A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind) (15 page)

I watched as Eliak disappeared through the doorway, followed by the Kurt family protectors. Not fully understand
ing what I was seeing, but knowing the deep yearning I felt within me for what I knew to be the truth fully understood or not I asked, “Can I go with them?”

A voice of authority, which felt as if it could crush me and yet breathed life into me at the same moment spoke off to my right, “There is a place for you there Roric, and for all who have asked forgiveness in My name and live a life sanc
tified before Me.”

I fell to my face unable to stand face to face with my Creator’s Son. Everything I had done wrong or imperfectly in this life rose up against me like a suffocating cloud of op
pression.

“A repentant heart is precious to the Father. Be bound no more by your past deeds and your fears of the future for I am with you always.”

Unable to speak past the waves of emotion racing through me I still framed a word in my mind, “Why?”

“Because I love you.
So much so that I died for you and rose again so that you might live forever more with
Me
in my Father’s presence. Stand now Roric.”

I was on my feet facing the Savior of all mankind, with
out knowing how I got there. I recognized the figure of a man then as the one who had healed Eliak. How could I not have known who He was earlier, it was so clear now?

“Roric will you follow me?”

“Yes!” I said without hesitation.

“Will you obey me and go where I will send you?”

“Yes!”

“Forsaking everything for my namesake, even your life?”

Panic filled me. Was I going to fail? Was this a test? I stuttered to form an answer unsure of anything when it came to my own strength to do the simplest of things suddenly,

“I’m weak, but if You
help me I will do it.”

“It is enough, as My
grace is sufficient for thee and My strength is made manifest through your weakness. Go and may the Spirit of the Creator that dwells even now within you comfort and strengthen you for the tasks ahead that I have placed for you to accomplish. Call upon My name and I will hear you and rescue you from all your enemies and troubles. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Roric, know that the plans I have for you are good and not evil. Be at peace and become one of
My precious jewels set in a place of honor for all eternity. The harvest is ready, but the workers are few and yet My Father’s will shall be accomplished. Awake to your place Roric and set your hand to accomplish My Father’s will and be blessed.” He smiled then and began to walk away with the remaining protector to
wards the door in the storm.

Almost frantic I yelled out, “Master wait
! What is it that I should do for
You
?”

Turning He said, “Be My holy warrior first and foremost and live according to My Father’s Word and His Holy Words only and all will go well with you. As you learn the Words of My Father and depend on His Spirit to guide you on your journey the hidden mysteries since the foundation of all creation will be revealed to you. You will see through the darkness and overturn the blindness and oppression of many, if you but believe and pray down the Creator’s blessings nothing will be too great for you to accomplish in My Fa
ther’s name.”

My Master turned towards the door and stepped through it, which melted around Him into nothingness. There was the sound, as if a thousand lightning bolts went off at once and then there was complete silence as the clouds disap
peared.

I blinked my eyes against the harsh early afternoon sunlight that had appeared suddenly and blinded me. I wheeled around and surveyed the cliff top, as I shielded my eyes with a hand. Everyone was gone except for the dead guards and what the crowd had left behind in their mass exodus to es
cape.

Had everything I remembered really just happened on this quiet and deserted cliff top? I felt such a lightness of spirit within me! The Spirit of the Creator within me felt like a happy babbling brook overwhelming its banks in the time of spring rains. I let it. My mouth fell open and words with no meaning to me poured forth in exaltation and praise to my Heavenly Father. A sense of purpose and a feeling of being loved welled up inside of me such as I had never felt so keenly before.

“Thank You God for freedom from the bonds of this world. May I ever please
You
and never disappoint You.”

Feeling released by the Holy Spirit I stood, but it would have been nice to stay in that place of oneness with my Crea
tor for forever. I walked over to the cliff’s edge and peered into the valley below. Smoke still rose from the ashes of what had once been the Kurt family’s homestead. Anger at the senseless destruction of a place that had been like a home
to me these past few weeks caused my fists to clench tight. People like Marfoul, that could commit such atrocities, had to be confronted and now I had the heavenly authority to do it. Turning from the cliff’s edge I looked through what had been left on the cliff top.

I personally didn’t care for any of the poorly made weapons the guards had on them and I had all but given up hope, when I came across a set of three Nizak fighting knifes on the last guard. Forged by the hill tribesman of the Khartian Mountains they were excellently made. They measured a little over a foot from hilt to point and were slightly curved up towards the point, but not too far to negate their ability to be thrown accurately. Their true usefulness in battle was in close hand-to-hand combat, one in either hand with the third in the waistband to replace a thrown or lost knife, if need be.

They were the only things worth taking from the cliff top. Gathering them up and stashing them in my waistband I headed northwest towards the Valley Lands. I hadn’t gone very far when I came to a small stream lazily making its way down the steep hill. Leaning down overcome with thirst I drank deeply as I splashed water up onto my head. My head still hurt from the blow I had received earlier in the day, and the cold water helped with the pain.

I heard rustling in the brush across the stream from me. Going completely still, but poised to move at a moment’s instance, I slowly lifted my head to look across the stream. There stood the stallion named Flin, saddled and fully provisioned. He was munching on some tender leaves off of the bush he stood next to. Eliak or one of the boys must have saddled and loosed him before the Zoarinians could inter
vene. Lifting my head up heavenward I said a silent thank you for the provision of the gift I had thought lost to me. Looking back at Flin I saw him flick his head over his shoulder in the direction of the Valley Lands.

“Okay boy we’ll go. Have some patience it’s been a long day.”

I got tiredly up to my feet grateful that I had a horse to ride. My head throbbed steadily, as I approached Flin and laid my hand on his neck and then pulled myself into the saddle. He accepted me as his master without resistance, of which more than just my sore head was grateful.

