Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Golden Sun.

A/N: I meant this chapter to be part of the last, but chapter thirty got away with me, and it's a good thing, too. This one is rather somber, while the last was cheerful.

"I hope we get there soon." complained Garet. "Wherever 'there' is. I don't want to have to spend the night out here."

Ivan looked up from his book. "Did you know that-hey!"

"What?" asked Mia in a bored tone.

"This...this forest!" Ivan stuttered.

"What about it?" Mia asked, sounding more annoyed.

"Master Hammet!" Ivan exclaimed.

"What about him?" Mia demanded.

"Kalay! We're almost to Kalay!" Ivan absentmindedly stashed Alchemy in Action into his pack.

"Mia, how did you know about Master Hammet?" I asked in confusion.

"Remember? Mercury Lighthouse?" she reminded me.

I shook my head. "No, I don't...oh." I remembered the time.

"Hurry up!" pressed Ivan, running even faster.

I quickened my pace. "We're coming!" I called to his distant figure on the barely lit horizon.

"I'm almost there!" his faint voice shouted back. "Hurry up!"

I full out started running. Anything to get to the next inn.

I rolled over as I recalled the events of the previous night. We'd reached the inn just in time for a late supper, and then a quick retirement to our beds.

I yawned and glanced around the room Garet, Ivan, and I had shared. Ivan's cot was neatly made, but Garet still slept in his bed. He was snoring loudly.

Almost absentmindedly, I flicked a hand in the direction of Garet. The floor beneath him began shaking violently.

"Wha-what? What happened?" he wondered woozily.

"It's time to get up!" I called, sitting up. "That is, if you want breakfast!"
That got Garet up. He sat bolt upright and hopped out of bed. "I'm starving!"
I rolled my eyes and dragged myself out of the cot. "Wait for me!"

We passed Mia's room. The door was open, revealing an empty bed. She'd already gotten up, too.

We entered to the lobby to find Ivan gone and Mia sitting alone at a two person table.

Garet slid into the seat across from her, leaving me to find another table. So I sat across from a bundled traveler.

"Are you a warrior?" she asked eagerly, reminding me of Spritz.

I shrugged. "I guess you could call me that, yeah."

"Are you going to Colosso?" she wanted to know.

"What's Colosso?" I asked in confusion.

"You don't know what it is!" she exclaimed. "It's only the best tournament ever!"
I took a bite out of my biscuit. "Go on," I urged once I swallowed.

"Colosso is the greatest tournament ever! Warriors from all over to world go to Tolbi-"
"Wait," I ordered, swallowing hastily. "What's Tolbi?"
The tourist made an exasperated noise. "What's Tolbi, he says! Tolbi is the biggest city in all of Angara! You do know what Angara is, don't you?"

I nodded.

"All right. Warriors win fame...and a special prize...in Colosso! I'm going to go see it with those," she jerked her head to indicate the men behind her, "tour guides."
"Oh. All right. Thanks." I stood up and walked over to the men she'd indicated.

"Everyone looks forward to going to Tolbi once a year for Colosso!" exclaimed one of the men enthusiastically when I asked. "Of course, Tolbi is also famous for their many games."
"Games, games..." I muttered. "Games! Like...something that might need a game ticket, perhaps?"
"That's the game!" the man agreed. "Our tour will start on the 29th day of the month of January."
I calculated the date from the day we'd left Vale. "Oh, okay." I answered. "How much is it?"
"Three hundred thousand coins," he answered proudly.

I thanked the man and went over to Garet and Mia.

"I think we'd better go find Ivan," I muttered.

Mia shrugged. "I guess so. Have you heard about that Colosso thing?"
"It sounds pretty good." Garet remarked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Are you two done eating?"

They both glanced down at their empty plates.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said dryly.

"Hey! Isaac! One more thing before we go off to find Ivan." Garet requested.

"Uh-huh?"
"Isn't Kalay that city just to the south of Vault with the broken bridge?"
"Yeah, it is. Why?"
"Because that man over there just said that the bridge was fixed." Garet informed me.

