Memory of it passed away over the years. It was rumored that there was a vestige of higher technology still in use there and that the land was to be avoided.”
Another document came up virtually. “Three sons of Berniam and their families finding no land that they were welcome in built ships and sailed southwest toward the forbidden land called Assoria, never to be heard from again.”
“What is Berniam?”
Abby looked like she was remembering something that wasn’t very clear, “Vaguely I remember an incident’s of where some of our ancestors were marooned on a habitable moon in the old galaxy during the great war. The native peoples took them in and cared for them. Our people rescued our lost ancestors at a later date from the moon, but the enemy found out and punished the native people of the moon. Few survived the genocide, but those that did were rescued and brought along with us even though they were not of our people. They were looked down upon by our people mostly because of their smaller size and pagan beliefs. Their treatment angered my father. Their sacrifice for our people had been a selfless one and though smaller in size they were formidable warriors in their own right. He felt sorry for the way they were treated by our people as inferior outsiders. I had forgotten all that until you sparked the memory of it.”
Roric told her of Gavin’s dream.
“Then you think it is these people of Berniam from the land of Assoria that my son saw in his vision?”
Abby nodded, “They meet the description that I remember.”
Roric was silent for a while and then said, “I need you to print a map that contains all the available information that we have on the land of Assoria.”
Abby indicated a large paper that was even now coming out of a machine, “Consider it done.”
Roric sat in the chair watching his son grapple with the same information that had blown him away. The existence of an entire continent and ethnic people that they hadn’t even known existed on this very world.
Shaking his head as if he just couldn’t believe it Gavin said, “I have to go! I just simply have to. The Creator’s telling me that these people need His Word and His freely given salvation, if I interpret the vision right.”
“Your father and I are also in agreement that you should go, but only on one condition.” Krista said.
Gavin stared at her anxiously waiting for the terms of his release to go on the mission.
“Your brother will have to accompany you and be in charge of the entire mission.”
It wasn’t any concern to Gavin that his brother was to be in charge that worried him, “You know he won’t want to go on such a mission!”
Roric responded thoughtfully, “It’s not that he wouldn’t want to go on such a mission, because I think he would. What would keep him from going on such a mission is because he feels he owes me an unwarranted amount of duty in order to serve as a replacement for his older brother’s absence.”
“Exactly! He’ll never leave you father!” Gavin exclaimed resignedly.
“He’ll leave because above all else your brother is a faithful warrior first and foremost and he will obey any order I give him.”
Gavin stayed quiet and nodded, surprised at his father’s willingness to send both of his remaining sons away on a mission that they both may never come back from.
“You should prepare for the quest Gavin. Gather up whatever materials that you think you might have need of to minister the Holy Scriptures to this people strange to us. They may not speak our language, which is something you will need to be prepared for. Picking the men for this quest that will accompany you will be your brother’s responsibility.”
Gavin nodded and got up preparing to leave.
“One more thing Gavin.”
Gavin stopped and looked at his father expectantly.
“I’m giving your brother complete authority and leadership of the mission. You will obey and not question his leadership choices during the mission, whatever the situation is and whatever his choice may be. Do I make myself clear Gavin?”
Gavin nodded solemnly and then left quietly closing the door behind him.
Krista looked at her husband steadily, “He’s right dear husband. Zevin will not like leaving your side and service. It’s something he sees as his sworn duty.”
Roric looked at her and said, “I know.”
Chapter Two
Slaughter in the Forest
The musky woodsy smell of the targano tree bark behind my back filled my nostrils with its aromatic essence. I pulled in air slowly and deeply preparing my body for the sudden and chaotic paced moments ahead of me.
The branch I stood on was thick and the arrows that I would need were already lightly staked to it near my feet close to the trunk of the tree. In my hands rested a powerful composite bow that I made myself.
The sounds of a few solitary woodland creatures could be heard, but the usual cacophony of forest sounds was muted much more than usual for this southern realm of the Attorgron forest during the late morning hours. The reason for the departure from the norm could be heard in the stamp of feet and the jingle of harnesses.
The sound of an army on the move.
In this case it was a large raiding party of Zoarinian troops, which were headed deeper into the forest in search of the Attorgrons. As the revival brought about by the dispensation of the words of the Creator in its entirety to the peoples of my world had developed and grown a surprisingly positive result had been the wholesale change of heart that had taken place within the peoples of the Attorgron forest.
They forsook their wicked ways and accepted the salvation of their Savior over their lives and became a new people.
Even cannibals and pagan priests had recanted of their evil ways and had been washed clean by grace as they had felt the Creator’s mercy extended even to them.
All Scripture was true and in the verse that stated that “God is not a respecter of persons” could not have been better illustrated by the transformation of the Attorgron peoples.
