Thud. Thud. Cody grabbed his chest. He was untouched. He glanced up to Jade, who was standing with an equally confused look on her face. There was a faint, wet, gurgling sound. He looked back to the guards; two glimmering metallic objects were protruding out of the wall behind them—they looked like some kind of circular blades. The hallway was deathly silent except for the gurgling. The two guards swayed back and forth for a moment—then a dark scarlet gash appeared across their jugulars and they crumbled lifelessly to the floor.
Cody retched at the disgusting sight and fought to keep vomit down his throat, “Randilin! You sick, twisted, barbaric, disgus . . .” Cody shut his mouth. The man emerging around the corner into the hallway was not Randilin. He was a tall man cloaked in a black robe. In his hands were two circular, throwing blades. On the front of his robe was one word: CROSS.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Run. That was the only thought occupying Cody’s mind as he stared at the hooded man fifty paces from his position on the floor. The searing pain in his leg reminded him that this option had been eradicated from his sparse repertoire. Jade’s shadow was unmoving on the floor behind him. She too had gauged that the price of running was the loss of her head. Where are you, Randilin? Biting back the pain rearing from his leg, Cody called out.
“Who are you? What do you want with us? We’re not scared of you!” He had intended the last part to come out brave and valiant. Instead it had flopped out of his mouth with the ferocity of a crippled mouse. He felt a nudge in his back and heard Jade’s voice, “Just tell us what you need and we can work something out. What do you want?”
The hooded man stood completely unmoving. Only the steady breath exhaling from under the hood gave signs of life. At last the hooded man spoke with a soft, youthful voice that surprised Cody. “What I want to give you, both of you, is a life of a meaning. A life of grandeur and importance. But to do so, I’m going to need that Book.”
“How do we know you aren’t lying? And what if we don’t want a life of meaning, grandeur, and importance? What then?” Cody responded cautiously, trying to buy time until he came up with an escape plan.
The man chuckled softly, “Oh, but you do. You always have. It’s in your blood. . . .” The last words collided with Cody hard, knocking his wind out. The man noticed and spoke again, “Isn’t that why your father abandoned you and your mother? Tired of his mundane life of being a nobody? Just another face in the crowd?”
Cody wanted to respond. He wanted to tell the man to stop talking, but the words in his head kept spinning away out of reach.
The man continued, “Isn’t that why you’ve always felt that you don’t stand out at school? You share your father’s fate. But most of all, you want to prove to yourself that your father was wrong, and that you aren’t worthless.”
It was Jade who finally came to Cody’s rescue. “Shut up! You think you know us, but you don’t! You don’t know anything about us! You think you can aim some blades at us and we’ll just hand over the Book? Do you think we’re that simple?” There was a blur of motion and a light thud. Jade felt a burn on her cheek. She immediately knew it was bleeding. She looked behind her; one of the man’s blades was sticking into the wall. It had grazed her face. She didn’t need any convincing that the man hadn’t missed.
“My boss is not a man known to give second chances, so I’m going to ask you one more time, Cody, hand over that Book and I promise you a life that surpasses even your wildest imagination. The life . . . your father always wanted.”
Cody pushed himself up onto his feet and steadied himself with Jade’s help. His leg felt numb and staggered under the pressure of his body. He felt dizzy and his vision blurred. For the first time he looked down to his wound; blood soaked the floor. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out the Book. A tingling sensation ran up his arm. “Okay, here’s the Book. Just leave us alone and it’s yours.” Cody held it out in his hand. The man took several long strides and reached out for it. Cody smiled—and tossed the Book into the air.
The hooded man froze in surprise. For a split second he raised his eyes to follow the path of the soaring Book. It was all Cody needed. He hurled his body toward the man. His head smashed into the man’s chin, causing the assassin to stagger back. Jade jumped up and caught the falling Book, “Let’s get out of here!”
Cody’s head butt had stunned the man only momentarily. He shook his head and raised his remaining blade. However, the cavalry had arrived at last.
