A Warrior's Journey (5 page)

“You shall have an even fuller portion of My
grace and blessing than even your father before you has been
given.”

“Why?” I breathed out in genuine shock at
the promised blessing so undeserved by me.

“Because I will it so and am more than
willing to grant a righteous father’s prayer to come to pass.”

I felt the river I was in intensify
suddenly, as it pulled me in deeper and then I was falling
deeper.

My eyes opened slowly. It must be late
morning judging by how high the sun was in the sky outside.
Memories came back to me of my ordeal in the early hours of the
day. I was already forgetting so much of my time spent within the
presence of the river of the Creator.

The feeling of what it had been like washed
all over me again. I closed my eyes as I relished the closeness
that I felt with my Creator in this moment. I didn’t know how
exactly life would be different from here on out, but I knew that
it could only be for the better, if I remained true to the
Creator.

I felt the Spirit of my Creator residing
within me even now like a comforting force of surety. I got up
slowly from off the floor. Despite the extra rest I felt drained of
all energy and yet I was oddly elated in a way. I needed to tell
mother about this.

Mother!

Father!

Now I remembered what had happened before my
spiritual awakening.

I was a killer!

Roric thoughtfully studied the faces of
those in attendance in the council chamber. It was a mixed crowd
made up of council men, castle lords, and city governors. Most of
the Valley Lander realm was represented in some way or another in
this room.

They talked among themselves now. He had
just told them of the attempt on his life and how it related to the
disturbing events that had been transpiring over the past two
years. He scanned through the faces of those gathered not liking
what he saw, as they talked quietly among themselves.

A governor from one of the southern cities
spoke up loudly, “Granted that everything you’ve put before us
makes the situation appear dire, but what are we to do against a
religious movement?”

“The same thing that we’ve done ever since
our peoples first split in division over religion, fight it.”

“Yes, but how can you fight an idea?”

Roric simply stared at him and shook his
head softly in barely reined in disgust. “Well for starters you
don’t role over dead before it!”

It was a sharp reprimand from one, who
rarely made a point of doing so, much less had to. The room grew
quiet.

“As I stated earlier a show of force must be
made in order to stamp out this cult before it becomes firmly
established!”

The governor from the largest of the
southern cities, who often spoke for the other cities at council
meetings, spoke reservedly into the still atmosphere of the room,
“Roric we respect your leadership and support your idea of a show
of force, but if this is all leading to a massive invasion of the
Zoarinian Empire itself? Well that I’m afraid we can’t and won’t
support!”

The castle lord from Esthol, which
neighbored Thunder Ridge, started to speak up angrily in support of
Roric, but Roric waived him silent.

In the twenty two years of peace since the
great battle there had been a not so obvious falling away among the
Valley Lander brotherhood. That is until now, now the divide was
sharply obvious within the chamber room.

There were many within the southern realm of
the Valley Lands that had not been in favor of doing away with the
power of the high council in favor of a single leader. In
particular there were also many within the southern cities, who
were not happy with the decision to leave the cities virtually
defenseless during the great invasion.

That the gamble had paid off only quieted
the voices opposed to Roric a little, but not completely. Roric
well knew the things said behind his back and how his leadership of
the nation was questioned. Perhaps some of the unrest also came
from the fact that there had been peace for over twenty years and
yet Roric had kept the nation and the army at readiness, as if in
preparation for a war that would start on the morrow.

Some even said that he was trying to
instigate a war in order to further his own glory. In any case
there was little to be gained in allowing those still loyal to him,
such as the castle lord from Esthol, to engage in ineffective
screaming matches with those who no longer respected him.

Further strife would only serve to fray the
bonds of brotherhood and now was not the time for such an
action.

“Very well.”

Those in attendance in the room looked
shocked at how easily Roric seemed to cave into the demands of the
southern governors. It was most unlike him to run from a fight.

“I want a hundred thousand men. Sixty
thousand on foot and forty thousand of our frontline cavalry.”

The governors from the south looking
extremely pleased with their success in challenging Roric and
immediately agreed to Roric’s request.

“Have each of your troop allotments gathered
and ready to march at Kingdom Pass in two weeks time. This council
is over.”

Roric abruptly stood up and left the room
not waiting to be questioned or engaged in conversation by any
within the room.

