The Marenon Chronicles Collection

by Jason D. Morrow

  This isn’t enough, Julian thought. He moved his floating body to the eastern wall and over the edge. Thousands of Stühocs and Nestorians waited patiently for their chance to punish the Dunarians. Julian lifted his hand and slapped it downward. Instantly, a clash of lightning burned through several Stühoc soldiers. He did this ten more times before stopping.

  This isn’t enough!

  He descended to the ground, somehow knowing that the enemy could not sense his presence, for no part of him was actually there except for his mind. His spirit body stood on the ground among the soldiers, and he wondered what he could do.

  What storm could wipe them out?

  Like the lightning he had created, the idea struck him.

  He lifted his arms into the air, moving them in a circular motion. The clouds started to churn and spiral downward until three funnel clouds touched the ground. The wind howled and the enemy soldiers began to look around frantically, most of them unable to move because of the dense crowd.

  The tornados picked up hundreds of Stühocs and Nestorians at a time and threw them to a quick death.

  Though hundreds were dying, Julian wasn’t satisfied.

  He reached down to the mud beneath his feet and gently caressed it. The ground responded to his touch by rumbling beneath him. Julian had never seen the Stühocs so terrified. The earth shook violently and cracks snaked all across the vast field. The shaking became so severe that the cracks turned into huge crevices, swallowing the enemy by the hundreds.

  Julian concentrated harder until a geyser of liquid fire erupted from the depths of Marenon’s core. The lava clung to the enemies’ skin even though they tried to do everything to extinguish the pain, but Julian did not relent in his action. He called up more fiery springs in various locations across the field.

  Many of the Stühocs and Nestorians tried to retreat, but Julian only called more liquid flames to block their escape.

  Two of the twisters caught the fire, sucking the flames toward their centers. The tornados lit the sky as though it was midday.

  Julian scanned the field until he spotted the enemy leader, Mintuk, the Nestorian Sleeper. Julian flew at a blinding speed until he stood feet from the General. He felt a smile form at the corners of his mouth because he knew the Sleeper had no indication of Julian’s presence. The Nestorian was moments from a painful and shocking death and didn’t even realize it.

  Mintuk tried to give orders, but with the deafening sound of the storm and the soldiers screaming in pain, none heeded him. With only a slight thought, Julian conjured a lightning bolt, striking the Nestorian through the top of the head and out his feet.

  Julian’s smile turned into a laugh as he watched the flames dance wickedly on Mintuk’s wooden mask. Mintuk fell to the ground lifelessly, but Julian called for another bolt, then another until all that remained of the disgusting creature was a blackened, charred body.

  The Nestorians and Stühocs were in a complete panic.

  Now that their leader was down, and retreat would be impossible. It was time for Julian to finish the battle.

  He moved himself over to the city where many Dunarians still fought for their lives. All of them had to know that something strange was happening outside the city walls. Julian sent bolts of lightning on Stühocs, Nestorians, and what remained of the voracious Humans that only wanted flesh. He had to be precise here, for he wanted no Dunarian to suffer the same death as the opponents.

  From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Darius Umar. Stühocs had surrounded the battle commander, and no other soldier was near to help him. One blade against ten. If Julian didn’t help him, the man wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Julian floated near him, but stopped. Darius wanted Julian’s head. He wanted Julian to die for what he had done to the Dunarian Council. Darius might be the only person who would still stand against Julian after he helped them win the battle.

  Julian had no obligation to save the man. If Darius was going to try to kill Julian later, why should he save him now?

  Julian watched as one of the Stühoc’s blades caught Darius’ shoulder, and the man fell backward. It was almost as if they moved at a slow pace, allowing Julian to think about his decision longer. The sword fell from the commander’s hand as his body hit the ground. Each of the ten Stühocs raised a weapon in an effort to bring down the defenseless warrior. Julian shook his head. He had let men die before. He couldn’t travel this road any more. He knew it would destroy him.

  With a thought, the ground rumbled beneath the crowd and a stone pillar formed out of the city street raising Darius’ body twenty feet into the air and knocking the Stühocs backward.

  Darius lay safely at the top of the newly formed column, injured but out of reach. If the man wanted Julian to die, then that was something Julian would have to face at a later time.

  He scanned the city for more victims. His work was not finished.

  *****

  Alric shouted like a madman as he cut down the Stühocs, one after another. The gray-skinned monsters had found where the Dunarians hid their old and young, and they attacked with intensity.

  Though Patrick attempted to step up and fight against the Stühocs, Alric made sure to stay in front of the old man to keep his promise he made to Nalani. None in their small band had been taken down yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  Coffman held two swords and swung with his mighty arms, cutting through the Stühocs like blades of grass. Lorcan stabbed and slashed, but focused more on magical defense for the group. Nalani, Dink, and Emma had taken to bows and arrows to stave off the Stühocs from a slightly safer distance.

  Hundreds of Stühocs had found their way to the council chamber and were doing everything they could to destroy what was left of the Dunarians.

  Alric had no idea what was happening outside of the fortress walls, but he doubted it was good. Were the Dunarians already finished? Were Alric and his group all that were left of the force fighting against this dark enemy?

