A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind)

by Stanton III, Guy

  “These are uncertain times that we face as a nation. A time when firm leadership is needed, as well as the act of will to commit to what needs done. Our nation has had such a moment before. Roric it was your great ancestor Tadias Ta’lont, when he first came to these shores, who took the reins of control and steered a fledgling nation out of the path of certain destruction by greater forces than we at that time could muster the will to withstand against. It has become quite evident to me and all those gathered here that the blood of the greatest of our ancestors still runs strong within your veins and the humility by which you govern the actions of your heart. Your walk in faithful obedience to the Creator makes you worthy of the responsibility that has been given to you freely by those who speak most for the people, the warriors that stand gathered in this place. May the Creator help you and bless you more abundantly than any honor a man can give and may we as a nation prosper under your leadership now and well into the future I pray.”

  More applause erupted louder than ever before and abstractly I wondered what the Zoarinians must be thinking of all of what they surely had to be hearing. General Sanjo stepped forward. I hadn’t noticed it before, but he was carrying something in his arms that lay on a purple velvet cloth. Flanked by both of the other two generals he approached me and all three kneeled down before me.

  It was a sword, an unimaginable sword. It was more beautiful than any other sword I had ever seen, but there was something more to it than just beauty. I couldn’t define what it was about it that made me think so. It was almost, in some way familiar to me, but I had never laid eyes on it before.

  General Sanjo extended it up to me, “As the councilman has said these are desperate times we find ourselves in. As we have elected you as our leader, as once the great patriarch of your family was during the long years of his lifetime, it is only fitting that the oldest of the relics that have been passed down to us from our much storied past should go to you. Behold the sword of Tadias Ta’lont! May you wield it as nobly as he did and may it serve you well all your days as it did him. To God be given the glory this day that the warriors of the Valley Lands have a leader once again to lead us into battle against our enemies!”

  His words seemed to fade from my consciousness, as my hand reached out toward the sword, as if inexplicably drawn to it. My fingers touched the cool steel of the handle and immediately I noticed a warm pulsing sensation as my fingers closed about the handle. It was as if the sword itself had closed about my hand. Tendrils of colored vapor peeled off the blade to dissipate into the surrounding air.

  There were many colors and the sword would pulse indiscriminately with multiple combinations of colors at a time. What kind of a sword was this? I glanced at councilman Romnan the clear question of what I had just thought in my eyes. He as everyone else was mesmerized by the shifting colors of the blade I held in my hand.

  He shrugged at a complete loss for words, “I don’t know. There is no record of such an occurrence, but little is known of that long ago time. To my knowledge it has not done this for anyone else over the years.”

  Not only did it emit the curious waves of colored light, but curious symbols would briefly flash and then be gone up and down the entire length of the blade. I sheathed the sword and hung it on my waist and it abruptly stopped glowing, but I felt the presence of it keenly by my side.

  There was much to be discovered about the curious family heirloom, but not right now. I directed my attention back to my three generals, who gazed at me expectantly.

  “You have your orders see to them.”

  They nodded curtly and disappeared into the crowd which soon began to disperse as the attention was redirected back to the very present and menacing army that was gathering in force beyond our great wall.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Crumbling

  The rest of the day had passed rather uneventfully other than for the busy preparation of the city, which had gone according to plan. I sat with my back propped up against a quiet area of the wall, keenly grateful to be away from the pressure of the public’s eye if for only a few moments.

  The sword I had been given lay across my lap and I examined it with interest, especially the little symbols that would flash up and then be gone. When they flashed again they were in different orientations and numbers than the previous set. I was pretty certain that the symbols represented a language. Whose language and what was it saying?

  Something else was of curious interest to me as well, the sword had changed ever so slightly in its shape and size. At first I had thought I was seeing things, but not now. It was slightly longer by at least three inches. The double blade was not as wide and while it was still double edged it had taken a slight saber curve to it along one cutting edge.

  The handle was also longer and some of the inset gems had completely changed in color. It was as if the sword was personalizing itself to me. I liked all the changes, it was more me somehow. It no longer flashed and glowed in a myriad of different colors, but rather only a select few. Colors that I found appealing, even soothing, as I sat there in the dark against the wall.

  Some technology of the past was clearly at play here I was sure of it. Tadias, from what I had heard, had no place for enchantments or dark magic, which relaxed me as to the source of the sword’s uniqueness, but still it didn’t answer the questions that it posed. Was it right for me to have such a sword as this?

  Could it do more to win a fight than just parry a blow or deliver a killing strike? Was it just a pretty sword or did it have a bigger purpose? So many questions and no one to answer them.

  “Perhaps I can be of some help?” Came a voice from a short distance away in a section of darker shadows near the wall ramparts.

  I leaped to my feet the sword gripped in my hand in startlement at the sounding of a voice so near to me, as I had heard no one approach. A robed figure separated out from the shadows.

