by Unknown
Gideon’s eyes flew to the tuft of grass where he had buried the remains of the rabbit in order to hide signs of his passing. The dagger stuck there in the earth where he’d left it. He scanned the trees with his eyes only. Nothing that he could see. But he still felt—Gideon leaped from his place on the opposite side of the fire, over the dagger, reaching for the pommel. The slightest movement accompanied by a hiss of air caused him to retract his arm just in time.
A broad-tipped arrow sliced across his forearm, passing on to embed itself in the ground next to the dagger. Gideon bounced once on the balls of his feet and turned in midair as another arrow flew parallel across his chest to sink into a tree behind him.
On the ground again, Gideon spotted two of the bowmen. One of them pulled an arrow from his quiver. The other released his bowstring, sending a wooden shaft straight for his heart. Gideon caught it and dodged the second by mere inches. These men weren’t average soldiers by any means. He compared his own uniform with what he saw them wearing and concluded that they must outrank the man he’d assaulted by the main gate of the fortress the night before.
Most likely these were some of the officers which had been trained by The Order here in Wayland. Isaiah’s stand against the practice, several years earlier, now seemed like an especially good idea. If only he’d managed to convince the High Priest in Wayland at the time.
Gideon spotted his horse still tied to a branch near the stream. The bowmen were too close. If he got in the saddle right now, with the horse halfway between him and his attacker, they would easily pick him off. Instead, Gideon dodged another arrow and ran away from them.
He moved in a zigzag random pattern, ducking and weaving as he heard bowstrings release behind him. The abundance of trees provided ample cover, but then he heard the thunder of hooves and spotted two more soldiers approaching on his right flank. He was being hemmed in.
Gideon shifted direction again—this time toward the horsemen—the exact opposite of the way any sane man would’ve have gone. Using the trees for cover, he came upon the horsemen unawares and, without breaking his sprinting stride, leaped up at the first, kicking the man from the saddle with a shot to the side of the head. The second rider pulled up short in a hurry and tried to draw his sword. But Gideon was too fast and launched himself bodily at the man. Both of them tumbled over the side of the horse. The rider landed beneath him, the fall snapping the soldier’s neck.
Gideon leaped back into the saddle of the nearest horse, smiling as he found a bow and full quiver attached to the back of the saddle. He kicked hard into the animal and sent it galloping hard for the main road. If the two bowmen were the only soldier’s left on his tail, he could at least draw them out of their cover.
No sooner had he come upon the main road than he saw two more riders emerge from the trees behind him on the highway. From the looks of them, his bowmen had now come out of hiding in full pursuit. With perhaps one hundred yards of distance between them, Gideon turned back on the riders and tore off towards them—all three men now in a hard gallop.
Gideon pulled the bow to him and an arrow from the quiver jostling on the back of his speeding horse. He kept an eye on both men—one released and arrow as he nocked his first. Gideon yanked the reins as he saw the man’s fingers leave the string. The arrow sailed nearby his left shoulder.
Gideon pulled back on the string as the horse thundered beneath him, bringing the two bowmen near at a frightening pace. His target flinched on the reins, waiting for him to release. Gideon gripped the arrow tightly at the bow and plucked the string as though he had actually released. The horsemen reacted as Gideon had done only moments before, dodging to one side. In a heartbeat, Gideon led his target and let the arrow fly for real. It sank into the soldier’s breastplate with a thud. The man fell sideways out of his saddle as his fellow carried on.
Gideon and the remaining soldier now had no time to fire arrows as they would come upon one another in moments. Gideon drew the sword attached to his saddle, a broad scimitar, as his opponent did the same. At the last moment, Gideon hopped up onto his saddle and somersaulted away toward the other rider. The soldier, bewilderment on his face, had no time to compensate for the attack as Gideon used the momentum to slam the scimitar down across the man’s shoulder.
Gideon landed hard on the road, but he’d taken down all of his attackers. He took two of the horses with him and all of the weapons—food and water he could carry on the extra animal. His shoulder bothered him a bit after the fall, but he reckoned it a small price to pay for becoming better outfitted for his journey to Wayland’s capital and their king.
COVETOUS
Ethan, Levi and Seth waited outside the King’s bedchamber. It had been three hours since his collapse in the throne room. So far the King remained unconscious. “I just don’t understand it,� Ethan said. “Those things were definitely demonic, although I haven’t seen them before. But they were inside the throne itself and not the king.�
Levi looked up from where he a sat on an upholstered bench near the door. “Can they possess someone that way?�
“Perhaps oppress might be a better word for what they were doing to the King,� Seth explained. “I remember in the Word of Shaddai, of a king whom the Lord allowed to be oppressed by wicked spirits because of his disobedience to the commandments of the Lord.�
Ethan considered the matter. Seth’s hypothesis seemed plausible. After all he’d experienced, almost anything seemed plausible.
Levi smiled, an epiphany lighting his face. “And they were in Stephen’s throne…they had proximity to the man…if that’s necessary.�
Seth nodded in agreement.