  His arms moved freely, blocking, cutting, and splattering blood against the stone floors and walls of the hallway.

  The ground started shaking long before he actually noticed it. With the bodies beginning to pile, it was difficult to see the enemy coming for them, though the Stühocs also had to climb over their fallen companions.

  When the floor shook more violently, Alric found himself reaching out for balance.

  Cracks formed across the floor only feet in front of him, but the Stühocs never saw it coming. The quaking knocked them all to the ground as the cracks turned to larger gaps, and the outer wall to their left began to shift to the side until it crumbled to the ground at the foot of the stronghold.

  The attacking Stühocs tried to hold on for their lives, but they could not maintain their stability as the rock crumbled beneath them.

  Alric and the others held tight to the floor as the wind whipped at their hair, and they could see the flaming tornados spinning along the field full of burning Stühoc, Nestorian, and undead flesh. Alric was as stunned as everyone else to see the upheaval on the battlefield below them.

  As the ground steadied, Alric moved to the edge of the outer wall and could see that there were now more Dunarians alive than there were enemy combatants.

  A disbelieving smile crossed his face as he realized that they actually might not die this night.

  Nalani crawled up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “What’s happening?” she asked.

  Alric shook his head, unable to take his eyes from the spectacular sight. Never in a thousand years would he have favored the odds of the Dunarians in this fight, but somehow their enemies had been destroyed. He finally looked at Nalani and sighed.

  “I don’t believe it,” he said, then laughed.

  Nalani held Alric’s face in her hands as she stared deeply into his eyes. “You saved my father’s life. You saved all the people in the council chamber.”

  Alric tried to shake his head. He tried
to say that he had nothing to do with it, but he didn’t have a chance before Nalani pressed her lips firmly against his. He quickly forgot his protest as he reached out and held her close.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Silas pushed himself up off the floor with his staff after the earthquake had knocked him over.

  Where did that come from?

  He ran down the dark hallway surprised that he hadn’t encountered any Stühocs.

  Jekyll Rock had become a home to him over the past few months and it pained him to see it overrun as it had been this night. He didn’t necessarily agree with Kaden about running to the underground shelter, but part of him knew that the man was right.

  If Silas was the only person with the potential to take down Anithistor, he’d have to stay away from the battle. He was no coward, but he wasn’t a fool either. Garland would have made the same call.

  When he came to the statue of King Harold he hesitated.

  What am I doing? The Meshulan shouldn’t run!

  But then he thought about all it had taken to get him here. People had sacrificed so much. Some had died. His grandfather had been killed. It would be selfish of him to risk his life any further. The people deserved hope. If Silas died, it needed to be at the hands of Anithistor while he was doing everything he could to destroy the Stühoc king.

  He bent down to the statue’s feet and muttered his dead mother’s name.

  The entrance toward Marenon’s Map opened smoothly and Silas walked through the opening and down the stairs.

  He came to the next door at the bottom and opened it. He immediately noticed a light glowing around the door’s edge at the other end of the large room.

  Is someone else here?

  His next steps were more hesitant as he moved forward. The staff in his right hand hadn’t changed into a weapon so there was no danger. The staff had never steered him wrong before, though that didn’t mean it wouldn’t someday.

  He came to the small door and peeked through the open crack. He could see someone standing in front of the completely illuminated map.

  But that could only mean…

  Without warning, the door swung open causing Silas to jump. He had not expected to see the girl he had left behind in Elysium…the one he hadn’t expected to ever see again…the one he loved…Inga.

  Her face brightened when she recognized Silas. Without a word, she hugged him tightly as tears formed in her eyes.

  “I thought they took you!” she said, squeezing tightly. “I thought they would kill you.”

  “It’s a long story,” Silas explained, “but I will tell you everything soon, I promise.”

  The person who had been standing in front of the pedestal had released his grip on the magic and turned to face Inga and Silas.

  Julian.

  He, too, seemed surprised to see Silas.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I used the medallions first,” he said. “Didn’t have anyone around to ask permission.”

  “What exactly are you doing?”

  “You didn’t see?” Inga asked him as she gripped his hand firmly. Silas didn’t want her to let go. “Julian used the map to stop the battle. We have all the medallions! The Stühocs are finished. This is exactly what Silandrin told us to do!”

  Silas’ jaw dropped. “We knew you had the other four, Julian, but how did you get the green medallion from the Erellens?”

  Julian looked at Inga with a slight smile then back to Silas. “We figured out a way.”

  Silas couldn’t believe it. This must have been what caused the earthquake. Julian had been using Marenon’s Map as a weapon to help the Dunarians. Silas was glad that someone had been able to help.

  Julian looked at the map and zoomed out on an aerial view for Silas to see what Jekyll Rock now looked like. A whole section of wall had been taken out of the side of the stronghold, and the ground was covered with blackened lava and deep crevices in every direction. The city looked utterly destroyed, but Julian had saved their lives. He had saved them all from annihilation.

  “Amazing,” Silas said.

  Echoes reverberated outside the door and each of them stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps.