  “Peace Roric I mean you no harm.”

  Still holding the blade of the sword outward ready to strike I asked somewhat belligerently, “Who are you and where did you come from?” I asked my question harshly to cover up how unsettled I felt at the robed figures sudden appearance out of nowhere.

  “I am a messenger. I have been sent from the presence of the Great I Am.”

  The sword clattered to the wall top pavement. If it hadn’t been for the supportive structure of the wall behind me I may have fallen over backwards to the ground far below. The figure in robes stepped forward and stooped down and picked up the sword and held it for a moment. I recognized him as being one of the angels of the storm that day when I had watched the Kurt family walk into heaven.

  “This is a very good sword. It is right that you should have it. Take it back now.”

  The messenger extended the handle out to me and I took a hold of it tentatively in a sweaty loose fingered grasp.

  “Why have you come? Have I done something wrong?” I managed to choke out.

  The messenger shook his head no, “The I AM has sent me on no such mission, and if He had, no sword ever created could keep me from completing my divinely inspired directive.”

  I didn’t doubt that and I felt only a slight relief at knowing that was not why this messenger had come.

  “I have been sent with some words of instruction and to convey a blessing to a beloved servant in his grave hour of need.”

  There was a short period of silence in which I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t say anything, more out of fear of saying the wrong thing than anything.

  “Tell me Roric do you want to win this battle?”

  That seemed to have an obvious answer to it, but I doubted it as an answer as it sounded too much as if I had missed something.

  “Yes.” I responded hesitantly not sure where this was headed.

  “Have you asked the Creator for victory?”

  This I was sure of, “Yes!” I said firmly.

  “Then do you also believe that He will
do for you even as you have asked, if you have asked what you have in accordance with His will?”

  I looked down as the question weighed down upon me and I warred within myself as to what to say in return. I looked up and responded, “I know the answer should be yes, but honestly I’m not sure.”

  I waited to be struck down dead, because I had basically said that I didn’t trust the Creator to do as He had said in that He would never forsake me.

  “Do you not see the problem with such faulty reasoning?” The messenger asked not unkindly.

  I nodded solemnly and he continued, “In your heart you believe that God is who He says He is. He knows this as He weighs the thoughts of the hearts of men, but instead of acting in that faith you let doubt cloud your mind and hinder your actions, keeping you ultimately from becoming the kind of man you were created to be.”

  “How do I stop doing that?” I asked honestly, admitting to my own weakness.

  “As it is written in the Holy Scriptures, ‘Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…’”

  The messenger looked reflective for a moment and then added, “The more you experience the Creator at work in your life the more you will come to trust Him. The more you trust Him with more of yourself the more He is able to accomplish great things through you to not only benefit your life, but a multitude of others also. When the work that has been started in you is done it will bring back glory to whom all glory and honor are due, the Lord God Almighty. It is God that will accomplish the work Roric. It is for you to agree to do His will and thus, unlock the purpose He has for you in the plan of His making that, He has set down since before time began. You worry now Roric, but you will be stronger tomorrow than you are today, if you put your confidence in the Lord for He is righteous and able to save. Your hopeful faith will grow as you see that He is true to His word always and never changes or diverts from it.”

  There was moment of reflective contemplation then, which I broke by saying, “Even as I believe now what I do, I can expect to believe no less of what I already believe now as truth when tomorrow comes and as God is able I will see and do more than I can today when tomorrow comes, because I believe that He can work within me today what is needed in order to change what happens tomorrow.”

  The messenger nodded his head and smiled.

  After a moment he asked, “Is there anything else you wish to know? Perhaps the writing on the sword that you have seen and wondered about?”

  “Yes!” I responded quickly.

  “This sword and others like it were forged long ago by righteous men, who read the words of the Creator into their making, which are the words you see briefly flash. They are written in a more ancient tongue than is known on your world today. The sword is very powerful as a weapon, but not in any spiritual context. The Word of God is the ultimate two edged sword and it can divide the soul from the spirit. This sword will serve you well for it has many unique properties crafted into its design that will be unveiled to you the more you use and possess it, but a word of warning on this matter. Beware the danger of becoming possessed by people, places or things, as all will lead to your destruction if you misplace the love of God for something that was made by Him instead of a relationship with Him. Now the time has come to part with you, but one last thing remains to be done, which is to impart the blessing that I was sent to bestow upon you. Roric if you will humble yourself before your Creator and always be faithful to the accomplishment of His will above all else then know this. The Lord will guard and watch over you jealously, as you are a rare treasure. He will establish your rule and no enemy will be able to stand before you for the Lord your God is mighty and He will fight your battles for you. Do not worry for the precious ruby you have thought lost from you for forever. She will return and become a crown of honor upon your head all the long days of your life and she will be called Blessed by her children. The Creator will bless you both with His loving kindnesses and you will have many children. If you are faithful, a long life will be yours too and you will see your children’s children and perhaps beyond. If you remain faithful, your children too shall be blessed. You have ruled a castle and an army, but they will rule nations and many armies. All this will come to pass if you keep your eyes upon the Lord and stay on the path that is straight and narrow and that has been laid out before you to walk. Do what is right in the Creator’s eyes always and abhor doing that which is evil and remember to love and it will go well with you. I will leave you for now, but I will return in the future.”

