by Peter Last
“Were you scared when the dwarves attacked?” someone asked Cirro.
“I was scared spitless,” Cirro answered with a small laugh.
“I wasn’t scared,” one of the other soldiers boasted. “I said to them ‘Come on and we’ll see who fights better,’ and when they came, I gave them hell.”
“Let’s think back,” Cirro said with a smirk. “You want me to believe that with the lines upon lines of dwarf giants, not to mention the crossbows and the tens of thousands of dwarf regulars, you weren’t the least bit afraid? You’re saying that, as you were looking out at that massive army, not even the smallest fraction of fear slipped into your heart?”
“Maybe a little bit of fear,” the soldier conceded, “but it passed, and I took on those dwarves and beat them.”
Up until this statement, Josiah had held his tongue, but he could not stand it any longer.
“Really? Not the least bit of fear and then you took on the entire dwarf army?” Josiah glared at the soldier. “Let me tell you two things. First, neither you nor anyone else beat the dwarf army; the dragons did that. Second, if you were so brave, why weren’t you in the front line when the dwarves charged across the river?”
“You think that I wasn’t in the front lines?” the soldier retorted.
“Yes, that’s what I think,” Josiah answered, “and let me tell you why. Every man that was in the front lines died except for him,” Josiah pointed to Cirro. “They died holding off the dwarves so that the rest of the army could fall back to safety. If you’re going to tell what happened, tell how it really happened. You’re a hero in your own right; you don’t have to make up things that didn’t happen.”
The bragging soldier became quiet, and the listeners around him turned to others to hear the tales of the battle. Josiah fell silent again and stayed that way until the food was served. He ate heartily, and after the meal, he retired to a barrack that had been set aside for the returning army. As he unrolled his blankets on one of the bunks, Cirro entered and sat on the bed opposite Josiah’s.
“What’s the matter?” Cirro asked.
“With me?” Josiah asked. “Nothing; I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“I can tell when something is bothering you,” Cirro said. “Don’t lie to me. Something is troubling you big time. I mean, you should be celebrating, not sulking around.”
“What do we really have to be celebrating?” Josiah asked. “Sure, we defeated the dwarf army. It was a very large dwarf army at that, but so what? Why would the dwarves attack Magessa? There has to be a bigger reason than they just don’t like us.”
“So what do you think is happening?” Cirro asked.
“If you ask me, a shadow is spreading over the entire northern country, starting in Volexa Temp,” Josiah said.
“So you think that this is the doing of Molkekk,” Cirro said.
“Maybe so, but no matter who is behind it, you can be sure of one thing—we may have won a single battle, but the war is far from over.”
******
Josiah’s dreary state of mind had passed by the next morning. He and Cirro were up before sunrise, and by the time the sun peeked over the Apathy mountains, they were already at the practice field facing each other. Once again they had exchanged their deadly weapons for blunted practice swords and were circling each other as they each searched for an opening in the other’s defenses. Cirro lunged at Josiah, and the silence of the morning was broken by the ringing of metal on metal. The two friends had fought hundreds of times before, but the feeling of this contest was different. Both used everything they had learned in the recent battle, making this match extremely fierce. One thing remained the same, however; the battle ended with Cirro’s sword at Josiah’s neck. The two friends fought for a few more rounds before sheathing their weapons and sitting at the edge of the field to catch their breaths. Josiah flopped onto the grass, looked across the field, and spied half a dozen figures coming toward him. They were too far away for their features to be distinguished. As they got closer, Josiah was able to identify them as cadets from the academy in Belvárd. He recognized four of them as Senndra, Timothy, Vladimir, and Rita, but the other two were strangers to him. He and Cirro scrambled to their feet as the cadets approached.
“Good morning,” Timothy called out as his group neared Josiah and Cirro.
“That it is,” Cirro answered. “Of course, it could be pouring down rain and I would still think it was a good morning because I’m alive.”
“We heard about your run to Belvárd,” Josiah said. “I just wanted to say thank you because without you, the rest of the army and I would have been crushed by the dwarves. By the way, how did you get here? I thought you were still in Belvárd?”
“We arrived this morning with a huge entourage,” Vladimir answered. “Apparently there is going to be some sort of official ceremony here commending everyone involved in the battle for their bravery, so practically the entire academy came with us.”
“Rumor is, the elders of Rampön, Belvárd, and Gatlon are coming and should be here in the next couple of days,” Senndra said. “It seems like anyone who has any kind of political position at all is going to be here.”
“Of course you know what that means,” Josiah laughed. “We’re going to get kicked out of the buildings to make room for all of the visiting dignitaries. Not that I’m complaining, but it figures that the heroic warriors get stuck outside while the politicians get pampered.”
“Isn’t that what always happens?” Cirro commented. “After all, if the dignitaries did end up sleeping outside or something like that, they might get a little taste of what it’s actually like to be in the military. They like to think that war is all about glory. Heaven forbid that they ever find out what it actually entails.”
