The Marenon Chronicles Collection

Chapter Twenty-One





The group of eight travelers journeyed through the end of the night and into the morning. It had been decided that Alric and his crew would be taken to Jekyll Rock since it was near Canor and on their way back home.

Julian was not happy with the decision to allow them entry into the fortress, but they had done the Dunarians a great service by getting the medallion and Garland Ainsley thought it best that they journey together and discuss the extent of what happened in Timugo. Diplomacy was the future, Garland had said, and he needed to know how much diplomacy would be required to undo any damage done by Alric and his crew. Alric was unsure at first, but accepted, owing to the nature of who was in their presence. He and the others seemed to be as surprised as anyone on the council that Garland Ainsley was there in the flesh. The story of Garland and Silas Ainsley was well known by most in Marenon. Alric and the others were even more astonished at knowing they had been traveling with the Meshulan himself.

Julian’s thoughts shot in every direction as they came closer to the east tower of Jekyll Rock with Coffman and Lorcan behind him on Eden. Grandfather and grandson had been reunited after a gruesome death. Not much was spoken during the flight, but Julian gathered the gist of what happened to the two, just days before. Garland had promised to explain everything to Silas when they reached the fortress and Julian wondered how much Silas already knew. Did he even know there was such a thing as a prophesied Meshulan? Did he know how much would be expected of him? Julian’s position on the council carried a heavy weight of responsibility, but nothing like what would be expected of Silas in the coming months. There will be much expected of all of us, Julian thought.

Julian was told that Silas had been picked up by Alric and the others to work on the job that Julian had hired them to do. He had no clue that when Alric said he needed a fifth person that he would be hiring Silas Ainsley. Silas and Garland were two important figures from the history of the Dunarians that had now seemingly popped out of nowhere. Everything seemed to be falling into place for The Reckoning, except for the situation with Holden. Julian glanced over at Garland and Silas as they flew high in the air. From what it seemed, Silas didn’t know what was happening to him. For a few minutes Julian had Eden fly slightly ahead of the group where he asked Alric and Coffman about this. It was confirmed. Silas had been totally unaware that such a place as Marenon even existed; yet he was a highly trained fighter. Unbelievable, Julian thought. The old man hadn’t told the boy a thing.

By mid-afternoon, they reached the east tower and each person, some new and unaccustomed to riding, groggily slid off the backs of the sarians. Each of them rubbed at their stiff muscles and stretched their limbs.

“Nice place you got here,” Alric said walking away from Nalani’s tired sarian, Fury. “Looks bigger from the outside, what do you think, Coffman?”

“I think my legs are ready to fall off.”

“Sarian riding will do that to you if you aren’t used to it,” Garland said as the rest began to converge to the center.

As Julian unbuckled the harness from Eden, he squeezed the medallions that were hidden in his cloak. Unbeknownst to anyone but Nalani, he now carried two of the medallions with him. When he walked to the center of the tower where the rest of them stood waiting for him, he noticed that there were only eight sarians present. With the addition of Garland’s sarian, Skarret, there should have been nine. Quickly he searched each one until he noticed which one was missing. Holden! What would Holden be doing out?

Council members rarely took their sarians anywhere unless they were traveling on a long journey or charging to battle. Julian knew there was no battle, so it meant that Ward Holden planned to be gone for a while. It was such an odd time. He made a mental note to ask Dublin about it later. He looked at the group, weary and famished. It would be in poor taste not to care for the guests regardless of his apprehension to accommodate them. He felt uneasy about being around a group he had just hired for an illegal operation, but he managed to stifle his hesitation.

“Everyone,” Julian addressed the group. “We’ll make our way into the main hall. I will have Dublin show you where you will all be staying tonight and have the cooks prepare a meal for us.”

