The Marenon Chronicles Collection

by Jason D. Morrow

  Silas wanted to say, No one should wish to be there, but he held his tongue. Teymus was in charge here and he didn’t want to rub the Erellen the wrong way. It was important that they get to the Gatekeeper without any problems.

  “That must mean you are Kaden Osric,” Teymus continued.

  Kaden nodded. “That’s right.”

  “What about the other two of you?”

  “These are our traveling partners, Inga and Lorcan,” Kaden said.

  Silas could see the horror register on Lorcan’s face at the mention of his name. Silas knew he must be angry with Kaden for ratting him out. It had been apparent that he wanted to avoid the other Erellens, but Lorcan’s reasoning had remained a mystery.

  Teymus’ eyes narrowed at the sound of Lorcan’s name. “Lorcan Zamire?”

  Everyone looked back at him as he stood motionless and refused to respond. From the look on Teymus’ face, Silas knew something bad was about to happen. He only wished he knew why.

  “I’m guessing you and the Meshulan don’t realize who you are traveling with,” Teymus said.

  “Lorcan has been a very good friend to the Dunarian cause for the past several months,” Kaden said in his defense.

  “You travel with a criminal,” Teymus said. “One that I have sworn to take in.” He breathed a deep sigh and pulled out his sword as his soldiers did the same. “I’m sorry to have to do this, but I must place you all under arrest for traveling with the wanted murderer, Lorcan Zamire.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Royal Guard moved in unison under the command of Robin and their King, but they were exhausted. None of them had slept the night before because after the battle, Julian had ordered an immediate departure. They had travelled west throughout the night and all the next day with hardly a rest. By nightfall Robin strongly urged Julian to consider a chance for them to make camp. He argued that the Dunarians were going nowhere and that the Royal Guard needed to be rested up for any possible confrontation that might arise whenever they reached Jekyll Rock.

  Julian gave in, realizing the man’s logic. What was he doing anyway? He couldn’t figure his own mind. Was he going to arrest the council members? Would he kill them on the spot? He knew he couldn’t do that. There had been so much killing already. This would be done properly. They would be executed for their crimes, but not in secret and not on Dunarian soil. He would take them to Farlaweer. There they would be hanged in front of the entire kingdom. Any Human to take the side of the evil Stühocs would suffer the same fate. Death. Every time he thought about what he saw in the memory orb it just made him angrier. The fact that he had been used by the scoundrels to do their bidding was embarrassing to him. Kaden and Nalani had been used too. Even though Kaden had been their official leader, Holden somehow led the others against him in secret. The council as a whole was corrupt, and they were trying to gather all the medallions to use on Marenon’s Map below Jekyll Rock. With all of the medallions, they would be an unstoppable force that could crush an enemy without the need to recruit soldiers. And the map would be used to gain power instead of ridding the world of an evil enemy.

  Julian knew that once they had their hands on all of the medallions, they would go after him first. He assumed that whoever led the four council members now would want to be the next king. That king would use the Erellens as a footstool and the Stühocs would become the slaves. Humanity wouldn’t be free either. They would be under the rule of a tyrant that would desire nothing but divine power. No one would be truly free.

  The greatest enemy here was difficult to pinpoint. He obviously knew that the four who were left on the council were the enemies, but who led them? Was it Darius? He was a magnificent fighter and a great potential leader, but Julian couldn’t see him as a tyrannical king. Yet, he wouldn’t imagine Darius to so blatantly betray the Dunarians either, but Julian knew what he had seen in the memory orb.

  While they set up camp, he pulled his old green wristband out from the saddlebag. Right now, it was more of a symbol to him than it was an actual useful object. With it he could contact any council member that also carried one. He could contact Kaden and warn him, but he didn’t want him to try and stop what was happening. He could contact Nalani and tell her how much he missed her, but he knew she didn’t miss him back. She was too busy working for the enemy without even realizing it. The thought made him want to vomit. He loved her and missed her touch. He hoped she was safe. He placed the wristband back into the saddle and went to sleep.

