City of Gold (17 page)

“Father!” shouted Nocsic. Talgu strolled across the battlements, his hands cupped behind his back. Several pinpoints of light danced in the distant dark. On the other side of the plains more lights popped up, like hundreds of fireflies. Soon the whole horizon was aglow. A low rumble began to grow, shaking the ground.

Nocsic glanced to Talgu. “Father, should I ready the men?”

Talgu brushed the perspiration from his forehead. “Immediately…and fetch the Book Keeper. I want him on the front line. This is our defining moment, son.”

“Yes, sir.” Nocsic raced across the wall bellowing out orders. Talgu watched him depart, smiling with pride
—A good soldier…and a good boy.

Thump…Thump…Thump.

Talgu gazed back upon the endless mass of torch lights closing in on the fortress.
The dam has finally broken…the unstoppable flood approaches.

39

Battle of the Borderlands

“TO THE WALL! TO ARMS!” The foundation of the fortress rumbled as the sea of torches came crashing toward the gate. “Ready the catapults! Fire on my mark!” Talgu stepped atop a crenellation with his arms raised. Even as the enemy charged, torch lights continued to ignite farther and farther into the unending abyss.
Orb protect us.

“Fire!” There was a whizzing sound as the catapults launched, sending massive boulders soaring through the air toward the approaching mob. Talgu raised his arms to ready a second volley.

“Captain, look! Men approaching!” Dashing in front of the stampede were three men. Talgu frowned.
How the blazes?
“Prepare the gate—the Book Keeper approaches!”

The ground shook like an earthquake; Cody lost his balance and fell to his face. The firm hand of Chazic grabbed his collar and hoisted him back up to continue the sprint. The lifeless body of Tat was draped over the Enforcer’s broad shoulders.

The horde behind them was now close enough to hear the bellowing war cries of the warriors. Up ahead Cody saw the open drawbridge of Flore Gub. Dace stood at its mouth madly waving them forward.

From behind, the throng of golems split and a warrior on a large, black stallion galloped through. The man was a titan. In his hand was an immense sword the size of a tree trunk.

Black armor covered his enormous body, jutting out in jagged spikes like the back of a porcupine. Two pinchers curved in front of his mouth and from the back of the helmet jutted six large spikes, as though an immense spider had latched onto his head.
A six-legged spider.
Cody thought of the image cut into Captain Eagleton’s chest.

“
The Impaler!
The High General leads the charge! Faster!” Chazic cried. There was a deafening boom as massive boulders from the catapults crashed to the ground, crushing dozens of yelling golems. The stampede continued, as the golems funneled around the boulders in an endless stream.

“Faster!” Cody could now see Dace’s mouth yelling but couldn’t comprehend his words as everything had mushed into a ringing clamor. Cody didn’t dare look back to see how close the Spider-General was. Hundreds of arrows soared over their heads, pelting the warriors behind.

The drawbridge began to close. “Hurry!” Dace screamed as the plank lifted off the ground. Cody could hear the thundering gallop of the General behind him. Cody closed his eyes and leaped across the drawbridge into the fortress.

An endless volley of arrows crashed down on the enemy like raindrops in a fierce storm. Already bodies of the slain enemy stacked ten feet high against the wall. But each time a warrior fell he was instantly replaced by another. The enemy scaled the pile of dead comrades like a ladder up the wall.

Talgu’s eyes scanned the wall until he found his son. “Nocsic! How the blazes was the Book Keeper allowed to leave the fortress?! I want him on this wall
now
! That’s an order!” Nocsic nodded and departed with an escort of soldiers.

“What-in-the-name of my triple-chinned aunt Kila were you thinking, you dirt-headed oaf!” scolded Randilin, slapping Cody on the back of the head. “After Area 51, I never thought you could be any more stupid! You jeopardized the whole bloody mission by strolling across enemy lines unprotected! What possessed you to do something so reckless!?”

“It was my doing. I asked him to,” Chazic confessed, but Dace shoved his way between the Enforcer and the agitated dwarf. “We will deal with your foolishness later. But we can’t stay here. The fortress is overwhelmed. It won’t hold.”

“Book Keeper!”

Cody glanced up. Nocsic stood flanked by five soldiers. “My father requires you on the wall immediately.”

Dace stepped in between. “This is madness, my old friend, and you
know
it. Cody can’t change the outcome of this assault. Your father’s desires are only for the glory of his legacy. There is much more at stake in this war. If Cody stays he will be killed. We
must
leave Flore Gub. Please.”

