“I know you do not trust me and do not want me traveling with you,” the note read. “I assure you that I am committed to aiding you on your quest, but I will not force myself on you. I am camped one mile south of your camp. You may ride north on your journey and never see me again. If you choose to come get me, I pledge my unswerving loyalty to you and your mission and would be honored to accompany you.”
The offer to leave him was tempting, but the decision had previously been made to adhere to their agreement to include Brasco on their quest. While breakfast was cooked and preparations were made to leave, Banji rode south to retrieve the bandit who had earned a great deal of trust with his offer to leave the group.
As they traveled, they learned more about Brasco and the rest of the bandits. It was true that they survived, in part, by robbing travelers, but they also helped those in trouble. More than a few members of the group had been saved from execution by daring raids into Sorgen and other occupied cities. Many of the raids had been led by Brasco himself.
Contacts throughout the Northern Kingdom regularly fed information to the bandits, and they learned much about how Anton governed. It appeared that every city was independently run, and each city was barely held in check. If a revolution were to start in one city, it might spread rapidly because the individual governors were unlikely to come to the aid of each other. Brasco wanted to start the revolution but had been unable to convince the rest of the bandit camp to take any actions.
As Mat turned his thoughts back to the present, he had to admit that bringing along this outlaw was turning out to be a good idea. He had been very helpful in getting them cross country as quickly as possible and was showing a level of loyalty Mat had not expected.
“Any ideas on how we figure out where we need to go?” Mat asked the group when he turned back from surveying the desert. He held the map that was found with the Helmet of Salvation.
“There are a few landmarks we can use for navigation,” Brasco offered, pointing them out on the map. He stopped at a landmark that looked like a boulder balancing on top of a tower. “This formation is directly south of where we need to go. If we travel northeast from here, we should be able to find it. From there, we just need to travel directly north.”
“The problem we face right now is that we don’t know the scale of this map or how large the desert really is,” Michael added. “If the proportions are right, it’s roughly five times as far from the edge of the desert where we are now to the formation than it’s from the formation to the hidden valley where we need to go. Once we get to the formation, we should know how far it is to the hidden valley.”
“We will need to travel smartly,” Brasco said. “There are rumored to be many oases in the desert where we can rest and get water, but there will be virtually no food available. There are legends of a city in the desert, but no one has ever returned with direct knowledge of it. It’s possible that is what’s marked on your map. Once we find it, there may be dangers we cannot predict.”
It was decided to make camp on the edge of the desert and get an early start. They planned to travel in mornings before the heat got unbearable and in the evenings when the desert started cooling down. They hoped to find oases that could shelter them during the hottest parts of the day.
- - - - - - - - - -
Traveling the desert proved to be taxing, but relatively uneventful. While Mat had no idea how to determine in what direction they were traveling, Michael, Arajin, and Brasco seemed to know exactly where they were heading. Their navigation skills were validated early on the third day of travel as the balancing boulder came into view. Besides being a landmark on the map, it turned out to be an oasis as well, and they rested in the shade of the boulder during the hottest part of their third day of travel.
“If the scale of the map is accurate, we could be at our destination by nightfall,” Brasco told the group as they rested and ate a light meal.
“Are we better off waiting until morning to search for it?” Mat asked.
“If there truly is a city out there, it might be easier to find at night,” Arajin answered. “We may be able to see the glow of fires once the sun goes down. Once we get closer, we can decide to wait until morning to enter, but at least we will know where we are going.”
With the plan set, they rested in the shade until temperature started to drop. When they set out several hours later, there was a noticeable energy in the group that had been lacking. The prospect of finding a mysterious city and more pieces of the Armor of God drove them on. Even Brasco, who lacked their longer history in the quest, showed obvious excitement.
Several hours after the sun went down, Arajin’s words proved to be prophetic as they spotted an orange glow on the horizon. It was miles away but was clearly marked by the light from many fires. With the location identified they made camp for the night at an oasis that was about a mile from where the glow appeared to originate. They planned to enter the city fully rested and ready for whatever challenges came their way.
They decided to set a double watch because of their proximity to the unknown city. Morning found Mat and Persephonie on guard watching the sunrise and talking quietly while the others slept.
As the sun cleared the horizon, Mat and Persephonie suddenly had swords at their necks. The swords and the men holding them seemed to appear out of nowhere. One instant they were alone watching the sunrise, the next they were surrounded by men in sand-colored robes. Sounds of surprise from behind them indicated the rest of their companions were awakening to a similar fate.
Where did they come from? Persephonie whispered mentally to Mat. How could they have surprised us?
Mat replied with a slight shrug but dared not move further with the point of a sword at his throat.
A man who appeared to be in his thirties suddenly appeared in front of them and glared briefly at Persephonie before turning to Mat. “You will come with us,” he stated simply then walked into the camp where the rest of the group was being subdued.
