City of Gold

by Daniel Blackaby

  The Captain flinched when he heard a rattle on the door. His arm slipped on the table and knocked the red chips to the floor. How quickly they fall, he thought grimly. “Come in.” A youthful, well-postured soldier marched in and saluted. Talgu returned the gesture. The soldier spied the fallen chips.

  “Father, where is your hope?”

  Talgu huffed, “Nocsic, my boy; where is your prudence? There is no cowardice in accepting reality. We both know we are no more than a picket fence—a meager gesture declaring that no trespassers are desired, without power to actually stop them when they decide to cross.”

  “Yes, Father, but that is precisely why I have come…he has arrived.”

  Talgu’s eyebrows jumped to his hairline. “The Book Keeper?”

  “Yes, Father. He and his convoy just arrived at the east entrance. How shall we proceed?” Talgu paced back to the map. The board has changed.

  “Prince Kantan’s orders were clear. You must ensure that it is done as planned.”

  Nocsic shifted. “And if the Book Keeper resists?”

  Talgu pulled a dagger from his belt. He slammed it onto the map in the center of the golden chips, sending them flying. “That’s not his decision to make.”

  36

  Flore Gub

  CODY GAZED AT THE SCENE IN WONDER. The massive walls of the fortress would make even the great ramparts of Atlantis appear as little more than a dollhouse. Large towers jutted like skyscrapers. Situated sporadically atop the immense walls were wooden catapults.

  Unlike the grubby peasants of Atlantis’ Outer-City, every person in the fortress was adorned in full battle armor and well armed. The soldiers cast curious glances at the new arrivals as they marched past. Every one of their faces registered fear.

  “Your arrival is most welcome,” shouted a stranger who was the most handsome man Cody had ever seen. His fine black hair was neatly tied in a small ponytail. His chest was broad and his muscles toned to a level Cody had not seen before. The man walked with the confidence of someone well aware of these traits.

  “Well, if it isn’t the notorious Captain Dace Ringstar—look who finally got a vacation from the slums of Atlantis,” the man called.

  Dace threw his arms around the man. “Knowing you’d be here, Nocsic, I’d almost swear Levenworth sent me here as punishment!”

  “Well, you would know all about receiving Levenworth’s wrath, wouldn’t you?” the man laughed. Dace turned to Cody. “Allow me to introduce Nocsic, son of Talgu. He and I were in the academy together.”

  The two acquaintances set to chatting as they strode through the castle. “What’s the situation?” Dace probed.

  “Not good. More enemy forces appear every night. I’ve never seen so many troops.”

  “Yet they haven’t attacked?”

  Nocsic shook his head. “That’s the thing. We were hit hard at Lilley. They had us on the run, fleeing back to Flore Gub—and then they stopped. My father cannot gauge their strategy. They have vast superior numbers; why not attack?”

  “Intimidation?” suggested Dace.

  “Well, if so, it’s worked. Morale is shattered. What happened at Lilley, it was…ugly. The ever-billowing smoke has stolen courage from even the most seasoned soldier. It’s a battle we can’t win.” His eyes fell on Cody. “But my father may have found a strategy to turn the odds….”

  Captain Talgu looked like a man carved from a crude stone. His skin was as gravelly as animal-hide. Although, after visiting the Ageing City, Cody was impressed by the waves of wrinkles definitively etched into his brow and below his deeply-set eyes.

  “I forbid it,” Talgu said in a low growl, sitting stiffly at his war-table staring at Cody and Dace. “You are not to leave this fortress no matter the circumstance.”

  Cody felt his cheeks begin to burn. “But we must! We have only two days to reach El Dorado! You can’t keep us in the fortress. Jade’s life depends on me!” Cody stepped toward the Captain, but Dace caught his shoulder and pulled him back. “Indeed Captain Talgu, our orders were to…” Dace interjected, but Talgu grunted, “The situation has changed. The enemy barricade is the only way into El Dorado’s realm. As commanding officer of this fortress, I assign you to the ranks. Having the Book Keeper defending the walls is the only chance we have. We have no other choice. You will remain in Flore Gub until the siege is over. That is a non-negotiable order. Dismissed.”

