Champions of Serenity: Destiny Fulfilled
Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter 32

The cave felt like it was closing in on her as Tris paced the main chamber. She felt the eyes of the rest of the Circle on her as she prowled by the entryway, stopping to look out into the gathering night.

“Tris, please, will you sit down and talk to us about what is making you so restless?” Airidon asked, finally unable to keep his thoughts to himself. Shrina mumbled an agreement but didn’t voice her own thoughts on the matter.

When she turned around, Tris saw that Fini was finished making dinner and serving up a rich vegetable venison soup and thick crusty bread. A second pot of the soup was without meat for her and he offered her a bowl of it. She didn’t feel like food, she was worried about the next step they needed to take against Handsome to end his rule.

“You need to eat, Tris, if you are to think straight.” Jehro said softly, taking his own bowl and bread before looking at her. He held her gaze until he felt her accept his words and she took a step toward the others around the fire and sat down, taking her own dinner.

“Alright, we need to plan out what we are going to do next. We don’t need to liberate anymore towns as most of them are rising up on their own. When the people saw that Handsome didn’t retaliate against Galogosch when they declared their freedom, it started the ball rolling for others to free themselves. So the next logical step is to take Handsome in his stronghold and end him forever. But it feels like a trap to me and I know I’m missing something. This is what Meckin was supposed to be here for; he is the one to know the old stories, to know Hades, to help us plan this part of the battle.”

She finally gave voice to what was in her thoughts. They had been able to go so far without their missing Circle brother, but now they needed him and he wasn’t there.

“So we plan without him.” Korol said softly. Tris was surprised to hear those words coming from him. Of all those within the Circle, the Shadow missed the Wer the most. “It will hurt, but we can do it, and hope that he replaces his way back to us.”

Tris nodded with a sad sigh. “Yes, that is all we can do. With that in mind, we need to go to Nasinih and replace Jonas, Meckin’s brother. Maybe Jonas can tell us about Hades so we can make plans to invade it.”

With a smile, Tyra handed Tris a mug of tea. “That sounds like a good idea. You have been stuck here in this forest for a long time, you need to see the world a little more and let the world see you. So we leave in the morning?”

Nodding, Tris finished her dinner. “Yes, I want this battle over with before autumn. I’m going to get some sleep and tomorrow, we will go to Nasinih to look for Jonas and his caravan. Perhaps we will meet up with our friend Hervin Gessup as well.”

Chaos sat up as the plans were discussed. He knew about Dreybrenic’s holding up now and planning a big surprise for the Circle when they finally did attack. Well now, he thought, this is starting to get interesting again. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the final battle with Dreybrenic Greshinea and the Champions of Serenity. Of course, it wouldn’t be the final battle in the prophecy, but it was the end of this chapter of the prophecy so that the next chapter could begin. Then he wondered when the missing member of the Circle would be returned, it was getting rather close.

It seemed that Meckin’s time of learning had just begun when it was over. He went to bed in the room where he first woke up, excited about the next day. He had just found and memorized the new blueprints for Dreybrenic’s stronghold in Hades. It would be the key to winning against Greshinea.

When he woke the next morning, he was no longer in that haven, wherever it was. He was in an inn somewhere in Northern Nasinih. The innkeeper greeted him as he came down with a smile and query about breakfast. Meckin took a seat in the corner of the room, looking out the window as he waited for breakfast.

A familiar touch in the back of his mind brought a smile to Meckin’s lips. “Darin, it’s good to hear you again. How are you doing?” He thought back to his counter wondering how he had fared in his absence.

“Meckin!?! Where are you? Where have you been? Are you alright? Do you know the hell you have put both Circles through? What is going on?” Darin’s voice in his head was loud enough to cause a headache and when Darin felt it, he backed off a little. “It’s good to have you back, Meckin, no matter where you were.”

“Thank you, Darin, it’s good to be back, I think. I wish I could tell you where I was, but I have no idea. Yes, I’m alright, I’m better than alright. And although I don’t know firsthand the hell both Circles have been through, I can imagine because I went through my own when I found I couldn’t contact any of you and knew you all thought I was dead. I’m in Jentro at the moment, I woke up here. Where are Tris and the others?”

A moment of startled silence was Darin’s response. “Tris and the others will be in Jentro tonight, Meckin. They just crossed the Evren River. Should I let them know you will meet them there?”

