by Peter Last
Two
The buildings steadily shrank as Senndra rose into the air. From her vantage point, she could see the entirety of the mountain on which the academy was built. The campus sat on the top third of the mountain, with the hatchery at the top of the campus and the dorms at the bottom. In between these two points were the mess hall, sword fighting arena, archery range, medical building, classrooms, an armory, and a store.
Senndra was riding astride a bright red dragon, which was about eighty-five feet long from his nose to the tip of his tail. The tail composed roughly one third of this length. A ridge of blunt bumps ran from the top of his head and grew sharper as they progressed toward the end of his tail, culminating in a double set of two spikes. A saddle was fastened between two bumps near the dragon’s neck. His wing span was twice his body length, and the wings beat effortlessly, propelling him upward in ever-widening spirals.
As the dragon rose higher, the temperature steadily dropped, and Senndra was glad for the bulky clothing that she had complained about having to wear earlier that morning. A dull blue dragon crossed just in front of Senndra’s, enabling her to identify the rider as Lemin. He seemed relaxed as he sat in the saddle. The only things that kept him from plummeting to his death were straps fastening each leg to the saddle, leaving his hands free.
Lemin passed and another dragon crossed Senndra’s line of sight. This one was dark green and carried Vladimir. He had apparently taken to riding a dragon better than Senndra and had even been able to lose himself in a book. Senndra glanced around and saw the cloud of dragons and their riders. There were ninety-eight cadets and twelve instructors, making for a total of one hundred and ten dragons of all colors and shades. The dragons continued to circle the mountain until they reached an acceptable height for flying. Then they turned east and began their journey toward Saddun.
The land looked like a map lain out on a table. Belvárd was directly below Senndra and stretched out in all directions. She could see mountains to the west which marked the edge of Belvárd, and she knew that mountains also bordered the east and north sides. Sulmon was across the mountains to the west, and Gatlon those to the east. Plains covered the land to the north of Belvárd. As the dragons traveled east, Senndra could gradually make out more physical features on the horizon. Slowly, the Pelé River came into view. Branches from the river stretched all the way to the mountains. The agriculture of the region was centered on the river, the sides of which were lined with farms. Docks bustling with activity were stationed periodically along the waterway to aid in the transport of goods. In about the middle of the river was a large dock around which most of the river trade took place. The dock stretched over the river, with places for boats to moor underneath it. It doubled as a bridge, and farmers with wagons loaded with produce could be seen moving over it toward the market just west of the river.
The next building to come into view could be identified by the large flags that flew from it. The crest on them was circular with four axe heads equally spaced on a plain wreath, forming a sort of cross shape. Each axe head was emblazoned with a triangular, knotted rope of burnished silver. In the center of the wreath was a more intricate knot resembling a four leaf clover. The whole figure, also known as the cross of Elohim, was set on a green field and marked the structure as the temple. This was also the symbol and flag of Magessa, but it had not always been so. Nor had the humans always lived in and controlled the country. The nation had started out as a single family living in Magessa. At this time, a famine struck the land, so Meander, the king who ruled the country of Volexa Temp, approached Derek, the patriarch of the family. At one point in time, Derek had helped Meander by gathering an army and attacking Meander’s enemies. If it had not been for Derek, the country of Volexa Temp would not exist, so Meander offered to return the favor. Since his country had not been touched by the famine, he said that he would feed Derek and his family until the famine passed, at which time he would give them land to farm. Derek accepted, and he and his family moved to Volexa Temp, where they lived in peace for many years. Several generations lived and died and Heflik, a king who knew not the works of Derek, came to the throne. He saw in Derek’s descendants the threat that they might become greater than his people, rise up and overthrow him. To repress them, he took away their land and made them slaves. From sunup to sundown, they were forced to work on Heflik’s building projects and to work in his fields; yet the nation, being blessed by Elohim, grew larger and stronger than ever. Heflik saw that his plan to weaken the children of Derek was not working, so he ordered that all of their baby boys be killed at birth. The children of Derek cried to their God to help them escape the clutches of Heflik, so He sent to them a man named Benjamin.
The children of Derek would not allow their sons to be killed, and it was only a short time before Heflik discovered that his orders were not being followed. The Derekite mothers were forced to hide their babies so that they would not be found and killed by Heflik's soldiers. It was at this time that Benjamin was born. His mother hid him for several months in her house until he was too big to conceal. She smuggled him to some of her friends that worked in Heflik’s palace. These people promised that they would keep Benjamin safe and put him in the royal nursery among the other children. There were so many royal babies that the addition of one more child went unnoticed, and Benjamin was brought up in the palace as one of the sons of Heflik.
Sometime after his twentieth birthday, he was surveying one of the building projects of Heflik when he saw a task master strike a Derekite. He had seen this happen many times, but this time a strange feeling came over him and he struck out at the task master. The man died from the blow, so Benjamin buried him. The next day, as he was going about his own business, he heard two servants gossiping. One told the other that Benjamin had killed one of Heflik’s men, and Benjamin knew that his secret was out. He quickly gathered together a few possessions and fled from Volexa Temp.
