The five soldiers with Nocsic pulled their weapons and aimed them toward the group. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option,” Nocsic said slowly, his own sword aimed at Dace’s neck. There was a trample of footsteps from behind them. The remaining members of The Company, led by Tiana, came dashing around the corner.
“Cody, you’re alright! What’s going on here?” she stammered, eyeing up the scene. Three more armed soldiers circled around the new arrivals. Nocsic motioned to his men. “To the south wall.” Sliding his sword into his scabbard he looked Dace in the eye. “I’m sorry, my friend; but orders are orders.”
40
Of Loyalty and Disloyalty
A PIERCING SCREECH SILENCED the battleground instantly. Soldiers ceased combat as the immense shape of the Hunter soared over the fortress, its giant wings casting an enormous shadow over the stronghold.
Cody pressed himself up against a wall as the Beast circled over the battlements. Nocsic motioned toward the escort. “We need to keep moving! Stay out of sight of the demon!” The soldiers closed in from behind, compelling Cody and the rest forward.
When Nocsic raised his hand to stop, The Company faced a solid, stone wall with a single, steel-barred door. One of the soldiers stepped forward. “Private Nocsic, I thought Talgu’s orders were to bring the Book Keeper to the front line on the eastern wall, not to the southern wall?”
Nocsic turned to face the man. Then, without any hesitation, he pulled his sword and brought the hilt of it slamming into the soldier’s nose. In the same instant, Dace dropped to his knees and brought his elbows back hard into two soldiers’ kneecaps sending them to the ground.
A moment later, Cody stood shocked as the eight escorting soldiers lay limply on the floor. Dace grinned. “Oh, Nocsic, like our good looks, some things never change.”
Nocsic turned to Cody. “Orders are orders. A code Dace and I invented in the academy whenever we had a hankering to be less-than-obedient. But there’s no time for fanciful memories. Here’s the truth. My father is blinded by fear of this invasion, but his foolishness does not stem from him only. He received the orders directly from Prince Kantan himself not three days ago. We were to contain you in the Flore Gub to prolong the defense. It seems that was the Prince’s only reason for allowing your rescue mission to proceed at all. He cared nothing for your captured friend.” Nocsic motioned to the door. “It leads to the dungeon. Beneath the skeleton in the far right cell is a hidden door. It’s an old escape route which leads out of the castle and through the mountains to the Great Sea of Lava.”
“The Lake!?” huffed Randilin, “I’d like our chances better fighting through the enemy one-by-one than that cursed route!”
Dace nodded. “It’s a last resort, but it’s our only chance to reach Jade in time. We have no choice.” Dace embraced his long-time friend. “You’re a good man, Nocsic. Your father will not be pleased.”
Nocsic shrugged. “You and I both know there won’t be time for discipline.”
Dace clasped the soldier’s arm. “Thank you. Stay alive…but if you die—die valiantly.”
“I’d die no other way.”
Dace looked to Wolfrick and Sheets. As he opened his mouth Wolfrick grasped his shoulder firmly, “Save your heavy conscience the grief and two ticks on your sword hilt…ol’ Sheets and I request to remain behind with Nocsic to ensure your escape.”
“And slaughter a few golden golems while we’re at it,” piped in Sheets.
Dace gave a slight bow. “You may be gambling drunkards, but you’re two of the most valiant men I have ever had the honor to serve with. May your weapons be swift.”
“And your feet swifter!” Wolfrick barked. Nocsic nodded. “Swift indeed. Now hurry!” Without looking back, The Company filed through the door and descended deep into the gloom. The last sound Cody heard was the shrilling cry of the Hunter before the thick steel door slammed shut behind them.
41
The-One-and-Only Igg
One Day Remaining…
WHETHER MORNING HAD COME or the night remained was a mystery as Cody trekked through the narrow crevasse. The thin, single-file passage stretched out of sight both forward and backwards, and elevated to the roof, merging seamlessly into the cave’s ceiling.
