“Quiet!” Jiaros yelled. “Daewyn, hand me the medallion now, or you’ll spend a month in the prison.”
There was nothing left to be said. Either Inga was going to help them out of this situation or she would run away and lose the chance to obtain the green medallion. Daewyn reached out to hand his father the medallion, but before he could, he vanished.
Julian looked down at his feet, and could see that he, too, was invisible to the soldiers and the Erellen king. Inga was now willing to compromise.
The look on the Jiaros’ face was one of shock. He commanded the soldiers to search the entire cavern for the two of them, but there would be no point.
Julian jumped with a start when he felt a hand grab his arm and walk him through the cavern and toward the tunnel. He tried to get a glimpse of Inga, but there was only air.
They walked with her guiding hand until they finally reached the mouth of the cave and stepped out onto the grassy plain.
She then released the magic.
Daewyn stared at her wildly, but Julian smiled.
“I’m glad you finally saw it my way,” he said.
“Let’s get something straight,” Inga fumed. “I’ll agree to go with you if you promise to give the medallions to Kaden when we get to Jekyll Rock.”
“You want an agreement?” Daewyn asked. “You’ve got no leverage.”
Inga held out her hands and conjured flames that danced above her palms. With a thought, she could easily set the Erellen on fire.
“My leverage is your life,” she said. “You let me go with you, I’ll let you live.”
Julian wasn’t going to test her power. “She’s coming.” He looked at Daewyn. “We could use her magic to get into Jekyll Rock more quietly. I know a few ways in, but Inga’s power will be an advantage.”
“I’m not interested in going in quietly,” she said. “We’re going to give them to Kaden.”
“Fine,” Julian said. “I just want to know that you’ve got my back. I’m not exactly welcome there.”
Inga stood for a moment in thought and then nodded. “Ok. I’ll make sure they don’t kill you, but you have to promise me you’ll give the medallions to Kaden. If you’re true to your word, then you know you don’t need to be at Marenon’s Map yourself to help fight the Stühocs. It can be done by the Dunarians.”
Julian nodded. “I understand.”
“I don’t want you to forget about my part in all this,” Daewyn said. “You owe me Lorcan Zamire.”
“You’ll die before you touch Lorcan,” Inga said.
Julian held up a hand. “Wait. I did tell Daewyn I would take him to Jekyll Rock to get Lorcan.”
“I know,” Inga said. “I was listening.”
“I’ll take you to Jekyll Rock,” Julian told Daewyn. “But I am not certain that Lorcan is even there. I can get you into the castle, but that’s it. I’m not helping you trap him or fight him. You’ll have to deal with that on your own.” He gave a sideways glance toward Inga. “I have no control over who tries to stop you.”
Daewyn sighed loudly but nodded.
When he started this mission, Julian hadn’t planned on having two others on his team. Maybe they would be beneficial to him, maybe not. Either way, Julian planned to be in front of Marenon’s Map by the next day. He just hoped Nalani had been able to acquire the orange medallion.
Chapter Seven
Alric could hardly keep his hands from shaking as he walked in the fields east of Jekyll Rock. The stronghold was small in the distance and the three travelled together silently. Lorcan kept a slow pace behind Alric and Kaden; he was probably just as nervous.
Alric couldn’t believe they were about to do this. He had never killed a man in cold blood. He had experienced his fair share of shady dealings, and he had let people die before, but never had he been a murderer. It was never how he worked, yet on this morning he would be forced to do so.
Kaden had no idea of course. Before the sun had risen, Alric and Lorcan told him that there was something that he needed to see just outside of the city. Kaden tried to ask what it was, but they told him that he would just have to see it for himself.
“I just don’t understand why you can’t tell me,” he said.
“You just…you just have to wait and see,” Alric answered. “We aren’t far.”
He looked over his shoulder to make sure the guards from the city wall wouldn’t be able to see them. He wasn’t comfortable with the distance yet, so they kept walking.