Later in the day from a lofty perch high on
Thunder Ridge’s battlements, Roric watched most of the attendees of
the council leave toward their separate homes.

Lord Rangold his hair white with age,
ponderously made his way up beside Roric to view the departure.

He harrumphed loudly, “These are dark times
Roric, when your own people turn on you after all that you’ve done
for them! What’s the world coming to anymore?”

Roric nodded as he felt much the same.

Lord Rangold continued, “My people are with
you Roric, you know that, but I have to say I see little sense in
this plan for a show of force. What good does it do us to march
around through the Southern Settlements, parading ourselves like
idiots along the Zoarinian Empire’s northern border?”

Roric glanced over at his friend and smiled,
“Rangold you know that plans are often subject to change, after all
am I not still the leader of our people and in full control of the
army?”

Lord Rangold guffawed and slapped his hands
together in a delighted clap of remembered power. “I knew you
wouldn’t let those pompous governors win the day! You have a
plan?”

Roric nodded, as he gazed once more on the
departing debutantes. His gaze grew somber. There was in no way,
that he, in good faith as a leader to his people could allow the
dark menace to continue growing unchecked.

The blood of his dead men, his friends,
cried out to him from the grave. His fists tightened at his sides
resolutely reflecting the deeper rage that dwelled within. Soon he
would have revenge.

I came out of the chapel with Gavin in the
late afternoon. I had been joining Gavin on his daily visits to the
chapel to study the fragments of the Word of God and I was richer
for the experience. Father was leaving tomorrow to join the army
gathering at Kingdom Pass.

I wished I was going with him, but I knew
how unlikely that was. Talaric was going of course. Gavin and I had
completed his sword last week and presented it to him. He had
seemed pleased enough with it and had thanked us, which had been
surprising coming from our often aloof older brother. Father
himself upon seeing the quality of the blade had come to us to give
us praise.

That had been worth far more than anything
our brother could have said or done. Gavin had positively glowed
for days afterward. I headed for the castle infirmary where my
older sister, Sansa, reigned supreme. Mother had taught her
everything she knew in the art of healing, and Sansa had put it to
good use. I had gotten a cut on my arm two days prior in a mock
battle with Rolf.

The cut had needed stitches and Sansa had
told me to come back the next day so she could check on it. I no
doubt was about to be scolded once again, as only an older sister
can towards a younger brother, for my tardiness in returning to
her.

As I entered the infirmary I about tripped
over a dog lying across the threshold. The infirmary could often
resemble that of a veterinary shop. It was often teeming with sick
animals and birds with broken wings that my little sister Ella’nara
would bring for her big sister to heal. Sansa to her credit always
tried to cure our little sister’s furry and feathered friends.

It was hard to deny Ella’nara anything.
Sansa scowled when she saw me, but she didn’t say anything
surprisingly. She had me sit down, as she looked over my arm, which
was healing nicely. Sansa took after our father’s darker looks,
while Ella’nara more strongly resembled my mother.

“Father was in today. He was looking for
you.”

I looked up at her surprised. I wondered
what he wanted. Probably just wanted to say goodbye.

Roric entered the hot house, where the
servants had said that Krista was. He turned a corner and stopped,
watching his wife at work. She was tending a massive arrangement of
fire flowers.

Roric had made a special trip to the
Attorgron jungle to bring back more of the special bushes just for
her. She looked up and smiled when she saw him. He knew she was
worried about him leaving tomorrow, but she kept it well hidden
from him.

“You look as beautiful as ever next to your
namesake.”

Her eyebrows rose suggestively as he drew
closer to her and he rewarded her with a kiss. He took her arm and
together they started out through the hot house on a walk.

Eventually they made their way outside into
the extensive flower gardens. His grandfather Thaddeus’s love for
flowers had rubbed off on both him and Krista.

“I have something to ask you dear. If you
say no I’ll respect your decision as final.”

She looked up concerned at the odd question,
“What is it?”

Roric paused and then started in on it, “You
know that I’m taking Talaric with me. I would also like to bring
Zevin as well. Is that too much for you to bear if I take him
too?”

Krista looked away for a moment, “Do you
think he’s ready?”

“For battle yes, for the horrors of war I’m
not so sure.”

Krista didn’t say anything as they continued
to walk.

