“This is news I only just heard.” Jaden took her hand in his as he sat next to her on the bed again.
“But it has something to do with what you’ve been hiding from me since . . .” Kayla went still. “Since my dad left.” Her eyes flew to Jaden’s. And she knew. “This is about my dad, isn’t it?”
This time, Jaden didn’t make her wait. “He left that day because he wanted to scout Terratalunga—wanted to make sure it was safe. That it wasn’t a trap. That Tarise hadn’t lied to us.”
Kayla held her breath. “He went alone?”
“No, he took some of his coworkers with him.”
“But?”
“He said he would check in every two hours.”
Kayla wanted to scream. “And?”
“He just missed his third check-in.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Iri wished she couldn’t see the colors or smell the fear on Kayla. But it was what it was. Kayla’s dad was missing; in the place Tarise had told them to go looking for the next clue. Which meant Tarise had probably lied to them, and Terratalunga had been a trap.
For want of something to do, Iri said, “Are we going to find Kayla’s dad or go back to Daxsos to find this Awena person?”
The peach tones around Kayla flickered at the distraction. Then Jaden’s teal overlaid the peach as he moved even closer and took Kayla’s shoulders in his hands.
Focusing all his attention on Kayla, Jaden said, “This is your call.”
Fascinated, Iri watched as the colors around Kayla died down, like a fire reaching the end of the coals. The fiery oranges mellowed to lemon. Before Kayla said the words, Iri knew what she had decided. “Scary as it is when he misses check-ins, my dad’s done it before. Usually because he’s been held up by something.”
Kayla didn’t expand on her statement, but Iri watched the lemony hues solidify into the bright sunshine of determination.
“Because I believe in my dad, we’ll go to Daxsos. We’ll find the information that will confirm exactly where we should be going. And if it’s not Terratalunga and my dad hasn’t checked in by that time, then we’ll swing by Terratalunga first and collect him on the way to wherever we should be going.”
Jaden studied Kayla carefully before he answered. “If you’re sure . . . ”
“Jaden, have you thought about where Terratalunga is relative to where we are and where Daxsos is?”
Iri ran the map in her head. She saw Atu and Jaden reaching the same conclusion she had. But Jaden balked at answering, so Iri said it instead. “Daxsos is on the way to Terratalunga. If we go to Daxsos first, we wouldn’t have lost anything if Terratalunga’s where we should be going.” And we’ll be closer to your dad if he needs us.
“Can we go now?” Kayla asked, maroon sparks betraying her impatience.
Despite this, salmon undertones still throbbed below the dominant buttery yellow. Kayla wouldn’t admit to being worried.
Jaden leaped to his feet. “Yes, we don’t have a moment to waste.”
Iri completed the sentence again. Because if something has happened to Kayla’s dad, we need to get there sooner rather than later. Iri realized everyone was moving. Not wanting to be left behind, she rose and dashed to her room, grabbed her gear, and then sprinted toward the front of the house. She stopped dead when she exited and saw what was there.
A new glider waited with the other voyagers’ gliders. Suddenly, breathing was difficult. Her grief was suffocating. Iri closed her eyes against the image of Tinks being torn apart. She’d been helpless to stop it.
“I understand it’s difficult. But you’ll need your own ride. And Tinks wouldn’t want you to be without someone to watch over you.”
Atu’s voice was soft so only she could hear. Iri turned, finding his rich brown eyes full of understanding. When Atu touched her arm, her eyes followed the movement, her body leaning towards his. When she raised her eyes to his again, something different shone there. She wasn’t sure what.
“Come on, let’s go find out who they thought worthy enough to follow Tinks.” Atu turned before Iri could fathom what she had seen.
Iri wasn’t sure whether it was frustration that she couldn’t read Atu like everyone else, or that Pallaton had decided to give her another glider without asking first, or the grief still filling her soul, but she wanted to scream. And hit something. Lash out against anything to vent her emotions.
