Cody felt his palms grow damp and a chill came over him. “The Hunter.”
The Golden King nodded. “My beautiful first-created life. It was like a child to me. You could even say it has my eyes,” the King said.
Cody shook his head in revulsion. “You’ve created a monster; an unstoppable demon. Can’t you see? You’re creating a world you can’t control; a chaos you can’t tame.”
The Golden King laughed. “I was wrong about you, Cody. The same weakness that flowed in my brother’s blood is in you, too.”
Cody looked at Jade and Tiana who were still held captive at knifepoint. Jade’s eyes locked with his. There was a tear in her eye as she nodded.
Cody turned back to the Golden King. “Then, I guess we have nothing more to talk about…Fraymour!” A ball of fire shot at the Golden King.
With a word the flames fizzled into a puff of smoke.
The Golden King sneered. “Like my foolish brother…you have chosen death.”
96
Duel of the Book Keepers
CODY ROLLED TO HIS LEFT and sent two more fire balls flying toward the King.
“Seamour.” A wall of water rained down from the ceiling, swallowing and extinguishing the flames.
Cody looked to the roof. “Gadour!” A large boulder suddenly appeared in the air, crashing down toward the King’s head. The King remained still—CRACK.
Two inches above the King’s head the boulder suddenly split down the middle; the two halves fell on either side of him. The Golden King smiled.
Does he have some sort of force field?
The King strolled leisurely to his throne and reclined in it. He uttered a few words. There was a crunching sound. Cody looked to the ceiling as several giant icicles crystalized into sharp points.
A gust of wind came billowing from behind the throne. Before Cody could guard himself the wind collided against him, lifting him off his feet and sending him racing toward the icicles.
“Gadour!” A heavy rock formed in his hands. The weight of it anchored him back to the floor. He crashed to the ground with a loud thud. The rattle of the collision shook the Hall. The giant icicles jiggled—then came crashing down on him.
Cody shouted. A steel canopy grew over him. The icicles pelted down upon the shield, with loud clangs, denting the metal.
As the last icicle shattered on the ground, Cody rolled out and ran across the Hall. He pressed his back against one of the giant pillars, hiding himself from the King.
Cody panted, gasping for breath. Sweat soaked his brow. He glanced around the pillar. The Golden King was sitting casually in his throne with his guard down. He’s just playing with me.
Cody pushed himself up.
The Golden King smiled with amusement. “Is this all you’ve got? I must confess, I expected more of a challenge from a fellow Book Keeper,” he taunted.
Cody mustered all his remaining strength and readied himself. “Chew on this one…Duomi!” A massive explosion burst toward the King.
“Spakious.” A hazy portal appeared in front of the King, swallowing the explosion. An identical portal opened behind Cody. The explosion detonated out of it, sending Cody flailing across the room and slamming into another pillar.
His head was throbbing and there was a deafening ringing in his ears. His arms shook beneath him as he pushed himself to his feet. He lifted his hands into the attack position.
The Golden King grinned. “Your resilience is commendable. But I grow weary of this game.” He uttered a string of words.
Instantly, Cody’s entire body was paralyzed and a sense of panic overcame him. “What have you done to me?”
The King stood from his throne and walked toward him. “A wonderful substance known as Dytalisia is now circling through your blood stream. As you have now noticed, one of its many side-effects is that of paralysis.” The Golden King stroked his cheek, his crystal fingernails drawing a bead of blood. “Did you really think you could defeat me?”
Cody tried to pull his face away from the King’s touch but couldn’t move his head. “Go ahead. If you kill me now you’ll risk losing everything.”
The Golden King brought his razor nails against Cody’s neck. “Perhaps,” the King smiled, “but I suppose there’s only one way to know for sure.”
Cody’s confidence crumbled and his face went white. The King’s nail slowly pushed beneath Cody’s skin….
“Nooo! Let him go!” The King removed his hand and turned toward Jade. Her eyes were moist with fear.
