Legend of the Book Keeper
Read Legend of the Book Keeper Online
Authors: Daniel Blackaby
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Historical, #General Fiction
Synopsis
The Most
Ordinary
of Boys . . .
The Most
Extraordinary
of Books . .
.
When the two collide, a destiny is set into motion which cannot be undone. Without warning, a secretive cult emerges ready to kill, and a horrifying Beast appears in the dead of night—craving to devour the Keeper of the Book. Suddenly, Cody Clemenson is forced to flee with his best friend Jade. Their journey will lead them to mystical locations and thrust them into uncharted lands, where an ancient feud between two long-lost cities is teetering on the brink of war. Will Cody rise to the occasion and become the hero he’s always dreamt of being? Or will he succumb to the power of the evil empire? The fate of the world now hinges on him—and the cryptic words written in a simple, leather book...
A Power Long Maintained—Now Faded,
A Secret Long Kept—Soon Unveiled,
A City Long Lost—Ready to Be Found.
Dedication
To my beautiful wife, Sarah – You are my unwavering constant.
The greatest depths of my creative imagination and fantasy pale in comparison to the joy of spending my reality with you.
Table of Contents
Randilin Stormberger’s Secrets
Prologue
H
e was dead.
The precise moment of the soul’s mystical voyage from this world? Unknown; forever a secret for the damp stone walls to hoard and cherish. However, that which
was
irrefutable was the absolute certainty that he was dead— completely dead.
Crackling flames, liberated from the solitary confinement of their lamps, danced a wild, savage dance, reflecting off the harsh surface of the walls; rouges in a room infiltrated with midnight blackness. The steady hum of nighttime’s wonders seeped through the open window, providing the crazed inferno their tribal rhythm. Slyly escorting the midnight drone was a scent—a most peculiar scent. A prodigal aroma having returned from an exceedingly lengthy absence only to find itself a complete stranger in its own home; it was the distinctive scent of
change
.
In the center of the room, blind to nature’s passionate carnival all around him, lay the corpse. Two lifeless eyes fixated heavenward, thin windows into an empty dwelling. The thick skin of the man’s face was coarsely pale, as though warmth, finally accepting the inevitable, had swiftly fled its longtime dwelling place. The most telling feature of the empty corpse, however, wa
s the mouth; gaping wide open. Not open as it had been on so many occasions to release waves of laughter, nor as it had been to engage in three million delightful conversations: open as though agonizingly torn beyond capacity by a soul departing its earthly vase. In all, he had the look of a man who had carelessly left Death off the invite list to his banquet, only to, with great surprise, discover that it would be the celebrated guest of honor.
Hushed whispers cut sharply through the thick tranquility, a regiment of life in the lifeless room. Two hooded figures, both of short stature, huddled in the adjacent corner, bystanders to the serene scene. Their whispers were exchanged with frantic urgency.
“You are absolutely positive he’s dead? No trickery?” The voice of a woman shot out to the figure on her right. She leaned forward for another glance, but kept her distance; fearful that what she witnessed might actually be reality. Her voice was husky, crafted by the erosion of sorrow. The return whisper came volleying back in the form of a male’s voice, calm but with the subtle hint of shakiness that exposed its true composure,
“As sure as this night is dark as sin. I’ve checked every vital sign. Nothing points to foul play. I can’t explain it. He’s simply . . . gone.” The last word was uttered with the conviction of a man unable to accept an obvious truth.
“What does this mean? How could this happen? How are we going to explain this? Everything is going to change. Everything is going to crumble.”
“No, we keep it secret. No one can discover what happened tonight. Nobody. We trust in only ourselves. Its revelation would be utterly disastrous. Do I have your word?”
Silence.
The women’s heavy eyes peered urgently toward the deceased body; she was praying for a final miracle to pinch her and awaken her from her nightmare. At last, her shoulders sank as she released the last traces of denial, “Yes, brother, you have my word. But this won’t stay hidden forever . . .” Her voice trailed off. For a moment their minds were unified in a singular train of thought—a train quickly running rampant off the tracks. They knew her final statement held prophetic truth. They both understood the repercussions of the dark, veiled funeral service: A power long maintained—now faded. A secret long kept—soon unveiled. A city long lost—ready to be found.
PART ONE – THE BOOK
An Odd Discovery
T
here was absolutely
nothing
ordinary about Cody Clemenson. He was in no shape or form bound by the mundane, restrictive chains of normality imposed upon his peers. Granted, at 5' 4" in height, he was bashfully flirting with the average stature for fifteen-year-olds. And it probably shouldn’t be overlooked that his report card had the steady tendency to follow suit with his alliterated name. Actually, he had never really excelled in
any
particular area or at
any
particular thing. In fact, when all the variables were considered, it seems as though Cody Clemenson was exceedingly ordinary after all.
Cody pondered this utterly dismal realization as he sat restlessly in his 9th grade science classroom. Lounging in his back-row desk in Slacker Row, he twirled his pencil clumsily between his index finger and thumb. His shaggy brown hair hung in front of his sky-blue eyes like wrinkled curtains as he stared mindlessly toward the amateur doodles scratched into his desk. The doodles were all akin: Cody’s shirt bursting open as muscles rippled underneath.
In several, the addition of a cape and swooning girls had been added.
The irritating hum of Ms. Starky’s, (or Ms.
Shark
-y as she was spitefully referred to by her class), scratchy voice droned on and on as she shared a less-than-tantalizing lecture on the Scientific Method. It wasn’t that Cody lacked interest in the lesson; it was simply that he could think, off hand, of approximately 56,433 and a half other places he would rather be at that precise moment. And, one place in particular.
“
Pssst!
” The whisper exploded like dynamite in the comatose room, the shrapnel tearing Cody from his dream world and back into reality. Finding his bearings he pivoted to see who had so rudely intruded upon his daydream. It was Sean Schneil. Cody groaned.