The Kingdom
My breath had come back to me and I pulled myself up and over her horns and past her eyes to stand against her neck frill, only to duck a paw swipe aimed at my head. I dodged back up to be met with the snarling visage of a Saber. I let him have my fist to the side of his head with all the strength I could muster.
The Saber’s eyes glazed and he tumbled off the Trican. Wearily, I flipped up over the neck frill and landed on my feet as I pulled a pair of long knives from my belt. There were at least four Sabers on board and they were all surging toward me.
This was a battle for survival. With a roar I ran toward them.
The desert wind was blowing again and I was grateful for it, because it had blown sand all over the blood on the surface of the Trican’s back. I could tell the Trican was tiring, but gamely she kept on as at least 30 Sabers were climbing up her sides, tearing into her thick hide in search of a perch.
I ducked under one paw strike and ripped my knife along the Saber’s flank. The Saber fell over the side and dislodged two of its brethren on the way down. Another Saber was before me, rising up to give me a fanged hug, and I stepped into the embrace of its paws and rammed both blades deep. Its paws shrugged off my shoulders even as the insane light in its eyes faded into darkness.
Another Saber swiped at my legs and I heaved the dead one before me over to fall onto it, knocking the newest aggressor free of the Trican’s back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Saber in flight and I let the momentum of my heave of the dead Saber carry me over backward.
I landed hard on my back. Numbly I thrust one knife upwards just in time to gut the Saber passing overhead of me.
Awash with blood from my gutted victim I scrambled up to my feet, only to be startled from my fight for survival by the loud bellow of the big female. It wasn’t a cry of death, but of war, and then the air seemed to ring with the sound of my friend’s cries only manifested in greater volume.
It was almost comical to see the way the heads of the latched on Sabers swiveled forward. They abruptly let go of the Trican’s flank and dropped to the ground.
I turned my head forward to see what had provoked such a reaction. The entire herd had come to us. Not just the female’s herd, but all the Tricans of the valley. They were strung out in a long unbroken line running at full tilt with horns down. Sand kicked up behind them forming a wall of dust 50 feet into the air. It was a beautiful sight.
My head turned back to see the rest of the Sabers, numbering almost two hundred, running in the opposite direction. They weren’t going to make it.
The battle line before us opened and the horned host swept along past us at a full gallop. Tired Sabers dodged left and right to miss being trampled or gored, but the tight-pressed line of Tricans didn’t falter in its intent to destroy all. Each of the Tricans held its place in the line as they swept back and forth with their projecting horns in search of a target, even as they trod other Sabers underneath, into the sand.
The big female came to a lumbering halt, her sides heaving for breath. Somehow I found myself suddenly sitting on her back instead of standing and absentmindedly I patted her back. It was doubtful that she felt my touch, but I had to show my appreciation in some way.
She was all cut up from where sharp claws had managed to penetrate, but she was young and with rest she would recover. The herd was coming back to us.
I continued to sit, feeling quite done in by everything. I saw Kuri then. He was riding a big bull, which diverted from the herd to come towards us.
Kuri stood there at the frill above the horns and regarded me somberly for a moment before a smile broke free, “I believe we have accomplished the goal that we set out to do a year ago. I think you’re ready for the next and final step of your training.”
Trepidation for what that next step would be rose sharply within me, “And what would that be?”
“Civilization and in particular, the art of diplomacy.”
I could’ve laughed out loud then, “You had me scared there for a moment, Kuri! I was expecting a new level of death-defying import.”
My good humor faded quickly away though at the somberness reflected in my teacher’s face. What had I said wrong?
What could be so hard about diplomacy?
Kuri’s ride drew close and Kuri broke the somberness of the moment by saying, “Do not be deceived by appearances Benaiah. The fight today, indeed this whole past year, has been a battle ever before you. You’ve always been able to see, feel, or even sense it and then respond to the threat, but it is different in the realms of man. There, nothing is certain and almost everything you see is a lie. Where in nature the weak die off against superior foes, in the realms of man the weak kill the strong by stealth and subterfuge. The evil inside can be hid in the form of a friend, who will stab you in the back when you least expect it. Men and women are ever deceptive in revealing their true intentions. To them you would appear as naïve, an open scroll to exploit. You have much to learn Benaiah. There is a way to talk that does not give away too much and yet speaks only that which is true. There is a way to evaluate the truthfulness and motives of others and yet still remain friendly. There is a way to avoid the pitfalls of those weaknesses common to mankind by which many are snared and pulled down to a place of everlasting torment. No Benaiah, this coming year you have as much, if not more, to learn than you did these past two years put together.”
I sighed inwardly. My bask in the glow of a great victory was over and I was once again humbled. Why did the circumstances of my life have to move along so fast?
Why couldn’t things proceed at a bit of a slower rate than they did?
Glancing at Kuri I felt a moment of guilt. It wasn’t right to question his teaching methods and I was sorry for my thoughts. I trusted Kuri and yet why couldn’t there just be a moment of rest now and then?
“Benaiah?”