  Cody tilted the pewter bowl and funneled The Speaking Sands back into its vial. It had felt good to catch up with Eva and the on-goings of Atlantis. He didn’t realize how much he had missed her company, even if only through the Sands. Eva’s soothing aura was the only antidote for his rage toward Captain Talgu’s maddening orders.

  The young Princess had communicated that Atlantis was becoming overcrowded and tense as refugees from throughout the kingdom sought safety from the impending El Dorado invasion. Eva also had noted that Cia had been acting odd of late, being in an unusually jolly mood and always sneaking about the palace when she thought no one was watching. Cody couldn’t picture the Queen as anything but serious. Especially at a dismal time like this.

  Cody walked to the window. He had been roomed in one of Flore Gub’s three towering keeps. He looked out across the fortress walls. The sea of enemy warriors stretched off into distance like an ocean. They remained hypnotically still. What are they waiting for? Cody turned his vision beyond the enemy. Where are you, Jade? What are they doing to you?

  Dace had remained behind to argue their case to Talgu, but the veteran Captain would not budge. Cody’s knuckles throbbed as he clenched them into a fist. This is time we can’t afford to waste!

  A firm rap on the door startled Cody from his thoughts. He scooped up the Book and answered the door cautiously. Chazic filled the entire frame. “Follow me. Quickly. We have a problem.”

  37

  Gone

  THE STENCH IN THE AIR was nauseating. Cody and Chazic lay on their stomachs as they peered down at Lilley. The entire village was scorched black. Any beauty it once shared had been purged by fire and smoke.

  “We should have seen this coming,” Cody said. Chazic had gone to Tat’s chambers to apologize for their haughty parting. He had found the chamber empty and Tat’s bow missing. “Are you sure he came here?” Cody questioned.

  “Positive. And…duck!” Chazic whispered. Cody dropped as three golden sentries patrolled past. He remained motionless until the sound of the sentries’ steps faded away. Chazic rolled to face Cody. “Our best shot of evading the guards is for you to sneak into Lilley alone. You’re quicker and more agile—also, Tat hates me. You must convince him to return to Flore Gub. Lady Death is the only one left to greet visitors to Lilley. I’ll watch from here and alert you to any approaching danger. Speed be with you.”

  Cody nodded. He squeezed his fists until the color in his knuckles drained to white. With a deep breath he rose to a crouch and scampered down the hill. He heard footsteps and voices but didn’t dare slow down to look back.

  Cody felt his stomach twist. The sight was even more sickening than it had looked from afar. If Lilley had once been a beautiful village, Cody could scarcely imagine it. The once peaceful hovels were caved in and seared and a thick haze floated on the air. Ash and rubble blanketed the ground. As he scanned the central square of the city he noticed something odd: Where are the people?

  The ambush at Ishmael’s funeral was still etched in his mind. He was all too aware of the disgusting residual of battle. The Atlantis courtyard had been cluttered with blood and mangled corpses. But as he surveyed Lilley there were no bodies amidst the debris. He knelt to the ground and examined the dirt. There were no signs of struggle. The only footsteps visible in the dirt were his own. What happened here?

  He ventured deeper into the dreary ghost town. A loud, echoing bang made his heart jump. He spun around and looked behind him. A section of a blackened roof had dislodged and crashed to the ground. Cody slowed his breath. I need to get Tat and get out of here—
fast.

  He heard a faint gurgling sound ahead and followed the noise to the central square. In the middle of the courtyard was a half-demolished tower. Hanging against the side of the tower was a man.

  The soldier was strung up against a wall by his wrists; a bloody wound had been cut into his chest. The branding in his chest was in the shape of a six-legged spider. Cody looked away in disgust until he realized the bald man was familiar. It was Captain Eagleton—Captain of Atlantis’ Mid-City guard. The Captain released a pained cough.

  “You’re alive!” Cody exclaimed louder than he meant to. His shout carried across the village like a masted ship with the breeze. He cringed as the sound slowly faded. The mangled Captain lifted his head.

  “The Book Keeper? What madness has brought you here!?” he asked through struggled breaths.

  Cody kept his eyes downcast; the sight of the Captain’s wounds brought vomit up his throat. “What happened here? What happened to all the people?”

