The journey was long. A journey always seems longer or harder when one fears death is the destination. Several hours passed, night fell, and the shadows followed me, even more than when the underlings banished us from the garden. This darkness seeped into the land of the living from the underworld—where wolves howled, owls hooted, and trees creaked. Earthquakes beneath the ground ruptured the foundations of the living, but if the worst event in history had already happened, the world couldn’t get any grimmer.
Nothing could fill the void within me. The stars appeared as if they might fall from the heavens. Dark, shadowy figures emerged from behind rocks, trees, and holes in the ground. Soon a vulture flew overhead leading Worldly Crow and the rest of us to a place I didn’t want to go.
“When will we arrive, Worldly Crow?” I asked.
“Not too much farther. We’re close to the city.”
Where was the king? I remembered the king’s words, his miracles, and his promises. I filled my mind with the stories he told on the mountaintop, although I anticipated a terrible ending for us all.
Did the world kill the king or did the king die because he chose it? I was willing to die for my king, but fear seized my heart as I cradled Cherios in my arms.
Much-Afraid trotted beside us speaking soothing words. “We’re with you Shale. Don’t be afraid.”
A female voice spoke to me. I did not know who she was. She spoke about things I wasn’t sure I understood—haunting words. “The worst of the underlings deceived those who weren’t teachable as little children. The vile creatures will continue to deceive those who refuse to believe. The universe mourns. The tears shed in the garden haven’t dried.”
The voice continued. “The greatest miracle will soon be revealed. Face the secret hidden in your heart. Confess so you may be healed. You’ve been brought to a place of decision. Redemption is a gift only the king can give.”
I became very quiet as the female voice continued. “Remember all you’ve heard. Do not be deceived. Quote the words of the king as you remember them. He’ll tell you what to say. Tonight, all the inhabitants in the garden mourn. The eternal light has become sin, but only for a brief time. The underlings want to devour all who refuse to believe in the truth. Don’t compromise.” Then the voice ceased.
“You look like you saw a ghost,” Much-Afraid said.
“No, no ghost. A voice spoke to me from the king’s kingdom.”
I brooded whenever I started to doubt. Waves of despair washed over me. The Hall of Darkness wanted to hold me captive. I was determined to resist.
“Come quickly,” Worldly Crow urged. “Hurry.” He blended into a ghastly-looking tree.
“Are you sure this isn’t a trap?”
“I’m taking you to the king. That is what you want, right?”
“Yes.”
“The vulture said they have the king.”
Graves opened and underlings rode the four winds that rustled through the trees. In the high places and the low places, the vultures squeaked and squawked. The shadows deepened, and all light departed from the living.
A dozen vultures flew towards us and landed in a palm dressed up like a scarecrow. My hands were cold, barely warmed by Cherios’s body. My heart pounded, and I labored to breathe.
Underlings ran out of the cave and hissed. Two of the bat creatures grabbed me on each side, forcing me off Baruch and squeezing my arms.
“Let go. You’re hurting me,” I cried.
Their constant laughter and taunting drowned out my pleas.
They took us inside a damp, dark cave where the vile creatures ripped me from my friends. I didn’t know where the others were taken. The sinewy birds tied me to a martyr’s stone and bound my hands and feet with a thick, scratchy rope. I couldn’t move. In a distant chamber, sharp cries pieced the silence.
“Tis the night,” one vulture shouted, and others chimed in. Their chants increased, and they flew about me in an irregular circular pattern. Their mockery of my capture seemed like perverted foolishness.
I shut my eyes to avoid seeing the terrifying display, but their screams were harder to ignore. I cried out, but fear muffled my words. Every time a wing flapped near me, I cringed. The cold draft sent chills down my arms and legs.
I squirmed within the bindings, but they dug deeper into my skin. Something touched me from behind. More shape shifters appeared, like bats without a body, spiritual beings somewhere between a gas and a liquid. My cold hands lost all feeling. I gulped in the damp air.
The underlings laughed and hissed. Shadows swung back and forth imitating the cartoon characters on my bedroom walls. A creature smacked me repeatedly from behind.
The shape shifter laughed. “Look.”
“I can’t. The bindings are too tight.”
“Bring the prisoners before her,” he demanded.
A demon stepped forward and thrust a terrified creature in front of me. The battered animal landed at my feet.
“Cherios,” I cried.
Her sad eyes ripped at my heart.
“Make her talk,” the underling demanded. “Come on, show us. Animals can’t talk.”
“Yes, they can,” I said.
“You’re powerless here,” the underling hissed. The taunting continued. Cherios stared at the dirt floor.
“Bring the next one.”
The shape shifters released Much-Afraid, and she squirmed across the floor to me. Her warm tongue on my toes tingled like a healing balm from the king.
The dark powers regrouped. “The dumb animals can’t talk anymore,” a demon shouted. Others chimed. “Death to Shale, death to the animals, and death to their king.”
“Tell them your secret,” another one demanded. “You’re bad, Shale Snyder.”
The circle of demons expanded. Even in the darkness, I could still see a little. The underlings grew bigger and more powerful as they fed on my fear. I prayed for light.
Baruch heehawed.
“Kick him,” one of the demons demanded.
“I’ll never kick Baruch,” I fired back.
“Kick him. We know what you do to animals,” another one hissed.
Baruch’s eyes bulged. He whinnied and ducked his head. Much-Afraid cowered, pawing at the dirt. Was Cherios still alive?
If only the king could rescue us, if only he were here. The vultures tricked Worldly Crow. Where were all those followers who sat on the hills and listened to the king?
Jeers went up from the demons. They shouted, “The battle is over, we have won, the tables are turned, redemption spurned.”
Chapter 35
THE BATTLE