“Of course, sir. It’s all ready for you. Room number seven, fourth on your right, up the stairs. I’ll arrange your passage to Emmanuel and let you know when your ship leaves.”
“Thank you.” Gideon grabbed the vessel of water and Ethan took the platter of food. The young men crossed the room and ascended the stairs, two flights to the second floor. They found their room as the barkeep had said. Gideon opened the door cautiously, surveying what lay within.
There was a large bed with a basic wooden frame. The sheet did not look very clean and there was a heavier brown blanket on top of it. Against the wall, opposite the bed, stood a simple chest with two drawers. A ceramic basin and pitcher for washing sat on top. A small table with two chairs sat in the corner.
Ethan took the water pitcher from Gideon and placed it and the platter of food on the table. Ethan did not speak until Gideon had closed the door behind them. “That was amazing, Gideon!” he said.
Gideon only smiled.
“I can’t wait for you to teach me how to fight like that,” Ethan said.
“There’s much more to being a warrior-priest than fighting, Ethan.”
“Well, yes, of course.”
“Do you know what the first thing was that I did down there, the first thing I do anytime I’m faced with a violent conflict?”
Ethan hunched his shoulders.
“I prayed to the Lord for his guidance and strength. There is one important lesson you should learn at the beginning. No matter how accomplished a warrior one may be there will always be someone better, a situation that you won’t be able to handle. But nothing confounds Shaddai, Ethan. All things dwell under his divine control and are subject to his will. If you will always seek the will of Shaddai, then you will always find it. Now, let’s have a bit of that food, shall we?” Gideon removed his cloak for comfort’s sake. They divided the remainder of the meal between them with Ethan allowing the larger portion to Gideon.
“Do you think those men will come back for revenge?” Ethan asked as he chewed on some bread.
“Probably. Men like that never learn.”
NOCTURNAL VISITORS
It had been close to dusk by the time the barkeep had knocked on their door with news about passage across the Azure Sea. A merchant vessel on its way to Emmanuel was scheduled to leave in two days. Gideon thanked the man and told him he would receive his promised money when they were ready to depart for the ship.
“I’ll take you down tomorrow and introduce you to the captain, myself,” the barkeeper said.
Ethan and Gideon had another day and a half to wait before they could leave the Weary Traveler and the town of Tilley. They decided their time would best be spent if they did not venture far from the inn. The pirates they had encountered might be waiting for an opportunity to exact revenge.
Ethan watched the last rays of the sun sink below the deep blue horizon of the Azure. He had never been to the ocean before, but he had heard of the Azure Sea. Its waters had often been compared to sapphires. Seeing it now for the first time in his life, Ethan understood the analogy. It was simply beautiful. Even in the moonlight, it sparkled.
Gideon lay on the bed, getting some sleep while he could. Trying to get any quality rest aboard a merchant vessel would be nearly impossible. Ethan took the first watch.
Sailing ships were busy entering and leaving the harbor up until just after nightfall. The docks functioned like a well-oiled machine. Ethan wondered where the ship was that he and Gideon would be taking to Emmanuel. He paused, thinking about what the priest had told him. Then he prayed silently for Elspeth and the journey they were about to make in hopes of rescuing her.
A noise woke Ethan. He couldn’t place the sound-perhaps a distant musket shot. He had little doubt that things got very dangerous in a city like Tilley after dark. It had been seedy enough during the day.
He quickly scanned the room. The light of the full moon shone through their open window. Ethan sat in the shadows just out of the oblong moonshine’s reach. He held one of the pirate captain’s black powder pistols in his lap, just in case.
Gideon was still asleep. Sound sleepers those priests, Ethan thought. He was actually glad he woke before Gideon did. He felt like kicking himself for falling asleep in the first place.
Ethan heard more noise in the street now. There were at least two people brawling outside. He peered out the window and saw one man stagger as he threw a punch and missed. The other fellow returned the compliment and did not miss.
More noise came from outside their room, downstairs. Ethan crept over to the door to investigate. He heard people pass in the hall-a man and woman. He waited until their voices trailed down the corridor. Ethan heard a door open and close, assuming it must be clear now.
He opened the door to their room. No one else was in the hall. An oil lamp flickered from a mount at the far end of the corridor. Ethan stepped into the hallway and closed the door. He heard a commotion coming from downstairs. A glass broke. Ethan knelt down at the second floor landing to see what was happening in the main room of the inn.
A group of pirates had congregated near the bar. The pirate captain from earlier stood at the forefront. He held the barkeep by the shirt with his good arm. “Where are they?” he bellowed as he pulled the man halfway across the mahogany countertop. Two of the captain’s men cocked the hammers on their pistols and placed them on either side of the barkeep’s head.
He’s going to tell them. Ethan knew silver coins wouldn’t keep the man from saving his own skin.
“They’re up in seven!” he confessed.
The pirate captain grinned, showing all of the cavities he had been cultivating in his smile. He shoved the barkeeper back into the ceramic mugs stacked against the back wall. They flew in every direction as the barkeeper spilled to the floor in a heap. “Come on, lads. We’ve got revenge to take in number seven tonight!”
As the men turned toward the stairs, Ethan caught sight of other visitors in the bar with the pirates. Demons! Ethan hurried back to the room and shut the door quickly, hoping that he and Gideon could still sneak out in time.
As Ethan turned to wake Gideon, the head of a demon rose through the dusty floorboards, its form passing through solid matter. Ethan froze mid-step, startled by the sudden appearance of an enemy there in the dark. For a second, he almost forgot the creature could not see him.
The demon ascended into the dark room, until its feet cleared the floor. Then it looked around, searching the shadows for anyone else who might be present. The demon wore the same black and red garment as the others-Mordred’s colors. A sword hung near the creature’s hip, suspended in mid-air.
The demon hopped up to the edge of the bed’s footboard, perching there like a vulture over its prey. Ethan couldn’t decide what to do. If he woke Gideon, the demon might kill him. If he did not, at the very least, the pirates were coming up the stairs to kill them both. He had no choice.
“Gideon, there’s a demon in the room, wake up!”
The creature did not move until Gideon flinched and sat up. The demon snatched the sword hanging by its side. Ethan dove across the space between the door and the bed, catching Gideon with both hands. The demon slashed into the mattress, just as Ethan pulled Gideon out of the way, onto the floor.
The blade tore a huge gash through the bed, sending goose down up in a white plume. The boys rolled off the floor to their feet with Gideon still held in Ethan’s grasp. They backed into a corner as the demon frantically searched for the invisible boys.
The pirates came down the hall. Their heavy footsteps fell on the old floorboards like an army on the move. The demon ran out of the room, its body passing through the wooden door unhindered.
Gideon and Ethan grabbed the weapons they had commandeered earlier and rushed toward the window. The door burst open behind them, slamming into the wall as Gideon followed Ethan over the windowsill. The pirate captain spotted them and fired his pistol.