The Marenon Chronicles Collection

Chapter Twenty-Five





The early morning sun woke Dink even though he had been up and moving most of night. After stumbling upon the meeting of the slaves planning to revolt, he had gone straight to Emma. There had been no guard nearby, so he took his time telling her the plan. It was likely her carriage would be one of many in line to be turned into these Soldiers of the Dead, but he assured her that he wouldn’t let it happen to her.

They kissed, knowing it would be the last time they would see each other before the revolt. He had made his way back to the slave encampment and found Coffman sitting at a fire, lost in his own thoughts.

“I want to be the one to make the shot,” Dink said.

Coffman gave him a look as if to say, ‘leave me alone,’ but all he said was, “Why?”

“I’m the only one wearing Stühoc armor. I can get closer and kill their leader.”

Coffman sat a moment, considering his words, and shook his head. Dink took a seat, wondering why Coffman would be against it.

“You wouldn’t be able to get a harpoon gun any closer to Anithistor than Darren or I could,” he said.

“No, but I could stab him in the back, or maybe get a small crossbow near the platform. I could make sure he was dead.”

Again, Coffman shook his head. “Sorry, but no.”

“I don’t understand,” Dink said, frustrated. He knew he could do the job. Why wouldn’t Coffman let him do it?

“It’s more about rallying others to revolt than it is about actually killing him,” he explained. “The shot is the signal. It’s what everyone will be watching for. You go up there and stab him in the back, all you’ve done is almost silently killed an enemy. You would be dead before anyone would even know what happened. There would be no revolt.” Coffman picked up a stick and started poking the fire. “Besides. You’ve got a wife to protect, don’t you? You think she wants to see you dead up there on the platform?” Coffman shook his head. “Not a chance.”

Dink sighed and rubbed his face, exhaustedly.

“It’ll be an important shot,” Coffman said. “I hope Darren is up for it.”

“You worried about him?”

“He’s a bit fidgety. He wants out of here as bad as the rest of them though.”

“Them?” Dink said. “Don’t you mean us? You’re one of them too, you know.”

Coffman shook his head. “You and I are a lot alike. We both came here voluntarily.”

“What’s your reason?”

“I’ve found something to believe in,” Coffman said, staring at the flames. “All my time here in Marenon, I had heard of this person called the Meshulan, but I didn’t really think anything of it until I actually met him.”

“You met the Deliverer?” Dink asked. “I’ve heard stories about him, but most people where I’m from don’t hear a lot of the details. I heard he killed a Stühoc general.”

“With his own sword,” Coffman said. “I was there when he did it.”

“Wow,” was all Dink could mutter. He almost wished he had been there to see it. He had dreamed of being a great warrior, but his desire for a peaceful life with Emma now far outweighed that fantasy. “I’d like to meet the Deliverer someday,” Dink said.

“You’d be surprised by him,” Coffman said. “He’s just a kid, still a teenager. But he’s got a good heart, wants to do right. Somehow, I feel like if I can do well tomorrow, if I can make a difference and help kill Anithistor, I’d be helping him deliver Marenon.”

Dink nodded as he stared into the fire, feeling the warm air cover him. “I guess that means tomorrow is more important than just freeing a few thousand slaves, eh?”

“I think so,” Coffman said. “I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

“More than the rest of us?” Dink asked.

“Not necessarily,” he answered. “While you’re out there trying to save your wife, while everyone else is out trying to free themselves, I’ve got to free my friends and try to destroy the Stühocs’ weapon.”

“How do you suppose you can do that?”

Coffman shook his head. “No idea. I don’t even know what it is. I know what it can do, and I know that when that weapon is used on all of the slaves here, Anithistor will be able to command an army bigger than all the Humans and Erellens combined.”

“I know a little about it,” Dink told him. “I’ve overheard some conversations, but that doesn’t mean it’s all true.”

“What have you heard?”

“I heard it’s a sphere made of Human souls.”

Coffman looked at him questioningly.

Dink held up a hand. “Now, that’s just what I’ve heard. I heard the Sphere sucks out the soul and captures it inside. Technically it kills the person, but their soul remains in Marenon, and somehow the ones who command the Sphere command the souls and the bodies of the dead. Sounds weird to me, but you’ve seen it, right?”

“Sounds about right,” Coffman said. “That just makes my job more important.”

“How’s that?”

“Destroying that Sphere might release the souls,” Coffman said. “Finally let them leave Marenon.” He shrugged. “That’s if what you say is true, anyway.”

