Fire and Sword (14 page)

“Everywhere! These vermin are everywhere!”

The group looked silently at each other, daring not to interrupt their leader’s grim summation of the war. Lucifer looked each one of his leaders in the eye—some looked back at him while most averted their eyes. Lucifer sneered.

“This is the core that shall take us back to Heaven?” he posed. “This is the group of leaders that I depend on for action and intelligence? We finally have the enemy cornered in Jerusalem and ready to deal the final blow and then this? They scatter like frightened rats?” Lucifer’s aura of rage began outlining his image. “I urged caution. I said we should be subtle after Stephen’s death. We might have killed their leaders one by one.”

He sighed and looked at Kara and Pellecus.

“Instead I deferred to your judgment for a quick and decisive blow, and now we must chase them down everywhere! What a fool I am! I shall never make that mistake again.”

He looked pointedly at Rugio.

“You were vigilant, my warrior,” he said to the beaming Rugio. “You followed the orders given. And now since we took this war to a new level, we must execute at another, much harsher, level.”

The group strolled along an outer wall of the fortress of Masada—a structure built by Herod the Great as a southern redoubt. Looking toward the north—toward Jerusalem—Lucifer peered over the horizon.

“Every minute of every day there are more of them,” he said. “They continue to propagate this poison that is set against us.”

Kara looked at the others and spoke.

“While it is true, my prince, that the enemy has scattered,” he began, “it is also true that they are largely disorganized. Apart from that simpering Peter who found a surge of boldness, and James, who will never leave Jerusalem, they have no impetus.”

“They need no impetus,” sneered Lucifer. “They go by their spirit…their faith.” He shook his head.

“No, my brothers, this is a very different war,” he said, looking over the desert of southern Judea. “And a very different war requires a very different strategy. Hear me…”

Upon these words, all of the council came to attention as a military unit receiving orders from their commanding officer. Rugio looked to Nathan to make certain that he, too, was getting all of this, and Lucifer continued.

“The believers, as they call themselves, will find that the opposition in Jerusalem leaves them a poor second choice. They know how to combat their own custom; they understand Israel’s religious zeal. But they shall find that there are indeed other nations, other gods with which this new teaching must contend.”

Lucifer looked at the other angels, the vast Judean wilderness looming in the distance below Masada. He laughed.

“Herod built this fortress as a secondary redoubt, a place of refuge,” he said. “It now sits idle. We can never have that luxury. We can never sit idle. We must continue the pressure on these people—particularly their leaders. We must fight them hard. We must use every religious fool and every political pretense to stir up anger against them. They must be unwelcome wherever they go and driven out by the population.”

He looked at Rugio.

“Rugio, I want our warriors to defend our territory with greater zeal,” he said. “They must pay dearly for every incursion.”

Rugio looked at Nathan, who nodded in agreement.

“Kara, you must use your network to infiltrate and undermine the morale of this movement. See to their leaders, and continue your efforts with Saul. He is our greatest asset among the Pharisees.”

Kara bowed his head and vanished.

“Pellecus, we must maintain our grip on the hearts of the idiotic people who adore the many gods we have created. They must be jealous enough for their own gods that they shall never be open to the God of Peter.”

“It shall be so,” said Pellecus. “I have always maintained that humans respond more to gods they can see and understand. Outside of Jerusalem there are countless gods who are not too proud to be seen and heard by men.”

“Then I suggest that a religious revival break forth among the nations,” Lucifer said. “You know what I mean, Pellecus. Something that will assure a contest when the time comes. A few miracles, a few healings. Something along the lines of Ephesus.”

“Ah, Ephesus,” said Pellecus proudly. “A model of human religious idiocy. They worship the goddess who came streaming in on a piece of debris from the heavens! The locals even traffic in the stuff.”

“That is what I want,” said Lucifer. “Our enemy knows that if He gains the hearts of men, the gods of this age are finished. Therefore we must retain control of their minds. And if a bit of trickery and illusion, cheap as it is, can get the job done, so be it.”

“It shall be as you command,” said Pellecus. “The gods shall begin responding to their priests in incredible ways. I shall give the order.”

“See to it,” Lucifer said, as Pellecus nodded.

Lucifer stood with Pellecus on Masada’s dusty wall. He looked toward Jerusalem.

“This has only begun, Pellecus,” he vowed. “I promised you when this began so long ago that you would one day rule with me here on earth, as my propagator—my teacher. It shall yet happen! This young Church is about to discover the price of their faith in the Son.”

