Legend of the Book Keeper (47 page)

“So be it,” said Cody with an empty voice. “Do you expect me to abandon Jade!? I will not leave her . . . I need her.” Cody felt tears flowing from his eyes, but he no longer had the strength to hold them back. “It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have left her. I should have stayed with her and protected her. I was so worried about this stupid Book because it made me feel important. Now she’s gone. She’s everything to me. She’s always been there for me, but when she needs me the most, I run off on some selfish mission to build my own ego. It should have been
me
captured, not her. Never her . . .” Cody couldn’t talk anymore, he was sobbing harder than he ever had in his life. His legs gave out from under him and he began to collapse.

He felt two arms wrap around him. Holding him up. Tiana pulled him close and Cody buried his face into her shoulder. He didn’t know how long he cried, but Tiana never moved or spoke. She just held him tightly until his last tear was shed.

At last Cody raised his head. Tiana kissed him on the forehead. “It’s okay. We are going to save Jade. I promise you,” she whispered softly, “I promise you.”

Cody nodded, clenching his fist. “And I can promise
you
something. . . . Prince Foz is going to suffer. You have my word.”

The Second Great War between Atlantis and El Dorado had just begun.

An Unexpected Ally

T
he bedroom seemed strangely empty. Cody felt more alone than ever before. He glanced to the wall that separated his chambers from Jade’s. He could sense the stark emptiness in the room beyond. He was truly on his own. For the first time since fourth grade, he was staggering into the future without Jade by his side. The thought was absolutely terrifying.

Tiana and Dace had finally convinced him that he needed sleep. He had been determined to start his pursuit of Jade immediately, but knew he was in no condition to fight. Where was Jade now? Was she okay? She probably was sleeping on the dirt somewhere, bound up and gagged. If one of the soldiers so much as laid a finger on her, Cody vowed he would regret it.

The final death count had been done. Fifty-four Atlantis soldiers had died—only twenty-three of El Dorado’s golden golems had fallen. The deaths would be the first of many. Word had reached Atlantis just before nightfall that the borderland outposts were under heavy siege. The war between the two ancient cities was now well under way.

Lamgorious Stalkton was in critical condition with only a fifty-fifty chance to survive according to the medics. Cody felt like his four limbs were being pulled in opposing directions. Queen Cia expected to use him as a figurehead for the war, to rally
the people together and provide hope. Stalkton desired him to continue his training, reminding Cody that he didn’t stand a chance against the Golden King. Dace seemed unworried, and wanted Cody in the battlefield to give his men much-needed aid. But Cody couldn’t do any of those without abandoning Jade, and that was the one thing that he would not, under any circumstances, consider doing.

He closed his eyes. He now understood why Ishmael refused to accept the role as Book Keeper. Everyone needs somebody with power. Well-intentioned or not, Cody was now under attack from the desires and needs of others. Instead of establishing an identity, the Book’s power stretched him to the point of snapping. Cody heard a noise.
Jade? No, you need sleep Cody, your mind’s playing tricks on you
. He rolled over onto his side and squeezed his eyes tighter shut, trying to block out his thoughts. He heard the sound of breathing.
Stop it! She’s gone, let it go!
Cody squinted open his left eye; the shadow of a silhouette reflected off the wall.

Cody sat up, grabbed his head, and screamed, “I’m sorry, Jade!” He looked toward the window and stopped. Two figures were outlined by light.

The taller one held out a hand. “Do not panic. We are not here to harm you.”

Cody started to jump up but paused; there was something familiar about the voice. “Dunstan?”

One of the hooded figures stepped forward and removed his hood. “It is nice to see you again master Cody,” said the familiar British voice. “It’s been too long.”

Cody put his back to the wall, feeling under his pillow for the Book.

Dunstan smiled. “We are not here to hurt you . . . we are here to help you,” he responded calmly.

Cody’s fingers touched the spine of the Book. “Give me one good reason why I should trust you?”

The second figure stepped forward; Cody saw the light flash off the circular blade hanging from his side.

“Because you are in desperate need of help; and help is one thing which we can offer you. And frankly, who else can you trust?” The thrust of the statement stung sharply. Indeed, whom could he trust? His only true friend had been stolen from him.

“How could you possibly help me? You’ve tried to kill me. You’ve tried to steal the Book. You’re a thief and a murderer.”

Dunstan raised his bushy eyebrow. “What I am or am not does not in any way affect your situation or your need to rely on my assistance. I guess I owe you a bit of an apology for our previous encounters. You must understand by now that the object so indiscreetly hidden underneath your pillow is of utmost importance. Things happened very quickly, and we were unsure of where your allegiance lay. Quite simply, we couldn’t afford the Book to fall into the wrong hands. Your death was to be a necessary sacrifice to ensure that it was so.”

Cody laughed sarcastically. “So, you’re just a noble protector of the Book, then? Only concerned with its safety, completely un-desiring of its powers for yourself? I’m not biting.”

“What you decide to bite or not to bite is entirely up to you,” said Dunstan calmly. “But the truth is, you need us. And, to be honest, we need you.”

