Nathan saw the truth in what the Eldar said as anger welled up inside of him. But even that, gave way to exhaustion as he dropped the cloth to the floor.
“I’m so tired. Tired of losing people I care about,” he whispered to himself.
“Everyone loses something at some point, but only servants of heaven can gain as well. It’s what we do through the losses that makes us who we are,” said the ant. “Do you think you’re the only one who has suffered loss, boy?”
“No,” Nathan said hesitantly.
“You came for revenge with your hands clenched like a newborn child consumed with its wants and desires. A seer is a servant and lives for others. Whoever serves the will of Elyon does so with empty, open hands on behalf of the people. Only the empty, open hand can be filled, and so it is with the heart as well,” said the ant.
Nathan saw the truth of it, but felt robbed by its honesty. He wanted to feel justified in killing Conner and make him suffer.
“Why didn’t Elyon stop him from killing all those people,” asked Nathan flatly.
“Why didn’t you,” the ant retorted.
“How can I? What can one person do against so much reckless evil,” Nathan said carelessly.
“You’re one person. Hurt, or heal, it’s your choice,” said Asa. “Do what you can, and perhaps, you may find you can do more.”
“Why is God allowing this,” said Nathan.
“He’s not,” said Asa. “He’s sending you.”
“What makes me so special,” asked Nathan.
“Nothing. You were last on the list. But I believe it’s written, that the last can be first if you are willing,” said the ant.
“Yes,” said Nathan.
“There is a demon horde approaching the sacred city to destroy it. This is the last refuge where Elyon’s power is free to flow. And know this, when Conner is done here, he plans to unleash an evil greater than himself on this world and the one you came from. I can help prepare you for what’s to come but you must count the cost. What I am about to do can take years off your life, or possibly kill you. Are you prepared to pay the price?”
Nathan hesitated for a moment before slowing nodding in agreement. His thoughts flashed back to the monastery for some reason, but he simply smiled. An intense light surrounded him, compelling him to cover his face with his hands but he could see his hands through his eyelids. Then, severe pain gripped his body, convulsing him on his knees. Steam lifted from his skin and smoke lifted from his clothes as he screamed from the mind-tearing pain that shot through his body like a lightening bolt. Abruptly, his clothes burst into flame and Nathan rolled on the floor in a vain attempt to quench the fiery tongues of scorched his skin wherever they touched. He felt as though his very soul was torn from his body as the light pierced into the core of his heart and mind, boiling, it seemed, the very blood in his veins. Nathan gripped his chest in agony, thinking his very heart would burst but what seemed like an eternity, stopped in an instant as he fell unconscious.
***
As they stood before the gates of Ariel, Isha’s momentary confusion gave way to the enormous sacrifice that took place right where they stood. The defense had been made right before the gates themselves and each gleaming bone showed the price paid in blood. And, although it was never said, it was this type of sacrifice that Nathan had committed himself to make.
“I’m going back,” she yelled, running full stride toward the city once more.
“Hanoch, catch her before the Behemoth does,” Dodie shouted.
The sandy soil outside the gates slowed Isha momentarily, giving Hanoch the chance he needed to tackle her to the ground. Dodie ran to them and sat on her back to hold her down feeling as though he’d sat on a wild badger.
“Get off me,” she cried as sand stuck to her tear stained face.
“You can’t help him right now, but you can help us,” said Dodie trying to choke back tears of his own. Isha stopped struggling, pushed her face into the dirt and cried. Slowly, Hanoch and Dodie released her, but unexpectedly she stopped crying and sat up. Then the sky filled with a crackling sound like thunder and something fell from the sky, landing in the sandy earth in a cloud of smoke.
“Do you smell that,” she said, wiping the tears and dirt from her eyes and pushing her nose to the wind. Dodie readied for another brawl but Hanoch raised his hand to stop him.
“I smell it too,” said Hanoch, testing the air with his nose as well.