As if sensing her brewing eruption, Atu faced her again, this time easing her hand into his so he could lead her toward the gliders. The moment his hand touched hers, Iri’s emotional slate was overwritten with a more powerful feeling. One she thought she recognized but didn’t care to name.
Still staring at their joined hands, she allowed Atu to steer her toward the waiting gliders. Not surprisingly, Taz spoke when they reached them.
“I know it’s too soon after we lost Satinka, but she would’ve wanted us to make sure you were taken care of.”
Iri glanced up, her neck craning to find Taz’s face. Iri found sympathy there. And under it, steel. Sighing inwardly, Iri realized she would not escape a new glider, however much she wished it.
Taz must’ve recognized her resignation because she said, “Iri, this is Rozene.”
Iri wondered whether she could pull off the wild girl routine and pretend she’d never learned any manners. Will that allow me to get away with ignoring this bat? But she couldn’t do that to the glider. Then she smelled it. Sorrow. Despair to the core.
Daring a glance at Rozene, Iri found her own grief echoed on the bat’s face. “Satinka was my friend. I miss her too.”
Rozene’s voice was gentle, her posture anything but. As though she dared Iri to say anything negative about Tinks. Iri warmed to her—instantly. Without thinking, she moved right up to Rozene and put her hand on the bat’s warm chest.
“Then let’s finish this thing and make Tinks proud.”
A flash of amber temporarily drowned Rozene’s aubergine. “Yes, let’s do that.”
Both of them would need time to grieve Tinks’s loss. But they could do it. Together. Feeling lighter than she had in weeks, Iri grinned. “Let’s mount up then.”
As one, the gliders lifted into the air, returning one at a time to collect their voyagers. Taz slipped in first, as usual. When Iri saw Atu gazing at Kayla instead of her, she felt a twinge of something unpleasant. Am I jealous? What a ridiculous idea! And there’s no need. Atu’s only watching Kayla because he’s assessing her health.
Then Iri remembered Kayla hadn’t seen Taz since her return. Their behavior evidenced their elation at their reunion. Kayla grinned like a loon as she aerial connected with Taz, and Taz’s face was almost fiendish with her fierce grin.
Iri was so busy watching them she would’ve missed Rozene descending if Atu hadn’t nudged her. The slight action had her turning to him and then whirling as he pointed behind her.
“Better get ready.” Atu grinned. “She looks like a glider on a mission.”
Iri only just managed the jump in time, but Rozene compensated for the slightly late take-off, and Iri slid into position as though she and Rozene had been a team from the start. Iri immediately felt guilty.
“She would’ve approved,” Rozene said, glancing over her shoulder.
Smiling slightly, Iri rubbed the fur along Rozene’s neck. Rozene leaned into the touch. “Yes, Tinks enjoyed that too.”
They flew in silence for a while. Then Rozene snuck a glance over her shoulder. “Why did you call her Tinks?”
The question had Iri smiling. “Because that was her nickname.”
“Nickname?”
“A shorter version of someone’s name, used when we like someone. Like you. I think we can call you Rozie.”
Rumbling under her told Iri Rozie was laughing. “If you say so.”
They flew on, tailing the others as they sped towards Daxsos. Interesting how different Rozie was compared to Tinks. Tinks had been so formal and almost horrified at the use of a nickname. P
robably why she and Rozie got along so well. Don’t they say opposites attract? Iri glanced to her left, to where Atu flew. Is he my opposite? Is that what’s developing between us?
Her thoughts lingered on the question. When they landed for the evening, Iri still had no answer. She’d never been close to anyone before all this had started. This mission had given her her first true friends. Now, it was potentially giving her something more. Something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.
Swiping the thoughts away at last, she decided she wouldn’t make a thing of it. So she made light of things, joined in the banter, and tried to act normal. But she was suddenly intensely aware of where Atu was at all times, like she couldn’t escape it. Even when she tried to ignore the pull, it wriggled back, making her even more aware of Atu than before.
