duty to choose a successor before my time in this land is done. By neglecting to do so, I leave the throne to ones whom I do not desire to sit upon it.
It is with many hours of thought and long heartfelt reflection that I name you, Julian Hobbes, as my successor to the throne at Farlaweer, to rule over Humankind throughout all of Marenon. Do not think of accepting this responsibility as an honor to your brother or king, (for I have been neither to you), but to the honor of Marenon. It can be better served by one with values that hold true to the principles of our father and those that wish and have always wished for the betterment of Humankind.
A copy of this letter has been personally handed to the royal magistrate by my own hand, along with the instructions to tell no one of its existence, or to contact you unless you specifically ask for it. I hope you will accept this responsibility. You would make our land stronger and our father proud.
Your King, your brother,
Morgan Hobbes
Julian had told no one about the letter, not even Nalani. He would eventually have to, of course, but there was much more work to be done. Within days Julian would be king over Humankind in Marenon and there was nothing the Stühocs could do to stop it. This, he knew, would be the path to destroying the Stühocs, fulfilling The Reckoning. He couldn’t help the pain that stabbed his heart, however. That night he and his brother fought on the balcony would forever haunt his dreams. Morgan was trying to reconcile with Julian and Julian had let him die. It was a hard truth that he was going to have to live with. He did, however, find some satisfaction in the death of Holden and Maroke, for the two were instrumental in his father’s death. Ruben Hobbes had been avenged.
The fire was lit. Julian felt sad for Silas that he had to come back into Marenon the way he did. He came into life as every other Human had in Marenon. There was no peace. There would be no peace until the Stühocs were gone. He pulled Nalani closer to him and kissed the side of her head. As long as Julian was alive, the fight for peace would go on. He now held the power to make peace happen.
*****
Silas held to his staff with one hand and wiped his eyes with the other as he watched his grandfather’s pyre burn brighter than the setting sun. It had been several days since their fight had taken place on the fortress plateau in Mudavé, and now Silas was being hailed as a hero throughout the city of Jekyll Rock. He didn’t feel like a hero, however. He felt as if he had lost everything. There was no direction for him to go. He knew he had to find the Gatekeeper, but that was all he knew. He didn’t know if he had the strength to ask more questions, and he certainly was not ready to search all of Marenon for some elusive man. Kaden was there, however, ready to take the next step with Silas when the time was right. He had promised to help Silas along the way and to get him ready for the months to come. The defeat of Maroke was only a small step in the right direction, Kaden had told him. There was much more work left to do and much more to be planned in The Reckoning.
Two hands gently grabbed ahold of Silas’ arm. Inga. Even amid his grieving, he felt a jolt in his heart every time he saw her. He was glad to see that Inga, Coffman, Lorcan and even Alric had decided to stay in the city of Jekyll Rock for a while. Alric joked that the Dunarians had paid him enough to retire, but Silas knew that none of them wanted to leave. He never asked, but he thought that perhaps Alric and the others had finally found what they had been looking for. Perhaps instead of going from job to job for money, helping the Dunarians was what best suited them. The decision about whether they would be granted a position with the Dunarians had yet to be determined. Many tasks were put on hold out of respect for Garland.
Every sarian, except for Skarret, soared overhead, honoring their fallen leader. The injury to Skarret was harsh and painful,