The Golden Symbol (3 page)

Dad’s mouth popped open. “He’s changing.” He looked at Sanso. “You’re causing him to change.” He put his hand on his chin, thinking. “He’s loyal to you now, instead of the Lorkon. And . . . and since you aren’t on either side—good or bad—his eyes aren’t blue
or
brown.”

Sanso nodded. “I suspected as much. Ember Gods don’t pick sides. We’re above that sort of petty behavior.”

Aloren frowned, stepping forward. Jacob had almost forgotten she was there. She raised her sleeves. “You say this . . . this
brutality
isn’t picking sides? Look at this! Look at what you did to me!”

Sanso only glanced at her briefly. “Don’t blame me. I only did what they paid me to do.” He glanced at her arms again. “That represents some of my best work, by the way.”

Aloren glowered at him, and Jacob felt a sudden urge to punch the Ember God. Don’t
blame
him for his choices? What kind of stupid talk was that? The guy had his freedom—he didn’t have to obey the Lorkon. Yeah, so what if death was the result of disobedience? Jacob would rather die than purposely
burn
an innocent person!

Aloren obviously felt the same way. “You’re scum, Sanso. You’ll
always
be scum.” She refused to look away from him until he met her gaze, and Jacob was positive, if it had been dark inside the town hall, they would have seen lightning shoot from her eyes.

Dad cleared his throat. “It’s time for us to leave.” He motioned to Jacob. “Go ahead—Key us back to the village.”

Jacob nodded, pulling out the Key. He created the link, then stepped back, letting everyone else go ahead of him. Aloren was the last. She was still in a staring battle with Sanso. Finally, she looked away—to Eachan—and pulled something out of her pocket.

She approached the older man and handed him whatever it was she was holding. “For your pain. This will help. Take two or three of them three times a day.”

Eachan smiled at Aloren, thanked her, and gave her a hug.

Jacob followed her out the door, looking back one more time at Sanso and his “pet” Dust. The Ember God gave a small wave and returned to his food, and the Dust just watched Jacob, his big eyes wary.

Jacob couldn’t imagine what it would be like to switch loyalties like that. No wonder the Dust took so long coming out to meet them. He’d been Jacob’s enemy.

Chapter Two: Myler

That night, lying in his bed, Jacob couldn’t stop thinking about Myler. He was insane—that much was obvious—but the guy had spirit and a lot of it. He’d sacrificed himself, trying to get back at his brother who’d betrayed him, turned into a Lorkon, and then betrayed Myler
even more
by performing tests on Myler’s fiancé . . . then killing her.

Jacob had been the only one to care for Myler, and he wasn’t even sure why. The guy was a jerk. He was crude and impulsive and brash. And definitely unpredictable.

But still, Jacob cared. And he wanted to know that someone had buried Myler’s body—showed him the respect he deserved, in his own way. Jacob exhaled and rolled over, facing his wall. He tried to go to sleep. He counted in his head. He thought about what would happen tomorrow when he left with Akeno for Gratitude City. That was the next location of the antidote. Would it have survived? Would the tree be there?

The instructions in Onyev’s book had hinted that only a full-blood Makalo would be able to find the tree. Akeno was the only one who fit that description.

Jacob rolled over again, his thoughts returning to Myler. His last act. The fight in the man’s eyes as he’d jumped at the Lorkon.

Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He
had
to know what happened to the man’s body. If it was still in that ditch, Jacob would insist on getting a team together to go bury him properly.

He jumped off his bed and looked out his window at the moon. Without Azuriah’s help, Jacob had figured out that he could use the light from the moon to search through time for someone. He didn’t have to use the sun directly because the moon reflected the sun’s light.

When he’d told Azuriah what he found out, the Shiengol had stared at him for several seconds, not saying anything. But he didn’t have to—his emotion colors said plenty. The Shiengol was annoyed at first, then angry, then jealous, then . . . and this really surprised Jacob . . . the colors for pride flooded the air around him. He was
proud
of Jacob. Proud!

Of course, he didn’t say so, but he told Jacob to leave and go get some real work done.

Jacob laughed, thinking about that as he gazed at the moon for a full minute. Because the light was diffused, the usual ten seconds wasn’t long enough.

