The Marenon Chronicles Collection

by Jason D. Morrow

  “I hold in my hand the very medallion you have sworn to protect for your people,” his voice projected through the arena. “I know that none of you know how to use its magical powers, but I assure you that I do. If any one of you so much as flinches, I will first destroy your chief, then the rest of you with its power.” He let the words sink in, making sure that there was no hostile movement from the duped guards. When he was satisfied, he continued.

  “You will let the prisoners climb the rope peacefully and without interference.”

  Silas looked over at Coffman and Lorcan. The two of them studied the guards above them to try and determine if there would be any resistance. Alric commanded the guards to drop their weapons on the ground, and with a wave of the hand from His Excellency, they complied. Coffman climbed the rope first and was met only with stares filled with hatred. Lorcan then climbed and Silas followed close behind him. Once they were to the top they walked to where Alric was still holding the medallion high. His Excellency stared at each of them, blood boiling.

  “You will pay for this one day.”

  “I doubt that,” Alric said.

  “Where’s Inga?” Silas asked.

  “She’s waiting, go!” Alric motioned behind him.

  Alric looked at the leader and grinned. “Now hand over the staff.”

  This stopped Silas in his tracks. “What are you doing?”

  “The staff is valuable,” Alric answered. “I told you to go!”

  Lorcan spoke next. “Alric, we got what we came for now let’s get out of here!”

  Alric stared into His Excellency’s eyes. “Give me the staff of Uriah, or die.”

  The expressionless leader handed Alric the staff of power with only slight hesitation. Alric had successfully humbled the Anwyn leader, if even for only a moment.

  “I will kill you for this,” His Excellency said, fighting to retain some of his dignity.

  “No you won’t,” Alric said pointing his sword as he began to back away.

  “We’re takin’ that tunnel,” Coffman said, pointing to their exit. Silas and Lorcan quickly followed. Alric brought up the rear, sprinting from the guards who would surely follow.

  Silas could hear the shouts of rage from in the arena behind him. His own anger with Alric was almost as great as his fear of the hostile Anwyn guards who had just been made to look like fools. All of the men ran past the end of the tunnel where they saw Inga.

  “Don’t speak to her,” Coffman instructed the others. “She’s transfixed.”

  Once they were past her, they stopped and watched. There would be no escaping the Anwyns unless their passage was blocked. Silas could feel the ground beneath him begin to shake and there was a rumbling throughout the rock walls. The Anwyns were surely on their way, convincing themselves that Alric probably had no power at all, even with the medallion and staff. The walls began to crack and the rumbling became louder. Like a crashing wave, the tunnel crumbled in on itself until the passageway was completely blocked. The Anwyns would have to find another route. Inga fell to her knees and Lorcan ran to her side to hold her up as exhaustion set in.

  “I don’t usually do anything that big,” she said through short breaths.

  “It’s alright,” Lorcan said, brushing her hair back. “You saved us. Just breathe.”

  Just an hour or so ago, Silas absolutely loathed everything about the Erellen, but since he had come back to save his life, he almost felt some sort of respect for him. Because of this, he knew he should not feel such anger toward him for consoling Inga, but there was a slight twinge in his stomach that made his face flush a slight shade of red. He looked away and glanced at Alric, as a waterfall of anger rushed over him.

  Alric saw the look of contempt on Silas’ face the moment he had turned. “Listen, Silas,” Alric started, but Silas didn’t listen.

  He grabbed Alric by the neckline of his cloak and shoved him against the sharp, rock wall. “I should run you through for what you did to me!”

  “I just saved your life, Silas!”

  “Is that so? Would you have saved my life if Lorcan wasn’t in there with me?”

  “Well, yes I think I-.”

  “Stop lying to me!” Silas spat. “You were going to leave me for dead in there! You lied to me from the beginning.”

  Coffman reached a large hand and placed it firmly on Silas’ shoulder. “Silas,” he said.

  He slowly released his grip on Alric and turned away, trying to calm himself. Inga had just stood up, gathering her strength to walk as Lorcan supported her while she moved.

  “Silas, I’m sorry,” Alric said. “It was a terrible thing to plan, but you know why I did it. I couldn’t risk the lives of my friends.”

  “You risked the lives of all of them and me.”

  Alric held his head low, ashamed. “What do you want from me?”

  “You owe me,” Silas said as his eyes narrowed threateningly. “You gave me your word that you would help me find my grandfather.”

  “Silas, I don’t know how to find your grandfather.”

  “Then you’ll try.”

  Alric sighed.

  “We’ll help too, Silas,” Coffman said assuredly. None of them seemed to have agreed with Alric from the beginning. Silas could tell that their remorse for what happened to him and Lorcan was a burden.

  Lorcan nodded his agreement and Inga did the same. All eyes fell on Alric.

  “You’re right,” he admitted. “I owe you a deed. You want me to help you find your grandfather, then I’ll do my best.”

  Silas was satisfied. He didn’t know how great of an effort would be put forth on his behalf, but Alric’s agreement to help was a good start. He was just glad to still be alive. Only moments before, he had been afraid it was the end again, and that all was lost. Even though Alric had betrayed Silas, he still came through just in time, even if it had served his own purposes. Alric was after all, a mercenary.

