Legend of the Book Keeper (14 page)

Its two glowing red eyes squinted as the vehicle disappeared into the horizon. The creature’s long black tongue ran slowly over its lips, lapping up the smeared blood. The taste produced a moan of pleasure. It had been close, but the Book Keeper was proving more difficult than it anticipated. The creature smiled. After three thousand years of hibernation, the sport of a good chase was exhilarating. A growl came from its stomach.

Raising its head it sniffed the air, a pleasant smell carried on the breeze: the smell of fresh blood. Its sharp eyes found the fat figure of a man lying on his back, fighting for breath. The Book Keeper wouldn’t get far, but for now . . . it was meal time.

The Diner Lady

T
he steady hum of the tires racing over the smooth dessert road lured Cody into a dreary trance; he entered somewhere into the neutral zone between sleep and wakefulness. Cody made out the light sound of snoring. Looking ahead, he saw Jade sprawled out gracelessly in the passenger seat. After their frantic getaway, they had driven several miles without slowing. Eventually satisfied that they were free, they had pulled over and Randilin had relieved Jade of her driving duties. Few words had been spoken during the drive; Randilin had explained nothing. Before they had even refastened their seat belts the van had screeched away, eventually settling into its steady pace.

Cody knew that Jade would be horrified to realize she snored. He smiled. He couldn’t bring himself to wake her. She needed the sleep.
So do I.
Looking out the front window, he watched as the road raced beneath the vehicle. The two faint headlights offered the only light to the thick Nevada sky. Cody felt his eyes drooping and jerked his head to stay awake. His hand ran across the smooth surface of the object in his lap: the Book. He pulled it tightly against his chest.

He glanced up to Randilin, who gazed forward with a blank stare. Only the thick, clotted, bloody wound across his cheek distracted attention from the otherwise humorous sight. Due to his short stature, he looked to Cody like a child pretending to be grown up behind the wheel.

The encounter with Dunstan and his men had prov
ed that the situation was more involved and dangerous than Cody had thought. Dunstan had mentioned his employment, but for whom? Cody shuttered. By the sound of it, the employer seemed like a man Cody hoped never to meet. As for the Beast, it left no mystery as to how it fit in. It was on its own side. Cody remembered the pale, horrified look on Dunstan’s face when he saw the Beast.
How much more about this creature do we still not know?

And then there was the question of Randilin. He remained a mystery to Cody.
Whose side is he on? Are there even sides anymore?
He had proven himself a valuable ally, having already saved them several times. Still, though, maybe Dunstan was right; maybe they
had
been too quick to label good guys and bad guys. Maybe Dunstan was trying to save them from Randilin? Cody didn’t even know where Randilin was taking them. There was one thing he did know: Dunstan knew something about Randilin that Randilin was determined to keep secret. Cody recalled how Dunstan’s reference to Randilin’s past had impacted the dwarf. His face had become a tapestry of fear, shame, and anger. However, the emotion overarching all these feelings on the dwarf’s face had been the unmistakable look of pain and regret.

Cody felt frightened. For the first time since discovering the Book, he also missed his home. He thought of school. No doubt Ms. Starky had already phoned his mom to inform her of his absence.
Mother
. Due to the rush, Cody had not informed his mother of his whereabouts.
Not that she would believe me anyway
s. He could picture his mother arriving home and finding him missing. She would panic. He was all she had left in the world. Cody knew she would have gone directly to the police to arrange a search party. He then remembered that there most likely already
was
a police search party for him, as he was the lead suspect in the Wesley murder.
Life has become so complicated!
He fought back tears. He would trade anything to be back in ‘Slacker Row’ dozing in his desk . . . dozing in his desk . . . dozing. . . .

Cody opened his eyes. The sun was shining brightly through the windows. A bag of sour cream and onion chips plopped into his lap. Following the path of the toss, Cody’s eyes arrived at Jade’s smiling face; she seemed rejuvenated.

“We stopped to fill the van a few miles back, got you your favorite chips for the road, thought you’d be hungry.”
Actually, barbeque is my favorite, but it’s the thought that counts!
Chip crumbs flew everywhere as Cody inhaled them.

“So . . . where . . . are . . . we?” Cody asked between bites. After a moment of silence, Jade reached down and pulled up a map as it seemed that Randilin was in no mood to repeat their earlier conversation.

“Well, we’re about in here somewhere,”
Jade pointed to a northbound highway road, “and we are heading here.” She pointed up the map to a large blank desert zone. “Which, although nothing shows up on the map, Randilin says it is the location of . . .”

