The Marenon Chronicles Collection

Chapter Fourteen





It was the middle of the night, and only a few hours until daybreak, but Kaden had insisted that Silas get some rest. Silas knew he needed it, so he didn’t object.

For the first time in months, Silas found himself alone. The room felt cold, empty and much too large for one person. A bed sat across the room waiting for him, but he didn’t go to it at first. He set his staff on the ground and wrapped his cloak around him tightly and sat cross-legged only a few feet in front of the empty fireplace.

He was now the Gatekeeper and supposedly had some newfound power, but what could he do? What did it mean? He placed a hand out in front of him. With barely a thought, Silas conjured flames in the once-empty fireplace.

The magic is the fuel, Silas thought.

For a few minutes, he experimented with the size of the flame, and even the color. To Silas’ delight, the glow of the room changed. Blue, violet, black, and yellow. Silas found that many of the colors had different temperatures, with green surprisingly being the hottest of any of them.

Silas jumped when he heard someone knocking at his door. He turned to the fire and set the flame at a cool orange and red, then walked to the door. He opened it just a crack, but swung it wider when he saw that it was Inga. His heart nearly leaped into his throat.

“Inga, come in.”

“Sorry if I woke you,” she said.

“No, not at all. I haven’t even gone to bed yet.”

“Are you sure it’s all right that I’m here?”

“Of course. Is anything wrong?”

“No,” she said as she walked past him. “I just wanted to see how you were.”

She lowered the hood of her cloak and untied it at the neck, letting it drop to the floor. Although she was still wearing the clothes she had been traveling in since she had come into Jekyll Rock, Silas still couldn’t help but admire her beauty.

Her long black hair fell wildly past her shoulders, and her full lips remained half-opened as though she wanted to say something more, but her voice just wouldn’t let out any sound. Her green eyes bore into him as though she were studying some rare artifact unseen by anyone before.

Silas walked to her slowly and held both her arms with his hands. He could feel her start to tremble.

A single tear rolled down the side of her face. Then another, and another. Silas pressed her against him and held his left arm around her waist while his other hand held her head as she whimpered softly on his shoulder.

No words were needed. Both of them had been through so much, yet they had been afforded little time to let their emotions show. Now Inga finally had the chance to break down.

Not only had she nearly been killed on several occasions, but she had also ultimately lost the one parent-figure she had known for most of her life. Silandrin had been more than a father to her. He was a mentor, a teacher, and a friend. They had both seen him sacrifice himself to destroy the Sleeper, Theron. As much as they hated to see him gone, they knew it was a sacrifice that he had to make. Silandrin had to die before Silas could carry on with his mission.

Inga wrapped her arms firmly around Silas’ waist and didn’t let go. He had only known her for three months, but he loved her so much. He felt closer to her than anyone he had ever known. But she had never told him the same. She had never uttered the words ‘I love you’ to Silas.

They sat on the bed and Silas wiped the tears from her face, only to find them quickly replaced by more.

“Silandrin said you could die too,” she said.

This was a haunting revelation that had not escaped Silas’ mind since their conversation with Silandrin. But they could not let it dictate their actions.

“Inga, I’m not going to die. There’s too much for me to do.”

“Anithistor is very powerful.”

“And so am I, now.”

“Yes, but you haven’t had your abilities for thousands of years. Just because you have been given great power doesn’t mean you are the master of it.”

“Sounds like you’re predicting who’s going to win.” Silas knew he shouldn’t have said the words as soon as they came out, but Inga accepted them with grace.

“You just have to be careful. You may be the Gatekeeper now, but I’ve seen what can happen when people receive a lot of power without training. The magic can consume your mind. Bad things can happen.”

“And that’s why Silandrin told us that I’ll need you. You’re here to help me keep it under control.”

Inga nodded and pulled her legs onto the bed and drew Silas in behind her as she lay on her side facing the fire. His hand rested on her waist as they lay close to one another, content to stay in that position forever.

He lifted his hand and the flame in the fireplace dimmed to an even deeper red hue.

“For some reason, green is the hottest,” she said. “Silandrin could melt rock with green fire.”

Silas wasn’t sure when he closed his eyes, but the two of them didn’t stir until nearly an hour after daybreak.

When they climbed off the bed, Inga reached to the ground, took her cloak and kissed Silas softly on the cheek before they left.

There was much to be done now, but Silas had no idea where to start. After wandering through the stronghold for a few minutes, Dublin had found them and made them sit down for a large breakfast. Midway through the meal, Kaden approached the table to let them know of something happening at the north end of the city. Everyone was gathering to hear from the Meshulan.

“They all want to hear from the man that saved them,” Kaden said.

“And that man sits in a Dunarian prison cell,” Silas answered back.

Kaden nodded. “I know. But my hands are tied. He’s responsible for killing most of the council. What can I do?”

