The Wars Within (Servant of Light Book 1)

by Jeremy Finn

  As James turned his attention toward the floor below, silence fell in the hall. Both men were standing as mirror images of each other about ten paces apart. In unison, as if signaled by some unheard call, they moved toward each other in a sweeping movement that did not allow their feet to come off the ground. When they were about four paces apart, they drew their bamboo swords with their right hands and slowly arched them down until the tips met at precisely the same spot in the air. Their left hands slid up gracefully to join their right hand’s grasp on the handle. For a brief moment, nothing in the hall moved. The tension was mounting in James' chest considerably, which caused him to visibly start when both men roared a sudden, fearful noise that seemed to rise from the bottom of their stomachs.

  Immediately, both forms were alive in a flurry of movement. Swords flashed through the air in arcs and slashes too quickly for James to follow, and there seemed to be no way to discern who might be holding the upper hand in the battle. The fight continued like this for about thirty seconds. The only sounds were that of the fabric of their garments rustling, the clack of their bamboo swords against each other and the occasional roar similar in fashion, if not in intensity, to that of the unearthly noise that initiated the duel. Suddenly, both men were momentarily still. James thought perhaps they were getting tired, and understandably so, until he noticed Joe’s sword slowly moving down the length of DaNyang’s. He was leaning very slowly forward and cutting into DaNyang’s comfort zone. DaNyang seemed uncertain for a moment on what to do about this, and his hesitation caused him to fumble a step as he attempted to recover the distance he lost to Joe’s advancing counterfeit blade. As soon as the small error in balance occurred, Joe immediately seized on the opportunity and brought his sword quickly down and then back up on the other side of DaNyang’s sword. The action caused his sword to strike DaNyang’s on the upswing and knock it out of the way just long enough for him to make a quick but effective cut to DaNyang’s right wrist. Immediately, the whole hall burst into a wave of cheers, hinting to James that Joe must have achieved his goal.

  “Is that it?” He asked the Intercessor. “Did Joe win?”

  “No, no,” the Intercessor replied with a hasty glance at James, “He must score two hits before he is declared the winner. DaNyang still has a chance.”

  James redirected his attention to the floor, and noticed the two men had resumed their stance in the center with sword tips touching in the air. Silence fell once again. Joe almost seemed to have a grin on his face, and James thought he heard him chuckling under his breath. But before he could be sure, the same sudden eruption of sound and movement signaled the resumption of the fight. This time, Joe came at DaNyang with a flurry of violent attacks. DaNyang was doing well to block each assault, but was being driven back by the violence of Joe’s attack. James thought he heard the Intercessor whisper something about aggression opening weaknesses, but his attention was riveted on the spectacle before him. Just when it seemed like DaNyang would be pinned against the right wall of the hall under Joe’s endless hacking, something unexpected happened. DaNyang raised his sword to block a blow, then kept it up as he began an attack of his own. James flinched as he realized even he could telegraph the cut DaNyang was preparing to make. He would attempt to slash downward upon Joe’s head, and certainly fail with such an obvious and drawn out move. As Joe concluded DaNyang must be feeling the weariness of the fight, his eye caught an unexpected movement. DaNyang’s sword had indeed come down in a straight arc aimed at Joe’s head, and Joe easily lifted his sword in a perfect defense against such a move. However, just as the arcing sword was about to reach the defending sword, DaNyang twisted the sword in a movement that brought the bamboo blade down to Joe’s right side. The sword swept past Joe’s uplifted hand, and cut directly under his arm. Joe’s torso was left undefended by his uplifted right arm, and James heard a dull thud as DaNyang’s sword met its mark on Joe’s ribcage. Again, the hall burst into jubilation, even more than before. The champion had a score, but the under dog was now back in the fight.

