The Golden Symbol (21 page)

She counted to ten, then opened the door and led Jacob inside. Azuriah wasn’t shouting anymore, but he was so angry, Jacob didn’t need to ask where he was. His emotion colors were visible through the walls. Jacob raised his eyebrows. The last time he’d seen Shiengol emotions through walls was when he and his friends were rescuing them from August Fortress. This guy was
seriously
mad.

A twinge of guilt flitted across Jacob’s mind for a moment, but he thrust it aside. Even though he’d never been forbidden from learning this history, it was still almost . . .
liberating
to go against Azuriah’s wishes. The Shiengol was so controlling sometimes!

Pambri surprised Jacob by leading him to the second floor, where he hadn’t been since helping build the fortress. She took him to a huge bathroom. One wall was lined with a counter covered with many black bottles and paint brushes. Jacob figured she did her makeup there, though he had to wonder why she needed so many brushes.

Along the other wall were nice couches, set up in what Jacob assumed were tasteful arrangements. Mom would probably like them. To Jacob, they just looked comfortable, and he was glad when Pambri invited him to sit there.

“As you know, I want to tell you the story behind why the Shiengols are no longer welcome on the Fire Pulsers’ world.”

Jacob nodded, leaning forward, arms on his legs, hands clasped.

“There was a time—probably when Onyev, your Makalo Patriarch, was ruling—when the Shiengols were in open communication with the humans on that world. The Shiengols of that time wanted access to a powerful symbol that would grant them magical strength of immense proportions.

“The humans agreed to give them the symbol, even though they’d worked so hard to obtain it, as long as the Shiengols helped strengthen their world. The Shiengols agreed. Back then, the surface of the world was partially inhabited by humans, and they were constantly warring with the Fire Pulsers regarding who would inhabit the safer, more attractive locations. Naturally, the humans wanted the areas that weren’t covered in lava.

“Because the Shiengols have power to work with the sun, they decided to try to force the planet farther away from it. As you can imagine, it didn’t work. In fact, it made things much worse by moving the planet
closer
to the sun, causing the surface to become completely uninhabitable by humans.”

Pambri got up to pace. “Obviously, the Shiengols were in the wrong. They felt bad about what they’d done, but more than that, they realized they wouldn’t be able to get the symbol unless they fixed the issue. They made the wise choice not to try to change the planet’s position again, and instead, brought Makalos down to the caverns, where the humans were now forced to dwell.

“The Makalos made the caverns livable. They strengthened the walls with fireproof wood laced with strong metals. They held back the heat. They encouraged animals to dwell there so the humans wouldn’t have to hunt on the surface.

“Though the humans didn’t get what they ultimately wanted, the Makalos actually made things better, since the Fire Pulsers weren’t likely to hunt them underground.” Pambri looked at Jacob. “Fire Pulsers hate being underground.”

Jacob nodded as if he already knew that, though he didn’t. He couldn’t help but wonder how Lasia had handled being buried for fifteen or so years.

“Because the situation was fairly decent for the humans, they decided to relent somewhat. The Shiengols hadn’t quite fulfilled their part of the bargain, but they’d done everything they could toward that end, so the humans decided to teach the Shiengols the power and knowledge behind the symbol rather than give it to them. They hoped the Shiengols would then take that knowledge and create their own symbol.

“Which they did.” Pambri pointed to the design surrounding her eyes that every Shiengol wore.

Jacob also recognized it as the symbol that lined the edges of the fabric Azuriah added to his armor. He was surprised to see that it wasn’t at all what he’d thought. Yes—it was the trident with the sun. But like before, when he’d inspected it closer on his own armor, it wasn’t the same. This version was more complicated, with intricate lines and curves and edges. It was kind of cool-looking, actually.

“We call it the Golden Symbol.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. The “Golden” Symbol was dark gray, with only
specks
of gold.

Pambri laughed at his facial expression. “It’s called ‘golden’ because of the opportunity it presented to us, because of its value. And because of the happiness it has brought to us.” She sighed, staring at herself in the mirror—probably looking at the symbol.

