Seal of the King

by Ralph Smith

  “Yes we heard about that from them when they returned.” Miles said.

  With a hint of excitement in her voice, Aurora asked “oh! Then they’re alright?”

  “We lost Akron, and Elan.” Miles replied sadly. “They said the fighting was fierce, and we feared we’d lost you too. I’m sure, there was nothing more you could have done.”

  Aurora looked down, and said, “I understand, we were caught totally by surprise. It was a miracle that any of us survived.”

  Jasmine spoke kindly “you can’t save everyone Aurora. Remember that. Now, go on and tell us the rest.”

  Aurora nodded sadly, and then taking a small breath said, “Once I was separated, I was under siege from a group of soldiers, and had no choice, but to escape. I doubled back trying to find the others, but couldn’t, and since they were hunting me still, I had to move on. I didn’t want to take a chance on leading them here, so I headed for the high country near the plain of Azura. I evaded them for a long time, but they were relentless, and they were gaining on me. A few days ago they caught up to me, and I was leading them into the crags at the western end of the plain. I was hoping I could lose them once I made it over the top inside the gorge. I was desperate as they were right behind me. They had even managed to get some catapults in close, and were sending fire rocks and arrows at me.”

  Jasmine, brought food to the table said, “Oh dear it’s a miracle you escaped. How did you ever manage to get away?” She continued serving everyone then sat to join them.

  Chewing quickly, Aurora swallowed her bite of bread. “That’s when David showed up. He appeared out of thin air, and knocked me out of the way of a fire rock that surely would have killed me. But when he did the two of us somehow passed through a hole in the world and landed in his world.” Aurora paused to allow them to consider what she had just said.

  “What do you mean his world?” Jasmine asked.

  Aurora looked to David for help, and he said, “I don’t know much. But the way it was explained to us is that our two worlds exist in the same place, and time. An invisible divide separates them, which is narrower in places. Our two worlds, work in unison to help maintain the balance between dark and light, good and evil. It was one of those narrow spots where we were able to cross over.”

  Miles and Jasmine sat fixed in rapt attention waiting for Aurora to continue. “Once back in his world David took me to his home and cared for me. While we were there we discovered his home was protected by “Seals”, and thought that his father may be a servant. That night David, staring into a seal, while I slept, had a vision.” Miles and Jasmine looked impressed but said nothing. “The next day we went to rescue his father, who was held captive by demons. And after we got him home, David called his aunt, who assembled a council of servants to meet with us. They told us many things, and we learned that David and I are the ones referred to by the Prophecy.”

  Jasmine gasped, and Miles looked grim saying, “are you sure?”

  Aurora said, “Yes we’re sure. The scroll I retrieved was a copy of ‘the prophecy’, and the council knew it too. After that, we made our way back and came here.”

  Jasmine put her hand on Aurora’s and giving her a warm smile said, “oh child. We always knew you were meant for extraordinary things. I only wish….” Her voice trailed off as her eyes began to fill with tears.

  Aurora giving her a look of confidence and determination said, “Jasmine, you have always been so kind to me, but you mustn’t be afraid. I know we face a terrible challenge, but together, and with the help of our Savior nothing’s impossible. If it’s His will that we’re all delivered, then it will be so. If it’s His will, that David and I do not return, then we’ll stand tall and faithful to Him, to the very end.”

  David looked at her with a smile of admiration; even with the prospect of such a daunting task his heart rose, knowing that someone such as this would be by his side. In fact if not for her he thought his courage might fail. Without realizing it, he had reached out his hand cupping the side of her face. His heart rose as she broke into a smile of contentment leaning her head into his hand, and looking affectionately into his eyes.

  Jasmine, a tear running down her face said, “To see you happy even under the weight of such responsibility. Oh, how I wish you had a simpler life. I’ve always feared something would happen to you before you ever found someone who cared about you so much.”

  Miles stood, and said, “You two should get some rest after travelling all night. I must go immediately to alert the council so that we can assemble today. Clearly time isn’t on our side so we must act quickly.”

  David stood, and said, “Thank you, is there anything I can do?”

  “No, just get some rest. It sounds as if you’ll have more than enough to do, and you’ll need to be ready.” Miles answered. The two men shared a nod of agreement. Miles walked around to his wife and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Jasmine stood, and said, “We’d better get the two of you somewhere to sleep. Come. We have an empty room in the back.”

  Jasmine led them out of the kitchen and quietly to the back of the house. She opened the door to a small room with a bed, table, and basin. Then she said, “Aurora has stayed here many times, the children are still asleep, and our room is a mess, so I hope you won’t mind. The bed is rather small.”

  David turned to her, and said, “It’s more than enough, thank you. We slept in the woods last night.” He smiled then added “remember that I said I would never dishonor her in any way. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  Aurora said sternly, “You will not! You can lie next to me on the bed.”