  Again, the competitors met in the center, but this time Joe lashed out at DaNyang as soon as their swords met in the ready stance. Just as before, DaNyang was slowly retreating under the rain of rapid thrusts and slashes of Joe’s bamboo sword. DaNyang met every attack with a repulse, but often just in time to ready himself for the next advance. He certainly was not able to launch any attacks of his own. Joe was fueled by some intense desire that revealed itself in the increasing violence of his assault. Now he was driving so hard at DaNyang that he often came in contact with his body. Joe was pushing the handle of his sword against that of DaNyang’s as they met, and pushing him back toward the wall of the room. Each push seemed to put DaNyang off balance a little, and soon the crowds assembled around the pair were parting as DaNyang was backed into the wall of the hall. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw the Intercessor go tense as he appeared to nearly stand and then stopped himself. The Intercessor bore a grim and concerned look on his face. Suddenly, a crashing sound drew James’ attention back to the fight. Joe pushed DaNyang so far back against the wall that DaNyang tripped over one of the tables that had been cleared out of the center of the room to open the floor for the fight. DaNyang lay prostrate on his back, apparently disoriented by the knock his head received against the wall when he fell backwards over the low table. To James’ astonishment, however, Joe didn’t stop. He lifted his sword into the air high above his head and began to arc it down in a slash that would surely injure the recipient. Just as quickly, the Intercessor rose to his feet and yelled in a booming voice, “Enough!”

  Joe’s sword stopped abruptly in the air an inch above DaNyang’s head. After a short pause, he drew his sword back across his waist in a steady, sweeping motion, and returned it to the same carrying position he used when the two entered the hall. He turned to face the Intercessor, and bowed slightly. James saw a fire of anger in his eyes as he dropped his upper torso in the bow, but when he returned to his standing position, his eyes lost any sign of aggression, and merely appeared to be patiently waiting for the Intercessor’s direction.

  Though James sensed a struggle within the Intercessor, the aged man smoothed his face and calmly but firmly announced, “A final point for Joe Senagi, the continuing champion of the test of swords!”

  The hall once again burst into cheers, not only for the champion, but out of relief that an awkward situation passed without serious incident. Joe walked over to DaNyang, who was being helped to his feet by those surrounding him, and shook his hand formally. James never imagined his quiet and docile friend could be capable of displaying such a fierce attitude like that which he just witnessed, but neither had he imagined he would be a member of a secret order or a skilled swordsman. He leaned back and took a deep breath. The last twenty-four hours had turned his world on end, and made him wonder what else was going on behind the scenes that he had absolutely no idea about.

  DARKNESS FALLS ON HANASAN

  For still our ancient foe

  Doth seek to work us woe;

  His craft and power are great,

  And armed with cruel hate,

  On earth is not his equal.

  -Martin Luther

  After some cursory closing remarks and a blessing by the Intercessor, all the servants began to file out of the hall and make their ways to the visitors' cheebs in the surrounding forest. The Intercessor escorted James as far as the courtyard, and stopped to wish him a good night’s sleep before turning to retire to his own abode.

  “Intercessor,” James called cautiously just after the old man began walking toward his hall, “I’m sorry but could I ask you just one question?”

  “Certainly,” the Intercessor replied with a simple smile as he turned to face James.

  “Well, I was just wondering how any of you keep a job and make a living. I mean, it seems like you are all so dedicated to your work here that little else matters to you.”

  “In that you are quite right,” the In
tercessor said. “All servants place the service of the Light first in their lives. It comes before material gain, comfort and even family. It does not push these things out of our lives, though, but rather puts them in a new perspective. After all, service to the Light brings satisfaction far beyond wealth or comfort, and builds a safe and serene community for all families to enjoy. Many of the servants give up their careers to serve the Light. They take part time jobs, or live off the charity of the hold. Some, though, take their service into their jobs and use the advantage of their positions to further the cause of the Light. Look at DaNyang, for instance. He uses his position in the police force to keep us informed of the workings of the Darkness, and to make contacts with potential targets of their treachery. Of course, that is how you became acquainted with the Light.”

