This is a novel and an allegorical story about some knights who travel on a quest to reach a beautiful kingdom called the Kingdom of Heaven. As they go, they encounter giants, evil knights, swamps, perils, cliffs, dungeons, castles, evil Medieval lords, traps, dark forests, cunning enemies, and powerful weapons. They must fight for their lives and overcome all obstacles with the use of their weapons and armor, namely the Sword of the Spirit, and the Shield of Faith, and the power of God.
- BOOK 2 -
Faith Challenged
- A Novel / Allegory -
By: Justin Brown (a pen name)
Date Created: Jan. 23, 2019
Chapter 7
Fleeing from the Guards
 |
| (This is a depiction of a lava-filled trench.) |
[Sabaton (singular
noun): A sabaton was a jointed piece of metal foot armor (for each foot) that
was designed to articulate (or move like a hinge) as the knight walked. The
armor that covered a knight’s lower leg below the knee and above the sabaton
was called a greave. Poleyn were armored knee guards.]
“What do we do now, Father
God?” Markus prayed silently as he ran.
“To your left is a door, My
son,” God’s gentle voice said. “Take it and you will find a stairway leading
down to the ground at the base of the cliff. You will find a cave with a
concealed entrance. Outside that cave, you will find freedom. You will meet
your horses there as well. Now, rest in Me, and you will do well. And, I
the LORD your God have spoken.”
“Thank you, Father God,”
Markus whispered.
He spoke to his three
friends, saying, “Brothers, God just showed me something. Follow me, and we
will escape this castle.”
“Okay, Markus,” Andrew said. “We’re
right behind you.”
Markus sped up faster,
charging toward a solid door in the left wall of the hallway. Unlike the barred
prison doors, this door was made of wood. He slowed to a stop before the door,
grabbed a metal handle and pulled. It was locked. Markus felt fear suddenly
attacking him, and he wondered if he was somehow mistaken about the door.
“Markus, My son, use your
sword,” God’s kind voice said.
“Oh, my sword,” Markus said,
holding up his fiery weapon. “Since it can cut through iron bars, it must be
able to cut through wood.”
“Markus,” Henry said from the
rear of the group. “Markus, please hurry up. The enemy is almost upon us.”
“God has not given me fear,”
Markus said suddenly. “He has given me power, love, and a sound mind.” He
remembered the words of 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7–‘[7] For God hath
not given us the spirit of fear ; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind.’
[2 Timothy 1:7.]
With renewed courage, Markus
continued hacking at the door. And, the flames on his sword leaped up high. The
wood began to get scorched with the hot tongues of fire.
Click. Clack. Click.
Clack. The troop of twenty evil
knights closed the distance rapidly as they ran toward the pilgrims. Just as
the nearest enemy soldier was twelve feet away, the wooden door suddenly split
in half. As it did, Markus held up his shield and charged toward it. Crunch!
As Markus burst through the oaken door, it splintered into pieces as if it
were made of decaying wood.
He reached a stone landing at
the top of a long set of spiral stairs. The stairwell was completely dark
except for the buttery-yellow light that emanated from the sword flames. Andrew
followed Markus closely. And, right behind both of them stood Gregory with a
concerned look on his face.
Cling. Clang. A ringing clash suddenly came from behind him, and
Markus guessed it was Henry fighting off the soldiers.
“Let’s go,” Markus said. “I
believe Henry will follow us.”
The three men began
descending the staircase. When Markus reached the tenth step down, he paused
and turned back, holding up his fiery sword. The steps behind Gregory were
vacant and dark.
“Henry,” Markus shouted, “come
down here!”
But, there was no response.
“Henry!” Markus shouted.
Gregory, at the rear, turned
and charged back up the spiral steps. The clash of metal against metal
pierced through the ruptured, scorched, wooden door. He could now see Henry
fighting off two evil knights, keeping them at bay.
“Henry,” Gregory said, “come
down here as soon as you can.”
“I will,” Henry said as he
swung his fiery broadsword to parry an iron axe.