“Would the situation be dealt with differently if this had been done by any king other than Julian?” Silas asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Simply that if he were Morgan or Ruben Hobbes, would he have been treated differently? I feel like there is a deeper animosity here that goes beyond what Julian did. Perhaps Darius and Julian didn’t get along when he was on the council?”

Kaden shrugged. “Julian was controversial, but I see your point. Since he was once one of us, perhaps Darius finds it easier to punish him.”

“He is the king, not some common criminal,” Silas added.

“And he has no ill intention,” Inga said. “I’ve seen him when he didn’t know I was listening. He only wants to defeat our enemies.”

“You’re trying to convince someone who already agrees with you,” Kaden sighed. “I think Julian has been foolish, and his mistake was perilous, but we can’t just forget what he did to save us last night.” He reached for a cup and took a sip of something and swallowed hard, staring at Silas with contemplative eyes.

“Many Dunarians have no idea what Julian did to the council members, but it won’t take long for them to figure it out,” Kaden continued. “Personally, I think he should be made to face the consequences of his actions. But I also know that we need him alive. We must have his army. The people of Jekyll Rock should ultimately decide what happens to Julian, but they will listen to their Meshulan.”

“You think so?”

“I do. You are their hero.”

“More like their mascot.”

“Not true,” Kaden said sternly. “You now possess the power to finish The Reckoning, but you know as well as I that you can’t do it alone. You need a big army. That will include armies from the Erellen king and the Human king. You can rally support for Julian before word gets out about what he did. I know him well. He’ll reciprocate with his army from Farlaweer.”

“And the Erellens?” Silas asked. “They aren’t going to be happy that we have their medallion and plan to destroy their gate.”

“Well,” Inga said, “they can blame their prince for giving up the medallion. Daewyn led us to it willingly.”

Kaden smiled widely. “Silas, you not only have a new magical power, but also the title that people will follow. Even if kings want nothing to do with you, the people will be inspired by you. They’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

Kaden was right. Silas would go straight to the ones he was born to deliver. The people had grown tired of waiting for him and now he was ready to make good on a prophecy despite how misleading it had been.

Kaden led them to a balcony to point out where the citizens had gathered near the north wall, waiting to hear from Silas.

“They want you,” Kaden said. “They are ready for their Deliverer.”

The three of them walked through the city and to the north side where everyone was waiting patiently. At the first sight of Silas, the crowd began to cheer and clap as some added whistles and shouts to the mix.

Silas could feel their eyes watching him. How could he let them know that he had barely done anything to help them? They only cheered for him because he was the Meshulan, not because of what they had seen him do in battle.

The crowd’s applause continued until Silas stood alone at the top of the wall, then a heavy silence fell over them. What was there to tell them? What did they want to hear? The future was so uncertain for all of them.

Silas looked down toward the front of the crowd to see Lorcan standing next to Inga, giving her a long embrace. It had probably felt like a lifetime since they had seen each other. Nalani, Alric and Coffman stood near them, as well as Dink and Emma. Kaden stood off to Silas’ left and nodded with encouragement.

Silas’ hands began to shake, and he gripped the staff of Uriah to steady himself. For a brief second he closed his eyes, letting his new magic calm his nerves. Like a drug, the relief flooded through his veins, and he smiled, not believing how easy it was.

With the realization that he had no more to fear, he began to laugh. As he laughed, he held out his hands and let out a blast of light that sparkled through the air like fireworks. The crowd’s cheers instantly erupted again at the sight of their beloved Deliverer.

“Dunarians!” Silas said, using his magic to amplify his voice. “Today we have shown the enemy that we are no small nuisance. We have shown them that we cannot be defeated so easily.

This caused the crowd to shout out again.

“Now it’s time we show Anithistor and his pitiful army that they aren’t welcome here in Marenon. They never have been and never will be!”

The crowd’s chanting sounded out in a rhythmic pattern. “Silas…Silas…Silas…”

He held up his hands to try and hush the crowd, but they could not be dissuaded. The looks on their faces reflected pure joy, even though their city lay in ruins and the dead lay scattered throughout. Eventually they calmed, and Silas continued.

“As the Meshulan, I want to be honest with you. First, you must know that it was not I that rescued you last night. I was here in battle with the rest of you, but we only had the orange medallion below Jekyll Rock. It was King Julian Hobbes that used Marenon’s Map to save us.”

Confused looks spread across hundreds of faces.

“Although he isn’t with us at this assembly, I think we should thank him.”

Silas led them in a round of applause, and the cheers eventually caught on, becoming louder and louder. After a few moments the crowd began to chant the king’s name in unison.

Silas couldn’t help but notice Darius’ angered expression when the man realized that the king would have to be set free. Whether they knew it or not, the Dunarian people had just secured Julian’s release.

