With a hesitant step she turned and ran.
Dink watched for a moment as she made her way up the side of the hill, then he looked down to his hand, turning the rock over. What was he thinking? Did he really believe he could defeat a group of Stühocs with a small stone? He probably wouldn’t, but it would give Emma enough time to get away. That was all that mattered. If the soldiers had the desire, they could track the two of them together easily, and would eventually catch up. At least this way, he could keep their attention and give Emma plenty of time to get away.
He walked back down the path, and when he came to the fork, he waited. Gradually, he could hear the loud breathing and heavy steps of the Stühoc soldiers. When they came around the bend, they spotted him immediately and stopped, weapons held ready.
Dink stood, casually tossing the rock up and down in his palm.
“Evening gentlemen,” Dink said. “Nice weather ain’t it?”
The ugly gray Stühocs looked at each other, confused. “We need to take him alive,” one of them said.
“I say we kill him,” another said.
“Yeah, we’ve got all the prisoners we need.”
Dink held firm, watching each of them intently.
“I say try to kill me,” Dink said, trying to sound as brave as possible. Emma would need all the time she could get. “But if you can’t, turn around and go back to the hell you came from.”
The three Stühocs looked at each other, snickering. “What, you think we won’t be able to kill you?” the middle one said.
“I think if you tried to kill me, you’d be slightly embarrassed at yourselves.” Dink was stalling, and he knew the Stühocs would catch on soon. Any amount of time he could give Emma to get further away was good.
“What should we do first, cut off his limbs or go straight for the heart?”
“Limbs!” the other two shouted at once.
As they started to move, Dink held up his hands and yelled for them to wait.
“Let’s not be too hasty, good fellows!” They stopped again. They had probably never seen such a lighthearted victim. “If you take my limbs first, then I won’t be able to put up any sort of a fight, now would I?”
“We’re not interested in a fight,” the middle one said.
Dink snarled at the grotesque figures in front of him. Their gray skin peeled and cracked, and their stench was that of the sulfur from their burning land. Their faces were deformed and scars cut across the cheeks and down their necks. Dink continued.
“Perhaps you would be interested in something else,” he said.
“And what’s that?”
Dink had no idea what he was about to say. He had only said this to keep them occupied. He looked down at the rock in his hands and then back to the group of three. Without any more hesitation he pulled his arm back, taking a quick, careful aim and threw it as hard as he could at the middle Stühoc. His aim was true and the stone landed in the middle of the soldier’s face, shattering his nose on impact. The other two looked back at their screaming comrade, gray blood spilling from his face, then they charged after Dink.
With nothing in his hands, Dink readied himself for the fight. The left one swung his sword hard at Dink, but he quickly jumped out of the way. The other did the same and missed, but this time Dink tackled him full-force to the ground. He reached for the Stühoc’s weapon, but he sensed the other was behind him so he rolled onto his back. He had been correct. Now he was on the ground and two Stühocs towered over him, swords pointed at his chest. He was done. There was no running now, no more fighting. He had been beaten. At least Emma got away, he thought to himself, relieved.
“You’re not as smart as you think you are,” said the Stühoc on the left.
“I consider myself smarter than most,” Dink uttered. He tried to remain confident in his final moments, but he could hear his voice shake when he spoke.
The Stühoc gripped the sword tighter and got ready to swing down on Dink. He closed his eyes, waiting for the deathblow to take him away from Marenon, when he heard the Stühoc cry out in pain. When he opened his eyes, the Stühoc was on the ground, holding his head. Dink followed the gaze of the third and saw that Emma stood at the top of the nearest boulder, rocks in her hands. Her next rock landed in the chest of the third Stühoc, causing him to drop his sword. Dink reached for it and stabbed the creature and it wailed in pain. Dink stood upright quickly and ran to the next one, stabbing him through the chest. The first Stühoc that Dink had thrown the rock at was still moaning on the ground. He stood over the disgusting form, thoughts of the day’s previous battle reentering his mind. They showed no mercy, why should he? With a hard swing, he brought the sword down on the Stühoc, killing him instantly with the sound of breaking flesh and bone. He pulled the sword out and walked to meet Emma. She ran to him and they embraced each other with relief.
