a moving picture, Julian watched as one sixth of the map illuminated before him. It was the most magnificent sight he had ever seen. It was a view of Marenon as if he were watching it from the sky. The rest of the map was black and void, but one-sixth of the map, stretching from Berato to the edges of Farlaweer, was vibrant.
“With the command of thought, you can move anywhere within the province of Farlaweer,” Garland said as he moved the map to zoom in on King Morgan’s castle, specifically a pair of guards marching along the walls.
“That’s what’s happening now?”
Garland nodded. “You can see why this would be so advantageous to have,” he said. “One could memorize the routes and times of any guard. You could learn what fighting techniques are being taught to various enemies, and in turn, teach your men to counteract them. You could see what shipments are more vulnerable than others for interception. It’s all here.”
“And that’s why it’s so important to get Mudavé’s medallion,” Julian said.
“Exactly,” Garland said. “However, more is needed than that. It is believed that having all six medallions not only gives you the power to see all of Marenon, but to control certain aspects of it.”
“Such as?”
“Such as weather, or ‘natural’ disasters. All of which are too meticulous to control on a consistent basis, but when fighting an enemy, it would prove unstoppable.”
“One would become a god of Marenon?”
“Essentially a god of war,” Garland said. “Your strength would be derived from a powerful magic. In the wrong hands, all would be lost. That is why this lair is such a secret.”
“If it’s so secretive then why are you telling me about it just to help you get Silas back?”
Garland watched two of the guards taking a break from their post, smoking their long pipes. “Because,” he said solemnly, “I believe Silas to be even more powerful than this weapon you see standing before you. Silas is the Meshulan and he will deliver Marenon from the Stühocs.” He looked at Julian with a grave seriousness fixed upon his face. “But he’s going to need your help. For all we know, you and Nalani are the only ones he will be able to trust on this council.”
“So, that’s the version you believe? Silas is to save Marenon from the Stühocs?”
“It’s all I believe,” Garland said, turning his gaze back to the map. “It will be Silas that is responsible for getting the rest of the medallions and it is he that will use this weapon to eradicate the Stühocs. It is Silas that will find out why we are here at all.”
“What do you mean by that?” Julian asked.
“The Reckoning isn’t just about ridding ourselves from fear of the Stühocs, Julian. It’s about finding out why Humans are in Marenon in the first place. It’s finding out why there are some of us chosen to be here and why most are not. That is the ultimate goal for the Dunarian cause. It always has been, regardless of what others have made it to be.”
Julian was surprised to be hearing this. Never had he been told of a plot to uncover the mystery of humanity’s existence in Marenon. Sure, many had wondered and many had pursued knowledge of the mystery, but never had it been the goal of the Dunarians as far as Julian had known. Kaden hadn’t even told him this. But this was coming from the founder of the Dunarians himself.
“That may be your personal goal, Garland, but you won’t find a Dunarian that doesn’t think the foremost objective is to get rid of the Stühocs.”
“The objective is to defeat them, of course,” Garland answered. “I suspect that is part of the reason we Humans are here. Only by continuing with our planned course of action will we ever know.”
Julian nodded at the man’s words. Hearing the objectives of the Dunarians from the founder himself was somewhat surreal. Julian had not been smitten with the Ainsley’s as others had been, but in that moment, he felt more proud to be on the Dunarian Council than ever before.
“There are a few reasons we need to get Silas away from Mudavé,” Garland said, cutting into his thoughts. “I fear he will be captured. I’ve given my life to avoid his imprisonment by the Stühocs. The Stühocs are possessors. Many times they will torture their enemies for information and many times they will kill their captured foe without regard. But when a potentially