The King glanced between her and Cody. “Or, perhaps there’s another way….” His ruby eyes locked with Jade’s and he began whispering. Jade squealed and grasped the back of her neck.
The words in the vision came racing to Cody. “The one closest to you must pay that price.”
“No!” Cody tried in vain to twist his head but still couldn’t see her. “What are you doing to her?! Stop! I’ll do anything. I’ll give you The Code. Please!”
The Golden King paused, his silver tongue sliding along his lips. “I know you will…all in good time.” He turned back to Jade. She shrieked again, grabbing her head and dropping to her knees. “Get it out of me! Get it out of me!” She scratched violently at her head and screamed in anguish. A scarlet tear fell onto her cheek.
Unexpectedly, Tiana swung her head back, slamming it against Foz’s nose with a crunch. Breaking free from his grip she dove across the room. Somersaulting, she jumped to her feet and grabbed The Key from the podium. She held it out and flipped it open. Everyone in the room froze. Jade ceased her screaming and crumpled to the floor weakly.
The King chuckled. “Brave…but pointless. Only I can read from the Book. You know full well what will happen if you even try….”
Tiana smirked. “I know—I’m counting on it.” She began to read. Foz’s eyes bulged. “Stop her!” He lunged at her. The room began to shake violently, knocking everyone off their feet. A cloud of mist filled the Great Hall.
An object flew through the mist toward Foz. He caught it: the golden Book. Two glowing red eyes illuminated through the haze in front of him. The Hunter lunged forward and a piercing scream rang out.
Tiana threw Jade’s arm over her shoulder and pulled her toward Cody. They locked hands.
“Spakious!” Cody bellowed. A whirling warp-hole grew above their heads. Without hesitation they hurled themselves through the portal.
97
A Strange World
THE GOLDEN KING GAZED at the empty space where the three children had been moments before. Hansi approached him cautiously, as though trekking across a thinly frozen lake. “Father, nothing is beyond your power. If you desired to prevent the Book Keeper from leaving you could have done so with a single word. But you didn’t…why?”
The King smiled. “My dear son, this is not a failure—it is a grand victory. Everything has gone precisely as I have intended it to go. A single doubt that festers and grows can be more powerful than a thousand sharpened swords. The mind has always been a more dangerous weapon than a blade.”
Hansi fidgeted. “Indeed. But you had The Code within your grasp! And the Book Keeper!”
“The Book Keeper was never the goal.”
Hansi looked to his father curiously. “If not the Book Keeper, then who? The girl?” Hansi paused, color draining from his face. “The-Creation-Which-Should-Be-One’s-Own…” The King mouth rolled into the slightest grin.
“Precisely, my son. The most sacred creation which all have the power to create—is now mine….” Hansi stood a step backwards. An aura of lustful power and satisfaction was beaming from the King. Even the Hunter momentarily stopped feasting, casting its scarlet eyes toward its master. The Golden King ran his silver tongue across his upper lip. “Their own thoughts.”
“You implanted a thought into the girl’s mind?” Hansi’s face registered alarm. “What will happen to her now? What thought did you create in her mind? Father?”
The King turned and walked across the Hall
without responding. As he did, he smiled. Yes, everything was going perfectly.
There was something peculiar and foreign about the smell in the air. Cody’s eyes drifted open. Where am I? He looked to his left, straight into two bright lights racing directly toward him.
He hurled himself out of the way as the lights raced past with a piercing squeal. Cody watched the lights disappear into the distance. It was something he hadn’t seen in a long time—a car.
“Cody, move!” On the other side of the road were Jade and Tiana. Tiana’s face was white. Cody scampered toward them as another car whizzed by.
“What’s going on? Where are we?” he asked.
Jade pointed over his shoulder. “Turn around.”
He turned and his jaw dropped. Jutting into the air was Big Ben Clock Tower.
They were in London.
98
Safe
TIANA’S EYES WERE WIDE WITH WONDER. “That metal carriage was pulled by invisible horses,” she stammered in disbelief.