  To his surprise the Captain began chuckling. “Gone. Every last one of them. Gone.” He entered into a fit of coughing. With each gag the branded spider on his chest darkened with fresh lines of blood. “We didn’t stand a chance. One second we were evacuating the civilians and bracing to fight. The next everyone was gone except for me. Just like that—poof.”

  “What do you mean? Were they captured? Killed?”

  The Captain shook his head. “Just gone. All I saw…was the Impaler. The High General…was…alone. There was a bright…light. Then they…were gone,” he said between tortured gasps. “He leaves no prisoners…everyone is dead! You shouldn’t have come!”

  Cody shivered.

  “I have to get you some help and then find my friend. Which way did he go?”

  Captain Eagleton didn’t answer. He was dead.

  Cody turned away, nauseous by the sight of the lifeless soldier. As he did, he noticed fresh footprints leading to the outskirts of the village. Tat’s gone home. Cody sprinted through the village, no longer caring about stealth or silence. He saw that no part of Lilley had eluded destruction. Black smoke billowed through each of the collapsed rooftops, forming a thick pillar into the sky.

  He stopped; at the end of a path was a single cottage. Tat’s footprints became greater spaced as they led into the home. Like the rest of the village, the cottage was destroyed. The entire left half of the roof had collapsed and the scorched door lay on the floor. Cody ran up the path, cautiously sticking his head through the door.

  “Tat? Are you here?” Cody called out. He stepped over the charred debris strewn across the floor and walked up the creaking stairs. He heard a faint sound coming from the far room. “Tat? Is that you?”

  Walking quietly toward the entrance, he found the door ajar. Through the crack he could see someone in the room. He inched the door open.

  Tat stood unmoving with his back to Cody. He was muttering to himself.

  “Tat…?”

  “My precious Rali. So beautiful,” he cried, without acknowledging Cody.

  “Tat, we can’t stay here,” Cody pressed. Finally Tat turned around. His face was pale and his eyes glazed. He held out a pendant bracelet in the shape of a heart—it was shattered down the middle and the left half was missing, as though ripped in two. The faded silver was stained in blood.

  “My Rali…she’s gone.”

  38

  Unleashing the Flood

  CODY WATCHED SILENTLY as Tat pressed the remnant of the bracelet against his chest. He turned; his eyes empty. “She was everything.” His legs buckled and he tumbled against the wall.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Cody pleaded, “I’m so sorry.”

  Tat’s head bowed against the wall. “She was so tender. She never entertained an ill thought. What did she do to deserve an end like this?”

  Cody understood that he was not included in the conversation. He glanced around the room and paused. “Everyone in the village is gone. Maybe she escaped? She might still be alive.” Tat didn’t seem to hear as he continued mumbling to himself. “Tat, we can’t stay here. It’s not safe. We need to…”

  Long shadows stretched across the floor. Cody turned just in time to see the four golden warriors crashing through the door.

  “Tat!” Cody shouted. The front golem paused, glimpsing Cody’s face.

  “The Book Keeper! The Bo~”

  Chazic silenced the fiend with a scimitar to the jugular. Chazic twirled the blades in his hands before bringing them down like an X. He stepped over the four slain soldiers.

  “We need to go now. There was a fifth golem who got away. He will carry news that the Book Keeper has been spotted.” His voice trailed off as he looked to Tat who hadn’t moved.

  Chazic turned to him for an explanation; Cody motioned to the split, blood-stained bracelet. Chazic’s face dropped with realization. “This evil will not go un-avenged.” Reaching down, he scooped the dazed guide onto his shoulder. “As long as the Orb shines, I promise you that.”

  “Chazic, look!” Cody pointed toward the horizon where lights were being ignited in the distance.

  The Enforcer frowned. “The enemy wakes. We need to get back to the fortress—now!”

  “Father!” shouted Nocsic. Talgu strolled across the battlements, his hands cupped behind his back. Several pinpoints of light danced in the distant dark. On the other side of the plains more lights popped up, like hundreds of fireflies. Soon the whole horizon was aglow. A low rumble began to grow, shaking the ground.

  Nocsic glanced to Talgu. “Father, should I ready the men?”

