The Golden Symbol (17 page)

Gallus called to him. “Take my hands—I’ll help you up.”

Jacob latched on to Gallus, and with the man pulling and Jacob pushing, he reached the top. He scrambled to the back of the much-larger ledge.

Coren soon followed, and he, Gallus, and Jacob helped the others up as well.

The person who had fallen had been second to last. He seemed fine, but the man behind him was unconscious. Blood poured from a wound on his head.

“Cloth!” Gallus shouted. “I need it now.”

Trunt pulled out strips of bandages and Gallus pressed them against the man’s head. He motioned to Jacob. “Hold this here.”

Jacob had been first aid certified in scouts the year before. He’d kept up on what he learned, so he knew to put pressure on the injury and not move the cloth.

The man came to while Gallus was searching for other wounds. “My ankle,” he gasped.

Gallus pulled the man’s pant leg up, revealing that the limb from mid-calf down was huge.
Really
huge.

“We’ll have to remove his boot,” Gallus said.

Jacob shook his head. “No, we can’t. Not until he’s somewhere safe where he’ll receive proper medical attention. The boot will support his ankle until then and it’ll be much less painful for him if he has to put any weight on it.”

Gallus looked doubtful, but didn’t disagree.

Jacob turned to Trunt. “How much farther to the top?”

“It’s just over the next ledge.”

“Good. Lead everyone there, and then you and I will take this man back down. I’ll Key him to Mendon where my mom can care for him.”

Gallus shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to leave. If anything happened to you, your father would kill me, and going back down only increases the risk that something
would
happen.”

Jacob didn’t even look at him as he added another bandage to the top of the one he was holding down. This man’s wound would
definitely
need stitches. “He’s not staying here and he’s not staying in August Fortress. I’m Keying him to Mendon.”

“Prince Jacob, I must insist—”

Jacob met Gallus’s eye. “What else do you think we should do? I’m the only one who can get him out of the fortress without making him walk or making others carry him a long distance. And don’t forget—the Argots still surround the fortress. We can’t leave him there on his own—he needs medical attention now. And we can’t afford to have anyone stay behind to take care of him.”

Gallus searched Jacob’s eyes, then finally nodded. “I agree. But I’m going with you.”

Trunt took the others up the rest of the way, then came back, and he and Gallus figured out how to climb down the side of the volcano. They finally decided to take turns lowering the injured man to each other, with Jacob helping where he could.

It took two hours for them to reach the bottom. By then, Jacob was so exhausted, he was positive he wouldn’t make it back up again. But they pushed onward anyway, Keying the poor man to Mendon, where Mom waited, then returning to the fortress.

Jacob drank a ton of water, ate some beef jerky and dried apples—lots of dried apples. He’d need the sugar—then they started back up the cliff.

Much to Jacob’s relief, it only took half an hour to climb. But even those thirty minutes seemed agonizing to an exhausted, tired group, especially as the sun went behind the mountains, covering them in a blanket of darkness. When they finally reached the others, their hands had bled through their bandages.

The top of the volcano was just flat enough for them to camp out if they lay in single file. Which they did. Jacob pulled his sleeping bag around him, careful not to mess up the new bandages on his hands. He hoped they’d all sleep well—tomorrow was important.

Chapter Twelve: Melted Rubber

The next morning, Jacob woke up long before anyone else. He’d been half awake the entire night, worried he’d sleep too deeply and roll over the side, or even sleep too long and embarrass himself.

He started inspecting the way down the volcano, munching on a bagel, waiting for the others to wake. Not surprisingly, Gallus was the first up. The man joined Jacob, and together, they tried to figure out how the Eetu fish got down the steep, craggy slope.

Jacob ended up Time-Seeing off and on, then indicated to Gallus which places were safest. When they returned, everyone was eating breakfast. Jacob told them how they’d get down—one at a time, following the same person as before, but this time, they wouldn’t need to be tied together.

The others were in better spirits that morning, maybe because they didn’t have to deal with rope tied tightly around their waists. They packed up and started. Several of them slipped a couple of times on the loose volcanic rock, but no one got injured.