Cody stared over the London skyline in amazement: What just happened! “We’re back in Upper-Earth…how? Creating a portal of that size should have killed me.”
Tiana held out her hands and examined them curiously. “When you took my hand, before we went through the portal, I don’t know how to explain it, but it was almost as though my energy was being sucked out of my fingers.” She paused and smiled. “Perhaps you’re stronger than you think.”
Cody rubbed his forehead. “But that doesn’t explain why we’re in Upper-Earth. I wasn’t imagining any specific destination when I used the word, I just wanted to get anywhere but where we were. It doesn’t make sense. I’ve never been to London in my life.” He bit his lip and turned to Jade who had wandered off and was looking around.
Jade’s face scrunched. “I know this neighborhood…I’ve been here before.” She looked back and forth, scanning the street. She stopped and pointed to a large mansion at the end of the row, isolated by a black iron gate. “That house. I’ve been to that house.”
Cody joined her side. “How can that be? Why that house?”
Jade took a deep breath. “Because the man who lives in that mansion is named Arthur Shimmers—and he’s my father.”
The steps leading to the house’s large double doors were old cobblestone. Flanking the entrance were two life-sized black, stone statues of knights on horseback.
They ascended the stairs slowly. Cody glanced up. Framed in the fourth floor bay window was the silhouette of a man watching their approach. The next instant he was gone.
Cody turned to Jade. “You’re positive your father lives here? When’s the last time you even saw him?”
“It’s been years, but…” She took a deep breath and grabbed the dragonhead door knocker. Thud. Thud. Thud.
They heard the shuffling of footsteps from the other side. Tiana braced herself for combat. Cody felt Jade’s fingers lock with his. The door opened and an exceedingly old man with a stern face and a tuxedo stood in the entrance. His eyes stopped on Jade. “Little Mari? Mari Shimmers? Is that you?” his voice creaked.
Jade exchanged glances with Cody. “Do you know me?”
The old man’s frail face rose into a smile. He stared at her, seemingly carried away by recollection. A minute passed as they waited for the elderly butler to return to the present. Cody coughed.
The butler jerked, startled. His eyes went wide as he remembered where he was. “Come in, come in! Your father will want to see you straight away!”
They sat anxiously in the foyer. Jade’s knee shook and she was fidgeting with her hands. Cody placed his hand on her leg, stilling it. “You okay?”
Jade sighed. “It’s just…I haven’t seen him in a long time. What if he doesn’t…”
Cody held his finger to her lips. “Shhh. He will be very proud of you. How could he not?” Cody grasped her hand. Jade smiled.
“Mari?” All eyes turned to the man now standing in the open doorway. He was tall and handsome. His wavy, shoulder-length hair was dark, as were his bushy eyebrows. Like Jade, his eyes were dark green.
Jade stood to her feet. “Father.” She blushed, stumbling over her words as she tried to say something else. The man stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest.
Cody exhaled. At long last—they were safe.
99
Unmasked
CODY FELT A RUSH of energy pump through him the instant his foot stepped into the office. The intense static shock jolted up his spine. What is that? He had experienced the feeling before, but couldn’t remember when.
“Oh, my gosh! Is that me!” Jade exclaimed. She ran over to a side shelf and picked up a framed picture. “I was such a fat child!”
Her father walked to her side. They began chatting. Cody stepped awkwardly away, feeling guilty to intrude on their reunion. His retreat went unnoticed. He eyed Tiana still standing at the room’s entrance. Her pale face expressed that she was in shock and angry at being so. Cody decided to let her be. He strolled through the large room.
Cody stopped at the desk. Lying in the middle of the desk was a large, rustic book. The book’s cover was made of simple wood. Cody felt his heartbeat quicken. The only marking on the cover was an image of three rectangles in the form of an upside down arrow surrounded by a runic sun. The boxes forming the point of the arrow were colored, one in scarlet and one in gold.
He suddenly pinpointed the sensation. It was the same intensity he had felt whenever he approached The Key. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the ruby pocket-watch. The purple hand was spinning out of control. We’re not safe.
