by Chris Wright
This brought a cry of alarm from the people, but Diabolus was quick to calm their fears. 'People of Mansoul, you know you can trust me for the future.'
The people walked away slowly, talking with each other about whom they could trust. Then almost at once they brightened up. The King was far away, they said. Some even started to laugh, saying, 'What's the use of worrying about something that may never happen?'
As Talora walked with me through the town, we noticed everything looked more dirty and uncared for than ever. Not that the people seemed bothered. They said it was better to live for the present than to let the future get them down.
The next day Diabolus called another meeting of the people, this time in the market square. 'Who wants armour?' he called.
'Is there going to be a fight?' several men in the crowd asked anxiously.
Diabolus laughed. 'I hope it will not come to that, but we must be prepared for an invasion. Now, who wants armour?'
The shadow angels looked excited to see so many hands going up. No-Truth, the new Keeper of Wisdom, stood on his box beside Diabolus, but no one at the back could see him. One of the shadow angels brought a taller box, which suited No-Truth perfectly.
'Stay where you are,' No-Truth called. 'You will all be armed before the day is out.'
But in spite of this promise, most of the people seemed unsure they would get their armour in time to survive an attack by the King. They pushed forward in a surge.
'Stay back! Stay back!' No-Truth called again from his box, reaching down to grab a helmet from one of the shadow angels. 'First, you will all get one of these -- if you keep back! It's important to protect your head if the King comes with his army. We call it the helmet of Hope, and Diabolus has one for each of you. Wear it, and no matter what sort of life you lead, you will be given hope that things will work out all right in the end.'
'How can you be sure?' a woman asked from the back of the crowd. I don't think it was the woman who had called out a few days before. Quite a few people seemed prepared to doubt Diabolus now. Two more voices repeated the question. I looked to see who had called, but from the faces it could be anyone, for all the people looked worried.
Diabolus turned round. 'Is the Magnificent Great-Hopes here?' he called.
No one answered.
'Great-Hopes,' Diabolus shouted angrily. 'Where are you?'
Slowly the crowd parted to let a man dressed in rags stagger through.
'Ah, Great-Hopes,' Diabolus said, 'show this woman how to wear the special helmet you have designed.'
The dishevelled man took the helmet from No-Truth and held it up for everyone to see. 'While you wear this trusty helmet you have no reason to be frightened about the future,' he promised. 'Look, I will show you.'
Great-Hopes put the helmet on No-Truth's head. It fell over his eyes. Everyone laughed.
Diabolus held up his hands to silence the crowd. 'Do not make fun of the armour,' he shouted. 'It is designed to fall over your eyes. Is that not so, Great-Hopes?'
The Magnificent Great-Hopes said it was so. 'The further it falls,' he told everyone, 'the less you will be able to see.'
Diabolus pushed Great-Hopes aside. 'That is right, my magnificent friend. If you wear the helmet of Hope, it is important you do not see what is before you too clearly.'
I wondered if Great-Hopes should be called False-Hopes, because that was all he seemed to be offering. But I suppose great hopes give people comfort for the future, even if they're false hopes, like those on offer here.
The crowd became silent as Diabolus called No-Truth forward and snatched the gold chain from round his shoulders, and replaced it with a heavy breastplate secured by thick leather straps. 'I have made this for you myself. It is of the finest steel. This breastplate will protect and harden your hearts, so the King's words can never reach you. You must be sure to wear it if you are to do battle with the King.'
Even though he'd parted with his gold chain, No-Truth looked proud as he put on the armour. Everything seemed too large on the thin body, but No-Truth wasn't bothered.
'Do I get a sword?' he asked, turning round to let the people admire what he must be thinking was his fine figure.
'A sword?' Diabolus cried. 'A sword? Why, I have here the finest sword. It is shaped like a tongue, and I have set the end of it on fire. It will speak by itself, and it will speak evil. Use it, and use it often, and the fire of your words will spread fast.'
