“My parents knew Gallus?” Akeno whispered, his eyes flicking toward Aloren. Jacob didn’t blame him—he didn’t want the girl overhearing them, either.
“Yes. They knew and trusted him, and said we need to talk to him before leaving the city.”
Jacob and Akeno walked several feet behind Aloren, who was peeking around every corner, keeping an eye open for the wolves as she led the way to Gallus’s store.
“That’s neat to think about, actually,” Akeno said. “It’s almost like going back in the past, meeting people my parents knew.” He smiled. “I only hope he doesn’t throw nuts at us.”
Jacob laughed. “I doubt he will. He seems normal enough.”
They soon arrived at the store. Gallus was helping a large man who had a small child in his arms.
Aloren stopped walking. Looking at Jacob, she said, “I know my way around here pretty well. I can help you find what you need.”
“Just keep an eye open for the wolves. Akeno and I will only take a few minutes.”
“No, really. What do you need? I can help.”
Jacob shifted impatiently. “Something from the store owner. That’s it.”
“From Gallus? Why?”
He closed his eyes, his jaw clenched, trying not to lose his temper. Why was she being so nosy? He took a deep breath, controlling his voice. “Aloren.” He paused, then continued, putting emphasis on each word. “Why do you need to know?”
Aloren stomped her foot. “Okay, fine, never mind then. I’ll wait outside.” She gave a small wave to Gallus.
Gallus smiled at her, shaking his head, and approached Jacob. “Welcome back.”
“Thank you,” Jacob said.
“How can I help you?”
“Actually, can we speak with you in private for a moment?”
“Sure, sure,” Gallus said. “Let me see . . . I’ll need someone to take over for me.” He walked to the door and opened it. “Aloren, would you mind watching the store for a few minutes?”
Jacob’s mouth popped open. He shut it before Aloren could notice. She had an “I told you so” expression written all over her face. He looked away, ignoring her.
“Thank you, Aloren. Holg here was interested in finding a new set of cups for his wife. Would you help him pick out one Nerra would like?”
“Of course.”
Gallus led Akeno and Jacob up a narrow set of stairs and into a room full of boxes and merchandise. “I’m sorry about the mess,” he said. “I’m afraid we’ll have to stand.”
“That’s fine,” Jacob said.
“How can I help you?”
“Well . . . I’m not sure where to start.” Jacob looked at Akeno, but his friend wouldn’t meet his eyes—probably being shy again. He sighed. “I’ll just start at the beginning. My name is Jacob Clark, and this is Akeno. His parents are Kenji and Ebony. They said you’d—”
“Kenji? Ebony? Are you serious? Oh, what extraordinary news this is!” Gallus swooped forward and picked up Akeno in a huge bear hug, tears running, a big smile on his face. Akeno let out several small, fearful squeaks, his eyes wider than Jacob had ever seen them before. Jacob had to cough several times to control the urge to laugh at the Makalo’s expression.
Gallus chuckled, wiping his tears away, and put Akeno down. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said. “Kenji was just as shy around strangers until he warmed up to me. Ebony never was a cautious one, though, was she?” He smiled at Akeno, waiting for a reaction.
Akeno gave a small shake of his head, terror still in his eyes. Jacob didn’t hold back the laugh this time, and Gallus joined him. It felt good to laugh.
“And how did you come to be involved with the Makalos?” Gallus put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder.
“I’m still not sure about that,” Jacob said. “However, Kenji and Ebony said we could trust you, and to talk to you about what we’re doing here.”
“Would I be correct to assume that all this has to do with the Key of Kilenya?”
Jacob started. “Yes, it does. How did you know?”
“I had my suspicions when you came to the store earlier. I knew that if a Makalo had come out of their hidden village, the Lorkon must have found the Key’s hiding place. The Lorkon spent several years searching the land for that Key, only stopping about a year ago. I’m surprised they were able to get into the Makalo village that quickly. They stole it, didn’t they? And that’s why you’re here?”
“Yes. We’ve been asked to find it and bring it back.”
“That won’t be an easy task. Did Kenji and Ebony prepare you well?”
Jacob glanced at Akeno apologetically. “Not really, actually. There’s not a lot they could tell me, mainly because they haven’t been in this area for several years.”
“Hmmm.” Gallus looked at Jacob for a moment. “I can help you, I think. First, the road to Ridgewood and Maivoryl City is very dangerous. If you have a couple of days, you could stay in my home with me and my family. That would give me enough time to tell you everything you might come across.”
“We . . . don’t have that much time,” Jacob said, thinking about the wolves. “We need to leave as soon as possible.”
“In that case, I recommend you take someone with you who knows the way. I’d love to do it, if you’ll have me. It’s been several years since I last left Macaria, and it would be nice to get out again. I’ll have to shut my shop down, but I’ll manage.”
Jacob shifted his weight. “Well, actually, Aloren has already requested that she come with us.”
“Aloren?” He frowned. “That girl is so stubborn. I should have known she’d be trying to get to Maivoryl City again. Of course she would.” He started fidgeting with one of the boxes in the room for a moment before saying anything. He looked up at Jacob, a disappointed expression on his face. “No, she’ll be a better guide than I would.” He sighed. “Of course you should take her instead.”
“Is she trustworthy?”
“Aloren? Trustworthy? Of course she is. She’s worked for me since she was eight. She's a hard worker—doing basically everything. Housecleaning, laundry, cooking, stable cleaning—basically whatever people need. She and her mother used to live right here, in this room. That was back before her mother . . .” His voice trailed off, and he didn’t continue.
“Died?” Jacob said.
“Yes,” Gallus said. “Jacob, listen to me. Aloren has had a difficult life—very difficult. Parents separated before she was born, a mother who was almost always sick, a constant loneliness and desire to find her father and brother. She’s got a lot of energy, she has, but she’s still hurting from her mother’s death. I’ve tried to talk her into settling down here, but every month or so she uproots herself, searching through a different part of the kingdom. And while her mother was sick, Aloren was incredibly restless. She had the desire to be out searching, but couldn’t leave her mother’s side for several months.” Gallus frowned. “That was hard for her. She felt trapped, and then felt guilty for feeling that way.
“She’s been everywhere in this part of the kingdom except past Ridgewood. It would be wise for you to take her with you—to have someone with you who knows the land. And . . . it’ll ease her mind if she’s searching for her brother.”
Jacob moaned to himself. “All right, we’ll take her.”
“And you won’t regret it.”
Jacob heard Aloren’s laughter from down below and almost rolled his eyes.
Gallus smiled. “Just take care of her, okay?”
“We will.”