“No, no, Darin, I think I should surprise them. That way they can’t get too angry between now and then thinking up all kinds of things to do to me for something I had no control over. I will watch for them and when I see them, I’ll know what to do. Why are they coming on foot?”

“It had something to do about needing to replace a way into Hades without being caught. But what I’m getting from your mind, you have the answer to that. I won’t say anything yet, but if you don’t replace them by midnight your time, I can’t promise to stay quiet much longer.”

“It’s a deal, Darin. Now go back to what you were doing before your Circle gets suspicious.” Meckin smiled at the barmaid who brought him his breakfast. Looking out the window, he wondered just how long he would have to wait.

Chaos chuckled when he found Meckin once again in play. It was the last hour and it would definitely be the final blow to Dreybrenic. For a moment, Chaos wondered what Dreybrenic was going to say when he once again faced Chaos in his halls and had to answer for all the mistakes he had made against his god.

But it wasn’t just the Circle on Sandeenai that Meckin’s disappearance had affected. He took a quick peek at Earth to see how things were playing out there.

The Circle was having their normal weekly meeting over dinner. Fall classes were in full swing and Debra was working more hours in Phil’s office. Phil was doing his best to not show how pleased he was that Debra was excelling working for him. During her limited free time, Debra had started actually writing down her story ideas instead of just keeping them bottled up. As Karen said, “Debra, if you hadn’t started dreaming up Sandeenai and then shared it with us at the critical moment, we would all be dead. You have a different way of looking at life and seeing the world, it would be a shame to not share it.” Debra was starting to really blossom under the friendship and honest interest the Circle was showing her.

No one felt like cooking on the one night they could all relax from keeping their secret from the rest of the world, so they had ordered various pizzas and sodas, which were spread on the table. They were replaceing it a little more difficult than they imagined not using their special talents from Sandeenai to make life just a little easier for themselves and those around them. And of course, Mark Geffries, the reporter was still watching them all closely for those times when they did slip up.

Darin had just walked over to the sink to get some water to wash some spilled sauce from his shirt when Meckin’s presence was once again in his head. He stumbled a moment and had to hold onto the counter to not fall over.

“Are you okay, Darin?” Debra asked, noticing his almost trip.

“Yeah, I stepped on my shoelace, Deb, no big deal.” Darin said quickly to cover it up and finished wetting the washcloth to dab at the sauce stain. In his head, his voice wasn’t quite so calm. “Meckin, where have you been? Are you alright? I have been so worried about you and so have the others.”

“Please, Darin, don’t let your Circle know I’m back yet. The timing has to be just right. I don’t have all the answers, but I know that there was a reason I had to be away. I didn’t like it any more than you did. It’s one of those as you call it, necessary evils, and it will help us all better in the end. Please. Do you know where my Circle is right now?” Meckin said as Darin cleaned the mess off of his shirt and then bent down to retie his double knotted shoelace.

“Hey Deb, what’s the word from Sandeenai? I miss having a present connection there.” Darin said casually as he overhead Karen saying something about Shrina’s latest plot to seduce Korol.

Mike just groaned and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I keep forgetting about that, Darin. Um, Korol says they just crossed the Evren and should be in Jentro sometime in the early evening.”

“Thanks, Mike.” Darin grinned and then winked at Debra’s smirk. “Did you get that, Meckin?”

“Yes, thank you, Darin. And thank you for the heads up about Shrina. I’ll warn Korol.”

Darin sat back down and picked up his soda and took a long drink of it. “Darin, are you alright?” Emily asked softly, staring at her brother trying to understand the very subtle change in him.

“I’m fine, Em. What, did I suddenly grow a second head?” Darin asked with a shrug before picking up another piece of pizza.

Debra didn’t say anything and neither did Jared, but both looked carefully at Darin until he felt uncomfortable. Then Debra called the meeting to order by announcing she was heading to Spokane for the Thanksgiving weekend because her parents were worried about her. In the discussion that suddenly broke out, Debra gave Darin one more very long look that made him feel as if she knew Meckin was back but was respecting his wishes to keep it quiet.

Chaos laughed again as he watched Darin’s reaction and how he handled it with his Circle. Like Darin, he wondered if Debra knew and was keeping it quiet or if she was just trying to make Darin believe it so he would tell her despite his promise to Meckin. Well Serenity had been right about one thing, the twin Circles of her champions were a good balance between chaos and order and this just proved it even more.

