Legend of the Book Keeper (21 page)

The houses and buildings seemed run down and poorly kept. Cody felt a tug on his pant legs and turned to see an elderly man sitting against the wall. He shoved a tin can in Cody’s hands. “Spare some coins for a poor man? Spare some coins?” Cody’s mouth went dry.

Wolfrick knocked the can back to the man. “Leave the boy alone, Gelph. He ain’t from these parts.” The old beggar grinned, revealing several lost teeth. “Wolfrick, you know me. It matters not where the boy’s from, just as long as they have coins there!” Wolfrick laughed and placed a copper coin in the man’s can. “Now scram! And if I find out you’ve spent my coin on booze I’ll have your head hanging on the wall of Yanci’s pub!” The beggar scampered off.

Wolfrick leaned down to Cody. “Atlantis is divided into three tiers; this here is the Outer-City. It’s Dace’s domain to oversee. It’s full of dust, beggars and thieves. But, I’ll tell ya, here are some of the greatest people in all of Atlantis. Just people who need to catch a break.”

As they passed through more of the Outer-City, Cody couldn’t help but have increasing respect for Dace. He seemed to know all of the residents on a first-name basis, and despite his government position, treated each of them kindly and with dignity. It was clear that Dace did not receive the obvious admiration of the residents by chance. It was also clear that his mousey features were not an oddity in Under-Earth. All the citizens they passed were equally short in stature and rodent-looking.

Suddenly, a loud gong rang over the city. Instantly each of the guards dismounted their horses and knelt down on one knee. The citizens of the Outer-City joined in the action, all facing toward the massive oval structure towering above all the other buildings. Cody felt like a giant soaring above the mob of kneeling people so he hesitantly bent down onto his knee. All at once the people raised their voices to chant in unison, “Hail, the Orb of holy light, humbled we by its eternal might. Hail the Orb, let it shine forever bright.” The chant repeated seven times before the crowd uttered, “Amen” in unison.

The guards stood and remounted their horses and the citizens resumed their business as though nothing had happened. Raising an eyebrow, Cody looked to the burly mustached guard, Sheets, for some kind of explanation. The guard grinned. “You will quickly come to understand that Atlantis has its own share of rules and customs. All in good time my boy. No worries; even the AREA won’t put an ignorant Surface-Dweller behind bars until you’ve had the customs fully explained.”

“The AREA?” questioned Cody.

Sheets grunted and leaned in close to Cody. “I keep forgetting you Surface-Dwellers are a little slower than us Underlings. The AREA is a powerful lot down here. It stands for the Atlantis Rule Enforcement Association. They ensure that the religious rituals are performed up to snuff; as well as stick their pointy noses into everyone else’s business. A bunch of pompous pigs, if you ask me, which, of course, you didn’t. Superficial rules and codes are more useless than a legless horse at the racetrack out here in the Outer-City where folks are scraping just to get by.”

“Then why do people follow them still?” asked Cody.

Sheets gave a sarcastic laugh. “Because all are created equal, and then live according to class systems. You will soon see that not all folks in Atlantis are like us Outer-City misfits. Trust me; the General was doing Dace no kind favors by expelling him and our troop out here. Ol’ Dace has never been a soul constrained to his commands or orders; he lives by his own strict code of principles. Admirable, but not a great recipe for promotion! However, in the Inner-City the AREA is supreme. Not to mention that the price for disobedience is a good flogging or a date with the gallows. A monopoly on the death business has a curious way of enticing people to obey.” Cody looked to the dusty faces of the citizens with tattered clothes scurrying by in the shadows.
This is the mystifying, great city of Atlantis?

The caravan stopped as it reached another gateway that was closed with a solid iron cage door. Dace nodded to the two guards peering down from the overhanging lookout towers. The gate slowly elevated. As Cody followed the troops away from the Outer-City, he saw a wooden sign on the wall: Mid-City.