My mouth dropped open. "You mean we can go back to Vale?"
Mia looked just as excited as I was. "I finally get to see your hometown!" she exclaimed to Garet.

And you can get Sap from Vault! Flint exclaimed.

I groaned.

"What?" wondered Garet.

"Flint says I'll get to get another Venus Djinni that we saw in Vault."
Garet made a face. "Too bad."

We left the inn and went on a search for Ivan.

"Have you seen Ivan?" Garet asked the armor dealer. "Short kid, around thirteen, with short blonde hair and purple eyes?"
"Oh, so he's back?" the dealer exclaimed. "He's a good kid. No, sorry. Are you friends of his?"
"Yes, we are." I answered. "I am Isaac, of Vale."

"I'm Garet, also of Vale." Garet put in. "And this is Mia of Imil."
Mia curtseyed. "How do you do?"

"All right, if I see him, I'll tell him to go find Isaac, Garet, and Mia." the dealer promised.

Next we visited the sword-seller.

"Have you seen Ivan?" Mia asked. "He's about three or four inches shorter than me, around fourteen. He's got short blonde hair and huge lavender eyes."

"Oh, Lord Hammet's kid is back in town?" the sword-seller asked. "Funny, he must have arrived without Hammet. I take that you're friends of his."
"Yes, sir." Mia answered politely. "I'm Mia of Imil, and these are Garet and Isaac, both of Vale."

"Mia, Garet, and Isaac, eh?" the sword-seller pondered. "Well, if I see him, I'll tell him to search for you three. Now, scat so my customers can buy!"
Next we visited the herb girl.

"Have you seen Ivan?" I asked. "He-"
"Oh, I know what he looks like." the girl said dismissively. "Yes, he came by my stall earlier today. Are you friends of his?"
"Yes, Isaac of Vale, Garet of Vale, and Mia of Imil." I answered.

"Good, you're the friends he told me to talk to. He said you three'd probably stop by my stall and to tell you that he's up at the palace." the girl reported.

"Thank you!" I replied gratefully.

We walked up to the palace.

"This is Lord Haammet's palace," a guard told us sternly. "Begone."
"Wait!" I cried. "We're Ivan's friends! Isaac of Vale, Garet of Vale, and Mia of Imil."

"Oh, you're the kids he told us to look out for, eh?" the guard asked. "Well, I suppose you can come in. Your friend Ivan is with Lady Layana in the throne room."
We entered the throne room and discovered Ivan speaking to a woman who must have been Lady Layana, just as the guard had said.

"When I heard that you were back, Ivan, I had dared to hope..." Lady Layana's musical voice trailed off. "I had dared to hope that Lord Hammet had returned with you."
Neither one of them noticed our presence, and I was just about to find some method of revealing us when Garet exclaimed, "There you are, Ivan! We searched half the town for you!"

Ivan jumped. "Good morning. I had figured that you would visit Orilla first, so-"
Garet cut him off. "Orilla?"
Ivan looked puzzled. "She sells herbs and other healing items."
"Oh, the herb girl." Garet realized.

Mia and I were frantically trying to signal for Garet to be quiet any way we could, but he never glanced at either of us.

I cleared my throat loudly. "Lady Layana, we are Ivan's friends and companions on his journey. I am Isaac of Vale,"
"I am Garet of Vale," Garet put in.

"And I am Mia of Imil." Mia curtseyed.

"Greetings, companions of Ivan." she greeted us.

"We thought Lord Hammet had been released from Lunpa, too, Lady Layana." a guard admitted.

"We sent the ransom money they demanded, so he should return soon, right?" the other asked.

Ivan turned to face the guards. "What has been happening in Lunpa these days?" he inquired.

"Donpa is heartbroken at the state of Lunpa under the rule of Dodonpa," the first guard answered.

"When did you send the ransom money?" Ivan asked, turning back to Lady Layana.

