One of the guards produced an iron key on a chain around his neck. Isaiah produced a duplicate key on a similar chain and together they placed the keys into locks on either side of the door. Both men counted down from three. In unison they rotated their keys counterclockwise and then clockwise all the way around. Ethan heard the sound of large bolts sliding out of place and locking into position through the thick metal door.
Isaiah and the guard removed their keys and then Isaiah turned a handle on the far right of the door and pulled it open. The huge door moved much easier than Ethan had supposed it would, a sigh of air escaping into the small chamber as the vacuum seal was broken. Ethan expected the chamber beyond to be dark, but sunlight spilled from within.
When the three men entered the Hall of Scribes, the vault door closed behind them. The chamber was massive in length and the height was three times that of a man. Intricately carved, stone pillars ran the length of the room on both sides of a central walkway and detailed representations of the country’s history, up through the last king of Nod, decorated the stone ceiling
Ethan noticed small mirrors hanging at carefully selected angles all around the upper regions of the chamber. This complex system brought sunlight in from a tunnel above, dispersing it throughout the room, virtually eliminating all shadow within the Hall of Scribes. Even more interesting than all of the detailed beauty was the lack of sound.
Only the minute etching of quill pens to parchments interrupted the pristine silence. On either side of the chamber, rows of large desks sat where priests concentrated upon transcribing the Word of Shaddai. They produced copies of sacred texts for transportation, by the brave, to places all over the world.
“Whoa,” Ethan whispered as they all stood at the head of the room.
Every transcriptionist within the Hall of Scribes looked up from his desk at the sound of the voice. Ethan felt instantly embarrassed. But when the men all saw Isaiah and Gideon with the boy, they disregarded the interruption and went back to work.
Isaiah laughed. “It’s all right, Ethan. This is where we preserve the Word for mankind. There may be other outposts in places abroad, but here is the only place where the original documents containing the Word may be found.”
The three of them walked down the length of the room. Ethan watched the men who transcribed each letter of the Word with tremendous care and exacting precision from old parchments to new ones. “So these are the original writings of prophets?” he asked.
“No, these are only exact copies,” Isaiah explained. “These have been meticulously studied to be sure they contained no error. We use the exact copies and keep the originals safely stored away where only a select few know their location. The enemy could literally tear this complex apart and never hope to find where they are stored.”
A slight whistle almost escaped Ethan’s lips, but he reined it in.
Isaiah led them to another room at the far end of the great hall where a large wooden door stood on iron hinges. Isaiah used the same key, from the vault door, to unlock it. When he opened the door, they found the room beyond completely dark. Isaiah removed a torch from the wall and held it up to one of the nearby sunlight mirrors. A small crystal lens on the framework around the torch caught the light and focused it on the wick. It ignited almost instantly.
Isaiah stepped inside the room with Ethan and Gideon following. This was a storage room filled with ten steel chests. “Each of these chests contains a complete copy of Shaddai’s Word, Ethan. You and Gideon will bear one of them to the Isle of Macedon. You are responsible for locating someone who can aid you with its safekeeping. The Isle of Macedon has been under occupation by Mordred’s forces in times past. We are unsure whether that occupation continues presently, but the call has been issued, and we are duty bound to respond. I charge you to protect the Word with your life, Ethan, for through it the souls of men are saved.”
Ethan tried to swallow the lump mounting in his throat as the High Priest continued. “The Isle of Macedon is a heathen territory and very dangerous even without Mordred’s presence there. This is what you have been trained for and that training is important, but never forget, without the Lord we can do nothing.”
Ethan nodded, glancing at the steel chests containing the Word of God.
“Ethan, do you pledge yourself to this task to the best of your given ability?”
Ethan looked the High Priest straight in the eye and confidently said, “I do.”
PREPARATIONS
The ride down the river from the intersection point, high atop the gorge, was much less dramatic than they had experienced coming in. The steel chest holding the copies of the Word of Shaddai made the shorter trip with two priests in one boat, while Ethan and Gideon floated in another with their personal supplies and weaponry.
The boats stopped at a different place than the cave where Gideon had led Ethan and Levi Bonifast through to get into the Temple. Here they were still higher up in the mountains, but the way was more open to get off and be able to unload cargo. In fact, it seemed like such an obvious opening to the Temple complex that Ethan could not help but ask why.
“Gideon isn’t this a bit conspicuous? I mean someone could float the river from this point and come to the cave we entered by originally and then take the flume of doom ride right into the Temple gardens.”
Gideon smiled as he unloaded gear. “You would think so, wouldn’t you? But if you actually tried it, you would encounter a horrible truth too late to do anything about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Another quarter mile down the river from here it drops over five hundred feet in a waterfall,” Gideon said.
“Oh.” Ethan tried to imagine the surprising terror such an experience would invoke. Then he wondered how many people had actually found out the hard way over the years the Temple had been in existence here.
The two priests accompanying Gideon and Ethan loaded the steel chest onto a plain wagon. “I still don’t understand why we have to split up,” Ethan said.
“It will be safer this way, Ethan. If the enemy is looking for us, then we don’t want to give them only one target. I might be able to divert attention, in case we’re being tracked.”
“But why are you going back to Millertown? That’s got to be at least a day’s travel around the mountain.”
“I know some shortcuts. I can do a bit of surveillance and see if Mordred’s forces are there looking for us. Once I know, I’ll pick up a horse in town and then make my way to the rendezvous with you at Hopple.”
It just didn’t add up for Ethan. This plan seemed to take some unnecessary risks with their operation. “Is that the only reason you want to go back to Millertown?”
Gideon tensed under the scrutiny. “Why else?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan said cautiously. “You have friends in Millertown-especially Arness’ family. This risky move wouldn’t have anything to do with them would it?”
Gideon’s face hardened to stone. “Ethan, I realize you are new to The Order, but it is not acceptable for you to question the tactical judgment of your mentor. You will follow my counsel in this matter without further question. Is that clear?”
The words hurt Ethan. So it’s to be like that, is it? He glared at Gideon, then slowly, rigidly bowed a little at the waist in submission to his mentor’s authority. Ethan did not say a word-his teeth fastened together as he made his best effort to hold back his anger.
Gideon sighed. “Now, go with Joseph and Micah and take the Word to Hopple. Stay hidden, and I will meet you there in a few weeks.”
Ethan listened, but he purposely averted his eyes, too angry and hurt to look at his friend for the moment. Gideon regarded his fellow priests, Joseph and Micah, with a wave as they loaded the wagon, then he mounted the lone horse which had been left saddled for him next to the wagon.
Both the wagon and horses had been supplied from a farm owned by a friend to The Order. The priests paid the man money to keep horses and various supplies for them in order to simplify these missionary journeys.