  In the morning they set out again, fully awake and rested. Many of them were still sore from battle, but they had seen and been through worse. Julian avoided telling Robin too much of what he had seen in the memory orb. Robin did ask about how Daniel died and Julian told him the truth. Sort of. He told Robin that when he came up on Daniel, he was fighting the Stühocs and one of them slashed him through. It was the truth, though Julian left out the part about how he could have helped him. It didn’t matter now. The battle was over and lives would be saved because of Daniel’s sacrifice.

  By late evening they came into view of Jekyll Rock. The sentry posted five miles from the city stood at attention and greeted the king with respect, even though it was still his duty to warn Jekyll Rock of anyone approaching. This was fine. Julian was not going in blindly and he would have a smile on his face. He would be welcomed with open arms. In the council’s minds there would be no way Julian could have figured everything out. They couldn’t be more wrong.

  As they came into the city a while later, a host of soldiers greeted them. They were not hostile, but rather respectful to the unannounced king. Darius Umar and Dublin waited for Julian at the eastern gate, obviously confused about Julian’s visit.

  “King Hobbes,” Dublin bowed. Julian couldn’t help but smile at the old man as his white tufts of hair bowed low with the rest of him. Dublin wasn’t aware of the council’s corruption. There’s no way he could know about it. This was Julian’s hope, anyway. “Been quite a while since we heard from ya last.”

  “The kingdom has kept me busy,” Julian said as he dismounted. He avoided Darius’ look. He knew the traitor’s mind must have been reeling at the sight of the king. Julian would show no sort of accusatory action toward him, however. Not yet.

  “Darius,” Julian nodded.

  “Your Majesty,” Darius said cordially.

  “I hope I’m not too much of an intrusion, but I’ve been on a short tour of the surrounding villages. Many of them have been attacked by the Stühocs and I thought I would stop in and see how things were being handled here.”

  “I assure you, things are going well here,” Darius said, cocking one eyebrow.

  “I don’t doubt that,” Julian said. “But the Stühocs are on the move and I fear they will soon make their way to Jekyll Rock. Dublin, I was hoping you could gather the council members so I could address them all together.”

  “Kaden’s no’ here,” Dublin said in apology. “I’ll be glad ta get the others, but I’m afraid no sort of official agreement can be made today.”

  “Where’s Kaden?” Julian asked, curious.

  “He’s away with Silas ta find the…”

  “That’s not your concern, Your Majesty,” Darius interrupted. “He’s on official Dunarian business.”

  Dublin’s face turned red, remembering his place. Julian wanted to punch Darius in the face. Not only was he a traitor, but he also treated Dublin as a lowlife. Dublin had more qualities of a council member than any of them did.

  “I won’t need any sort of official agreement today,” Julian said. “What I have to say can be conveyed to Kaden at a later time, then we can discuss it further.”

  “I’ll gather the other council members, Yer Majesty,” Dublin bowed again. “Yer guards are most welcome ta come in and dine with us tonight.”

  “A gesture we’d be delighted to accept,” Julian said. He turned and motioned for the others to follow Dublin through Jekyll Rock to a nice, comfortable place to rest and eat.

>   Julian was the last to follow and just before he entered the castle, Darius turned to him.

  “Julian, a word?”

  Julian stopped, saying nothing.

  “You and your men have been in battle,” he said. It wasn’t a question. “Is everything alright?”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Come on,” Darius said. “We’ve been friends, Julian. Why the deception? Your men are tired and you’ve got bloodstains on your hands. What’s going on?”

  Julian looked at his hands and nearly shook his head at his own stupidity. He wasn’t fooling anyone. But he wasn’t going to take questioning from a traitor.

  “Since when was it alright to address the king by his first name?”

  Darius straightened himself, unready for the condescending words. “I’m not your subject,” he countered. “You made that law yourself.”