  Jasmine patted David on the chest gently, and smiled as if to say she wasn’t worried about it anymore, and said, “I wouldn’t argue with her dear as she can be very stubborn.”

  David laughed “No doubt.”

  Aurora said, “All right you two. We aren’t going to get any sleep if you stand there picking on me all morning”

  Jasmine gave a small wave of her hand and shut the door. Aurora and David set down their coats and packs, pulled off their boots, and lay down on the bed. It was small, but Aurora lying on her side pulled David’s arm tight around her wanting him as close as possible. Lost in the warmth of his embrace she was asleep in moments.

  David lying still feeling her rise and fall with each peaceful breath, considered what was ahead of them. He realized that he truly had no idea what to expect. Wondering to himself would their mission take days, weeks, months or more? No, he thought everyone had said time was short. Events were culminating to an inevitable showdown that could not be avoided. The only question is what would happen along the way, and would he be ready.

  Holding her in his arms was bliss he had never known. He could have let himself feel cheated that it had taken so long to get here, to meet her and that there was a distinct chance it would be over too soon. But he would not give in to that temptation. He was given a precious gift, and he was not going to waste a minute of the time they had together thinking about what might not be. He was going to savor every moment they spent together. He breathed her in, and let the scent of her fill his nostrils, the fragrance of the soap she used long since gone. She smelled like the fresh outdoors on a fall day full of life. Lying there with her soft hair against his cheek, he drifted off to sleep.

  David woke to the sounds of voices in the house. The room was bright with sunlight, and he thought it had to be afternoon. Gently slipping his arm out from under Aurora, she stirred slightly. He pulled a blanket over her and went out into the hallway. Making his way to the kitchen he found Jasmine, Miles, and two other men sitting at the table deep in discussion.

  “Hello, I hope I’m not interrupting.” David said cheerfully.

  Jasmine quickly got to her feet and said, "No, no please come, and sit down with us. This is Aaron the leader of our council, this is Edwin one of our council members, and a longtime friend.”

  "It's good to meet you both,"
David said.

  “It’s good to meet you too, we have been praying for help in this accursed war. Things have gotten worse for many years now, and we fear we can’t stand much longer.” Aaron said.

  “Yes, one more season may be our last.” Edwin added grimly.

  David sat there a moment feeling the intensity of their gazes. Once more he was reminded of the enormity of the situation. Who did they think he was, he had no military training, and he was not a seasoned warrior; why did they think he could do what they had been unable to accomplish after so many years?

  “I have to be honest with you. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. I have no idea if I can succeed where so many others have failed. I’m just a farmer, I’m not a warrior; I only found out about your struggle a few days ago. I must admit I’m afraid that I might fail.” David said solemnly.

  Aaron looked at him thoughtfully, and said, “All those things you said may be true, and yet here you are. Most men given the choice would not have come. You were chosen for a reason, it is not for us to question the will of our Lord. Only to follow it, and trust in him.”

  “I can’t argue with that, but I can make you a promise. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll see it through to the end. I too put my faith, and trust in the Lord, and that’s all I need to know. In the meantime, I would appreciate anything you can tell me that may help.” David said with confidence.

  “That’s all we could ask, and of course we’ll try to help you in any way we can.” Aaron said.

  “Can you please tell me where the Dark One is? And how I can get there?” David asked. “As I’ve pondered over the prophecy, I believe there’s only one conclusion I can draw. I have to face him, and somehow when that happens, the events will unfold as they are meant to, and if I make the right choices then we will prevail.”

  “Unfortunately I don’t see any other way either.” Aaron said. “He dwells in the heart of Tartaros, an evil and dangerous place. The journey there will be extremely difficult. You could travel around his forces through desolate lands and mountains, but it will take you months to arrive, or you can attempt the most direct route, which will take you a few weeks. The direct route is through lands he already controls, and they are swarming with his armies. I would not suggest it, but we have reason to believe that he will be most vulnerable at the winter solstice.”

  David spoke half to himself “The winter solstice is just over a month away.”

  Aaron said, “Yes it is. This year there are certain alignments that are taking place at the winter solstice, and we believe that may give you an advantage.”

  Aaron went on to explain how certain celestial bodies were positioned, and that it coincided with the North Star’s position as it did over 2000 years ago when Christ was born. He also discussed genealogical cycles, and numeric patterns that suggested a confluence of events pointing to that date. David was listening politely, but it was far too much information for him to absorb, or make sense of. So he was satisfied to accept the conclusion that this was the deadline. Which made sense, everyone had told him that time was short, and in his heart he knew they didn’t have months to travel.

  After Aaron finished his explanation, David spoke. “I’m in no position to question your analysis. Quite frankly, I believe we have to act quickly. I don’t think we can wait months for us to travel around the armies, so I think we need to come up with a plan to pass through them.”

  Edwin said, “That will be very difficult.”

  David agreed, “Yes, I’m sure it will be. Perhaps we can disguise ourselves as two people who would be allowed to pass. Can you offer any suggestions?”

