Darien's Rise saga
The Darien's Rise saga reintroduced the Passages genre to Adventures in Odyssey. Passages stories were not new, but when the Darien's Rise episodes were aired, it had been ten years since the release of the book Darien's Rise (book). The Darien's Rise episodes were the dramatized version of Paul McCusker's book Darien's Rise. That book was part was one out of six in the Passages book series, in which kids end up stumbling into another world called Marus.
Plot
#646: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 1”
Jack Allen comes to Whit's End and shows Whit a manuscript he found in a trunk at an estate sale. Whit reads the manuscript.
Anna, age 10, and Kyle, age 12, are visiting their grandparents in Odyssey. Their uncle tells them about a haunted mansion in the Black Forest which they set out to find.
They are about to give up when they spot the house. They go inside. Kyle hears voices. He looks through the keyhole in a door and sees people. Anna thinks he’s teasing, since when she looks she sees nothing. He falls through the floorboards. She’s afraid she’ll fall too and goes into a room backwards where she is engulfed in a bright light.
Kyle watches a sword fight in which a younger man succeeds in disarming an older one then takes his medals. The young man speaks to Kyle and the older man takes this opportunity to charge at him. Kyle warns the younger man. The younger man stabs the older man in defense. Kyle and the young man escape on a horse into the black woods.
Meanwhile, Anna finds herself in a dark closet. She opens the door a crack and hears King Lawrence fighting angrily with his son, Prince George, who believes Darien is a great man whom the king has wronged more than once. General Liddell reports to the king that General Darien has returned. When Anna leaves the closet, General Liddell catches her and accuses her of being a spy. He takes her to a man who sells children into slavery.
#647: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 2”
After their daring escape, Kyle and Darien come to a group of men who call the Darien a general and ask if he has “them.” He tells them he does. They ride again, this time towards the train. Kyle looks up and sees two moons and realizes he’s not in Odyssey.
On the train, Darien tells everyone how Kyle saved his life. Colonel Oliver, Darien’s second in command interrogates Kyle. Kyle tells Darien his story. Darien doesn’t know what to think of it but tells him when they get a chance they will ask the Old Judge about it. Oliver tells Kyle they are going to the capital, Sarum, for General Darien to deliver the medals to King Lawrence, so he can marry the king’s daughter. The porter on the train tells Kyle how General Darien rose to be a general when he used to be a farm boy. Kyle learns about the Unseen One.
Meanwhile, things are not going well for Anna. Titus takes her to a market to be sold as a slave. There, an old man rescues her. They hear a train whistle and the Old Judge explains the real king is on his way to the capitol.
On the train, Kyle is amazed at the huge display of affection for Darien and what a grand city Sarum is, with such vibrant colors. They go to the castle and into the Great Hall where the king welcomes Darien and his men.
Darien takes the stage and presents 200 medals from Palatian officers instead of the 100 he was dared to get. The crowd goes wild chanting Darien’s name, which upsets the king and his officials. The king presents his daughter, Princess Michelle to Darien. The crowd is excited.
While this is going on, the Old Judge takes Anna in a horse drawn wagon to the city of Hailsham. There, Anna spends time with the Old Judge where strange things happen.
After the celebration at the palace, Darien’s men go home to their families. When Kyle and Darien go to his home, Prince George visits them. He warns Darien that the king feels threatened by his popularity. Darien agrees to help General Liddell fight a renegade group from Adria.
#648: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 3”
As they prepare to leave, Kyle wonders why all the neighboring countries are at war with Marus. Darien explains it’s the people that form a great country, but the neighboring countries think it is the land. They meet with General Liddell and his other officers and then go to Krawley.
At the battle in Krawley, the Marutians fire their canons into the hills at the Adrians and then pursue them. General Liddell orders Darien to search a specific area. When they get there Kyle feels that strange feeling and dives onto Darien as a bullet barrels past them. The soldiers find the marksman and are shocked that he is a Marutian soldier.
Meanwhile, Anna stays with the Old Judge and they settle into a routine. She spends time learning about the Unseen One. The Old Judge tells her that the Unseen One had him make King Lawrence and then General Darien the king. Anna has dreams where the Old Judge tells her that two were called to be the voice and protector. As Anna does ordinary things sometimes she is transported to other places in her dreams. She sees the king upset that the attempt on Darien’s life failed.
That night, the king has a banquet the night before Darien and Michelle are to marry. He gives wedding gifts to them. When the crowd calls Darien, he takes Michelle to the balcony. Kyle gets another feeling that Darien is in trouble. He rolls a button at Darien...which causes Darien to move just as the king lets an arrow fly from the antique crossbow. The king apologizes, but Darien and Kyle understand that the king wants Darien dead.