“So you like to get up early and practice fighting as well,” Timothy noted, changing the subject. “I always make it a point to do the same thing. I don’t know why, but it seems that my day goes better if I do.”
“Actually, he has a terrible memory, so if he doesn’t practice at the same time every day, he forgets to do it at all,” Rita said.
“So how good are you at hand-to-hand?” Cirro asked Timothy.
“He’s spectacular,” Vladimir said before Timothy could answer. “He won the sword play competition at the academy this year. Of course, he almost got beat by a girl, but he did end up winning.”
“Well, let’s see how good you are, Timothy,” Cirro said, drawing his sword. He winked at Vladimir. “After all, if you almost lost to a girl, how good can you be?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Timothy answered with a good-natured smile. He drew his sword, and the two cadets moved into the practice field.
“I never got to thank you for the way that you commanded the army, Josiah,” the young man that Josiah did not recognize said. “If it weren’t for you, we would have all died out there.”
“First of all, it was Elohim that kept us from being killed,” Josiah said. “We were horribly outnumbered, and by all rights we should have died. Second of all, it was just as much the doing of the soldiers as it was my doing.” Josiah looked hard at the young man. “Do I know you, or am I just imagining things?”
“Petra Bentinck,” the man said. “I believe you were the commander who first met me when I arrived with the message from Gatlon.”
“That’s right,” Josiah said. “You came and said that no one was coming. So, how do you think they are going to cover up that little piece of information?”
“I don’t know,” Petra said. “But you can be sure that they’re going to come up with something. They’re politicians—it's what they're good at.”
“You seem just a little bit cynical,” Josiah stated.
“Remember that I have spent more than a year guarding the door to the chambers where these men meet,” Petra answered. “I have heard their councils and the councils of many like them. It seems like they are always trying to cover something up.”
�
��And these are the kind of men that are ruling the country?” Senndra asked with exasperation. “These are the men that are making our laws and commanding our armies?”
“Making laws, yes; commanding armies, it would seem not,” Josiah retorted quickly.
“They are not fit for the task of commanding,” Petra added. “I would sooner trust a mule with an army than those conniving men.”
“So what loyalties do they hold?” Senndra asked. “Do they still claim to serve Elohim?”
“I don't know how it is at the academies, but in the rest of the realm, the popularity of serving Elohim has been on the decline for many years now,” Petra answered. “There are still people that seem to serve Him and profess to follow Him, but many do not even pretend anymore.”
“And these are the people that we are defending with our lives,” Josiah commented. “You have to wonder why Elohim has granted us success in this venture so far. It seems to me that this nation has fallen away from Him so much that perhaps it would be better if it was wiped from the face of the earth.”
“You make it sound as if the whole nation has followed the path of the few that govern it,” Petra chided. “A larger portion of the population than you would think still follows Elohim, though admittedly it is the minority. All that is required to see this is a visit to the temple of Elohim. It is still in good repair, and the ceremonies that have always occurred there in the past are still in effect, all paid for by tithes from regular people.”
“Then why is nothing being done about the corrupt government?” Josiah asked. “If the common people follow Elohim, why do they allow a few evil men to rule them?”
“Many of them probably do not realize what has happened,” Petra answered. “Also, a great number of the people do follow Elohim, but there are still many that have turned from Him.”
Josiah nodded and turned away to look at the two cadets on the practice field. Cirro made a quick move toward Timothy, but Timothy blocked the sword slash. He reached under the crossed blades, grabbed Cirro’s shirt, and threw him on the ground. Cirro hit the ground and bounced, his sword flying from his grip, and Timothy laid his sword’s point on the throat of his opponent.
“So what do we do?” Josiah asked as he turned back to Petra. “If we do nothing, we will eventually end up like Cirro...” Josiah brought his fist into the palm of his other hand. “…on our backs with the sword of the enemies of Elohim at our throats.”
“You’re correct,” Petra confirmed. “Doing nothing would be one of the biggest mistakes that we could make. Of course, doing something drastic might also be a mistake, depending on the ramifications of the action. It all depends on what is to be done, and I don’t think that I am the one to answer that question.”
“You could ask Lemin,” Senndra offered. “He knows a lot, especially about the things that you are discussing.”
“Are you serious?” Josiah asked. “I didn’t think that he was the political type.”
“No, he’s not political, but he does know a lot about spiritual issues,” Senndra answered. “I know that he will give you his opinion if you ask him, and his opinions are always good.”
“Thanks for the advice. I think that I will ask him,” Josiah said. He turned to Petra and asked, “Do you want to come with me and see what he has to say?”
“I guess so,” Petra answered. “When are you planning on going to see him?”
“There’s no time like the present, is there?”
******
It was an hour and a half before Josiah and Petra found Lemin. They had asked more than a dozen people if they had seen him, but had no luck. Finally, an older man directed them to the library, where they found the object of their search sitting amidst a pile of dusty volumes and scrolls. He was so absorbed in his reading that he didn’t even notice the two young men approach him. Josiah and Petra stood for a few seconds, waiting for the elf to notice them. When he did not, Josiah cleared his throat. Lemin looked up from the scroll that he was reading, and when he saw the soldiers, he motioned them to two chairs that sat opposite his. He rolled his scroll up as Petra and Josiah sat down and placed it on top of a small pyramid of similar-looking scrolls. He looked at his two visitors expectantly and waited for them to open up the conversation.