“But why? Why oppress the King of Wayland when you’re just going to attack?� Ethan asked. He was frustrated now. They’d been unable to rescue Gideon or Elspeth, after all this time, and now they had journeyed all the way through the Thornhills, finding the entire Temple destroyed and the surviving priests scattered. Topping it off, King Stephen had nearly had them killed under demonic oppression and Mordred’s preparations for war made it an imminent probability that he would strike here at any time. “We need some real answers so we can at least do something to fight back!�
Seth walked up behind Ethan and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes, Ethan, the Lord would have his servants to wait, patiently, until he directs their movements. Perhaps we can find no course of action, at the moment, because we are not to take any course of action at the moment.�
Ethan sighed heavily, nodding. “I know…you’re right. That sounds just like something Gideon would have told me.�
Seth smiled. “Then I’ll take that as a compliment.�
A rush of footsteps came from the other side of the King’s bedchamber door. The lock clicked and the door opened. One of the King’s advisors stepped into the hallway, looking at each of them. “The King would speak to the Deliverer of Shaddai alone,� he said.
When Ethan entered the bedchamber, Stephen lay on the bed covered in a thick comforter. He looked pale, though he was awake and alert. The King’s other advisors and his personal physician vacated quietly as Ethan walked toward the end of the large bed.
Stephen looked at him with a glazed expression. Clearly the affects of the demons upon him had taken its toll. “Come near, Deliverer of Shaddai,� he said—though he didn’t sound respectful to the title when he said it. “Your name is Ethan?�
Ethan gave a slight bow of his head. “Yes, Your Highness. We met on the road as your army was leaving Emmanuel.�
Stephen smiled weakly. “I remember it…vaguely.� He seemed to be examining Ethan, which made him feel uncomfortable, despite his bold assertions earlier in
the throne room.
“You’re just a boy,� Stephen said finally.�
Ethan wasn’t quite sure how to answer this, or even if he was expected to.
“I cannot understand why the Creator of all things would choose a child to fight against a warlord such as Mordred.� Stephen laughed contemptuously to himself. “While a king stands ready to do the Lord’s bidding and fight to the death with Mordred and his demons, Shaddai nurses a babe for the task.�
Ethan knew Stephen was referring to himself as the king desiring to assume the duties of the Deliverer. He had made as much known to them already, when they met him dragging his army back to Wayland following their utter defeat at Emmanuel. But if the King had been under oppression by evil spirits at the time, this rebellion in his heart hadn’t been caused by them. He was still wounded by Shaddai’s denying him victory over Mordred then and now.
“I am what I am, Your Highness,� Ethan said. “I did not choose to take on this responsibility or the power Shaddai has gifted to me. I am as bound to do his will as any man. Were it in my power, I would gladly bestow these abilities on the King. I find myself traveling a road I would never have chosen on my own. What else can I do but go patiently and trust the Lord to give the victory?�
“And do you have victory, Deliverer?� King Stephen sat up in his bed, his hands gripping the bedcovers tightly. “When will we see this deliverance you bring? Today? Tomorrow? When will it come? My army has been decimated…and for what? We have no victory! Our women cry in the night for husbands who gave their lives trying to defeat Mordred. Children are left without their fathers! Men who went to their deaths to give us that victory!�
“On your orders, Your Highness, not Shaddai’s,� Ethan said. His spine tingled the same way it had when he’d spoken in the throne room during the King’s tirade. He’d spoken these words as though not under his own control, despite knowing how it would infuriate the king. And it did.
The_Sword_of_Gideon
Stephen began screaming—enraged as though the demons still held sway over him. Ethan looked for more of the demons to make themselves known on the spiritual plane, but they did not. This was only the rebellion present in Stephen’s heart making an appearance.
Ethan listened to it calmly, patiently. Stephen was practically slobbering out his threats against Ethan’s life when his ministers came barreling back into the room, astonishment plastered on their faces. And then Stephen yelled at them also. “Get him out of my sight!�
But none of the King’s servants made any move towards Ethan. Instead, they looked at one another, then back at Ethan, not knowing what to do. Seth and Levi stood in the doorway as well. No one moved a muscle except Stephen who stood on his knees amongst the bedclothes, fuming out the remnants of his spent rage with every labored breath.
Finally Ethan broke the silence. “I’ll leave you. My friends and I will go to the High Priest of The Order here in Wayland, Your Highness. If anyone attempts to prevent us, they’ll meet with worse than your guards did in the throne room.�
Ethan turned away from Stephen and walked out of the bedchamber with one of the King’s advisors on his heels. The heavy wooden door closed behind them as they joined Seth and Levi in the hall. A tray of food smashed against the inside of the door as it closed. The king cursed his counselors once again, though the walls did much to mute what he said.