  “Silas!” the voice of Kaden Osric sounded through the bunker. “Silas, the battle is finished. We…” After he stepped through the door into the room, he stopped abruptly. His eyes darkened when they fell on Julian. At a loss for words, the mentor waited.

  Julian spoke first. “Kaden, I would have tried to look for you to give you the medallions, but I thought it would be impossible with the battle going on. So, I came down here myself.”

  “I don’t really know what to say, Julian.”

  Julian took a deep breath while several moments passed with an awkward silence filling the air. “I’m sorry, Kaden,” Julian finally spoke. “I’m so sorry for what happened with the council members. I know what I did was unforgivable.”

  “Helping us today doesn’t undo your mistake,” Kaden said coldly.

  “I know it doesn’t. I want you to know that I’m not against you.”

  “I know you aren’t, but others will never see it that way. Darius wants your blood, and he’s not the only one.”

  “I didn’t think he would be,” Julian said.

  Kaden motioned behind them. “I’ve already instructed Darius to meet me down here. Maybe you should leave before he comes.”

  Julian shook his head. “I’m not going to run from anyone. I have always done what I believed to be right. I made a grave mistake and I will face the consequences for my actions.”

  After a moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from the other end of the bunker as they made their way down.

  “Looks like it’s too late anyway,” Julian said absently.

  He was right. Darius entered the room with three soldiers standing next to him. They were all drenched from the earlier rain, and Darius, shirtless, had a fresh bandage across his back from the Stühoc assault.

  His mood turned from complacent to an angry rage in a half second.

  Despite the cut across his back, Darius pulled out his sword and stormed toward Julian with death on his mind. That’s when Inga jumped in.

  “No!” she yelled as her magical force slammed Darius and his three soldiers against the back wall.

  “There will be no more killing today!” Kaden said.

  “The man’s a traitor. A murderer!” Darius spat.

  “Regardless, you will not kill him,” Kaden said as he moved toward Darius. He lowered his voice when he came near. “I will tell Inga to release you when you promise me you won’t touch him.”

  Darius’ eyes darted between Julian and Kaden.

  Silas held his breath, wondering what the commander would do. He knew the man had reason to be angry, but what Darius didn’t know is that Julian had saved their lives today.

  “I want him arrested,” Darius said. “I want him thrown into the dungeons. Let the Dunarians decide what to do with him.”

  Kaden turned to Inga and nodded. She released the hold on the four men and they fell to the ground. Darius winced as he stood. The bandage across his back was stained with fresh blood.

  “I’ll submit to the Dunarian’s will,” Julian said.

  “Wait a second,” Inga said as she stepped forward. “None of this matters right now.”

  Everyone in the room stared at her as she paced among them.

  “Silandrin has instructed Silas in what he must do next,” she said. “Now that we have all the medallions, we can finish what we started.”

  “And what exactly comes next?” Kaden asked, looking at Silas.

  Silas sighed deeply. Everyone looked for an answer that he wasn’t sure he was ready to give. The Gatekeeper had told them so much, but the hardest part of it now seemed to be finished thanks to Julian.

  Silas took the next few minutes to explain to them that once he had all the medallions, he was supposed to use the pedestal in front of Marenon’s Map to obtain the power of th
e Gatekeeper.

  After gaining this new power, it was up to him to destroy the remaining gates and medallions, but the only way he could destroy the Red Gate in Mudavé would be to become that gate’s keeper. Anithistor held the title of Gatekeeper over the Red Gate. In order for Silas to take that role, Anithistor would have to die.

  Silas’ explanation to the others was sobering. It made their victory feel slightly insignificant, for even if they had the power of Marenon’s Map, Silas would still have to face Anithistor alone.

  “So, what do you have to do?” Kaden asked.

  Silas shrugged. “Somehow I have to use this pedestal.”

  Julian stepped out of the way, allowing the others an unobstructed view.

  “To use Marenon’s Map as a weapon all I had to do was hold on to the pedestal with both hands,” he said. “Maybe it will work the same for you.”

  Silas nodded his thanks, and moved forward to the stand that held all six medallions of magic. So much work had gone into creating these artifacts. So much magic and mystery surrounded them. Now he was to use them for himself.

  A flood of doubt washed into Silas’ mind as he thought about what should happen next. What if it didn’t work? What if he was one giant disappointment? What if this power wasn’t enough to destroy the gates or defeat Anithistor? What did they need his power for anyway? Julian had been tremendous with his supernatural control over nature.

  Inga must have sensed his uncertainty because she stood next to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

  “Silandrin was sure about you,” she said. “I’m sure about you, too.”

  Silas reached his hand to hers and clutched it in appreciation of her support.

  She squeezed in return and stepped away from him, taking his staff in the process.

  His right hand touched the side of the pedestal as he faced the glowing map in front of him. The view of Jekyll Rock showed nothing but smoke and steam from the rain as it extinguished the flames of destruction.

  The map quickly moved back to show all of Marenon in slumbering twilight. The smoke from Jekyll Rock was so small from this height. He took a deep breath as he soaked in the view. His job was to rescue all of this.