Cody was taken aback. “Need me? How?” Cody asked. The lines on Dunstan’s face tightened, reflecting an internal debate over how much information to reveal. When he spoke, it was slow and cautiously.

“For the same reason the Golden King won’t kill you. We don’t understand you. Until a month ago, there had only ever been two Book Keepers—Wesley and the Golden King. Whatever happened between you, Wesley, and
The Code
is something that has not occurred in human history: a change of Book Keepers. No one knows how it happened. But more importantly, no one knows what it means. To kill you would be to risk eliminating the only person who can access the information in the Book. That is a risk nobody is willing to take, especially the Golden King. Until somebody discovers how the transfer of power works, you must remain alive. Obviously, the Golden King has already discovered a loophole . . .”

“Jade,” said Cody bitterly.

Dunstan nodded. “Indeed. If he cannot use the Book without you—he will force you to use it for him. He took the one thing he knew would draw you to El Dorado. The one thing he knew you would do
anything
to get back . . .”

“You can’t stop me. I don’t care what the Golden King is planning, I
am
going to rescue Jade.”

“I never said anything about stopping you. I am here only to warn you. And, to give you this . . .” Dunstan held out his hand; in it was a stone tablet. Cody took it from him. The tablet was small, the size of an envelope. Carved into the tablet was writing. Cody wiped his hand across the stone sending a cloud of dust fluttering into the air. He slowly read the inscription:

The Power of Full Divinity,

Rests Encoded Within Earthly Trinity. Where Sacrifice of the Pure Angel Who Fell,

Is the Way to Retrieve the Pearl Within the Shell.

With Humble Heart and Golden Key,

The Universe’s Most Powerful Force Is Revealed to Thee

Cody quickly read the tablet again and then again. Finally he set it down on his bed. “Why give this to me? What does this mean?” he said turning back to Dunstan. Both he and the other hooded figure were gone. Cody went to the window, but there was no trace of either. The two men had vanished.

Cody returned to his bed. He gazed down at the tablet. Somewhere, entrenched between the roughly carved words, was an essential clue. But that clue remained a mystery. And this time he wouldn’t have Jade to figure it out for him. He already missed her so much. What was it that she had called out to him the last time he saw her? A thought came to his head, but he erased it as quickly as it formed. It couldn’t be. Jade saw him as a friend, nothing more. Didn’t she?

He pushed the tablet underneath his pillow, nestled against the spine of
The Code
. He retrieved the ruby pocket watch off the side table and stared at th
e unmoving golden hand. He had many questions to answer—but they would have to wait until the morning. He pulled his blankets around his chilled body, and for the first time that evening his lips curled into a weak smile; how insignificant humans were. A catastrophic war was raging on, his best friend had been captured by a tyrannical ruler, and he had endless mysteries to solve. But still, his body was enslaved by its basic need for sleep.
How small we really are.
Pushing all thoughts from his mind, he rolled over in his bed, let his eyelids slide close, and fell fast asleep.

Golden

V
oices. Sounding all around, as though they were being spoken a million miles away. Flying. That was the sensation she had, like her body had been grasped by the wind and pulled into the air to engage in a wild dance. Lost. She couldn’t remember where she was, where she had come from, or where she was going. She was simply soaring through time in the land separating the living from the deceased. Heavy. Her eyelids felt heavy. She fought to push them open, as hazy shapes spun into focus. Strangers. Their faces were beautiful. Were they angels? Suddenly she stopped. She felt herself fall to the ground. She was no longer flying. The ground was soft. There was grass; and flowers, too! Wonderful flowers of all shapes and colors. Their petals looked like polished gem stones. She thought of how much she would love to smell them. She loved flowers. She looked up, hoping to find more pretty flowers. Beautiful. That’s what she saw. It was the most lovely thing she had ever seen. It shone like the sun. She had to squint her eyes, but she couldn’t look away. Down
the lush green valley was a city. A wonderful city. A city like she had never seen before. A City of Gold. . . .

To Be Continued in Book Two of the Lost City Chronicles

Acknowledgments

This book is the direct result of the investment of countless amazing people. If I were to record thanks to every person whom I owe my gratitude, I suspect this list would quickly exceed the length of the novel itself. So to list only a few:

First and foremost – sincere thanks to my family. I consider myself incomparably blessed to have been born into such a loving, fun, and supportive family. Thank you for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

Also, a special thank you to my “second family,” Rachel and Ryan. It is a great privilege to be welcomed into your family. Thank you for trusting your only daughter/sister to this shaggy-haired nerd.

To my patient editor, Anna “Passive-Voice-Slayer” McHargue. If not for you this book would have many errors and MANY more severed heads.

To my publisher, Mark Russell. Your enthusiasm and belief in this story have been contagious. Thank you for your putting faith in a geeky writer with a wild imagination.

To Olivia Tether, Anita Broussard, Brad and Mary Keel, and Elena McHargue for being my guinea pigs and providing great feedback and suggestions.