by Unknown
Murmurs rose among the crowd. Cries of distress also rang out here and there as the realization of what was coming began to fill them with dread.
“Please!� King Stephen cried over the escalating din. “We must not despair! We will fight against him! We still have an army and enough weapons to place a sword in the hand of every capable man, woman, and child. We will not go down quietly without fighting for our lives! Now is the time for all Waylanders to come together against this scourge and send him back to the pit from whence he came!�
Despite the grand noise of the King, panic continued to build among those assembled to hear his report. Gideon listened from his place upon the wall on the right side of the massive green courtyard. Two of the King’s guards lay behind him unconscious. Gideon waited, still wearing the soldier’s uniform taken from the fortress outpost, until Stephen had finished delivering the bad news. From that point, Gideon had no longer been able to hear what the King was saying—so great was the cry of despair now echoing around the courtyard below.
So, Mordred was coming for sure. The King hadn’t said when Mordred would arrive, but given the nature of his speech, Gideon guessed the warlord must already be close, no doubt coming with a fleet of carrier barges and Man-o-war battleships at his disposal. But any attack upon Evelah would require nearly a day’s march from the sea in order to bring them to the city walls.
Perhaps this was exactly the reason why Gideon had been given this assignment to assassinate the King. So that Evelah would have no leadership and surrender easily. Gideon felt the bow in his left hand, squeezing upon the wood. He flexed the fingers of his right, the knuckles popping. He could turn around now and walk away. He didn’t have to obey Mordred’s command. The warlord would likely never know.
But Gideon remembered his son. His child was still under Mordred’s control. If he abandoned this assignment then he also abandoned his son. The thought of his and Sarah’s child growing up in the care of such a villain gripped his heart so that he felt he could not breathe.
Gideon pushed the rebellious thought from his mind and focused upon his task. He whipped an arrow from the quiver slung onto his back and nocked it to the bow. He raised the weapon and placed the arrowhead on the distant breastbone of King Stephen, who was even now trying to persuade his discomfited citizens that all hope was not lost. With a final whisper—forgive me—he released the bowstring.
Ethan barely noticed what had happened amid the despairing cries ringing out from the courtyard below them. King Stephen raised his hands, trying to restore some order among his people and calm them enough to give them instructions for what had to be done. Mordred would be upon them within two or three days and they had to get organized into some semblance of a fighting force by then. But just as Ethan thought the time had come for him to go ahead and return to the Temple, where he could report back to Isaiah, his senses locked into overdrive—every voice heard, every leaf blowing, every insect crawling.
The world slowed itself so that Ethan discerned each part in detail, especially the arrow shaft driving now toward the King. He reacted instinctively despite his confusion. Who in Wayland would possibly want to assassinate King Stephen? Ethan launched away from the side of the palace, his ethereal blade flying to his right hand.
The arrow itself was inconsequential. It burned away into scattered ash as he batted it down with his sword. Ethan’s focus remained on the trail of vibrating air leading back to the shooter upon the right flanking wall of the courtyard. There, stood a man in Wayland armor, the string of his bow still vibrating with the release.
As Ethan closed in, he noticed the familiar face of Gideon. Elation at seeing him safe was quickly swept away by burning anger at his betrayal—this man who had been like a brother to him. Isaiah had called for his destruction, and now the traitor stood within his grasp, easy pickings. Ethan came upon him, still invisible, and swept upward with his ethereal blade. But at the last he pulled his reach back.
The blade sliced through the marble banister, where Gideon had been leaning, like butter. It divided his bow in half just below Gideon’s left hand, the string popping with a twangy hiss. Had he not restrained his arm, his strike would have caught Gideon completely unaware, cleaving him in two. Ethan wanted answers first.
He became visible as he landed in front of Gideon, smashing his mentor in the face as the pieces of bow fell from his hands. “Why?� Ethan screamed as he followed Gideon to the ground, pummeling him with blows anywhere he could land them. “Why did you do it?�
Gideon had been caught off guard, but it didn’t last. He thrust his legs up and threw Ethan over as he rolled back to a crouch. Ethan came back like an angry lion giving no heed to caution. His anger had boiled to the surface, vengeance for Gideon’s betrayal of himself, The Order, and anyone else he could think of. “We trusted you, and you betrayed us!�
They traded blows: fists, feet, grappling, then breaking away again. Ethan breathed hard as Gideon stood apart, blood oozing from several cuts across his face and head. A large bruise grew darker from his right cheek down to his chin.
Ethan drew the physical sword from the scabbard on his back. Gideon pulled one from his side. Neither of them advanced. “Well, aren’t you going to give me some sort of answer for what you’ve done?� Ethan shouted. “I’ve been ordered to kill you. Don’t you have any explanation?�
Gideon stood there with his sword ready to defend himself. He looked torn, as though he wanted desperately to speak his mind, but wouldn’t. “What’s done is done…the reasons don’t really matter,� he said finally.
