did.”
The others had finally finished off the rest of the Stühocs that were left on the top of the plateau, and were now watching and waiting as Garland and Silas spoke their final words to one another. The Stühocs were scared for now, but they would be back.
“You must take it,” Garland said placing the medallion in Silas’ hand. “Kaden is still your man, Silas. He will direct you where you need to go from here. The Reckoning is running its course as planned.”
“The Reckoning can’t happen without you, Grandpa.”
“You’re wrong, Silas. The Reckoning is you. It has always been you that would carry out the mission.”
Silas’ tears fell freely. Why did it have to be this way?
“Remember what I have taught you,” Garland said.
“I will.”
“And Silas,” Garland said, his voice becoming more faint. “Find the Gatekeeper. He is the key to everything.”
“How do I find him?”
“You will find him.”
“How?” Silas’ grip on his grandfather’s hand became stronger while his grandfather’s weakened.
“You will find a way.”
Garland released his hold on Silas and closed his eyes. The only person that Silas had ever truly cared about in both of his lives was now dead. Garland Ainsley was gone forever.
Chapter Thirty-One
Julian Hobbes stood along with the rest of the council and some fifteen others surrounding the funeral pyre of Garland Ainsley on the western bank of the Zasca River, a few miles away from Jekyll Rock. Nalani placed a warm hand in his as they stared at the body where it would soon turn to ash. It was almost sunset and the river was blanketed by the sun’s shimmering warmth.
He looked to his left and saw Silas standing next to his former mentor, Kaden. Silas would be Kaden’s new project and Julian was fine with that. Julian’s training had long since finished and he knew Silas deserved to learn from someone like Kaden. Kaden still did not approve of Julian’s method of getting the medallion from Timugo, but the two had more or less reconciled over the argument. It was behind them now and they had gained some valuable allies in the process. He feared, however, that overall, their allies were thinning.
Julian’s gaze drifted to the faces of the rest of the council, one by one. The only ones he could trust from the council were Nalani and Kaden. The others, Katherine Fallera, Darius Umar, Myron Lloyd and Quincy Todd stood there innocently, probably contemplating their next move for takeover, but Julian smiled as he thought about how they would not be able to do any such thing. Ward Holden and Maroke were both dead. These were two key figures in their plot. Of course, the official story was told that Holden had fought with them gallantly, but his body had to be left behind. Julian knew the others had to accept this story as true as not to give away their position. He reached his hand in his pocket and felt the golden key that he had taken off of Holden. According to the traitor it was proof against the others on the council. Julian would have to confirm this proof before there could be any confrontation.
He also thought about the four medallions the Dunarians now possessed. The blue medallion of Canor, the white medallion of Timugo, the purple medallion of Farlaweer and the red medallion of Mudavé were all safe. Only a precious few knew they were now hidden underneath Jekyll Rock where only Kaden had access. Thanks to Garland, Julian also had access to the lower chambers of Jekyll Rock, but this was something he kept to himself. The less others knew about his knowledge, the safer he was. Until Julian and the others were able to obtain the other two medallions, the green medallion of the Erellens and the orange medallion of the Nestorians, there was no need to use any of the others, at least not yet.
Next to the golden key in his pocket lay the folded letter that his brother Morgan had given him. Julian had taken Garland’s advice and read the letter instead of destroying it, as he would have originally liked to do. He read the letter continuously until he had it memorized. He reread the message in his head, paying close attention to every word, every sentence, just to make sure it said what it blatantly meant to say.
To the esteemed Julian Hobbes,
I write this letter to you not only as your brother, but also as your king. As king it is my