Jacob took his time getting up the courage to ask Gallus a question as they descended. Finally, he blurted it out. “What are you and your family going to do once all of this is over?”

Gallus looked back, steadying himself on a large rock. “When the Lorkon have been defeated?”

“Yeah.”

He rubbed his chin. “Bezza and I want to move back to Macaria. Fix up the city and return it to its splendor. We’ve talked to many others from there, and a lot of them want to help.”

Jacob couldn’t help but smile. “That’s awesome. I love Macaria.”

A wistful expression crossed Gallus’s face. “So do I, Jacob. So do I.”

They were silent for a while as they continued downward.

“I used to think that links only existed near Kaith trees,” Jacob said, making his way around a huge volcanic rock. “So this is weird.”

Gallus grabbed a root protruding from the ground and swung himself past it. “Kaith trees mark
sure
links. Basically, where a Kaith tree grows, a link is nearby. But links exist all over the place, as you found when the Eetu fish was chasing you.”

Neither said anything for a moment, and again, Jacob toyed with a question in his mind. This one was of a much more sensitive nature, and he needed to word it right so Gallus wouldn’t read too deeply into his interest.

He mentally crossed his fingers. Gallus seemed to be in a talkative mood—Jacob needed to take advantage of it. “Do you know what Aloren plans to do after all this?”

“She’s going to continue living in the Taga Village tree—she’s grown accustomed to it and all her things are there.”

That made sense. Jacob was about to ask what Gallus thought of that when he realized Gallus wanted to say something. And judging by the colors in the air around the man, it was another sensitive subject. Jacob felt his hands start to sweat, burning his sores.

Finally, after several moments of Jacob being extremely patient, Gallus cleared his throat. “So, uh . . . have you spoken with her?”

Jacob waited a second before answering, not wanting to seem too eager. “About what?”

Gallus wiped off his hands, then took a drink from his canteen. He looked back up the way they’d come, and Jacob glanced too. He was disappointed it wasn’t more than one hundred feet. He felt like they’d been going forever.

Coren wasn’t far behind, but was talking to another man. That made Jacob happy—he didn’t want anyone overhearing this conversation.

Finally, Gallus responded. “About you and her.”

Jacob’s cheeks burned. How to answer? Of course he hadn’t talked to Aloren about anything. But he couldn’t just say that—Gallus might get offended, or might get the wrong idea. And Jacob didn’t want word going back to Aloren that he wasn’t interested.

Jacob wasn’t sure how Gallus interpreted his silence, but the man rushed on. “I don’t want to push you into anything. But you should know she’s in love with you.”

Now Jacob’s ears, neck, arms—everything was burning. He definitely did
not
want to be having this conversation! But then . . . he turned from Gallus when a grin spread across his face. Aloren was in
love
with him? Wow. Part of him was celebrating, the other part a little freaked out. Love was a strong word.

“Um . . . I, uh, I like her too,” Jacob stuttered out. What was he supposed to say? That he loved her back? Ack! No way! He quickly changed the subject. “She seems to enjoy being a student on Earth.”

“Oh, yes,” Gallus said, “quite a lot. She tells me the things she’s learning, and I’m happy for her.” He quieted for a moment. “I think she’s considering staying on Earth permanently. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

Jacob didn’t say anything—he was surprised that Gallus was sharing this much with him. Usually the man was all business, never emotions or personal life.

“She’s like a daughter to me—you know that. And I want her to have the best. This is a fantastic opportunity for her. But I’ll miss her. And Bezza will miss her.”

Gallus abruptly strode forward, putting an end to the conversation. The colors around him confirmed that he was having a hard time controlling his emotions, so Jacob didn’t push anything. He trailed behind, finding it impossible to keep up with the man. Gallus was much stronger and a lot taller.

Twenty minutes later, they reached the bottom of the volcano and Jacob Time-Saw, wanting to make sure the way the Eetu had gone was clear. It was an entrance to a cave that looked like it was going to be tight, especially for Gallus and Coren.