“Of course they matter! You were a brother. You were a servant of The Most High…Gideon, look what you’ve done.�
Gideon gritted his teeth, trying to shut out Ethan’s words. “It’s not finished yet.�
Ethan’s brow creased. “What else could you possibly destroy that you haven’t already?�
Gideon glared at him. “You.�
Ethan stood there speechless for a long moment. “You can’t mean that, Gideon…I know there’s more, some reason why this all makes sense to you. Just let me help—�
Gideon flew into him at that moment, his sword thrusting repeatedly. Ethan parried, attacked, blocked and was driven back. Gideon struck at him again and again, each time driving Ethan further back. “Why don’t you disappear?� he said.
“Is that what you want, for me to flee?� Ethan asked as he blocked another attack and brought one of his own. “I thought you wanted to kill me, brother! Don’t you think you could do it?�
Gideon flew into a rage at that point, smacked Ethan’s blade aside and hammered him in the chest with his fist. Ethan gasped, but Gideon stayed on him, delivering a crushing blow to the boy’s ribs with his knee on one side followed by a lightning fast chop to the base of his neck. Ethan collapsed unconscious before him. Gideon stood there looking at him, laboring for breath with Ethan’s last question resounding in his mind. He dropped his own sword next to the boy’s body and answered it. “No…I don’t think I could.�
PREPARATIONS
When Ethan awoke, he noticed the stars above him, the sun already down for some time. The moon hung almost full partially obscured by clouds. He sat up with his sword still locked in his hand. Gideon’s blade lay on the polished marble nearby. Ethan was still alive. He felt like he’d been ran over by a team of horses, but Gideon had not killed him, even though he clearly could have.
His mentor’s burst of fury had overtaken him so easily—that was unsettling. For some time now, Ethan had supposed he could take Gideon in a fight even without having to resort to his special gifts. Apparently, he had only been f
ooling himself with those assumptions. Still, the task of destroying Gideon would fall to him and he would have to use any means necessary to get the job done.
Perhaps, he thought, Isaiah wouldn’t want him killed seeing that Gideon had clearly spared his life. When Ethan thought about all that had been said between them, it made no sense. Gideon had clearly said that he was the one loose end left. And yet, when the time came to do the deed, Gideon had not exercised his opportunity. He had spared rather than kill.
A new hope bloomed in Ethan’s mind. He didn’t know everything that may have happened to Gideon since his abduction at Macedon. Clearly other factors were at work, even if Gideon hadn’t been willing to voice them. Maybe he couldn’t say anything. What if Mordred was controlling Gideon in some way? Frustrated, Ethan tried to figure it out, but kept coming up blank.
At any rate, he had to report back to the Temple with his information. He had already lost precious hours lying there unconscious. As Ethan stood, he saw the same two soldiers he had noticed lying unconscious when he had startled Gideon. They were still out cold—obviously dealt a worse beating than he had received.
Ethan decided to leave them there for the moment. They would wake or be discovered soon enough. He said a quick prayer for wisdom, pertaining to Gideon, then shifted onto the spiritual plane for a quick journey back to the Temple.
Gideon sat in a back alley behind a group of homes not far from the palace of King Stephen. The night had brought him cover and cool air to clear his head. He had failed. Ethan had been his to destroy…if only he’d actually wanted to. But, despite his son remaining Mordred’s prisoner and all that it entailed, Gideon had not been able to bring himself to kill his friend—his brother in The Order.
Moreover, Ethan had not tried to kill him. As he might have suspected, Isaiah would have sent someone to assassinate him after finding out that he was responsible for betraying The Order to Mordred and his soldiers. Ethan had said as much. And yet, the boy had not taken him by surprise to kill him when he had stopped Stephen’s assassination. Neither had he used his power to do so after they were confronted with one another. Despite his righteous indignation, Ethan had sought information rather than revenge.
Gideon, at that moment, made a resolution. He knew he couldn’t bring himself to kill Ethan. It just wasn’t going to happen. During all this time, Shaddai had spared his life despite his betrayal. He bowed his head, having come to the end of himself. “My lord, I have failed you time and again. Yet you have spared my life. I have not trusted you with my fate as I should have. I allowed my wife’s death to blind me to your sovereign control rather than surrendering myself to your will in taking her. My son remains in Mordred’s hands, but you are the one in control even now. If it is your will to spare my son, then nothing can prevent it. If it is not your will, then I trust he will be safe in your loving arms, only I beg you, do not allow Mordred to raise him up not knowing you. Nevertheless, your will be done. As for me, forgive me. I will fight against this enemy with every ounce of strength you will give me, regardless of what it may cost me personally. Have your way, Lord Shaddai. Amen.�
Gideon opened his eyes, feeling suddenly refreshed. He felt as though a great weight had been removed. He was free again. But what to do now? He didn’t feel as though he should approach Ethan or The Order again. He’d just tried to assassinate the King of Wayland, so trying there was out. It appeared he would be on his own. Still, an attack by Mordred’s army was coming. Perhaps there was plenty he could do against them. Maybe he could even face down the warlord himself.