“The reason I ask this is something…. no not
something. The Spirit of the Creator within me is urging me to give
him this opportunity and experience. I’ve prayed about it and I
haven’t been told otherwise so far.”

Krista looked up and Roric could see the
tears in the corners of her eyes, “If you feel that way in your
spirit and you’ve prayed about it, then that is what must be
done.”

Roric reached down and put his arms around
his wife as the tears started to come.

She stood on her tiptoes to whisper into his
ears, “You come back to me, with our sons!”

“I’ll try my best honey!” Roric said as he
pressed his face deeply into his wife’s curly hair.

I walked into father’s study not knowing
what to expect.

Father looked up from his cluttered desk and
smiled, “You’re not in trouble Zevin, so relax.”

I did relax a little at that assurance, but
I was still anxious as to what was going on. Father gestured for me
to take a seat and I did in front of his desk. Father got up and
came around to sit on the edge of it facing me.

“Zevin I’d like to talk about you,
specifically your future.”

I stared at him at a complete loss, “My
future?”

“At the end of last week you turned sixteen,
and in many ways you’re already a grown man. Your skill in fighting
is amazing for a man of any age. I very much doubt that we would be
having this conversation right now if it weren’t for the Lord using
you to help me against the assassins sent to kill me. By the time I
was your age I was already killing men and wild beasts in the arena
just to continue surviving to see the next day. That time in the
arena taught me a lot about life other than just the fighting
skills and experience that I picked up there. One dominating lesson
it taught me is the value of freedom. Freedom is never free Zevin,
it comes at a steep price and once you have it someone is always
trying to take it away again. One has to make a choice of whether
he is going to be a slave to other men’s desires or a master over
one’s own destiny. If you choose to live your life the way you
want, you can count on being in a fight or two along the way for
that right to live freely. You were born with a free spirit Zevin
and anything else just isn’t going to settle well for you. I think
you know that. Now why am I going into all this? Your mother and I
have both noticed a change in your spiritual walk with the Creator
as of late. Your mother told me about your experience with the
Creator that night and how you accepted His Holy Spirit to live
inside of you. Zevin, I could receive no greater news as a father
than to hear such good news of my own son’s progression in faith.
Son you’ve already won the biggest battle you could ever face. Your
destiny is sealed for all eternity, as long as you choose to
maintain your walk with the Creator faithfully. There is no person,
entity or power in existence that can take away your eternal future
with the Lord for evermore. The problem we face though, while we
still live in these mortal bodies is that there are many battles
yet to be fought and won. Not to ensure our future eternal reward,
that’s already established, but rather we fight these battles so
that by winning them we extend the opportunity for the same Spirit
of the Creator living within you and me to reign free in the hearts
of many more. This is the evangelism of our faith at its core.
Zevin this life shouldn’t be about how far we can exalt ourselves
above those around us. We should instead strive to live humbly,
exemplifying the character of the Creator and by His strength we
should strive to lift as many people as you can onto your shoulders
and help carry and enable them to reach the same eternal fate of
being forever in the presence of our Creator. That is what a
successful life looks like Zevin. It is the life that I have done
my best to model to you and as I have modeled it to you I also
expect the same or better of you. Zevin there is no doubt in my
heart that if you are willing and obedient to the Spirit of the
Creator living within you that He will use you to do great and
mighty things. Greater things than you have ever seen Him do on my
behalf. Son, I not only want you to live as I have and achieve the
closeness that I have with the Creator, but I want you to eclipse
me. As there is nothing impossible for the Creator to accomplish,
so there is nothing impossible for you to accomplish that He sets
your hand to do. In your darkest hour you will behold His awesome
might, for it is well said that He is the Lord of battles and our
clear and present help in times of distress. In your moment of
deepest sorrow you will find a friend like no other in Him and in
your greatest joy you will see His smile as His favor rains down
upon you. This is the future that I want for you son! Soon I am
leaving to take part in a war not of our own making and I want you
by my side. I know you are young and it would have been better to
spend more time in innocence, before being plunged into the
maelstrom of life, but the battle for freedom is before us and we
can not change the timing of it. Will you come with me Zevin? There
is no shame if you don’t, but for you I think it is important to
get started on your journey of faith early on so know that I urge
you to do this quest.”