The Staff of Ramah
Page 16
Chapter 13
Rose was aching all over when she finally woke up, still riding on her horse. She sat up and looked around to see that they were still plodding along the winding mountain path. Feeling rather closed in she shuddered and asked, “How much farther to Jeru?”
“Good morning Rose,” Jirah answered. “We are still a few hours away. Did you sleep well?” The sun was just beginning to crest above the mountains ahead.
“I did sleep, but now I wish that I hadn’t slept at all. I do not think that I have ever been this sore in my life.”
“We will take some time to recover once we get to the Capital.” Joshua responded. “All of us will need to be rested up before we take on the next part of our journey.”
The silence of the morning air was broken by the sound of Rose’s growling stomach.
“Maybe we should stop for a bite to eat.” Jirah said with a smile. “It would seem that we are not being chased for now.”
Joshua nodded and they all pulled over to the roadside and sat on a large rock. As they ate, Rose inquired further about the man they were going to meet.
“So tell me a little about this Logan fellow. What is he like?”
“He is a man driven by the honor of his knighthood,” Joshua answered. “He is the last of his kind, but it did not even cross his mind to abolish the Order of the Thorn.”
“When I lived in the capital, the Order of the Thorn was already diminishing,” Jirah responded. “There were only a handful of knights left from what was once a great number. Logan was just finishing his training at the time.”
“Those who worship Ya are less and less, so it stands to reason that there are few men left who would stand up for what is right and good.” Joshua said. “When I last spoke with Logan, I encouraged him to press on with trying to recruit new candidates, but I did not tell him just how futile the effort might be.”
“Jirah, you said that Logan was away when the cathedral was attacked,” Rose asked. “Do you know where he was at the time?”
“He was visiting his parents in Marah, a little town west of Throan. Like Joshua said, he has never forgiven himself for being away when the attack came, but he was not doing anything wrong. He was helping his father bring in the harvest on the family farm.”
“It truly was fortunate for him that he was away,” Joshua added. “I doubt that he would have lived if he had stayed in the city. He would have fought to the death to defend the honor of Ya.”
These answers did little to ease Rose’s mind about meeting this man. What would such a man of honor think of a woman like her? Till very recently, Rose had lived a life of dishonor and sin.
Jirah could sense the discomfort Rose was feeling and spoke to comfort her. “Rose, we all have a past. Are you worried that Logan will shun you because of your former life?”
Rose nodded with a worried face.
“If you are worried Rose, then you should try praying again,” Joshua said. “You seem to be having success as of late in talking to the creator.”
Having talked to Ya for the first time only just yesterday, Rose did not know all the rules regarding prayer. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ya had heard her first prayer, but she still doubted that they were on good speaking terms.
“To tell you the truth, I thought that I should save my prayers for times when I am in dire need. I don’t want to pester the Eternal One with all of my little troubles. I’m sure he has much more important things to do and better people to listen too.”
“Rose, it is time for you to fully understand who you are and who the Eternal Ya is.” Joshua said as he grasped her hand firmly. “Ya knows everything about you and loves you just the same. In fact, I am just now beginning to understand why you are the perfect candidate to be his holy priestess. Ya does not need you to be strong in yourself, he needs you to trust him. When you pray, it is a time to fully understand that you need the Eternal One to be your strength. You need him to flow through you to do the work he has set before you.”
There was a long silence while Rose thought about these words.
“I may as well get on with it then,” Rose said, standing up with a determined look on her face. “Would you two mind if I took some time right now to share some things with the boss?”
Jirah smiled and said, “Sure thing Rose. Take all the time you need.”
Rose walked to a shady tree just a few yards away from the road and got on her knees. She had seen Joshua praying on his knees before and figured that it was a good enough place to start.
“Eternal Ya, I want to start off with thanking you. Thank you for hearing me when I asked for help. I have to admit that I never believed you would hear one such as me, let alone answer in a powerful way. I also should say that I feel unworthy of your love and attention. I am worried that I will fail in whatever task you have set before me. I worry that I will let my new friends down. Please help me.”
Rose lay down with her face to the soft grass and just listened for a moment. In her heart, she yielded all of her hopes for a future into the hands of her new god. She truly wanted to give over to him all that she was, and all that she would ever be. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a brilliant light breaking through the trees above her. She looked up and saw a gloriously shining winged creature descending to where she was and she quickly covered her face in terror.
“Fear not Rose,” said a soft musical voice, “I have come to tell you that your prayer has been heard.”
Still trembling, Rose uncovered her face to look at the shining being. “The eternal Ya has chosen you to be his holy priestess. Go from here in his mighty power and bring healing to this broken and weary land. You will be a living example of the work that our eternal Father wills for the lives of his people. As you have been forgiven and changed, go out into the world and offer the same forgiveness to his hurting children.”
Too overcome with emotion to speak, Rose just nodded silently. She could feel a powerful change deep in her soul. As the shining one rose up away into the sky, Rose knew for the first time ever that her life had meaning. With the help of her father, the Eternal Ya, she would make it her mission to heal this broken and godless land. With a look of determination on her face, she got up to go tell her friends about what had just happened.
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