Silas didn’t know how to feel. He knew that part of him should be sad at hearing the tale, but he had never met his parents. He had never felt their warm embrace. They were nothing but stories to him.
“Will wasn’t always the most rational person. He was a caring individual, but he had his demons. Marenon really got to him.”
“How do you mean?”
“Some people can’t cope with it. They spend too much of their life here trying to figure out why we are here, and what’s the purpose of our existence in Marenon. People forget that we aren’t always meant to have the answers.”
“My grandfather said that’s part of what The Reckoning is,” Silas said. “To find out why we are here.”
Kaden nodded. Silas knew he wanted to say something, but he didn’t want Silas to be angry at his words.
“It’s alright,” Silas said. “You can speak your mind. All I want is the truth.”
Kaden sighed. “The Reckoning was contrived by your grandfather, but its goal never had anything to do with finding out our purpose in Marenon until your father died. From the beginning, it had always been about the deliverance. About Humans truly becoming a part of Marenon. It’s always been about the prophecy.”
“Have you seen the prophecy?” Silas asked.
Kaden thought for a moment then shook his head. “Not directly. I’ve only heard of there being a written record. I heard the Gatekeeper say it when your grandfather and I took you to him. You will deliver us.”
“But for all you know it could be false,” Silas said. “My being born in Marenon is true, I guess, but you’ve only heard the prophecy recited. What if it said nothing about a deliverer? What if it really said that I would destroy Marenon, and the Gatekeeper just said something else with hopes that he could make it different?”
Kaden shrugged at the thought. “I doubt it. I’m not going to say it’s impossible, but I think the issue would have been raised by now. The Gatekeeper is not a liar, but he doesn’t make it a habit to divulge every bit of his knowledge with everyone. We learn what he wants us to learn.”
“Sounds manipulative to me,” Silas said.
After this, Kaden had said nothing. He seemed deep in thought for a long moment but then turned over on the ground with the fire at his back and fell asleep. Silas had angered him somehow, but neither of them mentioned the conversation when they woke the next morning. Silas eventually figured that he had struck a nerve because he had been questioning the very thing that Kaden had devoted his life to. In fact, Silas had questioned his grandfather’s reason for dying without even realizing it. He had questioned everything that the Dunarians were about. He felt horrible, but when he thought about it more, he knew that they were valid questions. None of them were around when this prophecy had been made. What if they were all wrong about him? What if Silas was not who he was supposed to be? From then on he kept his doubts to himself, knowing they wouldn’t help the cause. The Gatekeeper would probably address any doubts he had anyway.
So many people believed in him though.
As they followed Kaden on the path through the woods, he glanced at Inga and she smiled at him. She believed in him too. She had told him that it didn’t matter what Silas believed about himself. Truth was truth no matter what he believed or didn’t believe. It had been what he needed to hear in that moment. That conversation three months ago and her actions after that had made Silas fall for her. He wasn’t sure how deep his feelings were for her, but he knew that he loved being near her. From the beginning she had wanted to be near Silas and help him. Even in his first days with their group, when Lorcan had knocked him out, he had woken up with Inga wiping his cuts and bruises with a towel.
Lorcan.
Silas still wasn’t sure about him. There were moments when the Erellen seemed to be a friend to Silas, but his love for Inga was apparent, though Inga did not reciprocate beyond friendship. At least, as far as Silas knew, she didn’t. He knew that the two were close friends. All four of the mercenaries were close. They had been through so much together. Fighting, near-death experiences, and adventure can make people become very close, very quickly.
