By the Sword (14 page)

Almost instantly, the room quieted.

“We will march far out of the way of our former ally nations toward Malinor and then bring Ittonifer’s empire to an end!” he shouted.

The hollering crowd jumped up and down. Talya
leaned against the wall, enjoying
the energy in the room. She
decided to save her energy for
battle
practice
. With the fight at Cardamon under her belt
and
several hours of training besides, she would be an even better fighter this time.

The noise went down
a level
when servants entered the room carrying platters of delicacies. Everyone returned to
their
seats.

“Sit with us, Talya,”
called
Atalsa.

Talya smiled and nodded. The dark-haired girl wore an extravagant bell-sleeved gown. Most of the female soldiers and knights had dressed up for the occasion, while the majority of the men wore freshly shined armor. Talya just wore a slightly fancier tunic, with her hair tied back into a ponytail. She never wore gowns
for any reason
, and she thought it was ridiculous to wear battle attire to a banquet.

Talya sat down across from Atalsa and Tasar. The two knights had grown on her a lot since their first meeting. She considered them friends.

“I am anxious to get some more training done before the war,” said Atalsa.

“You have nothing to worry about. You’re the finest archer here,” grinned Tasar.

“And we all know who the superior swordsman is now,” said Talya with a grin.

The three of them laughed.

Tanel, Timlin, and Pori
joined them
at their table then. Talya nodded at the twins and looked at Tanel, but he ignored her. She bit her lip and tried to ignore how much it hurt to have him be so angry
at
her.

Timlin and Pori got into a debate about who was better at counter attacks on the field, while Tanel sat in silence, deliberately looking away from her.

Atalsa giggled as Tasar whispered something in her ear. They looked like two pathetic lovebirds.

What a great celebration dinner this has turned out to be.

Talya huffed and focused her attention on the decorated room, but her mind kept wandering back to Tanel. She had never known him to hold a grudge like that before.
He used to be a friend that she could count on no matter what.

A delicious meal was placed at their table by a couple of servants. Talya’s stomach growled as she inhaled the aroma of marinated meat, buttery potatoes, and seasoned vegetables.

Timlin reached for a slab of pork, but Pori slapped his hand away.

“The ladies will be served first,” he said.

The strapping knight passed the plate to Talya with a wink.

“Thank you,” she smiled, “but I really don’t mind who takes the first piece of meat. We’re all knights.”

“Yet very few are as lovely as Talya and little Atalsa here,” smiled Pori.

“Watch what you’re saying about her,” snapped Tasar.

“Easy now,” said Pori.

“My brother likes to think of himself as a lady’s man,” laughed Timlin.

He dodged another smack from Pori.

Talya ignored them and passed the plate to Tanel, who said nothing. She rolled her eyes. It was up to him to make things
right
between them.

She concentrated her attention on the savory food, but she wasn’t very hungry. It was the best cuisine that she had ever tasted, but she couldn’t really enjoy it.

Thanks a lot, Tanel.

After picking at her
baked apple
dessert with her fork, Talya slipped away from the table and made her way out of the palace. If Tanel despised her that much, she didn’t want to be around him. No one else seemed to pay her much attention at the table other than the occasional flirtatious comment from the twins
, which she had no use for
. She didn’t appreciate that they only valued the women there for their beauty. She just needed some fresh air.

A guard stopped her before she went out to the courtyard.

“You’re not going to stay and enjoy the rest of the evening, my lady?” he asked.

“I am very grateful for the queen’s kindness, but…”

“No need to explain. Fare thee well.”

“Thank you
.
”

Talya sighed as a soft evening breeze welcomed her outside of the castle. It was well into the evening, but the sun had not fully set yet. That was one of the things that she loved about summer. The days were so much longer.

Talya could see the training field from where she stood. She felt an immediate urge to practice for the battle. Over two hours of sitting down
had been a little
too much for her.

She had sparred with Endil all day, but she had neglected her archery as of late. It would not hurt to brush up on her skills. One could never be too sure what tactic she would end up using on the battlefield, especially the one that she would soon be in the middle of.

Talya started in the direction of the archery field.

“Talya!” called an unfamiliar voice.

Talya was amazed to see that the prophet from the forest was approaching her. Her father had mentioned him briefly to her before the dinner. He must have told him about her.

She smiled and walked over to Uittan.

 
He suddenly plopped down on the ground.

 
Talya had heard that prophets were often very odd people.
She supposed that living alone in the woods would have something to do with his interesting mannerisms.

“Are you also retiring for the night, prophet Uittan?” she asked.

“I have come to speak with you. In fact, you are the very reason that I came here with Queen Roselyn.”

“Really?”

Talya found that hard to believe. Maybe prophets were also good at telling jokes.

The older man smiled warmly.

“I think it would be best if you sat down.”

Talya complied.

“I have come to tell you what God wills for you to do.”

“Oh?”

Talya was surprised to hear that God had been giving her any thought at all.

“You are not to march with Sanctus into battle,” said Uittan.

