The Golden Symbol (Kilenya Series Book 6)
Page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One: Maivoryl City Kaith Tree
Chapter Two: Myler
Chapter Three: Onyev’s Tests
Chapter Four: Explanations
Chapter Five: A Special Task
Chapter Six: A Cursed City
Chapter Seven: A Cart Ride
Chapter Eight: Volunteer
Chapter Nine: Needed: One Water-Spraying Contraption
Chapter Ten: Lasia
Chapter Eleven: Rock Climbing
Chapter Twelve: Melted Rubber
Chapter Thirteen: Maldok
Chapter Fourteen: The Golden Symbol
Chapter Fifteen: The Manor
Chapter Sixteen: Borrowed Power
Chapter Seventeen: Het and the Fish
Chapter Eighteen: Trash-talking
Chapter Nineteen: Starting
Chapter Twenty: A Dead Son
Chapter Twenty-one: Eachan
Chapter Twenty-two: Keitus and the Manor
Chapter Twenty-three: Renforth’s Palace
Chapter Twenty-four: An Important Event
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgments
The Golden Symbol
Kilenya Series Book Six
Andrea Pearson
Copyright 2014 Andrea Pearson
Book design and layout copyright 2014 Andrea Pearson
Cover design copyright 2014 James E. Curwen
Books by Andrea Pearson:
The Kilenya Series:
The Key of Kilenya
The Ember Gods, Kilenya Series Book Two
August Fortress, Kilenya Series Book Three
Rise of Keitus, Kilenya Series Book Four
Eyes of the Sun, Kilenya Series Book Five
The Golden Symbol, Kilenya Series Book Six
The Key of Kilenya: Special Edition with Illustrations
Grail Bestiary Volume I: Creatures of Grail and Kilenya
Kilenya Romances:
Samara, A Kilenya Romance
Midian, A Kilenya Romance
Katon University:
Discern, Katon University Book One
The Focus (A Katon University First Year Novella)
The Manor (A Katon University First Year Novella)
The Angel (A Katon University First Year Novella)
Praxis Bundle One: The Focus, The Manor, The Angel
Perceive, Katon University Book Two (coming early 2015)
Ranch City Academy:
Bezza’s Book of Enchantments (coming mid 2015)
For information on the above books, click here. (http://www.andreapearsonbooks.com/p/my-books.html)
This book is available in print at most online retailers.
Kindle Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to kindle.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Summary: In the final installment of the Kilenya Series, Jacob Clark and his friends only have two months to prepare for their enemy’s return—an event which is sure to bring war—and to discover the recipe for the special antidote that will cure the Lorkon. As things become more and more dangerous, Jacob is surprised to find help in the most unlikely people and places. Things look up briefly when Azuriah agrees to share the well-guarded secret of the Golden Symbol. With its help, Jacob may have a chance against the Lorkon, but even so, he and his friends are greatly outnumbered.
Will they be able to find the recipe and create the antidote before the Lorkon arrive, or will Eklaron—and Earth—fall into the hands of the evil empire for good?
Dedication
To
Grandpa Glenn Pearson
Lon Pearson
Mardi and the late Steve Nielsen
Thank you for being the best providers of support, help, and love.
Your friendship, hard work, and examples give me strength to keep writing.
Chapter One: Maivoryl City Kaith Tree
Jacob took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Only seven weeks remained until the Lorkon returned. Just seven. It wasn’t enough time. How could it be? He should have Keyed them farther away, but he wasn’t familiar enough with Eklaron’s geography. He hadn’t known better.
Okay, time to concentrate on the here and now. He put his nervousness aside, forced himself to relax in his seat, and turned to his friends and family. Mom and Dad had set up a bunch of chairs in the backyard for the first post-Lorkon meeting, and almost everyone important to Jacob was there, waiting for Akeno to reveal his secret.
Jacob smiled, adjusting his position so the slight breeze would cool his sweaty back. He knew what the secret was, but he was excited for the others to learn it too, especially Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea’s leg had been destroyed a few weeks earlier while helping Jacob and the Shiengols get rid of the huge sky monster, Lirone. Having special abilities that the other Makalos didn’t, Akeno couldn’t wait to help make things right.
After the group had quieted, Akeno stepped out from behind a tree trunk, holding an oddly shaped package behind his back. He grinned at Jacob, then turned to the group.
“We all feel bad about what happened to Sweet Pea because of Lirone,” he said. “I wanted to make things better, if only in a small way.” He handed the package to Sweet Pea. “Merry Christmas!”
Sweet Pea half smiled. “Christmas is six months away, you know.” He looked up at Akeno. “My birthday is closer.”
“Okay, happy birthday then.”
When Sweet Pea didn’t do anything, Akeno urged him on. “Open it!”
Sweet Pea tore the wrapping paper off and held up his present—a new leg, made of wood. “How’d you do it?” His voice was small and barely carried over to Jacob in the next row.
“I made a tree grow into the shape of your leg.”