There was a click as the office door opened behind them. Jade’s father stared intensely at Cody. “I believe you’re already acquainted with my employee.”
A man stepped through the door with pistol raised—it was Dunstan.
Dunstan bowed. “What are my orders, my master?”
Cody turned to Jade’s father in shock. Jade’s father reached to the desk and lifted a large, polished sword. “Welcome to the headquarters of CROSS.”
To Be Continued in Book Three
of the Lost City Chronicles
Lost City Chronicles Glossary
Alac-icacs: An ancient desert tribe who once ruled over the people of the sand before coming to ruin.
Arianna: A citizen of Atlantis
Boc’ro the Wise: High Priest and councilor of the Alac-icacs
Borderlands: The land dividing the kingdoms of Atlantis and El Dorado
Brotherhood of Light: Those trained to use and protect the High Language *See High Language
Caves of Revelation: According to Under-Earth legend, the location where the tablets containing the High Language were first discovered
Chazic: An enforcer for the AREA; understudy of Sli Silkian
Cia: Heir to the throne of Atlantis
Cody Clemenson: A 15-year-old boy from Havenwood, Utah; Book Keeper of The Code
Covenant of the Books: A treaty made between King Ishmael and the Golden King dividing full access to the Orb’s power between two books: The Code and The Key.
CROSS: A mysterious organization run by a powerful master
Dace Ringstar: Captain of Atlantis’ Outer-City Guard
Dark-Wielders: Beings belonging to the Brotherhood of Light in El Dorado.
Dunstan: A high ranking member of CROSS *See CROSS
Eagleton, Eli: Atlantis’ captain of the Mid-City Guard
Enforcers: Grunt men for the AREA who oversee Orb worship and rules
Eva: Princess of Atlantis
Evona: One of The Twelve
Eyelid-less Man: A mysterious wandering inhabitant of Under-Earth; his origin is unknown
Fiery Plains: A vast desert too hot to traverse; the aftermath of a major battle during the Great War
Fincher Tople: Reporter for The Under-Earth Rumbling
Flore Gub: An Atlantis fortress on the borderlands
Foz: Prince of A
tlantis
Gelph: A beggar in Atlantis’ Outer-City
Golden golems: Foot soldiers of El Dorado with gold platelet armor infused into their skin
Golden King: The monarch of El Dorado; Book Keeper of The Key
Great Sea of Lava: A vast body of lava on the borderlands
Hansi: Prince of El Dorado; son of the Golden King
Havenwood: A small town in Utah
High Language: The creation words that are used to access the Orb’s power
Hymn of the Orb: A chant repeated seven times every 2.5 hours in Atlantis: “Hail, the Orb of holy light, humbled we by its eternal might. Hail the Orb, let it shine forever bright. Amen.”
Igg K. Stalkton: A hermit and Skipper of The Igg; brother of Lamgorious Stalkton
Inner-City: The innermost district of Atlantis containing the Sanctuary of the Orb and the Royal family
Ishmael: The first King of Atlantis
Jade (Mari Shimmers): A 16-year-old girl from Havenwood, Utah
Kael: One of The Twelve
Kantan: Prince of Atlantis; equal heir to throne with twin sister, Cia
Kingsty: A soldier in Atlantis’ Outer-City Guard
Labyrinth Mountains: A large mountainous range stretching across the Borderlands
Lacen: A soldier in Atlantis’ Outer-City Guard
Levenworth, Gongore: High General of Atlantis; one of The Twelve
Lilley: A peaceful outpost on the borderlands; the farthest point of Atlantis’ kingdom
Mid-City: The middle of Atlantis’ three districts; industrial center
Monastery of the Brotherhood: Home of Atlantis’ Brotherhood of Light; located in the Sanctuary of the Orb
Naadirah: First Queen of Atlantis; one of The Twelve
Nocsic: A Private deployed at Flore Gub; son of Talgu
City of Gold Page 25
