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journey.”
    “Wise Master!” Cia cried. “You are in no condition to accompany Cody…”
    Stalkton chuckled. “How ridiculous! I haven’t quested in ages! Not since the time I awoke in an uncharted cave, naked, holding a cooking spoon, and with the distinct smell of animal dung on my fingers….” The crowd waited impatiently as the rest of the nauseating story played in his head. “No, no, no. I’m not leaving my Monastery.” The crowd exhaled a collective sigh of relief. “I will remain here and send Xerx in my place.”
    “What!” yelled Cody and Xerx in unison.
    “With the Brotherhood purged, Xerx is the most versed in the High Language. The final stage in his training can only be achieved through the teaching of others.” Cody’s eyes locked with Xerx’s, who shared his dread.
    “The Company is nine.”
    A low cough rattled as Silkian slithered before the Queen. “Ten…I will be sending my own pupil, Llyi Chazic as AREA representative.” Silkian spoke with firm authority; and although Cia and Kantan’s faces exposed clear opposition, neither voiced a challenge.
    “Ten it shall be,” Cia concluded.
    Cody dropped his eyes to the floor. “I request that Randilin accompany me as well. He has been…” His voice trailed off, realizing his breath was being wasted.
    Kantan sneered. “Request denied. The last time Randilin journeyed to El Dorado, it was as a heartless traitor; to sell out his people and rip away what was most precious to them. He will stay in his cell and rot.” Cody saw the Prince’s jaw clamp tight.
    Cia stepped forward to douse the escalating flames. “Agreed; it is too risky. This war will prosper or crumble on the outcome of this quest. We can trust no one else. You shall depart tonight under veil of nightfall. Upon the ten men of this Company does hope rest.”
    “ Eleven !” shouted Tiana from across the Great Hall. Before anyone from the surprised audience could respond, she vanished.

10
    From Dust to Dust
    IT WAS UNBEARABLE. Like the leisurely change of the seasons, the evening slogged along too slowly. Cody picked at his long-since pillaged fingernails and gazed out his bedroom window, impatient for the vibrant daylight to disappear. A thin, stone tablet on the nightstand caught his attention. Brushing aside the ruby pocket watch, he retrieved the object. His eyes ran over the smooth calligraphy:
    The Power of Full Divinity,
    Rests EnCoded Within Earthly Trinity.
    Where Sacrifice of the Pure Angel Who Fell,
    Is the Way to Retrieve the Pearl Within the Shell.
    With Humble Heart and Golden Key,
    The Universe’s Most Powerful Force Is Revealed to Thee.
    He had long since abandoned pursuit of the tablet’s prize; in part due to his mistrust of its giver, Dunstan, but also because of his dismal lack of talent with riddles. He exchanged the slab for the worn leather Book, allowing the energy to swim through his veins and revive his fatigue. Confirming that his door was locked, Cody pressed his palm against the Book’s cover.
    “ Dastanda .”
    Thousands of dust granules began sweeping across the floor from all corners of the room like an army of tiny insects ambushing an unsuspecting picnic. Colliding in the room’s center, the dust stacked like bricks, climbing higher and higher toward the roof. Then the room was still.
    Standing before him, like a phantom, was Jade. The dust incarnation took a stride toward him, grime sprinkling down with its every movement. The apparition of Jade pointed her finger and narrowed her eyes. Cody began to tremble. Her finger pivoted until it was fixated on the Book. No words were needed; Cody understood perfectly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve chosen you,” he whispered.
    “How long are you going to blame yourself for a decision you can’t undo?” asked a stranger’s voice from the corner of the room.
    “ Gai di gasme !” The silhouette of Jade crashed to the floor. Standing in the frame of the window were two men garmented in