The Marenon Chronicles Collection

Chapter Twenty-Four





All was quiet outside the city of Mudavé, though the group of four could still hear the raging battle in the distance. Silas was surprised and relieved that no Stühoc had attacked them even though Inga had dropped their invisibility some time ago. He knew he had the ability to take on just about any enemy, but he had used too much of his power in the battle earlier. The others could see his fatigue too, but none of them expressed their concern.

They followed a path with large rock walls on either side of them. It wound around so much that none of them could see further than twenty feet ahead. The path looked exactly like the one from his dreams, making him wonder if his father truly was alive.

His father.

It was a long shot, but Silas wished it were true. If William Ainsley were alive, then that would mean he wasn’t truly alone in this world. His father would be there to help guide him toward the Red Gate, and Silas would feel unstoppable. Silas’ father had told him that destroying the Red Gate would mean his death, but the thought did not necessarily bother him. He had accepted it as part of his responsibility as the Meshulan. He didn’t fear it.

Kaden had quickly dismissed the possibility of Silas’ father being alive. Silas assumed this was because of Kaden’s relationship with Will – Kaden probably just hoped he wasn’t alive.

The memory Silas saw in Kaden’s mind had been unexpected to say the least. To know that Kaden had been in love with Silas’ mother and a rival to his father was unreal.

But here he was, at the end of it all, and Kaden had no idea that Silas knew of this. Though Silas did not fear the end, he felt that so much had been left unsaid. His friendship with Kaden felt like it had only started. His relationship with Inga felt like it could have gone somewhere. But this was the end.

Now Silas was ready to close the doors behind him.

“I want to be honest with all of you before we part ways,” Silas said as they walked forward.

He took a deep breath. “Kaden, I guess it doesn’t matter now, but I want you to know that there’s a very real possibility that I could die without having defeated Anithistor.”

Kaden said nothing to this.

Silas continued hesitantly, unable to read the man. “Silandrin told me that the prophecy only pointed to me as the possible Deliverer. There are no guarantees.”

“I know,” Kaden said. “I’ve known for a few days now.”

Silas stepped closer to Kaden. “How?”

“Jiaros told me. Silandrin broke the news to him before you came to Elysium the first time.”

Silas looked at the dirt, eyebrows furrowed, and then looked up at Kaden. “Sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Kaden shrugged. “There’s no point in apologizing for it. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I didn’t want you to feel like you needed to be overprotective of me.”

“Well, I suppose I might not have let you fight with us at Jekyll Rock the other day had I known then. We’re here now. You are alive and where you are supposed to be.”

“And my father is here too. Somewhere.”

Kaden sighed deeply and cocked his head at Silas. “You really think that’s real, don’t you?”

“I hope it is,” Silas said. “But I understand that you wouldn’t be completely thrilled.”

“Why do you say that?”

Silas didn’t know if telling Kaden that he had tapped into the secrets of his mind was such a good idea, but this could be the last time they saw each other. Silas wanted to know more about it before he went to face his possible doom.

“When I was searching your mind for my father’s image, I saw a memory.”

Kaden stiffened at Silas’ words.

“I know you meant to keep it from me, and I guess I understand, but I can’t help what I saw.”

“And what is it that you saw?”

“You and my father were not friends. Apparently my mother had chosen to marry him, but you weren’t happy with that. You weren’t happy because you loved her.”

Kaden looked away, avoiding Silas’ stare. Inga and Lorcan watched in silence as the conversation unfolded.

“I won’t deny that I loved your mother,” Kaden said. “She was a wonderful woman; the most beautiful Erellen in all of Marenon.”

Silas smiled. “I saw her in your memory. She was beautiful.”

Silas was surprised to see the water in Kaden’s eyes thicken into tears, but the warrior did not let them fall. Silas then knew that it had not just been some fight of reckless passion, but something deeper. Kaden had truly been heartbroken by what had transpired on that day. Silas knew that now wasn’t the time to delve into such a story. A battle was raging in the distance and Anithistor was waiting to destroy Silas. But Silas wasn’t finished.

“I’m sorry things didn’t turn out well in the end,” he said.

Kaden shook his head and inadvertently let one of his tears drop down the side of his face. “Do not be sorry, Silas. There has always been a certain order of things that is out of our control. That order has brought you here to this day.”

Silas looked from Kaden and the others to the path that curved ahead of them. “It’s time that we part ways,” he told them.

At these words, Inga dropped her head, and Kaden fought back the tears that had formed moments before. Lorcan stood reverently, placing a calming hand on Inga’s shoulder.

Silas stepped closer to Kaden. “Thank you for taking me this far. Not just on this path, but through all of Marenon.”

Kaden sniffed and laughed lightly. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been killed on Earth in the first place.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be a Sleeper.”

“Silas, I swore to protect you,” Kaden said. “It was something your grandfather and I agreed that I would do. I told him I would protect you until the end.”

