A fabulous spread of food lay on a large table before them. Ethan noticed all of the other guests at the dinner happened to be military personnel-and as their dress allowed, they were armed. Ethan and Gideon had not had the opportunity. Their weapons had been removed along with the ragged clothing they had been wearing.
Ethan unconsciously decided which of the soldiers sitting near them would be the first to be disarmed if he and Gideon ran into trouble. At the slightest provocation, he could realm shift to King Nichol’s place at the head of the table and hold the man hostage in order to withhold an attack if necessary.
Still, Nichol’s military officers seemed not the least bit interested in bothering them. They wore no tense, eager expressions nor did nervous hands guard the hilts of their brightly polished swords. All remained jovial and filled their faces at once when the servants brought their plates. Nichol’s also looked on with great pleasure, toasting the priestly order from the head of the table.
Ethan noticed Gideon eyeing the plates set before them and the goblets filled with wine. They would not be drinking any. The Word clearly forbade them to partake, and having their senses fouled by strong drink was never wise. Here it might prove quite fatal.
Ethan noticed a mournful whimper coming from behind them near the great stone hearth in the room. A fire burned there, and two hounds sat with eager expressions, looking at Ethan and beyond to his plate. Feeling sorry for the poor animals, forced to watch others stuffing their faces, Ethan snuck a few pieces of the meat from his plate and gave it a quick sideways toss to the dogs. They both snatched it up immediately and licked their chops gratefully.
“Gideon?” Nichols said from the head of the long table. “I wonder when we might retrieve the scrolls you’ve brought for us.”
“Forgive me, Majesty, but I am charged by the High Priest to find someone who is well able to take responsibility for them and disseminate the teachings to the population.”
Nichols seemed taken aback by the declaration. “Are you suggesting, I would be unable to carry out those duties?”
The tension in the room became instantly taut, like an over-wound psaltery string. “I assure you, Your Majesty; I meant no insult to you personally. The Order has always sought out those individuals who are inclined as we priests are. And I did not want to assume that one so busy with a new government, as you are, would take yet another weight upon his shoulders.”
Ethan watched the king’s expression soften a little. He seemed satisfied with Gideon’s placation in the matter. “Nevertheless, we will be glad to have the Word safe within these walls at your earliest opportunity,” King Nichols said. “From there we may work together to find suitable teachers who can devote themselves to diligent study and then teach others as well.”
Gideon wasn’t quite sure how to answer, but managed. “We are very grateful to you, Majesty.”
The king gave a slight nod as he forked a piece of steaming meat from his platter. “Gentlemen,” he said to the priests, “you’ve not yet touched your food. Surely, you’re famished after so long a journey across the Azure. I hope you won’t insult my hospitality.”
“Of course not, Majesty,” Ethan said and began digging into his plate with a fork. Just as he opened his mouth, ready to shove the food inside, Gideon grabbed his wrist.
“The hounds,” he whispered urgently.
Ethan turned from his plate and saw the two hounds he had fed from his plate moments ago. They lay still, their eyes rolled permanently back into their heads. Ethan gasped, realizing he and Gideon would certainly have shared that fate had he not felt sorry for the poor creatures in the first place.
The king, who had been watching them expectantly, said, “Gentlemen, your manners are poor for priests. You’re still not eating.”
They looked at one another, then they made their move.
And the king made his. “Seize them!”
Several astonishing things all happened within seconds.
Gideon leaped up out of his seat and over the table to evade the soldier immediately to his left. He grabbed a silver candlestick holder in midair, brained the man seated across from Ethan, and took his sword as he fell stunned to the stone floor.
Ethan realm shifted immediately and crossed the room, trying to get to King Nichols where he stood, shouting orders for their capture. Ethan, so bent upon his strategy, only half noticed the cold tingly shiver running up his spine. As Ethan reached Nichols, preparing to seize the man as their hostage, a horde of demons flew through the walls of stone block.
The demons saw Ethan, but instead of attacking directly, they entered the soldiers present at the dinner. He knew what that meant. The demons would be able to see him whether he was in the spiritual realm or in the physical.
A demon-laden soldier went for Gideon. He did not seem aware as he was busy fighting other men. Ethan launched forward as though shot from a cannon. He pierced the veil between physical and spiritual and landed next to Gideon in time to hammer his attacker with a kick to the ribs. The soldier flew backward out of the way. “Demons inside the soldiers!” Ethan warned.
Ethan quickly armed himself with the weapon of one of Gideon’s victims and assailed to help his friend. The soldiers took on an almost immediate ferocity, as though animals freed from their cages and set to a feeding frenzy. Ordinary men leaped through the air at the priests of Shaddai as they fought back the tide of the enemy. The bright clothing, fashioned for them, quickly became soaked with gore.
“Hold on!” Ethan shouted. He immediately realm shifted and grabbed hold of Gideon. The priest slashed at his attackers, until Ethan, unseen, yanked him up and out of the melee. He released Gideon. The priest sailed back down to the floor on the other side of the room. Ethan appeared in a run beside him. “This way!”
He ran, with Gideon following, toward the great wooden doors at the far end. Ethan remembered the throne room on the other side of those doors. From there, lay a hall leading out of the castle through the main gate. The demon-possessed soldiers ran after them, much quicker than normal men could. They had mere seconds to get through.
Ethan reached the doors first and tried to push them open, but they would not budge. Through the seam between the two doors, he saw a great wooden crossbeam holding them fast. Gideon also reached the doors and tried, but to no avail. Ethan realm shifted once again and used his sword to divide the beam through the seam-a knife through butter. He appeared with Gideon again and they pushed their way through.
Once on the other side, Ethan and Gideon struggled to close the great doors again. “We have to bar it!” Gideon said.
“This half of the crossbar is long enough, I think.”
They hoisted it up with difficulty and set it upon the iron grooves where it should rest. The doors tried to burst outward as the demon-possessed soldiers slammed into them from the banquet room. “Get the bar in!” Gideon said.
The doors began to part again as the boys struggled to get the crossbar into place. “There’s too many!”
“I’ll stop them!” Ethan said. “You get the bar into place!” He disappeared into the spiritual realm and shot through the door with his weapon forward. As soon as Ethan cleared the door, he ran into a throng of demon-possessed soldiers. They saw him and reacted, but he had enough surprise on his side to take down a few first.
Ethan fought with unbridled anger and drove them back from the door enough to allow Gideon to secure it from the other side. He heard the crossbar slide into place with a dull thump. Before the possessed soldiers reorganized their attack on him, Ethan launched back through the door and found Gideon waiting.