“A terrible price,” agreed Pellecus.

“The God of Jerusalem is harsh enough when placed in the hands of fanatics, Pellecus; they drove these Christ followers out very easily. Wait until these ‘believers’ find themselves in the territory of the gods of the Gentiles!”

He laughed.

“I’m afraid some of our angels (which the humans call ‘gods’) have become accustomed to being worshiped,” he continued. “They will not surrender that hold easily. And their followers are very jealous of gods who speak directly to them through oracles and mystics. It’s a different enemy that these Christ followers shall face outside Jerusalem!”

Pellecus laughed.

“With Saul securing more and more arrests outside of Jerusalem,” Pellecus added, “perhaps the threat will be even more diminished!”

“Ah, Saul,” said Lucifer, turning to look at Pellecus. “I must admit that Kara and Berenius have done well with him. He shows great promise. Not since Herod was murdering babies have we had such a human advocate. Jerusalem is getting to know Saul of Tarsus quite well.”

“Soon another city shall know him,” added Pellecus. “Damascus!”

Chronicles of the Host

“Please, sir, have mercy on my children!”

Saul looked at the woman who, along with her children, had been taken into custody. Their little house in Bethany had been ransacked by Saul’s agents as they looked for incriminating evidence that tied the family to the heretics. Saul ignored the pleadings and ordered that they sit down and await the prison cart.

Saul scanned the little town. He could sniff heretics out almost like an animal seeking its prey—especially in a place like Bethany, where Jesus had many friends. This was where Lazarus had lived—and was now a wanted criminal. Saul had determined to put an end to the myth of Lazarus rising from the dead. He’d see to Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha as well! For now, he had to satisfy himself with arresting families one at a time. It was a difficult but necessary task if the purity of the Covenant was to be maintained.

“The husband is not here,” said a guard, who exited the house.

Saul turned to the woman. “Where is he?” he asked.

The woman, angry as she was frightened, said nothing. She comforted her children who looked to be about seven and ten. Saul turned away in disgust.

“See that these rats are properly quartered,” he ordered as the cart that would carry them to the prison jolted near. “Once the husband knows where they are, he will come. We’ll take him without incident.”

“Then we will have one less problem,” an aide to Saul added.

“Yes, Strachus,” said Saul. “But so many remain. When I put an end to this nonsense in Damascus, we shall make sacrifice to the Lord. He will be pleased to accept such an offering!”

“Such bold words from so small a human,” Berenius said, as he and several angels watched Saul’s party making the two-mile jaunt to Jerusalem from Bethany.

“Sometimes the smaller the human the bolder the talk,” said Kara.

Saul was indeed average in height. Apart from his priestly attire and reputation as an intensely passionate Pharisee, he was typically Hebrew in appearance. In fact, just looking at the man one would not suspect that he was the son of a Pharisee and a citizen of the empire. Born in Tarsus, he was well-educated and passionate about the religious heritage handed down to him. Saul was a zealous legalist—a Hebrew of Hebrews—who was determined to call the wrath of God down on all who opposed the Law of Moses and its traditions.

“Saul is exactly what is needed right now,” Kara continued. “He will put an end to this nonsense and hunt down this scattered flock of blind sheep!”

“Not exactly blind,” came a familiar, if unwelcome, voice.

“Ah, Crispin,” said Kara, turning to the teacher who was accompanied by Serus and several others. “Come to see the hunter kill his prey?”

“But who is the hunter?” Crispin responded. “And who is the prey?”

The angels with Kara cursed Crispin.

“You always did turn a colorful phrase,” said Kara, as the distant outline of Damascus appeared to Saul. His men pointed at it excitedly. They were glad to be near the end of this dry and dusty journey. “Unfortunately, your words will alter nothing here.”

“My words mean nothing,” said Crispin. “But Serus has been assigned to this man Saul. The Lord has plans for him…”

“Plans for a persecutor?” Kara scoffed.

The angels moved toward one another. Several warriors on each side pressed in closer to their respective leaders. Kara pointed to Saul’s party as it made its way down the last hill toward Damascus.

“The Most High always has plans,” Kara continued. “He had plans for Adam who lost his place in Eden. He had plans for Moses who never made it to the Promised Land. He had plans for Israel, which have long been destroyed. And now He has plans for Saul?” He turned to Berenius. “I believe fortune is smiling upon us for a change!”

Kara’s angels snickered.

“God’s plans will not be thwarted,” Serus said. “My task might be to see this man judged by the Most High or saved by Him—either way, His will be done!”