Chapter Six

Campfire

Two days later the Litian River lay just ahead of us. Just as darkness was looming dense we drew up alongside of the river. The river was in flood stage caused by snow melt from up in the higher peaks of the mountains. Flin started nudging forward toward the river eager for the challenge.
“Whoa Boy!”
I said, drawing back on the reins as I looked across the river to what lay beyond.

This was as close as I had ever come to my ancestral home. The land that lay beyond was completely foreign to me, but yet it seemed familiar in some intangible way as if I had been here before. What lay beyond this point I did not know, but I felt a sense of excitement welling up inside of me at the possibilities.

“Let’s go Flin.”

Flin released his tensed up muscles and we fairly lunged into the fast moving current of the river. The icy cold water took my breath away, as it rose quickly to my waist. Flin was a powerful swimmer and swam hard against the current to reach the other side. The current must have taken us a hundred yards or so downriver, when I felt Flin’s hooves dig into the opposite bank of the river and we started to climb up
and out of the icy water. Having gained a purchase on solid ground Flin broke into a gallop invigorated by the cold water and a general lust for life and adventure. Holding on tightly enjoying the strength of the stallion beneath me I grinned sharing in the sentiment of the moment and let Flin run all out across the plain towards the majestic mountains rising up before us.

As tall shadows began to form the sense of being watched began to form as well. Several times I drew Flin up and paused to survey my backtrail, but I saw nothing there to cause alarm. There did not seem to be anything out there, but me. Never the less the feeling of being watched contin
ued.

The feeling reminded me of an experience I’d had as a boy, when I had been but eight years old. I was coming home through a wooded glen near our home. My mother had sent me to our neighbor’s place further down the valley, with an herbal tea that had been needed to cure one of their little girl’s bad late spring coughs. I had stayed longer than I should have since the girl was quite pretty and had seemed very interested in my company. Not too many people ever seemed interested in having me around except maybe my mother so I had stayed soaking up the freely given attention.

The evening shadows were thick on the land as I had walked through the glen on my way home, not looking forward to my mother’s scolding for not leaving earlier. Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck had stood up straight,
as some primal instinct alerted me to a danger I could not see. I had broken into an all-out run for home not caring if I was making a big fool of myself or not so convinced was I that something was out there intent on getting me.

I could see the glow of the kitchen light ahead of me dim
ly through the gloom of the forest. The darkness around me seemed to scream at me. When had it gotten so dark and why was that light so far away?

Crack!

I could now hear the danger; some forgotten instinct had alerted me to! Panting heavy, my heart beat sounding like a drum in my own ears I had glanced over my left shoulder and beheld a living nightmare closing in fast! A hulking marsh cat, easily weighing over two hundred pounds was leaping over deadfalls and around tree trunks headed straight for me, with no good intent toward me gleaming in its huge glowing eyes. My head whipped back around and I ran the race of my short life.

I don’t know how I was able to keep my footing in the lit
tered jumble of the forest floor, but I did somehow, leaping over rocks and almost slamming into trees several times. Suddenly a large familiar hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the front of my shirt and heaved me up through the air, as if I had been no more than a feather’s worth in weight to land me behind a large sycamore trunk. Recognizing my father with a relieved gasp of air I watched as with one fluid motion he stepped out from behind the tree and unsheathed the old sword that usually sat above the mantle in our home
covered in dust. With the grace of a cat my father quickly moved towards the approaching feline shortening the dis
tance dramatically.

The marsh cat sensing the easy game of ‘tag you’re it’, had altered significantly tried to stop, as its massive muscles clenched tight and its paws dug up furrows in the loose debris of the forest, but it was too late. My father’s quick ad
vance had closed the distance between him and the cat, and with one smooth overhand swish of the blade the big cat’s head went rolling into the underbrush, as its body fell lifeless at my father’s feet.

Bending slightly my father calmly wiped off the blade of the sword on the cat’s fur. Straightening up from his task he turned towards me and contemplated me quietly as he put his sword away.

“Are you all right son?”

My mouth to dry to talk I had nodded yes.

Coming up alongside of me he had put his big hand on my shoulder, a gesture which offered me reassurance that everything was okay.

“Let’s not say anything about this to your mother okay son.”

“Yes, Father!” I responded emphatically relieved.

We headed for home walking side by side.

“Father can
you teach me how to use a sword like that?”

His big hand resting on my shoulder had squeezed hesi
tantly and then after a long moment he had said, “We’ll start in the morning.”

I never looked at my father in the same way again after that experience. He was more than just a father that cared for my needs, now he was both that and also a force to be reckoned with. He was dangerous. I had wanted to be dangerous like him.

Coming out of my reflections of the past I eased Flin towards a small brook up ahead of us that ran along the base of an up
thrust of rock. It was dark in the shadow of the cliff that I had chosen to make my camp under, which was good because it would obscure my plans from any prying eyes.

I would never make a camp in a spot like this normally and I was hoping that whoever was stalking me
did not know me well. My reasons for not liking the camping spot would have been quite obvious to an experienced traveler. I had been on the run from the authorities for years and I’d picked up some tips of what not to do during that time.

Building a campfire against a cliff face can reflect the light of the fire for miles around, even with a small fire. I had also learned the hard way in the past never to camp near water, because both beast and man alike were bound to go near it for necessity’s sake. Quickly under cover of darkness I gathered a large pile of dry wood from a nearby deadfall tree. I dug a shallow pit for a fire, only much larger in cir
cumference than I typically would. I hurried down to the stream with my saddle bags, which I filled up with large round river stones. The river stones were ice cold from the cold snow melt water coming down from the mountains. I
made a hot rolling fire. A fire that was much bigger than was needed and would be reflected off the cliff behind me for miles around.