Legend of the Book Keeper (33 page)

“
Gadour!”
With a flash of light a pebble appeared on the steps; it was slowly growing in size. Cody closed his eyes in concentration and waved his hands in the air. This action wasn’t necessary, of course, but performance was everything. The crowd inhaled as the pebble grew into a rock—a rock formed in the unmistakable shape of a heart. The heart reached the size of a human heart. Cody opened his eyes. “
Gai di Gasme!
” The rock instantly stopped expanding. Cody glanced back at Tiana who returned an irrepressible grin. He winked. “
Fraymour!
” The rock heart burst into flames.

The crowd cheered boisterously at the sight. “
Gai di Gasme.”
Cody sensed Tiana’s soft hand cup the back of his neck, pulling him toward her. He then felt warm, moist pressure against his cheek. The crowd erupted even louder.

“I’m surprised. You are quite the romantic, aren’t you?” said Tiana in her tranquil voice.

“Yes, truly amazing,” came a straight voice. At the top of the stairs stood Jade with a blank expression on her face. “Unfortunately, Barbie here is going to have to wait until later to see a few more childish magic tricks. Because, if I’m not mistaken, Romeo was supposed to be at the Monastery almost an hour ago for training.”

Tiana eyed Jade humorously. “Well, it looks as though someone didn’t have enough time to primp this morning. Although, as they say, even a master sculptor’s final statue can only be as lovely as the original stone he is given to work with. Anyways, I’m sure I will see you around, Cody,” she planted another lingering kiss on his cheek, keeping her eyes focused on Jade the entire time. Pulling her lips away, Tiana disappeared into the crowd.

“Jade, I was just . . .” Cody called up the stairs, uncomfortably trying to stomp out the flame from the flickering stone heart, but with an echoing bang, the door slammed behind Jade and she was gone.

Terminated

T
he nerve! A pillow catapulted across the room, collided with the wall, and fell to its final resting spot on the floor beside other discarded items such as an opened book, a dirty shirt, and several coins. Jade’s burning red face surveyed her room in search for any other object that might be chucked. Realizing she was out of bullets, she instead released a venomous shriek. Yanking her left shoe off her foot, she sent it to join the pillow. Her right shoe was quick to follow.

She shivered. The thought of those puffy red lips made her feel queasy. Those. Stupid. Ugly. Red. Lips. She wanted to peel them off the Barbie’s pale, plastic face and smack them across the fiend’s cheek. The thought of the girl’s face sent another shiver down Jade’s back. She felt dirty. She needed to shower.

The warm water soothed as it rolled over her gawky shoulders and fell down onto her toes. How Atlantis had managed to have working showers was beyond her comprehension. She focused her mind on this mystery; she desperately needed a solvable problem. Something that she could accomplish. Something that would make her feel competent. Anything to get her mind off that prissy girl. That girl. Jade grabbed a wad of soap and smeared it over her body, rubbing it hard against her skin until it began to burn. The blonde girl had polluted the air and made it toxic. Jade felt contaminated.

She was happy for Cody, of course. Honestly. When she had first met him, he was an awful sight. He was plump as a globe; a kid who continued to put on weight in preparation for a growth spurt that had gone on strike. He was quiet and mostly kept t
o himself; a solitude that all his classmates had been happy not to disturb.

She never really could pinpoint what exactly had drawn her to her unexpected future best friend. All she knew was that something about him was different. Underneath his quiet demeanor was a boiling passion and a free spirit chained by insecurity. Over the next six years she witnessed that spirit break free. He gained confidence; so much so that even the other classmates seemed willing to accept him back into the world of the living. He was rough around the edges, but Jade always knew he had more character than any of the dimwitted, bimbo jocks all the girls batted their fake-eyelashes at. Now one of those girls had finally noticed what Jade had seen all along; she should feel happy for him—but she was miserable.

You’re acting like a jealous child!
She ran her fingers through her long dark hair as it fell heavy against her back. It wasn’t fair. Cody was hers. She had been by his side when no one else had. Most importantly, she had seen his worth before he became the wretched Book Keeper!
That stupid, ugly Book!

Now, it wasn’t that Jade desired him in any romantic way. Never. He was like her little brother. She cared about him sure, but love? She remembered how cute he had been on the train to Las Vegas after she had spent the night on his shoulder. He had played cool with the skill of a firstgrade drama student. His eyes were beaming and no matter how hard he tried, his mouth kept sneaking into the shape of a smile. That night he had been hers. His shoulder was hers to lie upon and she was his to protect. But those days had come to an abrupt halt. Barbie’s disgusting, vomit-inducing kiss on his cheek had been the termination of that contract. Over. Gone. Done.

