The Golden Symbol (25 page)

Finally, she stopped sobbing. Ara Liese motioned for her daughter to come to her and they held each other, sitting on the bed.

Azuriah shook his head. “Your Majesty, there isn’t time for catching up. These people must be released before you pass on.”

Mom gasped, glaring at Azuriah. “Why are you bringing up her death? Can’t we have just a moment to spend together?”

Azuriah growled, but the queen turned to her daughter. “He’s right. And they are my prisoners. I must release them.” She looked at Dad and Gallus, her tone of voice changing, strengthening. “Help me up.”

Jacob watched in amazement as her face became firmer, the wrinkles less noticeable, her body less frail.

After standing, she wobbled a bit, but insisted on walking on her own. And she seemed fine doing it.

Everyone waited at the edges of the room, watching. Jacob couldn’t help it—he was excited to see what she did.

Ara Liese approached the first person, and Jacob was shocked to finally see the emotions surrounding the dead—or nearly dead—man. Then he looked at all the other bodies—he could see their emotions too! But why now, all of a sudden? Oh, right. The symbol. Jacob raised his hand and fingered the edge of the metal paint, marveling at the power it gave him.

Pambri caught his eye. She winked, and Jacob knew she’d figured out what he was thinking. He could tell by her colors that she was proud of him. It made him blush and he looked away. He was glad she’d joined Azuriah in their fortress—she was so much nicer than he was.

The moment Ara Liese touched the first man’s eyes, he started moving. He coughed, gasped, and rolled from his stomach to his back.

The man took a deep breath and stared up at Ara Liese. Tears flooded his eyes, and he said, “Thanks,” then slumped, eyes closed. His emotion colors dissipated. His body and clothing dissolved into the wooden floor beneath him, dust particles falling through the cracks until there was nothing left.

Ara Liese blinked rapidly. “Arien dear, that was your cousin.”

Mom startled. “Which cousin? Benj? Emen?”

“Emen.” Ara Liese got a faraway expression on her face. “I can remember when he arrived, though the memory is hazy. I only wanted him near. I only wanted
all
of them near.” Her eyes filled with tears again, but this time, she ignored them and continued around the room.

She touched person after person, each of them doing something similar to what Emen did. All thanked her, some had the strength to reach up and touch her cheek or hair, then they all passed away, their bodies dissolving.

Jacob was really glad he wasn’t in the room below. Gross.

While watching, he had a weird feeling cross over him. These people were his family. Growing up, he’d always been envious of his friends who had their cousins and aunts and uncles nearby. Jacob had never met anyone from his extended family before learning about Eklaron. He always felt like a large chunk of his life was missing, seeing how happy his friends were when family came to visit.

And then, when Jacob
did
meet his family, they weren’t what he’d imagined his whole life. Half of them were corrupt and evil, some were super grouchy, and many were nearly zombies, trapped in their bodies by his grandma. Yeah, not what he’d imagined at all.

By the time Ara Liese finished, Jacob had witnessed the deaths of almost twenty people. He couldn’t believe it. Not a year ago, he’d never seen anyone die, let alone been in the same room with a dead person. So much had changed.

Then Ara Liese turned to the doorway. “I want to see my servants.”

Azuriah rolled his eyes, but stepped aside, waving for her to go ahead. She turned to Jacob and Matt. “Come. Help me.”

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged, not sure what she wanted them to do, but following anyway.

They didn’t need to go far. She stopped in front of one of the doors Jacob had noticed his first time in the manor. Green light leaked through the cracks around it. Ara Liese put her palm on the wood, and something on the other side clicked and the door swung open.

Jacob wasn’t ready for what he saw.

The room was packed full of men of all ages, even some teenage boys. And the air was a brilliant green. Ara Liese stepped as far as she could into the room, then started singing.

The words of the song weren’t in English, but the tune was commanding and inspiring. Jacob had the urge to run home and play his best game of basketball yet. He wanted to be the best version of himself possible.

When she was finished, she looked back at Jacob and Matt. “Help me carry them out into the hall where they can wake up.”

“What happened to them?”

She half smiled. “I trapped them in place, just like the others.” Her face clouded over. “In my selfish, heartless Lorkon state, I refused to allow others to live on and experience life without my permission.” She motioned to the room. “These were some of my favorite servants. I bargained with Keitus to release them to me when he indicated he didn’t want them.”

Luckily, the room was actually very small, and there were only ten people inside. Jacob and Matt were soon joined by Gallus and Azuriah, who had gotten impatient, and it only took a couple of minutes to empty the room.

As they walked in and out, the air cleared itself and the green disappeared. Jacob was about to ask Ara Liese where she’d learned how to trap people like this, but she answered his question before he could voice it. He forgot she was a Shiengol and would know he’d been curious.

“Keitus has learned many tricks and spells over the years. He taught several of them to me, including this one. Obviously, it proved useful.”

They moved on to the next room and released the servants who’d been trapped there. This time, they were all female.

After everyone had been moved to the long hallway, the servants began waking up. Some, like the people in Ara Liese’s room, had been trapped too long, were too old, and died almost immediately. Others, though dazed, seemed to be fine.

Ara Liese and the others walked back to her room again. She leaned against the bed, then beckoned Jacob closer. She put her hand on his shoulder. “I just knew you’d be a good one,” she said. “With your mother’s pure heart and your father’s valiance, how could you turn out otherwise?”

Jacob looked away, not wanting to blush under her praise, then helped Dad lift her into the bed. She and Arien requested that they be left alone for a while.

At first, Dad was opposed to the idea. He wanted to go home and get to work, and he didn’t want to leave Mom there. He and Mom argued for several minutes, only stopping when Jacob demanded that they pay attention to Ara Liese.

The moment she lay back, she aged quickly, surpassing what she’d been after the antidote had been administered. Dad watched for a few seconds, his face softening. He relented, agreeing that Mom should spend as much time with her mother as possible before she passed away.

“Though I don’t know how I’ll spare the men to protect you if the Lorkon come before . . . if they come early.”

Ara Liese waved him off. “The Lorkon won’t come here and they won’t send anyone.”

“Why not?”

“They have no interest in a dying woman. We’ll be safer here than anywhere else on Eklaron.”

Dad looked unconvinced. “Are you sure?”

Ara Liese sighed, turning to look at him. “Dmitri, I was connected to them for almost fifteen years. I saw everything they saw, heard everything they heard.” She looked back up at the ceiling. “One of the disadvantages of turning a full-blooded Shiengol into a Lorkon. They could never quite turn my powers off or hide their ridiculous rooms from my view.”

Jacob frowned. He had Lorkon blood in him and he was part Shiengol. Why couldn’t
he
see everything the Lorkon did? Why could she penetrate their anti-Shiengol stuff and he couldn’t? Then he realized—he wasn’t a full-blood Shiengol, and that would definitely make a difference.

“What if they change their minds?” Dad asked.

“They don’t even know I’m here. They assume you cured and then killed me. They’re foolish and blinded by anger at this point. And besides, we won’t be unprotected. My servants are here—they’ll take care of us.”

Mom stepped to her side and picked up her hand, holding it. “Mother, was there anything else you saw? Would the Lorkon attack immediately? How much time will we have?”

Ara Liese shook her head. “They will attack as soon as they can. I don’t know when that will be, however.”

“We have things to discuss,” Dad said. He kissed Mom on the cheek. “I’ll send Amberly to stay with you until things blow over.”

Mom threw her arms around Dad, her shoulders shaking. They held each other for a long time. Finally, she pulled away, kissed him several times, and whispered, “Please, please. Take care of yourself.”

They should be left alone so they could say good-bye in private. Jacob was about to suggest it when Mom grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, along with Matt. She cried more and he felt tears stinging, then slipping down his own cheeks. What if he never saw her again?

No—no. He couldn’t think that way. He couldn’t. They would win. They’d defeat the Lorkon and their stupid army and he and Dad and Matt would run back to the manor and bring Amberly and Mom home.

She looked at Jacob, making sure he met her eyes. “Send your Minya with frequent updates. And if something happens with Mother, I’ll want you to bring me back.”

Dad shook his head. “If we’re in the middle of a battle, you’ll be staying here until things are safe again.”

“Okay.” She released Jacob, hugged Matt again, and then gave Dad another long hug. She kissed him one more time, then said, “Get going, my love.”

Jacob made sure to be walking next to Azuriah as they headed down the hallway. He had questions he needed to ask.

The servants were already gone—probably cleaning the place up or something. Or fighting huge snakes that no longer had a master.

“Why did she get really old, then young, then old again?” Jacob asked.

Azuriah rolled his eyes. “She was always one of the more dramatic Shiengols.”

Jacob started. “That’s not a very . . . uh, conventional thing to say about a dying person.”

Azuriah snorted. “Dying? Hardly. She chose to be this way.”

“What do you mean? She definitely
looks
sick.”

“And she is.” Azuriah pulled Jacob aside at the bottom of the staircase, just before the door. “Full-blooded Shiengols have an amount of control over the time and manner of their deaths.”

Jacob’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s cool!”

“Her husband was getting sick, and she didn’t want to be around after he died.” He straightened, looking back toward the room where Mom and Ara Liese were staying. “The sickness didn’t have the power to kill her unless she let it. And now, she has no desire to live.” He glanced at Jacob. “Don’t forget that even though she didn’t say it, her last memories as a living, non-Lorkon being are of her husband’s murder. She wouldn’t want to live through that over and over again for several more months or even years. And I don’t blame her.”

Azuriah got a faraway expression in his eyes, and Jacob wondered what the Shiengol thought about his wife. They obviously loved each other, else they wouldn’t have stuck around each other this long, but Jacob had never pegged Azuriah for a sentimental person. Maybe he hid it well?

“Anyway. Pambri and I have something to discuss with your father. The sooner we do it, the better.”

Just then, Amberly and Matt ran through the link, Matt chasing Amberly, who was giggling. They ran up the stairs and disappeared into Ara Liese’s bedroom.

“Let’s go,” Azuriah said.

Jacob followed him through the door. He waited until Matt jogged through as well, then closed the link. He put his forehead against the cool wood, ignoring the sounds of people rushing around him, getting things together for possibly their last official meeting before the war started.

He really hoped he’d see his mom and little sister again.

Chapter Sixteen: Borrowed Power

Dad paced the living room, absentmindedly rubbing his head. It looked like he was trying to run his fingers through his hair, but he didn’t have enough hair for that, so he settled on rubbing.

Jacob didn’t blame him for being nervous. The Lorkon had reached Troosinal and would be in Maivoryl City in only three days. That put them, if they used Molg tunnels, only a four-and-a half days’ journey away from Taga Village.

But at least Jacob and his friends had the antidote. And they knew it worked. He slumped onto the couch across from the Fat Lady and Aldo, who were still snoring, and leaned his head back. He hoped he’d get the chance to catch up on sleep later.

Dad turned to Jacob. “Everyone is coming?”

“You called them yourself,” Jacob reminded him gently.

Dad nodded. Azuriah glowered in the corner, arms folded. He’d wanted to tell Dad his plans and leave, but Dad wouldn’t let him. Not without everyone else present, Dad had said. Pambri was fine with that—she and Ebony were cleaning the kitchen, since Mom hadn’t been able to finish up in there.

Someone knocked on the back door, and Jacob went to open it. Coren the blacksmith was there, along with Aloren, Hayla, and Mr. Coolidge. Jacob stepped back, letting them enter, and Aloren surprised him by throwing her arms around him.

“I’m so glad you made it back from that stupid fire world okay!”

In the rush with the antidote, the Shiengol symbol, and the decision of the Makalos, Jacob hadn’t realized he hadn’t seen Aloren yet.

He patted her on the back, a smile on his face.

She mumbled into his shoulder. “Okay, well, you’re fine and you’re here and Mr. Coolidge says your dad wants to start talking battle stuff.”

Jacob reluctantly stepped back. “Yeah. I don’t think there’s room, though. Don’t know what Dad has in mind. There aren’t enough seats for everyone.”

“Let’s go find out.”

Jacob was right—most people were standing. They didn’t seem to mind, though. The Fat Lady and Aldo were awake, standing in the corner, looking exhausted and dazed. Hayla, Mr. Coolidge, and Pambri were now sitting on the couch they’d occupied. Pambri was fidgety, and Jacob wondered what she and Azuriah had up their sleeves.