When he felt his eyes glowing, Jacob Time-Saw to Tadrys a week ago, when he’d Keyed the Lorkon and Myler there. He lit up Myler’s body, lying in the ditch, like a silver beacon—for some reason, the sun’s light diffused by the moon didn’t turn things golden. He fast-forwarded through time, then nearly jumped when Myler’s body moved.

Jacob reversed his vision. Did someone touch the guy? Throw something at him? Grab him? He didn’t see anyone around Myler. He rewound and started watching again, slower this time, with his vision pulled back slightly—enough to see if anyone approached.

Myler’s body moved. No one had touched him. Then it was still for a while.

But then, and Jacob nearly bit his tongue off, Myler stumbled to his knees, hands grasping, reaching, clawing through the dirt. A zombie! He’d turned into a zombie! But zombies weren’t real, were they?

Anything was possible. Especially on Eklaron.

Myler crawled out of the ditch. He coughed, smearing blood on his sleeve. He called for help, slumping to the ground.

A woman saw him and rushed to his side, feeling his forehead. She turned and waved, yelling at other people.

Two men joined her, and together, they lifted Myler. His head fell to the side, but Jacob could tell he
wasn’t
a zombie. He was alive!

The three adults half carried, half dragged Myler down the road, around a corner, and into a building. It took Jacob a moment to realize this was a hospital of sorts. Hundreds and hundreds of people lay everywhere—some looking dead, some sick, and others, barely hurt at all.

Jacob bit the inside of his cheek. The Lorkon had caused all of this. He felt sick, realizing the implications. He and Gallus were to blame. By Keying the Lorkon to Tadrys, they’d pretty much ordered the execution of the town. How many had died at the hands of those beasts? Jacob felt bile rise in his throat. He fought it down, along with his guilt. It didn’t matter where they sent the Lorkon—there would have been casualties either way.

He pushed those thoughts aside, still so very shocked that Myler was alive.

Jacob fast-forwarded until the present time, watching the man. Myler coughed occasionally, but for the most part, he didn’t move a lot. He was still there, in that hospital.

Jacob pulled his vision to the present and jumped off his bed. He glanced at the clock—it was well after eleven. Hopefully Mom and Dad would still be up. He threw his door open and dashed down the stairs.

The lights were all on. He followed voices to his parents’ study and found Dad there with the Fat Lady and Aldo. They were leaning over the desk, staring at the scroll Jacob had retrieved from the tree in Maivoryl City.

Jacob didn’t wait for them to notice him. “Myler is alive!” he blurted.

“How do you know?” Dad asked.

Jacob raised an eyebrow, but pushed aside his feelings of impatience. “I Time-Saw. Wanted to know what happened to his body.”

Aldo looked up, his eyes blurry from studying so much. They became more clear, though, as he tuned into what Jacob had said. “That’s great!”

“Can we go get him?”

Dad shook his head. “No. There’s too much to do here.”

Jacob scowled. “After everything he’s done for us and everything he’s been through, you’re still not willing to help him?”

“Where is he? What’s his situation?”

Jacob filled them in on what he’d seen.

Dad pulled a book down from a shelf behind the desk. “He’ll be fine where he is.”

Jacob growled, tugging on his hair. “I can’t believe this! You’re being so ridiculous.”

Dad didn’t answer. He flipped through the pages of the book, then turned and showed it to Aldo, who wasn’t paying attention to Jacob any longer.

But the Fat Lady cleared her throat. “Your Majesty . . .” She waited until Dad looked at her. “I agree with Jacob. Myler might be, well,
difficult
sometimes, but after everything he’s done for us, everything he’s been through, we can’t just leave him there. It’s barbaric.” She stared at Dad. “And the king I know you to be is
not
barbaric.”

Dad sighed, handing the book to Aldo. He sat in his chair, putting his head in his hands. “You’re right—you both are. But I still hesitate.”

Jacob snorted. “How can you when—”

Dad held up his hand. “I’ve had a lot of experience working with volatile people, son. His unpredictability isn’t our only concern here. He’s also incredibly angry and strong. What would happen if he forgets who everyone is? Would he attack innocent people? Would he mistake memories for current events?” Dad ran his hand across the bald spot on his head, then rubbed the dark hair around the edges. “But I agree. Perhaps we can’t leave him there. Maybe we could bring him back and find someone to work with him.”

