By the Sword (21 page)

“You were also very disrespectful to me back in the valley. Do not forget who is leader of this country. I can strip you of your precious position anytime I want to. If you fail me again, that is what I will do.”

“Yes, my lord. Forgive me.”

“I expect you to make this up to me. Get out of my sight,
General
.”

Jalarn got up and left the balcony with his head hanging. His cocky expression would not be back for a while.

*****

Jalarn stared blankly at the pool within the magician’s lair. He had a spell to create, but he couldn’t focus. Ittonifer had been furious about the giants joining with Sanctus.

Jalarn had failed
twice that week
. A general could not afford to do that. The
giants
would have been
a great asset to their army
.

But I will not disappoint my uncle again.

Jalarn took a deep breath. He heard shifting footsteps come from behind. It was Aterun.

“If you don’t get rid of that girl, she will poison your mind. When that happens, you will slide backward so fast that you won’t realize it until it is too late.”

Jalarn shook his head. There really were no secrets in that castle.

Aterun knew nothing of the girl’s purpose. Talya had nearly given in to his request to join Malinor. Her lust for power
had
radiated from her wide brown eyes.

Talya had rescued Jalarn, but what was the real reason? It had to be more than her claim of seeing visions of him as a scrawny kid.

She wants power, and only I can give it to her.

Jalarn nodded. That’s what it was.

“You have to kill her, Jalarn. Whatever adolescent notion you had about recruiting her is…”

Jalarn held up a hand, trying as hard as he could to keep himself from throttling the old man.

“Aterun, stay out of my affairs. It is because of
you
that I haven’t been up to par. I am general of this empire. You don’t tell me what to do.”

“I’m warning you about that girl for your own good. Ittonifer doesn’t keep his enemies alive. You know that,” said Aterun.

“I’m not my uncle, am I?”

They glared at one another for a moment.

“The reason
that
I came down here was to create a spell so destructive that Ittonifer would forget about my failing in Hunter Forest.”

“I can help you cast one before the battle that will have Ittonifer salivating. There is nothing that he hates more than a traitor, and there is a very interesting enchantment that we can cook up. It will take hours of preparation, but it will be well worth it. No man will ever want to turn his back on the empire for fear of the consequences.”

“Would this also include past traitors. Such as, say, General Edandir?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

*****

Ittonifer sat in his bedchamber staring at a bowl of water on his table, meditating on the spells that he had learned over the years. He had been too busy as a warrior and ruler to get too deep into magic, but he had learned some very useful spells.

The bowl’s water started to glow as sharp images of armored men riding on horses formed. Sanctus was marching.

Ten giants marched with them. Jalarn and his men should have moved faster rather than wasting their time devouring an elaborate meal in the middle of the forest. That dastardly Edandir had slipped into the coliseum and heard all of Malinor’s plans, but it was his brave little daughter that had won over the men from Hunter Forest.

Still, the giants would be no match for the formidable beasts in Ittonifer’s possession, let alone his prince’s spells. Malinor had the upper hand. General Edandir wouldn’t know what hit him.

Ittonifer would save the enemy general for the very end. He would make sure that Edandir would see everything that he lost before killing him.

Ittonifer’s army was ready. Save one.

*****

Late at night, Jalarn sat in the library memorizing the next set of spells that Aterun had taught him. They were just simple spells, of course. Not like the one he had spent most of the evening helping Aterun prepare for. Yet even for the less complex spells, one had to say each word with a certain emphasis, or it would go completely wrong.
Like the tempest enchantment.
The challenge and dedication of magic energized him.

The young general leaned back in his chair to take a break, closing his eyes for a moment.

Jalarn was serious about becoming both a great magician and a better general. It was the only way to become completely indestructible. One day he would even overpower Aterun and do things his own way.
The better way.

He opened his eyes after a long yawn. Talya’s scroll was still lying on his desk. He hadn’t figured out what to do with it yet.

Either burn it in the fireplace and be rid of it, or taunt her with it before destroying it.

Jalarn would have preferred the latter option if he had more time. He wished that there were some way to sway Talya’s mind. She would have to let go of her ridiculous religion if she wanted to live. Too many gifted warriors had wasted their lives away because of misled beliefs. It baffled Jalarn to no end.

It was clear that the prince had destined Talya to be a part of Ittonifer’s superior army. Somehow, he would convince the headstrong sword maiden that his lord’s way was the only way to escape death now.

*****

Talya had grown tired of sitting alone in the silent darkness for hours on end. It was all so maddening. She would probably go insane soon. Her country was marching for war at that moment; Jalarn was still a lost soul; and she was forced to sit immobile within her enemy’s filthy cage, with nothing to do but stare at the walls.

I might as well still be unconscious. He did not listen to a word I said to him.

She had spared Jalarn’s life, but for what? His heart had turned cold long ago. Why would he listen to her now? He was a cold-blooded killer.

Then again, how was I any better? Besides, Uittan said that there is always hope. I have to believe that, too. God wanted me to stay in the forest for a reason.