Seth spoke to the advisor without looking toward him. “Can you direct us to the Temple here in Wayland? The sooner we’re gone from the palace, the better, I think, for all of us.�
The King’s advisor nodded vigorously. “Yes, of course. I’ll have someone escort you there. It lies on the outskirts of the city—not far at all.�
Ethan looked at Levi curiously, wondering why the Temple should be so close to the main population while The Order in Nod had remained secluded and their Temple location a secret. Levi, for his part, only shrugged silently as they fell into step with Seth, who had already begun to follow the King’s advisor down the dimly lit stone corridor.
NEW ORDER
True to his word, King Stephen’s advisor had provided a young page to escort them, by carriage, through the eastern portion of the city where the Temple of Shaddai lay near the city’s border with the vast forests beyond. Far from a secret installation, as the Temple in Nod, this Order seemed to be housed within what Ethan could only call a palace—equal to, if not surpassing, that which King Stephen dwelt in.
Levi pulled his head back inside the carriage window. “Boy, would you look at that!� he exclaimed to Seth sitting across from him in shadows of the velveteen carriage.
Seth smiled coyly. “Sorry, can’t.�
“Oh, yeah right,� Levi said sheepishly. “Sorry about that, mate.�
Seth laughed. “Not at all, Captain. I live for embarrassing moments like that.�
Ethan could hardly believe the structure before them: intricate stone carvings inlaid with gold, silver, and precious stones. Ethan had thought the Temple at Nod beautiful, but in a far more functional way. This seemed almost gaudy to him, and he wondered what manner of men trained here.
Their carriage drove across a bridge over a deeply set trench with a river running through the bottom. Ethan peered out the window with Levi, trying to gauge it. “That must be a fifty foot drop,� Levi said.
Ethan looked back inside at Seth. “Have you ever been here before, Seth?�
“Years ago, before I lost my sight in Macedon, but I don’t remember it as you’re both describing it,� he said. “In those days, The Order of Shaddai was still establishing itself and only had a modest few buildings with a training yard in the middle.�
“Well, I’d say they’ve established themselves pretty well,� Levi said. “They’re living posh. I wonder what kind of warriors they make.�
Ethan wondered that as well.
Once inside the courtyard, their carriage was met by a contingency of priests dressed in golden colored robes with embroidered fringes and cuffs. Most of the ten men standing before them had graying hair and wore tall pointy hats upon their heads. Ethan looked at them queerly, until he spotted Isaiah coming out of one of the archways leading within.
Isaiah smiled and gave Ethan a slightly exasperated nod as he passed the other priests, letting him know he too had similar feelings about the Wayland priest’s attire. He approached and embraced him. He whispered into Ethan’s ear, “We must talk privately as soon as possible.�
It had taken nearly an hour of pomp and circumstance, introductions and ceremony before Isaiah, Ethan, and his companions were left to speak together alone. Isaiah began to sip from a cup of tea as the steward finished serving them all, then left the room with a bow.
“Master, I’m so glad to find you safe here,� Ethan began, almost before the door had closed. “When we saw what happened at the Temple—� He couldn’t go on, the horror of the scene still fresh in his mind.
Isaiah nodded gravely, searching each of their eyes. He paused at Seth. “It’s good to see you again, Seth.�
“Master.�
“I’m sorry for your eyesight, my friend.�
“The Lord has blessed me with a new sight to replace that which was taken.�
Isaiah smiled weakly and nodded. “Things are worse than you may know, gentlemen.� He paused to gather himself. “Mordred sent an army to attack the Temple. They appeared to be some sort of cross between man and demon—abominable beasts. They came to us through the pine forest and we were unable to stop them. The last I’d heard, before departing, was that the enti
re pride had been killed trying.�
“But how did they find their way?� Levi asked. “That place was buttoned up tight among the Thornhills. I don’t see how—�
“That is the worst of the matter,� Isaiah interrupted. Anger and pain burned on his face. “Gideon led them to us.�
“What?� they all three asked at the same time.
Ethan tried a weak smile. “Master, did you say, Gideon led them?�
The heartbreak in Isaiah’s eyes left no doubt. “He betrayed us to Mordred, Ethan. Our lookout spotted Gideon leading them safely through the Shale Steps and then on toward the arch beyond the Pine Forest. Otherwise Mordred’s soldiers never would have found us.�
In the back of Ethan’s mind, puzzle pieces began to click together, forming a picture he did not want to see. Gideon in the uniform of Mordred, not fighting for their sport, but training? Seth and Dung finding an assassin in the dungeon cell rather than Gideon. And the ability of Mordred’s army to find the Temple despite only a few secret ways of entry.
They sat speechless for a long moment, before Isaiah carried on. “There is more,� he said. “The High Priest, here, has received a message by hawk from one of their spies onboard a Wayland barge near the Northern Horn. They’ve spotted an armada of ships, bearing Mordred’s standard, rounding the cape—three days flight by hawk.�
“When was the message received?� Levi asked.
“Just before your arrival here,� Isaiah said.
“That would put them just under two days from the Port of Trace and another day from here,� Levi surmised.
