Mordred’s army and King Stephen’s retreat. They had not brought him victory, but neither had they allowed him to die. Ethan turned his gaze back to Stephen’s horsemen as they began to pass by on the road.
Gideon and Bonifast stayed back on the side of the road as the despondent army passed by. Stephen’s army marched like a funeral procession. They had been soundly defeated, and from the looks of these remaining soldiers, they had expected not to win.
A larger group of soldiers on horses approached in the midst of the others. In the middle of the armed cavalry rode King Stephen of Wayland. He looked disheveled in his bronze armor. Bloody smears covered his garments and his mount. Some of it may have even been his own. A rivulet of dried blood ran down his temple to his neck. His helmet was missing.
“King Stephen!” Levi shouted, entering the road ahead of the king.
The guards riding with Stephen drew swords in order to defend their king. “Captain Bonifast? Is that you, Levi?” the king asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied, bowing deeply at the waist. Gideon was still helping Ethan to stand. He had regained a good deal of strength, but Ethan was still dependent on his friend for support.
The cavalry relaxed when they saw their king responding kindly to the captain. In truth, they had had their fill of war for the day. The king approached on horseback and stopped with his men, who now gathered around Levi, while watching Gideon and Ethan as well. “What news, Captain?” King Stephen asked.
“We were able to destroy a great deal of Mordred’s fleet in the bay, my lord. However, the mercenaries making up much of our armada betrayed us. They fired upon the ships which were loyal to you and helped Mordred’s navy to sink them. Man-O-Wars surrounded my ship after surprising us from the far side of the bay. We did, however, manage to blow up the Maelstrom and destroy several of these vessels in the process of escaping.”
“Bravo, Captain…and your crew?”
“Killed, sire,”
“I’m sorry, Captain,” Stephen said. “As you can see, we were defeated in our efforts to gain the city. Most of my men were killed or ran before our enemy. They attacked with such ferocity. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m amazed we’ve been able to retreat without Mordred sending his army after us.”
“Mordred is not in the city, Highness,” Ethan said through his pain.
“What did you say, boy?” the king asked.
“Mordred was not in the palace or the city,” Ethan repeated.
“And how do you know that?”
“We managed to get inside of Mordred’s throne room,” Gideon said as he helped Ethan to approach the king.
“Is this true, Captain?” King Stephen asked.
“Yes, it is,” Levi confirmed. “After we escaped from my ship, the boy was able to locate a drainage tunnel leading up into the palace through the white cliffs.”
“I see.”
Ethan spoke up again. “I fought with a Wraith General named Rommil who claimed that Mordred was in hiding while your army was being defeated. He was laughing about it.”
“You faced Rommil?” the king asked.
“He did, Sire,” Gideon affirmed.
Levi nodded. “He also killed him.”
“I see,” the king said, admiring the young man. “You are indeed a brave lad. I congratulate you on your personal victory. My army, on the other hand, can do nothing more here. And if Mordred is truly in hiding, we have wasted many lives today.”
“Mordred fears the Deliverer of Shaddai,” Gideon added.
“The Deliverer of Shaddai?” the king said. “The village of Salem was destroyed along with the Deliverer nearly ten years ago.”
Gideon squeezed Ethan’s arm before he could correct Stephen’s assumption. “Sire, are you saying that you do not believe the prophecy?” Gideon asked.
Stephen’s expression grew cold. “What is done is done, priest of Shaddai. How can I place my faith in a dead man? I was not the one who allowed the Deliverer to be destroyed. I have attempted to do what the prophesied Deliverer was supposed to do, but Shaddai was not with us today.”
“Can we hope to be successful against Mordred if our faith is not in the Shaddai’s Word, Highness?” Gideon asked.
Stephen clearly did not like the implication that he had given up his faith, but he could not take back what he had said. His pride wounded, the king simply said, “And where, pray tell, were Shaddai’s warrior-priests today? Did my eyes fail me, or were they absent from the battlefield while my men and I were spilling our blood, attempting to dethrone Shaddai’s enemy?”
“We must all do things in Shaddai’s time, Sire,” Gideon said.
“And still, Evil has been victorious over the righteous, today” the king spat. He turned back to his men waiting with him. “We ride for Wayland! Sergeant Jepson, leave these men some horses.”
With that, the king goaded his mount and began his slow march back toward his homeland. The cavalry soldiers fell into place with their king, leaving Ethan and the others standing in the road. One of the soldiers, riding behind the king, stopped with two mares in tow. He handed the reins to Levi, then got back in line with the others marching toward Wayland.
They watched the sad procession limping away. “Seeing that lot passing through on their way back to Wayland will do more to depress hope in Nod than anything Mordred could do to us,” Levi said.
Gideon nodded as he helped Ethan up onto one of the mares. “Now I know why this battle did not go as it should have.”
“What do you mean?” Levi asked.
“I mean, the king has forgotten his faith in the Lord. No wonder they were defeated so quickly,” Gideon said.
“Now wait a minute, Gideon-” Levi began.
“I’m serious,” Gideon said. “I know King Stephen of Wayland, and this was not like him at all. They ran before their enemies. You heard him say he did not believe Shaddai’s Deliverer would come.”
“And why didn’t either of you tell him about Ethan’s abilities,” Levi said. “Why didn’t you tell him that you’re the Deliverer, Ethan?”
“How do you think he would have taken such news?” Gideon asked. “He said himself that he came to do what the Deliverer was supposed to do. King Stephen has lost faith in Shaddai’s prophecy. He presumed to insert himself into the role of the Deliverer. Shaddai will not honor such things, Levi. We’ve learned a hard lesson today, but the Word of the Lord has not failed, simply because we have.”
Levi nodded, scratching his head. “You’re right, Gideon, I know you are, but what now?”
“I’m not quite sure. I think the first order of business is to get Ethan to the Temple of Shaddai. There we can try to treat his wounds and allow the Lord to get us back on track with his plan. We’ve got to find Shaddai’s will and do it if we’re ever to have success against Mordred and his demons.”
“It sounds like a good plan. But the ride into the North Country will be hard on Ethan,” Levi said.
Gideon pulled himself into the saddle behind Ethan. “Shaddai’s Word is true. The Deliverer will defeat Mordred. We’ll manage.”
Levi nodded, pulling himself onto the back of the other horse. They took off in a different direction than King Stephen’s army-heading northwest in order to get to the Temple of Shaddai. The actual location was a secret known only to the priests, but fortunately, Ethan and Levi found themselves traveling with one.
WICKED SAMARITAN
Jericho was there when the Deliverer escaped during the ensuing chaos within the throne room. He was there when King Stephen’s army, discouraged and defeated, fled from before Mordred’s army. And he was there