  Talgu brushed the perspiration from his forehead. “Immediately…and fetch the Book Keeper. I want him on the front line. This is our defining moment, son.”

  “Yes, sir.” Nocsic raced across the wall bellowing out orders. Talgu watched him depart, smiling with pride—A good soldier…and a good boy.

  Thump…Thump…Thump.

  Talgu gazed back upon the endless mass of torch lights closing in on the fortress. The dam has finally broken…the unstoppable flood approaches.

  39

  Battle of the Borderlands

  “TO THE WALL! TO ARMS!” The foundation of the fortress rumbled as the sea of torches came crashing toward the gate. “Ready the catapults! Fire on my mark!” Talgu stepped atop a crenellation with his arms raised. Even as the enemy charged, torch lights continued to ignite farther and farther into the unending abyss. Orb protect us.

  “Fire!” There was a whizzing sound as the catapults launched, sending massive boulders soaring through the air toward the approaching mob. Talgu raised his arms to ready a second volley.

  “Captain, look! Men approaching!” Dashing in front of the stampede were three men. Talgu frowned. How the blazes? “Prepare the gate—the Book Keeper approaches!”

  The ground shook like an earthquake; Cody lost his balance and fell to his face. The firm hand of Chazic grabbed his collar and hoisted him back up to continue the sprint. The lifeless body of Tat was draped over the Enforcer’s broad shoulders.

  The horde behind them was now close enough to hear the bellowing war cries of the warriors. Up ahead Cody saw the open drawbridge of Flore Gub. Dace stood at its mouth madly waving them forward.

  From behind, the throng of golems split and a warrior on a large, black stallion galloped through. The man was a titan. In his hand was an immense sword the size of a tree trunk.

  Black armor covered his enormous body, jutting out in jagged spikes like the back of a porcupine. Two pinchers curved in front of his mouth and from the back of the helmet jutted six large spikes, as though an immense spider had latched onto his head. A six-legged spider. Cody thought of the image cut into Captain Eagleton’s chest.

  “The Impaler! The High General leads the charge! Faster!” Chazic cried. There was a deafening boom as massive boulders from the catapults crashed to the ground, crushing dozens of yelling golems. The stampede continued, as the golems funneled around the boulders in an endless stream.


  “Faster!” Cody could now see Dace’s mouth yelling but couldn’t comprehend his words as everything had mushed into a ringing clamor. Cody didn’t dare look back to see how close the Spider-General was. Hundreds of arrows soared over their heads, pelting the warriors behind.

  The drawbridge began to close. “Hurry!” Dace screamed as the plank lifted off the ground. Cody could hear the thundering gallop of the General behind him. Cody closed his eyes and leaped across the drawbridge into the fortress.

  An endless volley of arrows crashed down on the enemy like raindrops in a fierce storm. Already bodies of the slain enemy stacked ten feet high against the wall. But each time a warrior fell he was instantly replaced by another. The enemy scaled the pile of dead comrades like a ladder up the wall.

  Talgu’s eyes scanned the wall until he found his son. “Nocsic! How the blazes was the Book Keeper allowed to leave the fortress?! I want him on this wall now! That’s an order!” Nocsic nodded and departed with an escort of soldiers.

  “What-in-the-name of my triple-chinned aunt Kila were you thinking, you dirt-headed oaf!” scolded Randilin, slapping Cody on the back of the head. “After Area 51, I never thought you could be any more stupid! You jeopardized the whole bloody mission by strolling across enemy lines unprotected! What possessed you to do something so reckless!?”

  “It was my doing. I asked him to,” Chazic confessed, but Dace shoved his way between the Enforcer and the agitated dwarf. “We will deal with your foolishness later. But we can’t stay here. The fortress is overwhelmed. It won’t hold.”

  “Book Keeper!”

  Cody glanced up. Nocsic stood flanked by five soldiers. “My father requires you on the wall immediately.”

  Dace stepped in between. “This is madness, my old friend, and you know it. Cody can’t change the outcome of this assault. Your father’s desires are only for the glory of his legacy. There is much more at stake in this war. If Cody stays he will be killed. We must leave Flore Gub. Please.”