Then, the 50-year-old
suddenly charged toward the soldier, with his shield up, and slammed his shield
into the evil knight. The knight lost balance, and Henry was able to strike the
foe in the shoulder several times. He slammed into the evil knight again, and
the foe fell backward into his comrades.
Without waiting a second,
Henry wheeled around and dashed through the broken door. He descended the staircase,
breathing heavily. Seeing him come, Gregory, Markus, and Andrew began jogging
down the steps. The four pilgrim knights descended for a few minutes.
Before long, they reached the
last few steps, breathing hard, and found themselves in a small cave or grotto.
The jagged mouth of the cave lay just twenty feet away. As Markus drew near it,
his sword flames revealed pine needles and woody limbs covering the opening.
Dozens of pine trees blocked the entrance of the cave, forming a natural
concealment.
Markus sheathed his
broadsword and the flames went out. Then, he got on his hands and knees, and
crawled through the dense, pine branches. The others followed him. Soon, they
had pushed through the thick screen of pine trees, and they saw a small wood of
evergreens, which surrounded them. Markus pushed his way through more
needle-covered branches and came out into a clearing at the base of the high
cliff or bluff.
He looked straight up the
rocky, cliff face and whistled low. “That is a great distance we just
descended,” he said.
As Andrew approached him, he
followed Markus’s lead, and peered up at the top of the cliff. “That was a
miracle that God was able to get us into the dungeon to help rescue Gregory. It
was also a miracle that God got us safely past all the castle guards.”
“Look out,” Gregory said as
he burst through the trees. “Soldiers are coming by the dozens!”
Henry followed Gregory
through the trees and exclaimed, “Swarms of knights are following us!”
The sound of hoof beats
filled the air as Markus and his friends drew their fiery swords and prepared
for a fierce battle.
“I don’t want to go back to
that dungeon, or to a torture chamber,” Gregory said with concern as he
clutched his flaming broadsword.
Rustling sounds suddenly came
from the trees. Two evil soldiers shoved their way through the pine branches
and drew their swords as they ran. But, just as they were about to reach
Gregory, one unexpectedly tripped on a fallen log, and the second knight
stumbled over his comrade.
An evil knight in dark-grey
armor suddenly jumped out at Henry, and attacked. Clang. Ding. Clash.
Broadsword rang against broadsword as the 50-year-old fought against a vicious
foe.
Just then, white horses
appeared, galloping across the clearing toward the pilgrim knights. They all
had empty saddles and came at full speed. While more evil knights emerged from
the copse, Markus turned toward the horses and breathed a sigh of relief. And,
he rejoiced. God had told him that the horses would meet them.
A white charger clopped up to
Markus, slowing its pace until it reached him. He sheathed his flaming
broadsword and mounted the horse. As their horses approached them, the other
pilgrim knights mounted them.
Henry shoved his shield
against the evil knight and struck him in the helmet a few times. The foe’s sallet
helmet bent in, and he retreated. Then, Henry quickly mounted his horse,
almost leaping into the saddle. [Sallet
helmet: See Chapter 1 and the section titled: “The Castle of Baron
Tyrannous Entertainment.”]
With a flick of his reins,
Markus sent his steed galloping across the grassy clearing. The other pilgrim
knights followed, riding their chargers at full speed. Henry, in his saddle,
turned his head back to glance at his foes. The soldiers were shaking their
fists at him as he galloped away.
“We will destroy you one day,”
an evil knight shouted at the top of his voice.
On the Trail
Markus remembered how they
had reached a fork in a path earlier, before they had taken the left fork up to
the castle of Baron Pride. He also remembered that the right fork had passed
through the lower end of the mountain saddle. Earlier, he had guessed that the
right fork would descend to a valley below the mountain where he had not yet
been.
“Father God, is this the
trail we need to go on to reach the Kingdom of Heaven?” Markus asked quietly as
he rode.
“This is the way, My son. Go
on it. It will take you to your next destination,” God’s loving voice said.
“Thank you, Abba Father God,”
Markus said. “You are a good Father.”