“If the humans had given the Shiengols the original symbol, we would have become the most powerful creatures anywhere, much stronger than the Lorkon. If you’ll remember, during the time of Onyev, other Lorkon were attacking. It wasn’t just Onyev who was trying to find a way to rid the land of those hideous creatures.”

She sat again, folding her legs under her. “Unfortunately, after the Shiengols were given this knowledge, they decided to ‘help’ the humans in a war against the Fire Pulsers. They took things a step too far, and because of their selfishness and greed, a human child was killed. The humans banned Shiengols from ever returning.”

Pambri raised her eyebrows, not looking at Jacob, and he could tell she was annoyed at the idea that a Shiengol wasn’t allowed somewhere. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Shiengols were so ridiculous sometimes.

She held up a corner of her robe, showing Jacob the intricate design. “You’ve probably noticed this.”

Jacob nodded. “It’s on the cloth strips Azuriah added to my armor. I’ve definitely felt the extra power. It’s really awesome.”

Pambri got to her feet again and paced for a moment. “Yes, it is.” She turned and faced him. “The humans didn’t come up with the symbol themselves. They stole it from the Fire Pulsers. Fire Pulsers can’t control magic. They’re invincible to many kinds, and they employ charms and symbols themselves, but they don’t have their own magic. They love to find it and keep it from others.”

She paused for a moment, looking out one of the small windows deeply embedded in the stone wall. “The humans, of course, were punished for taking the symbol. For years and years, they were slaves of the Fire Pulsers. But while acting as slaves, they learned other important things.” She looked at Jacob. “They learned enough that they were able to escape and protect themselves from Fire Pulser attacks.”

Pambri sat again. “The knowledge the humans gave the Shiengols was good, but without the actual symbol, the power isn’t as great.” She got a faraway look in her eyes and didn’t say anything for a moment. “But we are definitely happy to have our own symbol.”

Jacob looked at his robes, understanding better why the Shiengols put the symbol around their eyes. They’d want to harness every ounce of power the mark gave them.

He glanced up at Pambri. “Will you teach me all of this?”

“Of course I will—that is why you’re here. But I do need you to understand how opposed Azuriah is to all this. You’re about to face the most dangerous and deadly thing in your life, and he wants to withhold knowledge from you. He cares for you and doesn’t want you to destroy yourself or other people.”

“How could I do that?”

“By using the symbol to take power from an unwilling person.”

Jacob shook his head. “I would never do something like that.”

“I know—I can feel your honesty. But Azuriah believes everyone lies, even though he senses your true character. He’s a distrusting person.”

She smiled, seemingly giving Jacob permission to smile as well, which he did. Neither said anything for several moments. Jacob sensed hesitancy on Pambri’s part, so he didn’t push her to continue.

And then Azuriah strode into the bathroom. Pambri must have known he was coming.

“How much have you told the boy?”

“All of the history behind the symbol. I’m about to teach him how to create it so he can wield its power.”

Azuriah put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “He’ll destroy himself.”

Pambri shook her head. “I’m surprised at you, Azuriah. He is your flesh and blood. I expected you to train him fully.”

Azuriah thrust his robes away and turned to Jacob. “Do you regret anything I’ve taught you?”

“Of course not, but—”

Azuriah turned to his wife. “See? He learned what he needed to manage his abilities.”

“But if I could be more powerful?” Jacob asked. “If I didn’t need to nearly kill my Minya, every time I did something?” Jacob scowled at Azuriah, doing his best not to come across as an angry teenager. “You should have taught me more.”

Pambri put her hand on Jacob’s arm. “It’s fine. What’s done is done. I’ll train you, though we scarcely have enough time for you to learn.”

She got to her feet, then cast a glance at her husband. “If you’d like to assist, I’d welcome your help.”

Then she strode to the long counter, sat at it, and beckoned Jacob to follow. He did, watching Azuriah from the corner of his eye.

Azuriah hesitated, staring at Jacob and Pambri. Finally, muttering to himself, he also took a seat at the counter. “If he’s going to learn, I want to be here to make sure you don’t kill him in the process.”

Pambri rolled her eyes, but didn’t respond. She turned to Jacob. “Have a seat between us.”