He gained several nods of appreciation, and as he walked by the group to lead them to the main hall, he caught Nalani’s eye. She had noticed it too. Ward Holden was missing and at such a crucial time, it could only mean bad news. He would have to talk with Nalani first, but with Silas’ arrival it was now becoming clear that Garland Ainsley had nothing but the same good intentions he had from the beginning. He had to tell Garland about Holden. It was a risk, but one he felt he needed to take because there was no one else on the council that he or Nalani could trust. He wished that he could trust Darius Umar, since the man was captain of the Dunarian Guard, the lifeblood and strength that made the Dunarians the force that they were. And if Holden didn’t have Darius by the reigns yet, then the captain was in danger. With every passing moment, the situation was becoming more serious.

*****

After a few minutes of walking through corridors and with several comments from the mercenaries about the architecture and artwork throughout, Silas, along with the others, made his way to the main hall. Julian called for Dublin as promised and told the cooks to prepare a hot meal for all that had arrived. The news came that they would dine in a few hours, giving everyone else the opportunity to bathe and rest for a short while. When Dublin arrived he stared at Silas in disbelief. His spectacles arched above his long bridged nose and his smile was disarming. Through the wrinkles in his face and the white shaggy hair dangling wildly, Silas had never seen a more happy-looking individual.

“Oh my goodness!” he said throwing up his hands. “The child has returned! What wonderful news this is! ‘Tis glad I am ta know that yeh are here with us Dunarians. Lord knows what would happen if yeh were in the hands of the terrible Stühocs.”

“What do you mean returned?” Silas asked, looking at Garland.

“We have much to discuss, Silas,” Garland said. “Dublin, if you could keep the excitement to yourself just a bit longer, Silas and I haven’t had much of a chance to catch up.”

The old man slapped a hand to his mouth. “A thousand apologies good sir! I didna know. I beg yer forgiveness!”

“No harm done,” Garland said. “Now if you’ll show our guests to their rooms.”

“Ah, yes, righ’ this way,” he said, as he brushed past, his cheeks red.

Alric and the others followed Dublin while Nalani excused herself to her quarters. Julian expressed his desire to talk with Garland before the dinner and the two agreed to meet. Julian made his exit, leaving Silas and Garland the only ones left standing in the main hall.

“It really is good to see you well and alive,” Garland said.

“It took death to bring me here. I’m not exactly happy about that.”

“Neither am I,” Garland said as he motioned to a door. “Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

Silas followed his grandfather through the door and walked down another hallway wordlessly. Silas searched his mind for what to ask first, but questions escaped him. They crossed through another doorway leading outside and Silas found himself in a beautiful flower garden atop one of the northern balconies of Jekyll Rock. The garden spread across the entirety of the ledge, teeming with life and the sweet scent of flowers. Garland spoke first.

“Silas, I don’t know how to tell you this delicately so I’m just going to say it,” he said turning to face him. “All your life I have lied to you about your past, about who you are.”

Silas remained silent.

“I told you that your mother died in childbirth and your father died while horseback riding in the mountains. At the time I justified this by telling myself that what I said was true to an extent. Your father was killed on his horse in the mountains and your mother did die in childbirth. But it is not as it seems.”

Silas couldn’t figure where his grandfather was going with this. He knew there was much to be explained.

“Your father, William Ainsley, was a member of the Dunarian Council and your mother was Erellen.”

Garland let the words sink in.

Silas said nothing. The implications of this were enormous, but what was there to say? How could his mother be Erellen? He nodded slowly for his grandfather to continue.

“During our time of fighting the Stühocs, we knew that we could not win the fight without the Erellen’s support. William took a group and tried to convince them to help us. During his expedition your father fell in love with an Erellen woman named Shelinsa, secretly married her and she became pregnant with you. While there, however, the Stühocs attacked Elysium and your father was killed, leaving your mother alone.

“Elysium?” Silas asked.

“It’s where the Erellens reside, in the Northwest of Marenon. Many ancients of Earth believed in a place called Elysium. Whether this is the same Elysium is impossible to know.”

Silas nodded thoughtfully, waiting for Garland to continue.

“Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. When your mother told others who the father was, most didn’t believe her at first for it was widely known that no Human had ever been born in Marenon. Scholars of the Erellens pointed to a prophecy that such a child would be called the Meshulan, the Erellen’s word for deliverer. Unfortunately the prophecy never stated who it is that person is supposed to deliver, or if it is only symbolic. Either way, word spread quickly about your existence and the Stühocs caught wind of the prophecy. They wanted you for themselves. That’s when I met with the Gatekeeper.”

Silas had heard his grandfather mention the Gatekeeper before, yet he never explained who he was.

“Why did you keep Marenon from me?”

Garland sighed. “I did it to keep you safe.”

“Safe?”

“The Gatekeeper, he told me never to tell you of Marenon while you were on Earth. It was a condition of your protection.”

“Protection from what exactly?” Silas could feel himself getting hot.

“From Maroke,” Garland answered grimly. “He was called up from the ranks of Stühoc soldiers by the Stühoc King, Anithistor and charged with the objective to find you and capture you. Maroke’s existence is solely focused on capturing you for their cause in order to solidify the Stühoc’s takeover of Marenon.”

“Why didn’t the Gatekeeper want you to tell me?”

“He didn’t want you to have any preconceived ideas of Marenon before you got here,” Garland said staring into the distance. “But this condition didn’t stop me from training you.” Garland winked at Silas. Silas didn’t smile. He was concentrating too hard to make any sense of what he had been told.

“What were the other conditions?”

“First let me explain something to you about the Gatekeeper,” Garland said closing his eyes for a moment. “He is a mysterious man. He appears as a Human, whether he truly is, I don’t know. I believe that he appears as what he needs to be when dealing with certain groups. I think his existence is in the magic of Marenon. In essence, I believe he is Marenon. This is all theory, of course. No one really knows who or what he is, only that he has played a roll in all major events that have happened in Marenon in some way or another, yet few have ever seen him face to face.”

“But you have?” Silas asked.

“Yes,” Garland answered. “And Kaden too. He was there when I brought you before the Gatekeeper as a baby. The Gatekeeper said he would allow Kaden back through the gate, if anything were to happen to me. But I would not be allowed to return to Earth a second time, should I lose my life again. That’s why I sent him after I died. That’s why he was your protector.”

Silas was enthralled, bracing himself for the rest of this mind-boggling information.

“You should know that there are three gates in Marenon that are known. There is one near Canor, which you and every other Human that is here have been through. There is one in Elysium and in Mudavé. The Gatekeeper is the one in charge of these gates, or so I believe. I don’t really know where they originated.”

“Was he the dog creature that was reading names from a book in the corridor at the top of the mountain?” Silas asked.

“No,” Garland said. “Their existence is another story altogether.”

Garland paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, and then continued. “The full purpose of these gates is unclear, but one thing we do know is that the Blue Gate provides a connection from this world to our world.”

“What about the Erellens?” Silas asked.

“Erellens going to our world is unheard of,” Garland answered. “Their gate has been shut for many years and it was not used to get from Marenon to Earth. Their gate is a mystery, to non-Erellen people. You have been the only one of Erellen blood who has ever accomplished moving between our worlds when you moved through the Blue Gate.”

“So, the only way to get here from Earth is to die?”

“That is what most think,” Garland said with a twinkle in his eye. “But if the gates are open, and the Gatekeeper has allowed it, then there are ways to travel back and forth without death.”

“Kaden and the medallion,” Silas said, as his eyes lit up in comprehension. “He was using it as a key before I was killed.”

“And if what you saw was correct, Maroke used that key to take Kaden back to Mudavé as a prisoner,” Garland said. “Kaden killing you was the best move for everyone, including you.”

The words were heavy, but Silas knew them to be true. The fate of being captured, brainwashed and turned by the Stühocs seemed demoralizing.

He shook his head, confused. “So, is Marenon the afterlife for every Human?”

