Kilenya Series Books One, Two, and Three (101 page)

Jacob took a deep breath, then sat up. He hadn’t thought of that. “I guess so.”

“Well, look at it this way. We’ll all help you keep up on your skills. You won’t fall behind—you were already way ahead anyway. And not only that, but I really do believe what Aldo said about the Lorkon intending to come and destroy everything. We can’t just stay here, ignoring them. It will happen eventually.” He paused again. “So . . . by dropping out for a while to work on your abilities and figure things out in Eklaron, you’re actually working toward making varsity. ‘Cause if we don’t stop the Lorkon, there won’t be a varsity team in a couple of years anyway.”

Jacob thought on that for several moments, then nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” When put that way, it made sense. There wasn’t any way the Lorkon would let Jacob continue playing basketball if they took over his life.

“Cheer up, Jake. This isn’t the worst thing ever. Other people have had to make bigger sacrifices.”

Jacob looked his brother in the eye for a moment. “I know. But it’s still really dumb.”

Matt agreed and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. He played with the rungs in the back of the chair, possibly giving Jacob time to think.

Jacob ran his hand through his hair. What Matt said really hit him—sacrificing. If it meant saving his family and loved ones and even basketball, he could sacrifice his biggest goals for a season. It was a noble thing to do—putting the needs of other people ahead of his own. He’d already had a lot of practice doing that, and had even considered joining Keitus to save his family.

He took a few deep breaths. “I’ve got so much to do. I don’t know how I’ll get everything done.”

Matt sagged in the chair. “Yeah, I’m glad I’m not in your spot.”

Jacob reached over and playfully slugged his brother on the shoulder. “It would’ve been better if you were—you could’ve figured everything out by now.”

Matt shook his head. “Nah. You’ve done a really good job.”

Jacob looked at his hands. “Thanks.”

“Wanna play a game of one-on-one?”

Jacob looked up and snorted. “Why? So you can lose?”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I practiced while you were gone. I’m even better than before.”

Jacob laughed. “I doubt that.”

“Oh! A challenge! Game’s on!”

The brothers jumped up to leave the room, Matt’s colors switching from concerned to cheerful. He paused before they headed down the stairs. “I’ve only got one request.”

“What’s that?”

“Hurry up and save the world so I can still be captain of the football team.”

Jacob snorted. So much for Matt’s talk about sacrifice.

They raced outside and into the snowy weather to play ball.

Jacob won. He always did.

###

Acknowledgments

I’d like to start by sending a big hug and kiss to my husband for our many productive brainstorming sessions, and for his patience and loyalty. I love you! I’d also like to thank my family (especially Mom, Dad, and Josh, for acting as beta readers), and my two great friends, Jenni James and Tristi Pinkston, for their support and devotion.

Tristi, who is also my professional editor, deserves a huge thanks for her patience and hard work on this project, along with James Curwen, my cover designer and illustrator, and BJ Rowley, my typesetter. I really appreciate the three of you!

My invaluable beta readers, Lon Pearson, Jaclyn Weist, and Sarah Kammer (along with the rest who helped with portions here and there) each deserve millions of dollars and lots of respect for keeping deadlines and providing excellent feedback.

I also owe gratitude to Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, and the rest of the Piano Guys for providing music that helps me get into my writing mode. Thanks for the beautiful and inspiring songs!

A big hug goes to my Wattpad readers and fans, especially Paco, Chris, and Sarah, for their enthusiasm and encouragement.

And last, but perhaps most important, my readers! Thank you for your letters, artwork, friendship, and for continuing Jacob’s journey with me!

Note from the author:

Thank you so much for reading
The Key of Kilenya
,
The Ember Gods
, and
August Fortress
! I hope you enjoyed them. If you did, please help me spread the word about these books by posting an honest review on
Amazon
, Facebook, Goodreads, or wherever else you think is appropriate. Authors love and appreciate it when readers recommend their books to others. :-)

Also, if you’d like to know when I release more books, consider joining my email newsletter list
here
. I like to thank new subscribers by giving them
Discern
, the first book in my new Katon University series, for free. :-)

Have a great day!

Andrea

Books by Andrea Pearson:

The Kilenya Series:

The Key of Kilenya

The Ember Gods, Kilenya Series Book Two

August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three

Rise of Keitus, Kilenya Series Book Four

Eyes of the Sun, Kilenya Series Book Five

The Golden Symbol, Kilenya Series Book Six

The Key of Kilenya: Special Edition with Illustrations

Grail Bestiary Volume I: Creatures of Grail and Kilenya

Kilenya Romances:

Samara, A Kilenya Romance

Midian, A Kilenya Romance

Katon University:

Discern, Katon University Book One

The Focus (A Katon University Novella)

The Manor (A Katon University Novella)

The Angel (A Katon University Novella)

Praxis Bundle One: The Focus, The Manor, The Angel

Perceive, Katon University Book Two (coming early 2015)

Ranch City Academy:

Bezza’s Book of Enchantments (coming mid 2015)

For information on the above books, click
here
. (http://www.andreapearsonbooks.com/p/my-books.html)

About the Author

Andrea Pearson, a Brigham Young University graduate, is a reading and outdoor enthusiast. She loves hiking and biking with her husband, oil painting, drawing, watching movies (especially ones with Rifftrax), spending time with family and close friends, and thunderstorms. She plays several instruments, not including the banjo, and loves putting together musical arrangements. Her favorite sports are basketball and football, though several knee surgeries and incurably awful coordination prevent her from playing them.

Andrea is always in the mood for a good movie with close friends and family (especially her husband and mom), with a large glass of milk and a bowl of overly buttered popcorn nearby. She also enjoys visits to the beach and the Rocky Mountains, making earrings, squeezing every bit of oxygen out of Ziploc bags, and she hopes to someday travel to Italy and Alaska.

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