  The messenger was gone just like that. He didn’t even walk away. He just up and disappeared. I sank down to the wall top pavement. I looked down at the sword in my hands and prayed. Prayed that it would all work out as the angel had said, because I wanted to please the Creator and I certainly wanted His gifts and blessings too.

  As much as I wanted to just sit and think through it all, I had the distinct feeling that it was time that I rejoined in with the preparations and leadership of the army. Reluctantly I got to my feet and started down the wall heading away from the eastern tower.

  A minute later I heard the snap of what sounded like a mighty tree being broken in half from the direction of the enemy encampment at the far bend of the pass. Moments later I was knocked off my feet as some unseen projectile slammed into the eastern tower pulverizing its top into rubble that rained down onto the wall top. Coughing and hacking because of the dust enshrouded air I pushed myself up and looked back.

  The place where I had been only moments before was completely buried in rubble. I remembered the urging I had experienced to leave the spot. I got the point being made here. Getting to my feet I ran over the twisted jumble of debris towards the central tower complex. Several more cracks sounded from the enemy encampment and I subconsciously stopped to duck down.

  Several projectiles slammed into the lower base of the central tower and rocks and men went flying everywhere. Slowly as if resisting the inevitable the central tower started to sink and crumble downward, as most of its base had been shot away leaving it with very little support to remain standing. The upper stonework of the tower cracked hard and went in a fast slide over the city side of the wall in a stone waterfall that rained down on the pavement far below and anybody unlucky enough to have been standing there.

  Hoarsely I called out around me, “Get off the wall! Now! Take the wounded and get down!”

  I ran to where the central tower had once been and started helping those still living get out of the rubble. I saw General Sanjo picking himself out of the rubble several feet away and I rushed to him.

  He clutched onto my shirt front and I pulled him up the rest of the way, “You were right! Our wall is no match for these new weapons. The wall will fall and so will our cities and castles!” He finished somewhat hysterical, as the implication of what was possible now fully dawned upon him.

  I shook him slightly, “Remember the plan General!”

  “Yes, Yes, I remember! Forgive me Sir! I’ll see to the evacuation of the wall!” He said as he quickly recovered from the shock he had been under.

  “Already in process General, I need you to go ahead and set up our troops in the city. I think they’re going to break through faster than we thought. I can’t lose you right now General get to the city!”

  He nodded and pushed past me and down the stairs to his assignment abandoning the wall that he had thought could never fall behind him.

  Towers and fortifications all along the top of the wall were being blown apart. I pulled a warrior out of the rubble with a broken leg and passed him off to two others who were headed down the stairs. I grabbed up an unconscious archer only taking the time to check for a pulse before I slung her over one shoulder and started making my own way down from the wall.

  It was a miracle that as many of us survived as that did. I watched the shock play across
the faces of the warriors, who were huddled a safe distance away from the wall, as they watched the great wall shudder and groan as the wall top was systematically destroyed as if by a great unseen hand. I wondered if I had lost them and then one noticed me and stood to attention followed by the rest of them.

  “It’s alright to be afraid. It’s alright to be shaken by what you thought not possible. But it is not alright, when faced with this new reality to think that you cannot yet rise above it! Those of you who are wounded prepare to be evacuated to the cities, as for the rest of you report to your positions for tomorrow we will fight and make the enemy pay for this!”

  “Yes Sir!”

  I turned from the departing warriors and looked back at the great wall that still rose so high overhead even though its fine towers had been smashed off of it. They had stopped targeting the wall top having satisfied themselves with the level of destruction there. Now it sounded like they were focusing on punching two holes through the wall on either side of the remains of the central tower.

  They’d have their holes through by morning, which sadly was a good thing. It would speed up their assault to take the city earlier than anticipated, which was good because our scouts had reported that the Attorgron army coming up over the mountain passes intent on coming up on us from the rear was farther along than we had expected as well.

  On through the night the bombardment continued, but it wasn’t until an hour before dawn that the walls at the focus of their bombardment began to crumble. The wall may no longer be a match for the technology of the day, but it had been built thick and it was taking longer than I had thought to chew through it.

  I revised my time table of their breakthrough upwards into the afternoon. The town was rigged and ready for its final service to the Valley Lands. The soldiers left in the town were getting as much rest as possible, but it was hard given the constant pounding taking place. The site of the great wall crumbling downward didn’t help the morale of the army either.