The contrasts between the Outer-City and the Mid-City were significant. Whereas the Outer-City was dirty and rundown, the Mid-City was clean and well maintained. The streets were crammed with people going to and fro. Actually, Cody suddenly realized that most of the residents were heading in a unified direction—they were following directly behind them. The dissatisfied looks on their faces made Cody uneasy.

Sheets leaned toward Cody again. “Here in the Mid-City are the working folk. It is here where the gears of the city turn. They’re a hard-working lot, but not the most pleasant of people as you’ll find here in Atlantis. They’re in constant tension with the AREA. Claim they have too much work to worry about such strict, fluffy religious practices. Industry is the divine being in this part of the city.”

Every glance back over his shoulder revealed to Cody that the assembly of followers had increased. There were now almost thirty men and women behind them. He noticed that all of Dace’s troops had casually brought their hands to rest against the hilts of their swords. Cody glanced behind him again. One of the followers was carrying a sign above his head. The words on the placard read:
THE TIME FOR WAR IS NOW!

“If we don’t strike first,
they
will!” yelled the man with the sign. His cohorts echoed his cry. A woman with frizzy hair tossed up her hands, shouting, “It’s time for the king to stop hiding in his castle and face reality!” More cheering. A large man in the crowd called out, “Let the people vote! As for me, I vote war!” The man received a loud burst of applause for his statement, and slowly the loud chant, “We vote war” was picked up by the mob. “We vote war! We vote war! We vote war!”

Hex and several of the other guards starting yelling back at the mob. Cody heard the sound of swords being pulled from their scabbards. Wolfrick appeared by Cody’s side wielding his giant axe, “Not everyone is seeing eye to eye in Atlantis these days; things are a bit . . . unstable.” As the yelling behind him continued to escalate Cody inched closer to the bulky guard. “What do they mean, they vote war? War with whom?”

Wolfrick shook his head. “Don’t mind them. As long as our good king remains on the throne, you need not waste your time worrying about war. Besides, we’re almost at the Inner-City.” They soon reached another gate similar to the one between the Outer and Mid-City divisions. However, Cody noticed that this gate was blockaded with several armed guards and that two fortified towers flanked each side. Cody could see the tips of arrows aiming down at his company from within the small, slit-windows of the turrets.

The gate opened and they filed through a door that was just wide enough for two men to pass simultaneously. Cody guessed this was yet another defensive mechanism. The moment Cody passed through the archway his jaw dropped. The towering futuristic, circular structure that appeared to be visible from any part of the city was even more magnificent up close. The structure was gigantic. The base was constructed in a massive hourglass shape. Even so, the foundation looked minuscule compared to the structure itself. The immense oval’s smooth metallic surface glimmered in the light. Actually, Cody realized that it was
producing
the light. Bright beams of illumination were being broadcast across the city and beyond.
What’s inside there?

Cody was still lost in thought as the company reached the long stone staircase ascending to the grand domeshaped building he had seen from the sand dune. He noticed that a crowd of people had gathered to witness the commotion. The residents were clean and dressed in long tunic-like garments made of fine fabric. Compared to the citizens in the Outer-City, they looked like royalty. Cody’s eyes halted; at the edge of the crowd was a girl. She had flowing blonde hair and ruby red lips. She stood out in the crowd like an angel among a pack of ogres. Her eyes were staring directly at him. He felt his skin heat up and his palms become clammy. Blushing, he dropped his gaze to the ground to break the stare. When he glanced back up, the girl was gone.

Interrogated

S
omething big was about to happen. He didn’t know what, but the very marrow of Dace’s bones proclaimed it with upmost certainty; his solder’s instinct was seldom wrong. He gazed out over the crowd of people who slowly engulfed his band of troops at the foot of the palace. They too seemed to sense it
.

