Jacob looked up instantly recognizing the rogue. “Marcus?” he questioned, taken aback by the shock of suddenly seeing him. “What—what are you doing to here?”
Marcus smiled, pointing a dark warrior hollow weapon at Jacob.
“My name is not Marcus! I am known as Lord Tardab by my warriors and from now on you are to address me as such!”
“Tardab? Than you’re the spy? I should have known by your fake lisp!”
“Not fake Jacob, I just finished up an appointment at Smiley’s Dental Office,” he replied, and then smiled showing off a perfect full set of new white teeth. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about me, and yes I am glad to say they are all true! I am one of the twelve great tyrants of King Lacsar. I was once a mere sentinel’s apprentice like you, and on the very day of graduation to sentinel I was captured by dark warriors and shown the greater power of dark energy. What they’re telling you is all lies, Lacsar is the true and only king, and his power is unstoppable!”
Jacob rose to his feet and angrily glared at Marcus. “But how could you be a sentinel without being discovered,” he questioned, finding it all too incredible to believe.
“Because your magistrate is a fool and my appearance was altered after I served as an apprentice, so now unrecognizable I merely introduced myself as a transferred sentinel and showed him my orb. Of course he never thought to check my background or even ask me questions.”
“Then Emalynn was right, the magistrate is working with you?”
Marcus broke into a cackle and smiled again, once more showing off his shiny teeth. “That idiot, come now Jacob why would I want to employ such an imbecile! Truth is he’s more useful to us by working for the sentinels. Look at what he’s done for me already! He hired the gobzards to keep everyone out of the castle so he could search for treasure and steal it for himself. So now I have free use of hired mercenaries any time I need them. I used them to steal Buckburne’s orb and also keep tabs on what the magistrate was planning. He had planted in the DCR course one last hidden turn so his racers Recartaf and Tespeht could win the race. He had them eat fairy seeds, and with their enhanced navigation skills they would easily read the course’s map, making them the only ones capable enough to win the bones of the barbary lamb. With the bones in his possession he planned to use them to uncover the castle’s treasure. But I ingeniously arranged for a gang of fairies to drop their pouch of seeds in front of you to thwart his plans. And now I have the perfect fall guy to take the blame for murdering you and your friends. They’ll naturally investigate him since witnesses have seen his gobzards bring you here and they’ll then discover his flubbed attempt to rig the race, easily concluding that he murdered you and your friends to steal the barbary lamb bones. No Jacob, we don’t need him on our side, he’s helping us on his own ignorant accord, through his own blundering actions.”
“But what about the Book of Galeeky? You tried to steal it?”
“I see no harm in educating you now,” smirked Marcus. “Your right, I came to Sentinel Village with the sole purpose of stealing the Galeeky Book under the orders of your uncle, the Dark King.”
“He’s not my uncle!” snapped Jacob.
“He’s very much aware of you though,” replied Marcus with a grin, seeming to find pleasure in his own annoying remarks. “No more Book of Galeeky and Dallanbach will be producing shoddy sentinels. In time the sentinels will lose many of their great secrets and their skills will become second-rate, opening the new order for us to expand to the other realms. After I failed in my first attempt to steal the book, Buckburne Scurvey disappeared taking the book with him into hiding. However I managed to steal his orb from the Magistrate and set a trap for your dear Mr. Pitts. If you hadn’t rescued him, he would have eventually revealed where his friend was and where the book is. But that’s when you made two fatal mistakes, you used a netter, and in the Dark Realm netters have been blocked by our great one’s magic. Only another great one can use a netter in the Dark Realm. And then you controlled a dragon, again only a great one can control a dragon. So Prince Frost, that’s when I discovered who you really were, and I then set out to kill you with my Zatsen. Your dear friend Mr. Oubladew helped out by telling me where you’d be that day. And later, when I over heard you in the tavern celebrating your discovery of the lost stone seal, I knew that I had been fortunate, very fortunate indeed that you had survived. With the stone seal in my possession I’ll be able to complete my mission and take the Book of Galeeky for my king. Now tell me where is the seal, or I shall have my gobzards crush your friends?”
