“What did he say?” Thomas asked.
“He said he was no longer afraid to die,” the man said. “My son was always afraid of death, but today he talked about living forever. Do you understand this riddle? I do not, and it troubles me that my son found some magic I do not possess.”
“Your words comfort me more than you know,” Thomas said quietly. “It was not magic that your son possessed. It was God’s grace. Let us sit, and I’ll explain it to you.”
CHAPTER 37
Quelling the Rebellion
The rebellion’s tide of fortune turned quickly, yet there remained a few pockets of resistance. Samoth and the temple guard fought bravely, but their numbers and strength could not match the overwhelming power of Jabin’s men. One by one they fell.
Maria heard the crack of whips as men began to herd the group she was in toward the palace. “Move along,” a soldier shouted, cracking a whip above her head. She ducked behind several women to avoid the lash.
Just like cattle jostling about in a tightly fenced corral, their group moved awkwardly but steadily toward Jabin’s palace.
There was a shout, and Maria became aware of a battle raging only yards away. Glancing through the populace, she saw that Samoth was alone, fighting for his life. Their eyes met for a brief instant, and in that moment he let down his guard. He grimaced as a sword pierced his side. Shielding her eyes from the scene, Maria saw no more.
Jabin sat in the balcony and watched as those captured in the riot were herded into the room below and, one by one, beheaded. A boisterous crowd shouted, “Kill them! Kill them! Long live Jabin!”
Jabin had enjoyed the spectacle for a while, but he was beginning to tire of the sport. Taking a long gulp from a bottle, he turned to an aide and said, “Continue here while I stretch my legs.”
“Next!” the aide shouted as Jabin stepped from the room.
Jabin walked down several dark corridors. I wonder, he mused, would I know any of these people if I saw them closer?
Opening a door, he stepped onto a balcony overlooking a large ballroom. Many prisoners had been herded into this room to await their execution. He leaned against the railing and studied the faces below. Most he had never seen.
Samoth and Maria had run Endor ever since the war had begun. That had been a mistake, Jabin thought. But Samoth would never trouble him again. Soldiers had begun to pile the dead in the courtyard, and Samoth had been identified among the slain—wearing a dress, no less. Jabin smiled at that.
Jabin thought about Maria. She was probably the real threat. Those who had joined the rebellion wanted to place her on the throne. She might prove to be far more dangerous than a dozen men like Samoth.
Jabin felt a strange sensation, as if someone were watching him. He searched the milling crowd. It was nothing, he decided and turned to leave. That was when he saw her.
“Guards!” he shouted. “Seize that woman!” His voice filled the entire ballroom, startling guards and prisoners alike.
“Which one, Master?” someone shouted from below.
Maria ducked behind an old gentleman.
“There!” Jabin shouted, pointing his finger. “She’s behind that old man.”
There were many old men in the crowd, and the guards were at a loss. But following Jabin’s directions, they finally caught up with Maria and grabbed her wrist.
Turning to face Jabin, they shouted, “Is this the one?”
“Yes!” He smiled. “Bring her to me.”
“You little witch!” Jabin roared, backhanding Maria hard across her face.
Maria staggered, and tears sprang to her eyes, but she would not allow herself to cry. Her hands were bound tightly behind her back, so she could not sooth the sting on her cheek.
“You are just like your mother!” Jabin shouted. “She always sought more power. I gave you the temple and all the slaves you wanted, but that wasn’t enough. You wanted the entire kingdom.”
“But it wasn’t my idea—” Maria began.
“Liar!” Jabin roared, striking Maria so savagely she fell to the floor. “Do you want to be a queen?” he asked, his voice becoming low and menacing. “I’ll make you a queen! Get up!” He jerked her to her feet.
Jabin hurried Maria back to the temple and half led, half dragged the girl to her dressing room. “You will be a queen, and you will put on a show for your subjects!” he shouted. He opened her wardrobe, grabbed a dark-blue gown, and tossed it at her. “Get dressed like a queen,” he spat.
“My hands,” Maria said meekly.
His dagger flashed, and she wondered if it would cut her bonds or her flesh, but the cords fell from her wrists. She felt rather than saw her father turn away. “Make it fast!” she heard him growl. “We don’t want to keep your subjects waiting!” With that, he stomped from her room and slammed the door.
Her hands instinctively moved to where her father’s blows had fallen. Glancing in the mirror, she saw that her cheeks were swollen and red, but there was little she could do for them now. Slipping out of her rags, she paused only briefly to wash the dirt from her body before slipping into the gown. Her fingers traced the lace edging down her exquisite torso. She turned to examine herself in the mirror.
Maria could not believe her eyes. Staring from the glass was a man garbed in brilliant light. His face was gentle, his countenance mild. He held out his hands to her, and she could see that he had scars in his palms. Suddenly she noticed another man beside the first. The second seemed plain, almost common beside the first, but she recognized the second man and spoke the name that came to her mind: “Thomas.”
The plain man looked at her and smiled. “My lady,” he said, bowing slightly. “Meet my Master, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
She turned her gaze upon the man beside Thomas. Never had she beheld such grace, beauty, or holiness. She curtsied low, bowing both her body and soul before him.