Dodie whiffed the air, but noticed nothing. It was only when he scanned the area that he noticed a faint trail of smoke in the distance, leading away from the city.
Isha jumped to her feet in a dead run, sprinting in the direction of the smoke. When she arrived at the source, she patted out the smoldering embers and covered the near half-naked form of Nathan. He lay face down to the earth with eyes shut, wearing what remained of his burned clothing. The ground around him glimmered in the sun as a circular sea of misty glass lay beneath him where the sand melted into molten waves and still felt warm to the touch.
Turning him over onto his back, his skin presented a red hue that appeared to slowly disappear, leaving behind several burn scars. One burn scar in particular gave Isha concern, over his heart the faint outline of a seven-lamp candle-stand stood out. Putting her ear to his chest, she heard his heart faintly beating but he wasn’t breathing. She quickly sealed her mouth to his and tried to blow life back into him, but nothing appeared to work. Finally, Hanoch and Dodie arrived at her side.
“He isn’t breathing,” she said, with new tears welling in her eyes.
Hanoch pushed them both aside, and began jabbing Nathan with the ends of his fingers in particular spots about his head, chest and feet. Each thrust made Nathan’s limp body jolt with the impact until Hanoch finally stopped, sat him upright and struck him one strong blow between the shoulder blades with the palm of his hand. Nathan suddenly drew a deep breath and began coughing uncontrollably for a moment, then, his eyes opened and the sight of them caused them to back away. His gaze held a brilliant glow as though a star had replaced each of his eyes. They tried to look at his face, but the radiance was too intense.
“Can you see it?” Nathan asked as he sat on the ground before his confused comrades. “It’s an army like I’ve never imagined. They’re looking at me – waiting.”
Following the direction of his luminous stare, Isha strained her eyes to see but couldn’t make out anything whatsoever. She looked to Dodie, but he did not acknowledge her as he stared at Nathan in disbelief. Suddenly, Nathan rose to his feet as Isha wrapped him in her cloak. He began walking through Skull’s Field with her following after him. As she walked, something snagged her foot. Looking down, she saw several skulls grinning up at her from the earth. This was the army he saw. Nathan stopped, lifted his face to the sky and said something in the air that drifted to her ears like a distant peal of thunder.
“O’or koom,” he whispered as he blew a breath into the air.
Immediately, the dust of the field began churning as a dazzling light from the sky struck the earth where Nathan stood. From where she fell, Isha could see the candle-stand on his chest burst with a flame that shot outward, covering the field and sinking into the earth. A frightening sound assaulted her ears from the ground beneath her feet, growing louder with each passing moment. As it vibrated, the earth cracked and split as bones pushed themselves to the surface like newborn birds from an egg with each bone finding another, joining together with an eerie rattling sound that added amazement to the horrific sight. Isha, Hanoch and Dodie danced left and right, trying to avoid the grisly objects as they drew themselves together. They finally resolved to stand by the gates of the city to watch from a distance.
“What's happening,” gasped Isha.
“Rebirth,” said Hanoch.
As the bones joined, dirt and water drew upward from the earth, covering them with a rusty-colored mud that soon took a red hue and spread over the forming skeleton. Tendons, veins and muscles formed
around them, covering the entire carriage of the body until flesh began to appear. The fire from Nathan’s chest whirled and seethed as it lapped about each body until the fully formed being lay motionless in the field before them by the hundreds.
Slowly, as the bodies completed themselves as the fire subsided, returning to Nathan’s chest as though part of him. Nathan fell to his knees with sweat running from his face as he gasped for breath. Dodie moved toward him, but was stopped by Nathan’s upheld hand.
“Don’t,” Nathan yelled. Then, struggling to his feet, he turned his face toward the sky and whispered, “Please, let the wind blow.”