  “We need to get going,” Alric commanded. He glanced at Lorcan. “I’m guessing we don’t have horses?”

  Lorcan shook his head. “I let them go. The Anwyns will be hot on our trail too. We’ll have to move quickly.”

  “Inga will you be alright?” Alric asked.

  “I can make it,” she said.

  “Good,” Alric said, straitening the front of his cloak. “Now what do you say we get this stupid medallion to the rich guy and get paid?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Julian Hobbes, Nalani Geldwin and Garland Ainsley had been waiting at the meeting point for more than an hour before the first words of doubt came to any of their lips.

  “Perhaps they were caught,” Nalani said trying to read Julian’s stone face.

  “If they were, they will be killed tonight; if they haven’t been killed already,” Garland answered.

  The thick forest of surrounding trees provided enough cover to remain inconspicuous, but he hoped that its dense foliage had not caused the other party to lose their way in the thick branches and the dark night. Julian had not spoken the entire time. He waited and decided to plan nothing more until the group arrived safely with the medallion.

  “Are you sure of the meeting time?” Nalani asked, much to his annoyance.

  It was a futile question and something Nalani should have known not to ask. Julian would not have mistaken the time. What it came down to was they had either taken the down payment and run, which would cost them their lives, or they had been killed in the attempt to obtain the medallion. Of course, they could have just run into complications and were running late. In any case, Julian was prepared to camp for the entire night and wait.

  He sat with his head against the trunk of a tree while Eden rested her giant beaked head next to him. He had felt uneasy about being accompanied by anyone on this part of his journey, especially Nalani. He knew she could take care of herself, but it was a worry all the same. He also wasn’t quite sure if he trusted Garland Ainsley. The man had conveniently shown up in a critical time for The Reckon
ing, and yet Julian could not help but feel that it was entirely inconvenient.

  Julian knew that this man had created The Reckoning. He also knew that Garland Ainsley had been one of the most feared enemies of the Stühocs. There was no way that he was in league with Ward Holden. At least Julian was fairly certain of it. There was also no way Julian trusted the man enough to tell him about what he had seen and heard from Holden’s meeting with Maroke and Spencer, even if that meant the old man wouldn’t know his grandson had been killed on Earth and was probably somewhere in Marenon.

  Julian and Nalani were the only ones that knew of the evil plot within the Dunarians. This included knowledge of Kaden Osric’s imprisonment, Silas Ainsley’s presence in Marenon, and a secret union with Humans and the Stühocs. This secret had to be kept because Julian had no idea who else may be working with Ward Holden. He hoped that the others were as oblivious to Holden’s plot as he had been only a day before.

  If there are others on the council working with Holden, Julian thought, then there’ll be a lot of mopping up to do.

  His thoughts drifted to his brother. His death had been Julian’s fault. He let it happen. He knew that Holden would discover Julian’s involvement, but he would have to pretend ignorance as not to give himself away. Secrecy abounded and it was beginning to fatigue Julian.

  I’ve uncovered their plot, now I just need a way to sabotage their plans.

  He watched Garland from the short distance. The older man had been through a lot recently. He had just died a few days ago and was now trying to help finish a mission he had started seventeen years before. Julian did feel sorry for the man. He knew what death was like, and he knew about the transformation from life to death to life again. Garland had experienced it more than once somehow, and the thought baffled Julian. But they were all in the same boat. He just hoped Garland Ainsley wasn’t on the mutinous side of the boat.

  Julian’s thoughts of him brought about a curiosity that he could not suppress.

  “I suppose it’s no surprise that the famed Barton Teague made it through the gauntlet fairly easily,” Julian said. “I suppose you weren’t expecting such brutality upon entering Marenon for a second time.”

  Garland waited a moment, seemingly reflecting on the past few days.

  “Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to escape the wrath of the king’s gauntlet,” he said somberly.

  “How did you manage that?”

  Garland smiled, but it was not a smile of haughtiness or pride, but of thankfulness, it seemed. “All this has been planned from the beginning,” he said. “The Gatekeeper never breaks his promises.”

  Julian was about to inquire further when a faint rustling in the distance interrupted them.

  He and the other two instantly grabbed for their weapons at the same moment. The sarians simultaneously lifted their large heads in search of the source of the noise.

  “Who’s there?” Julian shouted.

  “I’ve got your stinking medallion,” came the voice of Alric Thirsk.

  *****

  Silas Ainsley shuffled behind the rest of the group. In front of him Lorcan still supported Inga by the waist as the other two led the way. The group had been walking at a quick pace for more than an hour before the silence was broken by a shout from a man hidden behind the trees beyond them. All of them stopped walking abruptly when Alric yelled his reply. He then turned to the group to give his orders.

  “Lorcan, I want you and Coffman to come with me and make sure we get the money he owes us for this job,” he said. “Silas do you mind staying back with Inga?”

  “I’m alright,” Inga said. “I can handle myself.”

  “I know you can,” Alric replied. “So you can be our surprise reinforcement if this guy doesn’t hold up his end, alright?”

