It took several minutes for everyone to settle down enough for the meeting to begin. Jacob was nervous—he couldn’t wait to find out what the Makalos would say about getting Aloren.
The Fat Lady grinned at Matt when the introductions were made, and his jaw dropped—probably at the sight of her teeth.
Brojan started by asking the Fat Lady about her potion.
“It’s the same one Akeno and Aloren took on the way to Maivoryl. It’s called Malono, and prevents people from experiencing the negative effects of the Lorkon magic.”
“And you recommend everyone takes it before entering Maivoryl City?”
The Fat Lady nodded. “Definitely. We have no idea what would have happened to Akeno and Aloren if Malono hadn’t been in their system. The air may have been polluted in some way.” She leaned forward. “I found an extra vial. It will only be enough for one person, though.”
Jacob watched the adults conversing, feeling somewhat like a third wheel. “Okay, what’s the plan, then? When can we go get Aloren?”
Brojan looked at Jacob. “As soon as everyone who’s going has taken this potion.”
Jacob turned to the Fat Lady. “How long until the potion is ready?”
She shrugged. “I’d guess six weeks. It may even be longer.”
Jacob sprang up, causing everyone to jump. “Six weeks? No way! I’m not waiting that long!”
Matt pulled his brother back into the chair. “Calm down, Jake.”
“You have to wait,” Brojan said. “There isn’t anything else we can do. You heard what she said. And six weeks is being optimistic.”
His beard masked half of his face, but Jacob could see the displeasure in the Makalo’s expression. Why was he frustrated? He wasn’t the one whose friend was stuck in some city in the middle of nowhere!
“Brojan is right,” Ebony said, then waved a hand toward the Fat Lady, who listened with her arms folded. “Her potions are necessary. We can’t help you without them.”
“But she said there’s an extra vial—Matt could take it. He and I could go together!”
Matt nodded in agreement. “And this time, it’ll be simple—we’ll be careful.”
Jacob motioned to Matt. “See? You don’t know my brother. He can do basically anything!”
Kenji shook his head. He looked exhausted. “No. You’ll need more people with you. Bald Henries aren’t the worst thing you could come across.” He paused, facing Jacob fully. “Think about it. If you fail to get Aloren, you might endanger her life by putting the villagers on extra alert or by scaring the people who are keeping her with them.”
Jacob studied his hands. He couldn’t meet eyes with anyone. What Kenji said made sense, and he hated to admit it. Finally he looked up again when Kenji spoke to the Fat Lady.
“How many potions will you be able to make?”
She shrugged and wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. “Depends on many things. How quickly we can gather the ingredients, how fresh they are, and all that. Can’t push things to grow faster. It don’t work that way. The older the ingredients are, the less potent they’ll be, and the more of them I’ll need.
“You know, we’re lucky. One of the items, a flower bud from the Silver Trees, grows practically in my back yard. Two others I can’t get until the bud has grown—otherwise, they’ll go bad.” She turned to Jacob. “Sorry, kiddo. As Brojan said, six weeks is if everything goes extremely well. Sometimes the bud takes up to three months to fully mature.”
“Three months?” Jacob slumped back, running his hand through his hair. How could Aloren possibly wait that long? It would almost be Christmas by then. “I promised her . . .” He stopped. He didn’t want to say anything more. The Makalos already felt bad—they’d said so over and over.
Silence hung like a thick fog. The adults in the room looked at Jacob expectantly, waiting for him to agree.
“Okay, I’ll wait for the potion. But just as soon as it’s ready—the exact minute—we go get Aloren.”
Kenji nodded. “Of course.”
Someone knocked on the door and Jaegar got up to answer it. A Makalo spoke with him for a moment, then stepped aside to let Aldo walk into the house.
“Aldo?” Ebony asked. “You’re back?”
“Grass is broken non-surplussed.” He bowed to Ebony several times in a row, then grabbed her hand, pulled her to her feet, and twirled her.
Ebony laughed, then looked at Jaegar. “What did the Makalo say?”
“Just that Aldo had been throwing things around in the tree, and he’d pulled everything out of the drawers. He doesn’t think it’s wise to have Aldo stay there, in an unfamiliar place, alone.”
“We could have someone in the tree with him at all times,” Kenji said.
“Who?” Ebony asked. “There aren’t many who have that kind of time.”
Kenji nodded. “We’d need to arrange shifts.”
“He can stay at my place,” the Fat Lady said. “I’ve got an extra room.”
“But . . . is that appropriate?” Ebony asked.
The Fat Lady laughed. “Of course it is. I can hold my own, and I was going to request having him stay with me, anyway. Just so I can figure out what’s going on with him.”
Ebony nodded, then looked at her watch. “Jacob, do your parents know where you are?”
He looked at his watch as well—quarter to seven. “Dang it. Yes, they do. And Coach is coming over in fifteen minutes. Mom’s probably freaking out that we’re not home right now.”
“How’s basketball going, anyway?” Kenji asked. “Did you make your tryouts?”
“No. I’m talking to Coach about it tonight.”
Brojan sighed and got to his feet. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you in that endeavor of yours. We’re indebted to you.”
Jacob nodded, though he doubted the Makalos could help him. If anything, they’d distract Coach from Jacob. He also stood.
“Be careful with that Key,” Kenji said.
Ebony nodded. “Don’t use it unless you absolutely have to. It would be bad if you decided to take a trip to China and ended up getting stuck there—you never know what is on the other side of the door.”
“They know where China is?” Matt whispered to Jacob.
Akeno laughed.
Jacob rolled his eyes at his brother. “They know everything you know about Earth. Probably even more. They’re smart that way.”
“But how?”
“Books,” Akeno said. “We read a lot of them.”
“All right, you two,” Ebony said. ”Would you mind taking the Fat Lady and Aldo to her place on your way? Then go home before your mother has a panic attack.”
Kilenya Series Books 1, 2, and 3 Page 56