“Thank you, My son. I love
you very much,” God said.
“Wow,” Markus said silently as he thought about God’s amazing
love. “No one loves like God does. God is love. 1
John 4:16 says, ‘[16] And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.
God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.’”
“Markus,” Gregory said
presently, “are we on the right trail?”
“God showed me that this is
the way we need to go,” Markus said out loud, turning in his saddle to face his
friends. “We are on the correct path. I believe it will take us down into a
valley below this mountain.”
“Very good,” Gregory said. “I
will be glad to leave this mountain behind.”
They traveled for a few more
minutes, and then a troubling thought came to Markus. He remembered the faces
of the Othniel Quince and Othniel’s three accomplices. They had refused to
accompany Markus, Andrew, and Henry to check out the dungeon. Othniel’s tone
had been one of defiance and stubbornness. He had not wanted to seek God’s will
or do it. And, he had not listened to God’s Spirit convicting him of sin, and
of the need to repent, and to seek God.
“We forgot about Othniel,
Jeroboam, Omri, and Ahab,” Markus said to the men riding beside him.
“That’s right,” Andrew said,
inhaling suddenly. “We should probably go back and see what has become of them.
They might be in a dungeon now, or worse.”
“I need to seek God about
this,” Markus said.
“I need to as well,” Andrew
said.
“Father God,” Markus said
quietly, “I remember Othniel Quince and the other three men who remained behind
and wouldn’t listen to us. Should we go back to see what has happened with
them? I sure hope they are not captured.”
“My son, these men are very
resistant to Me,” God said to Markus’s spirit. “They will not listen to Me, or
repent. They are seeking to please themselves, and to not please Me, or to do
My will. I am calling out to them. But, they are not listening to Me or obeying
Me. So, don’t go to try to rescue them. I will deal with them and call out to
them up until they harden their hearts, or not. I am pleased you have sought
Me. I love you very much. And, I the LORD your God and Abba Father have spoken.”
“Thank you for what you have
shown me,” Markus said quietly.
He then turned his attention
to the men riding beside him and informed them about what God had just told
him.
“Well, Father God knows how
to reach people like that,” Andrew said. “And, He will keep calling out to
them.”
Four in a Dungeon
Back at the castle of Baron
Pride, deep in the lowest dungeon, four men sat in a cell, playing video games
on a large, wide-screen TV set. They were playing a multiplayer video game and
eating some stale chips.
[Note: This video game technology is from the
1990s and later. But, it is featured in this allegorical / fiction story for
spiritual purposes.]
Nonetheless, their dungeon
cell was not comfortable in the least. Cold, iron shackles were clamped around
their ankles and were fastened to heavy, iron balls. Water dripped from the
ceiling in places and made sleep difficult. Their beds were nonexistent, so
they slept on the chilly, stone floor of the cell. Dirty rags sewn together
acted as thin blankets and pillows.
Shortly after Markus, Andrew,
and Henry had left Othniel, two evil knights had suddenly come from around a
bend in the hall and had spotted Othniel’s group. But, by this time, Othniel
and his three accomplices had no heart to fight their foes. So, they had
dropped their shields and swords, and had raised their hands in surrender.
Fear, pride, and unbelief had gripped them. The two enemy soldiers summoned
more guards to come to their assistance. Then, they had locked up the four,
spiritually-weakened pilgrims.
Now, as Othniel and his
accomplices played the video game in their cell, God’s Spirit called out to
them, but they ignored him. And, they continued to resist him as time went on.
But, God did not stop calling out to them until these men passed from this
life.
Arriving at the Town of
Rebellion
Meanwhile, Markus, Andrew,
Henry, and Gregory descended the mountain toward a valley they had never been
to. After traveling for some miles through forests, cow pastures, and fields,
they saw before them a walled town with a castle behind it built on a high
hill. The town was situated at the base of the steep, grassy hill, as many
medieval villages were. Church steeples, jail towers, and four-storied
buildings rose above the curtain walls.
[Curtain wall: a wall linking two towers or gates
together.]
