Gods of Garran

The Gods of Garran: Chapter 32

A novel by Meredith Skye

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The airship landed in the main city of Urrlan; a place Morrhan had never been.

The Chanden soldiers led Morrhan and Rheggi into a large building and then downstairs to a holding cell. They had taken Sindke to a hospital. Morrhan hoped that she could recover. Rheggi's wound had been bandaged; it didn't look serious. Morrhan himself had a few wounds from the fight, along with a some bruises which he acquired after his arrest.

The soldiers put Morrhan and Rheggi in a cold, dark cell. The Chanden had building methods that were different from the Garrans. Their buildings had an odd odor—not the smell of a home but of chemicals and foreign materials. It was not something Morrhan had ever gotten used to.

The search for the god-stone had failed. The Garrans had lost it—and with it their hope for the future. Sindke could be dying. The old ways were vanishing as the Chandens erased their culture and destroyed the wisdom of the Ancients.

What could the god-stone possibly mean to them? It angered Morrhan. They had put up long enough with these invaders. And Asta—she was just as bad—lying to him and the others. She pretended to be god-touched—all so that she could help the Chanden steal the stone. And she freely admitted it.

He cared for her. Maybe that's what upset him the most. He thought he knew her, but he was mistaken. He sighed. It wasn't the only mistake he'd made.

"I've failed our people," Morrhan said to Rheggi. "Father was right. I'm useless."

Rheggi looked up at him, looking even more tired and ragged than usual. These last few days had been hard on him. "Your father didn't mean all those things he said against you. He relied on you more than you know."

"Me?" asked Morrhan. "I'm no warrior. If I had been, we'd still have the god-stone."

Rheggi moved over closer to Morrhan and put his hand on his shoulder. "No, you weren't much of a warrior. But in family matters and matters of the clan-cave, there was no one better. He trusted you more than anyone."

"And I failed in that as well—I let Norbi die." Morrhan stood, brushing Rheggi aside.

Rheggi shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Morrhan. Ashtan was angry, but he was more angry at the Chanden than at you. You have a way about you that people trust. You speak your mind. These are good qualities. Be content with who you are."

"Shall I be content to leave the god-stone in their hands?" he asked angrily.

"Perhaps it's not up to you," said Rheggi. "Do what you can do—no more."

Morrhan sat and thought on this a long while before falling asleep.

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The Chanden guards shook Morrhan awake early in the morning. "Get up, Garran-dog!" One of them kicked Morrhan a second time. Morrhan got up.

"Come on," said another, herding Morrhan out of the cell. They cuffed his hands and he went with them, following them up several flights of stairs and through several security checkpoints.

They brought him into a large room with black walls and tables. On the wall flickered a holographic projection of a map of Urrlan and the surrounding areas.

One man stood out in control in the room. A Chanden Commander.

"Where is Asta?" the man demanded.

"I don't know. She's a traitor!" Morrhan was angry. "I don't care where she is!"