“I understand,” replied Jacob, nodding his head. He knew he had no other choice, his friends were more important than the Galeeky Seal. Slowly he reached into his pocket and pulled out the seal.
“Get it!” demanded Marcus.
A gobzard stepped forward and ripped the seal from Jacob’s hand, passing it off to Marcus.
Marcus stared at Jacob suspiciously. “You gave in too easy Jacob! Even after I told you I’d kill you all anyway you still gave me the seal? Why? What are you planning there boy?”
Stunned by his reaction Jacob stared back. He had not really been planning anything and now he felt stupid for giving in so easy, guaranteeing their deaths.
“But you don’t know for sure if that’s the real seal do you?” he replied in a belated attempt to now resist. “Maybe it’s fake and maybe it’s real, but until you test it you won’t be able to kill us.”
“You think me a fool?” Questioned Marcus. “You’re planning on me taking the test and getting cursed aren’t you? But you forgot that I once was a sentinels’ apprentice. I’ve already passed the test and can easily use the seal anytime at my discretion to find the Book of Galeeky.”
“Or, maybe that seal’s a fake,” stammered Jacob, trying his best to confuse him, “and I have the real seal hidden somewhere else.”
“A poorly contrived distraction; but I will do more than you suggest and use the seal to recover the Book of Galeeky. If you make one move while I’m preoccupied the gobzards will kill you and your friends.” Marcus signaled with his hand and two armed gobzards stepped forward placing their sharpened axe blades on top of Emalynn’s and the Lynex’s cocoons. “If you try anything, the slightest move, or even make the smallest noise, their axes will slice through your friends.”
Without warning Jacob felt a tickle erupting from behind, and he grabbed for his bottom with both hands, trying his best to hold it in, but he was too late. A loud ‘PIPPITY POP POP POP,’ echoed through the room.
Marcus smiled as he handed his hollow tube to a gobzard and reached into his sentinels pack, pulling out his orb. “Very clever! Your friends are searching the castle for you using Celser Whiff. But we’re hidden too deep, it will take them hours and several gallons before they can find us. By then we’ll have finished our business won’t we! But in the meantime you and the gobzards can at least enjoy the wonderful smell!”
Marcus laughed at his own joke and then hastily inserted the Galeeky Stone Seal into the bottom of his orb. The gobzards crowded closer to smell Jacob, and Marcus instantly vanished from the room.
In another place, at an unknown spot in between dimensions, Marcus materialized on a marble floor. A wisp of smoke approached, and Dr. Galeeky appeared leaning calmly on his staff.
“It’s you!” exclaimed Marcus sharply with a shudder.
“Ahh, Marcus. You have arrived for the test. I have been expecting you,” said Dr. Galeeky. “I am Doctor Galeeky. Doctor because I hold a Doctorate in Sentinel Defense. I am the trainer of the sentinels. And I am very pleased that you have chosen to be here to take the test of the Galeeky Seal.”
“What are you up too?” shouted Marcus. “W-Why are you here?”
Dr. Galeeky waived his staff and Marcus immediately vanished, reappearing back in the castle standing before himself, Lord Tardab who was holding a large book bound in gold leaf, and the six gobzards. In disbelief he stared at his hands, exclaiming, “NOO! I’M JACOB NOW! NOOOO! NOOOO! DON’T DO ANYTHING! DON’T DO ANYTHING! I”M LORD TARDAB! THE GALEEKY SEAL IS TESTING US WITH THE FIRST TEST AGAIN! I’M REALLY YOU!”
Lord Tardab smiled. “You think me a fool! Prepare to die Jacob!”
A gobzard stepped forward holding an axe.