  “Yes, I can see that now,” James said. “I am thankful for what he has shown me. Unfortunately, I really should return to the city tomorrow. On Monday I will have to go back to work. Can I ever visit this place again?”

  “Of course,” the Intercessor answered warmly. “We always welcome those who maintain an interest in the Light. DaNyang will stay in contact with you. I hope some day you may choose to bind yourself to our cause, but I will never push you to do so. It is your choice, and yours alone.”

  James smiled in return, “Thank you. And good night…for real this time.”

  The Intercessor nodded and both men retired to their cheebs. As James was crossing the stone arch bridge over the stream separating the courtyard from the cheeb village beyond, someone called out his name.

  “James,” the voice said, “wait just a minute. I need to talk to you for a moment.”

  James looked over his shoulder and saw DaNyang jogging across the courtyard toward him.

  “Hey, DaNyang, are you feeling alright?” James greeted, “You did very well tonight in the match.”

  “I was lucky to get that one point,” DaNyang replied modestly. “Joe is a very skilled swordsman.”

  “Yeah, I could see that, but it looked like he got a little bit out of control toward the end, don’t you think?” James asked with concern.

  “Yes,” DaNyang answered as his expression soured slightly. “I have never seen him get that worked up. I guess he really wanted to win. I don’t want to keep you up too late. I just wanted to let you know I’ll escort you back down the mountain tomorrow. Also, I want to tell you that I’ll always be around if you have any questions about the Light or want to discuss anything. I really think you should put some consideration into joining the Servants, James. You would really make a great addition to our family.”

  “Well, I’ll appreciate the company tomorrow, and I will ponder this whole Servants of Light thing. Please understand it’s kind of a lot of new information at once.”

  “Of course,” DaNyang answered quickly. “I’ll meet you at your cheeb at three in the morning. I know it doesn’t give you much time to sleep, but it should give us the time we need to get down before the sun rises.

  “Wow, that only gives me four hours of sleep!” James exclaimed jokingly. He had only woken from his daytime nap hours before. “Good night, DaNyang.”

  Both men parted and James made his way slowly to his little cheeb in the pine forest. As he walked along the forest floor strewn with pine needles and the occasional pine cone, he tried to soak up all the events that occurred since he arrived at this mystical place. When DaNyang first introduced him to the knowledge of the Servants, he had been extremely skeptical. Now, he was further convinced, but still felt enough doubt about the reality of their incredible stories to keep him from committing his intellect to belief in this hidden war that was supposedly fought daily behind the scenes of ordinary life.

  As he came to the door of his lodge, he stopped and listened to the peace and quiet enveloping him. The pine bough canopy overhead blocked out even the starlight, making the village around him appear to be inside a deep and sonorous cave. The golden light spilling from the windows of the cheebs cast a pale glow on the face of the forest floor and dimmed as it stretched toward the branches above. This was certainly a beautiful place. He would have to come back here even if only to experience the solitude again.

  As James tucked himself deeply into the folds of his thick, warm blankets, he felt the cool breeze drift in from the open window and dance across his exposed face. Before he was aware of the extent of his fatigue, his eyes fell shut, and his world dropped into unconsciousness.

  What seemed like just minutes later, James suddenly awoke surrounded by a deep darkness. Nothing seemed out of place besides the candle on the table, where a pillar of smoke curled up like a cobra from a snake charmer’s basket betraying its flame’s recent extinction. James guessed the wind must have picked up and extinguished the candle, which would also explain the chill that crept into the cheeb and caused his breath to form temporary clouds of rolling mist. He pulled aside his blankets and crawled over to the window to see if there were shutters or blinds he could close against the wind. As he glanced outside, however, he noticed there was very little light emanating from the village of cheebs around him, and although the air had an unusually strong chill, there was no wind at all. Out of instinctive curiosity and because he was awake to the point where he would not be able to fall asleep easily again, James decided to take a stroll around the village. After putting on the loose sandals by the door, he stepped outside into the night air.