“My son,” God’s voice spoke
to Markus, “I would like you to go into this town, and preach to this town, and
warn it that judgment will come upon it if it will not repent. It is a very
hardened town, and the people are very wicked before Me, more so than the other
town you had been to, which was called Insipidity.”
“Okay,” Markus said, nodding.
“The people in this town are
hardened almost like the pharaoh of Egypt, who withstood Moses and Aaron when
they called out to him to have My people leave Egypt. So, likewise, shall the
people withstand you. And, in this town you will meet some of your former
friends, who will oppose you. I tell you this so that you will know what shall
happen.”
“Oh,” Markus said, pursing his lips.
[Pursing lips: This
refers to moving one’s lips together to form a circle.]
“The people will grab you and
place you in a prison, but I will be with you and will deliver you from the
prison. There, in the prison, you will testify of Me to the prisoners, and some
will repent. And, I the LORD your God and Abba Father have spoken.”
“Wow,” Markus said, breathing
deeply, as he sat in his saddle. “I didn’t realize you would tell me all those
details.”
“I tell them to you to give
you a prophecy so that it shall not come upon you unawares,” God’s kind voice
said to his spirit. “You will not be beaten, or stoned, or tortured. You will
be imprisoned in a cell briefly, and then you will escape, because I will have
you and your friends move on from there. If the people do not repent, then
judgment will fall upon their city and destroy it. And, I the LORD your God and
Abba Father have spoken.”
“Thank you for showing me
this, Abba Father God,” Markus said. “I am willing to be persecuted for your
sake. I just feel fearful now that you’ve told me all these things, but I give
you all My fears, and I choose to trust you.”
“Tell your friends, My son,
what I have shown you,” God said graciously. “And, I the LORD your God and
Father have spoken.”
Markus turned his attention
to the men riding beside him and said, “Brothers, I need to tell you something
God has show me. …” He informed them about all that God had said. Then, Henry
frowned in deep thought and furrowed his brow.
“What’s troubling you?”
Markus said as he looked at the 50-year-old.
“I am bothered that God would
show you these things,” Henry said, scratching his longish, brown beard. “I
fear that we will be placed in a dungeon and be forgotten.”
“Don’t fear, Henry,” Markus
said, reassuringly. “God is taking care of us, and He told me that we will not
be tortured. He also said that our stay in the prison would be brief because He
will cause us to escape.”
“Okay,” Henry said, sighing. “I
choose to trust this.”
“You should seek God about
this for yourself,” Markus said. “He will talk to you about anything you ask
Him if you desire to know Him well.”
“Okay, Markus,” Henry said,
nodding. “I’ll seek God about this.”
The men continued on their
journey. A couple miles later, they reached a gate in the high, curtain walls surrounding the town. As
they neared a town gate, their shiny, silvery armor began to lose its opacity,
and it became more and more translucent. Soon, it was almost invisible.
But, their long, white tunics, trousers, and leather boots appeared beneath the
armor.
[Curtain wall:
a wall linking two towers or gates together.]
[Opacity: Having the quality of being opaque. The word “opaque”
refers to a substance which does not allow light to pass through it.] [Translucent: This refers to
being partially see-through. Tinted glass is usually translucent. Some light
passes through it.] [Transparent objects are clear and allow
objects behind them to be distinctly seen through them.] [Nasal
helmet: This was a round
helmet with a nose guard also called a “nasal.” The nose guard (or nasal) was a
piece of metal that projected down over the nose.] [Halberd: A medieval weapon
with a long, wooden handle and a multipurpose head. The halberd head is a
combination of an axe blade; and a sharp, metal prong on the other side; and a
long, spear tip at the very top.]
[Note: The
pilgrims’ armor became transparent because humans that are not pilgrims cannot
see it. But, the Ephesians 6 armor, which the pilgrim knights wear, is still on
them. It never actually leaves a true believer in Jesus, who is a sheep. See
the Gospel of John, chapter 10.]
Markus noticed that two
guards standing at the town gate were coldly staring at him and his friends.
