about the recent job in Timugo so as not to dwell on the plan of using Silas as bait.
The new idea in Silas’ brain churned with each passing story until he convinced himself that what he had just thought would be the best plan of action. There would be a way of rescuing Kaden from the Stühocs in Mudavé. But it could only be done if he had support from those who knew how to run covert missions. He stared at them intently. Before asking any of them to do such a thing, Silas had to be one hundred percent sure that there was no plan to help Kaden. Garland had made his plans obviously clear, but he was going to give his grandfather one last chance.
“Marenon is full of adventures, isn’t it?” Garland said with a smile after one of Alric’s stories.
“It sure is,” Silas said. “Speaking of adventures, I’ve got one that will top them all.” Silas stood, all eyes fixed on him. “This one was recent, in fact. I remember just like it was yesterday. Here I am, searching for some stupid medallion with my grandfather. He gets shot, and from the dead he sends me a protector named Kaden!”
“Silas,” Garland said, narrowing his eyes.
“I’m not finished,” Silas said as he held up a hand to Garland. “All of a sudden, hordes of Stühocs come after me for some reason I don’t know. After hours and hours of fighting and running, Kaden and I find ourselves cornered and he looks at me and stabs me through the heart!”
“Silas.”
“In the few moments that I’m suspended above my body, I see that Kaden is being bound and taken by the Stühocs and I wake up in a world where I have to fight monsters, steal more medallions and fly on giant birds to get from place to place. On top of that I find out that I’ve been lied to about my parents my whole life and I’m part of some sort of ancient prophecy.”
“Silas,” Garland said a little more loudly.
“And this is the best part!” Silas began walking around the table, all his words directed toward Garland. “Just before I get to eat a scrumptious meal of roast duck and buttered bread, I am told that the man that saved me from the fate of the Stühocs will have to stay in that hellhole for the rest of his days because there is, I quote: nothing we can do about it.”
“Silas!” Garland stood, his face red and jaws clenched. “You don’t know what you are talking about!”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about,” he came back. “I’m talking about risking my life to help someone that did the same for me. I’m talking about you risking your life to help someone that is about to lose his because of something you ordered him to do!”
“One does not simply walk into Mudavé, break into their prisons and rescue a captive. You are talking about a certain death.”
“Will you help me get him out of Mudavé?” Silas asked.
“Silas, please listen to me.”
“Will you help me get him out of Mudavé?” Silas repeated spit flying.
Garland took a deep breath, never turning his gaze from Silas’ eyes. “Kaden Osric sacrificed his life to keep you from becoming one of them. I will not help you make his sacrifice meaningless.”
They stood there glaring for a long moment. The room was silent as the others watched the grandfather and grandson. Neither would budge and neither would win. Silas turned away from his grandfather and walked out of the dining hall without another word. Garland may not have been willing to help Silas get Kaden back from the Stühocs, but one thing was for sure, Alric Thirsk still owed Silas a favor.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was near midnight and everyone in Jekyll Rock seemed to be sound asleep except for Silas. For most of the night he had paced his room trying to figure out exactly what he was going to say to Alric to convince him to guide Silas to Mudavé. No persuasive words came to his mind, so he finally just decided to go in and demand it.
He walked down the long hallway, candle in hand until he finally reached the room where Alric was sleeping. He could hear snores of exhausted men roaring through the rough, thick wood. Silas took a deep breath and opened it. When he walked in, he half expected to be greeted with a knife or a sword pointed at