by Chuck Black
Zane’s confession and his lack of remorse released in Leinad a flood of righteous anger that no sword in Arrethtrae could defend. Leinad’s sword flew like a falcon diving on its prey. His fury pounded upon Zane’s defending sword like never before. The wicked, battle experienced warrior was in full retreat.
Leinad’s continual onslaught of powerful and precise blows was too much for Zane. He stumbled over a body and fell to the ground. One of Zane’s warriors turned on Leinad to save his leader, but with two quick cuts, the man lay dead on the ground beside Zane. Leinad held his sword at Zane’s throat.
“Call for retreat, or your words of impertinence will be the last you ever speak!” Leinad said.
Zane glared back at Leinad, and his apparent hatred seemed to grow even deeper, but finally he nodded.
“Swear it!” Leinad shouted.
“I swear it,” Zane said in a low, gruff voice.
Leinad let Zane rise but kept him at the tip of his sword until retreat was called and the dark forces of Zane’s army were a good distance up the valley. One of Zane’s men brought a horse for him to ride and waited twenty paces away.
By now Tess had joined Leinad at his side. He was relieved to see that she was unharmed.
“Is Audric all right?” he asked.
“Yes, he is attending to the men.”
Zane stood still and silent.
“You may go,” Leinad said to Zane, and he let the tip of his sword fall.
Zane eyed Leinad a moment longer. “I will destroy you, brother. One day, I will destroy you!”
Leinad looked on Zane and pity joined his anger. “You have already destroyed yourself, Zane.”
Zane clenched his jaw and walked to his waiting horse. He mounted and pulled on the reins of the horse to face northward.
Leinad turned to face Tess. He breathed deeply and let the sight of his faithful friend begin to assuage his anger.
Tess looked at Leinad questioningly. “Brother?” she asked as she glanced toward the departing man.
Her eyes widened, and Leinad turned his head to see the cause of Tess’s concern. He felt the push of her body as she threw herself against him and heard her gasp as they fell to the ground. He grabbed her to soften the impact and felt the handle of a knife protruding from her side.
“Tess!” he screamed.
Zane and the warrior with him bolted toward the rest of his army.
Tess closed her eyes, trying to bear the excruciating pain. Leinad laid her on the ground and screamed for Audric.
“Hold on, Tess!”
In one quick motion, Leinad pulled the knife from her side, and she screamed from the pain. He tried to bandage her wound the best he could, but the blood came too quickly. Near panic swept over him as the futility of his efforts bore down on him.
Leinad cradled Tess in his arms. The wound was deep, perhaps fatal. All of the emotions he had tried to bury over the past years surfaced in an unstoppable flood. His feelings for Tess had grown with each moment he spent with her. Sometimes it was subtle; sometimes it was obvious. All of the time he had spent denying the inevitable he now regretted. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he wished he could defy reality and recapture his time with her.
“Tess,” he whispered. It was a name he had spoken a thousand times, but now it was so much more than the name of a fellow warrior.
Tess grimaced a gentle smile. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek. Her patient waiting was over. She could see that in his face.
She gathered strength to speak. “You … have been … and always will be … my hero.”
Leinad wanted to take her place. If only he had kept his eyes on Zane until he had ridden away.
Leinad covered her hand with his own and pressed it tight against his cheek, then brought her hand to his lips, closed his eyes, and kissed her fingers. Two teardrops spilled from his eyes. He drew her closer and gazed into her eyes as he had never dared to before.
Her eyes returned his affection, and only now did he realize that her feelings for him had always been waiting … waiting for him to welcome them. What a fool he had been.
“I love you, Tess!” Impossible words yesterday now seemed so easy to say.
“I love you, Leinad!”
It was a union of two companion hearts. The walls of self-protection were down. Tess coughed and grimaced at the pain it brought, but the contented smile of a homecoming came to rest in its place. Leinad anguished over the possibility of losing his newly discovered love so quickly.