“NOOOO! I’M NOT JACOB I’M YOU AND I CAN PROVE IT. IF YOU KILL ME THAN YOU KILL YOURSELF! JUST GIVE ME A MOMENT, IT WON’T COST YOU ANYTHING TO LISTEN FOR ONLY A MOMENT!”
Instantly the gobzard swung his axe and the test was over.
Marcus reappeared on the floor, lying motionless as a puddle of blood formed around his neck. The orb rolled from his hand and stopped just short of Jacob’s foot.
“He’s—he’s dead,” stuttered Jacob in shock. “He was wrong. The seal did test him again like it tested me, and he received the worst of the Galeeky curses.”
The two gobzards lifted their axes off the golden cocoons, turned, and with the other gobzards they hurriedly left the room. “BANG! BANG! KABANG!” “I wished they’d stop doing that!” muttered Jacob, rubbing his rear again. He bent down and rummaged through Marcus’ pack, pulling out the can of netter spray. “I’ll have you free in a second,” he said, as he sprayed Emalynn’s and the Lynex’s cocoons. The netters quickly melted away, and Emalynn and the Lynex soon rose to their feet, staring in distress at Marcus’s body.
“Yuck! He’s really dead! Jacob, How’d you know that the Galeeky Stone would curse him?” she asked, still staring down at Marcus.
“I was just hoping to keep him busy and maybe fudazzle the gobzards. But I didn’t count on them putting their axes to you. I had no idea that the seal would do that to him.”
“Good work anyway Jacob, now let’s get out of here! This place gives me the creeps!”
“Good thing he took the test,” said the Lynex, as he stepped over and kicked Marcus’s body. “I was just about to break free of that netter and would have torn him apart. He would have regretted tangling with me!” The Lynex then shook his head and sighed, “But what a waste of a nice set of new teeth!”
“Jacob picked up Marcus’ orb and removed the Galeeky Seal. “Yeah, I’m with you, let’s go!” he exclaimed, tossing Marcus’ orb back onto the ground.
As they started down the stairs Emalynn smiled. “I guess this means I won the bet!”
“It looks like you did!” replied Jacob, disinclined to admit it. “Must be your lucky day, you won twice over. But wait until next time, I won’t be so easy on you.”
“Oh come off it Jacob, you didn’t go easy on me. That’s always your excuse.”
“Yeah, well I’m always going easy on you so you won’t feel bad and cry like a little girl!”
“No you haven’t Jacob! Admit it! You lost this bet fair and square!”
“I think next time I’ll really try and win so you won’t be so bigheaded about it.”
“Me bigheaded? Just because I won, now I’m bigheaded? You’re just a poor sport, that’s all! You can’t stand that a girl is always’ beating you!”
“BING, POPPETY BANG, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM,” echoed a deafening Celser Whiff explosion.
Jacob and Emalynn immediately ceased their disagreement and stared in disbelief at the Lynex. “Did that come from you?” questioned Jacob, surprised at such a loud Celser Whiff blast.
“Great Lynex’s can do great clamor!” said the Lynex, holding out his chest as he rubbed his rear.
From down the long corridor Jacob heard a faint cry. “Jacob, Emalynn!”
“MR. PITTS,” cried Emalynn in response. “OVER HERE!”
Within moments they saw Mr. Pitts and Hobble rushing down the corridor towards them, each holding an uncorked bottle of Celser Whiff.
“Are you all right?” questioned Mr. Pitts, drawing closer.
“Yeah, we’re fine,” said Jacob, as he held up the Galeeky stone seal. “It was Marcus. He’s Lord Tardab! He found out that we had recovered the seal and held the others hostage so I would give it to him.”
“What! Lord Tardab!” exclaimed Mr. Pitts.
“It wasn’t the magistrate after all,” said Emalynn. “It was Marcus and like Jacob said we found the Galeeky stone seal and he took it from Jacob and then tried to use it to get the book of Galeeky. But the seal’s curse got him and he’s dead!”