Dink was not going to scold her for coming back. If she hadn’t, he would be dead.
With no more Stühocs on their trail, the two traveled northward to warn the villages of the coming horde. Maybe, just maybe, the other villages would stand a chance.
Chapter Four
Silas stood at the end of the long table as the Dunarian Council sat before him within the fortress of Jekyll Rock. He hated how they talked openly as though he was not there, trying to decide if he should be going on a journey to find the Gatekeeper.
“He’s a target,” Myron Lloyd pointed out. “Someone wants him dead, so I don’t think it would be wise to send him out into the open like that.”
“I agree,” Darius Umar said from across the table. “There’s too much of a risk.”
Silas looked down at Inga, wishing the two of them could just leave the meeting to practice his magic and forget about the incident that happened only an hour before. She sat across from the Erellen, Lorcan Zamire, who had also been invited to sit in on the meeting of the council. All four of the mercenaries, Inga, Lorcan, Coffman and Alric, had been asked to take part in council meetings because of their expertise. Each of them had their strengths that could greatly benefit the Dunarians and Kaden had spotted the potential immediately. It was a desperate time for the Dunarians and they needed all the help they could get. In fact, Alric and Coffman had left the day before to accompany Councilwoman Nalani on her mission to Voelif. Silas, on the other hand, had been doing nothing but training for the past three months and he was ready to see some action, to accomplish what he was meant to do. It was time to find the Gatekeeper.
“We beat the assassin in the woods,” Silas said. “We can beat him again if we have to.”
“It’s not a matter of beating him again,” Darius retorted. He raised a finger at Silas. “He knows what he’s up against and he will be able to find another way to kill you. You aren’t ready to go out alone.”
It was Kaden’s turn to chime in. “I’m afraid you all forget that Silas is not under our control. He is his own man and can make his own decisions.”
Katherine Fallera spoke next. “Of course we aren’t here to tell him what to do, Kaden, but he should hear us out.”
“And I want to,” Silas said. “I just don’t think it’s as serious as you make it out to be.”
The council sat silently, acting as though Silas was a little child and he had said something cute. He was tired of being in Jekyll Rock. He loved training and learning more, but he had been made to stand before the council every week to report his progress. It was humiliating because he had not developed nearly as quickly as he thought he would, and he knew the council felt the same. He was the Meshulan, wasn’t he? He was supposed to be more powerful.
The meetings were not Kaden’s idea. Although he was the leader, he would not deny the request of the council to evaluate Silas. They wanted to know everything about the Meshulan and wanted to help him in his journey. Silas figured they just wanted to keep an eye on him, to make sure his loyalties held true. Many were uneasy about the fact that the prophecy did not specify which group the Meshulan woul
d deliver. Obviously, the Humans assumed it would be them. The power of the Stühocs was growing despite of Silas’ defeat over General Maroke. The Stühoc king, Anithistor, needed no single general to keep his troops in order.
Silas let out an annoyed breath. This meeting had only been called to address concern over the assassin. Kaden felt it was his duty to tell them of what was going on and their reaction had not been very supportive. Silas figured they were getting a little antsy because he didn’t seem ready to be the Meshulan. Silas didn’t agree, of course. His magic abilities may have been next to worthless, but he was still an excellent fighter that carried a magnificent weapon. He held tight to the staff as he stood listening to the council talk. He glanced over at Dublin who sat in the corner, taking note of everything spoken. The old man never missed a word.
There were six council members remaining in all. The death of Ward Holden, and Julian’s absence, after he had taken the kingship in Farlaweer, had left the council shorthanded. With Nalani gone, it left only five at the table.