They were allowed to pack their equipment on their horses and to keep their weapons, but their hands were tied securely in front of them. No talking was allowed and, as they left, Mat and Persephonie were separated from the group and each other by several of the men who paid very close attention to their actions.
As they were led in the direction where the orange glow had been the night before, Mat considered everything that had happened that morning. He still couldn’t understand how a score or more of men had approached undetected. As he thought back, he realized that Persephonie had not been in contact with him since just after they were ambushed and worried about what that meant. The journey was a short one, however, and before he could worry too much, he came across a sight so unexpected that he momentarily forgot about the apparent trouble they were in.
They stood on a small hill looking down into a circular valley that defied reason: a tropical oasis in the middle of the desert. In the center of the valley was a lake that must have been fed by an underground spring because a small river flowed out of it and ran through the middle of the unlikely settlement before disappearing into a cave on the far end of the valley. Palm trees grew near the shores of the lake and lined the river. Along the river, there were pastures where cattle and goats grazed as well as fields of corn and wheat.
Even more impressive than the valley itself was the city that had been built in it. There were hundreds of adobe-plastered buildings, many of them two or even three stories tall. At the center of the city was a huge building with intricately carved domes, towering spires, and an arching entrance that stood 50 feet tall. It was easily the most impressive and intricately carved building any of them had ever seen. In front of it were two large pools where children played and adults relaxed or socialized with friends. The city could be described as nothing other than paradise.
“This is El Fiducia,” they were told simply then led into the valley.
As they were led through the city, they noticed people of many differen
t nationalities. Most of the people they saw were obviously from Solandeus and the Northern Kingdom, but some were of unfamiliar background. There were several men who stood over seven feet tall with dark bronze skin, shorter fine-boned women whose skin was so pale it almost appeared transparent, deeply tanned men and women with narrow eyes and long black hair, and even a man with such deep red skin they weren’t sure if that was his normal skin color or if he was severely sunburned.
No explanations were given as they were walked through the city. They were eventually left in an empty, single room building near the center of town. The room was 20 feet across and didn’t have any windows other than a few narrow slits near the roof that barely let in enough light to see by. Their horses were taken, but their hands were untied. They were left with their weapons, but they held no illusions that escape was possible.
As soon as they were alone, Mat heard a familiar voice in his mind. Are you there Mat? Can you hear me? Persephonie asked.
“I can hear you,” Mat responded as he turned towards her, “but this is the first time since we got captured.”
“I tried communicating with you many times,” she said, “but it was like there was no one there. It was almost like I was surrounded by a mental fog.”
Before they could discuss further, a young man appeared at the door carrying a tray full of refreshments and a large pitcher of juice. He quietly set the food and drink just inside the door then departed. A moment later, two men entered the room, and there was no question that these were men of importance. The first man appeared to be at least 50 years old but radiated an aura of strength. He carried an intricately carved staff with a large, blue gemstone on the top that appeared to glow with an inner light. The second man was younger, perhaps 30, and was obviously a skilled warrior. There were two swords strapped to his back with finely carved hilts visible above each shoulder.
“My name is Jeremiah,” the older man announced, “and this is my son Uriah. I would like to welcome you to our hidden gem in the desert.”
“And I would like to know who you are and why you are here,” Uriah demanded.
“So bold and to the point,” Jeremiah said, “but I guess that is more efficient. Please take some refreshments and have a seat as you answer my son’s question.”
Jeremiah poured himself a glass of juice and took a piece of fruit then sat on the floor cross-legged with an agility that belied his age. He motioned for the others to join him. There was no question that this was more than a request so they each followed suit with everyone but Uriah sitting on the floor snacking on fruit and sipping juice. Uriah stood behind is father with his arms crossed.
For the second time in a week, Michael told their story as a prisoner to an unknown captor. Just as he had before, he left out key details and shared as little information as possible.
Near the end of the story, Michael was suddenly interrupted. “Where did you get that,” Jeremiah demanded as he looked at Mat with an intensity that could be felt by everyone in the room.
While Michael was telling the story, Mat had unbuckled his sword, and it was now sitting on his lap. As Jeremiah looked from Mat’s face to the sword, it was apparent that he was referring to the Sword of Spirit.
“It’s a family heirloom,” Mat told him.
“You are lying,” Jeremiah insisted boldly. “That sword is nobody’s family heirloom.”
Spurred into action by his father’s intensity, Uriah leaped forward with drawn swords. Mat rolled backwards and came to his feet with sword drawn ready to defend himself and his friends. For a moment, time stood still and every eye was on Mat.
Mat stood with both hands on his sword poised to attack or defend. The Sword of Spirit glowed with an inner fire that matched the intensity on Mat’s face. Across from him stood Uriah with a curved sword in each hand. He was like a cobra ready to strike.
