The_ORDER_of_SHADDAI
Page 13
Ethan’s blade flew from his side to his hand, then morphed into a triple jointed staff. Both demons leaped at him. They struck furiously with their swords, but Ethan blocked with the middle section of his staff, then attacked with both ends.
The demons came again, but more cautiously. Ethan flourished with the staff, then spun around as the weapon morphed into two swords in his hands. No longer did the nightmarish legions of Mordred frighten him. His priestly training had done much to quash the childish fears.
They circled him and attacked yet again. Ethan defended between the two and managed to strike one in the chest. The creature reeled back and disintegrated like wind blown sand. The other demon growled at him. “It’s not over yet, Deliverer.�
Ethan brandished his swords, ready for another attack. The torches still burning in the room snuffed out and, despite the sun beaming through the gouged walls of the castle, an oppressive darkness crept in around them.
Ethan gasped for breath as though he’d been punched in the stomach. But he wasn’t breathing in this realm. Something else had happened. The demon lowered his weapon and smiled. “The master comes, boy.�
Ethan grimaced. “I’m not afraid of Mordred, you Hell-spawn.�
The demon’s eyes flashed with rapturous glee. “I do not speak of Mordred.�
The demon fled through the wall again, leaving Ethan alone. He felt choked by the encroaching shadow. Fear enveloped him. He materialized in the physical realm and ran away from the ruined walls toward the inward parts of the castle. Laughter followed him, dogging his heels as unrealized terror gripped his heart and took control.
Ethan remembered this fear and its source. The demon Jericho—the one who had beaten him and left him scarred for life—painful wounds that ached when the demon came near. His flesh screamed at him now to run for his life. Like a frightened rabbit, he obeyed its voice.
Jericho stood as still as stone, focused on the castle of King Nichols of Macedon. General Hevas Rommil stood attentively beside him on the ridge. The Mortar batteries maintained their campaign against the stone edifice in the distance.
Jericho allowed only Rommil to see him. This much was necessary. The Wraith General could handle it. The common man rarely could without overwhelming fear, sometimes to the point of madness.
Jericho smelled his prey upon the spiritual plane. He alone, among the demons allied with Mordred, held a connection with the boy. His blade had pierced the boy in a way no earthly weapon ever could—straight to his very essence.
Terror permeated the air—the fear of men under Nichol’s command thinking themselves allied to Rommil. Now they understood the treachery involved as the general’s shells cascaded down upon them.
Jericho surged outward with his power, feeling for the Deliverer in every crevasse, along every wall, like a living shadow. He taunted the boy’s spirit, causing him to flee through the broken ramparts in the distance. There is no escape, Deliverer…no escape from me.
“Now, General.�
“My Lord, the Deliverer is present?� Rommil asked.
“Yes, and in no condition to fight now,� Jericho said. “Take your men and storm the castle. Take him alive if possible.�
“Forgive me, my Lord. Can the boy be contained?�
Jericho turned his head, leveling his steely gaze upon Rommil. The General swallowed hard. “I control his fear and, with it, him. My kind, dwelling within your men, will take charge of him. We can hold him in either realm now.�
Rommil bowed to the demon. “Yes, my Lord. It will be done.�
He turned and ordered his men off the ridge as he mounted his great black horse. The soldiers obediently abandoned their posts at the mortar stations, took charge of their weapons, and stormed down the hill after the Wraith General.
FEARFUL
Ethan ran as hard as he could to escape the encroaching darkness, but it only grew. Deeper into the ruined castle he fled. The corridor, illuminated only by scant torchlight, seemed endless. The laughter followed him everywhere like a ball and chain.
Where can you go? There is no escape. You and your friends will all die. None can save you. You have not the strength to defeat me.
The voices echoed from every direction. The floor seemed to change. He fell to the ground, but the stone was soft, gooey. Ethan looked back at his foot anchored inside miry clay.
Ethan pulled with all his strength until the foot came loose. He scrambled to his feet again, desperately trying to break into a run, but the floor grabbed at his every step. Behind him, the torches mounted upon the corridor wall flickered and went out one by one.
Ethan felt the weight of the demon’s power press upon him. How could he hope to defeat such an enemy? He fell again, then clawed at the floor, trying to gain ground. Ahead, Ethan noticed the torches going out there, too.
Ethan saw eyes appear in the mounting darkness. Hundreds of pairs of blood red eyes ran down the corridor in his direction. Huge, black rats flooded into the remaining light.
Ethan screamed as the voices laughed again. He found a reserve of strength and floundered into a run in the opposite direction. He entered pitch blackness again with the surge of rats following.
The pairs of red eyes glowed and spread out so that they ran along the walls and even across the ceiling. A torch flashed into view. Ethan slammed into someone at full speed. The torch spun away and hit the wall sending out a flurry of cinders.
Two horrible slimy monsters stood before him. The smell wrenched his nose making him want to vomit. He tried to claw his way backwards as the monsters approached. The rats flooded around them, and Ethan screamed again. The voices laughed and Jericho’s face seemed to fill the corridor with multiple views of the Demon Lord.