Meckin was in his room as night fell. The common room of the inn was filling up with both travelers and locals coming in for an evening meal and perhaps a bed for the night. He had made sure rooms for the others had been purchased earlier in the day and wondered if Korol would mind sharing a room with him. He missed the Shadow and his irrepressible humor. He hoped that in the time he was gone Korol hadn’t replaced him with another from the Circle as a practical joke partner.

Then a voice he remembered filtered up the stairs and through his open door. “What do you mean our rooms were already bought this afternoon? Who knew we were coming?” Shrina demanded, her voice carrying through the crowd.

Coming to the head of the stairs, Meckin watched those he loved as they moved to a table near the outside edge of the room. “Well, everyone knows we are here now, Shrina. Why can’t you ever keep your voice down?” Airidon hissed. Meckin felt eyes on him and turned to look behind him.

“Meckin?” The voice was little more than a whisper and filled with pain and wonder.

Nodding, Meckin moved away from the head of the stairs and closer to his friend. “I don’t know what happened, Korol. One minute I was killing the magic-user, the next I was waking up in this strange place. I have no idea how long I was gone, but I do know that I almost tore the place down piece by piece trying to get back to you all.”

Meckin found himself embraced tightly by the Shadow and hot tears falling on his neck. “You are alive. Gods above and below, Serenity be praised, you are alive! Chaos said you would return to us someday, I didn’t believe him. I guess I’ll have to apologize to him one of these days.” Korol leaned back just enough to see his friend’s face again and then held him tightly. “I could kill you for the pain you put me through, but I’m just so glad you are here I…..”

“Do you mind sharing a room with me? I only had enough gold on me to buy four rooms and dinner.” Meckin said into his friend’s neck, holding him just as tightly.

“Of course I don’t mind.” Korol then stopped and looked at the stairs and laughed. “Oh boy…what are we going to tell the others? I can’t imagine how they are going to react…well….except for Shrina. We both know what she will do.”

Grinning, Meckin nodded. “Yeah, she’ll scream.”

“At the very least, my friend.” The two men shared a grin that closed any distance time could have created. “So, did you also order dinner?” Korol asked.

Nodding, Meckin motioned for Korol to go into their room. “Yeah, when the owner’s son brought home the fresh killed boar I paid for half of it to be roasted for our dinner tonight. I also ordered a vegetable soup for Tris. Think you can stand pork?”

Korol laughed. “Oh yeah, I think I can handle pork. Now, how are we going to pull this off?”

Meckin and Korol plotted and when they were satisfied, Korol left to return to the others. Meckin went down the back stairs and found a seat near the others without being seen. He saw Korol come in the front door and move over to the table where the others were sitting.

“Well, I checked out the rooms and they are clean and clear. I also met with our benefactor and I believe you will all think we are in good hands when you meet him. He will be coming in after dinner to give us some information that we might need in our upcoming quest.” Korol said as he took his seat. He looked over at Meckin and couldn’t help but let a smile touch his eyes.

Tris looked at Korol and narrowed her eyes. “You have a spring in your step that has been missing all summer, Korolwyn. Your eyes also have a twinkle in them that I haven’t seen since before Kreben. What happened with your meeting our benefactor? Is it someone we know?”

The barmaids then brought out the food, setting a large bowl of vegetable soup in front of Tris and plates with steaming hot pork steaks and fried potatoes. A large basket of crusty bread and a board with cheese were also placed on the table. Tankards of ale and goblets of wine were placed before each of the Circle members and then the girls departed to leave them alone.

“I would say from the choices made that we most certainly know this person or he knows us. It isn’t Jonas Topsawer is it?” Tris asked, a touch of excitement in her voice at replaceing Jonas again this soon.

“No, it isn’t Jonas, Tris. But I think you will be even happier with who it is. I, for one, am not going to let his choice of dinner go to waste.” Korol said and hid the smile on his face by looking at his place and cutting a piece of the meat and eating it.

Meckin ate his own dinner, wanting so much to be part of the small talk. His heart ached as he heard Shrina’s comments and not be able to respond to them as he would have liked to. Then he heard something that made his heart ache even more.

“Meckin would have liked this dinner.” Fini said quietly. “He always loved food spiced with sage and sylph’s rose. And fried potatoes were always his request for breakfast. He never really did like the cereal, even with the fruit added to it. He could probably even tell when the pig was killed that provided the meat.”

“Boar, Fini, its boar. And it was killed this morning.” Meckin said under his breath. “And as I ordered the seasoning and side dishes, of course I would get my favorites.”