Dace took a step up onto the first stair of the palace before pivoting to face his troops, “Lacen, Hoffin, Didet, and Hex, I want you to escort Randilin down to the holding cell until further instruction. Sally is to be put on temporary probation until her association with Randilin is cleared. Kingsty and Tyrin, you will return to the Outer-City and rendezvous with the others. Wolfrick and Sheets, keep the crowd away. Let’s move.” The soldiers immediately set about their orders. Cody felt the shadow of Wolfrick fall over him, urging him up the stairs.

With the majority of the company dispatched, Cody suddenly felt uncomfortable walking beside Jade as they ascended the stairs. He stole a glance at her. She seemed completely at ease and unconcerned. His frustration toward her reached a new high. “Everything’s just business as usual for you, isn’t it, Jade.” The words snidely exited Cody’s mouth before he could stop them, but he was pleased that they had. Jade shook her head but kept her eyes focused ahead. This ticked Cody off even more. “What, too good to even talk to your best friend anymore? You seem to have no trouble batting those eyelashes of yours and chatting it up with the guards . . .”

“Oh, that’s what you think, is it? You’re such
a child.” Cody was about to lash back in retaliation when he collided into Dace’s back. Jade chuckled under her breath. There was a thud as the opened front doors slammed into place.

Dace whispered over his shoulder, “Be ready to bow and give respect. You are about to enter the presence of the King.” Without further instruction, Dace led them into a large room with a dome roof. A large painting on the ceiling transfixed Cody. He did not understand its meaning, but was captivated by the beautiful artistry. “Psst! Come on.” Jade was waving her hand and Cody jogged to catch up. They came to the throne—and found that it was empty.

The sound of voices came echoing forth from some unseen hallway. As the speech approached nearer, Cody began to comprehend some of the words. It seemed to be a heated conversation between two people: “I’m telling you, I don’t know how much longer we can hold them off. We’ll have a full-grown riot before long. War is brewing. What could have provoked such a bold ultimatum after all these years . . .”

“It doesn’t matter. We are not prepared to engage in a war of this magnitude. Not without a champion, one who is knowledgeable in the way . . .”

“I know, but time is scarce. Our scouts report that enemy troops are gathering east of Lilley. If they strike through the pass we will be completely unprepared, our father . . .” The voices halted. A man and a woman appeared from behind the throne. Dace bent into a bow which Cody attempted to mimic.

“My lord and lady, I have returned with the captives.” The woman stepped forth from the shadows; she was stunningly beautiful in an elegant blue dress. Her eyes sparkled like glimmering stars in the night sky.

“So, I see,” she said smoothly. Her accomplice joined her in the light. Like the lady, the man was strikingly handsome. His features were dark and exotic.

“What of Sir Randilin and the gatekeeper?” he asked in a flatly serious voice. As he spoke, he began slowly circling the visitors like a leopard eyeing its prey.

“He is being contained as we speak. His health is poor, but not critical. The gatekeeper is in holding.” Cody noticed that Dace’s usual swagger was hardly visible; instead he seemed nervous and fidgety.

The exotic looking man completed his inspection. He noticed Dace glancing over to the empty throne, and stepped into the captain’s line of sight. “The King is not to be bothered. He has many pressing matters to attend to with the rumors of war catching like wildfire.”

The woman glided in front of the man. “As such, we have been given authority in this matter. Where is the fifth intruder?” Cody shot a worried glance to Jade.
What fifth intruder? Had the assassin with circular blades followed them down the Well?

Dace squirmed uncomfortably under the lady’s gaze. “Unfortunately, he has temporarily evaded us. My men are in pursuit as we speak. He will be caught.”

“I expect so. There is also the matter of your delay and apparent disregard of my commands.” Dace opened his mouth to apologize but the lady silenced him with a raised hand. “We will deal with that later. As for now, we have other matters to attend to . . .”

She leaned toward Cody. He blushed; the perfection of her silky skin was intoxicating as it came close to his. She had an alluring scent to her like the water of a desert oasis. He was entranced. “I believe introductions are in order. I am Lady Cia, daughter to the King of Atlantis. This pessimistic fellow behind me is my brother, Prince Kantan.”