One of the guards left his position and approached them. He carried a halberd and a shield, and was armored with a
coat of mail, a nasal helm, and mail trousers.
“Stop,” the man ordered as he
gripped his halberd tightly.
A blue and orange surcoat
covered the soldier’s coat of mail, identifying this guard as a human. A
similar surcoat was worn by his fellow guard.
Markus and his friends pulled
their horses to a stop and waited.
“Who are you and what is your
business in this town?” the soldier said harshly. “You appear to be foreigners.”
“What should I say?” Markus
silently asked his Father God.
“My son, tell him that you
wish to give important news to the city in the town square,” God said calmly.
“We have come to bring your
town important news,” Markus said with a sense of God’s presence and peace. “We’d
like to speak of it in the town square.”
The soldier frowned for a few
moments as he considered the request. Then, he looked back up at Markus. “Okay,
you may enter,” he said as he relaxed slightly and stepped out of the way. He
motioned for the men to continue through the gate.
The four pilgrims dismounted
and walked with their horses through the busy, cobblestone streets. Street
vendors attempted to sell them apples, pears, and other foods. But, the
pilgrims just pressed on their way toward the large, town square, which was
surrounded by four-story, half-timbered buildings. A wooden platform sat empty
in the center of the square.
Curious villagers began
staring at the strangers in white. Most everyone was dressed in simple clothing
dyed hazel brown, dark green, sky blue, flaxen yellow, or maroon. White garments
were nowhere to be seen among the villagers.
“Hey, you men, where did you
get those white garments and those glorious chargers?” a burly man with a beard
shouted at them.
The four pilgrims were just
about to step onto the wooden, speaking platform.
“Sir, they are a gift from
God. God had a friend of ours give us the horses,” Markus said.
“And, our clothing came from
Christ Jesus,” Andrew added. “We are clothed with the garments of
righteousness. These garments were not given to us based on any works we
did. Rather, they were given to us because we trusted in the Name of Jesus
Christ alone for salvation.”
[A
note about the garments of righteousness:
Psalm 132:9 says:
“[9] Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness
; and let thy saints shout for joy.”
And, Revelation
19:7-8 says: “[7] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him :
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. [8]
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white : for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”]
“Bah, that is preposterous,”
the burly villager said, waving his hand in disgust and spitting on the ground.
“Take your Jesus and leave us! We don’t want anything to do with Him or with
you!” Then, he cursed and uttered profanity.
“We are called by the Most
High God to warn you and all of this town,” Markus said as he stepped onto the
platform, “that judgment shall fall upon you if you will not repent from your sins and turn to the
living God.”
[Repent (verb):
This means to change one’s mind and actions about something. Biblical
repentance is looking to God for help to guide you in forsaking sin. God never
temps anyone, as James chapter 1 says. He always provides a way out of every
temptation, if we will look to Him for guidance and help.]
Markus released his horse’s
reins and gently slapped it on the side. The horse trotted off and headed down
a street toward a town gate. Andrew, Henry, and Gregory did the same with their
horses, trusting that God would bring the steeds back to them once they were
through this trial.
Conflict on the
Platform
“People of the town of Rebellion,
you have turned away from God, the Creator, and have sought after idols and
things which are harmful to you. You have served idols, witchcraft, selfish
pursuits, adultery, greed, pride, lust, worldly entertainment, and ungodliness.
You have hardened your heart against God, your Creator and the Bible, His Word.
God is warning you that if you will not repent, your town shall be destroyed,”
Markus said loudly.
As he spoke those words,
hundreds of people turned to face him. Most shook their heads, laughed,
shrugged their shoulders, and went back to their business. But, some walked
forward and stood near the platform. However, angry expressions appeared on
many faces.
“If you will not repent,
fire shall be poured upon you in Hell,” Markus said with a raised voice, “and
burning sulfur, and magma or molten rock. You shall not enjoy any sleep or
rest, and your pain and suffering will be immense, if you will not repent and
turn to the living God who created you.”
“Boo,” a lady said loudly.