Ethan arrived at the Wayland Temple in short order to find the priests preparing for battle. Robe colors may have been different, but hopefully their deadly techniques remained the same as those employed where Gideon had trained him in Nod. Ethan was escorted to a small room, near their armory, where Isaiah, Seth, Levi and some of the other priests busily reviewed maps of the region and the city of Evelah in anticipation of the coming siege.
Isaiah and the others looked up as Ethan was ushered into the room. “Ethan, I’m so glad to see you back safely,� Isaiah said. “I was beginning to worry when nightfall came and you had not returned.�
“The journey didn’t take as long as what happened during and after,� Ethan said.
“Something tells me you didn’t just spy on them,� Levi said sarcastically.
Ethan stepped toward the table next to Levi. “Did you really think I would?� he whispered.
“Well I suppose scolding you for not doing as I asked is a moot point, since you’ve come back safely,� Isaiah said. “What did you find?�
All eyes in the room fell upon him. What were they going to face? Would they be able to withstand the coming onslaught? Who would survive and who in this room had only hours to live? These questions and more were written upon their faces.
“I saw at least fifty ships—huge flat carriers mingled among many of Mordred’s Man-o-wars—all within a days sailing of the Northern Shore,� Ethan said. “The barges were loaded down with engines of war: catapults and the like. And the crew on at least one consisted of those same half man, half beast soldiers we found in the Pine Forest.�
“A day’s travel,� said one of the senior priests, “how will we ever prepare in time?�
“They’ll be closer by now,� Ethan corrected. “I may have slowed them down a bit with an attack on one of the barges, but I was delayed in getting back to you.�
“Did you run into more demons?� Levi asked.
“Well, yes, but that’s not what delayed me,� Ethan said.
Isaiah watched him intently. “Something else, Ethan? What was it?�
Isaiah’s eyes looked as though he may have picked up the answer in Ethan’s expression a moment before he actually said it. “I found Gideon,� he said.
Only those who knew of the priest and his betrayal of the Nodian Order reacted to the statement. The others barely seemed curious. Isaiah prompted Ethan on. “And?�
“I had paused on my way back to the Temple in order to hear what King Stephen was saying in his address to the people,� Ethan said. “While I was there, Gideon tried to assassinate the King.�
Now the other priests grew anxious as well. “Assassinate the King?� one of them said. “He wasn’t successful was he—I mean we would have heard wouldn’t we?� he said looking at the brethren of his own Order.
“He was not successful,� Ethan said. “I stopped him.�
“You stopped him?� Levi asked suspiciously. “Do you mean you killed him, Ethan?�
“No, I didn’t kill him.� He noticed Seth and Levi both let out a captured breath, relieved at the news.
Isaiah also appeared to notice their reaction, but he kept his attention on Ethan. “What did happen when you confronted Gideon?�
“Master, I would have destroyed him straightaway, as instructed, but I had to find whether he had been somehow bewitched by Mordred or his demons—coerced in some way.�
“And was he?� Isaiah asked.
“I couldn’t get an answer out of him,� Ethan said. “We fought as I tried to question him, but he only said that, what was done was done and that I was the only loose end which remained.�
Isaiah shut his eyes to hide his emotional pain. “Then he has truly betrayed us, as I feared,� he said.
“I’m not so sure,� Ethan countered.
“What do you mean?� Levi asked.
“He may have intended to kill me, but when I provoked him further, he got the better of me,� Ethan said
. Somehow, it didn’t bother him to admit that Gideon had bested him. Ethan knew in his heart that he still admired the man, still loved him as a brother. “Gideon managed to knock me unconscious, but as you can see, he didn’t kill me.�
Isaiah and Levi gave one another puzzled looks. Seth smiled quietly to himself. Clearly, hope for Gideon’s fate still flickered in their hearts as well. Finally one of the senior priests, Emory, of the Wayland Order spoke up. “We’ve no time to concern ourselves over one man. Mordred is coming with his thousands to lay siege to Evelah. For all we know, they may be landing on our shores as we speak.�
“You’re quite right, Emory,� Isaiah said, clearly relieved that he didn’t have the time to make a further judgment on Gideon’s fate at the moment. “As War Master here at the Temple, you stand in charge while your High Priest is still ill. I and my men will do everything we can to assist you in preparation. How are the fighting skills of your men? I had noticed that daily routines don’t include much actual training in the fighting arts.�
“There’s really not been a need,� Emory said. “We’ve had a few of our elite warriors train as emergency bodyguards to the King and those who guard Wayland’s border outposts, but we’ve never faced an army.�
Isaiah sighed. “Then there’s no time to lose. Seth and Ethan, along with my other priests, will begin training your men here at the Temple.�
