City of Gold (20 page)

The Book was made of solid gold. An elegant border was embroidered around the perimeter. In the center, formed by tiny crystals, was a large ‘E.’

The Key
—the second of the two Books made by King Ishmael. Cody approached the Book as though drawn to it magnetically.

The only way to defeat the Golden King is the combined power of the two Books.

The gilded Book was glowing like a firefly at midnight. Cody reached toward it in wonder. The moment his fingers brushed the golden surface, two red slits appeared from behind the podium.

“
Ahh
!” Cody stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. The Hunter skulked around the podium like a panther; its nostrils flaring.

Terrified, Cody shuffled back, pushing himself onto his feet as the Beast strode toward him. The Hunter purred, its five-inch tongue stroking the black lips of its snout.

Cody took another step—and collided into something solid behind him. An icy hand curled onto his shoulder, the large fingers coiling around him. The hand was made of gold.

“Welcome to my court.”

47

The Two Are One

HE WAS BEAUTIFUL. Accompanying his long, fine, white hair was skin that glittered gold. His eyes shone like pure rubies only to be outdone by the gemstones that fused into his forehead forming a royal crown. His body was half human and half gold, as though caught midway through metamorphosis between caterpillar and butterfly. In every way he was perfect—the very embodiment of beauty.

“What an honor.” The Golden King’s voice was melodic and smooth; the words swirling around Cody and luring him into a calm trance like a siren’s irresistible call toward treacherous cliffs.

From behind, the Hunter’s talons scraped against the ground. The King’s ruby eyes stared steadily into the Beast’s flaming scarlet slits. The Hunter released a piercing shriek, snapped its fangs at the King, and then vanished.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” the King purred. Cody didn’t answer. Instead he stood transfixed, unable to move. The King glided toward the podium. With his fleshy hand he stroked the spine of the Book. “It senses its sister is near. A thousand years have passed since the two halves were united as one.”

As the King wove his pleasant symphony of words, Cody grabbed his backpack and unzipped it. He cautiously pulled out his leather-bound Book. The scarlet ‘A’ burned more fiercely than ever.

“You didn’t take it…why?” The energy from
The Code
flowed through him with an intensity he’d never before experienced.

The King smiled. “For precisely the same reason I allowed you to come to El Dorado on your own accord: because deep down you and I both desire the same thing—truth.”

Cody shook his head. “You’re wrong. I came only to rescue Jade.” Cody fought to maintain a defiant stare, but quickly dropped his eyes. “You lied to me. Darkfall came on the seventh day but you still let Jade live. Why?”

The King floated back to Cody. “Death has so many faces. I assure you, the Jade you knew before is very much dead.” The King slid his silver tongue across his lips as though lapping up the savory words.

Cody felt deep dread wash over him. “What have you done to her?”

“Only what you could not — I’ve allowed the swan inside to break free. You will soon realize that in El Dorado you can be exactly the person you’ve always dreamt of becoming.”

Cody’s mind flashed back to the stern image of his father. Cody could hear his mother’s sobs in the background. His father kissed his forehead. “
One day you’ll understand, boy.
You’ll understand why I have to go away
.” It had been the last time he had ever seen him.

Cody forced the memory from his mind. “Only I can read from
The Code
. You can’t force me to use it for you.”

“I don’t believe that will be necessary. But what about using it for
you
? The unrestricted knowledge of the universe at your grasp; the answers to questions you didn’t even know to ask. Aren’t you curious?”

Suddenly a thousand questions raced through Cody’s mind. He shut his eyes to block them out. The Golden King placed his hand gently on Cody’s cheek, the cool gold causing him to shiver. “When the Two become One, there is no limit to the wonders they can do. The unlimited power to change the world; to make it better, to make it
perfect
. Is it not our
responsibility
to do so?”

Unwanted thoughts once again forced their way into the corners of his mind. He thought of his hard-working, single mother. He thought of the beggar, Gelph, and the rest of the impoverished citizens in Atlantis’ Outer-City.
I could change things for the better
.

“Are you going to lock me up now? Torture me until I relent?” Cody challenged weakly. The King lifted his hand. As he did, the doors across the Hall swung open. The King pointed to the opened doors.

“You are free to leave anytime you wish. If you so choose, I will commission an escort of my finest soldiers to guide you safely to the Borderlands. You have but to ask. You are no more a prisoner than Jade. On the contrary, you are my most honored guest. Which is why tomorrow evening I shall host a grand banquet in your honor. The honor of a Book Keeper.”

Cody stared at the King curiously.

“The moment the banquet is over I’m leaving for Atlantis.”

The Golden King smiled. “I recall those very words coming from the mouth of a young woman but a month ago. You may discover that your friend may not be as keen on leaving as you think…given a week, you may realize you’re not interested in leaving either.”

48

Stirrings

“
SHHH
!” THE ROOM FELL SILENT except for the rhythmic pattern of heavy footsteps as two men marched passed the entry way of the shadowy hut. Once the sound had faded the hush was soiled by loud exhales.

“I
told you
it’s too dangerous. If we’re seen…”

“I know, I know! We’re all aware of the risk. So let’s not waste our precious time,” a deep voice whispered. “It’s happened. The Book Keeper has arrived. And…” The voice dropped as the noise of footsteps returned.

“This is
folly
!” a second man snapped as the strides quieted again. “We’re risking
everything
tonight.”

“Shhh! Keep your voice
down
, brother!” urged a third. “
G. T.
is correct. If the Book Keeper
is
here in El Dorado then it may be the only opportunity we’ll get. This is the moment we’ve been awaiting for a very long time.”

“We will need to corner him when he’s alone. That may not be an easy task,” observed a woman, the final member of the quartet.