The sun had barely come up over the horizon and Alric could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day. The summers in Marenon were always beautiful in the western part of the land. But regardless of the summer’s natural beauty, he knew it would be the grayest day of his life.
The night before, he had talked extensively with Lorcan about the plan to kill Kaden. They never could decide on a specific ruse to lure him, so they decided just to tell the man the truth once they got him far away from the city. Lorcan had insisted that they let Kaden die with honor, but that didn’t mean much to Alric. Honor was just a word. Kaden was marked for death either way, so there wasn’t much use in giving the man a chance, but Lorcan was unrelenting. Kaden wouldn’t die without knowing the reason. He would know why Alric and Lorcan killed him. Alric would rather stick a knife in Kaden’s back. It would be quick and Kaden’s pain wouldn’t last.
He wished there was another way. He had cursed Anithistor over and over for putting him in this position. But Coffman was his friend, and Nalani deserved to live. Kaden was just another soldier that would become an unfortunate casualty of war.
After a few minutes, Alric looked over his shoulder again and felt satisfied with the distance between them and Jekyll Rock. He stopped abruptly in the middle of the open field, and the others did the same.
Kaden shrugged. “What is it?”
Alric closed his eyes for a moment. Was he really going to do this? Was it possible that Anithistor was bluffing? He took a deep breath and turned to Kaden.
Kaden looked from Alric to Lorcan and back to Alric, then his eyes narrowed. “What is this?” he asked. “You told me to bring my sword. What do you want?”
Alric pulled out his sword slowly and studied the glinting blade. “I’d like to tell you that we actually had something to show you, but we don’t.”
“You brought me out here to kill me didn’t you?”
Alric’s silence was his answer.
Lorcan spoke next. “We’ve been put into a difficult position.”
“Anithistor says he’s going to torture and kill Nalani and Coffman if I don’t bring your head to him.”
Kaden stiffened at the words.
“He thinks if he can kill you, then the Dunarians will be completely lost,” Alric said.
“I see,” said Kaden. “So that’s it? You just planned to bring me out here to die? Why did you have me bring my sword? To give me a chance?” He laughed loudly at this.
Alric’s face didn’t change. “Personally I thought it would be better to stab you in the back, but Lorcan here thought you deserved more honor than that.”
“So you want to fight me? The two of you against me? How does that give me honor?” Kaden pulled out his sword and threw it at Alric’s feet. “No. That’s not how it’s going to happen. You’re going to have to kill me while I’m unarmed.”
“Pick up your sword,” Alric said.
Kaden shook his head. “No. You’re going to have to murder me. I’m not giving you the satisfaction of a fair fight.”
“You forget that this was Lorcan’s idea, not mine. Cold-blooded murder is exactly what I had planned.”
“So be it,” Kaden said, opening his arms for Alric to stab him through the chest. His cheeks flushed red with anger. “It’s all over anyway. The Dunarians have lost. Garland Ainsley’s plans have failed. The Reckoning is finished. Everything I’ve fought for was for nothing.” Kaden stared at Alric with a deep sadness and anger in his eyes.
“Do you r
eally believe that?” Lorcan asked.
“Why shouldn’t I? The enemy has captured the prophesied deliverer. The Dunarians have lost most of the council. It’s over! So just kill me and be done with it!”
“But you understand why we’re doing this, don’t you?” Alric asked him.
“Of course,” Kaden said, arms still wide. “You’re a coward.”
“What?”
“You’re afraid to go in there and try to get them out yourself.”
“It would be impossible,” Alric argued. “Anithistor would kill them.”
“Do you think when you show up with my head that Anithistor is going to let you or the others live?”
“I don’t know!” Alric screamed. “All I know is that’s the only chance we have!”
“Then shove the sword in my chest, Alric!”
Alric charged without thinking. He pulled the blade back and stabbed forward to impale Kaden with the sharp metal, but he had been careless. In the last second, Kaden dodged to the side and grabbed Alric’s arm as he stabbed through. With his other hand, Kaden slammed his fist into Alric’s nose and threw him to the ground.