“Area 51,” Cody finished. The sound of the name still seemed more fairytale than reality to Cody. He looked to their driver, who had yet to utter a noise. “You seem quiet today Randilin? I think Jade and I have been very accommodating up until now, but it’s time for some answers.”

When Randilin finally spoke, his voice no longer resembled the sarcastic whip Cody had become accustomed to; instead it was distant and shaky, almost nervous. “It’s none of your business if I decide to be quiet. And, I heartily agree, it’s unfair of me to leave you in the dark. . . .” His voice trailed off, following an unseen rabbit. Jade cleared her throat, reminding him of the conversation. Randilin blinked. “But not now. We will need to brainstorm a strategy for entering Area 51, as well as gather equipment, and well . . . there’s someone we need to see.”

By the silence that followed, it was crystal clear to both Cody and Jade that no further explanation was to be given. Without any other choice, they settled into their seats to rest, and to wait.

Shawn was bored out of his mind. Every second that clicked on the obnoxious clock was yet another reminder to him how mundane his life was. School had seemed like such a waste of time; however after a month working at Fingo’s Gas, he was beginning to reconsider. The lone bright spot in the day had occurred several hours ago when a strange midget of a man had come barging in. He had rambled on incoherently in a thick smoker’s voice, had grossly overpaid for his gas, and then waddled out the doors again. The female accompanying him, however, had not been hard on the eyes. Speaking of eyes, those green eyes of hers had been like nothing he’d ever seen before.

Ding
. Shawn turned angrily toward the door t
o see the customer whom had ruined his daydreaming. He gulped. The figure in the doorway was seven feet tall and cloaked in a dark purple robe. A rank smell intoxicated the room. Shawn stood petrified, unable to utter a word. The large figure sniffed the air and turned to face him. From beneath the robe, two chilling red eyes burned into Shawn’s with unbearable intensity as though branding onto his very soul. The sun flowing through the window reflected off the creature’s large talons as they tapped against the floor. With lightning speed the creature pounced. There was a painful scream—and then all was silent.

The van slowed to a stop. After the bizarre events of the past few days, Cody had definitely expected more from their mystery detour. In front of the van sat a rickety building, resembling more of a trailer than an actual structure. Above the door, painted in messy yellow paint was: Sally’s Diner—Best Hot Chocolate in the Desert.

Filing out of the van, Cody glanced over at Randilin; his face was pale and he looked sick to his stomach. As they neared the steps, the front door burst open. Standing in the doorway was a woman; and like the diner, she was far from what Cody had expected.

To his surprise, she stood at roughly
the same height as Randilin. Billowing out, stringy and un-kept beneath her white lace bonnet, were two long, frizzy, dirty-blonde pigtails. Her face was not overly beautiful, but it had a friendly warmth to it. Her lips were caked with several lays of clumpy, bright red lipstick and, even from a distance, the smell of her potent perfume congested their noses. Her blue eyes were welcoming, and her large dimples gave her a youthful appearance.

“Well, blow me over. If it isn’t Mr. Randilin himself; what a pleasant surprise! And you brought friends, you adorable young dearies! Come in; come in! I’ll have a fresh batch of hot-chocolate out in a jiffy!”

“Oh, that really won’t be necessary,” argued Randilin, but Sally paid no attention. Randilin leaned over, and whispered in a shaky voice, “Keep your heads about you lads. This woman is not to be messed with. I’m warning you, don’t look her in the eye, she’ll suck out your soul.”

“I heard that Randy! Fortunately for you, you have no soul in that heartless carcass to suck out!” she called out the window, over the clinking sound of mugs. Once inside, they grabbed a table. They were the only customers in the homely diner. Apparently hot chocolate wasn’t a popular commodity in the smoldering desert.

After a few moments, Sally came shuffling back from the counter with a teetering stack of hot chocolates in her hands and slid a mug to each of the visitors. “Now,” she began, plopping herself in a chair next to Randilin who, apparently feeling the close distance was unsatisfactory, scooted his chair away several inches. “I believe Mr. Randilin has yet to offer the courtesy of introducing us.” Randilin opened his mouth to speak, but Sally continued, “My name, as you may have guessed, is Sally Peatwee. And, who might you two youngin’s be?”

Jade introduced the two of them. Meanwhile Randilin sat silently with a dejected look on his face, wavering between pouting and humiliation. His attitude did not seem to hinder Sally’s good spirits in any way; she continued to chatter on.