Training with Inga had been his favorite part about the past three months. He had learned quite a bit of magic, yet he was nowhere close to being able to do what she could do. He wouldn’t dare go anywhere without his weapon, yet she was free. She was confident enough to never carry one. He briefly studied her features. Her long black hair was pulled back into a braid, her green eyes staring straight ahead. She had a look of determination as though every step was more important than the next. Seeing her made him wish that times were simpler in Marenon. If they were, perhaps it would make sense for them to pursue some sort of relationship. She wasn’t much older than Silas. She was only twenty and Silas was nearing eighteen. Such a tiny gap may have made a difference back on Earth, but here in Marenon, Silas didn’t think it would matter. Maybe when this was all over, when he finished delivering whoever needed it, he would pursue her. Maybe. He didn’t even know if her interest in him went beyond the fascination of the Meshulan. Perhaps she wanted to walk side-by-side with the one who was supposed to make history. She had said that her Sorcerer instructor, Silandrin, had told her all about the prophecy of the Meshulan. She respected who Silas was, but was probably most enthralled by the concept of helping Silas accomplish his goal, whatever it was.
Kaden broke into Silas’ thoughts when he squatted low to the ground, holding a hand out for the others to do the same. Silas held tighter to his staff, noting that it hadn’t turned into any sort of weapon, so they were safe, right? He had not yet completely figured out the staff’s magic, but it had been consistent.
“Any of you hear that?” Kaden asked.
“I did,” Lorcan said, scanning to his right.
Silas had heard nothing, but as he listened harder, another sound came. It was to their left and sounded like an animal was running, but then it abruptly stopped. It happened again to their right and each of them stood ready to fight anything that might come at them. Silas held firm to the staff, wondering why it had not changed.
Kaden and Lorcan both had their bow and arrows ready to fire at anything that moved. Inga stood, hands stretched. The sound came again, but this time much more slowly. It now sounded like normal footsteps walking through dead leaves. Finally from the woods to the right, a creature appeared. Silas recognized it instantly.
The creature stood upright on its hind legs like a man, but its body and face was like a dog, covered in fur. The creature wore long flowing robes and spectacles. It was the judge that called the Humans as they left their unlocked prison cells and passed through the burning circle into Marenon. Silas saw that he was not the only one who noticed the dog-man.
“Want me to kill it, Kaden?” Lorcan asked, closing an eye to take a solid aim.
Kaden eased his grip on his own arrow and held up a hand for Lorcan to do the same.
“That would be very unwise,” the judge said. “You are surrounded by twenty more of us.” He scowled at Lorcan. “I don’t exactly take kindly to being called an it either.”
Lorcan looked at the ground sheepishly and Kaden stood from his crouch.
“The Gatekeeper has been wondering when young Silas would be coming to see him,” the judge said.
Memories of Silas’ death flooded into his brain as he recognized the dog-man and how he had so brutally allowed his minions to tear someone apart because he had been too afraid to pass through the gate. The creature had been so callous and indifferent about it. He also thought about how he had stalled when Silas had given his name. He had left the room, seemingly to speak with someone else, but came back only to tell Silas to move on like the others. He wondered what might have happened when the judge left the room. Obviously, the creature had recognized Silas, but the dog-man never gave an explanation for his brief absence.
“I am the Gatekeeper’s servant,” the creature said. “My job is to keep the record of all that come into Mar
enon by way of the Hall of Wandering Souls, which is simply a fancy name for an alternate path to Marenon. My name is Judoc. It’s good to see all of you.”
“I’ve seen you before,” Silas said.
“Yes,” Judoc said looking away for a moment. “We were all very surprised to see you coming through the Hall. I hear that Kaden is the one that actually sent you there,” he said with a slight laugh. Silas could see Kaden’s face turn a little red, but he let the comment pass. Something wasn’t right about Judoc. Silas wondered how the man-dog would know that kind of information.
“You weren’t in the Hall when I first came into Marenon,” Kaden said.
“No,” Judoc said. “Much has changed over the years.”
“I welcome you all to follow me. My master has been waiting for you for some time.”
Silas glanced back at Inga and she shrugged at him.
As Judoc began to walk, Kaden motioned for them to follow.
“Why aren’t you ushering people through the gate?” Silas asked.