Audric knelt beside Leinad and placed a compassionate hand on his shoulder. The hushed silence of the Noble Knights was broken only by the distant sound of a galloping horse.
“Rider approaching,” came the words from an anonymous voice. Leinad didn’t care. These few moments with Tess were too precious.
The rider and his beast rushed near to Leinad and halted in a wash of wind. Gabrik dismounted before his steed had completely stopped. He ran to Leinad and Tess and knelt beside them. His stern, penetrating eyes were accompanied by a countenance of sorrow.
Leinad silently questioned Gabrik, who did not respond but immediately began to work on Tess’s wound. The sweet odor of the same salve Gabrik had applied to the fatal wound of Leinad’s father triggered the painful memories of many years ago.
“How effective is the Life Spice on such a wound?” Leinad asked.
Gabrik bandaged Tess’s side, but the blood continued to soak through. “The wound is fresh, and the salve may save her life, but only temporarily. One can fully recover from a wound this deep only if the entire body absorbs the Life Spice.”
A sliver of hope broke through the deep sorrow in Leinad’s heart. “How is this … absorption accomplished?” he asked.
Tess moaned and Leinad grabbed her hand. She squeezed his hand to help bear the pain.
“Hang on, Tess!” Leinad said.
Her eyes rolled back and she closed them. Unconsciousness was near.
Leinad looked in earnest at Gabrik. “How?”
Gabrik was slow to answer. “She must be taken to a place where the food, the water, and even the air contain the Spice.”
“Where is such a place?”
Gabrik made Tess drink from his water flask. Leinad grabbed Gabrik’s massive arm and looked straight into his eyes.
Gabrik spoke quietly. “It is across the Great Sea.”
One of the Noble Knights pointed to the north. “Sir Audric—look!”
Zane’s army was fast approaching to finish the battle and take Chessington. The Noble Knights were weary and knew they could not withstand this evil army a second time.
“Ready yourselves, men!” Audric cried.
A line of gallant men, both wounded and whole, rose up to give their all in defense of their city and their people.
Leinad could not leave Tess, though he knew he must join his fellow knights in this final battle.
Gabrik finished a second wrap on the blood-soaked bandage and handed Leinad his flask.
“Keep her drinking the water,” he said and rose from his work.
Leinad held Tess closely. She grimaced, and his sorrow turned to anger against his brother. It swelled within him, and his hand found the hilt of his sword. Zane deserved to die, and nothing would stop Leinad from executing the judgment he deserved. Leinad regretted the mercy he had granted his evil brother, for it might cause the death of his faithful friend—his love.
“Zane will die for this offense!” he said fiercely. He began to lay Tess on the ground, but she found the strength to grab his arm. She looked gently into his eyes. “No more killing, Leinad,” she said softly.
Leinad touched her cheek, and she smiled. He marveled at her beauty both inside and out. Then unconsciousness overcame her.
He looked up and saw the dark army descending upon the Noble Knight remnant. The rumble of horses’ hooves beat upon the ground, and the earth shook beneath them.
“If only I could stop it, I would, Sunshine,” he said sadly.
Just then Leinad heard the blast of a trumpet. Gabrik stood before the Noble Knights with his sword in one hand and a golden trumpet in the other. The valley was filled with the brilliant pitch of the lone horn.
From beyond both sides of the near horizons, a force of mounted men began to appear until there was no gap in the majestic line of Silent Warriors that framed the valley. They drew their swords and held them aloft.
Zane’s army slowed its advance to a stop as the men gazed in fearful dread at the massive force that encompassed them from above. An eerie silence lasted for a moment and then was broken by the rumble of horses’ hooves as the army fled north once again, this time to save their lives.
The Noble Knights cheered, and the people of Chessington rejoiced to see their enemies disappear from their valley.
Leinad’s rejoicing was constrained by the anguish in his heart. Tess’s breathing was shallow and irregular. Gabrik returned to Leinad and knelt beside him.