Tiana paced in front. To pass the time Cody focused on the beauty of her swaying hair. Their words had been sparse since she had almost decapitated him in the Ageing City. Yet, Cody couldn’t help feeling that their relationship had turned for the better. That it was somehow more relaxed; more—real.
However, at the moment, Cody’s concerns were for another girl—Jade. As the convoy scurried quickly through the passage toward the Great Sea of Lava, Cody just hoped they had enough time. Dace’s earlier words had been correct: they couldn’t afford more delays. Time was running out.
The sight of open ground was like stumbling upon a watery oasis amidst a scorching desert. Cody stretched his arms, finally free from the constricted space of the passage. Across the vast flat clearing was a single cottage as though dropped onto the desolate wilderness by accident.
However, it was what was behind the cottage that caused Cody to gasp. Sprawling endlessly out of view was a smoldering, bubbling expanse of lava. The air above the fuming sea was hazy from the heat.
“Stop! Don’t take another step!” called an unannounced, irritated voice. The door of the cottage burst open to reveal a stumpy man. The stranger marched toward them huffing and puffing with every step. His hair was frizzy and stood on end. His skin was coarse and uneven like bubble wrap paper with boils and burn marks covering half. His face was wild and in place of where his left eye should have been was an empty, gaping hole.
When the man reached them he was muttering angrily at them. “Just barging in on Igg! No appointments! Whatever happened to common courtesy…?” his words returned to incoherent gabbling.
Dace stepped forward to greet the man. “I am Captain Dace of Atlantis. We have urgent business in El Dorado. Can you assist us?” Dace scanned the barren, unoccupied wasteland. “If you are not too busy, of course.”
The hermit’s chest puffed like a blowfish. “Can Igg assist you? Do horn-backed lava beetles travel in packs?” he exhorted. “Who’s traversed the Great Magma Darlin’ more times than any living soul?”
Dace shrugged. “You?”
“Darn right you are, mate! Just so happens, you’re in luck! As Igg doesn’t have any company or business to attend to—the-one-and-only Igg K. Stalkton at your service!”
“Stalkton?” Cody questioned in surprise. “Are you related to…”
“…that crazy ol’ High Priest? Do rock cakes taste best when roasted?”
Thankfully for Cody, the man once again was content to answer his own questions. “Me younger brother he is—and bonkers as a marooned seaman, too! Forever alone in that restrictive monastery…Not Igg! Nope! Can’t steal Igg away from the fast life of grandeur and adventure!”
Cody suspiciously scanned the surroundings unable to find any trace of either grandeur or adventure.
“We must reach El Dorado by nightfall. If not, my best friend will be killed. Can it be done?” The skipper cast a disgusted look to Cody. His boil-covered finger rose and scratched the inside of his gaping eye socket as he spoke. “I can get ya’ there yesterday if ya’ asked tomorrow!”
“What the heavens is that?” Cody exclaimed staring at the jumbled piece of junk floating on the lava. The one-eyed skipper stretched out his arms like a cross. “Behold…The Igg!” He proclaimed. His face molded into a frown as all eyes fell on him. “Not me, ya’ land-lovin’ morons, that!” he motioned to the floating scrap-pile. “The mightiest vessel of them all!”
Cody looked between the human Igg and boat Igg. “You named the ship after yourself? Wait…that’s a ship!?” Cody asked in astonishment.
Igg’s grin widened. “That she is, sonny! And a blasting good one at that, too!” At his words, there was a loud cracking sound and a chunk of the stern of the makeshift
ship broke off and sunk beneath the bubbling lava. Igg fingered the inside of his empty eye-socket again and coughed awkwardly. “Although she may be in need of some minor repairs….”
42
Across the Great Sea of Lava
STICKY PRESPIRATION SPILLED OFF CODY’S BODY and soaked into his already drenched shirt. No matter how many times he wiped his forehead it remained coated with sweat. He looked out across the breadth of bubbling lava as the rickety ship rolled peacefully over its steaming surface. The sky had gone dark shortly after departure.
No one needed to acknowledge what every person thought: they were down to their last day. Cody hoped Igg’s boasting was more than vain fluff.
