The Marenon Chronicles Collection

Chapter Thirty-One





Julian Hobbes stood along with the rest of the council and some fifteen others surrounding the funeral pyre of Garland Ainsley on the western bank of the Zasca River, a few miles away from Jekyll Rock. Nalani placed a warm hand in his as they stared at the body where it would soon turn to ash. It was almost sunset and the river was blanketed by the sun’s shimmering warmth.

He looked to his left and saw Silas standing next to his former mentor, Kaden. Silas would be Kaden’s new project and Julian was fine with that. Julian’s training had long since finished and he knew Silas deserved to learn from someone like Kaden. Kaden still did not approve of Julian’s method of getting the medallion from Timugo, but the two had more or less reconciled over the argument. It was behind them now and they had gained some valuable allies in the process. He feared, however, that overall, their allies were thinning.

Julian’s gaze drifted to the faces of the rest of the council, one by one. The only ones he could trust from the council were Nalani and Kaden. The others, Katherine Fallera, Darius Umar, Myron Lloyd and Quincy Todd stood there innocently, probably contemplating their next move for takeover, but Julian smiled as he thought about how they would not be able to do any such thing. Ward Holden and Maroke were both dead. These were two key figures in their plot. Of course, the official story was told that Holden had fought with them gallantly, but his body had to be left behind. Julian knew the others had to accept this story as true as not to give away their position. He reached his hand in his pocket and felt the golden key that he had taken off of Holden. According to the traitor it was proof against the others on the council. Julian would have to confirm this proof before there could be any confrontation.

He also thought about the four medallions the Dunarians now possessed. The blue medallion of Canor, the white medallion of Timugo, the purple medallion of Farlaweer and the red medallion of Mudavé were all safe. Only a precious few knew they were now hidden underneath Jekyll Rock where only Kaden had access. Thanks to Garland, Julian also had access to the lower chambers of Jekyll Rock, but this was something he kept to himself. The less others knew about his knowledge, the safer he was. Until Julian and the others were able to obtain the other two medallions, the green medallion of the Erellens and the orange medallion of the Nestorians, there was no need to use any of the others, at least not yet.

Next to the golden key in his pocket lay the folded letter that his brother Morgan had given him. Julian had taken Garland’s advice and read the letter instead of destroying it, as he would have originally liked to do. He read the letter continuously until he had it memorized. He reread the message in his head, paying close attention to every word, every sentence, just to make sure it said what it blatantly meant to say.





To the esteemed Julian Hobbes,

I write this letter to you not only as your brother, but also as your king. As king it is my duty to choose a successor before my time in this land is done. By neglecting to do so, I leave the throne to ones whom I do not desire to sit upon it.

It is with many hours of thought and long heartfelt reflection that I name you, Julian Hobbes, as my successor to the throne at Farlaweer, to rule over Humankind throughout all of Marenon. Do not think of accepting this responsibility as an honor to your brother or king, (for I have been neither to you), but to the honor of Marenon. It can be better served by one with values that hold true to the principles of our father and those that wish and have always wished for the betterment of Humankind.

A copy of this letter has been personally handed to the royal magistrate by my own hand, along with the instructions to tell no one of its existence, or to contact you unless you specifically ask for it. I hope you will accept this responsibility. You would make our land stronger and our father proud.

Your King, your brother,

Morgan Hobbes





Julian had told no one about the letter, not even Nalani. He would eventually have to, of course, but there was much more work to be done. Within days Julian would be king over Humankind in Marenon and there was nothing the Stühocs could do to stop it. This, he knew, would be the path to destroying the Stühocs, fulfilling The Reckoning. He couldn’t help the pain that stabbed his heart, however. That night he and his brother fought on the balcony would forever haunt his dreams. Morgan was trying to reconcile with Julian and Julian had let him die. It was a hard truth that he was going to have to live with. He did, however, find some satisfaction in the death of Holden and Maroke, for the two were instrumental in his father’s death. Ruben Hobbes had been avenged.

The fire was lit. Julian felt sad for Silas that he had to come back into Marenon the way he did. He came into life as every other Human had in Marenon. There was no peace. There would be no peace until the Stühocs were gone. He pulled Nalani closer to him and kissed the side of her head. As long as Julian was alive, the fight for peace would go on. He now held the power to make peace happen.

*****

Silas held to his staff with one hand and wiped his eyes with the other as he watched his grandfather’s pyre burn brighter than the setting sun. It had been several days since their fight had taken place on the fortress plateau in Mudavé, and now Silas was being hailed as a hero throughout the city of Jekyll Rock. He didn’t feel like a hero, however. He felt as if he had lost everything. There was no direction for him to go. He knew he had to find the Gatekeeper, but that was all he knew. He didn’t know if he had the strength to ask more questions, and he certainly was not ready to search all of Marenon for some elusive man. Kaden was there, however, ready to take the next step with Silas when the time was right. He had promised to help Silas along the way and to get him ready for the months to come. The defeat of Maroke was only a small step in the right direction, Kaden had told him. There was much more work left to do and much more to be planned in The Reckoning.

Two hands gently grabbed ahold of Silas’ arm. Inga. Even amid his grieving, he felt a jolt in his heart every time he saw her. He was glad to see that Inga, Coffman, Lorcan and even Alric had decided to stay in the city of Jekyll Rock for a while. Alric joked that the Dunarians had paid him enough to retire, but Silas knew that none of them wanted to leave. He never asked, but he thought that perhaps Alric and the others had finally found what they had been looking for. Perhaps instead of going from job to job for money, helping the Dunarians was what best suited them. The decision about whether they would be granted a position with the Dunarians had yet to be determined. Many tasks were put on hold out of respect for Garland.

Every sarian, except for Skarret, soared overhead, honoring their fallen leader. The injury to Skarret was harsh and painful, Dublin had told them, and the creature wouldn’t be flying for several weeks.

Silas learned before the ceremony that funerals in Marenon were extremely rare for Humans. Most people did not desire to be observed more than once, but for someone with such renown as Garland Ainsley, a funeral was expected. It was a symbol of honor and respect.

He looked across the way and saw two men standing tall and strong, almost angelic. Their blonde hair and slender build gave away what they were, but who was a mystery. They were Erellens, perhaps friends of Garland’s or maybe they had fought beside him many years ago. He sighed and looked at Kaden.

“So, what happens next?”

Kaden turned his head from the flames to meet Silas’ eyes. “From the beginning I swore to protect you, Silas.” Kaden paused for a moment then continued. “The best way for me to do that is to train you for the fight ahead. Defeating Maroke was a victory, but it was a small victory. The Stühoc King Anithistor still drives his legions to a deeper hatred. A fallen general is easy to replace in his eyes.”

Silas shuddered slightly and turned his gaze back to the fire. He watched the smoke that rose into the darkening sky, feeling the pain of losing his grandfather again.

Wherever Garland was this time, he hoped that he was finally getting some peace and quiet.

The thought made him smile.