No-Truth tried to jump in the air so everyone could see his armour, but he stumbled and fell backwards off his box. Diabolus looked so enraged that no one dared laugh. As soon as he was back on his feet No-Truth hurried into the crowd, strutting in his new armour. Diabolus yelled to him to come back.
'There is no time to lose,' Diabolus told No-Truth. 'More messengers are already on their way from the King. Get back on your box and stand still. I want everyone to see how to wear my armour. Why, No-Truth, you do not have your shield yet.'
Diabolus took a large shield from one of his shadow angels. I moved forward to read the name engraved on it. The shield of Unbelief.
'When you hear words that come from the King, catch them with this shield,' Diabolus told everyone. 'And when you have caught the words, throw them to the ground and scuff them out. I know there will be times when it is difficult, but you must do your best to destroy every message from the King.'
No-Truth stepped down from the box, safely this time, and walked forward.
Talora nudged me. 'Just look at him, Zephan,' she whispered. 'He thinks he's marvellous, swaggering up and down in that heavy armour. But I think he looks funny.'
'The people don't think he's funny,' I told her. 'Most of them look as though they can hardly wait to have armour of their own.'
'Not everyone,' Talora said, pointing to the back. 'Some of the people over there look as if they'd rather go home and think about it.'
'Come back!' Diabolus roared at No-Truth, who was again making his way through the crowd. 'You still do not have everything you need.' He waved a wide leather strap in the air.
'What is it?' No-Truth asked nervously, as he made his way back.
'A small but important shield,' Diabolus said.
A few people started to snigger, but not for long. They realised Diabolus was serious.
'It is for the mouth,' Diabolus explained irritably. 'Wear it tightly. Then, even if you try, you will never be able to call out to the King.'
'Maybe the time is coming when we'll need the King to help us,' a young boy said.
'Do you really think the King wishes to help you?' Diabolus jeered. 'The King may pretend he wants to help, but I have already told you he is coming to punish you. Now, who wants their share of this beautiful armour?'
It seemed everyone did. The people tried to grab every item the shadow angels held.
'Be quick,' Diabolus called. 'Your enemy the King may even now be watching the town, preparing to invade Mansoul.'
This seemed an unwise comment to make, for the people pushed forward harder, pinning many of the shadow angels tightly against the wall.
CHAPTER 12
Four Captains
Once things settled down, the shadow angels were kept busy handing out armour for nearly an hour. 'Pass these back to your friends,' they ordered those at the front. 'Let no one go without.'
The people at the back, who had not seemed all that keen to have armour until now, allowed themselves to be dressed up. Perhaps they thought there was little point in being different.
I stood with Talora, watching in horror as the whole town became armed. Talora said she couldn't see how the Lord God would be able to penetrate Mansoul now.
'O lion-like people of Mansoul,' Diabolus called to the crowd, 'will you be brave enough to help me fight against the King when he comes?'
A cry went up, assuring Diabolus of support. At that moment Talora and I heard a warning shout from the watchtower at the Eye Gate.
'Be quick, some men approach!'
As th
e people ran to the town walls, I flew high above Mansoul with Talora. We could see four battalions of soldiers marching towards the town with the sun behind their backs. Soon they were within shouting distance of the walls. Diabolus locked himself in his stronghold, saying it would be best if he stayed there -- until someone gave him a full report.
The captain who led the first battalion had a voice that sounded like thunder. The people looked at each other and wondered if it was Conscience, the original Keeper of the Law. But no, they said, everyone knew Conscience was still in prison with their old Mayor, Understanding.
I recognised the captain. I think all angels know the names of the Lord God's mighty warriors. This was Captain Boanerges, whose name meant Son of Thunder. He held a large, dark flag with three thunderbolts painted on it.
A captain called Conviction led the second battalion. His flag was a pale gold colour, showing a copy of the Book of the Law.
The third captain now came forward.
'It's Captain Judgment,' Talora whispered. 'Look at his flag. See the picture of fierce fire?'
'And that's Captain Justice,' I said, as the fourth battalion came forward to the gate. A soldier carried the flag for Captain Justice. The flag showed an axe cutting at the roots of a dead tree.
