“They looked like giant, juiced-up skeletons to me,” I said with a chuckle. “I could be wrong. I’m not an expert on dead things.”
“That is amazing,” the rat spirit said. He nodded his head slowly, then perched on my desk and dangled his feet over its edge. “All of you are truly privileged to have seen such wonders in your young life.”
The four of us couldn’t help but laugh at that. I certainly didn’t feel privileged. I felt like everything and everyone we’d crossed paths with this year wanted to kill us. Sure, the titans were impressive, and so was the Saito’s tomb and the secret cell that had held Wallovik prisoner all this time. But the risks we’d faced had been so great, and we’d come so close to disaster so many times, that it was hard to see the good side of our adventures.
“Maybe when I look back on this I’ll be able to enjoy it,” Clem said. “I just want it to be over.”
Despite how tired we were from our icy hike and near-death experience, my friends and I found it impossible to wind down. We chattered about everything that had happened, worried about the threats we would soon face, and tried to figure out how to outsmart the heretics. As the conversation wound its way deep into the night, I realized it was time to call in some help. I hopped up from my bed and shooed everyone to the door.
“What are you doing?” Clem pushed her index finger into my sternum. “No more secrets.”
I closed my hands around Clem’s and looked deep into her eyes. “No secrets,” I promised. “I just need to call in a favor. And I have a very important job for all of you to take care of immediately if not sooner.”
“Oh?” Clem asked.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s the most important thing ever. I need you all to round up some food before I die of starvation.”
The Haul
TRU JOINED US FOR BREAKFAST the next day and elbowed her way between where Niddhogg and Hahen sat to drop a pair of heavy cases on the end of the table. “This is what you requested from the First Scepter. It’s a little more than you asked for. We arranged for the larger delivery you requested, as well. It should have already arrived, though you may want to reach out to your contact to be sure all is in order. The Council stands ready to make the second half of that payment when you return. I’m afraid that will drain most of your share of the jinsei generated by the students in our care, for the time being.”
It was a relief to hear that my insurance policy had been delivered. That would make the rest of this trip much simpler.
I hoped.
My friends looked at the young dragon, then the cases, and finally at me. Eric found his voice first.
“Hey, where have you been hiding?” he asked. “You should have lunch with us some time. Or dinner, or—”
Tru bowed low to each of us in turn, though she pointedly ignored Eric. “I hope you will accept my apology for our misunderstanding last year. I was...misled.”
The looks on Clem’s and Abi’s faces made it clear Tru’s apology didn’t cut much ice with them, even if she had been ready to take on a rampaging vampire when we’d returned from Romania. I stood up and put a hand on her shoulder to show them she was on our team.
“What happened last year is water under the bridge,” I said. “And the dragons have sent a very generous gift to help us move past that unfortunate incident.”
“Is that what’s in the cases?” Clem asked. She watched Tru with narrowed eyes, and her aura buzzed with anger aspects. “Doesn’t look like much of a gift.”
“Allow me to present something that the people of Shambala hope will help you all very much,” Tru responded. The dragon popped the latches and spun the cases to show off their contents. A silver glow splashed across their faces. “One million oboli in purified jinsei. I wish you the best of luck. All of you.”
Tru bowed once more and left the dining hall, ignoring Eric’s wave.
The crystalline vials shimmered with sacred energy. My friends stared at the cases in shock.
“What is your plan for all of this?” Abi asked incredulously.
After I’d sent my friends out to scrounge up food the night before, I’d tracked down Tru and asked her for more jinsei. She’d agreed to reach out to Shambala on my behalf. What she’d delivered was far more than I could have hoped.
“We’ll use it to advance our cores,” I said. “We all need to be stronger to survive what’s coming.”
Abi was already shaking his head, and Eric raised his hands as if he wanted nothing to do with this plan.
“We can’t burn all this trying to advance,” Abi said. “This is a fortune, Jace.”
“We have to,” I said. “This jinsei is our best chance to survive. If Eric and I push through to artist, and you and Clem make it to disciple, we’ll be in a stronger position to deal with any threats that pop up. We’ve already dealt with angry spirits, titans, and some weird scrivenings that tried to shame us into failing. Whatever’s next will be tougher to overcome than all of that.”
My friends frowned at my words. They didn’t argue with me, though, because they also knew I was right. The Umbral Forge would have its own guardians, and they’d be far tougher than anything we’d faced so far.
“You and Eric split what’s in this case,” I said. “Clem and I will share the rest.”
“Better listen to him,” Niddhogg said through a puff of smoke. “You know how it is when he’s feeling bossy.”
“It’s just so much,” Clem said quietly.
It was easy to forget that my friends, even Eric, who was well off by any standard, had