I glanced up, knowing that he already knew what I had been thinking. He spoke softly, “Come down to the ground.” As Kuri spoke the bull he rode inclined its horned head lower and Kuri gracefully stepped down onto the desert sand.
I slid inelegantly down the side of my ride to tumble into the sand. Apparently I was as mentally tired as I felt physically in order to have misjudged how dismounting in such a fashion could’ve been a good idea.
Kuri helped me up as the two Tricans moved off. The big female stayed abreast of the bull, who was the herd sire. Her actions this day had just vaulted her, at an early age in the life of a Trican, into the dominant role of alpha female of the herd.
I was glad for her. It was nice to see her rewarded in some way for her gallantry today.
My eyes drifted to Kuri standing beside me. I’d reached my full height now and I could stare him right in the eye. There was a wealth of unsurpassed knowledge tempered with the warmth of a friend in the way that he looked at me. He made me feel special in a way that needed no words to express.
He spoke and I listened carefully, “Reward is coming Benaiah. But first, there is a war of the spirit to contend with that has spilled over into the lives of men. There are few willing to take up the sword and fight. I tell you now, Benaiah, that in the courts of Shamayim you are already known for your willingness to do what is right. One day you shall have great reward, but first comes the war of this life, for that is the will of El Elyon. The covenant enacted of old shall be completed and the separation of those who believe in that new covenant from life eternal will be abolished. The time is short, Benaiah. While there is yet time we labor. I know what I ask entails sacrifice, but it is the life of a servant of the Most High that you and I have embarked upon.”
Quite honestly I said, “When you put it all like that Kuri it doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice.”
“Oh it can and it will be a sacrifice, Benaiah. The road we travel can cost us everything and yet we gain everything that there is of value to be had, which are not things of this world.”
I shook my head and asked a question that I had always wanted to, “Just wh
o are you Kuri?”
He simply smiled and slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Your teacher, your fellow servant and your friend. Now, I do believe that our rides are here.”
Not understanding, I turned to look back out into the wastelands only to see two horses coming toward us, dragging their reins. I glanced quickly to Kuri. This wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this. How he had so much foreknowledge about everything I did not know, only that El Elyon must reveal it to him somehow.
As the horses came closer I couldn’t but help notice that they weren’t quite my picture of how I had envisioned my first ride into greater civilization. One was an older looking gelding and the other was a mare.
“The mare will be your mount. I’ll ride the other.”
My face wrinkled a little in disdain and Kuri noticed, “What is it Benaiah?”
I hesitated, but then spoke, “I just sort of imagined myself riding something a little more lively and bold like a stallion.”
“You didn’t object to riding a female steed earlier today.”
“That was different and you know it!”
Kuri chuckled and gripped my shoulder, “The time of war horses is coming, but for now you are working on, among other things, the art of diplomacy. I think you will find that we will attract far less notice in the places we are headed by riding mounts such as these than steeds of war.”
I turned from the horses to Kuri, “Is there anything you don’t already know?”
Kuri spoke slowly, “I know all that is given to me to know.” He mounted the gelding and I turned to my mare. He hadn’t really answered the question, but that didn’t really matter now. A new adventure was beginning.
Chapter Six
Lesson Learned
The last year of training
So which of the seven Kingdomer Nations are we headed for?” I asked, in hopes that Kuri would divulge the route he was taking. His answer shocked me.
“We’re not going to any of the seven Kingdomer Nations, as it is not yet time for that.”
“If we’re not visiting the seven Kingdomer Nations then where are we going?”
“Well, we just entered Ezon and after that Sarran followed by Portanisha and Orpital.”
“But those are all Nicationer Nations!”
“Precisely.”
I didn’t understand it.
Kuri glanced over to me, “Have you forgotten your own beginnings so quickly? Whether they are Nicationer or Kingdomer they are alike in that they all possess a soul. One is no better than the other in the eyes of El Elyon.”
“How can that be true? Kingdomers serve and reverence the name of the Most High, while Nicationers bow in reverence to any dark entity or simple aspect of nature!”
There was a sad note to Kuri’s tone as he said, “And yet I tell you the two are the same. In fact there are many Nicationers of higher regard in the eyes of El Elyon than those in the seven kingdoms. Many of those within the seven kingdoms say they worship El Elyon, but they serve another, while there are those among the Nicationer’s who have never heard of El Elyon. Tell me Benaiah, which is worse?”
“To say you know El Elyon and yet not serve Him,” I said slowly, as new comprehension dawned within me.
Kuri nodded and said, “Neither is good and both are in danger of Sheol, but those who have been given more chances to know and follow El Elyon’s ways will have more expected of them in return. Theirs is the greater guilt for not believing, while ignorance is the Nicationer’s defense against greater judgment than that received by the Kingdomer.”
“Why do we go at all, if things have deteriorated to such a great degree?” I asked.
Kuri glanced over at me, “I never said it was hopeless Benaiah. People can change. Whether they be Nicationer or Kingdomer they all have the ability to change and become something far better.”
As we rode along, I idly mused on why Kuri had chosen me to be his fellow messenger to a lost world. In a way I was, by blood, half of both worlds and yet Kuri saw me as just another man. Why should I be prejudiced against visiting the lands of my father’s heritage?