Benjamin traveled north into a great desert called the Sea of Sand. For seven days he pressed on until he ran out of water. Thirst overcame him, and just as he was about to give up all hope, he saw trees in the distance. At first he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but he trudged toward the trees anyway. Finally, his strength gave out and he fainted. He was awakened that night by his thirst. The sun was not beating down on him anymore, and he found the strength to rise to his feet and trudge toward the trees again. When he was still quite a distance away, he saw that the trees were not the only sign of life in the vast sea of sand. Shrubs and grass covered the ground surrounding the trees. He staggered into the oasis and found a stone well at its center. Water from the well refreshed him, and he was now able to examine his surroundings. Trees encompassed the perimeter of the oasis, and the shrubs that Benjamin had seen were actual crops. He was standing in a field of ripe grain.
He quickly became acquainted with the people that lived in the oasis. They were known as Sea People because they originally lived by an ocean that was several hundred miles to the northwest. Benjamin lived with the Sea People for twenty years, following them wherever they went and watching their flocks of sheep.
One day while performing his duties, Benjamin came upon a circular-shaped mountain range. The tribe that he lived with had noticed it as soon as it came into sight, and although they tried to climb it, they were never able to make it all the way to the top. They could make it about halfway up, but even though they continued to climb, they never covered any more distance. Because of this, the Sea People regarded the range as holy and rarely went near it except in extenuating circumstances. Today, however, the sheep brought Benjamin to its slopes. Under normal circumstances, he would have stayed with his sheep, but the mountains held some unknown attraction to him. Not even knowing why he did it, he worked his way up the slope of the mountains. He reached the peak much sooner than he had expected and looked down into the bowl that was formed by the mountains. What he saw would be etched in his memory for the rest of his life. The mountain
s surrounded a large hole in the ground out of which columns of fire and lava spewed into the sky. Benjamin stared at the fire fountain, fascinated by what he saw. In fact, the sight before him was one that few people had or would ever see. After a moment of staring, he made his way down the mountain to the edge of the fiery hole. When he had reached his destination, an especially-large fountain of fire shot out of the ground and Benjamin thought he heard a voice.
“Benjamin,” the voice said.
“Who is there?” Benjamin responded.
“It is I, the Lord God of heaven and earth.”
“Where are you?” Benjamin asked, searching the rocks around him. It almost seemed as if…but that couldn’t be. The voice couldn’t be coming from the fire. And yet it was. The hole belched forth another fountain of fire, and the voice spoke again.
“Benjamin, take off your shoes, for you are on holy ground.”
Benjamin obeyed the voice. Although he had never been taught about Elohim, he miraculously knew who He was. “Here I am, Lord,” he said. “What would you tell your servant?”
“My people are in bondage in the country of Volexa Temp. For years they have cried out to me to save them, and I have heard their cries. I am sending you to Heflik, king of Volexa Temp, and you will tell him to free my people, the Derekites.”
“But Lord, I am an outcast from that place. If I show my face there, they will kill me.”
“Do not be afraid. I, the same God who has sent you to Volexa Temp, will bring you out of it again. You have nothing to fear from Heflik or his armies. You will enter the country and go first to my people. Tell them that their salvation is near if they will but turn away from their sin.”
“What am I to tell them if they ask who has sent me?” Benjamin interrupted the voice.
“Tell them that Elohim has sent you. Tell them that Elohim has heard their cries, and He will lift them out of bondage. Now I lift them from the bondage of slavery, but I will soon lift them from the bondage of sin.”
“And how will I prove that you sent me?” Benjamin argued. “Without proof, they will not believe.”
“I will give you two signs so that my people may know that I have sent you. First, take that rod over there.”
Benjamin looked around him and saw a stout wooden rod laying only a few feet from him. He could have sworn it had not been there a short time ago, but he concealed his surprise. He lifted it in his hands and was surprised at how light it was.
“Take the rod and break it in two,” the voice commanded.
Benjamin grasped the ends of the rod in his hands and brought it down over his knee, snapping it as though it were a dry twig.
“Now, fit the two ends of the rod together and hold it so that your hand covers the crack.”
Benjamin did as he was commanded. He fitted the rod together and held his hands over the crack. When he peeled them away, he gasped at what he saw. The rod was whole again.
“It may seem impossible to you,” the voice told Benjamin, “but with God all things are possible. Here is the second sign. Circle your hands around the rod at the top and slide them toward the ground.”
Benjamin did this and as his hands passed over the stick, it changed from its brown color into a bright white—so white that light almost seemed to be shining from it.
“Do what you have done again,” the voice commanded. Benjamin did so, and the rod returned to its normal color. “These are the two signs that I give you so that my people will know that I have sent you. After you have convinced my people that you are sent by me, you will approach king Heflik and command him to let my people go. He will not listen to you, but do not be discouraged. Every time he refuses, I will send a plague on Volexa Temp so that the world may know that I am God. Now, go and do as I have commanded you.”