Appearing from nowhere, Randilin came flying through the air and landed a solid blow against the man’s cheek. The man staggered again before collapsing under the power of Randilin’s uppercut. Randilin screamed toward Cody and Jade, “To the end of the tunnel! Now!” They took off after him down the tunnel. Cody hobbled as fast as his gimped leg would take him, wincing with each step.
As they neared the end, he saw Sally’s head sticking out from around the corner shouting for them to hurry. At last they reached her. She quickly led them down another corridor until they were standing in front of a door. Above the door was a simple sign: WISHING WELL.
As they entered through the door Cody was startled to find that it did not lead to another room. He felt the rays of the morning’s rising sun spray down on his forehead. They were now standing in a large, open-roofed courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard was a water well. Of all the mysteries in Area 51, this one perplexed Cody the most. As if reading his mind, Sally leaned her head toward his, “We are standing at the center of Area 51. In fact, the base itself was built around this well. Employees here are not allowed to leave, so this is their source of fresh air.”
The tone in her voice suggested that the story was much more complex than she revealed, but for the moment, Cody didn’t care. He was too focused on the ancient structure. It was massive. A circle of stacked stones made up the base with the perimeter the size of a paddling swimming pool. The water was dark and still. It was impossible to guess how deep it stretched into the ground. Cody cupped a handful of liquid. It had an almost gooey, silk-like texture as it drained through his figures.
Jade was less interested in the ancient well. “Okay, so what now?” she questioned. “We need to get to this passageway before somebody” her gaze zeroed in on Cody, “does something stupid and gets us all killed. What are we waiting for, Randilin? We’re wasting valuable time. Cody needs medical help!” Once again Jade had spoken the voice of reason. Cody knew she was right as he felt his eyes blur and his leg go completely numb. He looked to Randilin and Sally who stared reverently toward the well; Randilin smiled toward Jade. “Once again, buttercup, you have used your wonderfully rational brain to jump to wrong conclusions. We are exactly where we want to be,” he rubbed his hand along the smooth stones of the well. “Ladies and gents . . . welcome to the passageway.” All eyes moved back to the ancient well.
“The well? I don’t understand, I . . .” Jade stammered. Sally wrapped her arm around her back. “Just wait and see.”
Randilin jumped up onto the ledge of the well and began muttering a chant of unrecognizable words. When he finished, everything was still. Cody stared hard at the dark water unsure of what to expect—was that a bubble? Sure enough, a bubble had risen to the top of the water. Then, another and another. Cody stepped away from the well, propping himself up on Jade’s shoulder. The bubbles were coming rapidly now, larger and larger. Soon the well looked like a boiling pot of water. Vapor began rising into the air—and the water began to swirl.
Slowly at first, the water began circling the perimeter of the well as though somebody had pulled the plug in the bathtub. The water tornado was picking up speed, forming a violent whirlpool. Randilin jumped off the ledge, “Well, kids. Who’s gonna be the first one to dive in?”
“What!? Surely you must be kidding?” Jade uttered in horror.
Cody was no less enthused, “If anyone is going first, it’s you, Randilin!” Cody had expected the comment to set off the fuse on another one of Randilin’s cuss-l
ittered rants. Instead, his eyes went momentarily heavy. The voice Cody heard next was not the firey, snappy one he was accustomed to, but a broken one full of heartache. “Unfortunately, this is the end of the road for me. This is where we part. I will be . . . unable to accompany you any farther. But you can trust Sally, she knows the way, I’m sorry.”
Sally reached behind him and grabbed his hand, “Randy, perhaps it’s time to move on. You can’t live this life forever.” Cody fought back his desire to question. Even Jade’s held in check her impatient need for answers. They both realized the conversation taking place before them ran much deeper than they were welcome to know. Sally was now looking Randilin straight in the eyes and speaking softly, “Randy, what happened back then, that was a different lifetime ago. We all have regrets. . . .”
“Not like I do!” exploded Randilin angrily. “You have no idea what it’s like to live with what I’ve done. Or spend every single second of restless sleep reliving my mistakes and wishing so hard that my blood vessels pop for just one chance to go back and undo what I’ve done. Don’t pretend you understand.” His cheeks were burning red. Cody understood that Sally was not the target of Randilin’s selfinflicted anger.
Sally grabbed hold of Randilin’s other hand, “I’m not pretending to. But you can’t live forever in regret. You need to face your demons. And I’ll be right beside you.”
Randilin was perplexed. The weight of the decision was evident in his slouched shoulders. “I . . . I. . . .” Randilin’s answer never came; Jade’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “Look out!” With unhesitant obedience, Randilin dropped to the ground, pulling Sally down with him. Sparks flew as a circular blade skimmed off the stones of the well where Randilin’s neck had been moments before.
“Down the passageway! Hurry!” Randilin ordered. Cody felt himself being guided to the well’s edge; his arm was over Jade’s shoulder. Behind her neck he could see the cloaked figure standing in the open doorway to the courtyard, another blade in his hand. Weary from the loss of so much blood, Cody used his last burst of strength to hurl himself over the edge. SPLASH!
Water rushed up and clogged his nose as his head was completely submerged. He fought to steady himself with his arms, but the force of the whirlpool was too strong and he felt himself being flung around in circles against the stone walls. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but the water bashed forcefully against his face, blinding him. For a moment he was suspended in time. He could not distinguish up from down, left from right. He felt his lungs straining for breath. He flailed his arms around in search of the surface but came up empty. The pressure of the whirlpool had dragged him deeply down the well. Then a thought dawned on him. I am going to die.
Strangely, the thought did not scare him. In fact, he was comforted by it. The last week of his life had destroyed everything he thought normal. Cody relaxed his muscles and released the final storage of air in his lungs. His limp body tossed and turned in the water. He thought how nice it would have been to see Jade one last time. Then everything went black.
PART TWO – THE CITY
Breached
Approaching your superiors is always a nerve-inducing occurrence. But doing so to proclaim bad news is even worse. This was exactly the position that Dace found himself in as he marched up the long steps to the assembly hall. As always, there was no wind blowing. Yet he still felt a chill as the dampness of the air clutched to his heavy clothes. Reaching the top of the stairs, four guards stood between him and the giant, twin, wooden doors. This was of no concern to Dace. He gave the guards a slight nod and they stepped aside, pulling the doors open as they parted. Dace gave another nod of thanks before entering.
The room was one he had entered only a handful of times in his life, and the grandness of it once again startled him. The immense room was supported by twenty large, stone pillars, arranged in rows of ten flanking the path across the chamber. The ceiling rose into a giant dome that stretched across the whole room. On the ceiling was a magnificent painting full of lush colors and intricate details. He had, of course, seen the painting many times in books during his childhood, but seldom in person. Now, standing under the gigantic masterpiece, his breath was drawn from his lungs. The painting depicted a bright light, fire and lighting busting forth from it. To the side of the light was a sphere: Earth. However, the sphere was not complete; only the lower hemisphere was visible. A second bright light radiated from within the hemisphere. Chunks of dirt and earth swirled above the half-earth in a whirlwind. Dace was lost in thought recalling his professor’s comments on the painting.
A cough sounded from across the room and stole his gaze away from the painting. He flushed, realizing he had been standing in the middle of the room staring at the roof with the wonder of a child. He inwardly kicked himself with embarrassment. This is not the way for a trained soldier to behave! Especially now!
Regaining his cool, he continued his march across the room, dwarfed by the giant pillars that towered over him on both sides. Across the room was a platform, and on top of the platform was a large chair. It was not elegant nor was it fancifully decorated. Instead it looked like one that would be found in the corner of any humble carpentry shop. Dace slowed as he approached the chair. It was empty.
The movement of shadows drew his attention to the left. A lady gracefully appeared between two of the pillars. Dace gulped. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her pale skin had the fairness of a child. She was veiled in a long, ice-blue dress which followed behind her in a train. The dress fluttered across the floor with smooth magnificence.