  “I’m still a higher authority than you,” Julian said. “Know your place.”

  Darius was stunned. His jaw stayed open, clueless about what to say. “I was simply concerned, Your Majesty.” His stunned look turned to an obvious anger.

  Saying nothing more, Julian walked into the castle with the traitor following slowly behind. He didn’t care how Darius felt. He had plotted against Julian, the Meshulan, and worked with Holden in joining the Stühocs. The man deserved no respect from him.

  Julian walked through the familiar halls and was soon joined by Robin.

  “You and your men know what to do, right?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Robin said confidently. “Though I ask you rethink your method one more time. You’ll be exposing yourself to them. You’ll be alone.”

  Julian patted the man’s shoulder. “Not if you do your job right. They aren’t going to attack me, and by the time they get the inclination to, you and your men will be in there.”

  Robin nodded. “We will do as you wish without hesitation.”

  “Good.”

  Julian left him and waited outside the council room. Dublin finally emerged and let him know that the council was gathered and ready. Julian thanked him and walked through the same door he had walked through in recent years to have these meetings. Only this time he was in charge. Of course, he wasn’t officially in charge of them, but held the power that none of them had.

  When he walked in, all four pairs of eyes were set on him. The others seemed pleasant except for Darius who remained cold and stern from their encounter before. Myron Lloyd and Katherine Fallera sat on one side of the table while Darius and Quincy Todd sat on the other. All of them stood out of respect. This is a new change, Julian thought. The last time he had walked through the doors, they had barely taken notice of him. Each of them had been stunned when they learned that he would be taking the place of the king at Farlaweer. The man they had considered to be beneath them had now become a valuable asset in their eyes.

  No longer.

  “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I came without any sort of notice,” Julian said as he crossed to the head of the table. He noticed Dublin slip in behind him with the massive book of records. He rarely missed a meeting. He missed the meeting recorded in Holden’s thoughts. This comforted him a little, knowing that Dublin was on his side. What was about to happen would not make him happy, but Julian wasn’t there to make anyone happy.

  “We were wondering that, yes,” Myron Lloyd said.

  Julian motioned for them to all sit and they complied. He remained standing, feeling too far above these worms to be on their level.

  “I’ve come across some information while traveling through the villages below Farlaweer,” he said to them, looking down at the table. “But before I continue, I want to give each and every one of you a chance to say anything that might be on your mind. This is your chance to tell me anything that you think I should know.”

  The four of them stared at him blankly. Their silence only made Julian angrier with them, for each of them was thinking the same thing. They had to be thinking the same thing; of their betrayal; their willingness to work with the Stühocs; the way they used Julian to further their own lust for power.

  “Katherine?”

  She shook her head. “No,” she shrugged.

  “Myron?”

  “Julian, I don’t know what you’re asking.”

  “Quincy?”

  “I’m like the others,” he answered. His eyebrows contorted as he looked to the other council members as if to ask what Julian was talking about.

  He looked at Darius, cold and unmoving. “Darius?”

  He sighed deeply and turned his head toward the king. “Who do you think you are coming in here and questioning us like this? We have every right to hurl you out onto the street! You think you can bully us because you’re some king now? Because you’re brother left you his throne? You were nothing on this council before and you’re nothing now. What is it you want with us so we can be done with you?”

  Julian didn’t expect the words to hurt, but they cut him through the chest. He had put his heart and soul into his duties on the council and Darius just threw it off as trash. The pain quickly formed into anger, however. It didn’t matter what a person who fraternizes with the Stühocs thought. The integrity of the Dunarian Council was dead, and these four had killed it under the direction of Ward Holden.

  “Fine,” Julian said. “Since none of you have anything to say to me, then I will say it for you. Last night I came across a certain memory orb. It was Holden’s memory orb, containing every memory the man ever had. In those memories I saw a certain meeting where the four of you were present. Do you know what meeting I’m talking about?”

  “There have been hundreds of meetings,” Myron said.