#649: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 4”
In yet another dream, Anna is transported to where King Lawrence and General Liddell are plotting. When they leave the room a woman comes out of the curtain having overheard the two men. Anna is confused.
Meanwhile, Darien returns home and plays the piano trying to figure out what to do. Princess Michelle rushes into the room. She tells Darien that the king and General Liddell have hatched a plan to arrest him on charges of treason. The knock on the door springs the three into action. Darien and Kyle escape. In a dream, Anna sees soldiers move into a room with the woman she saw before. The next morning, Kyle and Darien show up at Old Judge's house and the siblings share a touching reunion.
Kyle, Anna, Darien and the Old Judge catch up on what has been happening to each of them. The Old Judge tells Darien that the king’s jealousy was inevitable. Anna and Kyle talk about who the Unseen One is. Soon, they get a newspaper that suggests that Darien is involved in a plot to overthrow the king. The wedding is canceled. Anna tells Kyle about her dreams. She believes the Unseen One has brought them there for a reason. The Old Judge expects the king to visit him since his country estate is only a few miles away. Darien decides to go to the king’s estate to speak with George.
The king does indeed send soldiers to find Darien at the Old Judge’s house but, through the judge’s suggestions, the soldiers are incapacitated by laughter or tears. When General Liddell and the king come to the Old Judge’s home, the king is reminded of his willful disobedience to the Unseen One. The king tells the Old Judge he will find Darien. After the king leaves, the Old Judge sends Anna on a mission.
At the king’s estate, Prince George assures Darien of his friendship and of the king’s madness. George suggests Darien go to Prince Edwin in Gotthard for refuge.
#650: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 5”
The Old Judge advises General Darien to take Kyle and Anna with him to Sister Leona in Dor. She can train Anna to use her gifts better. Sister Leona says Anna must be special for Old Judge to send her to the convent to study. He only sends the chosen to study there.
Darien asks for a weapon, and Leona gives him the golden sword of General Soren, whom Darien defeated in one-on-one combat long ago. Darien leaves with Kyle while Anna stays to study under Sister Leona. As Darien and Kyle travel past a small village, they pass a shepherd who stares at them for longer than makes them comfortable. Kyle tells Darien to be careful, as he is starting to feel a bit sick like the previous times Darien was in imminent danger.
Meanwhile, Anna was dreaming that she saw that scene. But she sees more than Darien does, for as soon as he leaves, the shepherd runs into the village. She realizes it was a dream, but suddenly someone bursts into her sparse convent room and presses a sword against her throat. Then she truly wakes up - even that was a dream.
Darien and Kyle make it to the fence of Darien's parents' ranch. Kyle runs on ahead so Darien isn't seen, and he learns that an old house just off the ranch property is a good place to meet. So Darien heads there after dark to talk with his parents Torbin and Evelyn. Darien asks them to travel to the land of Prince Edwin to stay out of the way of King Lawrence.
After his parents leave the house, Darien is pondering how to contact Edwin safely when he is suddenly surrounded by soldiers. The soldiers are under Colonel Oliver, one of Darien's trusted commanders! They are here to stand by Darien for better or worse.
Anna was talking with Sister Leona about learning how to use her gifts. Leona says she knows enough, but still gives Anna a hand mirror. Anna wonders what to do with the mirror as Leona leaves to meet her summons from the king who has arrived at the convent. When Anna opens the door to catch up with Leona, she sees not Sister Leona, but Sister Dawn. Dawn says that no one has been through that door all day...
Anna goes to take a nap, but she has a dream where she sees Leona talking to the king. He questions her about Darien's visit to the convent. She understood him to be on a secret mission for the king. Lawrence tells her that he is a treason suspect and she could be in big trouble for aiding him. After she leaves, Anna's view is still in the room where Lawrence tells General Liddell to kill everyone in the building. Liddell says that action by the royal guard would start an unstoppable rebellion, so the king tells him to "get someone" to do it.
#651: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 6”
The shepherd who brought the news that Sister Leona had given Darien the sword is promised the land if he will kill all the Sisters. Anna tries to warn Sister Leona but the attack has already begun. Anna barely escapes.
One of Darien’s soldiers brings the news of the massacre at Dorr. Kyle is worried about Anna, so he and Colonel Oliver go back to Dorr.
Anna wakes up and finds herself in Anastasia’s dilapidated home. The old woman tells her she saw her different colored eyes and knows she is a servant of the Unseen One. Anna uses Anastasia’s phone to let Kyle know she is alive. General Liddell finds out that Darien is near his parent’s home through this call. Kyle and Anna meet again and are convinced of the Unseen One. Darien promises to set things right.
Darien and his one hundred strong regiment travel south to Kellen. Colonel Oliver scouts ahead and finds that the Palatians have taken over Kellen. Darien and his men go to the hills to decide what to do. Anna’s dream shows that Darien is victorious and she tells him so. Darien tells his men they are to attack.