The five soldiers with Nocsic pulled their weapons and aimed them toward the group. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option,” Nocsic said slowly, his own sword aimed at Dace’s neck. There was a trample of footsteps from behind them. The remaining members of The Company, led by Tiana, came dashing around the corner.

“Cody, you’re alright! What’s going on here?” she stammered, eyeing up the scene. Three more armed soldiers circled around the new arrivals. Nocsic motioned to his men. “To the south wall.” Sliding his sword into his scabbard he looked Dace in the eye. “I’m sorry, my friend; but orders are orders.”

40

Of Loyalty and Disloyalty

A PIERCING SCREECH SILENCED the battleground instantly. Soldiers ceased combat as the immense shape of the Hunter soared over the fortress, its giant wings casting an enormous shadow over the stronghold.

Cody pressed himself up against a wall as the Beast circled over the battlements. Nocsic motioned toward the escort. “We need to keep moving! Stay out of sight of the demon!” The soldiers closed in from behind, compelling Cody and the rest forward.

When Nocsic raised his hand to stop, The Company faced a solid, stone wall with a single, steel-barred door. One of the soldiers stepped forward. “Private Nocsic, I thought Talgu’s orders were to bring the Book Keeper to the front line on the eastern wall, not to the southern wall?”

Nocsic turned to face the man. Then, without any hesitation, he pulled his sword and brought the hilt of it slamming into the soldier’s nose. In the same instant, Dace dropped to his knees and brought his elbows back hard into two soldiers’ kneecaps sending them to the ground.

A moment later, Cody stood shocked as the eight escorting soldiers lay limply on the floor. Dace grinned. “Oh, Nocsic, like our good looks, some things never change.”

Nocsic turned to Cody. “
Orders are orders
. A code Dace and I invented in the academy whenever we had a hankering to be
less-than-obedient
. But there’s no time for fanciful memories. Here’s the truth. My father is blinded by fear of this invasion, but his foolishness does not stem from him only. He received the orders directly from Prince Kantan himself not three days ago. We were to contain you in the Flore Gub to prolong the defense. It seems that was the Prince’s only reason for allowing your rescue mission to proceed at all. He cared nothing for your captured friend.” Nocsic motioned to the door. “It leads to the dungeon. Beneath the skeleton in the far right cell is a hidden door. It’s an old escape route which leads out of the castle and through the mountains to the Great Sea of Lava.”

“The Lake!?” huffed Randilin, “I’d like our chances better fighting through the enemy one-by-one than that cursed route!”

Dace nodded. “It’s a last resort, but it’s our only chance to reach Jade in time. We have no choice.” Dace embraced his long-time friend. “You’re a good man, Nocsic. Your father will not be pleased.”

Nocsic shrugged. “You and I both know there won’t be time for discipline.”

Dace clasped the soldier’s arm. “Thank you. Stay alive…but if you die—die valiantly.”

“I’d die no other way.”

Dace looked to Wolfrick and Sheets. As he opened his mouth Wolfrick grasped his shoulder firmly, “Save your heavy conscience the grief and two ticks on your sword hilt…ol’ Sheets and I
request
to remain behind with Nocsic to ensure your escape.”

“And slaughter a few golden golems while we’re at it,” piped in Sheets.

Dace gave a slight bow. “You may be gambling drunkards, but you’re two of the most valiant men I have ever had the honor to serve with. May your weapons be swift.”

“And your feet swifter!” Wolfrick barked. Nocsic nodded. “Swift indeed. Now hurry!” Without looking back, The Company filed through the door and descended deep into the gloom. The last sound Cody heard was the shrilling cry of the Hunter before the thick steel door slammed shut behind them.

41

The-One-and-Only Igg

One Day Remaining
…

WHETHER MORNING HAD COME or the night remained was a mystery as Cody trekked through the narrow crevasse. The thin, single-file passage stretched out of sight both forward and backwards, and elevated to the roof, merging seamlessly into the cave’s ceiling.

Tiana paced in front. To pass the time Cody focused on the beauty of her swaying hair. Their words had been sparse since she had almost decapitated him in the
Ageing City
. Yet, Cody couldn’t help feeling that their relationship had turned for the better. That it was somehow more relaxed; more—
real
.

However, at the moment, Cody’s concerns were for another girl—Jade. As the convoy scurried quickly through the passage toward the Great Sea of Lava, Cody just hoped they had enough time. Dace’s earlier words had been correct: they couldn’t afford more delays. Time was running out.