Jehro’s head came up suddenly and he looked around the room. “What is it, Jehrones?” Tris asked, setting the spoon down by her bowl and also looking around.

“I don’t know, Tris. But for a moment, I could have sworn I heard Meckin’s voice and it was close.” Shaking his head, he looked back at his plate.

“We have all been hearing his voice, Jehro. We miss him, what else do you expect?” Shrina demanded.

“I don’t know, Shrina, maybe for Meckin’s voice to not call Fini by name and answer his comments.” Jehro said, angry at the Siblen for patronizing him.

“Way to tell her, Jehro. Shrina does need to learn how to think before she speaks.” Meckin thought, this time careful to not voice his opinion.

He was surprised then when Jehro slammed his knife and fork down and looked around the room carefully. “Jehrones?”

Jehro looked at Tris and said something mentally and she started looking around the room carefully. Meckin was careful to duck his head and take a bite as her eyes passed over his table. Turning so all she could see was one shoulder and half a profile, it would leave her wondering but wouldn’t confirm anything in her mind.

“Jehro, people are starting to stare at us. If we don’t want too much attention brought to us, we should probably stop giving everyone the once over and finish eating.” Korol said softly, taking another bite of his steak.

Nodding, Jehro and Tris relaxed a little and turned back to their food. They finished the meal without further comment. Every time Shrina opened her mouth to say something, she was hissed silent. Meckin shook his head, if the Circle hadn’t drawn attention to themselves before, they certainly had now.

Getting up, Tris motioned for Korol to lead the way to their rooms. Meckin watched as his friends left the room and waited for Korol’s signal to follow behind them quietly. In the room Korol was going to be sharing with Meckin, he gathered the others for a meeting.

“Whose stuff is this?” Shrina demanded, seeing a pack at the foot of Meckin’s bed.

Korol looked at it and smiled. “It belongs to the one who paid for us to eat tonight and paid for our rooms.” He picked it up and cradled it to his chest, more to keep it out of Shrina’s hands than anything else.

“What did you call us in here for?” Tris asked Korol, turning away from the window and looking at everyone perched on the two beds. “When do we get to meet our benefactor?”

“We’ve already met him, Leader Tris. It’s just a matter of getting reacquainted with him. He’ll be here right about….” The door opened and someone in a large brown cloak stood in the doorway. He looked around a moment and then stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “Now.” Korol finished, a grin in his voice and on his face. “Good timing, they were starting to get restless.”

“So I smelled.” The voice was familiar but muffled by the deep hood on the cloak. The figure moved into the room and sat down next to Korol and took his pack back. “Thank you for not letting Shrina go through my things, Korol.”

“Hey, how did you know I would try to look in your pack?” Shrina asked. “It wasn’t like I would take anything; I just wanted to know who you are.”

Shaking his head, Meckin let a soft sigh escape him. “Shrina, you would take anything that caught your fancy. You still have the medallion I carved for my brother hanging around your neck. You took that from my bedding the day after I finished it.” Reaching out, he touched the leather thong around her neck and pulled it out. He couldn’t believe just how much lighter he felt surrounded by his friends in this room. He had complained during the winter of being in each other’s pockets and now he wished there was some way to make them each part of his flesh so he would never have to miss them again. “It’s part of your nature, my friend.”

Shrina pushed the hand away roughly and cupped the bone carving in her hands. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but the man who made this died last spring.”

“Are you certain?”

Something was tingling in Tris’s blood at the voice and the longing she seemed to recognize. She was the leader, if what she guessed was true, shouldn’t she have known? Tris crossed the room in a single stride and ripped the hood back from Meckin’s face, partly afraid it would be him and partly afraid that it wouldn’t be him, the whole time wanting it to be him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, he hadn’t changed much, he looked rested and his eyes had that sparkle of excitement in them as he stared at her as he had when he found her again in Meckadon. Then she hissed as the light from his star caught her eye and she snatched her hand away, this wasn’t what she was expecting and it confused her.

“It’s good to see you again as well, Tris. You haven’t been sleeping well though; it shows in your eyes.” Meckin said softly, taking her hand and holding it a moment. He had seen the look in her eyes, the delight when she knew him, for a brief moment the love she had felt for him before Airidon captured her heart, and the confusion of all the emotions fighting inside of her. “I tried to get back sooner, but not knowing where I was made it hard to leave there and come here.”

