtoSaturosandMenardimaybe!"

"We'll just have to prove we can take this job!" he said fiercely.

"So yeh've decided to accept our little job?"

"Hey, Ivan! You don't look too enthusiastic." Garet observed. That was the understatement of the year, I thought, staring at Ivan's glum face.

"That curse can turn a man into a tree! You think we stand a chance?"
"Ivan!" I hissed. "Don't! Weneedhimtohelp!"

Garet looked confused. "Of course we do! You know we do, right, Isaac?"

"Yes." I said firmly.

"Well...I guess I'm in." Ivan agreed, biting his lip. He still didn't look convinced.

"At least we all agree on something!" McCoy said.

"What troubles you, m'lord?" worried the guard. "They seem willing enough."

"They call themselves warriors, but they're naught but wee children!" McCoy protested. "Aye, these are desperate times, but I cannae send wee lads tae their doom!" He swiped the key back off the table and dropped it in his pocket.

"Then what will happen to Kolima Forest?" asked the guard.

"We cannae give up hope on our other champions!" he declared.

"But what about us?" asked Ivan, hurt.

"We cannae send yeh intae certain doom!"

"What if we said we were going east anyway?" demanded Garet.

McCoy shook his head. "Yeh'll have to wait. Yeh can go when things have settled down."

"You're not going to let us go?" Ivan asked incredulously.

McCoy looked almost apologetic. "Ach, it's fer yer own good, laddie. I dinnae want tae talk about it anymore."

The guard looked at us, "I'm sorry, but you should leave now."

I nodded, and we left the room.

"Your name is...Isaac? I'm sorry you were rejected." said the guard."I never, ever, expected something like this to happen to us here in Bilibin. Will you promise me you won't go to Kolima?"

"No, I'm sorry. I can't promise you that." I told him firmly.

"You are persistent, aren't you? That barricade...you might not need a key. I've said too much. I have to go now." The guard left, presumably for his post. With one last look at the room with Lord McCoy inside, I followed him to the exit.

It was evening now, and I was exhausted and hungry. "Let's go to the Inn now," I said to Garet and Ivan.

"Good idea," agreed Garet, smacking his lips. "Maybe it's not too late for dinner..."