He looked at Jacob. “Did the Lorkon leave doors in Tadrys?”

Jacob nodded.

“Good. First thing in the morning, before you go to Gratitude City, talk to Gallus. Have him help you.”

“Anyone else? Or just the two of us?”

“Gallus will work that out. Now, get back to bed. You need your rest, and we need to figure out this scroll.”

Jacob looked at the scroll. “Didn’t you already do that?”

“Sure . . .” Dad was distracted again. “But there’s always more to learn.”

Jacob returned to his room. He got back into bed, pulled the covers up, and stared at the ceiling, a smile crossing his face. For the first time in a while, he felt peace. Myler was alive, and Dad had given permission to bring him back. He couldn’t believe Myler’s luck—the man was bound and determined to survive, regardless of any dangers. He was pretty cool.

Jacob rolled over to his side, still smiling as he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

***

The next morning, Jacob jumped from bed, remembering the upcoming tasks of the day. Talk to Gallus, get Myler, find antidote, save the world. Er,
worlds
.

He showered, then dashed downstairs and ate a fast breakfast. He ran into the living room and skidded to a stop on his knees in front of the door. Right as he was about to open a link to Gallus’s shop, though, someone slammed the door into him, banging him on the forehead with the knob.

He fell on his back. Nausea from the pain nearly forced up his breakfast. “Ouch,” he said, rubbing where the knob had hit him.

“I’m really sorry—I didn’t see you.”

Jacob recognized that voice. It was Onaly—the girl who had a
huge
, embarrassing crush on him.

He got to his feet, still rubbing his forehead. “Can I help you?”

“I was coming to talk to you.”

Jacob winced, then realized that might offend her. He hoped she’d think his reaction was because of his forehead. Honestly, he wasn’t in the mood to hear what she had to say. It would only make him more uncomfortable—he was sure of it. And he didn’t have time right then, either. “I’m heading for Gallus’s shop and I’m in a hurry.”

“Let’s walk,” she said. “Quickly.”

Onaly threaded her arm through his, as she usually did, and led him out the back door and to the forest. She didn’t talk—just stared at the trees and undergrowth.

Jacob repressed a sigh of exasperation. She
had
to say something eventually, right? They couldn’t just walk the whole way in silence. She’d go crazy, for crying out loud—she was a talker.

Finally, she exhaled. “I want to apologize for how brazen I was last week. I know you’re under a lot of pressure.” She stopped and turned to face him.

Jacob’s heart flipped in his chest. She could really irritate him sometimes, but she
was
cute. Big, dark blue eyes full of adoration and pain. She did nothing to hide either.

She continued. “I’ll be supportive now—I’ll make sure not to get in your way.”

He could tell she was being sincere—he’d always been able to sense that in other people. He nodded and they started walking again, her arm still through his. But this time, it didn’t bother him.

Jacob didn’t know the best answer to her apology—saying “It’s okay” might give her the impression that it was fine for her to chase him. He really didn’t want to have to hurt her again. And “Apology accepted” was way too much like
Star Wars
. Besides that, it was very formal.

Her arm felt good, though, where it was. He allowed a small smile to cross his face. A cute girl was at his side, holding him, obviously liking him. It was kind of awesome.

They walked the whole way to Taga Village like that. Neither said anything more. They arrived at Gallus’s shop and Jacob knocked on the door. “You don’t need to be here for this,” he said.

She shrugged. “I’ll stay and see if Bezza wants help with anything.”

Gallus answered the door. Jacob waited for Onaly to voice her desire first, but she didn’t, so he explained the Myler situation, sharing Dad’s request that Gallus help out.

The black man nodded. “Yes, we definitely need to bring him back. We should keep the group small—don’t want to intimidate people. Just the two of us, and Aloren. Her scouting skills will be very handy.”

Gallus turned away from the door. “Bezza? Would you send a Minya to Aloren? Let her know Jacob’s coming to get her in a minute?”

Onaly entered the shop, probably looking for Bezza, and Gallus invited Jacob inside as well.

“Go ahead and Key from here. I’ll wait.”

Jacob opened the link to the tree. “Hello?”

“I’ll be down in a minute, Jacob.”

He closed the door and sat at the table. He fingered the frilly pink tablecloth Aloren had put there.