“Thank goodness for the curse,” said Mr. Pitts, sniffing the sweet air. “I just don’t know what I’ve done if I lost you three!” As tears fell from his eyes he reached out with his long gangly arms and scooped them all up in one big crushing hug, smashing them all uncomfortably against one another.
“Ouch!” complained Emalynn.
“We’d better get ye all ta eh safe place,” said Hobble.
Mr. Pitts released his grip and said, “Your right. There’s a battle going on now between the gobzards and the sentinels. I must say it’s rather exciting. Hobble and I broke away to search for you.”
“Can we watch?” asked Jacob. “I promise we won’t get in the way.”
“Not this time,” replied Mr. Pitts, as they began making their way back through the dark corridor.
As the evening passed the crowds in front of the Frosty Mug Tavern were beginning to thin, and back inside the boarding house Mum was sitting in the living room anxiously tapping her foot on the floor. The door opened and Emalynn stepped in first, followed by the others.
“Are you all right!” she screamed, standing up and rushing forward.
“Yes Mum, they’re just fine,” said Mr. Pitts.
Mum bent over and gave them each a hug. “You don’t know how much I worried! The whole village is in an uproar over you three!”
“I suppose it did cause quite a commotion,” said Mr. Pitts. “Jacob, I think I’d better take the Galeeky Seal now before someone else bad happens.”
“But Mr. Pitts, I’m ready to use it to retrieve the Book of Galeeky now. Can’t I at least finish up my tests and try to get the book first?”
“You what? Did you start the tests?”
“Yeah I’m part way through and ready to finish them off now and get the Book of Galeeky!”
“You started the test?” questioned Emalynn. “You shouldn’t have risked it!”
“My father, my uncle, and even Mr. Pitts have taken the tests. I knew that if I were to ever become a real sentinel like them, I had to do it, I had to prove myself too!”
“You didn’t spit out Dr. Galeeky’s cookie did you?” asked Mr. Pitts, wrinkling his brow.
“Yeah I sort of did, but he didn’t see me do it.”
“You’re very fortunate Jacob,” said Mr. Pitts, shaking his head. “I spat out his cookie and he cursed me with a never ending foot fungus.”
“Oh how terrible!” exclaimed Emalynn.
“All right Jacob, I suppose if you’ve started the tests we’ve no choice now but to let you finish them. Otherwise you will be forever cursed. Do you feel you are really ready to finalize your tests,” said Mr. Pitts, placing a hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “You will only have one shot at this!”
Jacob nodded in reply.
“Okay than Jacob, go get your orb.”
Without wasting another second, Jacob dashed to his room and holding his orb in hand he flew back down the stairs in record time. He pulled the seal out of his pocket and then held it ready.
“Good luck Jacob,” said Emalynn, with a slight quiver in her voice.
Mr. Pitts smiled and gave Jacob a thumb up for encouragement. Jacob nervously smiled back and then placed the seal under his orb. In a flash he disappeared from the room, finding himself standing back in front of the gathering of smoke.
“Well Jacob, you have returned for the final grading,” said Doctor Galeeky, as he finished materializing in the shape of a tangible person. “If you fail you will be cursed, are you sure you are ready to be evaluated now?”
“Yeah, I might as well get it over with.”