Their new religious step of faith had not come without consequences though. Enmity had formed between the Attorgrons and their free living neighbors the Zoarinians. The Zoarinians chose not to embrace the faith in the Creator. Growing alarm over the likely alliance of the Attorgrons with the Valley Landers in joint force against them they had acted swiftly to destroy their neighbors.
They had destroyed the city of Santarus. Literally burning it to the ground and slaughtering its entire population. The Attorgrons had responded and fought back halting the advance of the Zoarinian forces further into their forest world.
In the bitter fighting that had ensued it became clear that the Zoarinians did not have the military forces to overwhelm the entrenched Attorgrons so they reverted to the tactic of raiding and pillaging. A tactic that they hoped that in the future would weaken the Attorgrons and bring them to their knees.
My father would not let our new friends fight and die alone however. He marshaled the Valley Lands and the Southern Settlements and fought fire with fire.
The entire northern Zoarinian border was a site of constant conflict, which tied up the bulk of the Zoarinian forces, as they feared the breach through by any of my father’s men and the resulting destruction of more of their proud cities.
The same tactic that they had used against the Attorgrons my father’s men and allies used against them. Zoarinian towns burned and crops were not harvested. It was the Zoarinians who were slowly being weakened and brought to their knees.
My father had sent several contingents of our best warriors to aid the Attorgrons in their efforts to repel the vicious raids of our common enemy. He had placed me in charge of the Attorgron resistance, while Larc commanded the northern action.
It had been a brutal six months since I had last seen my homeland, but I yearned to see it again with passion. My sense of duty held me firmly to my post though.
The raids were growing fewer and I hoped that soon they would quit altogether. The Zoarinians
were losing far too many troops for their raiding tactic to be an effective one anymore. And if the Creator was with us, today would be no different.
The Attorgrons were masters of disguise and they had taught me and my men everything of their skill. I knew my men and our allies were all around me, but spotting them was an endeavor.
The enemy party grew closer and soon they were passing beneath us. They moved quietly for fear of alerting us to their presence in the forest. Of the last three raids only one raiding party had returned home and it had been down below half its original number and strength.
The size of this party was considerably larger than in the past. If we destroyed them they may not send another and then it would be the Attorgrons turn to raid their weakened neighbors and repay them for their brutality.
My best estimate of the enemy force moving quietly below us put it at two thousand men with perhaps four hundred horsemen. I had three hundred of my own men and seven hundred Attorgron allies. Better than 2 to 1 odds against us.
Nothing new about those odds. I saw my target and slowly I rose up my arm holding my bow and drew back the arrow it held already strung.
For all viewable purposes my actions appeared as if a branch of the tree was being ruffled by a strong breeze so complete was the disguise of green and brown paints and the twigs and leaves adhered to my body. As I moved the whole canopy of the surrounding forest rippled, as if caught by the same sudden unpredicted breeze.
I sighted down the arrow and let my breath out slowly as I took aim and with the release of my fingers on the end of the arrow shaft I unleashed a fierce unseen hell upon the helpless troops beneath us. Before the garishly dressed field commander had fallen to the ground from off his horse by my well aimed arrow a thousand more arrows had found their mark.
Screams of pain and shouts of war rang out from beneath us. Steadily I yanked each arrow free from where I had staked them and after methodically taking aim I let them on their course of death.
It was a bloodbath beneath the canopy of the forest. We had worked hard to set up this ambush leaving misinformation for the enemies’ informants. We had made an all-night march through the forest; one scouts life had been lost giving the enemy misinformation instead of the truth as he was tortured to death. This was payback for what happened to him and others like him.
No quarter had been given by the enemy in this war and none was being given back in return. A few scattered survivors managed to escape the scene fleeing back the way they had come. We let them go intentionally so that the bad news would reach their peers.
The forest floor beneath us was strewn with the bodies of the enemy. No doubt some of them were still alive playing dead hoping to survive till nightfall, when they too could escape or at least try to.
The Attorgrons had too much pent-up hatred though to allow that leniency. They came down out of the trees and began to systematically make sure that everyone was dead and at the same time they collected weapons and loot.
I had no stomach for such actions so gathering my bow and remaining arrows I lithely jumped down onto lower limbs until I reached the ground. My actions were echoed by my men and together we made our way through the scene of death towards our horses that were tied up roughly a mile away.
I hoped today’s victory would send a clear message to the Zoarinian commanders that it was time to end their faulty strategy of war and focus instead on preparing their border for the raids that were soon to come from the Attorgrons onto their soil.
It gave me no pleasure to kill men from concealment. I would rather face them in open battle than kill stealthily from ambush. There was no honor in this kind of warfare, just killing.
The silent walk to the horses helped clear my mind some. When we reached the horses the man on duty signaled me. Approaching him I saw he held a letter.
“This was delivered by a scout not over an hour ago for you Sir!”