Lady Layana looked far away. "Let's see...first, the volcano erupted."
Garet nudged me. "They heard Mt. Aleph erupt all the way over here?"

I quieted him by raising my finger to my mouth. "Shh."

"And the ransom note came right after the eruption," a guard said helpfully.

"We rushed the money to them right away," agreed the other.

"How long has it been since the eruption?" Ivan asked, turning to me, this time.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Long enough for them to have returned Lord Hammet."

"Is it possible they have no intention of letting Lord Hammet go?" Lady Layana asked, sounding horrified.

I realized she was speaking to me. "It is possible..." I admitted.

"You think so too, Isaac?" Ivan inquired.

I nodded.

Lady Layana's voice rose very high. "Are you saying Dodonpa won't release Hammet?!"

I shifted from foot to foot. "It is quite possible..."

"I agree with Ivan and Isaac." Garet spoke up. "If they were going to release him, they'd have done it by now."
I cringed at Garet's blunt way of putting it.

"I am sorry, Lady Layana, but I think my friends are right." Mia agreed.

Lady Layana stood up and began pacing back and forth. "What should we do?" she murmured, mostly to herself. "How can we rescue Hammet?"
"What..." she began. "What if something has happened to him?!"

Her words were so much like my thoughts about Jenna I felt like laughing. How can we rescue Jenna? I had wondered. What if something has happened to her?!

But her words were nothing to laugh about, just like my worries about Jenna.

"Let us handle this!" spoke up a guard bravely.

"Milady, this is exactly what the soldiers of Kalay are here for!" the other agreed.

"I cannot command you to attack...not without thinking over it carefully...how can we guarantee Hammet's safety if we send soldiers to attack? I cannot do it."

Without thinking, I opened my mouth. "Lady Layana, could we do something to help?"
Ivan brightened. "Yes, allow us to help!"
"It is too dangerous," the lady pronounced. "If you fail your lives would be in danger, too."
They already are, every second of the day, I thought wryly, and without thinking I said these words aloud.

Lady Layana frowned. "Be that as it may, you have your own quest to pursue, correct?"

"Yes," I admitted, remembering when Ivan had used that very same protest.

"I thought so. I knew there had to be a reason Ivan stayed with you." Lady Layana said positively.

"Then...then what will happen to Lord Hammet?" wondered Mia.

Lady Layana's voice shook as she replied, "Hammet is...a good hostage for them. They will not...they will not kill him. We shall wait for another message from Lunpa."

"Lady Layana, I cannot leave like this!" Ivan exclaimed in a worried tone.

The lady shook her head firmly. "It will be fine, Ivan. Hammet would not want to distract you from..."
"From what?" I persisted.

"I apologize. I have said more than I should."

"It sounds like Hammet knows about our mission." Garet said loudly.

I elbowed him, muttering, "Lord Hammet, Garet."
"What? She calls him Hammet!" he protested.

"She's his wife." I replied.

"I suppose I can keep it a secret no longer..." Lady Layana murmured, obviously not noticing our quiet battle. "Very well. He swore an oath to a Jupiter Adept."

"A Jupiter Adept?!" repeated Ivan in bewilderment.

"Have you heard of...oh, of course you have heard of Vale. I apologize. Two of you, Isaac and Garet, I believe, come from Vale?"
"Yes, ma'am." I replied.

"Then the prophecy was true." she answered simply.

"What prophecy?" asked Mia.

"Three years after the terrible storm that struck only Mt. Aleph..." How did she know of such things? Valeans rarely ventured out! And three years...that was this year! Actually, I realized, it was last year. The new year had come and gone with no sort of celebration.

"Ivan must depart on a journey with warriors from Vale..." This was just downright scary.

"So it was foretold." she finished.

"I've heard nothing of any such prophecy." Ivan stated.