Then I realised that the people of Mansoul weren't looking at the soldiers or their flags, but had their eyes fixed on the horizon. They told each other they thought they could see someone watching from the golden haze of the sun.
'It's the King, the King!' they called in alarm.
No-Truth had kept his box with him, so he could be sure of a good view over everyone's heads. He stood on it, on tiptoe, and used the gatekeeper's telescope. After looking for several minutes he put the telescope down and turned to the crowd, laughing. 'It's nothing more than a mirage in the heat,' he explained. 'You surely don't think the King will bother to come to this town!'
'Then why are the King's soldiers here?' someone asked.
'They have no business with Mansoul,' No-Truth replied from his box. 'Now then, who will help me destroy these men, so we can live in peace?'
Most of the people shook their heads. There seemed to be far too many soldiers out there.
Captain Boanerges marched to the foot of the town walls. 'I have a message from the Lord God, the Creator of the Universe,' he called.
The people on the walls put their hands to their ears in horror. I nodded to Talora. 'If they've got any sense they'll listen.'
'But they'll refuse.' Talora guessed, and spread her wings to move to the top of the Ear Gate.
The people started talking grimly among themselves. Choosing, the new Keeper of the Gates -- and all the rest of his title -- came forward. 'Go away and leave us in peace,' he called down to Captain Boanerges. His voice sounded weak again. He was also as thin now as when we first saw him.
As soon as Boanerges started speaking, Choosing ordered the people to come away from the walls and hurry with him to the stronghold of Diabolus. This sounded interesting. I joined them with Talora. In angry silence Diabolus heard the full account of the army.
'Fools!' he shouted. 'Fools! Did I not order you to be on your guard? Why did you dare go to the walls of my town to look at the soldiers? I blame you for this, Choosing. You had no right to look at the soldiers. Did I not warn you that the King was coming to take all of you captive? Hurry, make sure the town gates are well fastened. It is important for everyone to wear their armour.' He turned to a citizen whose helmet of Hope was high on his head and slammed it over the man's eyes. 'Wear it properly,' he ordered. 'Wear it low, or you may learn things it is better not to know.'
'Maybe the King is coming to keep us safe,' a girl protested.
'Safe?' Diabolus snapped. 'Safe? If you try to follow the King's commands, you will lose all hope of safety. Trust me, and everything will work out all right.'
'That's the sort of thing the Magnificent Great-Hopes would say,' I whispered to Talora.
'Great-Hopes with his false hopes,' she added.
If the situation wasn't so serious I'd have smiled. A sudden blast from a trumpet made me jump. Yes, even angels can jump at unexpected noises, but not for long. Everyone in the town clung together in panic, then quickly recovered and ran back to the walls to see the reason for the trumpet. Diabolus went with them, saying it was time to silence those soldiers for ever.
Talora flew with me above the town as the four captains lined up below the walls, the trumpeter still blowing his summons to the people to come and listen to an important announcement.
Captain Boanerges, the Son of Thunder, spoke first. 'I have come from the King with an offer of peace,' he called up. 'But I have orders to take Mansoul by force if you reject his offer.'
That might seem like a very short speech to make after such a long journey, but the words echoed and re-echoed around the walls so that everyone heard them many times. It wasn't long before the whole town seemed to be discussing the meaning of the captain's words.
As the echoes faded, Captain Conviction took his place. He pointed to the book of the King's Law on his flag. 'You have disobeyed these Laws,' he called up to the people.
'Maybe we have,' Choosing replied in his feeble voice, 'but what will happen to us if we let you in? That's what we all want to know.'
Captain Conviction seemed to have no trouble hearing him. 'If you want forgiveness, tell the King you have been wrong in neglecting him. Then call to him for mercy.'
Choosing exchanged guilty glances with the people lining the walls, but kept quiet.
Captain Judgment came forward with his flag of fire. 'The messages we bring are not our own,' he announced. 'They come directly from the King. Do not take our visit lightly. If he wishes to do it, the King can destroy you all today. His offer of peace will not continue for ever. Take it now, and be sure of safety.'