“What are we doing after we reach Orpital?” I asked.
Kuri seemed reflective for a moment and time stretched out. I didn’t think he was going to answer me when suddenly he spoke, “After our work is accomplished in Orpital we will head south into the Targon Mountains.”
“The Targon Mountains! I have heard that is a place of great evil where the monsters of the fallen Malachim have gone to live in great number!”
Kuri shrugged, “So? What are facing such beasts in open confrontation to you? Haven’t you been slaying such beasts for over the past year now?”
When he said it like that my objection to what he proposed didn’t make much sense. Nevertheless I said, “I’ve heard it's worse there.”
With a smile Kuri asked, “And when have you heard this Benaiah? You’ve been with me for two years now and we’ve seen no other in all that time.”
“In the towns where I grew up. It was a thing of common rumor,” I said defensively.
“Ahhh rumor. Rumors are tricky things, Benaiah, and most often not to be believed, as there is little truth to them.”
“You’re saying there are no monsters?”
“Not at all, rather I’m saying that it would be best for you to approach the unknown without preconceived ideas about it or else you will find yourself bound up by many fears. Every step you take in the mountains could be haunted by the fear of being discovered by a monster that may not even exist, while on the other hand you walk across a market yard of one of the seven kingdoms in blind trust that you are safe when really you are in the midst of a den of vipers more harmful than any monster. As you learn diplomacy over this coming year you will learn the value of approaching every situation you encounter with watchful caution, but also with a willingness for things to go right instead of wrong. If you do so you will not be motivated out of fear to engage in unnecessary actions as so many others are want to do. Instead, you will be the master of your own actions and able to chart the best journey forward regardless of the situation at hand.”
I shook my head as I stared out at the dusty miles that lay stretched out before us. Diplomacy and its accompanying attributes might not be such an easy lesson to learn after all.
It occurred to me then, as to something else that I had heard about the Targon Mountains. It was said that most of the remnants of the Yesathurim people lived there. Kuri’s people.
“Do you mean to rejoin with your people when we reach the Targon Mountains?” I asked, curious to see what reaction I would receive from Kuri.
Completely unfazed he said, “My people are scattered across all of Ayenathurim, but yes, there are many of my people held up in the mountains to the far south. I intend to gather them and lead them to a safer place. A place within the borders of my people’s ancestral land. The same place that we’ve just come from.”
I nodded, feeling somewhat more assured of a plan of action now.
“What then? What happens after your people are gathered in the valley of the Holy Mountains?”
“Enough with the questions for now Benaiah. Time will tell as to exactly how the future will unfold. Only El Elyon knows for sure when the end will occur. Now, are you ready for your reemergence into civilization?”
“What?” I asked, at a loss because of the sudden change of thought.
I glanced forward and saw the dim outline of a village taking shape before us on the plain. I swallowed nervously in sudden anxiety at re-exposure to society.
How had I fearlessly killed ferocious monsters in close combat but a few days ago to now feel fear at the unknown world of men?
It didn’t make sense and yet there was excitement to my fear as well. Idly I wondered if there were any pretty girls in the village ahead.
What if there were?
It was an uneasy thought and I viewed the approaching village with new trepidation.
&n
bsp; *****
I dismounted and tied my horse off just as Kuri had done. Reluctantly I followed him into the poorly lit building constructed of mud and sticks that looked to be on the point of collapse.
As bad as this building was, it was still the best looking of all the shacks that the village had to offer. I found myself wanting to be free of this place and all of its squalor, but out of obedience to Kuri I sat down at the rickety table off to one side of the open room and mentally prepared myself to choke down whatever was put before me.
There were only a few others within the room and they stared at us suspiciously out of drunken eyes. I did not like the place at all and I certainly did not care for those present either.
My eyes found Kuri’s, only to see him looking at me with a censoring gaze. Immediately I felt that I had messed up somehow and Kuri, always the teacher, didn’t let me dwell in the question of my unknown trespass for long, “Do you think yourself so much above these people to look at them with such utter disdain and disregard?”
I ducked my eyes down to the table. To be truthful, I did think of myself as being better, but was I right to do that? Apparently not.
I looked back out at the room with a new regard for what I was seeing. Instead of seeing what I had the first time, I now saw beneath the drunken visages of the shacks’ patrons to their underlying weariness of spirit. It was as if everyone within the place could barely summon the strength to keep drawing in their next breath of air.
It seemed that the only solace anyone was finding came from the foul-smelling tankards of alcohol set before them. I felt pity for them now in place of the disgust that I had earlier. Something of my inner thoughts must’ve reached my face, because the hostility of the drunken onlookers seemed to dissipate away and one by one they glanced back to their tankards and took a swig as they resumed their usual business of hopelessly watching time go by.
This was diplomacy. My first lesson so to speak.
My attitude of dislike had been clearly evident to all within the room and I had made potential enemies of all of them, until I’d had the sense to really see them for what they were. They were simple, but tired out people with no hope of anything ever getting better.