'So, the prophecy was fulfilled?' One of the children shouted.
The Old Storyteller smiled and winked his eye. 'Yes, dear one, the prophecy of Shaddai was indeed fulfilled that day,' he said. 'Mordred was dead and the demons that had been allied to the Wraith Riders were gone.'
'But how?' Another child asked.
'Though no one is quite certain, it may have been because of their pact with Mordred. Perhaps they were only able to invade our realm because of their link to the Wraith Riders.'
One of the young girls stood up. 'What about the baby? Did the baby live? And Elspeth…what happened to her?'
The Old Storyteller chuckled, remembering. 'The baby was perfectly safe with Elspeth. No one returned to harm them. In fact, Gideon eventually fell in love with Ethan's sister. They were married and had many more children of their own. And when the people desired a king they called upon Gideon once again. He ruled wisely and lived to a good old age with his queen. Before he died, Gideon even saw the birth of his second great grandchild.'
I stood up then. 'But what about Ethan, sir? What happened to him? I thought the prophecy said that he was to be the king.'
'Ah, young Phineas, of course,' he said. 'I see you were paying attention. That's good.'
'Yes, sir, and the prophecy stated that, Shaddai's priest would be a sword of judgment and a king to bring the hearts of the people back to their God.'
'Yes it did, Phineas,' he said, smiling. 'But Gideon was also a priest of Shaddai's Order and it was his sword that brought judgment upon Mordred in the end.'
I stood there stunned as the epiphany slowly sank into my mind.
Seeing the truth dawn on my face, the old man laughed. 'And as far as the hearts of the people, Gideon, as king, cleansed our country of all its idols. He led by example in his devotion to Shaddai. A devotion that never wavered for a moment from that time on.'
I nodded. Of course it all made sense now.
The Old Storyteller got up from his perch upon the fountains ledge. 'Now, children, I'm afraid my story is concluded and it's time for you all to go and see about your supper. My apologies to you, if I've kept you too long from your parents.'
'But you still didn't say what happened to Ethan,' I insisted.
The old man gave me a sly smirk as he considered his answer. 'He stayed on with Gideon for many years, doing what he could in the service of the King. One day, late in his life, he disappeared, and his friends never saw him again. Rumors circulated for a while, but none of them knew where he had gone for sure. Soon enough, he passed from their thoughts altogether…so it's difficult to say, isn't it?'
Satisfied with this last bit of information, the other children scampered away as dusk silently descended upon the day. They leaped and ran through the streets on their way to their homes, their tables and their beds. I alone remained, standing there watching the old man as he gathered his satchel and his walking stick and turned to leave.
As his story had neared its end, the streets had gradually grown more and more quiet. Traffickers retired to their homes and places of business closed down for the evening until the new day brought them all out again to haggle for the best prices on their goods.
I watched as his staff began to click on the stones, making his way down the street. 'You're him, aren't you?' I called.
He stopped, his back still turned to me.
'You're Ethan.'
He turned then with a weary smile upon his face. He said nothing until he'd walked back to me. 'What makes you say that, Phineas?'
I wasn't sure what to say. I reached down and pulled back my sleeve to reveal my right forearm. 'You described a mark, like a star, on Ethan's arm when he was a small child,' I said, so nervous I almost stuttered.
There, revealed upon my own right forearm, was the same mark in the semblance of a star. The old man grabbed it so fast I didn't even see his hand move. He examined it, eyes wide with wonder. Then he smiled and closed his eyes, nodding.
'Of course,' he said, 'I should have known. Praise our God who never allows evil to go unchallenged.'
I pulled him back from his wandering thoughts, my eyes pleading. 'You are him…aren't you?'
The old man switched his staff from his right hand to his left. He raised his arm so that the sleeve of his robe slid away. There, on his right forearm, the same mark stared back at me.
'I knew it,' I whispered. A smile creased my face. Now I would have answers to my questions. What this mark meant. Why I had begun to experience strange phenomena in my life.
My questions began to bubble and the old man saw what was coming. He raised his hand as I began to garble out one upon the other.
'Phineas, my young friend, I cannot stay here any longer,' he said.
'But, but…' I stalled. 'Please don't go, Ethan.' Pleading had returned to my tone.
He smiled at me and placed his hand on my sleeve, rolling it down over my birthmark. Ethan patted my shoulder. 'Please understand, Phineas. Nod has once again descended into wickedness. Shaddai has a purpose for you that you don't understand now, but you will. Only trust him and never waver from your faith in him. He is always with you.'
I turned, disgruntled, still desiring answers to my questions. 'Please,' I said with my back to him. I turned. 'I only want to-'
But the old man had disappeared.
Nightfall brought protection from the King's guards who might still be searching for him. Ethan sat down in a deserted alley behind the marketplace. The piles of refuse made for odorous accommodations, but it would do until he was ready to leave for the wilderness tomorrow morning.
He sat down and leaned his staff against the wall. Ethan pulled an apple from his bag and took a bite. As he ate, he noticed the mark upon his arm. The same mark now found upon another young man.
Ethan considered the fact that Shaddai had allowed him to see a new Deliverer identified. He'd wondered how the present wickedness would be dealt with in Nod. Phineas was a king's son, the heir in Wayland. He would do well once Shaddai set him on the path of Deliverer. Perhaps, he wondered, that had been set in motion over the past few days listening to his story.
He smiled. One thing he was sure was that it was not his place to interfere. He had done what he was supposed to do. Long years he'd spent as Shaddai's servant. Still, they had been amazing times.
After Mordred's defeat, the other Wraith Riders had surrendered with little resistance. The giants had been more difficult to contend with, but with all the demons gone, upon Jericho's defeat, the giants had been eventually destroyed.
The years following had been more wonderful than he might have ever imagined they could be. His life had been so filled with violence from the time of his youth. Peace had been a wonderful gift.
Seeing Elspeth freed from the Wraith Riders had been one of his greatest days. But in the end he understood her capture and his quest to save her as all parts of Shaddai's intricate plan to bring about Mordred's defeat. Even Gideon's capture and the death of his wife, Sarah, though tragic, had all worked toward a greater good. And in the end, both his best friend and his sister had found happiness together.
In the years that followed, Levi had restored the Nodian Navy while Seth helped Isaiah to restore The Order of Shaddai in Nod. Eventually, he had even been named the successor to the High Priest. Everyone had found contentment. Everyone had found a place.
Everyone but him. Ethan had never found a way to fit into this new era of peace. For long years, during Gideon's rule, Ethan had been a famous hero-the Deliverer of Shaddai. But he never found love in a woman. Never had a family of his own.
Always in the back of his mind, he had felt as though he were waiting for the enemy to return. Ethan had never felt that he could entirely rest or settle down because of it. Eventually, Shaddai had called him into the
