The Marenon Chronicles Collection - By Jason D. Morrow Page 0,56

away at me over the years and it’s about time someone faced the consequences.”

“You don’t know what you are talking about,” Spencer said glancing at the guards who stood ready to help.

“I think I do,” Julian said, now only a foot from Spencer. The guards held tight to their weapons, ready for any sudden movements. “I think it was you who planned the attack in the first place. I think you knew if my brother were king he would make you the sole advisor to him. You hated my father and everything he stood for. You hated how he wanted nothing more than to let the Dunarians move on with their plans to eradicate the Stühocs from Marenon.”

Spencer held his position, but was much smaller than Julian. A standoff would not go into his favor. A grin remained on Spencer’s face.

“I think it’s time for you to leave, Julian.”

At that moment the guards went to either side of Julian to escort him out of the palace. One of them made the mistake of harshly grabbing him by the arm. Julian yanked his own arm, pulling the guard’s head down sharply. As Julian’s knee came up to meet it, the crack of a broken nose could be heard and the guard fell, whimpering, to the floor. Then without consideration for the consequences he backhanded the other guard across the face causing him to fall to the ground. In the same fluid motion, Julian grabbed Spencer by the shoulders and threw him onto the table, pinning him down. He landed two punches to the stomach and a slap across the face. A drop of blood trickled down Spencer’s nose as Julian held him by his garments.

“You murdering traitor!” Julian spat. “I should kill you for what you did! You deserve nothing but to be thrown into the gauntlet you conjured up in your twisted brain!”

Spencer could barely breathe. “If you don’t let go of me this instant!”

“What? What will you do, you wormy filth?”

Through the struggle and triumph of facing Spencer and truly telling him how he felt, Julian had let his guard down. Spencer grinned maliciously once again and then all went black.

All Julian could think at the moment was how much the back of his head hurt. A knot had already formed and was tender to the touch.

When he came to, he realized that he was lying on the grass somewhere outside of the castle walls. The two guards and Spencer stood above him, bloodied and battered. One of the guards had apparently gotten back up and silenced Julian.

“The only reason you aren’t being thrown into the dungeons this minute is because I don’t want your brother to know you were here,” Spencer said. “It would cause much distress for the king if he were to find out that you were here to kill him.”

“You don’t want to throw me in the dungeons because you’re afraid I can convince him of the truth about you,” Julian shot back, rubbing the knot on the back of his head.

Spencer and the guards began to move back toward the castle to leave Julian stranded outside of the walls. Before the gates closed on him, Spencer said, “Your brother knows the truth, Julian. He knows it and he’s accepted it. Perhaps you should too.” The gate shut hard and Spencer vanished from sight.

When Julian stood, a wave of dizziness sailed through his head and he thought he might fall over again. One of the guards had hit him hard. He was stupid for having turned his back on them. He toddled down a walkway and eventually made it out to the city where people were walking all around him, not noticing who he was. He preferred it this way. When he got back to the inn he took off his cloak and looked out his window to the castle in the distance. In there sat Morgan, oblivious to the fact that his brother had been in the castle only minutes before, trying to see him. Julian wasn’t sure if Morgan would have cared to see him anyway, but it had been worth a try.

There was still hope for getting the medallion, however. There were two people in all of Farlaweer that held a key that opened every door, every gate and every passageway throughout the castle. Those two people were Morgan and his weasel advisor Spencer. Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out the key he took off of Spencer when he threw