“Meckin!” Shrina screamed and pushed Tris aside and flung her arms around him. “Hey, how did you know I borrowed this medallion?”

“I knew I heard your voice, you sly dog.” Jehro said, cuffing Meckin on the side of his head. “Why didn’t you make yourself known sooner?”

“I thought you might want to eat before we spent all night talking.” Meckin said simply. He then looked at those who hadn’t spoken. “Tyra, Fini, Airidon?”

“It’s good to have you back, Meckin. I know that Emily will calm down now that Darin’s more stable with you back.” Tyra said simply, tears choking her voice.

Fini simply enfolded Meckin in a bear hug. “I missed you.”

Airidon sat down on Meckin’s other side, searching his face. Airidon hadn’t missed the silent exchange between Tris and Meckin and it still made him jealous whenever those two shared that look. He knew that Tris was his, but still not much was really known about Demons and Elves had their own rules about treating other races. But that was all pushed aside for the moment when the pull of welcoming back a brother who was thought lost filled his heart and mind completely. “What happened to you? And if you are alive, who was it we burned?”

“I don’t know, Airidon, to both questions. One minute I was killing the magic-user in Kreben. I was successful in killing her, but she stabbed me with a poisoned blade. I passed out and when I came to, I was in a strange place where time seemed to stand still. I tried to get back to you but my star had gone silent, I couldn’t even contact Darin. So I did everything I had to do to get out of there and back to you. Are you okay, Airidon? You look like you have aged years in the past months.” Meckin rested his arm across the broad shoulders of his friend. He didn’t like how much Airidon, who was only a little older than Tris, had aged in the past months. It wasn’t as visible as lines on his face or gray hairs at his temples, it was more a sadness in his eyes and a slight frown that never really left his lips.

“I don’t know, Meckin. You died under my command; it was like losing my brother all over again. And now you are here? I just don’t know what to think or say.” Airidon replied.

“I understand. But I have something that I think will help you all understand why I had to be away from you. Like I said, I don’t know where I was, but I wasn’t alone.” Meckin tried to speak about those at that other place and found his mouth frozen as long as their names and faces were in his mind. He had to settle with mystery. “I met some amazing people and learned some even more amazing facts.” Meckin found it bothered him more than he thought that he wasn’t allowed to speak about those others in the library, especially when he knew it would give all his friends comfort to know their loved ones still lived. What good was it to learn about them and from them if he wasn’t allowed to share that information with the others?

Opening up his pack, to cover his anger at not being able to talk about them, Meckin pulled out several pages of parchment. He handed the largest roll to Tris and tucked the rest back inside. “I made these up this morning and I thought you might like to see them.” Again, he couldn’t say that the original copies he had were missing this morning and he had to redraw them from memory. It was what he had done all day while he waited for his friends to join him in Jentro.

“What is this I’m looking at, Meckin?” Tris asked as she unrolled the parchment. Her eyes widened as she saw what she held.

“Hades, as it looks now, along with how to get into the valley without being seen.” Meckin answered. Airidon left his side and stood by Tris, looking over her shoulder.

Tris handed it to Airidon and looked at Meckin. “Where did you get this?”

Meckin shook his head, his frustration at not having the ability to answer was taken as not knowing and both made him angry. “I don’t know where I was, Tris. But one of the people there with me recently lived in Hades and drew this out for me. And yes, I trust the source to be accurate.” At least he was allowed to say that much. Jessie deserved so much more though, especially with her brother right there and still grieving her loss. But would Fini replace solace in the fact that Jessie had survived Handsome’s attack on their family to become his mistress and the mother of his children? He didn’t know the answer to that, maybe which is why his tongue was tied, Fini knowing the truth might crush him instead of helping him.

“Now, we can plan our attack. Thank you, Meckin, and welcome back. You have been missed.” Tris said and things went back to how they were before they lost Meckin in the spring.

Chaos sat back on his cushions and poured himself some wine. He sipped it thoughtfully. He had only once seen Father’s library and it had been before Sandeenai had been created when Chaos was still very young. He couldn’t remember much about it, except that it was endless and encompassed more than the eye could see.

Picking up an apple slice and taking a thoughtful bite, he wondered if he should pay a visit to Tris’s Circle before the battle with Dreybrenic. It might be amusing to have them apologize for not believing him when he said that Meckin was alive and just missing in action. Then again, he was showing Serenity’s champions just a little too much favor of late and that wouldn’t do his reputation any good at all.