Taking the letter I recognized my father’s seal and I tore open the letter not sure if I would find good or bad news, perhaps even both. “Dear son from your reports I gather that the need for you and your men aiding our allies is no longer a necessary one and I have already said as much to the Attorgron leadership. Upon receipt of this letter I wish for you and your men to come home as I have a more pressing need of your service on a mission that concerns your brother and perhaps the fate of an entire people. Do not delay in coming to me!”
The fate of an entire people?
What did that mean?
A mission involving Gavin?
“What is it Sir?” Asked Zartanin one of my closest men.
I folded the letter up and looked at him, “We’re leaving for home. Right now!”
The men didn’t question me, but moved to their mounts and within moments the clearing was empty. We headed north along narrow forest paths shown to us by our allies.
What was happening at home I did not know, but I instinctively felt a big change was coming. We rode for days until we reached the foot of the mountains and then we walked pulling are exhausted mounts up behind us. We reached the secret pass high up in the mountains the fourth day of walking and then mounting up we rode down the other side.
It was late in the night when our column of riders rode up the stone streets of the Ta’arny. Riders broke off one by one from the column to go to surprised loved ones that they hadn’t seen in six months. Over half our number was gone from the ranks by the time I neared the big gates of Thunder Ridge that stood wide open with torches ablaze as sentries stood guard.
My father was always well-informed and it didn’t surprise me that he was expecting us to arrive this night. The rest of our number peeled off as we made our way through the castle until I and Relentless were alone as we made our way up the last few steep stone clad streets to reach the Great Hall.
Relentless puffed hot clouds of steam into the cold night air, as I brought him to a halt at the base of the stairs. More torches decorated the night with their fiery glow as I dismounted and handed the reins to an attendant and started for the stairs. Looking up I saw my mother standing wrapped tightly in a fur coat.
I had to smile at the welcome sight of her. Mother was one of the very best parts of coming home because she helped make home what it was to me, which was a haven I felt secure in.
Krista watched her son approach up the hill on the massive black stallion that he loved. The two were a pair in reserve and barely leashed civility at other times.
As the stallion stopped and her son dismounted with the grace of his father’s quick effortless movements she marveled not for the first time as she saw her son begin to approach her, had the Creator really so blessed her that she could claim the virtuous and powerful young man coming up towards her as the offspring of her womb?
As he looked up and gave her a rare smile which she returned, yes He had! She felt a thrill coursed through her as she watched him come up toward her. He had the commanding presence and masterful bearing of his father with a heart to match.
What was the Creator going to do with this young man? Time would tell. His big arms closed around her in a tight embrace that swept her off of her feet. The cherished embrace of her son and the sound of his steady heartbeat beneath her ear that was so similar to the love of her life caused tears to press out of her eyes as she thanked the Creator over and over in her heart for her son’s safe return from war.
She felt the arms of her mate close around her and her son and for a moment she felt true happiness. She savored every second of it, because such moments in life can be so fleeting and far in between.
After a long moment in the embrace of my parents I reluctantly stepped back, but still holding onto my mother I looked at my father and said, “I need a woman like this to come home to father.”
Father laughed and pulled mother out of my arms and into his. “You have to get your own boy! This one’s taken!”
We both laughed at mother’s rosy complexion.
“It’s so good to see yo
u son! A might earlier than I expected, but all the better. I don’t think I could’ve managed to return so swiftly as you did !”
“It’s good to see you father and I’m sure that if the tables were turned and you were in my place you would of been here in time for dinner instead of like me, who is going to have to starve until breakfast.”
“No son of mine is going to starve on my watch! You run along with your father and I will see to the food!” Mother said as she hurried off.
Father looked at me for a long moment and then said “Humility is one of your greatest strengths son. It was nice what you said, but I doubt it would be true if put to the test. I would’ve probably been in time for breakfast and no sooner.”
“Lying does not become you father.” I said with a quirky smile.
For a moment he appeared shocked, but then he laughed and throwing an arm around my shoulders we started off walking towards his study, “You know me too well son!”
I sat in the chair across my father and listened to the entire story. Excitement bubbled up in me at the thought of exploring an unknown continent on our very own world. A new and strange place to discover.
Stop!
My place was here! Or was it?
“How does Gavin’s vision concern me?”
Father stared at me steadily and then responded, “Your brother is an extremely capable individual with good common sense, except when it comes to two things. Sharing the Holy Scriptures to the lost and somewhat more speculatively on my part, the realm of love between a man and a woman. He may well be successful in saving the souls of a tribe of cannibals that he sits down beside to discuss their dinner plans and share the good news with, but he might also try the same with a group that has alliances to the dark side that do not wish for change. Your brother’s faith and desire to share the Creator’s word are powerful, but he lets himself get into situations sometimes that are best to have been avoided. You know what I’m saying is true.”
I could not deny the truth of my father’s words. I myself over the recent years had saved Gavin’s backside several times from situations that his overzealousness had gotten him into.
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