“And you have,” Silas assured him. “You have fulfilled your vow to him. We’ve come past the end to a place that only I can go. You know this.” Kaden nodded and Silas pulled him in and hugged him tightly.

Stepping away from Kaden, Silas moved to Inga. Now the tears welled up in Silas’ eyes. With his finger he brought up her chin so her eyes would meet his. The green of her irises had brightened with the mournful well that pooled around them, releasing flowing streams down her cheeks.

Silas wanted more than anything to kiss her wonderful face; to hold her in his arms one last time, but such things were not meant to be. He loved her. He loved her more than he thought he could love anyone. But he had a job to do. It was time for him to leave.

He pulled her in tightly and she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. Neither of them wanted to let go. In this warm embrace, there was no Mudavé. There was no war. There was only Inga and Silas – a mutual happiness felt only in a place that knew no pain, loss, or fear.

But leaving her would be the most hurtful kind of pain. Moving on without her would fill him with an overwhelming sense of loss. His only fear was never seeing her again.

When they released each other, Silas felt it was too soon, but it was for the best. It was time to leave.

He kissed her forehead gently, and stepped away slowly. He looked at Lorcan, and then back to Inga. “Take care of Lorcan,” Silas said. Both Inga and Lorcan smiled painfully at this.

Silas was ready to embark on the final road of his journey. This day would decide the fate of Marenon. If Silas didn’t succeed, all would be lost.

With his staff in hand, he walked down the path, leaving three sets of longing eyes to bid farewell to him. Before walking past the bend, he looked back one last time. He was happy to see they were smiling. Silas turned to leave them when he heard Kaden call out.

“Silas!”

He turned his head to look at Kaden.

“Send Anithistor back to the Hell he came from!”

Silas grinned and nodded. Then he walked away.

He wished that he didn’t have to ask the others to stay behind. He could really use their company right now. But it would be too dangerous for them. There was no way they stood a chance against Anithistor, and Silas wasn’t sure there was a way that he could stand a chance either.

His hands hadn’t stopped shaking since he had noticed them earlier. It wasn’t a nervous shake, but more as if he had done heavy lifting and his muscles were sore. He found himself relying heavily on the staff to keep him going, using it to balance himself. Part of him felt like he could fall over and sleep for a century, but he knew he had to keep going.

The path wound through the hills and mountains. If Silas had not been able to feel something physically pulling him in the direction of the Red Gate, he would be completely lost. There were several turns he had the option of taking, but he could feel the pull that let him know where the Red Gate stood.

By this time, he could barely hear the battle in the distance and in this moment of quiet he felt isolated. He stopped on the path when he began to recognize the rock formations around him. He knew these were from his dreams, and he knew that could only mean that his father was somewhere near. He heard a sound that came from his left. It sounded like someone screaming.

He stepped forward in the direction of the noise. As he came closer, he could understand the words. It was a man. Could it be him?

“Please, don’t take me back to the fortress!” the voice cried out. “I’m finished there! I don’t want anymore!”

Silas turned another corner and the person that had been yelling came into view. Two Leapers were dragging the man across the dirt toward Silas. When they noticed him, Silas’ staff turned into a long sword instantly.

The Leapers dropped their captured victim and flashed their viciously long claws at Silas. Silas smiled, waiting for them to make the first move. One of them jumped at Silas, easily covering the great distance, but Silas jut held up a hand and froze the creature in mid-air. It came down in a crash and broke into tiny shards of ice.

Seeing what power its new foe carried, the other Leaper sprinted in the opposite direction, but it was not fast enough to avoid the bolt of lightning Silas conjured from the air.

He winced, and stretched his neck after the use of his power. He knew he should have just tried to fight them with his sword and reserved his magical powers for the Stühoc king.

The sword turned into a staff and Silas walked to the man who had just picked himself up off the ground, brushing away the dirt from his clothes. Silas instantly recognized him as the man who had visited him in his dreams. It was Silas’ father. It had to be. Kaden’s memory had proved that this was the same face, only seventeen years older.

“Silas,” Will said. “You saved me.”

“How do I know you’re my father?” Silas asked.

“Did you do what I said? Did you search someone’s mind?”

“I did.”

“Then you know it’s me!”

A flood of questions gushed through Silas’ mind at once. He leaned his shoulder against the stone wall to his right and Will stayed in the same spot.

“I know that you wear my father’s face,” Silas said. “Where have you been for the past seventeen years?”

“Here. Mudavé. I was captured in battle.”

“I’ve always been told that you were killed in battle.”

“Silas, you know the answer to this. No one found my body. The Stühocs took me, set fire to everything. There were several good soldiers who were unaccounted for that day. I was the only one that actually survived.”

“And they didn’t turn you?”