Now that that phase of their relationship was gone, she realized how much she had enjoyed it. The way Cody looked at her for the last several days felt good. It made her feel like a lady. For once, she felt attractive, and she liked the feeling. But she was going to be a big girl. So what if Cody and his new ditz were friends? She wasn’t so weak that one lousy kiss on the cheek would ruin her. She was strong. Jade slid to the ground and pulled her knees into her chest. Only the shower water washing over her masked the tears that poured down her face.

Sentenced

C
ody stepped into the Monastery unevenly, his head still dizzy from the elevator ride up. He rubbed the back of his hand where Tiana had touched—perhaps the elevator wasn’t the only thing that made him dizzy. Cody could still hear his heart beating. It was growing louder . . . and louder.
Wait. That’s not my heart
. . .

Suddenly a huge wave of water came crashing over the third story balcony. Cody threw his hands above his head, “
Byrae!
” A gust of wind came billowing through the front door and collided with the crashing water, sending it splashing against the wall. “
Gai di gasme,”
Cody surveyed the now completely soaked room.

From the third balcony Xerx glared down at him. “Not bad, Book Keeper. That was some testimony at the trial. You just couldn’t wait to announce your secret to the world. Well, have fun rolling around in your newfound fame and bliss, because very soon everything is going to change. When that time comes we’ll see what you’re
really
made of. As for me, I’m not holding onto too much hope.” Xerx let a large gob of saliva drip from his mouth and drop toward Cody’s face.

“
Byrae
!” Cody yelled again, just in time; a gust of wind sent the clump of spit flying out of harm’s way. “
Gai di gasme
”.

“Ooff!” came a startled voice. Cody followed the trail of the spit across the room—right into the surprised face of Lamgorious Stalkton who stood in the open doorway. Cody looked back to the balcony; Xerx was nowhere to be seen.
Great, just great.

“Cody, word has reached me from a little bird that you have been using the Orb’s power for less-than-righteous purposes. I trust that similar rumors will never find my ears again,” lectured Stalkton firmly. Cody had no doubt that the little bird had been none other than the rare Xerxbird, seemingly indigenous to Cody’s private life. He nodded apologetically.

“Then let us move onto more important matters. First, I am sorry to inform you that I have been suffering from severe constipation.” Cody took a small step back from his master. “Secondly, your training progress report. So far you have impressed with your ability to master the High Language and its application effortlessly. I’m not yet sure if this is due to your natural talent or simply the leather Book in your backpack. Either way, I am ready to take your training to the next level. Although, perhaps, it would be beneficial first to teach you a creation word which you can use to wash those two lipstick marks off your cheek.” Cody quickly rubbed his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He felt his heart beat faster again at the memory of his morning.

“The word I am now going to entrust to you is a significant one. Indeed, in some religious traditions it was the first word in the High Language ev
er uttered—light. The word in the language of creation is
illumchanta
. Now there is one very important thing you must know about this word . . .”

“
Illumchanta!
” cut in Cody eagerly. A flash of light burst above their heads, floating under the dome ceiling like a star. “
Gai di gasme,
” he finished. The new light reflected off Stalkton’s pale skin like a mirror.

“You impatient fool. How a clumsy, reckless boy such as you manages to get lipstick marks on your cheek while I haven’t enjoyed the company of a lady friend in two thousand years is beyond me! What I was about to finish explaining is that there is no entity of anti-light. This creation cannot be reversed!” Stalkton said angrily, taking a step back into the shadows.

“What do you mean? Can’t you just teach me the word for darkness?” Cody asked bashfully, looking up at the glowing ball floating above their heads.

Stalkton shook his head. “What
is
darkness? Is it the opposite of light, or merely the absence of it? We cannot
make
darkness, although it is always present. Indeed, it is impossible for us to even
stand
in the light without projecting the dark shadow of our silhouette onto the floor. It is only when we
understand
the ever present darkness that we can appreciate the light. However, fortunately for us, your creation skills are noticeably amateur and this light should fade away within several minutes.”

“How long would it have lasted had I been more skilled?” Cody asked nervously. Stalkton brought his eyebrows together. “I’m not sure. How long has the sun given light?” he asked, opening the door while his stomach gave a deep growl. “I suddenly feel as though I have gained the upper hand in my fierce battle with constipation and must cut this session short. The last word I wish to leave with you as you go is
bauciv
, the creation word for wood. Practice these words. Know them well. They are the building blocks into a deeper understanding. Tomorrow we will advance to the next stage. Wish me luck!”