City of Gold (33 page)

There was a loud cranking sound and the temperature began to rise. Cody felt Jade’s hand slip into his, her fingers interlocking. He grinned:
Take this, Hansi.

Jade’s eyes were wide in disbelief as she stood and stared at the crumbling hovels and tattered shelters. The underworld exiles staggered in lines marshaled by several Wielders.

“I can’t believe it,” she stammered. “This is horrible.”

“We need to move. We can’t draw attention to ourselves,” urged Xerx. They headed away from the slums toward the outskirts of the pit, but Jade stood transfixed. Gazing at the scene, Cody grabbed her hand and gently guided her away. “We will help them, but now is not the time.”

Xerx led them to the outskirts of the cave. They stopped at a dead-end crevasse in the rocks.

Jade shouted in surprise as Gorgo Tallsin materialized from the rocks.

“I’m glad you could make it. A privilege to finally meet you, Jade. However, pleasantries will have to wait. We are short on time, so let’s get straight to business. Things are worse than we feared. As such, there has been a change in the plans.”

The grizzly Resistance leader rubbed his calloused knuckles. “We’re going to steal
The Key
.”

81

A Fool’s Plan

“STEAL THE BOOK!?” CODY EXCLAIMED. “It’s impossible. Besides, no one but the Golden King can read from it without calling the Hunter upon them. This is crazy!”

Tallsin nodded. “You are entirely correct. However, we have gleaned some information from within the Golden King’s inner-circle that has complicated the situation. Are you aware of The Prophecy?”

Jade shook her head. “We’ve never heard of…”

Cody cut her off, reaching into his backpack and pulling out the stone tablet:

The Power of Full Divinity,

Rests EnCoded Within Earthly Trinity.

Where Sacrifice of the Pure Angel Who Fell,

Is the Way to Retrieve the Pearl Within the Shell.

With Humble Heart and Golden Key,

The Universe’s Most Powerful Force Is Revealed to Thee.

Jade looked at Cody in surprise and Tallsin’s face hardened. “I do not know how you have this sacred text in your possession. Just gleaning knowledge of its existence was paid for by the lives of several Resistance members.”

Cody felt the sting of their waiting eyes. He pushed the tablet back into his pack. “I…found it.”

Tallsin’s heavy stare relaxed. “Regardless. The origin or truth of this prophecy is, as yet, unknown. But our sources inside the palace report that, although the Golden King also has yet to decipher the foretelling’s full meaning, he firmly believes the words
EnCoded
and
Golden Key
refer to none other than the two Books of the Covenant. If there is any truth in conviction it would be devastating. It is
vital
that we prevent the Golden King from gaining this new, ultimate power.”

The ancient tailor rubbed his chin forcefully. “Everything needs to happen simultaneously. The crux to everything will be timing.”

Cody took a deep breath. “Okay, so what do we do?”

Tallsin cleared his throat before beginning, “Two Resistance devotees have volunteered to sacrifice themselves for the cause. They will earn themselves the solemn punishment. With any luck, their sacrifice will draw out several of El Dorado’s dignitaries. More importantly, it will keep that purple-cloaked demon occupied.”

Tallsin motioned to Xerx. “When the escort has left the city, Xerx will guide a silver crate down here into the underworld where The Resistance will be waiting. We will storm the city. Our uprising will cause a diversion and draw the golden golems and Wielders to the city’s outskirts. Once the riot has begun, Xerx will make haste to the prison and free Dace, Chazic, and Tat. Hagar, a stable boy with allegiance to The Resistance, will have steeds waiting outside the city walls. You will rendezvous through the secret passage that your friend Tiana discovered.”

He pointed at Cody. “And, that is where
you
come in. While the city is distracted, you, Jade, and Tiana will sneak out of the palace. Word of the uprising may have already reached the palace, so you will have to be on your guard. Get out quickly. Do not linger for even a moment.”

The Resistance leader took a deep breath. “The last, but most imperative move, will be to steal
The Key
itself. The King is a perpetual paranoiac. We must operate under the assumption that he won’t sleep farther than an arm’s length from his precious Book.”

Cody shook his head. “That’s certain death. Are we supposed to just walk into the Golden King’s personal chamber and snatch the Book? How do we know the King even
does
sleep? It’s impossible. ”

Tallsin grinned. “Perhaps, unless we didn’t have to break into the palace…unless the man was already positioned within the inner-council…the task will fall to Randilin.”The suggestion produced a symphony of startled cries. “
Randilin?!
Can we trust Randilin with such an important task? We are all well aware of his checkered history,” Xerx declared.

Tallsin nodded. “Having remorsefully made similar mistakes, I know the pain of living forever in regret. I also know the deep, soulful longing for redemption. I’ve learned never to bet against a man on a quest for redemption. Besides, several creators within The Resistance believe there’s a chance to create a temporary decoy of the Book.”