“My priority is my wife tomorrow, but as soon as I get her to safety, I swear I’ll do everything I can to help you destroy that thing.”

Coffman reached out a big hand and patted Dink on the shoulder. “You do what you need to do tomorrow. Don’t worry about the Sphere unless you figure out a better way to destroy it than I do.”

That had been several hours before and now with the sun peeking over the horizon, the slaves were beginning to gather at the Pyramid to watch the Sphere in action. Many of them had no idea what was about to happen. Most didn’t know that they would be forced into fighting for their freedom. Most didn’t know that they would probably be dead by the end of the day. Their fate had been chosen by a select few, but that select few would have the support they needed. When that harpoon was fired into the heart of Anithistor, mayhem would ensue and the Nestorians and Stühocs would be overwhelmed. By the time they had a chance to regroup, the slaves would be retreating to their encampment where some others had been secretly making some small fortifications. There were tools, so some weapons were available, but nothing as sophisticated as swords and arrows.

Ellis had instructed that they set up a line of harpoons, ready to be shot as they made the retreat. There had been a lot done in the middle of the night, but Dink feared it wouldn’t be enough.

Dink had talked a few of the leaders into possibly trying to shift the battle toward one of the western gates of the city, so those captured on the wagons could be ushered out. When he had come up with that plan, he was thinking solely of his wife, and when it came down to it, he would leave the battle with her and never look back. He wasn’t there to free all the slaves. He was there to free only one. Coffman had told him that it wasn’t Dink’s priority to help destroy the Sphere. Dink wasn’t sure how much he could really help in destroying the weapon anyway.

He had left his Stühoc uniform behind, and washed the dried blood from his face and neck, thinking it would only make him a target of both sides. Now he was truly one of the slaves and he would have no chance of escape unless the uprising was successful. He, along with hundreds of others, made his way to the Pyramid. He could see a pedestal resting on a raised platform in the middle of the giant room. He knew this was the platform he had been told about. The stairs led up to the pedestal, void of any Sphere at the moment, but he knew that would change. To the right side stood a newly constructed viewing platform where Dink figured some more of the important people would be watching the demonstration.

Two large doors on the other side of the Pyramid opened wide, allowing the carriages full of the recently captured Humans roll through. As the caravan made its way into the structure, he tried to spot Emma’s carriage, but was unable to see it clearly from the long distance. With guards all around him, he wasn’t sure how he would make it across, but he had to find a way. The faces of the prisoners were clouded with confusion and worry. None of them knew what was going on, but all of them knew it couldn’t be good.

After the carriages, came Anithistor and Mintuk, surrounded by guards. Behind them were the three prisoners that Coffman was there to save. There was a man, a woman and an Erellen. Dink couldn’t imagine the fear gripping each of them in that moment. They didn’t know that a rescue attempt was planned. All they knew was that they were there to die and no one could stop it.

The three prisoners were ushered into the middle of the room, as nearly a thousand slaves were crammed against the side walls. Mintuk and a few guards marched to the top of the viewing platform while Anithistor moved toward the center where the pedestal stood. Two guards followed closely behind while several more guards prodded at the three prisoners to move forward.

This was it. Everything would start within a few moments. In his mind, Dink was frantic to make it to his wife, but he then thought about her being in the carriage. She might actually be safer in the carriage at the start of the battle, but he would need to get her out at some point. He walked inconspicuously behind the crowd of people toward the carriages on the other side of the giant chamber. It would take him several long minutes to get to where he needed to be. He knew he probably wouldn’t be able to get to her before the battle began, but he shuffled through the crowd anyway.

He was stopped in his tracks at the sound of Anithistor’s amplified voice.

“Welcome to today’s first demonstration.”

*****

Coffman’s head jolted upward at the platform when the voice spoke. It was time. A crowd of slaves surrounded both he and Darren. He looked back down at the ground as Darren set the harpoon in place.

“How’s it going?” Coffman asked, wanting to ask him to hurry, but not wanting to make an already nervous man more nervous.

Darren cursed under his breath as he fiddled with the device. “I’m going to have to line up the shot,” he said.

Coffman wasn’t exactly sure what the best method for this would be. The slaves in front of him were ready to move when instructed, but he didn’t know if it would be obvious to the guards around them.

“Today you are about to witness the beginning of the end in the war against those that have tried to destroy us for so long,” Anithistor continued. Coffman wondered if the other slaves would find his words hypocritical. Anithistor was obviously speaking to the Nestorians and Stühocs.

