Legend of the Book Keeper (39 page)

Cody’s nose flared at the comment. “Well, what are you guys doing here anyway?” Cody asked, hoping to change the subject.

Sheets laughed. “Oh, we’re just here in case things get out of control” he responded matter-of-factly. Cody’s eyes widened as an unconscious body flopped down at his feet.

“In case things
get
out of control?” Another ale bottle soared toward Cody’s head; Hex reached out and caught it before it struck. Popping the cap, he took a hearty swig. “Yeah, it’s a bit of a slow night for us tonight. Nothing like last night; ol’ Timon still hasn’t regained consciousness. But don’t worry, look over there, Wolfrick’s sure
on top
of things!” he laughed. Cody saw the flailing body of Wolfrick hoisted into the air by the mob who carried him down the alley.

“What are they going to do to him?” Cody asked worriedly.

Sheets and Hex shrugged at the same time. “Oh, nothing he doesn’t have coming. I’m sure he’ll show up again in a day or two. Anyways, if you’re here to speak to Dace he’s inside.” Cody watched the crowd of drunks carry Wolfrick’s limp body farther away, his slurred cursing echoing into the night. Cody shook his head; these Outer-City folk were of a different breed.

He stepped into Yancy’s and found it surprisingly calm after the violent showcase outside. He scanned the crowded room for sight of Dace and found him sitting at a table in the corner. Cody approached the table but paused, realizing that Dace was not alone. There was an attractive female under each of his arms and he appeared to be entertaining them with a lively tale. Cody started to walk back toward the door.

“Cody? Hey, it’s Cody! Where you sneaking off to? Come here!” called Dace. Cody walked hesitantly back to the table. “Well, ladies, I’m afraid this tale of bravery will have to wait for another time. The boy and I have some business.” The two ladies sighed, planted two solid kisses on Dace’s forehead, and left the table. Cody took a seat across from Dace, who leaned forward. “Ouch. What happened to you? You look like a walking plum!”

“Story for another time. How are things with you?” Cody asked quickly.

Dace brought his two hands behind his head and leaned his chair against the wall. “If you mean with me
personally
. . .” he pointed across the room where the two girls were still staring at him and batting their eyelashes. Dace leaned in close to Cody and whispered, “But if you mean for Atlantis, then the answer is not good. Word has reached us by tunnel-phone from the border city of Flore Gub that more tents have appeared on the horizon.”

Cody stared blankly. Dace again leaned forward, “Let me give you a quick geography lesson. The Labyrinth Mountains stretch across the borderlands of our two provinces, Atlantis and El Dorado. There are only two passes through the mazelike mountains into our land. The first is impassable over the Great Sea of Lava. The second is blocked by our fortress at Flore Gub. However, the peaceful outpost village Lilley lies beyond the fortress, on the border. It is a small, but indefensible settlement. These camps are not mere coincidence—El Dorado is preparing a full-scale invasion.”

“What are we going to do? Should we send out troops to the borderlands to protect Lilley?” Cody asked.

Dace swallowed a sip of ale. “That’s the thing; it’s not as easy as that. General Levenworth refuses. Even if he
was
willing, Prince Kantan has forbidden it. He says he will not risk the safety of Atlantis by vacating the already meager troops from the city. With all the unrest, he feels our soldiers are better served in the capital.”

“So, he’s willing to sacrifice two of his other cities? Kantan is a mad man. What if he isn’t sending troops because he
wants
there to be a massacre? I think he’s in league with El Dorado,” Cody declared rashly.

Dace held his finger to his mouth, “Shhh! Even in the Outer-City it is unwise to make such a treasonous accusation. I’ll admit, I think he is acting unwisely. I agreed with him at first, but since the reports from Flore Gub I think only a fool is blind to see that the Golden King has his black heart set on invasion. He can’t resist, not with
The Code
back in Atlantis. But to say that Kantan is
deliberately
acting this way to aid the Golden King, that is a far stretch.”

“What about General Levenworth? Surely he has the power to do something? Won’t
he
listen to reason?”

Dace shook his head. “Old Gongore is without question the most brilliant warfare tactician who has ever lived. He could challenge an entire legion of elite enemy troops with nothing more than a handful of rookie recruits welding wooden play-swords and still strategize his way to an outright rout of the enemy. He is also extremely old school. He obeys the royal family’s orders, no questions asked. I’m afraid all we can do is sit and wait. It’s like closing your eyes and jumping off a cliff. You know you’ll eventually hit the ground but you don’t know when. The anticipation is almost worse than the actual landing.”

Cody winced; his throbbing face begged to differ. “Well, I’ve actually come to see you for a different reason. Will you be attending the hanging tomorrow?”

Dace nodded. “Yes, as the officer responsible for Randilin’s capture, I am obligated to oversee the execution. And before you ask anything further, there is absolutely nothing in either my desire or my power that I can do to prevent it from happening.”

“I don’t expect you to. I only ask that tomorrow you are . . . prepared. I need to know I can count on you.”

Dace tilted his head quizzically. “You had better not be planning on doing something stupid, Cody. Randilin forfeited his life by his actions; don’t become his last victim. Don’t waste your important life in some idealistic rescue crusade.”