Judoc didn’t turn but talked as they moved forward. “Interesting you should ask that, Mr. Ainsley. Since the day of your appearance, there have been no Human arrivals in Marenon. Your group was the last to come through. Another testament to who you are, I suppose.”
No Humans at all? Of course people in Canor would have noticed this, but there had been no news in Jekyll Rock. What could it mean? Silas couldn’t fathom, adding it to another question of an ever-growing list he would have to ask the Gatekeeper. They walked for several more minutes along the path through the wooded mountainside. Every now and then Silas would catch a glimpse of another man-dog walking parallel with the group. One of many perhaps.
They eventually came to a clearing and at the end of it stood a small house. It was not nearly as extravagant as Silas would have expected. He had tried to imagine what the Gatekeeper lived in, but he never expected a normal house. Along the outside of the yard was a short fence. To Silas, the whole place looked like it belonged on a farm.
As they approached, Judoc turned to them and motioned them past the gate and to the house. “He’s waiting for you.”
Kaden nodded his thanks, and glanced at Silas behind him. Silas didn’t feel good about this. There had always been something about Judoc that made Silas feel uneasy, and right now, he wasn’t making his case any better. Silas could hear heavy breathing behind him and he turned to see Inga struggling to get a breath. He rushed to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
“Something’s not right,” Inga said, reaching out to the fence to hold herself steady. “I don’t know what it is, but something’s happening that I’ve never felt before, a sense.”
Silas looked at Judoc, knowing he could hear, but he didn’t care. “Is it the dogs?” He lowered his voice in vain. “Are they planning something?”
“I don’t know,” she said through short breaths. “I can’t tell the future, Silas. I just… I just…” She let her head down and concentrated on breathing.
Lorcan stood behind her, looking all around. Slowly the other dog-guards began to make their way into the yard, forming a circle around the group of travelers.
“I assure you,” Judoc said. “We are here to protect you. The Gatekeeper is waiting inside.”
“Kaden?” Silas said almost as a warning.
Kaden nodded. “Get your guards to back away,” he said to Judoc.
“This is no way to treat us, Kaden. We are your escorts and faithful servants of the true Gatekeeper. I ask that you treat us as such.”
Silas stared at Kaden, neither of them knowing whether they should proceed. “Is this the house you came to before?” Silas asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “I didn’t have an escort, though.”
“That was seventeen years ago,” Judoc said. “The Gatekeeper is weaker than he used to be. He now takes the added precaution.”
Kaden’s facial expression did not change, but he began walking to the house anyway. Silas turned to Inga.
“Are you going to make it?”
“I’ll be fine,” she affirmed, holding on to his shoulder. “I wish I knew what was happening.”
The two of them walked behind Kaden toward the house with Lorcan following slowly behind, his eyes fixed directly in front. Silent. Expressionless.
When they reached the front door of the home, Kaden didn’t knock, but opened it slowly. The door creaked as they walked through and the first thing Silas noticed was the stale air as though no one had been living there for years. The darkness inside seemed out of place, considering the outside was bright. Old furniture sat in various places in rooms all across the house. A fireplace in the main room sat empty and cold. Almost all of the light in the house came from the foggy windows and the open door they had just walked through. There was one more light that Silas noticed and it came from the top of the stairs in the middle of the house. He squeezed Inga’s shoulder, questioning her silently if she noticed the same thing, and she nodded briefly before focusing her attention on the ground. He wished he knew what was wrong with her. What could she be feeling? He let go of her for a moment and tapped Kaden on the shoulder, directing his eyes to the top of the stairs with his staff. Kaden also nodded and began to walk in that direction. Silas turned to Lorcan, but he was already following Kaden. Inga came beside him and they too followed.
The light flickered like a fire or candlelight in the crack under the door. Each step sounded too loud, and Silas had a horrible feeling that they were about to open the door to some sort of monster that would rip them to shreds and eat their bodies. At the top of the stairs, Kaden stopped and pressed his ear against the door for a moment, then looked to the others and shook his head. Nothing.