Eight members had been the chosen number by Garland Ainsley years before because he thought it was perfect. The council often voted on issues, and because of the number there were often four-to-four ties. Whenever there was a tie on an issue, it meant it was time to reevaluate and work on a new solution to whatever problem they faced. It called for long, arduous meetings, but it worked. Most votes would end with unanimous consent.
There had been no motion to add any new council members. Kaden had mentioned it to the council, but they said with the Meshulan here, there was no need to focus on such a thing. Kaden let them win, knowing it wasn’t worth the fight.
Silas wasn’t sure, but it often seemed as though Kaden didn’t completely trust the council. He never said it outright, but several conversations left Silas thinking that Kaden would be happy if there was no council at all. He never asked Kaden this, because there had never really been an appropriate time. He would, though. Sometime.
“I think we should elect one of our own to go with Silas,” Quincy Todd said. “Darius is an excellent fighter and tracker.”
“Darius needs to stay in control of the Dunarian Order,” Kaden said. “The soldiers need Darius’ leadership now more than ever, especially with the growing threat of the Stühocs. The troops need to be ready to fight at any moment.” He paused for a moment, to look at every one of them. “I’m going to take Silas to the Gatekeeper. He will not go alone.”
All of them looked up at Kaden, surprised.
“Your leadership is needed here,” Katherine Fallera said.
“I can best fulfill my duties in The Reckoning by accompanying Silas,” Kaden said. “I have been to the Gatekeeper before. I have seen him and I know where he has stayed in the past.”
“But that was years ago,” she came back. “How can you know that he is still there at all?”
Kaden stared at her for a long moment. “If you remember, it was Garland Ainsley that appointed me to be Silas’ protector in the first place. Why do you insist that I not go?”
“Because you are the leader. We need you here.”
“Not been much of one lately,” Quincy Todd added, from his seat. The round, short man huffed. “Of course you want to go out.”
Kaden gave him a warning glare. “What do you mean by that?”
“I simply mean that you’ve been out of the walls of Jekyll Rock more than you’ve been in them lately. Do you know how many meetings we’ve had without you here? You’re supposed to run these meetings! We do a lot more than The Reckoning. In case you haven’t noticed, we run an entire city of people. They have problems, problems that we have to address on a daily basis. You’re rarely here to help, much less lead.”
“We have a mission to do,” Kaden said. “Our biggest goal is to help Silas accomplish what he needs to do, and right now, that’s to find the Gatekeeper.”
“He doesn’t need you to do that,” Quincy said.
Kaden slammed his fist against the table. “He does!” The shout echoed off the walls of the large room. Even Dublin sat in a stunned silence.
Kaden closed his eyes for a moment and breathed slowly, collecting himself and calming his nerves. “He needs my help, and he’s going to get it,” he said softly. “I’m sorry that I’ve been away from the council dealings so much, but you know what I must do.”
Each of them looked at Silas, studying him, probably wondering what the young man could ever actually do for them.
“Yes, a city was built in our name. Yes, we must take care of our people, but we must not forget that we are here only to pave a way for Silas to do what he needs to do. If Silas doesn’t accomplish his goal, it’s not going to be because we didn’t help him.”
“I say we put it to a vote,” Darius said. “I think it would be wise for someone other than Kaden to go with Silas. I personally think you need a rest, Kaden.”
Kaden’s jaw clenched at the man’s words. “This meeting’s adjourned.”
“We’re voting on this,” Katherine said. She looked down her sharp nose at Kaden in an attempt at finality.
“This meeting’s adjourned!” Kaden repeated. “I do not have to discuss this with you any further. I’m leaving with Silas in the morning. I do not need the council’s approval to do this. You are all dismissed.”
Each of them stared daggers into Kaden. Silas didn’t know what to think about what he had just seen. The council was on edge and he wasn’t sure why. What was the big deal? The trip would take no time at all. It was troubling that the council seemed determined to prevent Kaden from going with Silas. Everyone stood and the four council members wordlessly made their way to the exit, followed by Dublin. Kaden stood at the end of the table, looking at Inga, Lorcan and Silas.