“Move,” Coffman said quietly. One by one, the slaves in front of Coffman began to move to the side almost imperceptibly, giving Darren the slightest opening to fire the harpoon. He crouched to one knee, trying to line up his sight. Coffman couldn’t help but feel nervous. Darren’s fingers were visibly shaking. He glanced to his left to see Alric searching for him in the crowd. Coffman knew that his old friend’s hope must be running out. Coffman had not been able to tell him about today’s plans, but Alric knew something would be attempted.

“Today you will witness the beginning of a new era in Marenon,” Anithistor said. He reached into his black cloak and pulled out the orange medallion, placing it in the coordinating spot on the pedestal. In a flash, the stream of lighted souls shot above the pedestal, instantly beginning to spin with the power of the medallion below it.

Darren’s breathing became heavier and his hands were shaking more violently. He can’t take the shot, Coffman thought. He watched Darren wipe away a cold sweat.

“And today we begin our demonstration with two Human prisoners and the Erellen prince.”

Take the shot Darren!

Anithistor looked down at the nervous, but defiant prisoners as the glowing sphere illuminated the room. “Today, you become my best soldiers.”

Take the shot!

“Today, you become Soldiers of the Dead.” Anithistor raised up an arm, using his powers to begin the process.

Coffman looked down again to see Darren placing his head in his palm. Is he crying? Coffman reached down and threw Darren away from the weapon, and in the same motion he dropped to one knee and lined up his shot, focusing on Anithistor. Three… Two… One…

With the pull of the trigger, the harpoon went sailing at an alarming speed through the air toward the Stühoc king just below the Sphere. At first, Coffman was sure that he had hit Anithistor squarely in the chest, but the Stühoc king was too quick, using a magical shield to deflect the shot. The harpoon instead landed in the chest of one of his guards sending him flailing to the ground.

What happened next was complete mayhem. All of the slaves that knew of the uprising began fighting instantly, punching, kicking and trying to steal weapons from the guards closest to them. None of the soldiers had been ready for it. Nestorians and Stühocs alike sprang into motion, fighting back against the slaves. Coffman jumped from his spot, and tried to pull Darren up from the ground, but the man was a wreck. The pressure had been too much for him and he couldn’t bring himself to run away or to fight. He would be one of the first to die.

Recognizing what was going on, Anithistor ran for cover as many guards rushed to his side to protect him.

Coffman bolted for Alric and Nalani who had begun fighting as soon as the harpoon had landed. A Stühoc jumped in front of Coffman, swinging his sword with all of his might. Coffman jumped back from the swing, and while the creature was off balance, he tackled him to the ground. With his brute force he was able to disarm the soldier. He grabbed the sword from the ground and swung hard. The Stühoc’s head fell from its shoulders with ease.

He turned and sprinted to his friends. By this point, Alric had already disarmed his guard and was busy unlocking the chains from Daewyn and Nalani.

“I was beginning to think you forgot about us,” Alric yelled to him, picking up a sword from the dead guard.

“Yeah, I just liked the slave life too much,” Coffman yelled back.

Nalani and Daewyn had also found weapons for themselves and ran up next to Coffman.

“We’ve got to destroy this thing,” Nalani said.

“I’m guessing you’ve got a solution to that problem, dear?” Daewyn said.

Nalani had no answer for him. None of them had the answer.

Many of the slaves had been able to find a weapon or tool to defend themselves. The shift of the battle had moved toward the carriages, and Coffman led the others in that direction, thinking of Dink and his wife. The four of them came in from behind, hacking and cutting as Nestorians and Stühocs alike fought through the massive horde of slaves. Coffman could see that Dink was leading the charge to break open the carriages. He moved in the same direction, hoping he could help. Opening the carriages would allow for hundreds more fighters. Though weak and malnourished, they would be more effective if they were free from their cages.

Dink was able to break open the back carriage. The prisoners started falling out, clamoring over each other to get out of the death trap. He grabbed Emma from the cage and held her close, being mindful of the enemy. Coffman and the others tried to get to the next carriage, but the Stühocs were already moving, knowing they would lose their precious prisoners if they left the carriages in place. The Stühocs were quick to jump on the horses to lead the caravan away from the battle. With the departure of the carriages, there came another flood of Stühocs moving in the opposite direction to confront the slaves, blocking their pursuit of the prisoners.

Coffman yelled for everyone to charge into them. The Stühocs were expecting the slaves to be fearful and to run. Nearly a hundred unarmed slaves charged into the oncoming Stühocs, who were alarmed at the tenacity and fierceness of their fighting. Many of the slaves were impaled or killed instantly, but others were able to grab weapons and fight back. Their furious determination drove the Stühocs back and soon, the slaves were alone in the Pyramid.