  Inga nodded dejectedly and slumped down with her back against the tree. Silas was more than willing to stay with her. The other three made their way to the group waiting for them. Their voices could be heard, but only slightly.

  Silas wasn’t sure if sitting next to Inga at such a small tree would be welcome, but the look in her eyes made him confident that it would be fine.

  “I know you don’t need me to be your bodyguard,” Silas said. “He just doesn’t want me in the picture at all, I don’t think.”

  Inga smiled. “Alric’s embarrassed by you.”

  “Embarrassed?”

  She nodded. “In the planning of this mission you were never more than a stick figure used to help us draw up a strategy. Leaving you as a scapegoat was the perfect plan for getting the rest of us out of there alive. But when that stick figure showed up at our door it was hard for the rest of us to accept the arrangement.”

  “But not Alric,” Silas said.

  “You have to understand Alric,” Inga explained. “There are a precious few he cares about in this world. For the most part he figures people have already had their chance to live in their first life. Their second chance isn’t his problem, except for those that he is close to.” She sat contently in thought for a moment. “Alric would take an arrow to the heart for someone he cared about.”

  “I’m just glad it’s over.”

  They both sat in silence for a moment. The voices from the meeting carried on just ahead of them, out of sight. Silas didn’t know what kind of conversation they could be having. They just needed to get paid and go, right? But the medallion was not what concerned Silas at the moment.

  “So what about you?” Silas asked. “How did you die?”

  Inga shifted slightly, acknowledging that the subject was uncomfortable.

  “You know, that’s a really intimate thing to ask,” she said. “A lot of people might find that question offensive.”

  “I’m sorry,” Silas said. “I didn’t think about it, really.”

  “I came into Marenon when I was six years old,” she said. “Back then there was no gauntlet to keep people from coming in; we came through to the top of the mountain, just as everyone else does, though. Others, who were new like me, helped me. I came through into Canor, and there a man found me. He was a Sorcerer. Sorcerers are rare, you know. But he took me in and took care of me. He told me that I had a natural ability for the use of magic. His name was Silandrin.

  “He trained me and taught me for eleven years and I was becoming experienced and skilled. Then, three years ago, he said he had an important quest to make.” Inga took a deep breath. Silas could tell this was a painful subject. “Then he left. He told me that he couldn’t take me with him and that he had to do it alone. He was gone.”

  “What did he go to find?” Silas asked sincerely.

  “All he said was that it was something that would change the tides for the future of Marenon. It seemed completely random and he never said any more than that. I waited for months, but he never came back. I tried to search for him, but he was nowhere to be found. It was as if he just disappeared.”

  “That’s rough,” Silas said after a moment.

  “I was only a year or two from becoming a fully trained Sorceress. When I gave up hope of finding him I started looking for work. That’s how I came upon Alric and the others. They’ve been my family ever since.”

  Silas nodded, lost in thought, wondering what it was like for her to spend so long here while he had only been here a few days. It then occurred to him that she never answered the question he originally asked.

  “So, how did you die?”

  She turned her head and looked at him with her dark green stare, gripping his attention. “I told you,” she said with a slight grin, “that’s a very intimate question. We will have to spend more time getting to know each other before you learn that piece of information.”

  “I see,” he said, looking down at his feet, feeling awkward. “Do you think you’ll try to look for him again?”

  After a long pause, Inga answered. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think so. We had a connection, a bond that only a teacher and apprentice of sorcery can have. There are times whe
n I can feel him near me. It’s almost as if I’m standing there next to him. I think it means that at some point he had crossed the same path as I. But I don’t know for sure. In those moments it feels like I’m in the presence of my teacher even though I do not see him.”

  “When was the last time that happened?”

  “Only a month ago,” she said. “We were on a job in Berato when I felt it. I started to get visions and feelings. I can’t explain it. But since we were working, I didn’t have the chance to explore where the feelings led.”

  “Must be frustrating.”

  “It is.”

  The two of them sat in silence a bit longer. Silas turned his head slightly, straining to hear what was taking the others so long in their discussion. He could hear Alric saying something about the staff of Uriah and that it was none of their business that he had stolen it too. But then there was another voice, one that sounded distinctly familiar.

  “All we’re saying is that by stealing the staff, you’re stirring up more trouble for us in the future,” the voice said.

  The voice was faint, yet Silas was sure he knew whose it was.

  But… Impossible!

  He stood from where he sat and looked toward the group ahead. Coffman covered most of the area, blocking Silas’ view of the others.

  “What’s going on?” Inga asked.

  “Something,” Silas said mindlessly as he walked toward the group.

  “What are you doing?” Inga called out, but her cry was ignored.

  Silas took each step as if he were walking on glass, partly to remain unheard, but also out of nervousness. When he had made it almost half way, Alric glanced behind and saw him.

  “Go back,” he mouthed, but Silas ignored him too. This caused Lorcan and Coffman to turn, and when they did, Silas could see the others that they were talking to. There was a younger man, a few years older than Silas, a beautiful red headed woman next to him, and then… Silas’ heart nearly stopped. Standing there looking him in the eyes was the man that he thought would be impossible to find. It was his grandfather.