Jacob leaned forward, trying to hear Sweet Pea’s quiet response.
“It’s so awesome.” Sweet Pea set it aside and jumped up to give Akeno a hug, balancing on his good leg.
Everyone else cheered and applauded, calling out approval to the two Makalos, and a bright red flush crossed Akeno’s face. He ducked his head.
Dad got to his feet, smiling. “Akeno, why don’t you help Sweet Pea figure out how to use his new leg while we go ahead with the meeting?”
Akeno nodded and sat next to Sweet Pea. He started fiddling with straps, and Jacob turned his attention to Dad who was talking again.
“Unless they find a faster way back, we’ve got a little over seven weeks until the Lorkon return.” Dad looked over everyone present, meeting eyes with several. “This isn’t a lot of time, but I’m positive we’ll be ready—mainly because Aldo and the Fat Lady have found the hidden locations for the Lorkon antidote.”
Jacob’s mouth popped open. When had they found them all? He hadn’t heard that!
Aldo stood. “Yes, we have. The next location is the Kaith tree in Maivoryl City.”
Dad nodded. “We’ll send a team right away to g
et it. I’ll be going, along with Jacob, Gallus, Aloren, Ebony, and several others with whom Ebony has been working.” Dad looked at Jacob. “Because you’re the only one who can see the Bald Henries, we’ll need you to point them out for our archers. The only way we’ll get to the Kaith tree is if the Bald Henry threat is removed.”
Jacob nodded. Bald Henries were invisible to most people—including Jacob, except when he was in Maivoryl City. Something about the air there made it possible for him to see them. This was a blessing, since Bald Henries were very dangerous. With every roar, a different material was destroyed by crumbling or shattering or dissolving, ending with flesh being disintegrated.
“The rest of us will take care of the Ember Gods. If we’re unsuccessful, we’ll head to the next location.”
Matt raised his hand. “Why don’t we send teams to each place right now and not waste time going to all the places one after the other?”
Dad tilted his head. “Fair question. Your mother and I have talked this over with Gallus and have decided it would be unwise to spread ourselves so thinly, especially since the people who are specialized enough to assist are few. We’re nearly positive only Jacob will be able to get the antidote, and there’s only one of him. So, for now, we’ll start with Maivoryl. The third location is in Gratitude City.”
Jacob wasn’t surprised to learn that was the third location. It’s where Onyev had lived when he discovered the antidote. The first hiding place was in the tree of Taga Village, but the scroll had been destroyed when the Makalos moved there. The fourth and fifth places were cities Jacob had never heard about.
Dad then discussed how they’d need to prepare for the Lorkon army, setting up traps and hiding their fighters in the forest between Mendon and Taga Village.
“Getting the antidote is great, but unless our army is big enough, we’ll never have the chance to administer it. We need more people.” He leaned against the tree Akeno had stood behind earlier. “I’m open to suggestions.”
No one said anything for a moment and Jacob looked over the group, wondering who would speak first. Finally, Mr. Coolidge rose. “You could always try Ridgewood again,”
Hayla shook her head. “No—the one or maybe two more people we find there wouldn’t be worth the effort or the danger.”
Bezza, Gallus’s wife, raised her hand, her bright turquoise bracelets jangling. “Don’t the Lorkon have thousands of slaves beyond Fornchall?”
Gallus nodded. “Yes, they do.” He looked at Dad. “We could free them. Convince them to join us.”
Dad half smiled. “If they’re bitter enough, I’m sure they’d be willing.” He straightened. “I like this idea. Once the antidote has been recovered, I’ll lead a group to Fornchall.” He looked over everyone. “If you’d like to volunteer to accompany me, speak with me after.”
It looked as if Dad was about to end the meeting when Kevin, one of Jacob’s former classmates, raised his hand. “How can I help?”
Jacob had been surprised that Kevin still wanted to hang around after Aloren had broken up with him. Maybe the teenager was hoping to win her back. Jacob glanced at Aloren. She avoided looking at Kevin, instead watching Dad intently. Jacob knew she still cared for Kevin. He wondered if that was normal—to break up with someone you actually liked.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Dad said. “And if you and Tani are willing, we’d love to have your assistance. You’d work with one of the blacksmiths, and Tani would take over your former duties as a teacher.”
Tani wasn’t present, but Jacob was sure she’d be thrilled.
“In fact,” Dad continued, “I’ll have you and Tani guard our house from the Mendon side, just like last time. That’s only if the Lorkon army gets this far again.”
Kevin nodded, and Dad ended the meeting shortly after. He and the others would need to leave for the Kaith tree in Maivoryl City as soon as possible.
Jacob stood and helped everyone put the chairs back under the crawl space of the house. Then he went inside and got his backpack, loading it with things he usually took with him, including matches, beef jerky, and his Minya container.
He looked out the window, wondering where Early was. She usually explored when he didn’t need her, and it had been three days since he’d last seen the Minya. Definitely not the longest she’d been gone, but he needed her now.
“Jacob, are you ready?” Dad called up the stairs.