“I will take her across the sea,” Leinad said, denying what he knew was not possible.
“I’m sorry, Leinad. You know it is not allowed,” Gabrik said. “She may go, but she cannot return. I know it is hard for you, but at least she will live.”
Leinad was torn inside, but there was no decision for him to make. She might live for a time in Arrethtrae, but eventually she would die. He could not risk Tess’s life for a few years of companionship.
Leinad leaned close to his newfound love and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Tess,” he whispered.
Tess opened her eyes. “I would rather die than live apart from you, Leinad.” Though her voice was weak, the sparkle in her eyes reflected the inner strength Leinad had come to rely upon year after year. “I will not go.”
“But if you remain here, you might die, Tess,” Leinad argued against his warring heart.
“I …” she found another breath of air “… will not go!”
Leinad gazed into her eyes and smiled. “I’ve never known a woman like you, Tess.” He leaned closer and held her tightly.
THE SILENT WARRIORS RETURNED to the realm of secrecy from which they had come, and Tess was safely transported back to Chessington. Leinad left her side only long enough to say good-bye to Gabrik, his lifelong mentor, protector, and friend, who had lingered to say farewell until after Tess had been cared for.
“You were victorious over the Shadow Warriors then?” Leinad asked Gabrik.
“Yes.”
“Did Micalem defeat the Dark Knight?”
“He was deterred, but he will return, Leinad. One day he will return. You must prepare the people, for he wants to rule Arrethtrae, and Chessington stands in his way.”
Leinad nodded, but at the moment such thoughts were overwhelming.
“When will I see you again, Gabrik?” Leinad asked.
“Maybe tomorrow … maybe never. Only the King knows, my friend.”
Leinad knew by his tone that their missions were on different paths now.
“Thank you, Gabrik,” Leinad said. “Thank you for everything.”
Gabrik nodded, and the two men embraced.
Gabrik mounted his steed and saluted Leinad. “Remember the promise, my friend. Remember and believe.”
Leinad saluted back, and Gabrik rode out of Chessington.
Leinad returned to Tess. Audric soon came, and Leinad sent him north to retrieve the sword of promise from the fallen tree. Then he waited … waited for his Tess to recover. For the promise was for people who had a heart like hers—a heart that was faithful to the Code and to the King.
FIVE DAYS LATER, TESS WAS strong enough to sit up, and the color in her cheeks was pink again. Leinad held her hand and smiled. On the battlefield, their lifelong relationship had changed in a moment, and now a river of newly expressed love flowed between them.
“Tell me, did you find the vision you’ve been searching for?” Tess asked. “Did you find the key to the kingdom?”
“Yes, Sunshine, I did.” Leinad reached for the majestic sword still wrapped in its cloth and held it before her. “It is a promise for the people … for all of us.”
Tess’s eyes gleamed, and she lifted her hand to touch Leinad’s cheek. “Deliver the promise, Leinad.”
THE SQUARE OF THE CITY WAS filled with all the people of Chessington. The midafternoon air was cool, but the bright sun was unhampered by a cloudless sky, and it warmed the skin. Beside the oak tree in the center of the square, Leinad sat tall upon his powerful horse so all could see him. Audric, Tess, and all the Noble Knights were by his side.
“Noble people of Chessington, today is the day of hope for us all—hope for a future kingdom that will surpass the glory of the days of Quinn. My father saw the dawn of the kingdom of Arrethtrae, but we stand in a kingdom that is on the precipice of true greatness. In the Red Canyon, the King gave us the Code to live by, and it was our guide and our light through many dark days. Today He gives us the key to that future great kingdom. It is …” Leinad withdrew the majestic sword and held it high for all to see, “… the sword of promise.”
An exclamation of awe swept through the people, for they had never seen a sword of such magnificence. The golden hilt supported the gleaming steel of the blade as the sun reflected off its edge.