When she spoke, her words had the soft innocence of a dove, “Welcome to the Great Hall, captain Ringstar. My father is attending to other matters. I, however, will handle your concerns. What is the purpose of your coming?”
Dace’s jaw tightened as he stood hypnotized by the lady’s beauty. He fumbled as he attempted a clumsy bow. Why did beautiful women always make him act the fool? When he rose back up he saw that the lady made no reaction to his awkward bow—whether out of grace or annoyance was unclear,
“My Lady, the Second Passageway has been breached.” Whatever emotion this proclamation stirred in the lady was a mystery. Her face remained perfectly cloaked in her calm demeanor. When she offered no words, Dace decided to continue, “Scouts have reported that five bodies appeared an hour ago. The gatekeeper is among them, accompanied by two children. One of the men was unidentified and the fifth one . . . well . . .” Dace suddenly felt very small in the large room. He thought he would melt under the steady gaze of the beautiful lady. Taking a breath, he forced out the final words of his report, “It looks as though Sir Randilin has returned. What course should we take, my lady?”
The lady’s face remained stiffly neutral; leaving Dace to speculate what was going on behind her glazed eyes. When at last the lady spoke, it was with the same steady tone, “This is certainly unexpected . . . and ill timed. I will consult my father at once. Take a troop and retrieve the intruders. Do not take Randilin lightly; he is extremely dangerous. Bring him here . . . dead or alive. Dismissed.”
Captured
Stars. They sparkled overhead in the dim sky. Am I dreaming? Cody sat up slowly. He did not know where he was; neither could he remember where he had come from. His foggy eyes soaked in the newfound dream world. The landscape was rocky and uneven. It was a desert dune comprised of flaky red rocks and dirt. High above his head he faintly made out a rough, rocky surface. Am I in some sort of cave? Light radiated from the sun that was nestled low on the horizon. Cody smiled. His dream world had a tranquil peace about it; the only sounds that could be heard were his own steady breathing and the rushing of a nearby river. Water?
Suddenly a wave of remembrance crashed over him. He remembered being tossed around in the whirlpool. Images of the experience came rushing back rapidly. Did I die? Surely he had, which meant that he was now standing in heaven. He had to admit, he wasn’t one to have given a great deal of thought to death, but he had imagined that d
ying would be much different.
“Cody! Cody! Cody!” He heard his voice being called from some unknown location. God? No, wait! The voice was a familiar one. It was Jade’s. Did she die, too? Cody craned his head around in search of his friend. “Jade! I’m over here! Jade!” He heard the loud thumping of footsteps approaching. He smiled; even in heaven Jade hadn’t lost her less-than-graceful feet. The footsteps morphed into a person as Jade came running over the rock dune.
“Cody! I didn’t know where you had gone. Where are we? I haven’t seen Randilin or Sally anywhere. Oh, my gosh, look at your leg!” Cody glanced down at his legs. They were perfectly normal.
“Um, Jade, I think you bumped your head a bit too hard, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my . . .” he stopped. It was true. His legs were undamaged. There was not even the slightest trace of a bullet wound or blood. Then it occurred to Cody that both he and Jade were completely dry. “I guess we get free healing once we get to heaven?” he concluded with a shrug. Without warning Jade’s fist came flying toward Cody and crashed into his cheek. “Ouch! What was that for!” His cheek throbbed.
“It was to snap you out of it. How does your face feel? Sore? We’re not in heaven, you doofus. Heaven doesn’t even exist. We’re just on the other end of the passageway. That whirlpool led us down here. We need to regroup with Randilin and Sally and find out where exactly here is. Come on.” She grabbed hold of Cody’s hands and pulled him to his feet before whipping the dust off his back. Cody smiled. Jade frowned, “Oh, and don’t think that I’m not still immeasurably furious at you for touching that door in Area 51. That was the stupidest thing you’ve done in your entire life, and believe me, that’s saying a lot.” Cody was no longer smiling. They began walking along the river, occasionally calling out for Randilin or Sally.
Legend of the Book Keeper Page 11