Several more people joined her.
When the disturbance had died
down, Andrew Strong-heart spoke up and said, “God is not willing that any
should perish, as 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 9, says. With great love and
compassion for us, God wants all people to repent and turn to His Only Begotten
Son, Jesus Christ. But, if you continue to refuse His offer of salvation, there
will be a day of visitation where God will bring you justice. You will be cut
down, and your souls and spirits will be taken down into a supernatural region
called Hell. Hell has intense suffering, hot flames, and eternal torment for
all who are there. You do not want to go there.”
Markus Christian said, “Turn
to Jesus Christ, and repent from your sin, and He will blot out your sins,
forgive you, and make you His own. You will then have eternal life and will
be in Heaven when you pass from this life. In Heaven, you will live in glory,
and in beauty, and will have great joy forever.”
More jeers and much booing
came from the crowd. Then, suddenly, a man emerged from the multitude and
stepped onto the platform. He was dressed in a long, black tunic and matching
trousers. He carried in his hands a leather Bible, which appeared to be brand
new.
Markus instantly recognized
Elihu Coppersmith, a man in his early 50s who Markus had helped rescue from the
dungeon of Baron Tyrannous Entertainment’s castle.
“What are you doing here,
Elihu?” Markus said, surprised. “You left us right before we attacked the
fortified bridge.”
“Yes, I and two other men
left your group because you are false teachers,” Elihu said, glaring at him. “You
were trying to deceive us into following a strict and legalistic set of rules.”
“That is a lie,” Markus said,
shocked that Elihu would say such falsehood.
Elihu’s long, brown beard had
been cut shorter and trimmed up neatly since Markus had last seen him.
“I am an advisor to the
honorable lord mayor of this town,” Elihu said with arrogance in his voice. “The
worshipful lord mayor is not pleased that you are here to stir up this village.
You are speaking falsehood to these people.”
“We are speaking the truth,”
Andrew said, jumping in. “It is not falsehood
what we teach.”
“You men are false prophets,
teaching lies to the people,” Elihu said, speaking slander.
Turning to the audience below
the platform, Elihu said loudly, “Men and women of the town of Rebellion, I am
sent by God to tell you that you shall have blessing, prosperity, and
abundance. Your fields shall yield tenfold increases in crops. Your livestock
shall be multiplied. All you set your hands to do shall be blessed.”
Dozens of people began
clapping. Several men whistled with delight.
“Don’t listen to anyone tell
you otherwise,” Elihu said. “God sees you and will bless you. There is no need
for you to repent from your sins, for God will just forgive you and bless you.
No judgment shall fall upon this town or on you people.”
“Those are all lies!” Markus
cried. “God can only bless those who repent. The Lord Jesus Christ said these
words in Revelation chapter 2, verses 4 and 5: ‘[4] Nevertheless I
have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love. [5] Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,
and do the first works ; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.’ [End
quote.] [Revelation 2:4-5.] When Jesus removes your candlestick, it
means that the Holy Spirit is not dwelling in you, and you are lost.”
Andrew added, saying: “And,
in Revelation chapter 21, verses 6 and 7, God says: ‘[7] He that
overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
son. [8] But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone : which is the second
death.’”
“Don’t listen to these men,”
Elihu said loudly, facing the crowds. “They are serpents and knaves.
They will steal your shoes if you let them stay in your house overnight. And,
they will kill you in your sleep if you have insulted them at the table. I am
the true messenger of God. I know what they are like, and they are liars.”
[Knave: A man who is
a deceiver or a liar.]
“Elihu Coppersmith,” Markus
said boldly with a loud voice, “God did not send you to say those false words.”
Elihu turned to face Markus
and looked at him with mock surprised. But, Markus could see an evil glint in
his eyes.
“You are following in the
footsteps of your father, the devil,” Markus Christian said, feeling God’s
power and peace resting upon him as he spoke. “You love the praises of men
rather than the praises that God gives to His children. John chapter 12, verse
43, said this of some of the Pharisees: ‘[43] For they loved
the praise of men more than the praise of God.’ [John 12:43.]”