Trunt volunteered to go first, and the others watched as he squirmed into the opening. He was gone for several minutes and Jacob fidgeted, wiping the sweat off his face and neck. What if Trunt died? Would they even know? Would they be able to find his body? The steam and heat coming from the hole made Jacob worry that they were much closer to the Fire Pulsers than he’d originally thought. He had to be wrong, though—this was just the link to the other world, not to the Fire Pulsers themselves.

Right when Jacob was about to send someone after Trunt, the man returned.

“The way is not long, but it’s tight in places and treacherous in others. We’ll need to go one at a time.” He scratched his head, studying everyone. “I propose that we change the order of things and have Gallus and Coren follow me. They’re the largest men here, and I’d rather get them through before attempting it with anyone else. The three of us could then take turns coaching the rest, if that’s all right with you, Your Highness.”

He looked at Jacob, and Jacob nodded. That was fine with him. But he was preoccupied with something. This was the first time people had consistently referred to him as “Your Highness.” Had Dad said something? He must have—this just wasn’t usual.

Trunt was to go first, then Gallus, then Coren. Jacob was after Coren, and he waited for the man to call for him to head down. Trunt had refused to tell anyone what to expect—he said the anticipation would make it worse. Jacob wasn’t so sure. His imagination was full of flames and scorched people, none of which was probably true. He hoped.

Then Coren yelled back for Jacob to enter. Jacob got down on all fours and crawled through the first part. He could hear the blacksmith, but couldn’t see him. He couldn’t see much of anything, actually.

“You’re going through the tightest section now,” Coren said. “Just keep going—don’t panic. It opens up soon and will be tall enough for you to stand.”

The sides and ceiling of the cave eventually forced Jacob to army crawl, using his hands, elbows, and occasionally knees to gain enough leverage to move. He couldn’t believe that both Gallus and Coren had made it through.

A blast of steam hit him in the face and he yelled in surprise. It burned! Oh, it burned. His throat dried out and he couldn’t swallow. Air! He needed air. Jacob fought the panic that rose in him.

“Calm, Jacob, calm. Relax—the air will come. The steam will too, many more times. Just hold your breath and turn away. You’re doing great.”

Jacob focused on Coren’s voice, on what he’d said. Wait a second. Doing great? “How can you tell when you can’t even see me?”

Coren hesitated, then chuckled. “You make an excellent point, Your Highness.”

Jacob relaxed for a moment, taking a break. He forced himself to breathe normally, to swallow as saliva entered his mouth. It wasn’t much, but helped relieve his parched throat.

Then he continued forward. He’d army crawled maybe five feet when the sides spread away by two feet and the ceiling rose at least seven. A crude tunnel opened up for twenty yards, leading downward at a slight slope. Coren was there at the end, waiting. Jacob stood, stretched, and began walking forward, but Coren waved his hands in panic.

“Stop, stop! The ground is unstable. Only stand on the sections that are the darkest. The others will cave beneath you.”

Jacob looked down, surprised to see that what had once appeared to be smooth rock was obviously riddled with holes, now that he was close up. How’d he not noticed that before?

The darkest sections were only a couple of inches across.

“How am I supposed to do this? There isn’t enough standing room!”

Gallus laughed from around the corner of the tunnel. “I believe it’s called tippy-toeing in your culture. You’ll do fine.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. Easy for Gallus to say when he’d already gotten across. Jacob took his first step, thinking about a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. What would happen if he stepped on a less-secure section? Would he fall through, his legs dangling as he tried to grab on to something to pull himself up?

He’d reached the halfway point when he had his question answered. His calves had started burning from standing on his tiptoes the whole way, and without his permission, his left leg relaxed a hair too much. His heel crumbled through a patch of light gray rock and a searing heat blasted up into the tunnel, singeing him, forcing him to cover his face to protect it from the steam. He scrambled forward to the next black section and looked back.

The lighter rock was burning red. Had he really been that close to lava? How had he not been fried to death? As he watched, the redness dissipated, and the rock turned back to gray. Jacob waited a moment, but his calves couldn’t handle the pain any longer. He took a deep breath, then started forward again. He was tempted to take a break and inspect himself for injuries, but knew that the only harm he’d received would be first-degree burns from the steam.