“Yup, just have to get Early first.” He opened his window, grabbed some seeds, whispered Early’s name into them, then blew them out the window.
Several moments later, she flitted inside, grinning. “Jacob!” She saluted him.
He blinked. Where had she picked that up? “Are you ready for another adventure?”
She squealed, did a somersault, then landed on his shoulder, holding on to his T-shirt. “Yes!”
Jacob put on his backpack, careful not to knock her off, and made sure he still had the Key of Kilenya in his pocket. Then he went downstairs.
Dad put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Instead of going straight to Maivoryl City, I’m going to have you Key us to the Fat Lady’s cabin. From there, we’ll walk south and use Eachan’s tunnel.”
Jacob nodded. He opened the link to the cabin and waited for everyone to go first before following and shutting the door.
He breathed deeply of the fresh, crisp air. Well, only partially crisp. It was going to be a very hot day. But fresh it was, and he smiled, jogging to catch up with Dad. Early giggled from his shoulder, and Jacob laughed as she pretended to fall off. It felt good to finally be doing something.
As soon as he’d caught up with Dad, Jacob glanced around, wondering where Aloren had ended up. She was walking several paces behind him. The moment their eyes met, she looked down. Jacob hid his exasperated sigh, put her behavior behind him, and walked with Dad and Gallus.
“Are we going to be digging through the part of the tunnel I destroyed when I was fighting the Ember Gods?”
Gallus shook his head. “No, it’s been cleared out again.” He smiled. “Eachan doesn’t like feeling trapped in Maivoryl City. He had the villagers do it.”
Dad looked over at Jacob. “So long as the Lorkon don’t know what we’re up to, we shouldn’t have any problems getting to that Kaith tree.”
After about twenty minutes of walking, they reached the tunnel. Jacob got shivers when he stepped into it, and put his hands in his jeans pockets. It felt weird being there again, and he half expected an Ember God to send flames toward them from the other end.
“Makalos, please light the way,” Dad said.
The tunnel walls were bathed in the bluish light the Makalo’s left ring fingers gave off. Nothing stopped or bothered them, and soon, they reached the other end and climbed the stairs to the town hall.
Eachan met them at the top. “Glad to see you made it okay. You’re sure I can’t assist somehow?”
Even though Jacob knew Eachan was trying to be polite, it was obvious he really didn’t want to help.
“No, no,” Dad said. “We’re fine.”
Eachan nodded, the colors for relief flooding the air around him. He walked them to the front door of the town hall and opened it. “Good luck.”
Jacob stepped to the door and looked out. At first, he didn’t see anything. Then a turkey strutted out from behind a building at least five hundred feet away. He pointed.
“A Bald Henry’s right there!”
A Makalo approached. “Where?”
Jacob glanced down—it was Gremul, the first Makalo Jacob had tested his hand-warming power on. He was glad to see that the Makalo didn’t seem to have permanent damage from that experience.
“There, lower than that porch. In between the two lampposts.”
Gremul nodded, and faster than Jacob thought possible, notched an arrow and sent it flying.
Nothing happened. Jacob squinted, trying to see, then Time-Saw to the Bald Henry. The arrow had struck a tree behind the Bald Henry, a few feet above its
head. Jacob returned his vision to the town hall.
“A little lower.”
Gremul didn’t respond, but sent his second arrow after the first.
The Bald Henry fell with a poof of feathers, and Jacob grinned. “You got it!”
“Good. Any more?”
“Not right now.”
Jacob walked onto the porch, looking all around the clearing. No other Bald Henries appeared, and no villagers, so he motioned for everyone to follow.
They’d only walked maybe fifteen feet when suddenly, what seemed like hundreds of Bald Henries started pouring onto the street. At first, Jacob pointed them out as they appeared, but he quickly realized that wouldn’t work. He couldn’t keep up with the steady flow.
“Just shoot everywhere! They’re coming out of the doors and from the alleys.”
Many of the humans and Makalos in Dad’s group dropped to their knees and began shooting. Jacob stayed out of their way, watching as Bald Henries started falling. When one of the creatures got closer than the others, he would point it out and someone would take it down.
Finally, the road was clear again, and from there on, they only encountered five more Bald Henries. It seemed like most of them had come during that first huge onslaught.
“What I’d like to know,” Gallus said, “is where are the Ember Gods?”
No one had an answer for him, but he, Dad, and Ebony had their weapons drawn, waiting for those human-like, fire-controlling creatures to attack.
Villagers sneered at them through windows, but left them alone. Without any problem, Jacob led his group to the Kaith tree.
Dad had everyone stay clear of it. “They do weird things to the person the message is for—we don’t want anyone accidentally getting in the way.”
Jacob approached the tree, trying not to look too hesitant. He felt the eyes of those who watched boring into his back and wondered. Should he be shielding himself? Crouching? Crawling? Would the others care, anyway? Probably not.
The closer he got, the more sure he was that he was going to get attacked by some sort of magical protection attached to the tree.