Above them, the clouds began spinning like the birth of a hurricane. They felt a rush of air ascend from the ground toward the sky and little-by-little the clouds descended to the ground, hovering over the field of bodies like apparitions. Without warning, the lifeless bodies in the field convulsed at once, arching their backs, craning their heads backward as the mist from the clouds filled their mouths and lungs. The faces of the dead, once lifeless and blank began to take expressions of realization and thought. Warriors of all races, both men and women, stood to their feet in the torn field where they returned to the living with weapons in hand and armor gleaming. Some looked at each other with confusion, while others stared in the direction of their leader. He wore a high plumed helmet that fluttered in the breeze with a bright red sash at his waist signifying the height of his rank. His armor was a dull gray of color, stretching over his muscular frame and showing its function more than its grandeur. He gripped a single-bladed axe in one hand, and a thick walled shield in the other. This was no commander who led from the tents, but one that preferred to lead in the front.
The Commander of the Arielian Army approached Nathan with a questioning look since the young seer was bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to get his breath from the exertion. He simply took Nathan's arm, stood him upright and expectantly waited.
“Your defeat was through witchcraft and not of your own failure. You and your warriors were cheated by sorcery. Elyon is giving you a second chance if you want it,” Nathan explained to the commander. “You and your soldiers are free to leave and start new lives if you wish. But know this, there is a demon horde of giants approaching Ariel from the north and they mean to destroy every stone of the sacred city. It’s empty now, and the people you once loved are long gone, but you are all still needed. Will you defend it?”
“How many are the enemy?” asked the commander.
“About five hundred,” replied Nathan, trying to sound optimistic.
“It seems as though we just fell in battle a moment ago. But this city was the capital of the empire in my day, so as long as I can fight, it will not fall again,” said the commander.
Nathan couldn’t help but grin a little at the soldier’s bravery, but there was more.
“There is an Arch-Mancer to the north who is the cause of all this. If I can stop him, then maybe this nightmare will end with him,” said Nathan.
The commander nodded understanding.
“We will do what we can,” he said. Then, turning to the troops, he walked to the front. Taking out his sword, he raised it in the air and a stark silence fell on the troops. Straight away, the soldiers fell into ranks and stood at attention. “Warriors of Ariel! Each of you has paid the ultimate sacrifice for your country, and now, have a second chance at life again by Elyon’s blessing. I will not ask for any of you to give any more that you already have. But know this, there is a horde of giants coming from the north to crush the sacred city to dust. This is now the last free refuge in Akeldemah where Elyon is honored. Our enemy outnumbers us two-to-one and there is no one left in the city to protect. Anyone who wishes may leave, and do so with my blessing, but I intend to stay. Who is with me?”
There was a moment of silence when each soldier looked at his comrade to see who might leave. Then, they all in unison pounded their weapons against their shields, shouting at the top of their lungs with spirit a thousand times their number.
“Ariel for Elyon,” they shouted with a fierceness that shook the ground.
And so, they stood once again just as they had the day they died with weapons ready with armor glinting in the sun. And indeed, they had been lost, but this was another day.
“Commander,” Nathan shouted. “Get the cavalry ready.”
Brilliant light flashed in Nathan's eyes once again, but only for a moment as he leaned upon the commander. Isha and the others slowly approached. Moving to his side, Isha put her arm around Nathan's waist, supporting him as he stood. A sound like the roar of a river echoed from the Western Plains and in but a moment filled the sky around them. She looked at his face as she held him to find something different emerging through the dirt and sweat.
As the brilliant light of his eyes faded back to their normal musty brown, she knew with certainty that his hate was gone, replaced by a hidden strength that rose to the surface. Turning her attention again to the west, her heart filled with excitement as hundreds of magnificent horses raced toward them. They advanced at full gallop, manes flowing and glossy bodies quivering with primal power. The army separated as the cavalry came to the front. They didn’t flinch before the sight, but instead, waited for the herd to come near. As if on cue, the herd circled to the left in single file to pick up a rider without so much as a pause in their gallop. The soldiers mounted as though born to it, and turned their attention to the commander, waiting expectantly for orders. Nathan couldn’t help but smile as he watched the glorious sight unfold before him, and then, with a nod, the commander turned, mounted his horse and took his position at the head of the battalion. With a sword salute, he gave a war cry that shook the ground.