  Aaron said thoughtfully, “That may be possible. However, there is a problem if you are questioned too closely.”

  “What is that?”

  “There are essentially three types of men, and beasts that you will encounter. There are vile evil men who are just that, and would be no more dangerous to you than anyone else. Then there are those who bargained their souls for power. They are comparable to our gifted, and can see the light in someone, and would attempt to kill you on sight. Lastly there are demons who are his spawn, soulless creatures that feed on fear. They too can see the light, and despise it.”

  “Do the men who bargained their souls for power appear like regular people? And when they die does their spirit cry out?”

  “Yes that’s right. They can be difficult to kill, you need to either stab them in the heart or cut off their heads.”

  “I’ve had several encounters with that kind. I could see the shadow of darkness behind their eyes, yet they could not see that I was of the light.”

  Aaron mildly surprised said, “Really. That could be extremely helpful to you. That could give us more options in coming up with a disguise. If you were traveling as an emissary, and they could not see you were of the light, you may be able to pass through unharmed. But they would be able to see Aurora was.”

  “I was thinking about that too. When she and I went to see my father, and rescued him, they did not recognize her. Do you think that somehow my protection could have extended to her?”

  “Jasmine has told us some of your story, how the two of you have been connected since you were children. Normally a gift does not extend in that way, but it may be that the bond you share makes the two of you different. The question is will it be strong enough under such difficult conditions with so many adversaries? Of course, the bond you have comes from our Lord, and it is said, what the Lord has wrought let no man tear asunder. And as we know, even demons and beasts are subject to his authority.”

  David said distractedly “Yes, Jesus drove out evil spirits, and demons with a single command.” Something was nagging at him, and he couldn’t place it. Deciding he needed to think away from them he said, “How soon do you think the rest of the council should be here? I think I need to wake Aurora, and give her something to eat before they arrive.”

  Aaron answered, “It shouldn’t be too long now, perhaps another hour.”

  David said, “Jasmine would you mind if I took some food to her?”

  Jasmine answered “no, of course not, let me get something together for you.”

  David turned back to Aaron again “One more thing, what do you know of where the Dark One dwells?”

  Aaron said darkly “exceedingly little, only rumor actually. No one has ever gone there, and returned.”

  David said softly “I guessed as much.” Then in a clear voice, ”I like the idea of posing as an emissary, would you please work on that while I attend to Aurora. I’m planning to leave in the morning, will that be enough time for you to prepare?”

  Aaron looked at David giving him that penetrating stare he had gotten so many times in the past few days. Then with an air of surprised satisfaction said, “Yes, I will make sure everything is prepared, and we will be ready by morning.”

  David stood as Jasmine brought him some food and water, and said, “Thank you Jasmine.” Then turning to Aaron said, “thank you.”

  Aaron asked, “For what?”

  David said, “For being forthright, and allowing me to consider my own fate instead of trying to tell me what to do. It’s clear you’re used to being in charge, and I appreciate the respect you’ve shown me.”

  Aaron smiled “young man, we are all headed down a path that has no map. I’m old enough to know that I don’t know everything, and you were chosen for a reason.”

  David nodded, and said, “I’d better go get Aurora.” He turned, and left feeling the enormity of it all again. He went from feeling like he had no idea what he was doing, to moments of clarity, but he couldn’t see more than one step ahead. In many ways, he wished he could go home, but there was a part of him that would never give up like that. As he walked back to the room, he shook off his feeling of doubt and thought back to Aurora. They were in it together, they both had their fears and doubts, and at the same time they believed in each other. They were bound to one another, and that bond was their strength and prote
ction. They were bound to one another before they were born, Aaron had said it “what God has brought together let no man tear asunder.” The only way their bond could break was if they broke it, but he knew neither one of them would betray the other. He only hoped their bond was strong enough for his protection to extend to her.

  He listened by the door, and could hear her soft rhythmic breathing telling him she was still asleep. He quietly pushed it open, and set the food down on the table. He stood for a long moment looking at her. Just seeing her there warmed his heart. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently pushed the hair off of her face. She stirred slightly at his touch, then in a soft voice he said, “Aurora.”

  She rolled onto her back opening her eyes, looked up at him, and smiled.

  "Hi there," David said in a soft voice.

  “Hi” She replied, “what time is it?”

  “I think it’s about 3 in the afternoon. I’m sorry to wake you, but the council will be assembled soon. I thought you might like a chance to eat, and clear your head before they get here.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  David got up and brought her some water. She sat up to take a drink. Looking out the window he saw a pleasant spot to sit where she could eat in the fresh air, and enjoy a view of the lake.

  “Would you like to sit outside for a little bit? It’s warm and sunny, and we could have some quiet time together while you eat?”

  She smiled, and put her arms around him laying her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her too and sighed.

  After a few moments of just sitting there, she said, “I suppose if we’re going to see the council, some fresh air would be good to help me wake up.”