Levi shook Ethan by the shoulders as the boy flailed frantically in his arms. His eyes were drawn to something unseen in the corridor. Seth picked up the torch and brought it near. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him, Seth. He’s not responding to me at all. Ethan!�
“I don’t think he can hear us right now. He may be under a spiritual attack of some kind,� Seth observed.
Levi shook him again, but his expression remained frozen in terror. “Ethan, wake up!�
“Listen,� Seth whispered. “The shelling has stopped.�
Indeed, only the mournful cries of the wounded and dying could be heard echoing through the castle corridors now.
“That means Rommil will be marching his men into the castle soon,� Seth said.
Levi watched Ethan. “What about the boy?�
“He needs prayer. Only the Lord can break this attack.�
Levi watched the young blind warrior as he called out to Shaddai, asking for his intervention. He prayed earnestly. Silently, Levi added his own prayer to Seth’s.
Ethan’s tense, shuddering body began to relax quickly. Bonifast watched his face and soon saw signs of real consciousness. Ethan blinked. His gaze settled on Levi’s face.
“Ah!� he screamed.
“Ethan it’s me,� Levi said hastily, remembering what he must look like after their trip through the sewer pipe.
Ethan calmed at the familiar sound of his voice, then reached up and rubbed some of the slime away from his friend’s face. “Levi?� He sniffed, then curled his nose. “You stink! You smell like a sewer. Where in the world have you been?�
Levi smiled. “A sewer, where else?�
Seth moved the torch closer. “Gentlemen, I think it’s now time to leave. The general’s men will storm these ramparts within moments.�
“Who are you?� Ethan asked, noticing the young man for the first time. “I remember seeing you on the street begging.
�
“Yes. My name is Seth. I was sent to Macedon years ago by The Order of Shaddai.�
Ethan blinked again, trying to remember. “The Order…Gideon. Where is he?�
Levi looked puzzled. “We assumed he must be somewhere here in the castle with you.�
“We got separated after the explosions hit the castle. We’ve got to find him.�
“Impossible now,� Seth said, standing to his feet. He helped Levi get Ethan up on his feet.
“Look, Seth, we can’t leave Gideon here,� Ethan said.
Seth moved closer so that he stared blankly at Ethan’s face. “Deliverer, I know I speak for Gideon when I say, we must not risk your safety any further. General Rommil will enter the castle soon, and we’re going to have a tough time getting out of here as it is. Now, we must go.�
Ethan stood still, refusing to budge. “What makes you think you can speak for my friend?�
Seth stopped. “Because he was my friend long before he was yours. Now, act like a priest of Shaddai and do what is necessary and not what you feel.� He took off down the dark corridor toward the inner parts of the castle.
Levi squeezed Ethan’s shoulder. “As much as it pains me to say it, lad, he’s right. Let’s go.�
He had to tear the young man from his spot, but Ethan gave in and followed them down the hallway. Levi called up ahead to the blind priest leading their way. “Where are we going, Seth?�
In the darkness, Levi ran right up on three of King Nichol’s soldiers. They spun around, two carrying torches, another holding a sword. Their clothes were tattered and stained with blood, probably their own. They spotted Ethan and reacted.
“The Deliverer!�
As Ethan came up behind the Levi, the soldier with the sword lunged at the boy. Ethan didn’t have time to react. Seth appeared from the shadows blocking the strike at the soldier’s wrists. His left foot snapped up to make contact with the man’s chin, chest, and groin in turn. Within a fraction of a second, the blind priest held the sword, while the soldier lay in a heap on the floor with his companions watching in astonishment.
“Rommil has turned on you, gentlemen,� Seth said to the soldiers. “I would suggest you use the strength you have left to flee this castle with your lives.�
The two soldiers took a moment to gauge the situation—three against two. They shrugged at one another, turned, and ran back the way they had come.
“Where are we going to go, Seth?� Ethan asked, looking around.
Seth turned and ran through an archway hidden in the shadows. “The dungeon.�
DUNGEON MASTER
Jericho only half noticed the advance of General Rommil’s troops down the hillside, through the trees beyond, and into the pocked castle courtyard. His focus remained on Ethan and the promotion of fear. The soldiers advanced without any resistance whatsoever. After all, King Nichols had been under his command in reestablishing his throne and the invitation to the priests of Shaddai.
Jericho constructed the elements around the boy to encourage panic. Through the spiritual plane, he conjured visions and voices to haunt the boy. He promoted the rush of adrenaline and the myriad chemical components of a take-flight-response to what the boy was experiencing.
Jericho felt his racing pulse, his labored erratic breathing, and the sweat pouring from his pores. I have you, Deliverer!
Overwhelming light severed him from the darkness. An ethereal blade lashed out at him from a towering figure that materialized before him. Jericho instantly abandoned his hold on the boy to save himself from the sudden onslaught. The angel rushed his retreat and overtook him with a thunderous blow to the face.