“Hardly,” Garland said. “It’s not even the afterlife for those that are here,” he said. “Many have believed Marenon to be the afterlife, but in reality it is an extension of our life on Earth, and only a few of us at that. People come to Marenon by the thousands each year. If everyone on Earth were to come here when they died, then there would be a countless number of people coming in everyday. Marenon would be filled and crowded in a matter of months. It isn’t very big, you know.”

“How big is it?”

“One could travel by foot and reach any point in Marenon within a week’s time. Traveling by sarian one could get to the farthest reach of Marenon within twenty-four hours. But there are other lands beyond Marenon, I’m sure. Few have explored into the unknown. I imagine there is a whole world to explore past the borders of this land.”

“I see,” Silas said. He shook his head to try to process this new information, and to clear his racing thoughts a bit. “But back to the Gatekeeper,” he said.

“Ah, yes. To make a long story short, I took you in my arms and traveled with Kaden Osric to Blue Gate Mountain in search for the Gatekeeper. It was a difficult journey because at that time the Stühocs were in every part of Marenon searching for you. I carried with me the blue medallion that you and I were trying to protect only a few days ago. With its power I was able to summon the Gatekeeper to me. We talked, and of course he already knew of you. I asked him if there was any truth to the ancient prophecy in reference to you being the Meshulan or deliverer. All he told me was that the Erellens were of this world and record of prophecy should not be taken frivolously. Of course, this wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, but I did not think it wise to argue with the Gatekeeper. He speaks in riddles much of the time, but his power is greater than anyone in this world, so who would dare question him?”

“So, what happened when you asked him to let you go back to Earth?”

“He understood my predicament,” Garland answered. “I knew that the Stühocs might be able to get through the Blue Gate behind us, so I was bold and asked if he could shut the gate behind me. He agreed and said I could go under three conditions. The first was that I never tell you of this other world so that you learn of it on your own. The second was that the power of the blue medallion of Canor be fused to my life. The power of the medallion would keep the Blue Gate shut as long as I was still living and breathing on Earth. But once I died, the gate would open and the Stühocs would be allowed back in, putting you in danger, which is exactly what happened after Marcus and Theron shot and killed me at the caves.”

Silas nodded, letting the revelation sink in. “You said there were three conditions?”

“The third condition was that when we got back to Marenon that I would give you the medallion and send you to find him.”

“The Gatekeeper wants to speak with me?”

“Yes,” Garland answered. “Those were his conditions.”

“Kaden killed Marcus and Theron,” Silas said with a dazed stare. “We almost got away from the Stühocs, but they swarmed the mountain. We didn’t have a chance and now Kaden is their prisoner.”

“That is quite unfortunate,” Garland said scratching his chin.

“And Maroke has the blue medallion,” Silas continued.

Garland nodded. “Another puzzle we must solve.”

“We have to save him, Grandpa.”

Garland waited for a moment then sighed. “We can’t,” he said.

“What do you mean we can’t?”

“He’s too heavily guarded. A rescue attempt would be futile.”

Silas could feel his cheeks burn red. “You mean to say that after all the two of you have gone through, you’re going to just let him rot with the Stühocs?”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, Silas, but we have no other choice.”

Silas stepped back, away from Garland. “That doesn’t sound like you. I’ve never known you to be so callous.”

“Things are different here.”

“No, they aren’t! He’s your friend, you have to help him!”

Garland held up a hand. “Silas, you don’t understand.”

“Don’t tell me I don’t understand! You didn’t train me for seventeen years just to sit and do nothing while someone who gave up his life for me is in chains awaiting execution.”

Perhaps it was his exhaustion or maybe nerves, but anger boiled inside of Silas. He had never been so furious with his grandfather and he had never seen Garland act so coldhearted either. Silas stared at him for a long moment, turned away and began walking. He didn’t know where he was going, but there was no way he was going to let Kaden be destroyed by the Stühocs.