Coffman breathed a sigh of relief, bending down to catch his breath.

“They’ll be back,” he heard Ellis yell from behind him. “They’re just reforming, making sure they all have weapons. This is our chance to get back to the slave quarters and regroup as well.”

He called out for the slaves to follow him and many of them did. The battle was far from over, but Coffman was happy to have a chance to reorganize. He eyes focused on the spinning Sphere.

“We’ve got to destroy it,” Coffman said, stepping toward it. Alric, Nalani and Daewyn followed close behind. Dink gave Coffman a look asking if they needed his help with the Sphere. Coffman shook his head and motioned for Dink to take his wife and follow the others.

None of the four were sure how close they actually wanted to get to the Sphere, but they were sure that it would do nothing to them as long as there was no one to command it. They circled around the Sphere, examining it closely.

“We don’t have a whole lot of time to just keep staring at it,” Daewyn said.

“Shut up,” Alric told him.

Coffman knelt down below the Sphere, studying the pedestal below it and the medallion shining from its slot.

“What if I just got a hammer and started beating it?” Alric suggested.

“It’s made of a very strong metal,” Coffman answered. “I don’t think it would work.”

Alric shrugged. “I was talking about the Erellen.”

Daewyn sent Alric a sharp look, which Alric returned with a smile. Nalani interrupted them.

“We can’t just stand here looking at it,” she said.

Alric and Nalani had thought they had been so close to stealing the medallion before. Yet, this whole time it was the feeding power to the giant weapon the Stühocs planned to use to win the war.

“Do we just grab it?” Daewyn asked.

Coffman shook his head. “We have no idea what will happen if we touch it. It could turn us into one of those soldiers. Or it could just kill instantly.”

“Well, there’s just one way to find out,” Daewyn said. “Step aside, I’ll take it.”

“No!” Nalani said. “If you take it, you’ll want to claim it for the Erellens. The Dunarians have worked tirelessly to collect these stupid medallions. This is the only reason I’m here at all. Let me do it.”

No one spoke a word. She was right. This was her plan, her mission. She had been given this mission months before and she stood ready to fulfill her duty. She stepped close to the Sphere, reaching her arm out slowly. She didn’t want to die, but she knew it was a risk that had to be taken. Her fingers stretched out, reaching for the orange-jeweled piece of metal when a hand gripped her wrist, stopping her from touching the medallion. It was Alric.

“Let me do it,” he said. “I’m not on your council. I don’t even know why I’m here, but let me do it. If it kills me, get out of here. Figure out a different way to get it. If it doesn’t, it’s yours anyway.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in what we were doing,” Nalani said.

“I didn’t,” Alric said. “Then I watched you as we stood next to each other, waiting to die. I don’t often see such bravery. I haven’t done many noble things in my life. Let me do this.”

She pulled her arm back, leaving her hand in his. He stared deeply into her eyes and squeezed her hand tightly. After a moment, he turned his eyes to the medallion and sighed deeply.

“Step back,” he told the others. He reached his arm out, closing his eyes tightly when he came close to it. Finally his fingers touched the hot metal and gripped it securely. He had expected to feel some sort of electric shock or to be sucked up into the Sphere, but nothing happened. He pulled his arm away with the medallion in his hand. He quickly looked down at the jewel then to the others when the ground began to shake. The Sphere spun faster with each passing second. Before any of them knew what was happening, it floated toward them, hovering above their heads. Alric tried to yell for the others to run, but no sound would come.

Finally, the Sphere turned back into a stream, flowing as a thin line straight into the medallion. A gush of wind seemingly caused by the energy whipped around each of them with deafening ferocity. Alric held the medallion outward, hoping the stream wouldn’t flow into him. It looked as though the medallion was sucking the stream of light into itself. Finally, the Sphere vanished and the light was gone.

A stunned silence fell over the four of them at what they had just witnessed. Had it worked? They knew the weapon wasn’t destroyed, but at least its source of power was gone. Coffman wondered to himself if all of the souls had been released or if they were now contained within that single medallion. Their silence didn’t last for long. The sound of the coming army of Stühocs and Nestorians grew louder in the distance. They had regrouped and were ready to take vengeance. Coffman told the others to move to the slave quarters where they would make their final stand.

All of them were happy to have disabled the weapon and gotten the medallion, but it would not matter if their enemies overran them. Their last stand was imminent.