Again he smiled and held out his hands. “Come!” he said softly. “And I will give you rest.”
Nodding, she reached for the nail scarred hands, and warmth flooded her soul.
Suddenly the latch to her door clicked, and Maria heard boots strike the floor. “Come!” a harsh voice demanded.
Maria nearly had to run to keep pace with her father’s angry stride. They crossed the square where bodies still lay in the afternoon sun. Jabin’s hand bit like iron into her wrist.
They entered the palace from a side door and climbed the stairs two at a time. She raced along, holding her long skirt in one hand while trying desperately not to trip and fall. They strode down a long corridor and came to a small door with guards on either side.
Jabin spun Maria around to face him. “You are going to see your subjects one last time,” he jeered. “And you are going to behave like a queen.”
“Bind her!” he barked to one of the guards.
She felt cords pull her wrists tight together behind her back, and she tried not to cry when they bit angrily into her flesh.
“Not just her hands,” Jabin growled. “Bind her elbows.”
The cords about her wrists did not loosen, but Maria felt another chord slip around her elbows.
“Make them touch,” Jabin commanded.
She gasped when, with a sudden jerk, both her shoulders were wrenched from their sockets. She writhed in agony and could scarcely breathe.
“Now, act like a queen,” Jabin sneered, grabbing her arm and jerking her through the door. He led her onto a balcony overlooking a large ballroom. “Behold your queen!” he bellowed. Every eye turned toward the balcony. Jabin forced Maria to the railing. Through tear-filled eyes, she could see horror written on faces below. She stood silent before her subjects.
Suddenly Jabin grabbed her hair and jerked her head back to expose her long, graceful neck. He stepped behind her, and she saw a flash of steel. Unable to move, she stood s
traight and tall. She heard voices below her moaning, “No, not her!” But the voices grew distant as she saw a great light growing in her mind.
Focusing her thoughts upon the light, Maria saw the King of Kings standing before her with his arms outstretched. A smile touched her lips, even as Jabin swung his blade. An explosion filled the room, and Jabin’s sword shattered in his hand, hurling him across the balcony. Blinding light and a deafening roar filled the ballroom. Jabin covered his head and tried to hide.
Maria felt she had awakened from a bad dream. All her pains and fetters were gone, and she felt freer than she had ever known. The world around her was filled with light, and in the midst of that light stood the King of Kings. Maria fell to her knees before the Master. She felt a warm hand on her cheek and heard someone say her name. Looking up, she saw Jesus reaching for her. He helped her to her feet and said, “Welcome home, dear child! Come. I have prepared a place for you.”
CHAPTER 38
Dispelling the Darkness
Jabin groaned and rolled over in his bed. “Master!” He heard a voice calling, but it seemed thin and far away. He reached for another bottle, but nothing could erase the memory of the blinding light or the blow that had physically thrown him across the balcony. When he had finally crawled to his feet, he could not even see his daughter, for she was bathed in a dazzling light that forced him to shield his eyes and dart for the door. Staggering down the hall, he kept asking himself, What happened? It did not matter how much he drank. He could not escape the memory of his daughter or the light.
“Master!” the voice called again.
“Yes,” he mumbled.
“Guards have spotted movement on the plain,” the messenger said from the hallway. “They want you to take a look.”
“Very well.” Jabin tried to clear his mind. A walk in the fresh air would do me good, he thought. He poured a glass of brandy and gulped down its contents. It burned in his stomach but did little to warm him. “I’ll be right there,” he shouted, setting down the glass and lifting the bottle to his lips.
The night was cold and clear upon the battlements. Jabin shivered as he watched a curious movement of lights below on the plain. Two sets of lights marched down the forest road. One set turned right and the other left as they entered the plain where slaves had labored to feed the kingdom of Endor for a generation. The night was dark, and none could determine the nature of their visitors, for all were clad in dark cloaks.
“What do you make of it, sir?” the sentinel asked Jabin.
Jabin said nothing but continued to study the movement of the lights. When the western arc of lights came to the river, it did not stop but crossed the river and moved along the opposite bank.
“It appears to be a ring of fire,” the sentry said, a bit disconcerted by his master’s silence.
“A ring of fire,” Jabin mumbled, and then he straightened. “That’s it,” he said. Stafford had broken through Jabin’s lines and was trying to hem him in. The fool! He was using torches, telegraphing his every move. Jabin would have used darkness and surprise if the tables had been turned.
Jabin turned to an aide. “Assemble the officers in the galley. We will ride in ten minutes. The north road still appears to be open.”
“That’s right, ma’am,” Benhada said. “Hold the torches as far from your body as you can. It will appear that two men are marching side by side.”
“Will we be attacked?” the woman asked.
“I don’t think so, ma’am,” Benhada replied, hoping he was right.
“Will we need to cross the river?” she asked.
“No,” the captain said. “We have Watchers on the other side.”
“How long will the torches burn?” she asked.
“Long enough,” Benhada said, hoping to heaven that he was right.
Thomas, Seagood, Mathias, and Rudy were hidden near the ramp leading to Endor’s gates. Their horses tugged at the reins, nervous and ready for action.
