why Levi had been so reluctant to believe King Stephen had lost his faith. “Instead of hanging me as a pirate, King Stephen pardoned me of my crimes, adding my ship to his royal navy against Mordred. I was on a mission from the king when I came into the company of these two fine men.”
“Supper’s ready, gentlemen!”
“Ah, finally,” Arness said. “Now you men must have your fill of my wife’s fine cooking. You’ll not eat like this when you get to the Thornhills.”
“That’s for sure,” Gideon added. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
They sat around a table large enough to accommodate them and enjoyed a very nice meal before accepting rooms from their host and retiring for the night. They needed a good night’s rest before heading into the Thornhill Mountains tomorrow.
Arness gave each of the men their own room in the house. Gideon resided on the first floor while Ethan and Levi stayed on the second floor. Levi and Ethan found the accommodations very comfortable. So much that they dreaded the journey into the mountains come morning. However, several hours after everyone lay sound asleep, Gideon’s bed had not been disturbed.
Gideon silently left the house through the window, having locked his bedroom door. He crept down across the grassy hill which backed up the property. Eventually, a small house came into view. A single candle burned in the window of the home-just the sign Gideon had hoped to see. Gideon ran down the long slope and joined the dirt road leading up to the home.
For its size, the home was elegantly built. Obviously no expense had been spared. Gideon removed a key from his robe and fit it to the lock on the front door. It matched perfectly.
Gideon opened the door to find the candle in the main room the only light. He closed the door behind him. There was a quick play of shadow across the wall. Arms wrapped around Gideon’s neck. Sarah, the daughter of Arness, hugged him tightly, kissing him eagerly. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much, my love!”
Gideon returned her affection, lifting her off the ground, swinging her around the room. “I told you I would do my best to get back before the first snow,” he laughed. She interrupted him with more kisses.
“I’ve made your favorite,” Sarah said, giggling as they held one another. The aroma of sweet bread with cinnamon hung heavy in the air. “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.”
“So do I, but I must see the young man with me safely to The Order.” He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Sarah, I’ve found the Lord’s Deliverer.”
“The boy?”
“Yes. He has power like nothing I’ve ever encountered.”
“I’m glad, my love, but must you be the one to train him? Can you not come back to me once he is delivered to the High Priest?”
Gideon let go of her. She showed her usual disappointment. He did not blame her. “I must do what is necessary. He is the hope of our land, the only hope given by Shaddai’s prophecy for defeating Mordred and his demons.”
“I understand, Gideon. You have a commitment to The Order, but have you forgotten your commitment to me, your wife?”
The question stung his heart. “I have not forgotten.”
“I long for my husband, Gideon. I long to bring our marriage out of the shadows as you promised we would.”
“I know, and I intend to, but so much is in progress with the war going badly and finding Ethan now-our hope for freedom. I cannot jeopardize my place in The Order just yet, and you know they would never accept our marriage.”
“I only know that I miss you,” Sarah said. All the joy of seeing him again had melted away with the knowledge she would lose him again tomorrow.
Gideon held her. “Soon, my love. I beg you, please be patient with me. I must finish this work of training the Deliverer. When he is capable of standing on his own, then I will be ready to leave The Order as I promised.”
Sarah smiled. She couldn’t stay mad at him. The aroma of sweet bread lured them into the kitchen. Sarah led her husband by the hand, smiling. Gideon paused just long enough to blow out the candle.
THORNHILL PASSAGE
Jericho watched as Mordred went about the business he did best-destruction. The warlord was presently cleansing a town that had lent aid to King Stephen of Wayland both in conscripts to lay siege to Emmanuel and in supplies and fresh horses as he fled back to his homeland beyond the Nodian border.
This was just like old times for him. This was the situation which best suited Mordred-riding upon horseback with his Wraith Riders, stamping out resistance to his dominion. Jericho looked on, well pleased, remembering why he had chosen this man in the first place to be his juggernaut through Emmanuel’s white walls.
Mordred was certainly never going to be the ideal king, but he was a strong leader on the battlefield. And those days were not over. Rebellion still stirred in the hearts of Nodians and Mordred would be useful in crushing it out of them yet.
Buildings burned, and women screamed in the muddy streets as rain slowed their escape from the Wraith Riders. Clashing swords rang through the town as men cried out with their last ounces of resistance and were silenced. Darkness swept them out of the way. Demons swarmed like buzzing bees-unseen by mortals. But one was different. This demon approached Jericho with news-information Jericho had desired to hear.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, my lord,” the demon messenger said. “A boy and two men-one of them a priest of The Order of Shaddai. The man reporting to Mordred’s patrol said his servant was attacked by the priest in Millertown.”
“So, they are passing into the Thornhills already,” Jericho said.
“Apparently, my lord.”
“How far is this message from reaching Mordred’s ear?” Jericho asked.
“Three week’s by man.”
“Time enough to dispatch my own servant into the Thornhills,” Jericho said. “See that this message does not arrive sooner than expected. In fact, if it is convenient, the messenger should not arrive at all.”
“As you wish.” The messenger launched into the air, shooting away into the distance.
The weather treated them harshly as they traveled. It took a full day more than Gideon had expected before they reached the garden by the river deep in the Thornhill Mountains. Rain had beset them early on, forcing them to leave their horses back in Millertown with Arness and his family. The animals would never have made the journey through the narrow hidden pass in such weather.
The day of their departure had been a sad one as Gideon found it always was. Sarah had retreated into the house to watch from a second story window as he and his companions walked beyond the border of her father’s farm toward the ominous mountains in the distance.
Gideon’s heart had ached with each tear his young bride shed for his departing. But he could say nothing of the girl’s behavior to Ethan or Levi. Arness and Bella knew, of course, as well as many in the town, but they had kept a pact with the priest. They would always love him for his heroism on their behalf five years ago. Moreover, they had been consenting to the union of the young warrior and the daughter of Arness, but kept it secret for his sake and his vow to The Order of Shaddai.
Gideon led them beyond the snow line through some of the most treacherous terrain Ethan or Levi had ever seen: huge crevasses hidden from view by canopies of leaves and grass, quicksand in places, and vast rocky expanses. Eventually they came to a small cave in the mountainside, nearly invisible due to an optical illusion in the formation. Had Gideon not known its exact location, the others never would have seen it.
Once inside the cave, Ethan and Levi were amazed at how it opened up significantly. The priest led them through a forest of stalactites and stalagmites. The path was only discernable once you were on it. “Ouch!” Levi yelled. He had a sizeable tear in the sleeve of his coat where it had been gashed by the jagged stones surrounding