“I’d say that was one of the more entertaining meetings I’ve sat in on,” Lorcan said.
Inga slapped him on the arm and he jerked back with a smile. Silas ignored this.
“I’m glad that you’re going with me, Kaden.”
Kaden looked up from the table. “Inga and Lorcan, you will accompany us in the morning won’t you?”
They both nodded. “Good. The four of us is all the team we need.”
“It’s not like you haven’t been gone before,” Silas said. “Why are they giving us a hard time?”
“I think there’s more going on here than a group of four people wanting me to stay behind for budget meetings and the like.” He took a deep breath. “I fear that something Julian has told me may be correct after all.”
Puzzled faces stared at Kaden, waiting for an explanation, but none came. This was not the time nor the place to explain what Julian was working on. There was no proof of their betrayal yet, and until there was, Kaden would say nothing.
“Just make sure you keep your chamber doors locked tonight.”
Chapter Five
Julian had awoken early before the sun had risen, but the Royal Guard, along with their leader, Robin, had been ready and awaiting their journey long before the king had made his way to his horse. Julian preferred to ride his sarian Eden, but that would leave him unprotected and vulnerable because the guards wouldn’t be able to travel with him, and Robin would have none of that. Julian had been out on surveys outside of the city on several occasions, and Robin insisted that at least some of the Royal Guard accompany him each time. This time was no exception. Gone were the days of Julian being able to do as he pleased or ride where he wished. Robin had insisted that Julian’s recent ascent to the throne after the death of his brother, Morgan, made the potential of hostile threats more likely.
Julian doubted anyone he encountered along the way would want to kill him unless he came across a war party of Stühocs. Regardless, the Royal Guard followed intently. There were fifty in all, not including Robin, each with his own horse. They also boasted the claim of being the best-trained fighters in Marenon. Julian felt protected, sure, but he also felt the group attracted more attention than he would ever want. He wasn’t used to it,
but it came with the territory, he supposed.
Julian also hated riding a horse.
Sarians were much faster and would even help in a fight. The horse was useless. It just made it easier to be surrounded by the Royal Guard. Julian would take flying high in the air over guarded protection any day, but the large bird remained in the stables just outside the castle walls. Sure Eden could fly as she wanted, but she missed her master and Julian longed for the freedom of flight. As the long line of soldiers moved along slowly on their horses, Julian felt for the whistle that hung around his neck. If he ever needed his sarian, all he had to do was blow it and she would be there. Letting go of the whistle, his fingers brushed the golden key that lay next to it on a separate chain around his neck.
He had not told Robin about where they were going exactly. He told them he was headed for a village called Homestead, which Robin had heard of before. Robin said there were prisons near it that kept some of the worst criminals. It was all right though. Robin had no place to question Julian and they both knew it. Julian did not have to explain to him where they were going or why unless it posed a specific threat to the king’s well being.
Robin had just been happy to have a king to protect again. Morgan Hobbes had never left the castle; therefore Robin and his men were never needed. It had been almost three years since Robin and the Guard had seen any sort of action and they were more than happy to provide support.
Robin was a short, stocky man who kept his hair cheek-length and his beard thick. He had been handpicked by Julian’s father, Ruben. As soon as he became king, Julian made it a point to talk to Robin about the circumstances surrounding the death of Ruben. Julian had been busy with the duties of the Dunarian Order at the time, and never had the chance to ask Robin about it.
“To my greatest regret it was one of those times that your father insisted that I not go with him,” Robin said. “I insisted that he take at least some of the Guard with him. He didn’t always like our company, and he said over and over that it was just a survey mission. We went out looking for him and the rest of the party after too much time had passed. It was obviously Stühoc work. We could see that they came down from the ridge and took them out from the flank.”
The Marenon Chronicles Collection Page 33