Chapter Nine

Talya blinked. She stared at
Uittan
, willing him to say something contrary to what she thought she had just heard.

“God has a more important task for you to accomplish,” he said.

“What could possibly be more important than fighting for my country?”

“Your pride and selfishness are blurring your true purpose.”

Talya took a deep breath. She did not want to say anything disrespectful to the prophet, but she could not believe what she was hearing.

Me, of all people, not fighting in the most important war to date?
The prophet has it all wrong.

“I know that this is hard for you to accept, but this is God’s will.”

“How do you know?”

The prophet was silent for a moment as he stared at her intently. She thought that she saw fire in the pupils of his eyes.

He stood.

“Talya, you hold
unforgiveness
and hatred in your heart against many. You love violence – the very thing that you
know
the Lord hates. This is your chance to stop serving yourself and to follow the God that you claim to serve! Be careful, for God knows what is in your heart, and He is not pleased.”

Talya just stared at him. Deep down, she knew that it was true, but she wanted nothing more than to experience the glory of shedding her enemies’ blood. She deserved to avenge her mother’s death and to show Jalarn who was the better fighter.

Would God never forgive her if she chose to fight in battle? Was it worth it to take such a chance? Eternity didn’t matter too much to her now, but it would eventually.

Talya stood and crossed her arms.

“Why me?” she asked. “There are others here who share my thoughts on Malinorians, who want to see the earth soaked with their blood.”

The prophet stood.

“The choice is yours. Receive recognition from men or from God.”

“This is not about recognition.”

“Not entirely, perhaps.”

“Why was I given the ability to sword fight if God never wanted me to use it?” asked Talya.

“God has a purpose for everything. It is not for us to question what He wants for us.”

“Why wouldn’t He tell me this? Why go through you?”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

Talya shrugged. He was right, of course.
But the spiritual lesson couldn’t have arrived at a worse time.

“Must I tell you that He
has
also shown me the nightmare that has been troubling you for days?”

Talya’s eyes widened.
He couldn’t know about that.

“The Lord has told me of your dream involving a young lad who agreed to do certain atrocities in order to feed his mother.”

“How…”

“The Lord wants me to tell you that it was not a dream, but a vision of what has occurred.”

So that is why it seemed so real.

Talya shuddered. She wondered what had become of the lad.

“Is there still hope for the boy?” she asked.

“There is always hope.”

“But he’s a Malinorian.”

Uittan smiled.

“Yes, he is. Hmm. I thought you hated Malinorians.”

“Well, I would never hate a child. He’s not a monster yet.”

“Even monsters need a savior.”

Talya exhaled. She knew where this was going.
Prophets and pastors naturally viewed lost souls in a more nurturing sort of way.

“I understand what the Scriptures say about sinners, but—”

“Are you saying that it is okay to make exceptions to the Word of God?”

“Of course not.”

“What are you saying, then?”

“I don’t know, I guess.”

Talya bit her lip. She had never felt so exposed before. Everything that Uittan said was true, but the Malinorians killed her mother – an innocent civilian and a loving parent. She couldn’t shake the desire to avenge her death.

“Did you tell your father about Waltez?” Uittan asked.

Talya
gasped
.
God really had been watching her all that time.

Her father and Waltez had been friends once, before the empire had been formed. But things changed. Waltez became a murderer.
Her mother had died a brutal death.

“I am not sorry for what I did. He was an enemy. The general should have never allowed him to leave alive,” said Talya.

“Even enemies can show respect. You were not in the middle of a battlefield when you murdered him.”

“But he was a murderous animal!”

“The same could be said about you.”

Talya felt her face grow hot.

“I would never slay an innocent man.”

They stared at one another for a moment. Talya had never felt like a worse person than she did at that moment
, but she couldn’t admit that she was anything close to a Malinorian
.

“So, why did God choose me for this mission
if I am so terrible
?” she asked.

Uittan looked away from her for a moment, returning his attention to the starry sky. He was silent for several moments.

“Many are called, but few are chosen,” he said at last.

Talya exhaled loudly. She did not want to disobey God, but she craved the battlefield. It was true that her hate for the Malinorians ran deep within her veins. It was what she had lived for ever since the Holy Wars. Instead of braiding her hair or playing with dolls, she had fought and dueled with other aspiring soldiers.
Fighting was in her blood.

A memory of her mother
suddenly
flashed through Talya’s mind. It was one of the last days they had spent together. They had gone fishing. While they were waiting for a bite, Talya’s mother had said something that she would never forget.

“Things here may change a lot. I just want you to remember that God is always there for you, watching you. Listen to Him and He will guide you always.”

Talya closed her eyes for a moment, wishing that she could go back in time. Even for a moment. But she couldn’t. Her mother was gone.

“What is it that God has called me to do?” asked Talya.

“He wants you to journey to Hunter Forest and reach the giants before Jalarn does.”

A grin slowly tugged at the corners of her mouth. So, she might have a chance to slay the wicked general after all. This mission was suddenly starting to sound a little better.