Read Online The Golden Symbol by Andrea Pearson - Free Book Online

.”
    Mom didn’t continue, and she didn’t need to. Jacob knew that the episode with the antidote had been very stressful for her. He regretted making his mom’s life any harder than it already was.
    As soon as she was sure of her son’s safety and after she and Dad had been updated, Mom sent Gallus, Aloren, and Onaly home. Jacob offered to Key them, but they insisted that Myler’s needs were greater than their own.
    Dad took over. “Let’s get him to a hospital. It’s obvious he’s in a lot of pain.”
    The three of them inspected Myler, who didn’t have the energy to resist. They’d need to have a plausible story for the shape he was in. Several ribs were obviously broken, and his chest was bruised. Jacob couldn’t imagine that breathing was easy. It was a miracle the man didn’t have a perforated lung.
    Mom and Jacob both drew back when they looked at the back of Myler’s neck. Instead of the oozing sore they expected, the skin was clean. Unblemished. But Myler was definitely sick. What disease did he have? He was coughing up blood—that could be attributed to the broken ribs—but he also had a fever, had thrown up twice in the last half hour, had aches and pains, and tons of other ailments.
    “It’s almost like he’s got the flu,” Jacob said.
    Dad nodded. “Many diseases share symptoms. The body does its best to rid itself of foreign bacteria and viruses by raising the temperature, making the person throw up, all of that.”
    “This is going to be very expensive, isn’t it? Who’s going to pay for the hospital bills?”
    Dad waved him off. “It won’t be a problem. We’ve got plenty of American cash, and you know that Gevkan is a very wealthy country.”
    Jacob didn’t know that, but it was a good thing to remember for when he turned sixteen and wanted his first car.
    Mom decided they’d take Myler to the hospital in Denver. Jacob would Key her, and when he couldn’t, she would fly back and forth between the hospital and home, making sure Myler was treated well and that the doctors found out what was wrong with him. Depending on how serious it was, she and Dad might need to find a way to get medications back to the people in Tadrys—assuming they all had what Myler had.
    After making sure Myler was checked in and as comfortable as possible at the hospital in Denver, Jacob took Mom back home. She’d fly to Denver in the morning, after getting a good night’s rest in her own bed.
    It had been a long night, and Jacob didn’t get to sleep until almost four in the morning. He finally drifted off, making plans to go visit Onyev—the real Onyev—the next day.
     
     
     

Chapter Four: Explanations
     
    Jacob took his time getting ready the next day. He woke up after noon and then spent a long time in the shower.
    By the time he’d eaten, dressed, and Keyed to Akeno’s new hut in the forest, it was three in the afternoon.
    Akeno was eager to see Onyev and report on how his Kaede trees were doing, and Jacob was especially excited to discuss his experience with getting the antidote from the tree.
    Assuming his magic would allow him to have that sort of conversation, of course.
    “It’s good to see you both,” Onyev said when they entered his palace and “throne” room. He’d already watered his plants for the day, and soon after they arrived, he led Jacob and Akeno into another garden area. This one was much smaller than the first and had no benches. Onyev surprised Jacob by sitting on the grass and motioning the others to join him.
    “So, tell me the happenings of your time.”
    Jacob bit his lip, hesitating. He hated the pain that always came when he tried to do something that his magic wouldn’t allow. “Well . . . we—we found the antidote.” There! He’d said it. And nothing stopped him. Good. He went on, slowly and cautiously, telling Onyev what happened, first at the location in Taga Village, then second, the location in Maivoryl City. Then he started telling about his