*****

Nalani had broken away from the crowd shortly after Silas began talking about Julian. She hadn’t seen him for a long time, and she was now going to see him behind bars. She didn’t exactly want to be alone with him. She knew Julian would want to talk about their past relationship, and rightfully so.

It had gone from good to bad to worse. They had been so happy together when they were just members of the Dunarian Council. They were best friends and they easily found themselves in love with each other. Both of them knew that The Reckoning would be concluded somewhere in their future, but they had no idea that it would take such an emotional toll on the two of them. They could never have predicted that it would drive them apart.

Though she didn’t want to talk to Julian about it, she felt she had an obligation to face him.

Recognizing her immediately, the guards saluted her as she came near and allowed her to pass into the compound.

Her heart sank when she saw Julian in the outdoor cage. She knew his goals had always been noble, but she also knew that he could be impulsive in his methods. She knew he had the inclination to act first and think later, but his intentions were always for the best. Julian had felt trapped these past three months. Surely after the betrayal of Ward Holden and the discovery of the memory orb that implicated others on the council, Julian had felt alone.

Nalani had been no help to him then. She had abandoned him. Maybe it had been his callousness at the death of his brother, or perhaps she thought Julian was becoming too power-hungry. Either way, she didn’t feel comfortable around him. She felt like her life was in danger just by being near him. This wasn’t necessarily because of Julian directly, but his reckless decisions seemed to affect everyone around him. As they had only days before.

There would be no speaking of this, however. She knew Julian. He would never forgive himself for what happened to the council members, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from trying to finish what he started.

He jumped to his feet when he saw Nalani walking toward the compound. The sound of the energetic crowd carried through the air as Silas continued to rally their support.

“Nalani,” Julian said, brushing the dirt from his clothes. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“Likewise,” she said, standing back from the bars. “That is, I didn’t know you were coming last night.”

“I had no idea there would be a battle raging at Jekyll Rock either,” he said.

“You saved us all. Me. My parents. All of us. We owe you.”

“It doesn’t make up for what I did to the council.”

“We have to move past that, as horrible as it was,” she said. “Silas has the Dunarians loving you right now.”

“I heard them chanting my name. I had hoped that they weren’t calling out for my execution.”

Nalani shook her head.

“We’re going to need a scout team,” Julian said, changing the subject. “We must see what we’re up against in Mudavé, and I want to lead it.”

“But you need to bring your soldiers from Farlaweer.”

“I can send a messenger to Robin. He’ll bring all the soldiers from Farlaweer. And I can send more messengers to Hanzad and Canor to gather what reserves they have, though there will be few from either of those places.” He started pacing his cell as though Nalani wasn’t even there. It was like he was talking to himself. “Silas will move first to destroy the Blue Gate, I’m sure. Then he’ll march to Elysium to gather support from the Erellens, but they’ll have to agree to allow him to destroy the Green Gate. But when he gets their support, they’ll march with us to Mudavé.” Satisfied with his assessment, he smiled and looked up at Nalani.

“Who do you want for your taskforce?” she asked.

“You and the mercenaries,” he said.

“Inga will want to be near Silas. They’ve been training together and Silas will need more guidance with his magical powers.”

“Fine. All of you minus Inga.” He seemed disappointed.

“What else are you planning?”

“I need to look into something in Mudavé,” he answered. “I killed Mintuk last night, so that should only leave two Sleepers, Marcus and a man named Damon. They’re planning something against Silas, I know they are.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because, I would if I were one of them. It will be their last stand. They’re going to bring everything they’ve got to take him down.”

“You know Darius won’t be happy that we’re planning to release you, much less let you lead a group to Mudavé,” she said.

“I know,” he said, looking down at his feet. “I had the man strung up to be executed. He has the right to wish I’d rot. But if he wants the support of Farlaweer, then he doesn’t have a choice.”

A long pause stood between them. Julian was right. The Dunarians needed all the help they could get. Imprisoning Julian had only been an act of fleeting anger. It was unrealistic to think Darius would be granted his retribution in a war like this. Julian was one of their biggest allies, despite his ignorant conflict with the council members.

Even though their romantic relationship could never be rekindled, she couldn’t help but miss what they used to have. Being near Julian brought up old feelings that she no longer wanted from him though. He used to make her feel safe, but that felt like a lifetime ago.

Julian looked at her with regret in his eyes, and a longing that he should have known she could not fulfill. “We can make it work, Nalani. It’s not too late for us.”

“But it is too late, Julian.”

“Why?”

She stepped a foot backward.

“Nalani, we’re about to win this together! Soon, this will all be over.”

She moved another step backward. For some reason she felt hot liquid sting her eyes. She had not imagined this would be so difficult.

“Nalani,” Julian called out.

“I’m sure someone will be by later to let you out.”

“Nalani!”

She turned sharply and walked out of the compound before he could see her tears fall.