Kaden stood above Alric with the sword in his hands. For a moment, Alric was sure that Kaden was going to kill him, but he only looked up at Lorcan.
“You want to try to kill me too?”
Lorcan stood for a moment, breathing hard through his nose. “Of course not,” he said as he dropped his head in disgrace.
Kaden looked back down to Alric.
“Next time you plan to kill someone, don’t give him a chance to defend himself,” he said.
He walked a few paces away with his back to the other two. Alric sat up and tried to wipe the free-flowing blood from his face.
“I haven’t given up hope,” Kaden said. “And you shouldn’t either.”
“You mean you don’t believe those things you said?” Lorcan asked.
He turned to face them both, a look of sorrow and even weariness in his eyes. “Well, it’s true that a lot of hardships have befallen the Dunarians,” Kaden answered. “But I do believe in the prophecy. I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but I believe Silas and the others will be freed somehow.”
“I think I know how,” Lorcan said.
Kaden snorted. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Lorcan said, smiling.
Alric and Kaden looked at Lorcan and realized that he wasn’t focusing on them, but rather something far in the distance.
Lorcan pointed. “Sarian!”
Alric and Kaden both jerked their heads to see where Lorcan was looking. At first, neither of them saw anything, but then Kaden nearly shouted when he recognized the bird.
“It’s Fury.”
The three of them stood together, watching as Nalani’s sarian flew closer. They could see three riders on the bird’s back, and one of them was obviously Coffman.
The three on the ground waved their arms and shouted for the riders to land near them. When a shout came back in recognition, the bird circled around them, finally landing about twenty feet away. An extremely tired Coffman, Nalani, and Silas slid off the back of the sarian and quickly made their way to the others.
“How did you…what did you…” Alric stuttered, but the words escaped him.
“It wasn’t easy,” Nalani said as she walked toward Alric to embrace him. Alric was surprised by the gesture, but accepted it fully. When they let go, he slapped Coffman on the shoulder, letting him know he was glad to see him alive.
Kaden had rushed to Silas. “I thought we’d lost you.”
“Yeah, me too,” Silas said. “But I’m afraid there’s not much time to catch up.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“The enemy is on the move,” Silas explained. “They’re moving fast too.”
“Anithistor told Silas he was sending an army to attack Jekyll Rock,” Nalani said. “And we just flew over the army not two hours ago.”
The color drained from Kaden’s face. “How big?”
“Big,” Silas answered.
“It’s Anithistor’s new army,” Coffman said. “The Soldiers of the Dead.”
Alric remembered the army too well. He, Nalani, and Daewyn Florelle had only been seconds away from becoming the first soldiers in that army. He had told Kaden and Darius Umar about the weapon that Anithistor had created, but he had no idea the Stühoc king would be sending them so quickly.
“They are large in number,” Nalani said. “Stühocs, Nestorians, and controlled Humans. They’re led by the Nestorian, General Mintuk.”
“Two hours out by sarian,” Kaden said as he scratched his beard. “They’ll be here by nightfall.”
“Maybe sooner,” Nalani said. “They were running when we flew over them. We won’t have time to get reinforcements. We’re on our own.”
Kaden swore coarsely. The others jerked their heads to him in surprise. “We would have seen them coming if Julian hadn’t taken the medallions from us.”
“There are thousands of them,” Coffman said.
“You three need to take Fury and get to Jekyll Rock,” Kaden said. “Dublin will meet you there. Alric, Lorcan and I have something to discuss.”
Alric’s insides went cold. He knew he had screwed up, but he wasn’t sure how the Dunarian leader would take it. Surely Kaden would know that they acted with good intentions.
Before mounting the sarian, Silas grabbed Kaden’s arm. “Have you heard anything about Inga? Is she safe?”
“Yes,” Kaden said. “She’s with the Erellens. She is safe.”
Saying nothing more, Silas, Nalani, and Coffman mounted the sarian and took off toward Jekyll Rock. Kaden kept his back turned to Alric and Lorcan who stood behind him with their heads hung down in shame.