Benjamin turned around and scaled the slope that he had recently descended. When he reached the top, he looked down on the desert that spread out before him. Turning left, he could see the city of Volexa Temp in the distance. He now knew where his mission would lead. He had only to get down the mountain and begin. He began the descent and again completed his trip much quicker than he had expected he would. His sheep had scattered to look for food, so he rounded them up and headed back to the Sea People’s camp.
******
Night had fallen by the time Benjamin entered the outskirts of Volexa Temp. He had been traveling for three days and was exhausted, but he had a mission to fulfill. Fields of wheat and other crops were located on the east side of the city. The settlement of the Derekites was located here. Benjamin entered the town and wandered the streets, wondering where he would find the elders of the town. To his surprise, he stumbled on them by accident as he rounded a corner. A group of men were standing around a fire and talking in low voices. Immediately, Benjamin knew in his heart that these were the men to whom he was supposed to speak, so he strode into their midst. Finding an overturned barrel to stand on, he got the attention of the men.
“Elders of the Derekites,” Benjamin began and then faltered. In all the time that he had been traveling, he had not given the slightest thought to what he was going to say, and now he found himself in an uncomfortable position. But words jumped into his head, and he thanked Elohim for them.
“Elders of the Derekites your salvation has come. Your God has sent me to free you from slavery, and in time, He will send another to free you from your sin.”
That was as far as he got before he was interrupted by one of the elders. “You were sent by our God? What is his name? How are we to know that you are from Him?”
“Elohim has sent me to lead you out of the land of Volexa Temp and has given me two signs to show you that He has sent me.”
Benjamin preformed his two signs and then spoke to the stunned crowd. “Elohim has sent me to lead you out of Volexa Temp,” he repeated. “He alone will save you from your slavery, but I will lead you to the land that He will give you after you have left Volexa Temp.”
“What about Heflik?” one of the elders objected. “He won’t let us just walk out of here.”
“No, he will not,” Benjamin responded. “Every time I ask Heflik to free you he will refuse. But…” Benjamin held up his hand to silence the questions of the elders, “Elohim will send signs and wonders to Heflik. By these the king will know that Elohim is the only true God. In the end, Heflik will have to bow to Elohim and set you free.”
The elders were finally convinced that Benjamin was indeed sent by God, so they gave him a place to stay. The next day Benjamin arose and went into the court of Heflik. The throne room was filled with people, and it appeared as if there was some sort of party in progress. Entertainers and musicians were performing before the king, but they stopped when they saw Benjamin pushing his way through the crowd. By the time he reached the foot of the stairs that led to Heflik’s throne, the whole room was as silent as a tomb. For several minutes, Benjamin stared at Heflik, waiting for the king to break the silence.
“And who might you be?” Heflik finally asked.
“Who I am is not important,” Benjamin answered. “Who I represent is the question you should be asking.”
“Very well then,” Heflik said with a yawn. “Who do you represent?”
“I was sent by the God of the Derekites, and he commands you, ‘Let my people go.’”
“He commands me?” Heflik laughed. He plucked a grape from a dish sitting by his throne before continuing. “And why should I listen to this god? I have my own gods, the true gods, and they tell me to do no such thing.”
“The God of the Derekites is the one true God who made heaven and earth and everything in them. This is the God that commands you to let His people go.”
“I still think that my gods are the true gods. Why should I think otherwise? Prove to me that the one that you speak of is the true God.”
Benjamin said nothing, but instead raised his staff in his hands and pulled both ends in toward the middle. Just as had happened in the desert, the rod broke
in two as easily as a twig. Heflik started to speak, but Benjamin cut him off with a hard stare. Then he fit the two ends of the rod back together, with his hands covering the crack. When he removed them, the stick was whole.
“A clever magic trick,” Heflik mused. “But what is that supposed to prove? I myself am something of a magician and could do that paltry bit of magic.” So saying, he took his scepter in both his hands and broke it over his knee. Then he fit it back together, and when he pulled his hands away, the scepter was complete. Benjamin faltered for only a second. He hadn’t counted on Heflik being a magician, but the magic that Heflik could do was only a small thing compared to Elohim's capabilities. Benjamin again took his staff in his hands, this time circling them around the wood. He slid his hands down the staff, and as they passed it became pure white. Heflik cowered back in his throne, trying to shield the brightness of the stick with one hand. After several moments, Benjamin circled his hands around the stick again and slid them down the rod. The whiteness immediately left.
“And what does that prove?” Heflik roared at Benjamin. “Again, just another bit of magic. Get out of here before I have my guards throw you in the dungeon. I will not be persuaded that your god is the true God.”
Without another word, Benjamin made his way out of the throne room.
The following day, Heflik was strolling in his gardens when a voice called out to him. He looked up to see Benjamin walking toward him. Heflik had recovered from his tirade of the previous day and received Benjamin civilly.