“Very well then,” replied Dr. Galeeky, leaning on his staff, “this grading will determine your acceptance as an apprentice or as a recipient of my permanent curse, either way your life will be radically different from here on out. To begin with, in the first test you were to learn to treat others the way you would want to be treated yourself. Your behavior toward the Lynex was unfit for a sentinel and I am glad to report that I find your ways have changed for the better. I saw proof of that in the Dwarf Carpet Race when you thought of Emalynn’s well being rather than your own glory. You helped her to win the race and put her welfare above your own selfish bet. I would have to say conclusively that you have passed the first portion of this test. Now in the second phase of my test you saw your mother’s and aunt’s great sacrifice, learning that it is through others sacrifices that you receive the good in life. The question is what have you done with that knowledge? Well Jacob this second test is the most difficult portion of my exam, and I am proud to say that you passed it as well. I saw in your heart, as you faced Marcus tonight, you were prepared to sacrifice your life in order to save your friends. That is the mark of a true sentinel. It took great courage to face Marcus, and the same courage is required to be a sentinel of the realms. Humility and courage are the two qualities we require from our students, and that is why we call for this test. Humility is the foundation of learning and courage is the seed for growth. No sentinel is without these two qualities. It is in these two great characteristics that our sentinels become true heroes, willing to sacrifice for the benefit of others. And so I am proud to accept you as a sentinel apprentice Jacob. And I offer you my sincere congratulations. But then how can you be an apprentice without the Galeeky Book? Hold out your arms Jacob.”
Dr. Galeeky waved his staff and a large fat book, bound in solid gold leaf suddenly appeared, resting on top of Jacob’s arms. Jacob could not help but flinch from the heavy weight.
“Within these pages,” continued Dr. Galeeky, “is the knowledge of the sentinels. You will be tested as you progress in your training, and if you apply yourself well, you will become a great sentinel, as was your father. I expect to see you again soon Jacob Frost.”
Dr. Galeeky waved his staff and Jacob instantly vanished, reappearing back in the living room with the Book of Galeeky in his arms and his orb in hand.
“Well done Jacob, well done!” praised Mr. Pitts excitedly, slapping him hard on the back.
Jacob off loaded the heavy book to Mr. Pitts and then tried to rub his sore back, as Emalynn lunged forward giving him a hug.
“You didn’t win the bet Jacob, but tonight you’re the real hero!” she exclaimed.
“Oh let me give you a hug too Jacob!” cried Mum, charging toward him and crushing him in her vice like grip. “I’m so proud of you!”
“That was great,” said the Lynex. “I knew if you hung around me long enough you’d become a great hero just like me!”
“Oh no!” thought Jacob, as his horrid cravings once again began resurfacing. The sudden tingling sensation had erupted within his gut, rapidly spreading dark foreboding feelings throughout his entire body. The stabbing pain began beckoning him to return to the Dark Realm. “This isn’t the time for this to be happening to me now!” he thought, as orb coordinates and images of a white palace began to flash into his mind. At last Mum released her long hug and he glanced down at his hand, seeing his ring aglow. Immediately he knew that it was another severe attack coming, and just when he should be celebrating his accomplishment the hunger to feel and feed on dark energy had intruded on his special moment. Even if he had qualified himself as a sentinel’s apprentice, it meant nothing now if he was destined to end up as a slave to dark energy like lord Tardab had. He did his best to feign a smile and stand straight, wanting to escape to some place where no one could see him suffer. He began to shiver and sweat. Somehow he had to rid himself of this dark spell, and it had to be soon, or else he would completely lose out to the over powering cravings!
“Righteoo, I’ll send word out tonight to the other sentinel trainers, and tomorrow we’ll announce Jacob’s recovery of the Book of Galeeky to everyone else at the apprentice ball. Of course you two will have tomorrow off to prepare yourselves for the evening’s festivities.”
“This calls for a celebration of our very own,” said Mum. I have some fruit punch in the fridge and a fresh bath of butter cookies waiting on the table. Will you all join me in the dinning room? Oh what a day it’s been!”
“Certainly, Mum,” said Mr. Pitts, rubbing his hands together. “We all enjoy a tasty celebration now and then!”
Mum headed to the kitchen and the group drifted into the dinning room. Trembling, Jacob reached out and rested his hand on the Lynex’s shoulder, holding him back from joining in with the others. Doing his best to keep his focus, he bent over and quietly whispered, “I—I really need your help. Could you meet me secretly in my room later tonight? I have a special assignment for you.”
“Master Prince,” replied the Lynex, as his eyes began to moisten with excitement, “I the great Lynex stand ready and prepared for any mission of danger. I will be there!”