“Well, I suppose you are wondering why we’re here.” Josiah started. Lemin nodded, so he continued. “We were having a discussion about the spiritual condition of the nation, but we could not decide what needed to be done about it. One of your students, Senndra by name, mentioned that we should ask you for your opinion, and we took her advice. So we are here to ask you what you think needs to be done about the nation’s condition.”
“Then you both agree that the nation is not where it needs to be spiritually?” Lemin asked. His listeners nodded, so he continued. “The spiritual condition of the nation is indeed depressing to consider. While very few would deny the existence of Elohim altogether, most people would rather not count Him into their thinking of daily life at all. They follow His commands outwardly by bringing tithes to His temple and praying daily, but their hearts are not in the actions. Instead, they seem to think that strict adherence to the ceremonies is enough. However, what Elohim really wants is for His people to follow Him in their hearts.”
“Yes, we agree that the spiritual condition is appalling, but what should we do about it?” Petra asked. “A revolution, either political or military, will not help because the problem lies with the hearts of men rather than their physical state.”
“You are correct when you say that no revolution, no matter what kind it is, will help solve this problem,” Lemin said. “Since the problem is in the hearts of men, who is our opponent?”
“Anyone who is against Elohim,” Josiah answered immediately.
“Those who are against Elohim are not our enemies,” Petra quickly countered. “The people who are slaves to sin are not the enemies. Rather, they are the prisoners that we are trying to set free.”
“Petra is correct,” Lemin interjected. “We should not view mere people as our opponents in this battle. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against sin and the powers of darkness.”
“So now we know who the enemy is, but how are we supposed to wage this war?” Josiah asked. “I have been trained in military arts for my entire life, and I simply do not know any other way to fight.”
“Well, what does it take for the enemy to be victorious?” Lemin asked. “If you can isolate the cause of the enemy’s victory, it is easier to determine how to make sure that it never happens again.”
“I’m not sure,” Josiah said slowly. He turned to Petra and restated the question thoughtfully. “What is the cause of sin’s victory?”
“Well, humans are naturally sinful, correct?” Petra began. Lemin nodded, and he continued. “Therefore, it doesn’t take anything for sin to be victorious. If nothing is done, the sin nature controls humans and causes them to act in opposition to Elohim.”
“You are right,” Lemin said. “It is easier for sin to be victorious than for it to be defeated. In fact, all that is required for sin to prosper is for the righteous to do nothing. So then, what is the cure for sin?”
Josiah and Petra looked at each other and shrugged.
“If all that was at work in the body was sin, men would not follow Elohim because their sin nature would urge them to throw off all authority, even that which is good,” Lemin said. “If sin was all that was at work in the human mind, there would not even be nations of people under governments, for as I said, sin urges people to not submit to authority. However, there are functional governments, and many people follow Elohim. Therefore, it follows that there must be some other force at work in the human mind.”
“The conscience,” Josiah stated.
“That is correct,” Lemin affirmed. “When Elohim created humans, he instilled in them what we call a conscience. That is, He made a part of the mind that constantly reminds people what is wrong and right. Yet even with
this check, sin is still exemplified in the actions of men. Sinful men cannot do anything but sin. Of course, there are occasions in which sinners do things that appear to be selfless; however, they are always done with an ulterior motive in mind. In and of themselves, there is no way that men can ever do anything but sin.”
“So that is where Elohim comes in, correct?” Josiah asked.
“No, Elohim does not come in,” Lemin answered with a smile. “He has been around since the beginning, so He cannot come in as you have put it. However, your thought is correct. It is at this point that it becomes evident that it is only through Elohim that we can do what is right.”
“And is there anything we can do to make other people accept Elohim as their master?” Josiah asked.
“No,” Lemin said. “We cannot do anything to make people accept Elohim. People were created with a free will, so it is up to them whether or not they will follow Elohim.”
“Well then, what can we do?” Josiah asked. “Surely we are not supposed to just sit by and hope that people follow Elohim.”
“Of course not,” Lemin said. “How can people follow someone they know nothing about? It is our job to tell everyone about Elohim.”
“So all we can do is tell them,” Josiah said. “Somehow it just doesn’t seem to be enough.”
“We should first follow Elohim with our actions," Lemin corrected. “If we do this, others will see it and want to know what is different. Then, when we tell them about Elohim, they will want to follow Him.”
“You said that we are to tell all people about Elohim,” Petra said. “What about the dwarves? Are we to tell them just as we are to tell everyone else?”
“What do you think?” Lemin asked.
“I think they are people, just like everyone else, but they are our enemies,” Petra answered. “How are we supposed to tell them about Elohim? They would kill us rather than listen.”