Finally, exhausted by her own mental gymnastics, Iri said goodnight and crept into her sleeping shell. When she woke the next morning after a deep, dreamless sleep, the first in weeks, she took a moment to ponder. She hadn’t expected to sleep a wink, let alone sleep so well. Whether it was this thing with Atu or meeting Rozie, she gave up on guessing. For now, she was refreshed and grateful for it.
Travel that day passed quickly. When twilight loomed, they were close enough to Daxsos to press on regardless of the risk. If they hurried, they would make it to the library before its nine o’clock closing.
Their gliders provided the speed needed for them to arrive thirty minutes before the doors shut. Dropping them in the large, derelict square outside the library, their gliders took to the air again as the four voyagers hurried inside.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Iri wasn’t impressed. She’d seen a fair number of libraries while she roamed to find a place she could call home, and this was one of the worst. Her attention shifted to Jaden as he marched up to the circulation desk.
“Is Awena in?”
As the librarian shook her head, the vague whites around Jaden turned scarlet. Annoyance. Like he’d been expecting the rebuttal.
“I’m sorry, no one by that name works here.”
Jaden turned to Kayla. “I’m sorry. We should’ve thought to call before we came.” The scarlet muted to tangerine, and Iri caught the scent of uncertainty. “We might’ve wasted time coming here.”
But Kayla smiled, the soft aquas around her intensifying as she took Jaden’s hand. “Nothing’s ever wasted. Just because Awena’s not here doesn’t mean we can’t find answers.”
Iri giggled at Jaden’s surprise. He spared her a derogatory glance before looking back at Kayla. “What do you suggest?”
“We found the book in the legends section. That’s where Awena took us. Perhaps we should pay those shelves another visit.”
Jaden grinned. “You’re thinking something else might magically appear on the shelves?”
Laughing, Kayla said, “If only we could be that lucky. But it’s a place to start.”
Jaden and Kayla led the way. When they reached their destination, their faces showed confusion. “Is something wrong?”
Kayla hummed. “Last time, all the books in this section were on the bottom. Now, they’re up here.” She pointed at the top three shelves. Kayla glanced at Jaden. “You don’t think she somehow arranged the shelves differently for us last time?”
“The question would be why,” Jaden muttered. He thought a moment, his eyes going distant. “Do you remember how she wouldn’t let me help her get the book?” Kayla nodded. “Is it possible the book wasn’t even on the shelf? That she had it with her and just made it look like she was taking it off the shelf?”
Air whooshed out of Kayla. She looked stricken. “I bet she did.”
The air around her friends turned mauve. If Iri could see colors on herself, hers would be the same shade of dejection. “If Awena didn’t take the book from this shelf, what are the chances anything else can tell us where Gedrin’s story took place?”
Once again, buttery yellows flowed from Kayla, drowning out the mauve. “We won’t know there’s nothing here until we’ve looked. Let’s get started. We only have about twenty minutes until the library closes.”
Hands reached for shelves, and the four of them began pouring through the books. In fifteen minutes, they’d cleared every book on the three shelves. Not surprising considering each shelf was only half full.
“What now?” Iri asked, turning to Jaden.
She noticed crimson blooming around him. Iri could relate to his anger. At every turn, something blocked them.
Kayla studied Jaden and then took his hand in hers as she answered. “There must be another way to find this place. We know it’s a volcanic area. Why don’t we go to the geography section and see what we can find about areas with volcanoes—or any reference to ‘Fire Lands?’”
The colors around Jaden cooled to a morning sky, and his scent was as grateful as the glance he directed toward Kayla. Iri had detected his annoyance before, when everyone kept asking him what they should do next. She’d also noticed how often Kayla stepped in to share the burden.
“I’ve already searched for ‘Fire Lands’ on the web.” Jaden frowned when he saw Kayla’s hopeful expression. “No, nothing. You don’t think I would’ve confirmed all this before if we had concrete evidence to back up what Tarise said?”
Spying Kayla’s faltering yellows, Iri said, “The geography section it is, then. Who knows the way?”