“Couldn’t. But they knew you would be back someday. They wanted to use me against you, but I escaped them. I’ve been hiding in these mountains for the past month.”

“Let me search your mind,” Silas said, stepping forward.

Will gave a pause. “What?”

“You wanted me to search the mind of one that knew you before you were captured. Let me search your mind to prove that you are who you say you are.”

Will stood for a moment in awkward silence. He took his time, seemingly concentrating. Silas assumed Will was thinking of whether it would be a good idea or not.

After a long, awkward moment, Will looked Silas in the eyes.

“Fine,” he said. “Do it.”

Silas stepped forward, knowing this could be a trick used to get close to him. He didn’t underestimate the power of his enemies. For all he knew, this was Anithistor getting ready to reveal himself and blast Silas into oblivion. But it was worth a try. If this man standing before him really was William Ainsley, then Silas would trust him. There would be no reason not to.

Will left his arms at his side as Silas approached him. Silas gently set the staff on the ground and reached for Will’s head with both hands. The same movement had been used on Silas when Hroth had entered his mind, and Silas had done this to Kaden.

He didn’t particularly like going into someone’s mind. With Kaden, he had felt as though he was stealing something that didn’t belong to him; that all of Kaden’s guarded secrets were suddenly available for the watching.

This was exactly what Silas wanted now.

He reached up and gripped Will’s head. When he closed his eyes, he instantly saw a world of memories for the choosing. Silas wanted only to find the same memory that had been taken from Kaden. This would be proof enough.

But Silas did not find himself in a dark room with two men fighting over his mother, Shelinsa. Instead, Silas saw through the eyes of Will on the ground.

The sky was dark and gray with pregnant storm clouds rushing swiftly by. The earth around him was scorched, nothing but ash and smoke. Will looked down at his hands and Silas could see the burns and blood that covered them. An arrow protruded from his side, and Silas could tell that he was in pain. The smoke in front of him cleared with a gust of wind and he could see the enemies walking toward him. Most of them were familiar to Silas. Two of them in particular made his insides go cold with memories of fear and torment. Hroth was one of them but was not the first one Silas had noticed. Walking tall and monstrous toward him was the giant Stühoc, Maroke.

Will tried to move at first, but the pain caused him to wince and fall back down to the ground. Silas could feel the terror that swamped Will’s mind in those moments that he knew would be his last. Will tried to reach for a sword, anything that could help him, but there was nothing. He was unarmed and helpless.

Within moments, they were all standing above him.

The silent Hroth looked at the monster and nodded his head.

“He’s the boy’s father,” Maroke gestured to him. “He will be useful, I’m sure.”

Maroke looked at Hroth as the creature spoke something through his inaudible mind-speech.

Maroke nodded again. “This is most fortunate. Anithistor will be pleased with this.” He bent down and grabbed Will by the hair and yanked his head back, then shoved Will’s head into the ground.

The memory faded to blackness.

Silas let go of Will’s head and stared at the man in disbelief.

“This is how you were captured?”

“What did you see?”

Silas explained the memory and Will nodded.

“It’s all my fault,” Silas said.

“For being born? Hardly.”

“Why did you go out to fight that day?” Silas asked.

“I was angry. I was ready for Maroke to die. I was ready for their rule to be finished. I was a fool.”

“How is it that Hroth wasn’t able to turn you?” Silas asked.

“He just couldn’t. For some reason I was more difficult than others. I just happened to have a stronger mind, I suppose.”

Silas hoped it took more than just a strong mind to shut out Hroth. When Hroth had reached out for Silas, the Possessor entered his brain without effort.

“So, you believe me now?” Will asked him.

“Yeah,” Silas said. “I do.”

“Good. Now, you should follow me to the Red Gate. It isn’t far from here.”

Silas bent down and picked up the staff from the ground. “But I know where it is. I’ve been able to feel its pull the whole morning. Like it is calling out to me.”

Will shrugged. “Then I hope you don’t have a problem with my going with you. I can show you to a back route that Anithistor won’t expect you to walk through.”

“You sure he’s here?”

“He arrived this morning. I spotted him near the gate. He’s alone.”

“I have to kill him before I can destroy the Red Gate,” Silas said.

“Well, it’s just him.”

Silas snorted. “Just him? The evil Stühoc king who has tried to rule over Marenon for thousands of years? Just him? You think killing him will be easy?”

“No, I don’t suppose it would be. Do you have a plan?”

“No. We’ve only met once, and that was before I had any useful magical ability. I haven’t exactly had the chance to see how he is in a fair fight.”

“You’ll do well, son.”

Silas felt a little uneasy about Will calling him son. All of this seemed too crazy to be real, but Will had not given Silas one reason to believe that he was anything other than what he claimed. He felt like he had no choice but to trust him.

Silas followed his father into the mountains. There, he would meet Anithistor. There he would destroy the Red Gate. And there he would die.