As with the other messages, the words echoed around the town walls and narrow streets for some time. Before the echoes had fully died away I flew down, landing on top of the walls where Talora joined me. Instead of answering the captains, the people turned again to Diabolus to hear what he had to say.
Diabolus said nothing.
Captain Judgment hadn't finished, and his message seemed to make Diabolus more afraid. 'People of Mansoul,' Captain Judgment called up in a voice almost as loud as that of Captain Boanerges, 'do you want the King to punish you, as he will punish Diabolus one day? Come now, accept his offer of peace and turn away from your new master.'
Diabolus strode forward and started to climb onto the highest part of the town wall, but when he got there he had to sit down. He looked frightened, and I think he sat down to make sure the people didn't see his legs shaking. Still he said nothing.
Captain Justice, standing slightly behind Captain Judgment, pointed to his flag. Everyone could see the picture of the dead tree and the axe. To make his message easier to understand, the captain called for the soldier with the axe to come forward. He touched a large, leafless tree close to where he stood.
'Do you see this tree?' he called. 'It has no fruit on it, for its branches are dead. The King says you are like this tree. You have produced no good fruit. Watch as I take my axe to the tree and cut it down, for it is useless. Be warned, the King will not be patient forever.'
The axe fell with a crash on the base of the tree. I watched in fascination as the Ear Gate shook on its massive hinges. Diabolus looked down in alarm from the walls of Mansoul, probably afraid the gate would open and allow the King's soldiers to sweep into the town.
The people whispered to each other that the shaking had started as soon as the four captains had begun to deliver their messages.
Choosing clapped his hands and called for a good friend of his, a large man called Won't-Believe, who boasted he could hold the gates firmly shut. Won't-Believe hurried to the Ear Gate and threw his large weight against it. The shaking stopped, the echoes of the captains' speeches died away, and for a time the whole of Mansoul became silent.
/> Won't-Believe climbed slowly onto the town wall beside Diabolus and shouted to the King's soldiers to be on their way. 'You have come with angry words that we cannot understand,' he told them. 'It does not seem to us that you have come from the Creator King. All you say is nonsense. We have no place for men such as you in our town.'
Diabolus told his shadow angels that he was worried the people would open the gate in a moment of weakness. If anyone opened the gate only slightly, he explained, the soldiers would be able to force their way inside with more messages from the King.
'And then all will be lost,' he finished.
I stayed on the town walls with Talora, talking to her about the love of the Creator God who wanted to help the people of Mansoul. We intended to stay awake, but somehow we dropped off to sleep in the early hours of the morning.
A long blast from a trumpet woke us with a fright. I was learning quickly that I'm not too good with sudden trumpet blasts. Well, we don't get things like trumpets on Eltor, where the only sounds are the rustling of drelgo leaves in the summer, and the steady roar of strong freezing winds throughout the winter.
Shouting and the cries of battle filled the air of Mansoul. Angels can wake up really quickly when we have to, so we spread our wings and shot off to see what was happening.
CHAPTER 13
The Siege
The King's soldiers -- the warrior angels -- already had the town under siege, but the people must have been awake before us and were prepared for the attack. Two of Mansoul's enormous guns, mounted high on the town walls roared out, firing cannon balls amongst the King's soldiers, causing several injuries. But the King's soldiers seemed fearless as they charged at the Ear Gate.
The four captains had brought huge catapults mounted on wheels, as well as giant battering rams. With the catapults they hurled huge rocks at the walls. Then with the battering rams they attacked the Ear Gate.
The sound of the crashing rocks made me want to get out of the way, so I took Talora with me to see what was happening inside the town. Certainly the people defending the walls seemed determined to put up a strong fight, while further back Diabolus screamed at everyone to fight harder.
'Remember, the King will show no mercy if his soldiers break into the town!'
The siege continued all day, until rocks from the soldiers' enormous catapults smashed the two cannons defending the Ear Gate. Several of Diabolus' best friends in Mansoul were killed in the fighting, while many of the people ran home to their families, afraid that the King's soldiers would break through the gate.