“What is the promise?” asked a young man in the crowd.
“It is the promise that one who is worthy will someday take up this sword and be our king. He will deliver us from the Dark Knight and his evil Shadow Warriors. The one who is worthy will save us! The one who is worthy is the coming Prince!”
A cheer rose up, and all the people rejoiced at the promise of the coming Prince. They celebrated with a feast to remember their past and to embrace their future. For a time, they forgot their fear and their sorrow, and the promise of the Prince gave them the hope of a future for which they longed.
OF BATTLE AND OF PEACE
Leinad and Tess were true Knights of the King, and I, Cedric of Chessington, am honored to be part of their chronicle. My story begins where their story ends. Although many of the people eventually lost hope and forgot the promise of the coming Prince, Leinad and Tess stayed true and faithful. They married and enjoyed many joyful years together. When Tess eventually grew faint and the Silent Warriors carried her across the Great Sea, Leinad persevered in his mission into old age. He strove to keep the promise and the Code alive, but even the Noble Knights lost sight of the true meaning of the Code and forgot the promise.
Though Leinad was saddened by the apathy of the people, his words found a welcome home in the heart of a young boy. That is where his life touched mine and changed me forever. My story I will gladly tell you … but it must be another time, for now it is time to prepare for battle.
Dawn is breaking in the kingdom before us. It is a kingdom that is ravaged by the greedy whims of the evil one. A kingdom once bold and beautiful is now oppressed under bondage. But soon we will deliver her, for the Deliverer is here. Those who have found the faith and remain true to the Prince will be rewarded. All others will be judged and condemned.
If you knew the Prince as I do, you would know as I do in my heart that the outcome of our battle is sure. I cannot deny the skipped beat of my heart within my chest, but it is not for fear … it is for anticipation. Where will this journey with the Prince end? What grand adventure lies beyond this battle? I do not know, but one thing I do know: I will stay by His side! None other is worthy of such devotion, only the Prince.
He is the majestic one that will lead us. There is no hesitation in His movements or question in His eyes. He will lead us to a new beginning. The new kingdom’s dawn will start today. It will be a dawn to usher in an age of peace. But peace must be bought, and this battle will be the price.
There is a mighty and evil force before us, but I am not afraid. I am on the side of the Prince.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
To further facilitate the understanding of the biblical allegory of this series, a few discussion questions and answe
rs are provided below.
CHAPTER 1
1. Who does Leinad represent in this chapter?
2. Throughout the next couple chapters there is an obvious change in Leinad’s attitude. Although in all his previous fights he fought in the name of the King, Leinad fought trusting in his own ability. Now Leinad trusts completely in the King, and Leinad experiences sword fighting success as he never has before. Interestingly enough, Leinad also isn’t afraid anymore. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Have you ever faced a daunting task but found it wasn’t scary because of your trust in God?
CHAPTER 2
1. What do you think the Life Spice symbolizes?
2. Fairos swears by his sword that he won’t ever free the slaves, and Leinad responds that Fairos swears in vain. What does the Bible say about swearing an oath?
CHAPTER 3
1. What is the event portrayed in this chapter?
2. The slaves worry that Fairos will increase their torment if Leinad wins the duel once again. Have you ever felt persecuted for making a stand? What were the circumstances?
CHAPTER 4
1. The people of Chessington are pursued by Fairos and his mounted army. Leinad discovers a small passageway into the canyon, and the people flee through it. When Fairos and his army try to travel through, however, an earthquake causes the passageway to collapse on the whole army, killing them. What biblical event does this portray?
2. Who do you think the massive warriors are?
3. The people escape from Fairos and his army, and they begin to praise Leinad for saving them. However, Leinad responds that their escape was brought about by the King; Leinad only followed the King’s directions. This kind of behavior pleases the King; it also pleases God. Have you ever seen someone take credit for something they didn’t do? Have you been tempted to accept credit for something God has done?