The deep-voiced man cleared his throat. “I agree. But it’s the only way. We must seize the moment while he’s sleeping or secluded. We won’t get a second chance,” he concluded. “We must strike fast.”

A sharp creaking noise outside the building extinguished the voices.

Two men burst into the hovel only to find it empty.

49

Confessions

HER GREEN EYES LOCKED with his. Instead of their usual fiery state they had a soft tenderness to them.

When she opened her mouth, her lips quaked. “Cody…I…I…I lo…” The sound of clashing steel echoed in Cody’s ears. A limp body fell against him. Cody shoved the body off and turned back to Jade and Tiana. They were gone.

The scene cycled through Cody’s mind for the thousandth time. As always, it was as vivid and real as the day it happened. He sat restlessly on the edge of his bed staring at the closed bedroom door.

Following his audience with the Golden King he had been guided to a specially-arranged bed chamber—a room larger than the whole of his house back in Havenwood. Several doors and halls led off toward unexplored sections of the massive room. But none of that mattered at the moment. Instead, he stared at the simple note that had been left on his pillow.

I’m sorry about earlier, I should have prepared you. We have SO much to get caught up on. Come to my room first thing in the morning. I’ll show you around the city—just like old times!

Your best friend always,

Jade

He lay down, holding the note against his chest. The strenuous, week-long dash from Atlantis to El Dorado was beginning to take its toll; he welcomed the comfort of the warm bed. Sleep came immediately.

After his quiet knock, Cody instantly heard loud, thumping footsteps rumbling from the other side of the closed door. Cody grinned.
Apparently the Golden King hadn’t changed EVERYthing about her!

When the door finally opened Jade greeted him with a warm smile. Her thick black hair was pulled into a neat up-do and her cheeks sparkled with glitter. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly before inviting him into the room.

The weeks spent imagining the horrors of Jade trapped in a dark, isolated prison cell seemed exceedingly silly as Cody viewed the sprawling room.

He continued to examine the extravagance of the space as he searched for something to say. It was an unusual feeling. Having Jade next to him made him feel uncomfortable. He had imagined that seeing her again would somehow turn back time and things would be just as they were before. But now that the moment had come, he felt as though he were meeting her for the first time.

“This is a nice room,” he muttered, finally giving up on the elusive, witty remark. Jade skipped forward and threw herself onto the bed, propping herself up on her elbows. “Yeah, it’s incredible. I could fit my whole house back ho…back in
Havenwood
inside.” Cody looked to the floor, unable to handle her deep green eyes. The moment he had dreaded for weeks had arrived.

“I’m sorry about leaving you in the courtyard. It was dumb.” Cody winced even before the last word left his tongue. After a month of preparation he had dropped an agonizing dud.

Jade didn’t seem to notice. To Cody’s surprised she merely laughed. “Very dumb, indeed! But after all we’ve been through did you honestly think I’d be surprised?” The remark was playful and lacked venom.

Cody caught her infectious smile. “Yeah, I guess not. Remember Area 51? That was bad….”

“That
was
bad…even for you!” It felt good to be laughing with Jade again. “There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you,” he began slowly.

Jade sat up attentively. “Of course, what is it?” Cody felt his forehead burn red. He took a deep breath.
It’s now or never…

“Well, the last time I saw you, in the courtyard, you called something to me. It seemed like it was something…
important
.” He squirmed; there was no turning back now. “But the thing is, with all the loud noise and fighting, I didn’t hear what you said; at least not all of what you said. You probably don’t even remember, but you called my name and said something like,
“I lo…
”

Cody lifted his eyes in anticipation. He heard Tiana’s words on the boat in his ear: “
Some things are best heard from Jade’s own mouth
.”

Jade smiled. “Of
course
, I remember!” Cody’s heart skipped. He leaned forward eagerly, but stopped at the sound of Jade’s laughing. “I said
‘I loathe that stupid book
!’” She chuckled again. “What else would you expect I’d say after you ran off to search for that Book and left me standing there?”

“Yeah…what else…” Cody muttered. Her words pierced his chest like a sharpened spear. He grabbed his side and as he did, he felt the shape of Tat’s arrowhead in his pocket.

He wrapped his hand around it. “Jade…I need to tell you something,” he pulled the arrowhead out and held it toward her. “It might be surprising at first, but I need to get it off my chest. I’ve made my decision, and…”

“Oh, blast!” Jade jumped up from the bed. “I completely forgot!” Cody looked to the arrowhead and then back to Jade.

“Forgot what…? What I was trying to say was that I…”

Jade dashed to the other side of the room and came back carrying a smooth, ivory bow. “I’m sorry. That just reminded me. I completely forgot that I have archery lessons with Hansi this afternoon. You can come with me!”

Cody swallowed. “Who’s Hansi?” he asked, anxious to rein Jade’s attention back in. Jade slapped her forehead. “How silly of me! It’s been so good to see you again that I forget you haven’t been here with me the last few weeks. Hansi is the Prince.” Jade’s powdered face turned red. “And, he’s also my boyfriend.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Anyways, I…” Cody’s words came to a jarring halt. “
Boyfriend
!? Wow, I didn’t realize. I mean I wasn’t…You’ve only been here
one month
! I didn’t expect, well…
that
.”

“Isn’t it crazy?” Jade exclaimed. “Who would have ever thought
I’d
have a boyfriend! And a
prince
! It all happened so fast. I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s an amazing guy and I think you two will get along great!” Cody tried to force a smile but it came across as cheerful as passing kidney stones. He nodded, unable to speak. Jade tossed the bow over her shoulder and walked toward the door. As she reached it she turned. “Oh, how rude of me. You were in the middle of telling me something about making a decision. What were you saying?”