Erellens?” Silas asked.
“Erellens going to our world is unheard of,” Garland answered. “Their gate has been shut for many years and it was not used to get from Marenon to Earth. Their gate is a mystery, to non-Erellen people. You have been the only one of Erellen blood who has ever accomplished moving between our worlds when you moved through the Blue Gate.”
“So, the only way to get here from Earth is to die?”
“That is what most think,” Garland said with a twinkle in his eye. “But if the gates are open, and the Gatekeeper has allowed it, then there are ways to travel back and forth without death.”
“Kaden and the medallion,” Silas said, as his eyes lit up in comprehension. “He was using it as a key before I was killed.”
“And if what you saw was correct, Maroke used that key to take Kaden back to Mudavé as a prisoner,” Garland said. “Kaden killing you was the best move for everyone, including you.”
The words were heavy, but Silas knew them to be true. The fate of being captured, brainwashed and turned by the Stühocs seemed demoralizing.
He shook his head, confused. “So, is Marenon the afterlife for every Human?”
“Hardly,” Garland said. “It’s not even the afterlife for those that are here,” he said. “Many have believed Marenon to be the afterlife, but in reality it is an extension of our life on Earth, and only a few of us at that. People come to Marenon by the thousands each year. If everyone on Earth were to come here when they died, then there would be a countless number of people coming in everyday. Marenon would be filled and crowded in a matter of months. It isn’t very big, you know.”
“How big is it?”
“One could travel by foot and reach any point in Marenon within a week’s time. Traveling by sarian one could get to the farthest reach of Marenon within twenty-four hours. But there are other lands beyond Marenon, I’m sure. Few have explored into the unknown. I imagine there is a whole world to explore past the borders of this land.”
“I see,” Silas said. He shook his head to try to process this new information, and to clear his racing thoughts a bit. “But back to the Gatekeeper,” he said.
“Ah, yes. To make a long story short, I took you in my arms and traveled with Kaden Osric to Blue Gate Mountain in search for the Gatekeeper. It was a difficult journey because at that time the Stühocs were in every part of Marenon searching for you. I carried with me the blue medallion that you and I were trying to protect only a few days ago. With its power I was able to summon the Gatekeeper to me. We talked, and of course he already knew of you. I asked him if there was any truth to the ancient prophecy in reference to you being the Meshulan or deliverer. All he told me was that the Erellens were of this world and record of prophecy should not be taken frivolously. Of course, this wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, but I did not think it wise to argue with the Gatekeeper. He speaks in riddles much of the time, but his power is greater than anyone in this world, so who would dare question him?”
“So, what happened when you asked him to let you go back to Earth?”
“He understood my predicament,” Garland answered. “I knew that the Stühocs might be able to get through the Blue Gate behind us, so I was bold and asked if he could shut the gate behind me. He agreed and said I could go under three conditions. The first was that I never tell you of this other world so that you learn of it on your own. The second was that the power of the blue medallion of Canor be fused to my life. The power of the medallion would keep the Blue Gate shut as long as I was still living and breathing on Earth. But once I died, the gate would open and the Stühocs would be allowed back in, putting you in danger, which is exactly what happened after Marcus and Theron shot and killed me at the caves.”
Silas nodded, letting the revelation sink in. “You said there were three conditions?”
“The third condition was that when we got back to Marenon that I would give you the medallion and send you to find him.”
“The Gatekeeper wants to