Darien’s men go into the city in disguise. Darien and Kyle enter the city. Darien acts like a crazy man. They are taken to the general’s office where they capture him and work out the terms of surrender.
#652: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 7”
Prince George rides into Kellen and meets with Darien. He tells Darien that the king is tracking him and knows he is there. Darien wants George to stay with them but George insists on going back to the king in order to feed information to Darien. Anna goes into a dream and tells Darien that the people of Kellen will hand him over to the king.
Darien leaves and his men go to hide in the Valley of the Rocks. The king’s men surround them and Lawrence tells Darien to surrender. At just that moment, the king gets a distress call from Furnchance that they are under attack from the Palatians. The king and his men leave. Darien and his men are thankful.
The battle of Furnchance turns into a war between Marus and Palatia. Darien’s men hide in the Territory of Peace where others join them or bring supplies to them. Kyle and Anna are torn between being the voice and protector and going home.
Soon, they get bad news. The Old Judge is dead. Darien, Colonel Oliver, Anna and Kyle go to Hailsham to pay their last respects. Unfortunately, their train stops to pick up the king! Darien climbs on the outside of the train to the king’s compartment and takes his coronation medal while he is sleeping.
In Hailsham, Darien, Colonel Oliver, Kyle and Anna sit in the back of the church and go to the Old Judge’s cottage after the funeral. The king is there. Darien professes his loyalty to the king and shows him the medallion. They weep in an embrace. The king asks him to have mercy on him and his family when he becomes king.
#653: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 8”
Darien returns to his men, who are tired of doing nothing. Baron Orkzy, a mercenary who needs protection meets Darien and asks if he will be his protector in exchange for better accommodations for him and his men. A spy named The Rat verifies that the Baron’s offer is good. The Baron is transporting canon parts to Monrovia. They assemble them there and then sell it to the Palatians.
Darien devises a plan to sabotage the cannon shipments. For three months, the plan works and only six canons make it through to Palatia. Darien and the Rat break into the Monrovian plant and take pictures of the canon plans.
Meanwhile as Darien and the Rat break into the Monrovian plant, Kyle and Anna receive lessons from a tutor. Anna continues to study the Sacred Scrolls. She believes the Unseen One will work out their going home or their staying. Kyle and Anna fight over the existence of the Unseen One. Kyle goes for a walk to think. The Rat tells him he knows someone that can help him get home.
While this is going on, the war continues. The nation of Palatia is tired of the deadlock war with Marus. They call in all debts from other nations, Monrovia being one of them. The Baron says the Adrian leaders are putting pressure on him. The Adrians want Darien and his men to stay with them and not go to the aid of their countrymen. If they agree to this they will be given a large portion of Marus’ northern counties and Darien will be installed as king.
Anna, meanwhile, finds a note from Kyle telling her he will be gone for a few days looking for a way home. Anna tells Darien of her dream and about Kyle leaving. Darien makes the decision to join the royal army. If Darien is wrong and is killed in this battle, then the Unseen One didn’t really choose him to be king.
#654: “Passages: Darien's Rise, Part 9”
Kyle and the Rat arrive at Anastasia's shack. Kyle gives her a dollar and tells her he wants to go home. She takes his hand and tells him he should not be there. She gives back the money just as the king and General Liddell walk in. The king decides to make Kyle his protector. Lawrence asks the woman if he will be victorious against the Palatians. The Old Judge comes into the room. He tells the king among other things that death awaits him. He tells Kyle he should have had faith and been patient.
Meanwhile, Anna and 200 civilians in Lizah are attacked by the vicious Adrians. They are held hostage in a hotel. Baron Orkzy tells them that they are being held hostage as bargaining tools. General Darien is given a message that informs him if he doesn’t return the 200 civilians will be killed.
The king and his army are outflanked and out maneuvered. The king wants him to Kyle, as the Palatians close in. Then he asks Kyle to kill him but Kyle refuses. The king kills himself and Kyle crawls away. A Palatian hits Kyle in the back and he falls to the ground.
At the same time, Darien's army circles in from the south and west surprising the Adrian soldiers and rescuing the 200 civilians. He finds out the king is dead and is upset. During the celebration, Anna is swallowed up in a white light. She hears groaning and sees Kyle lying on his back. She realizes that she and Kyle have returned to Odyssey.
Anna runs back to her grandma’s house. Her grandma tells her she has been gone for three hours. Kyle is taken to the Odyssey Hospital and stays overnight because of his injuries. When Anna and Kyle have a minute alone they wonder if it was all a dream. Kyle is miserable that he failed and forgot the One who made him a hero. Kyle wonders if they are still chosen. Anna believes they are.
Whit finishes reading the manuscript and meets with Jack Allen the next day. They decide to investigate the story further...