Kaden slowly reached his hand up and knocked lightly. No response. He looked back to the others who nodded with affirmation that he should open it and see what the source of light could be. He reached out and grabbed the nob with his hand and turned it. The door pushed open with a small whine and they walked through. The large room was dim except for a small fireplace in one corner, fresh with warmth and light. In the other corner sat a man, tied to a chair with cloth wrapped around his face to keep him silent. The terrified man was shaking through his whole body at the sight of the newcomers. He struggled to make words, but the cloth kept most of the noise at bay. Was this the Gatekeeper? Surely not, Silas thought. He sat shaking, staring into the eyes of each individual, but finally coming to rest on Silas. The look of recognition was apparent. Kaden walked to the man and pulled the cloth from his mouth.
“You shouldn’t be here!” the man said. “You’ve walked into a trap. Judoc has led you to your death!”
“What do you mean?” Silas asked. “Who are you?”
In that instant, all of them heard the front door slam shut. Beyond was the sound of the door being closed off and sealed from the other side.
“My name is Jessup, and I’m a servant of the Gatekeeper,” the man said. “I decided to stay and wait for you, to tell you where you can find The Gatekeeper, before those vile creatures showed up.”
Smoke.
It started to billow up from the entrance of the house. The crash of breaking windows sounded from the bottom as Judoc’s servants spread the flames throughout the house.
“They’re torching us,” Lorcan said.
Kaden pulled out his dagger and cut Jessup free from the ropes. Jessup rubbed his wrists trying to get the blood flowing in his limbs again. “They came just a few hours ago asking where the Gatekeeper went. When I didn’t tell them, they tied me to the chair and left.”
Each of them brought their shirts up to cover their noses and mouths trying to breathe without sucking in too much smoke.
“We can’t try to get out the front,” Kaden said. “They’ll be ready and waiting for us.”
“Yes we can,” Inga said. “Follow me, I know what to do.”
“Can you use your magic?” Silas asked.
> “I just got a weird feeling, Silas, I didn’t lose my abilities,” she retorted. All of them followed her down the stairs, mouths covered and weapons ready. On the way down, Silas’ staff instantly turned into a sword, readying him for the fight to come. The smoke was getting thicker and the fire throughout the rooms was growing, eating away at the wood and furniture. Whatever Inga had planned, she needed to do it fast because they would be dead in minutes.
She walked to the front of the house and stood near the door. Everyone now had to hold their breath, for even breathing through cloth burned their lungs. “Everyone stand back,” she said, and they complied by hunkering down to the floor several feet away from her.
She stood, gathering all of her magical strength, transfixed on the wall in front of her. A glowing red began to form around her, and for a slight moment, Silas thought she had caught fire, but this wasn’t the case. Her magic was beaming; pulsating through her body like it was ready to explode. Her teeth clenched tight and her eyes were unaffected by the smoke wafting past. With a loud scream, she released her energy on the door and wall in front of her and it exploded outward. Anyone who may have been waiting on the outside would now be ducking the debris from the explosion. Half of the house stood while the other half lay in pieces on the ground.
Each of them fled the burning house, weapons drawn and ready to fight. Enemies gathered themselves off the ground while some of the man-dogs lay injured with shrapnel wounds. Standing at the end of the yard was Judoc. Next to him was a person that made Silas’ stomach drop, and his heart beat faster with fear. The assassin. He stood with his left arm bandaged, a wound given to him by Silas the day before.
“I didn’t imagine we’d be able to keep you out,” Judoc said. “It’s why I came prepared.”
The assassin held up his bow and arrow and shot directly at Silas, but Inga’s quick thinking placed the green shield around all of them, deflecting the arrow.
“You can’t keep the shield around you forever,” Judoc said.
The Marenon Chronicles Collection Page 36