"It happened several years before Hammet founded Kalay." Lady Layana replied. "He was off traveling. Hammet felt he had reached an impasse as a merchant then. He risked his life on a journey to find a new source of business. He was in mortal danger at the southwestern edge of the world, when some Adepts appeared and saved his life."

I realized I was shaking.

"He had lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself in their village." What village? Surely not Vale or Imil. Wait a moment...Ivan's book had mentioned where the Jupiter Adepts lived...

"Contigo." stated Ivan. "Am I from Contigo?"

Lady Layana looked surprised. "Yes. The Adept gave him the Shaman's Rod and you...along with some doubloons."

"Doubloons..." murmured Mia. "Gold doubloons?"

"Yes! Let's see...you are called...Mia? Of Imil?"

"Yes, ma'am." Mia answered politely.

"He also recieved some business advice," Lady Layana continued.

"Business advice?" Garet repeated. "But isn't he like the greatest merchant ever known or something?"

"Yes, Garet of Vale. Hammet has the Adepts to thank for his success." Lady Layana confirmed.

"Wow." murmured a guard. I jumped. I'd nearly forgotten they were here.

"Did he have to promise them anything in return?" Ivan asked.

"Ah, yes, Ivan. It is something you will need on your journey. The Adepts asked Hammet to use the Shaman's Rod to obtain it," explained Lady Layana. "He looked for this object wherever he went...but he could never find it. Then, after the storm at Mt. Aleph..." I shivered.

"Hammet was worried that time was running out," the lady continued. "But he had managed to unearth a clue just in time. That, Ivan, is why he took you with the caravan on his last-on his most recent journey north."

"I had no idea," Ivan said quietly. "So that is why he left the rod in my care. But then..."

"No, Ivan." Mia protested, her voice barely above a whisper. "You mustn't blame yourself."

"But it was my...my carelessness that caused the rod to be stolen," Ivan disagreed. "And ultimately, that's why Master Hammet is being held in Lunpa."

"You must continue your journey and complete your quest," Lady Layana decided firmly. "You can't blame yourself."

"But what will happen to Lord Hammet?" persisted Mia.

Lady Layana shook her head. "I will handle this."

"Are you positive?" I asked her.

"Yes, Isaac. I am positive." she answered.

"And don't forget the soldiers of Kalay, milady!" piped up a guard.

"Do not worry about Lord Hammet!" agreed the other.

"I am sorry I cannot tell you more about the Shaman's Rod," Lady Layana apologized.

"It is all right," Ivan declared, but from the look on his face I knew it wasn't.

"The Shaman's Rod'll help us find that thing we need on our quest, right?" Garet wanted to know.

I nodded. "Yes, that's what Lady Layana said."
"Will you look for it?" she asked.

Everyone's heads turned to glance at me. "Of course," I answered.

"If Isaac says we will, then there's nothing to worry about!" exclaimed Garet proudly.

"Very well." Lady Layana agreed. "Take care of yourselves."
"We shall," I promised.

Then she cleared her throat and raised her voice like the lady she was. "Return to your posts, everyone!"

The guards nodded and left.

"Farewell, Lady Layana." Ivan called softly.

"Farewell!" Garet, Mia, and I chorused.

"Yes, farewell." came the reply.

We left.

"Why were we searching for Ivan again?" I asked stupidly.

Garet shrugged. "I honestly don't remember."
Mia rolled her eyes. "We're going back to Vale!"
"Oh, right!" I agreed. Somehow, during the long discussion, Vale had slipped my mind.

Ivan gave a small smile. "Good! Let us be on our way today!"

"Don't worry, Ivan, we'll come back," Mia assured him. "We have to go to Tolbi!"
Ivan's face lit up. "Really? Ever since I was a small child I have wanted to go there! When?"
I laughed. "In a few days."

"Great!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, and we started off.

To Vale...to home. But without Jenna. The idea felt somehow empty. Returning without Jenna...

I pushed the thought out of my mind. We'd find Jenna. We'd save her. But we had days to waste before the ship set out to Tolbi. And I knew Mother was worried.

Mother...