“No one needs to know of what you tried to do today,” Kaden said. “We are not enemies.” He turned to face them. “You will fight with us tonight. You will show the Dunarians your true loyalty by fighting to the death for them if it should it come to that.”
Alric and Lorcan nodded in agreement.
Kaden held up a finger. “If I so much as get a whiff of you two trying to leave, or plotting against anyone within the Dunarian Order, I’ll have you executed in a second. Am I clear?”
“Yes,” they both said.
“Good. I know your intentions, so we’ll never speak of this incident ever again.” Kaden straightened his cloak and turned toward the city he had led for the past seventeen years.
“Tonight gentlemen, we will die with honor.”
Chapter Eight
The Stühocs had just suffered another crushing defeat. Maroke was dead. Silas Ainsley, the so-called Deliverer, had killed him and taken away the valuable prisoner, Kaden Osric. Ward Holden had been killed and none of the Sleepers had heard from Spencer in days, though Hroth had informed them that the new Human king, Julian, had imprisoned him.
Anithistor had called Marcus, Theron, Saul and Damon to the meeting. The Nestorian Sleeper Mintuk was still in Voelif of course. Little of what happened in Mudavé had to do with him. It was just as well. Damon hated to consider Mintuk as one of them. Disgusting. He had to be reminded by Hroth that Mintuk was a Sleeper regardless of how Damon felt.
“Silas is more of a threat than I imagined,” Anithistor said grimly. “We need to fix this quickly.”
“Silas will seek out the Gatekeeper,” Marcus said. The others nodded in agreement.
“Then we should kill them both,” Anithistor said. “Losing Maroke does not bode well for us, but we will recover. I have word from Mintuk that the Sphere will be working soon.”
“We don’t need the Nestorians,” Damon said. “Why can’t we do this without them?”
“I am not surprised by your hatred of them,” Anithistor said. “But it stems from experiences you had before you became a Sleeper. You need to suppress it.”
They are a necessary ally, the voice told him.
They are nothing more than a mistake, Damon thought back to him. He
knew about their history. Only a handful of Stühocs knew the mystery of the Nestorian’s origins; the majority of people in Marenon knew nothing about them. They had come about as a result of forced breeding between the Stühocs and captured Erellens thousands of years before. The Stühocs had thought they could create a super species, but the result had been quite different. They quickly learned that Nestorians couldn’t expose their skin to the sun, or they would begin to deteriorate. Their skin would burn easily and peel until bone was exposed. Their bodies would become weak because of this, and they would eventually die. Naturally they would have gone underground, but the Anwyns commanded the only caves that were remotely inhabitable, and no one waged war underground. Nestorians had no place to go, and were forced to the most undesirable part of Marenon.
They had to adapt to the desert land by wearing masks, and covering every inch of their bodies, which added to the mystery of what they looked like. Throughout the years, most of the other groups stayed away from Nestorians and their history had become mostly forgotten.
Thinking about them made Damon sick. He hated that Anithistor relied so heavily on their weapon…this Sphere.
“The plan may sound simple,” Anithistor continued, “but I assure you, it will be complicated. Saul will track Silas and try to find the Gatekeeper. Right now, Silas remains safe within the confines of Jekyll Rock, but the Dunarians will not keep him there long.” He nodded to Saul. “You will wait until the time is right.”
“Why Saul?” Damon asked. “I can do it. You have trusted me with very little, but I am ready.”
The other Sleepers looked at each other. One or two of them smiled, but Damon ignored them. Damon had been useless to them so far, and hadn’t been given a chance to prove himself. He had told Hroth that he should have tried to take Silas when he was near him in Canor. The Stühocs could have avoided the death of Maroke and Holden. But Hroth stood by his decision – even if he had known the result, he would have tested Damon all the same. It was too dangerous for Damon to get near Silas. Of course, Damon knew their reasoning, but it had been so long ago. He had never even met the boy personally. Damon didn’t think he would have a breakdown should he get too near Silas.
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