  “I’m talking about one in particular,” Julian said as he began to pace around the table. This one incriminates you, my friends. Three months ago, you were all told that Ward Holden was killed fighting bravely along side the Meshulan in our attempt to free Kaden from Mudavé. This isn’t true. He wasn’t killed by any Stühoc. I killed him.”

  Darius shot up from his chair. “You murdering ba…!”

  “No!” Julian screamed, cutting him short. “He was working with Maroke all along, and so were all of you!”

  The silence in the room was instant. Dublin had even stopped writing, for the implications being thrown around were far too shocking for him to look away from the unfolding conversation.

  “I saw the meeting you had with him! Darius was ready to go in and capture Silas on Earth. All of you were planning the best way to help the Stühocs!”

  “You’re mad!” Quincy was on his feet now. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  “All of you know exactly what I am talking about, and that’s why I’m placing you under arrest.”

  The door on the other side of the chamber flew open. The Royal Guard charged in, led by the ambitious Robin. Julian stared at the council, unwavering as a few guards placed shackles on each of their wrists.

  “I don’t know what you’re playing at, Julian, but you won’t get away with this,” Darius said.

  “I’m trying to win a war,” Julian said. “And I’m starting by getting rid of scum like you.” He looked at Robin and motioned his head to the door. “Get them to a cart.”

  Robin bowed in submission and did as he was told. Darius let out a flurry of curses, but the others followed silently, obviously beaten. Julian felt no remorse. Only anger and slight satisfaction. As he began to leave the room, he was stopped by Dublin.

  “Yer Majesty, I dunna what ta say.”

  “There’s nothing to say, Dublin. The men and women you’ve known for so long have betrayed us all. Including you.”

  “I just canna believe it ta be true.”

  Saying nothing more, Julian let out a deep breath and made his way down the hallway, walking the opposite way as the soldiers had. He walked briskly, not wanting to be followed by Dublin. He moved from corridor to corridor until he finally reached the statue of King Harold. He
had last come to this spot when Garland had taken him down into the depths of the fortress to show him what would one day be the biggest weapon the Dunarians could ever have. Only now, the Dunarians would never have it. There was no one associated with the Dunarians to trust with that kind of power. The only one Julian could trust was himself. If he needed the weapon to destroy the Stühocs, he would be the one to use it.

  He stared at the statue for a brief moment, wondering why Garland had trusted him to hear the word that would allow him to enter its depths. To Julian’s knowledge, the only other person that knew the password was Kaden. He bent low and placed his hands on the feet of the statue and spoke the secret word. Shelinsa. The statue began to move and the secret door swung open inwardly. He took the steps downward into the lair in which The Reckoning had been conceived. There, he would find four medallions. Four medallions the council members would never see again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dink hunkered low behind a large rock about a hundred yards from where the Stühocs made camp. They were headed somewhere, but he could tell it wasn’t Mudavé. They had begun marching away from the villages, so there probably wouldn’t be any more attacks. The large group of soldiers and carriages headed consistently northeast. Voelif. The Stühocs were going to sell the people into slavery. At least they weren’t being taken to Mudavé to be turned and tortured as so many stories had said. He had heard awful tales of such things. He didn’t know the conditions in Voelif, but he knew that it couldn’t be as bad as Mudavé.

  He tried counting the barred carriages full of people and he was almost certain that his wife Emma was in the very last one. He wanted to go to her and tell her that everything would be all right and that he would save her from the doom that was intended for her, but he didn’t have the certain faith that made him believe it. He had seen so much death and despair the past few days, all from this disgusting band of Stühocs.

  Dink’s body was exhausted. He didn’t remember the last time he had slept and it was everything he could do to keep himself awake now. He shook his head vigorously, trying to keep his eyes focused on the small army. Most of them were bedding down for the night, while only a few stood guard. He was glad to see that there was some room in the carriages for prisoners to lie down, or at least sit up against the bars. At least they didn’t have to stand.