Jericho reeled. Smoke rose from the white-hot wound left by the angel’s fist. He flew at his attacker, grappled with him, and then stammered back again. “Let me pass!�
The angel said nothing.
Jericho shot over the angel, but was quickly intercepted and cast down. He tried to reach the boy through his connection. Nothing.
“How? Why? What is the meaning of this interference in mortal affairs?� Jericho demanded.
The angel cocked one eyebrow with curious satisfaction and then spoke. “Prayer.�
Jericho screamed like an animal, then flew at the angel with his sword in hand. Thunder sounded as their blades smashed together in combat. Jericho wailed on his opponent repeatedly, but ultimately the angel proved too powerful.
He sidestepped an attack and caught Jericho full force with his heavenly sword. Jericho floundered backward to the ground, realizing his predicament. “No! Not now!�
His spiritual body began to dissolve while the angel watched. The angel disappeared with a smile on his face, leaving Jericho to disintegrate. The demon watched as the mortal plane, the castle, and the Deliverer faded from his vision. He would have to wait to find him again.
Seth led Ethan and Levi down into the depths of King Nichol’s castle. Levi carried their torch and a sword recovered from the unconscious soldier. He brought up the rear as they descended the stone steps of a long spiraling staircase.
“If you don’t mind my asking,� Levi said, “why exactly are we going into the dungeon?�
Seth’s voice echoed back from the darkness ahead. “With General Rommil’s forces invading the castle we’ll need a secure way out.�
“There’s a secure way down here?� Ethan asked.
Seth hesitated to respond. “There is a way.�
When they had reached the bottom level, a cylindrical chamber opened up before them. Racks of old weapons lined the wall all the way around. Levi started toward something that caught his fancy. “I could do with one of those.�
Seth caught him by the shirt as he tipped forward almost falling into a great pit in the middle of the floor.
“Whoa!� Levi cried as his torch revealed his error. Seth pulled him back. Levi patted the priest on the shoulder. “Thanks, lad. I owe you one.�
“One?�
Levi ignored the remark. “Where do we go now? Don’t tell me that hole is our way out of here.�
Seth grabbed two swords from a nearby rack and placed them through the grime encrusted sash around his waist. “Okay, Captain, I won’t tell you.� He clicked his tongue, then leaped out over the pit. Ethan and Levi watched horrified, until they saw him catch hold of a chain extending up out of the pit where it attached to a pulley system anchored to the roof.
Seth dangled there, waiting for the others. “You’ll both need weapons, gentlemen.�
“How in the world did you do that? Your blind…I couldn’t even see that chain,� Ethan said.
“You’d be surprised how well your other senses develop when you don’t have your sight,� Seth said. “echoing sound, like a click of the tongue or even a whisper, works well to give me a picture of things your eyes can’t even see.�
Ethan was now even more impressed with the ingenuity of Shaddai’s priests.
“What’s in the hole?� Levi asked as he pulled a large cutlass from one of the racks.
“The dungeon is down there and our way out.�
“But I’ve heard no one has ever escaped the dungeon at Macedon’s castle,� Levi said.
“One person did.�
“How do you know?� Ethan asked.
“Because I’m that person. Now we must hurry before—�
Torch light filled the stairwell, reflected off of the stone walls.
Seth loosened his grip and slid down the chain into the darkness of the pit. “Come on!
We must hurry!�
Ethan ran to one of the weapons racks. “Go, Levi! I’ve got to get a sword!�
Bonifast jumped across the pit grabbing the chain which was still taut with Seth’s weight below him. “I don’t like this one bit,� he complained. Then he slid down.
Ethan grabbed a medium sized sword from the rack and hefted it for feel. The light suddenly emerged into the chamber with a massive man holding the torch.
“There you are!�
The man pulled his great broadsword and swung it at Ethan. Surprised, he tried to block only to have his new weapon knocked away. The man roared at him and swung again. Ethan only had time to evade. He somersaulted backward, missed the chain and plummeted into the pit.
Ethan flailed in the darkness until his hand brushed metallic links. The chain! He seized it desperately. Searing pain tore through his left arm all the way to the shoulder, but his fall halted. He grabbed the chain with his other hand and began a slower descent.
After several minutes his feet touched the ground and hands supported him in the darkness. He still couldn’t see anything—not even his hand in front of his face.
“We’ve got you, lad,� Levi said. Just step down easy. “It takes a minute to get your bearings down here.�
“Where’s Seth?�
“I’m here, Deliverer.�
“Hey, I think I can see a little better,� Ethan said. “Is there some source of light?�
A torch fell through the darkness above and landed near them on the ground.
Seth turned toward it. “I feel heat, is that a torch?�
“They’ve tossed it down from above,� Levi said. “They’ll be coming after it I imagine.�
Seth pulled his weapons. “Then it’s time to leave.�
Ethan started to pick up the torch. “Well, we can certainly use this.