“The Arielian Army,” said Dodie. “I can’t believe it.”
Isha and the others ran to Nathan’s side and observed that he was not alone. Dodie was first to address Rashiel as he stood next to Nathan, who was leaning on the angel, trying to gather his strength.
“What are you doing here?” Dodie asked.
“What is that to you,” said Rashiel flatly.
“Answer his blasted question,” spat Isha, who took an aggressive bearing as she approached.
“I'm here for the seer. You’ll find these clothes sturdier than man-made. They resist fire but not impact,” said Rashiel as he put a beige tunic and boots on Nathan, returning Isha’s cloak to her. “The army is ready for battle but there is a decision to be made.”
“Nathan, what is he talking about?” said Isha.
“Look to the North over the far horizon,” said Nathan, pointing with a shaky hand.
They strained in the direction the he indicated and saw tiny wisps of smoke trailing skyward.
“The Demon-Horde approaches and they will crush ancient Ariel till no stone stands on another,” said Rashiel. “The time for talk is over.”
“I’m going with you,” Isha insisted.
“I'd rather fight at your side as well,” said Dodie with Hanoch nodding agreement.
“I want them to go with me,” said Nathan.
“As you wish,” said Rashiel with irritation. “I won't guarantee their safety.”
In the distance, the horde of giants became visible through the cloud of dust they were tracking behind them. The cloud drifted upward, causing a red haze over the sun that held the color of blood. From the front line, the sight of the attackers would have melted the courage of all but a few battle-hardened warriors. The numerous cuts they gave themselves had festered, giving their skin a grayish appearance and attracting swarms of flies.
Nevertheless, the enemy’s cold stares gave no indication that these things bothered them whatsoever as they advanced in a full run toward the ancient city. The Arielian Army showed no sign of alarm for they understood the opportunity before them. This was a second chance to defend the city that fell because of them and, this time, no mancers held the field. They fought against flesh-and-blood, no matter how superhuman the giants appeared to
be. The commander kept a close eye on Nathan as he advanced to the head of the column.
“Nathan, what are you doing?” asked Isha, but Dodie put a checking hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
“He’s a task to do, and for the first time, he understands why,” said Dodie. “If he fails, we all lose.”
“Prepare yourselves,” said Rashiel as the army closed ranks behind Nathan.
With that, the angel walked ahead of Nathan and the others taking a position out front. He took out his sword and held it high. Without warning, a bolt of fire came from the open sky, hitting him and setting the ground on fire around him for yards in all directions. The blast was hot enough to make Isha and the others shield themselves for a moment.
When the flames faded, Rashiel stood beside two flaming chariots harness to two blazing horses each. The steeds were impatient and pawed the ground with their hooves ready to spring into battle at a moments urging. Rashiel’s dark cloak had changed to a dazzling bright tunic with a breastplate of radiant silver. Around his forehead, he wore a silken headband with golden writing, bearing a secret name that only he knew. The angel appeared much bigger than a moment ago and held a silver-gold bow in his left hand. He motioned for Nathan to enter the nearest chariot.
“My instructions are clear,” said the angel. “I’m only to drive your chariot. If you are killed, I’m to bear you away from the combat. Remember, King Josiah died in battle even though he was loved of God. Your friends will follow behind us. Hanoch should drive and let the others defend.”
On this rare occasion, a wild-eyed smile came over the young Venger’s face. Hanoch shook anticipation as he boarded the chariot and took the golden reins in his hands. Although the chariot seethed with flame, he felt no injury or burning other that a cold sensation when it touched his skin. Isha and Dodie reluctantly got on, looking at the transport with marked uncertainty.
“Isha, you are skilled with blades. How are you with a bow?” asked Rashiel.
The Last Refuge Page 29