“Pretty isn’t it—in its own way,” Tiana said, announcing her presence. She stood beside Cody looking out over the fiery sea. “You thinking about her?” Her question caught Cody off guard.
“Jade? Yeah…I mean…to have come this far. How do I know she’s still okay? It’ll be the first time I’ll see her since…well, never mind.”
Tiana placed her hand on his. “The first time you’ll see her since you ran after the Book and left her standing in the middle of the battlefield? And, you don’t know how she will respond to you?”
Cody involuntarily laughed. “Well, sort of…actually, exactly that. How did you know?”
Tiana propped herself onto the ship’s railing, flinging her feet around and dangling them over the edge. Cody’s heart jumped. “If I didn’t know that, then I wouldn’t be a woman,” she said with a smile. “And, I was standing right there, too, remember?”
Cody played the scene for the millionth time. “When I left her, she yelled something to me. I heard her, but the noise drowned out some of her words….”
Tiana’s eyes narrowed. “I remember…but it’s not my place to repeat it. Some things are best heard from Jade’s own mouth.”
Cody nodded in disappointment. “I’m glad you decided to come, Ti—even if you almost cut my head off. You meant to miss…right?”
Tiana’s lips formed into a slight grin and she kept silent. A foul smell proclaimed the coming of Randilin. “And a bloody shame she did miss,” he barked. “Follow me, there’s something you should see.” The dwarf spun, and shuffled across the deck in the other direction.
“You go, Cody, I think I’ll stay here for awhile,” Tiana urged. Cody squeezed her hand before darting after Randilin, who was already standing against the adjacent railing between Igg and Chazic. The Enforcer had removed his shirt, once again revealing the large, upside-down arrow tattoo. He, however, appeared strikingly modest in contrast to the other. The Sea-skipper stood stark naked.
“Oh!” Cody cried.
The naked captain turned to face him; Cody’s eyes shot toward the cave’s ceiling. “Feast your eyes, son.”
“Excuse me?” Cody exclaimed, keeping his eyes firmly focused upward. Igg turned around and pointed out over the lava. Cody looked the direction of the skipper’s finger.
There was a small island jutting out of the sea. In the middle of the island was a scorching, red pool. The lava churned slowly in a sunken whirlpool.
“The prison of the banished demon,” revealed Randilin solemnly.
Cody’s heart rate accelerated to double-time. “The Hunter?”
Randilin nodded. “Indeed, the very embodiment of evil itself. Banished to eternal torment beneath the boiling prison of lava. For two thousand years it waited in agony; it’s hunger increasing with its rage. Patiently waiting….”
“To be released by a foolish child,” finished Cody gloomily.
Randilin agreed. “Aye. When Ishmael defeated the Golden King he attempted to kill the Beast. For a week Atlantis tried everything—but the Hunter didn’t die…couldn’t die. As a last resort, it was banished. Only when someone other than the Book Keeper attempted to read from The Code would the creature be released to forever hunt that person. It was meant to prevent the Golden King and his minions from stealing the Book. No one foresaw that the Book would be stolen by, well, someone else,” he finished.
Cody felt nauseated, and not from sailing. “Can he control it? The Golden King?” he asked.
This time Chazic answered, “No one knows. But I’ve often wondered: how much, and how long, can anyone truly control pure evil?”
Cody hoped he never had to find out.
Cody silently gazed out at the rocky cliffs passing by both sides of the ship as Igg, still disturbingly nude, navigated through them. After passing the Hunter’s prison, Cody had sought privacy. Unfortunately, Xerx had cornered him, eager for another training session. After an hour of lecturing, Cody had finally managed to sneak off to a quiet corner.
He had much on his mind that demanded attention. The reminder that he was the Hunter’s only target, and processing his new relationship with Tiana, had his brain spinning. More importantly, he thought of Jade. He thought of the last words she had said to him.
Suddenly movement on the cliffs caught his eye. He perked up, peering through the darkness at the towering peaks. Standing motionlessly on a jutted-out ledge was a man—his wide, eyelid-less eyes looked lifelessly down on Cody, who felt an odd sensation as though the gaze had penetrated his soul.