Elihu just shook his head and
smirked arrogantly.
Markus added: “You have
forsaken the right path to choose the path of Baal worship as 2 Peter says
in chapter 2, verse 15: ‘[15] Which have forsaken the right
way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who
loved the wages of unrighteousness ;’ [2 Peter 2:15.]”
“Money,
popularity, greed, and selfishness are your gods,” Markus said. “Since you have
come against the living God in a strong and rebellious way, you will not
continue on the surface of the earth.”
“I defy you. And, I will…,”
Elihu started to say with a coldly tone in his voice, but he suddenly stopped
speaking in mid-sentence. At that moment, he had a sudden, massive heart
attack, and he collapsed to the platform, dead. Those were the last words he
spoke while on the surface of the earth. Villagers nearby gasped in
astonishment and horror.
From the crowd came two men
dressed in black clothing. They leaped onto the platform and hurried over to
the fallen man. Markus recognized Ahaziah Bronze-smith and Jehoiakim Iron-fist
as they knelt before the corpse of the false teacher and blasphemer.
Both men looked very grieved
to see him die. Ahaziah stood up and turned toward Markus and Andrew. His eyes
were full of hatred toward Markus.
“Markus Christian, I will
kill you one day,” Ahaziah said coldly before he turned and hopped off the
stage.
Jehoiakim stood slowly and
glanced at Markus furtively before he turned and left the platform. He pushed
his way through the crowds, heading toward an alley between two buildings. As
Jehoiakim receded into the crowd, the assembly began to part and make way for a
procession of thirty soldiers. Most were armed with halberds, but four carried
crossbows.
Then, the people in the crowd
began to chant viciously, “Kill them! Kill them!”
More cruel, cold voices
chimed in, saying, “Kill the liars!” Before long, nearly the entire audience was
repeatedly shouting, “Kill them!”
Markus, Andrew, Henry, and
Gregory felt nervous, but, simultaneously, they also felt God’s presence and
compassionate care surrounding them like a wall.
The soldiers reached the
platform and approached the four pilgrims. One, an officer, stepped forward and
said, “By order of the lord mayor of this town of Rebellion, I hereby place you
four men under arrest.”
Markus and his friends made
no resistance as cold, metal handcuffs were locked around their wrists and they
were led away, under escort. As they went, people jumped up and down and
shouted, “Death to these knaves! Death to these deceivers!”
Hearing their voices brought
some fear to Markus, but he quickly gave it to God. Peace returned to his soul
as he remembered what God had told him would happen. In a short time, they had
passed through the crowd, down a few streets, out a town gate, and up toward
the castle on the hill. Flying on flagpoles atop castle towers, bright and
colorful standards fluttered and snapped in the breeze. They displayed a blue
and orange coat of arms, which belonged to the lord of the castle.
“Whose castle is this?”
Markus asked one of the guards escorting him as they neared a drawbridge.
The man turned to him and
scowled. He said, “It is the castle of Sir George Mount-hill, the duke of Mortshire.
You must be a foreigner. The duke does not take kindly to strangers.”
A sinking feeling suddenly
reached Markus’s chest as fear began to sink into his heart.
Chapter 8
“Four days from now, you
pilgrims will be brought to the gallows and hanged,” a soldier said through the
iron bars of a cold cell in Duke Mount-hill’s castle dungeon. “Or,” the guard
added with a chuckle, “the duke will have you executed sooner, if he so
chooses.”
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 5 and 6 here.]
The Vision in the
Castle of Duke Mount-hill
Markus was sitting in a
dungeon cell alone, but he was not truly alone. For, he knew that God was with
him.
A cruel smile wrinkled the
guard’s clean-shaven face, which was framed by his barbute helmet and short hauberk.
[Note: The short hauberk was a mail hood that covered the neck,
shoulders, and head.] [Barbute: This was a 15th century
helmet which often had a Y-or-T-shaped facial opening in the front for
breathing and visibility. Some had an arched opening, but the opening was still
smallish compared to that of other helmet styles. Unique among the barbute
designs, those with a Y-shaped opening had a projection to guard the nose.]