Cody stood up from his seat. “Just be prepared, Dace. That’s all I ask.”

Cody followed the echoing sound of pounding nails to the market square. There was no trace of the lively people or the colorful sales tents. In their place sat a wooden stage. The gallows. Several hooded men crept over the structure like insects, making final adjustments. Cody watched as the men hoisted a wooden mannequin onto the stage. They placed the noose around its neck. One of the hooded men held up three fingers.
Three . . . Two . . . One
. There was a clatter as they released the trapdoor. The noose tightened around the wooden figure’s neck. There was a loud crack as the body crumbled down the trapdoor, leaving the head in the vise-grip of the noose. Cody cringed.

The gallows were ready.

A Perfect Day for a Hanging

T
he morning had arrived. Rabid butterflies were swarming the inside of Cody’s stomach. His legs twitched restlessly. His arm sprawled over the edge of his bed, brushing against a smooth object. He closed his hand around it—there was still hope.

Rolling out of bed, he threw on his rock-cloth tunic, wrapped the brown sash around his waist, and left his room. Light shown from under Jade’s door; Cody knocked. When the door swung open, Cody noticed that Jade’s eyes were bloodshot and her hair frizzy. She looked as though she had spent much of the night awake. She gave a slight nod. No words were needed; they both understood the grim significance of the morning. The next time their heads laid down on their fluffy pillows, their friend Randilin would be dead.

The silence spread like a contagious disease. Throughout the palace people went quietly about their business. Cody looked down at his shoes as he followed Jade. Exiting the palace they stopped on the front step. People were mutely pouring out of the alleyways like a nest of ants, solemnly staggering toward the gallows. Cody was shocked by the transformation in the crowd. The same people who had cheered for Randilin’s pardon in the courthouse mere days earlier were now resolved to the reality of the noose. As far as Cody could tell, there hadn’t been a public execution
in many, many years, if ever. He ran his fingers along the smooth texture of glass in his pocket,
and that’s the way I intend to keep it.

By the time Cody and Jade reached the gallows, there was already a sizable crowd. Cody felt the warmth of Jade’s hand press against his. “We’ve failed. Cody, we’ve failed. We promised him we’d help him. We gave our word that we would save him. Yet, in an hour, he will be killed all the same. I can’t watch this; I’m going back. Not just to the Palace, but home; above ground. I’m sick of all this. This crazy cult and their mythical Orb. I’m done with it all.” Jade turned to leave but Cody grabbed her wrists.

“Wait, Jade, you can’t leave. These people need me. What about the Book? What about me being the Book Keeper? What about . . . Ti? ” he asked hurriedly.

She pushed his arm away. “What about your mother? School? A normal life? Cody, these people don’t need you at all,
you
need these people to need
you
. I know you’re caught up in all their talk of destiny, but Cody, it’s just a tattered Book. Isn’t it curious that no one is actually allowed to
see
the Orb? Instead we’re all supposed to blindly believe that within that Sanctuary is some awesome power. Do you know what I think? I think that there
is
no all-powerful Orb. As I see it, we have two choices: believe all the lies from these desperate people or go home to our normal life. I choose the latter, what about you?”

Cody dropped his shoulders. “You’re wrong, Jade. Perhaps I can’t prove it right now, and perhaps I never will be able to. But someday you will realize that there’s more to this life than we can understand. I don’t ask you to believe right now, but please stay at least until after the hanging. I need you right now. You’re going to have to trust me.” Cody held out his hand and smiled. Jade reached out her hand. She locked pinkies with him. “Pinkie shake, never break, or all my books are yours to take,” they said in unity. The crowd pressed in behind them. It was almost zero hour, and still there was no sign of Randilin.

“Cody? Thank heavens it’s you!” Tiana’s head popped between Cody’s and Jade’s. Stepping forward she squeezed her body between the two. “I’ve been looking for you. I knew you’d be here early. This is dreadful.” Her face looked tired, lacking the usual explosiveness of life that Cody had become accustomed to. Cody could feel her body pressed up against his.
Not now, Cody! Focus!

He looked up across the crowd. He knew Randilin’s only possible chance of ending the day alive rested in him alone. He could not afford to be distracted by anything—no matter how tempting. To Cody’s surprise he saw Stalkton in attendance. A red-faced Xerx stood behind him holding an umbrella in each hand; they were meant to block the Orb’s heat from reaching Stalkton’s glowing white skin.

Cody scanned the crowd further. He clenched his fist. Fincher Tople was drifting through the multitude with a cheerful disposition peppering people questions. He stopped before Cody. “Splendid day! Good to see you, Cody, Keeper of the Book. I just have a few questions for tomorrow’s issue of the
Under-Earth Rumblings
that I’ve been asking, if you three wouldn’t mind. Firstly, in your guess, how long do you think Randilin will hang by the noose before his spine snaps? For strictly editorial purposes, of course! The common consensus has been three to four seconds. Care to weigh in?”

Like a loaded spring, Cody’s hand launched out and clobbered the journalist square in the chin. He fell backwards and was engulfed by the crowd. A loud hush passed over the mob, followed by a chorus of whispered murmurs. Cody looked up to see the cause of stir. Randilin approached the stage.