  As James quietly made his way toward the neighboring cheeb, he noticed all the lights in the village were out. Even the dull lamps that lined the path over the bridge and into the courtyard between the large buildings were dark and barely visible in the low light. An unexplained uneasiness began to creep over James’ skin and anxiety rose in the back of his mind.

  Is this normal, he thought. Maybe they turn out all the lights after a certain hour. But he remembered seeing lights along the path and in the windows when they arrived in the early morning the other day.

  Just then, a pine cone fell on the ground directly in front of James. It startled him, and he looked up quickly to see from where it fell. Although he could barely see anything, the star and moon light above the canopy of trees peeked in through tiny cracks and openings. Suddenly something moved across the cracks and crevices in the leaves above, concealing the natural heavenly light for a brief instant. At first James told himself he was just seeing squirrels or something, but he knew the shadow seemed as large as a kitchen table. Deciding it would be better to return to his cheeb and relax his imagination, James turned to head back in the direction from which he came. As he turned, though, he caught a shadow out of the corner of his eye that he missed before. About twenty meters away by the stream, someone was sitting silently on a rock. As James cautiously approached, the figure jumped up and wheeled around to face him.

  “Oh, James!” the man exclaimed, “It’s you then. You gave me a scare.” James matched the voice to the outline of the shadow and realized Joe was standing before him.

  “Joe! What are you doing out here?” James asked with concern, “Are you feeling sick or something?”

  “No,” Joe replied, “I just needed to do some thinking and I thought the night air and a little solitude would help.”

  “What are you thinking about?” James queried.

  Joe paused for a moment, but James could not make out his facial features well enough to read the expression on his face. “James, listen, I’ve got to tell you something…”

  In the middle of his sentence, though, Joe gave a sudden start and quickly grabbed James by the shoulder. “James, look out!” he yelled as he pushed him to the side with one hand and grabbed a jagged, menacing spear with the other. The spear was thrust directly at James heart, and would have pierced his body if not for Joe’s quick reaction. Behind the spear was a ragged, stocky man who let out a squeal of surprise and then fell silent as Joe used the man’s momentum to pull him forward, wrest the spear from his hands, and then twirled the spear around and slammed the blu
nt end into the back of the man’s neck.

  As the dark figure landed with a splash in the stream, Joe pushed James toward the bridge and commanded him, “Run James! Get out of here now!”

  James’ mind wasn’t processing thoughts well, but Joe’s command sent him hurtling toward the courtyard in an instinctive attempt to flee the danger behind him. As he inefficiently tried to run in his loose sandals, he briefly looked back and caught a glimpse of Joe unsheathing his brilliant white blade. The light that shone from the blade illumined a small army of men dressed in tattered black clothes charging toward Joe with spears in hand. Again, too, he thought he saw some kind of large dark object moving through the trees above Joe.

  As James approached the open courtyard, he realized no one had raised the alarm yet. In fact, the whole village seemed to be sleeping silently as the wave of dark creatures swarmed in through the forest undetected.

  James did not know what to do, but finally burst out, “Attack! There’s an attack on the village!” As he reached the center of the courtyard and began to yell out another warning, a vice-like grip secured the back of his coat, and he was lifted off the ground and carried across the courtyard about three meters in the air before being released right into a large wooden post supporting the structure that housed the Intercessor’s quarters. James narrowly missed slamming his head against the solid wood, and his chest and right shoulder took the brunt of the collision as he slid to the ground in a moaning heap. He looked up to see what attacked him and saw a black winged creature land on the platform of the Intercessor’s residence. Although it was still difficult to see in the darkness of the night, James was able to tell the being was about three meters tall and muscular. It had long matted black hair that framed a gruesome face similar to the one he glimpsed on the subway some nights ago, but shaped grotesquely like a spider with multiple beady eyes and furry fangs extending from its head.