“Stop,” demanded Jeremiah with an authority that cut through the tension. He walked towards his son and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “This is the young man we have been preparing for.”
“Are you sure?” Uriah asked skeptically.
“The time is right,” Jeremiah answered, “and he carries the sword.”
“Will someone tell me what is going on?” Banji asked of no one in particular.
“Yes, will someone tell us what is going on here?” Mat asked, still poised to strike.
“Put your swords away, son,” Jeremiah told Uriah.
When Uriah had re-sheathed his swords, Mat relaxed slightly. He let the sword lower to his side, but he stayed standing and did not re-sheath the Sword of Spirit.
Jeremiah returned to where he had been seated before and gestured for Mat to do the same. “This will be a long story,” he said, “please make yourself comfortable while I tell it.”
“If it’s all the same to you,” Mat replied, “I will stay standing for now.”
“As you wish,” Jeremiah said.
Uriah returned to his position behind his father. His swords were sheathed, but he remained standing with his attention focused on Mat.
“My family has been in this valley for 300 years,” Jeremiah started his story. “We were tasked with a very specific mission, and we have dedicated generations to keeping that commitment.”
Jeremiah went on to tell a story that they immediately realized was about the Armor of God. At the Battle of Salvation 300 years before, a knight named Gideon wore the armor and led the charge that turned the battle and drove the barbarians back into the Northern Kingdom. Near the end of the battle a vision came to Gideon and drove him from the battlefield. In that vision, he was shown a future that was now coming to pass. He was guided to hide the Armor of God so it would be available when the time came again for it to save Solandeus.
After the other pieces of armor were hidden, Gideon, his squire, a Druid named Malachi, and several knights traveled with their families into the Northern Kingdom desert. They carried the Belt of Truth and Breastplate of Righteousness with them. Whether by divine intervention or pure luck, they found this valley. They settled there and called the valley El Fiducia, proclaiming that they had faith in God that they were doing his will.
Over the years, that small settlement grew into a sizeable city. Many of the people living there were direct descendants of those who first found the valley, but there were also others who had found their way to the hidden settlement in the desert. Some were lost travelers from the Northern Kingdom, but others were from other continents. This explained some of the unusual people they had seen when they were first led through the city.
The valley was full of natural resources which made it easy to stay isolated. In addition to the water and fertile land around the lake and river, the hills contained other essential and luxurious resources. There was a small quarry that provided the stone for the central building. There were mines that produced gold, silver, iron, and gemstones. The valley provided every resource needed to build a thriving settlement as well as excess resources that could be traded discretely with the outside world.
Similar to the Basilican order, the people of El Fiducia had spent centuries preparing for the day that the Armor of God would be needed again. In addition to guarding the Belt of Truth and Breastplate of Righteousness, they had training academies for Druids and warriors, highly skilled blacksmiths, and a herd of trained warhorses.
After telling them about the general history of the valley, Jeremiah told them more about himself. “My son and I are descended from Micah, the Druid that accompanied the group,” he told them. “I am currently master over the Druid Academy and Uriah is commander of a special force of Druid warriors. I know you have many questions, and I promise you will get answers to all of them, but the first thing we should do is get you settled into guest quarters. Once you are settled in and refreshed, we will answer your questions and show you the city.”
“Can I at least see the armor now?” Mat pleaded.
“All in due time,” Jeremiah answered. “There is s
o much we need to tell you; so much that you need to learn. There is more to your quest than you realize. Collecting the physical pieces of the Armor of God is only a small part of what you need to do. You just have to trust me for now. I promise that all of your questions will be answered when the time is right.”
Be patient, Persephonie whispered to him, something is happening here we don’t yet understand.
Mat nodded slightly in agreement but was still anxious to get his hands on the armor. As they were led out of the building, he noticed Jeremiah studying Persephonie when he thought no one was watching. Mat wasn’t sure if that was something to worry about, but he decided to keep an eye on Persephonie and make sure nothing happened to her.
- - - - - - - - - -
The building they were led to was near the large central facility that was referred to as the Academy. The first floor contained a common room with a fireplace and large, comfortable chairs on one side with several long tables on the other side. There was a small kitchen in a side room near where the tables were set up. They were each given a room on the second floor with a balcony. Mat made sure to get a room next to Persephonie so he could better watch out for her.
They weren’t forbidden to leave, but they were encouraged to not wander around so they wouldn’t become lost. Jeremiah told them lunch would be delivered to them within an hour, and he promised to return after that to start answering their questions. To Mat, it felt like only a small improvement over being locked up.
As Jeremiah had promised, lunch was delivered an hour later. Banji was the last one to join them, and it was obvious he was in a good mood when he came bouncing down the steps.
“This city is amazing,” he declared as he piled fruits and smoked meats onto his plate.
Armor of God (Salvation of Solandeus Book 2) Page 10
