Rock?”
“The Dunarians are finished, Kaden. You and Nalani are all that’s left.”
He was met with silence from the other end. Kaden’s glaring look would have stunned anyone else, but Julian wasn’t fazed. He was still upset about the thought that Kaden was surrounded by traitors and never realized it.
“What do you mean we are all that’s left? What happened?”
“Myron Lloyd, Katharine Fallera, Quincy Todd and Darius Umar are all under arrest, and are awaiting execution for their crimes against the Humans.”
“What are you talking about?”
“An orb, Kaden, a memory orb. You’ve heard of them, right?”
“Of course.”
“I found one that shows all of them in a meeting with Ward Holden. From the beginning they planned to use Silas and let him side with the Stühocs.”
“That makes no sense.”
“But it’s true. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
“Have they admitted it? Have you spoken with them?”
“What does it matter? I have the proof,” he said. He was beginning to regret this contact. “I’m contacting you out of respect. You are their leader and I think you should be there when they are executed. We’ll show the Stühocs that they don’t own us.”
“Julian, you’ve got to slow down,” Kaden said. “What about the courts? Can you not at least send it to the courts to determine their guilt?”
“The courts would take too long and this was an act of war, Kaden! They must be dealt with swiftly, and I want them to see you there watching. They betrayed you; they used me. They’re snakes, Kaden.”
“There has to be a mistake,” Kaden said. “I know Holden was a traitor. We saw it with our own eyes, but he couldn’t have gotten to the entire council.”
“He didn’t,” Julian said. “He didn’t get to you, me or Nalani.”
“What sort of proof did you see?”
Julian told him of what he saw in Holden’s memory orb. He spoke of the meeting and how they had planned everything from sending Marcus and Theron to go after Silas, to using Julian because of his ties to the throne. Even after the detailed explanation, Kaden was having a hard time swallowing it.
“They’ve been loyal to the council for years,” Kaden said, disbelieving.
“Disloyal, you mean,” Julian said.
“Julian, there has to be some mistake. We need to investigate this further. What you saw looks terrible, I’m sure, but there has to be some sort of explanation to it.”
“Memory orbs do not lie,” Julian said. “The four of them will be executed tomorrow at noon. You can be there to watch them die as traitors, or you can continue whatever work you are doing. Either way, they are going to pay for what they’ve done. We will show the Stühocs that they do not dominate us, nor will they ever dominate us. This is the first step to victory.”
“Please Julian,” Kaden said slowly. “Rethink what you are doing. Give it more time. Turn it over to the courts.”
Julian snorted. “I can’t believe you. You would treat our enemies with respect and leniency.” He shook his head. “If you do not come tomorrow, then I will need you to come here soon.”
Kaden waited for his explanation.
“This is obviously going to change the Dunarian’s direction. It will change The Reckoning. I took it upon myself to take the medallions from Jekyll Rock. I don’t want them to fall into the wrong hands. I would like to discuss this with you when you get here.”
Julian could understand the look of anger that spread across Kaden’s face. He would have been angry too. Julian had trespassed on his domain and stripped him of any power. It wouldn’t be permanent. Kaden would still play a big roll in The Reckoning, but Julian would lead it. He couldn’t trust anyone else anymore.
Kaden was at a loss for words.
“I hope I see you tomorrow. It will be a big day in the fight against the Stühocs.”
It felt awkward to terminate the conversation without Kaden speaking, but after a short moment, he placed his hand over the wristband’s jewel and its light faded out. Kaden may or may not join him in the fight, but it didn’t matter. The Reckoning was going to be finished with or without him. Somehow Silas would be playing a big part in all of this, but that was not Julian’s concern. All Julian wanted to do was win the fight against the Stühocs. And that would begin by executing some of his worst enemies the next day at noon.
*****
Kaden swore under his breath when Julian ended