Page 27 of Ashes of Gold
“Oh, many whispers, Jelani. But it’s hard to tell which are worth their weight in jpango sap.” He huffs. “Kai had gotten word he was on the outskirts of the island when she and the Yakanna snuck in to rescue you.”
“I see.” I’d hoped for more helpful information than that. “Would you happen to have any books here? Did those make it?”
“Oh, yes, we guard those very close.”
“Could I read them? I’m looking for a spell.”
“Whatever you need, Jelani. You’re the Ancestors’ Chosen. I am at your service.”
“No, that’s not. That’s not what this is about. I’m just looking for something to help us.”
“You’ll find several just over there. That wooden trunk against the sack of rice.”
“Thank you so much.” I about-face. By now, the Chancellor knows we’ve escaped. He has to have people looking for us. We won’t get another chance. This time we do it right.
Together.
CHAPTER EIGHT
IPUSH THE RICE SIDEWAYSand it’s deceptively heavy.
Inside the trunk, I finger a train of book spines before grabbing an armful. I plant myself at the farthest table in the room. Bri joins me, lugging her metal contraptions. I shove a book her way, but she’s distracted with some laser-looking gadget with a suction cup on the end. But by the looks of how her tongue is poking her cheek, whatever she is trying to do must not be going right. She holds it near a firebowl on the table and narrows her eyes. But nothing happens.
“Come on!”
“We okay over there?” I envy her ability to be in her own world right now. For half the stares I’m getting, she’s getting ten thousand more, and she doesn’t seem to care one bit.
“Yeah, just trying to get this stupid thing to—” She turns a knob on its top and it falls off. “Dammit!” She rumbles through her bag, which sounds like shaking a metal trash can full of rocks. The more noise she makes, the more stares we get.
“You and your bag of gadgets… could you be a little quieter?” I flip a few more pages but find no related spells. I set the book aside and grab another one.
“Sorry, I’m just… trying… to…,” she says between grunts as she shoves two ends together, “get this thing to work.”
I flip, searching, reading for anything on restoring spells. I turn another few pages and drown out the sounds of chatter, the burning stares I know I’m getting, and focus on the words on the page.
“Come on, help me. There’s bound to be something in here about restoring magic.”
Skepticism twists her brows.
“Listen, I know…”
Bang!A blade slaps a table and heads turn in that direction.
“Mordit’z aka,” a man shouts, the body of the fallen Macazi hanging over his shoulder. The burial. I’d almost forgotten. Fists pound the table and a few hands go up. Bri and I glance at each other.
“What’s going on?” she whispers to me.
“I don’t know,” I admit, and bite my lip in shame, the thought that Ishouldknow needling at me.
“Mordit’z aka!”
“Innocence slain,” everyone answers in unison. A few more hands go up, including Zora’s, but Kai sits back in her seat.
They’re volunteering for something… but what?
“Mordit’z aka,” he shouts once more, with a growl under his voice this time, and I spot Jhamal nodding in my direction, gesturing for me to raise my hand.The burial.
“They’re volunteering to help with the burial, I bet,” I say to Bri, my hand shooting in the air. It’s my fault we even have a man to bury. I have to help. What kind of Ghizoni would I be if I didn’t? The spell can wait a moment longer.