“I hope this works,” Rudy whispered.
“If it doesn’t,” Thomas said, “I will have blundered again.”
“I don’t know what they are thinking inside, but if I saw these torches, I would assume a great army had arrived and was about to set siege to the castle.”
“I hope that’s what they are thinking,” Thomas said. “If Jabin is scared, he may make a run for it.”
“We may lose him,” Seagood warned. “He should pay for his crimes against humanity, to say nothing of our young friend, Wart.”
All four men grew silent at the thought of their fallen comrade.
After some moments, Thomas spoke. “Our young friend wanted to free the slaves from this place. We may indeed lose Jabin tonight, but if he leaves, I feel certain that those left behind will surrender. Then we can set the captives free.”
Seagood shook his head. “If we achieve that, Wart will not have died in vain,” he said with a sigh.
“Hush,” Mathias whispered. “I hear someone coming.”
Iron hinges groaned as the dark doors of Endor began to swing open, followed closely by the clatter of hooves as thirty or more horses quietly descended from the gates above. When they hit the level, they turned north toward the only road that yet appeared to be open.
Rudy was glad Jabin’s men were turning to flee. He did not like the thought of four men fighting against thirty in the daylight, but such odds in the dark were unthinkable.
“Gentlemen,” Thomas said aloud, making Rudy jump in his saddle. “Shall we escort our guests to the border?”
The question why came to Rudy’s mind, but Seagood said, “I’ll even make the introductions.” In one swift movement, he raised a bow, placed an arrow to the string, and fired. The arrow whined through the air and sent a chill down Rudy’s spine.
“Ho ho!” Thomas laughed aloud and nudged his mount onto the road.
Jabin’s men heard the voices and the arrow and spurred their horses into flight.
Rudy shrugged his shoulders to ease a pain in his back. He suddenly felt disoriented and shaky. Maybe he was just tired. They had ridden all day and marched all night, only to lose Wart at this very gate. It seemed foolish to be making this midnight ride.
He watched the others disappear. How could they keep going? He slid from his saddle and began to walk, his head spinning. He rubbed his eyes. It seemed so dark! Disoriented, he suddenly felt afraid. “Where am I?” he asked aloud.
“Shh!” someone whispered nearby. “Not so loud.”
“Who are you?” Rudy demanded. He tried to find the speaker. “Where are you?”
“Rudy,” the voice called, “you’ve got to warn our friends!”
“Who are you?” Rudy asked again.
“More riders have left the castle,” the voice said. “Our friends will be caught between the two groups. If you run, you will catch them where the road turns east. Now go!”
Rudy had never been quick on his feet, but now as he began to run, he could not believe his speed. He leaped over rocks and boulders in the dark as if they were not there. He scrambled up inclines and raced through fields of beans and potatoes. Suddenly he could see the riders of Jabin away to his right, and not far behind followed Seagood, Thomas, and Mathias.
Charging forward, he came to a place where the road turned east and found himself between Jabin and his friends. As they rounded the bend, he began to shout and wave. “Get off the road,” he yelled. “You are being followed.”
The three men reigned in sharply. “Rudy,” Seagood demanded. “How did you get here, and where is your horse?”
“There is no time,” Rudy panted. “There are riders behind you. Now follow me.” He leaped off the path and led the others deep into the brush along the road.
The three men hurried into a shallow valley and stopped to listen. Above them on the road thundered the hooves of a hundred or m
ore horses.
When Jabin’s cavalry had passed, Seagood turned to ask, “Rudy, how did you know?” But the three men were alone.
CHAPTER 39
Change of Regime
They found Rudy the following morning near the gates of Endor. He lay facedown on the ground with a black arrow protruding from his back.
Thomas spoke quietly to the small group gathered around the two fresh mounds of earth beside the road to Endor. “Our friends Rudy and Wart became brothers in this life, and they were not long parted. God used them to touch people’s lives on this earth, and I believe He will continue to use them as they walk the corridors of heaven. Their service to mankind will never be forgotten.”
A man slipped quietly from the shadows and touched Benhada’s arm. “Cap’n,” the Watcher whispered. “Three men have been seen leaving the city.”
Benhada touched Seagood’s arm, and the small gathering moved quickly from the somber scene. They gathered at the forest’s edge and watched three men ride across the clearing bearing a white flag of parley. “The scum,” Mathias spat. “I’d like to give them a taste of my steel.”
“Peace, Mathias,” Thomas said. “If there is treachery here, let it be from their side, not ours.”
They held their weapons and watched as the party drew near. Suddenly Thomas sheathed his sword and ran forward with a shout of joy. “Stanley!” he cried. “You’re alive!”
The old farmer slid from his horse, and the two men embraced. Thomas stepped back and looked in the older man’s eyes. “What is going on in the city?”
The old man looked weary as he spoke. “My lord, the city, or what’s left of it, is yours.”
Thomas, Seagood, and their party rode through the gates of Endor. They were astonished by what they saw. Jabin and his men had left a mess. Dead bodies lay unheeded throughout the courtyard and in every building. They had never witnessed such wanton disregard for human life.
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