“Randilin! Tiana! Come quickly! There’s a man!” Cody yelled. There was a stampede of footsteps from all parts of the ship. “A man! Look!” Cody repeated, pointing to the cliffs as The Company reached him. But when he looked back to the ledge, it was empty.
“I swear I saw someone! He’s the one who’s been following me. He’s…”
Dace silenced him. “I trust you, Cody. If you say you saw a man—then there was a man. What did he look like?”
As Cody described him he saw Randilin’s face tighten. Before Cody could question the dwarf, Igg scurried to the ship’s ledge. “Shhh! Something’s coming….” Cody noticed it, too. Ripples in the lava washed against the ship, growing larger and more frequent. “Extinguish the lights…quick!” They dashed about the ship putting out the lights. Chazic heaved the ship’s stone anchor over the edge, bringing the barge to a jerking halt.
Igg came running back to the ledge. “Everyone get down! Nobody make a sound.” For the next few moments there was silence. Cody held his breath as he pressed himself against the deck of the ship, bobbing as the barge rose and fell gently with the ripples. Minutes passed like hours. No one dared break the quiet.
Then Cody felt it. The looming presence quietly passed the ship on both sides. Cody looked up, but from his position on the floor he could only see the tips of dark objects passing slowly one after another. What’s going on? For several more minutes the silent parade continued like a funeral procession.
Cody couldn’t bear it any longer. He quietly pushed himself off the deck and crawled to the ship’s ledge, pulling himself up by the railing.
They were enormous.
43
A Golden View
THEY GLIDED OVER THE LAVA with eerie grace; an endless procession of gold-masted ships. Cody ducked lower behind the railing and watched as one after another of the ships passed. There were hundreds of them.
He could see the shape of golden golems marching on the ship decks. In the crow’s-nest of each ship stood a Dark-Wielder chanting in the High Language to summon a steady wind against the large masts, propelling the boats forward.
Cody dropped back to the deck. He exchanged glances with Randilin who looked troubled. The dwarf pointed to the cave’s ceiling and motioned with his hands like fireworks. The simple gesture was enough; Cody understood too well. At any moment daybreak would hit, and the Orb’s light would expose their vessel.
Cody squeezed his eyes closed. They could do nothing but wait—and hope.
Final Day…
Bright light exploded across the sky. Cody shielded his face with his hand. He cautiously pulled himself to his feet. In the distance, steering around the bend of the cliffs, he could see the rear cabin of the final ship. They had made it.
But by the look
on Dace’s face, you’d think they had not. “There must have been a thousand ships at least. Even if each were only half-loaded with fighting men, which is a child’s prayer of an if, then El Dorado has a force the magnitude of which I’ve never imagined even in my nightmares.”
“Not to mention the mass assaulting Flore Gub,” observed Tat, speaking for the first time since Lilley. His face was hard and his eyes were empty. “The attack on Flore Gub is a decoy.”
“A decoy with more men than Atlantis could muster if we gave broadswords to infants. How is it possible to have assembled such a force?” Dace wondered in bewilderment.
“We don’t stand a chance,” declared Tat sullenly.
Chazic stepped forward. “We have hope as long as we have breath. I was appointed to protect the Book Keeper to El Dorado. I don’t intend to fail my mission.” The Enforcer’s rich voice seemed to pump courage back into the deflated Company.
“Neither do I,” declared Dace determinedly. “Igg, how much farther until El Dorado?”
The skipper was already at the helm. “Half a day’s smooth sailing until shore. From there it’s any man’s guess how far to the Golden City. It’s uncharted territory from the sea.”
Cody’s face dropped. “That’s not fast enough!”
“I think I can help with that,” said Xerx. He raised his hands, “Byrae!” A billowing gust of wind came careening against the barge, knocking everyone to the deck. The boat soared across the lava sea, bits of the patched-together ship breaking off as it picked up speed. We just need to hold on a little longer.
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