Jacob sat, facing the mirror, then noticed that Azuriah was fidgeting. He pretty much never fidgeted.

“What now?” Pambri asked.

“The children arrived before I came up here,” Azuriah said. “They say it’s ‘just in case.’”

Jacob grinned. “You mean, in case we need help? That’s awesome.”

Azuriah folded his arms. “No. Just in case you all fail and my
children
have to save
me
.”

Jacob’s mouth popped open. “Save you? They think you actually need saving?” Then he scowled when the implications of what Azuriah had said sank in. “Do they really think we’re going to get slaughtered? Even after everything we’ve done to prove our . . . our determination?”

Azuriah waved Jacob off. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve got work to do.”

Jacob took a deep breath, realizing that if he didn’t get over his annoyance, Azuriah would know, and they’d never do anything. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were bright—being around other Shiengols made them that way—but they were nothing in comparison to Azuriah and Pambri’s eyes. Now that the Shiengols were near a mirror, the light bounced all over the place, creating prisms in some cases that sparkled and shone.

Pambri picked up a brush and grabbed a piece of paper. “I’ll first show you how to draw it on something that can’t possibly get hurt.” She dipped the brush into one of the paint jars. “All the jars have the same thing in them—I like to have plenty on hand. We don’t throw the old jars away, but save them for new batches of paint.”

She was about to start painting, but obviously remembered something and set her brush down. “The most important thing is learning how to draw it on yourself. Only you can create it—if someone else did, they’d take power from you. They’d borrow your abilities.”

Jacob nodded, and Azuriah grunted. “This is why I didn’t want you to learn it. If you ever drew it on a human, it would remove their energy, killing them and granting you extra strength for a time. Obviously, you would be in the wrong, which is why I don’t feel you’re ready for this sort of thing.”

Jacob stared at the ceiling. Having his uncle peg him as a murderer was annoying and idiotic, but he knew better than to say anything. Pambri cleared her throat, getting both of them to look at her.

She began describing the symbol as she painted it—hard edges, soft corners. All of them, every angle and edge and corner, were designed specifically to draw power, to contain it, then to release it into the person who painted the symbol.

“You’ve forgotten something,” Azuriah said, arms folded.

A flash of red entered the air around her. “What?”

“The state the paint is in. What it’s made of. All of that.”

They glared at each other for several moments, and Jacob could practically feel the seconds ticking by. He wished he could crawl out of the room, or at least move, so he wasn’t between them. He stared straight ahead, hardly daring to breathe.

Then she relented, putting her brush down. “I suppose I do need to teach him those things.”

“And who’s protecting him now?” Azuriah asked. “You’re ridiculous, Pambri. You’re mad at me for not teaching him something that could possibly harm him, and here you are, not teaching him something that could possibly harm him!”

She put her hand on Jacob’s arm. “He’s right. The paint has to be melted metal. And it has to be smooth and soft enough to manipulate. We add other things to it to make it more comfortable and to increase its smoothness, but it’s hot, it burns, and it isn’t fun to have on your skin.” She looked at herself in the mirror. “Most Shiengols have scars shaped in the pattern of the symbol around their eyes. It makes it easier for them to paint the mark—they just follow the lines already there. But it represents years of pain.”

Jacob bit the inside of his cheek. None of this sounded like something he’d do unless he were really, really desperate. Paint himself with hot, liquid metal? Yeah—that didn’t come up high on his bucket list.

After making sure he fully understood the contents and consistency of the paint, Pambri and Azuriah took turns coaching him on painting the symbol on a piece of paper. They argued, glared at each other, and had multiple power struggles. Azuriah still acted like he was Jacob’s instructor, but because it had been Pambri’s idea, she insisted on leading the instruction.

They were in that bathroom for three hours.

By the time Jacob finally went home for a break, his hand was cramped from holding the brush, his head hurt from all the arguing, and all he wanted was a hot shower and then a nap. He shook his fingers, bending and straightening them, but it didn’t help.

Azuriah wanted Jacob to return in a couple of hours to start learning how to paint the symbol on himself. Jacob was glad for the needed rest—he was hungry, and some time away from the bickering Shiengols would only do him good.