After looking up the Dewey number on his PAL, Jaden led them to the appropriate aisle. Closing in on the number he had pulled up, Iri saw the familiar lilacs rising to the surface again.
Kayla stared at the shelves and shelves of books. “How are we going to get through all those?”
Pulling a random book out, Jaden glanced at the title. “Mountains of the Northern Quadrant.” Shoving the book back in, he pulled out another. “An In-Depth Review of Mountain Ranges.” Jaden slammed the book back into place. He paced down the shelves, reading titles aloud as he went.
A pointed “Ahem” sounded behind them. Whirling, they found the librarian from the circulation desk. “The library is closing in five minutes. Is there anything I can help you find?”
Kayla glanced at the stacks of books around them. Her sigh was audible. “Not unless you know a quicker way to find a very specific volcano.”
The librarian smiled, dimples sweetening her face. “If it’s volcanoes you’re looking for, you’re in the wrong section. This section is for mountains.”
The blinding flash of a rapid, instant color change had Iri turning toward Jaden. Fuchsia replaced the lilac, and joy shone on his face. “What just occurred to you?” Jaden gave her that look she was all too familiar with. His incredulity that she knew he’d had a revelation before he said anything.
“We searched for the term before. But we didn’t know there was a shape we could look for. A very specific volcano will have a very specific shape.”
They all understood what he was getting at. Smiles broke out all around, except for the poor circulation lady, who just blinked at them.
Jaden smiled at her. “Is there a place where we can access the internet? I promise, we won’t take more than the few minutes we have left.”
Casting glances at them over her shoulder as though she wondered what they were up to, the lady led the way to a bank of computers against a far wall. Iri glanced at the relics, wondering if they would suffice. They were so old they didn’t even have holoscreens, just antiquated monitors. And keyboards!
Unfazed, Jaden sat down and pulled the keyboard closer, his fingers flying. Despite the antiquated equipment, the internet connection wasn’t lacking. Information began scrolling on the monitor in front of Jaden. As one, Iri, Atu and Kayla leaned in to see what he’d found.
“There!” Kayla squeaked, pointing at a result that was just disappearing off the top of the screen.
With a few keystrokes, Jaden stopped the scrolling, then reversed it, landing on the image. The kinks and curves matched perfectly. Clicking on the reference, Jaden b
rought up the article. He read the headline. “Terratalunga Receives National Park Status.”
“It is Terratalunga,” Kayla breathed.
Jaden grinned. “And that came from a terrain overlay search—not from the name.”
“So, no doubt then?” Atu asked.
“No doubt. Although I am a little surprised the terrain overlay search worked for something on this mission. Remember how unsuccessful our previous attempts were?”
Kayla nodded, her eyes still on the screen as she read. ‘This says the volcano’s been dormant for centuries. They only establised the park a few decades ago. Look, there’s a link to a map.”
Jaden clicked on the link. The map came up, and as one, they stared. Their combined shock was a sharp sting biting Iri’s nose. Because, at the very bottom of the map, in the park’s logo, was something they recognized. The medallion!
Chapter Thirty-Four
While not identical to their medallions, the colors and shapes were unmistakable. The ink pot had been cleverly transformed into an obsidian mountain, the quill magically presented as golden lava spewing from the top, and the beautiful mother-of-pearl surface was depicted as smoke swirling around the volcano. If all that didn’t seal the deal, the familiar octagonal shape of the logo was a dead giveaway.
“Wow, I would never have believed the image on our medallions could be a volcanic mountain,” Kayla breathed.
They continued staring at the images as though trying to make sense of them.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” The librarian’s question reminded them she was still there.
Jaden glanced at his PAL, confirming the time. “Yes, thank you. And we’re so sorry to have kept you past closing time. If we can print a few things, we’ll be out of here.”
“No problem. Old as it is, that computer connects to the printer downstairs.” She smiled at them. “Yes, I know, we’re a little outdated here. But if you print, it will make its way to the printer near the circulation desk.”
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