Cody shook his head. “It would never work. I can’t explain it, but the connection between Book Keeper and Book is special. He would never fall for it.”

“I understand your concern,” replied Tallsin. “It is a long shot—but it is a shot. Our creators are convinced they can infuse the decoy book with enough of the Orb’s energy to temporarily mimic the real Book. It’s an immensely draining process, and will take them five days to complete. When ready, Randilin will make the exchange in the Great Hall. The Golden King is cocky. In his arrogance he has become blind to his reliance on the Book. He desires to be great because
he is
great—not because he has an uncommon advantage. Throughout the day the Book is left in the Great Hall on display. At darkfall it is brought to his personal chamber. Our hoax needs only to fool him long enough to break out. We must pull off a lie on the great liar. It is risky—but it’s the only chance we have.”

They all knew he was right. But that didn’t make it any more encouraging. The plan was foolish. There were invitations for failure at every point.

“We will only get one shot at this so everything must be absolutely perfect. We will wait five nights to prepare—and then we
strike
!”

82

A Secret Language

NEVER BEFORE IN HIS LIFE had time been so conflicted—both so short and so long at the same time. There were just five nights to prepare a large-scale breakout. The waiting was unbearable. There was a different feeling floating in the air as Cody and Jade hustled through the city.
Tension
—as though the city itself sensed something huge was about to happen.

Cody and Jade came to a stop in front of the prison. The four golden golems glared at them before stepping aside to let them through. Cody leaned his mouth toward Jade’s ear. “Did you count the guards?”

Jade nodded. “They’ve doubled the security since our last visit.” It couldn’t be mere coincidence. Cody frowned.
The Golden King senses that something is up.
Cody swallowed, the more pressing question was:
How much did he know?

They entered into the elegant room and the doors closed behind them. As before, Dace, Chazic and Tat sat restlessly against the walls behind the thick iron bars of the jail.

“We’re still waiting for that handsome boyfriend of yours to stroll in here with the keys,” Dace remarked.

Jade shook her head. “He said he would talk to his father immediately.”

“The El Doridians apparently have a different definition of the word
immediately
,” Dace cracked.

Cody opened his mouth to speak but held his tongue. He saw the figure in his peripheral vision. A Dark-Wielder stood like a statue in the corner of the room, watching. Dace’s eyes casually floated toward the unwanted observer as well.

Cody cleared his throat. “I was just thinking back to the time you clotheslined me. Do you remember that?” Jade’s face went blank with confusion.

But before she could talk Dace narrowed his eyes toward Cody. “I do, indeed. You, scoundrel, kept trying to
flee the city
…” he let his words hang. Cody grinned.

Dace was no simpleton.

“Well, you kept coming to get me. All four attempts; all four days you prevented me from breaking out.” Cody risked a side-glance to the Dark-Wielder in the room’s corner. As before, the crystal-skinned zealot was motionlessly watching them with its intense eyes.

Cody fought to relax his muscles and exude calm. “We’ve sure been through a lot together. I remember when we met. I had stumbled down a tunnel below ground and was so shocked to find
people living there
. Remember, at first I thought you underlings were my enemies, only to later discover that you would be my greatest
allies
in my time of need….”

Dace’s face remained a stone wall. He nodded. “I am your blood-protector. You will
always
be able to count on me when in need.” Remaining emotionless, Dace ran his hand through his long hair. For a moment his hand shielded his face—with a slight grin, he winked.

Chazic and Tat had joined Dace’s side by the cell bars. The eager look on their faces confirmed that they were not oblivious to what was being said.

Tat pressed himself against the bars, slipping his face between two. “From what I hear, when you first went
underground
you were fairly shocked not to find any children. It was almost as though they had just
vanished
, plucked from the ground like a rose or a
lily
? Did you ever find them?” Tat’s knuckles were white as he gripped the bars.

Cody shook his head dejectedly. “I found children at the Ageing City. But there are still several to be found.” Tat pushed himself away from the bars. “I see, what a shame.” His voice was coarse. The Wielder stepped forward, moving for the first time. There was no misunderstanding the simple motion: their visitation time was over.

As Cody and Jade headed toward the exit Dace called after them, “I look forward to your next visit….”

The moment they were out of view Jade tugged on Cody’s sleeve. “What was all that random chatter of old tales about? I thought the whole point of our visit was to inform Dace and the others about the escape plan!?”

“And I did. They will be ready and waiting to break out in four days.”

Jade stared at Cody as though they were speaking different languages. Cody chuckled.

“Oh, Jade, how I love you and your literal mind.”

Her face turned red. ”What are you talking about?” she asked defensively.

Cody continued to laugh. “Just trust me.”

So far, so good.