Talya stood and paced within the narrow confines of her cell. Her spirit was deeply troubled. Jalarn had seemed slightly rattled by the fact that she had spared him, but it was not enough for him to listen to her. He had said that it was the devil that saved him. All Jalarn wanted to do now was recruit her.

And I nearly fell for it.

Talya shook her head. As the moments turned into hours, she started to see herself for what she was. Even after witnessing to the giants and seeing them give their lives to Jesus, she would have killed Jalarn had it not been for the vision.

She shuddered.

I don’t want to be like that ever again.

The suffocating silence was worse than the darkness. She had never felt so alone or so useless in all her life.

“I am with you, Talya.”

Talya placed a hand over her heart and smiled as she recalled a comforting verse her mother had read to her when she was small. She recited it aloud.

“But I will sing of your strength. In the morning I will sing of your love, for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

Talya sighed and sat down, resting her head against the wall.

“You’re a fool if you think your God is going to save you,” said an all too familiar, menacing voice from the shadows.

“Jalarn!”

How did he get into the prison without me hearing him? More of the devil’s spells!

He exhaled and a trail of fire shot out of his mouth.

Talya could only stare.

The fire settled on a torch that was secured to the wall.

“Impressed?” he asked.

“Disturbed.”

“I’ve come to see if you’ve changed your mind,” he said.

“Never.”

Jalarn’s lips moved silently as he stared at her. Was he trying to cast another spell?

Talya stood and glared at him.

“Your country and your devil are
for
everything I am
against
! I am not going to join you. No spell is going to change my mind.”

Jalarn shook his head, but his mouth was shut now. They just stared at one another for a few moments.

“Why won’t you listen to me?” he asked. “You could achieve so much.”

“And what exactly would that be? Power? Wealth? Recognition? I used to think that I wanted those things, but the past couple of days have shown me that they don’t really matter. Not in the big picture, anyway. The only thing that does matter in this life is what, or who, we choose to serve.”

“What did you say?”

“If you search your heart, then deep down you will know that power and fame aren’t so important.”

“Those are the only things that matter!” he shouted.

“When you die, they cannot go with you. The real reason we’re here is for us to make a choice. God or the world.”

He paced back and forth.

“I had nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing. Not until I was made commander of a legion. Before that, I was more worthless than a diseased rat. Wealth and power are the only things that get you ahead in this world.
Strong men
quiver in my presence. I have vaults of gold to my name. Ittonifer’s throne is mine when he dies. I have everything I could ever want. I came from destitution. Believe me, there is nothing worse than poverty.”

He actually sounded human there.

“You have hurt so many on your trip to get to where you are now. My God is all about love and compassion.”

“Take a look at the world around you. See where those two things get people. God allows the very people that serve Him to suffer.”

“It is your devil prince that unleashes his sickness and curses on people. He is the enemy.”

He turned so that his back was to her.

“I didn’t take you to be the sort of
female
that believed in this emotion-driven rubbish! You seemed so strong, so fearless.”

Talya ignored the prod. She was not going to fall for it.

“If you could be with your mother again, without your title and wealth, would you?” she asked.

Jalarn didn’t answer.

“I understand the pain. I lost my mother when I was young, too. I would give anything to see her again. I miss her,” said Talya.

“No doubt,” he said.

He started to walk back down the hall.

“Don’t you see what you’ve become?”

Jalarn stopped, but he did not reply.

“Do you ever wonder why your so-called ‘prince’ demands that you take the lives of others before he’ll even glance your way?”

“Enough,” Jalarn said. “I
will
make you see it my way.”

“It’s not going to work.”

“It’s amazing what starvation will do to a person. If that doesn’t do the trick, pain will. Or maybe the life of a loved one.”

With a swish of his scarlet cape, Jalarn was gone.

*****

In a clearing of the thick, weeping willow forest, Tanel admired the full moon.
It was eerily cloaked by a layer of wispy clouds
. He had ridden with the army for two days, and he had not stopped thinking about Talya. It was a relief to know that she had survived the perilous mission to Hunter Forest. The giants had told them the entire story of how Talya had won them over
through telling the story of Jesus’ sacrifice
.

Tanel smiled at the thought of her telling them of the Savior. The three giants she had witnessed to couldn’t stop talking about how sweet spirited she had been to them. Tanel hoped that he would be able to see that side of her one day. It was a part of Talya that had been hidden
away
since the day her mother had been a casualty of the Malinorians. She had grown into a brave knight, but she had also built up a thick wall.

Tanel wanted to believe that God would make sure that Talya would be all right. Knights were always known for their casual relationships with God, but he had never wanted to be the stereotype. Unfortunately, he had been so busy with preparing for the upcoming war that he had neglected prayer and Scripture reading.

Tanel stared up at God’s handiwork. The sky was magnificent.
One of the many gifts from God.

“Lord, when this is all over, I promise to become close to
You
. I will study Your Word more and pray to
You
. I will do whatever
You
ask, but please protect Talya. I am so blessed that
You
gave her to me. She is the best friend I have ever had. I treated her so badly just before she left on the mission. I just ask that
You
give me at least one more chance to tell her how sorry I am.”