Hearing that news sent
shivers through Markus’s spine. He hadn’t expected that God would allow him to
be executed. The pilgrim’s Heavenly Father had told him that he would escape
the prison. Now, there were only four days for God to work the escape, or
possibly less. Fear began to grip Markus Christian’s stomach like a vise.
“We might think of getting a
confession from you by torture like we did the last executed prisoner,” the man
said with an evil sense of humor.
Markus quickly began giving
his fears to God as he turned away from the gloating soldier.
“Abba Father God,” Markus
prayed silently, “I’ve felt very fearful about what might happen to me, and I’ve
doubted what you told me. I repent from those sins and from unbelief. I choose
to trust you. And, I give you all these fears and sins. You are my hope and
trust. You are my shield and salvation. I choose to trust in you even though
I feel fearful still.”
“Rest, My son, for I am with
you. You will not be tortured. I will help you escape. Rest,” God’s gently
voice responded.
Then, Markus turned back to
the guard, but the man had walked on. His footsteps echoed down the hallway.
The groans and murmuring of other prisoners returned when he was out of
earshot.
As Markus breathed deeply, he
noticed more strongly the odor of the foul-smelling, damp, dungeon air.
Depression began to sink deep into Markus’s soul. The whole place was
putrid-smelling, cold, dark, and grim. He began to forget what God had told
him. The prophecy of how he would escape the dungeon slipped from his memory.
Unseen by Markus, evil
creatures with dark-grey skin placed their fingers into his head and gave him
feelings of fear, loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. The weight of it
all was like a heavy haversack (backpack) weighing him down. ‘Will I
ever escape this miserable dungeon?’ Markus thought to himself, gloomily. ‘What
if I am here for the rest of my life? Did I really hear God tell me He would
get me out of prison?’
The thoughts pounded him and
poked into his mind like arrows full of poison. ‘Why don’t I just kill myself
and be done with this miserable existence?’ a thought came to him. Markus didn’t
see an invisible, evil creature placing his hands into his head.
“No,” Markus said, “I will
not kill myself. God has a purpose for me. He has a purpose … for me.”
Suddenly, Markus sensed a
hand touching him on his shoulder. Peace began to fill his heart and mind. And,
peace flooded his soul. The soothing presence of a loving Being was standing
beside him. Sensing this, he turned and saw a tall man with a brown beard and a
bright, caring smile on his face.
The man’s green eyes looked
at Markus with pity, love, and compassion. They spoke of eternity, and life,
and peace. Nothing evil, cold, or unpleasant could remain in the Presence of
such a Person as the man who stood before Markus.
The pilgrim turned fully
around, and the bearded man with the green eyes said, “Markus, my son, I
love you very deeply. You are very dear to Me. I am the Lord Jesus. Do
not fear, My son. I love you and will never leave you, for I dwell in you, as
the Scripture says.
“Believe Me that I will
never forsake you, and believe that this trial will soon be over. I love
you, My son. I love you very much. Feed on My Word, and you will be
strengthened. And, I the LORD your God have spoken.”
With that, the man
disappeared, but the Presence of God’s love remained.
“Thank you, Lord Jesus,”
Markus whispered. “You are so beautiful and kind. You are full of love and
goodness, and truth.”
“Oh,” Markus said suddenly,
feeling something on his lap.
He looked down and found a
leather-bound Bible. Somehow, the Lord Jesus had provided the Holy Book for him
to read, and he was grateful. Markus picked up the Bible and began reading it
by torchlight. A torch was fixed to a wall bracket outside his cell door and
provided bright enough light for him to read by.
Meanwhile, in the town
of Rebellion…
Meanwhile, in the town of
Rebellion, a crowd was gathering in the town square. The sun had set on the
land, bringing night in its wake. Stars appeared above the small town of 5,000.
When 10 o’clock had arrived people began gathering in the town square. Sparks
flew upward from a giant, roaring bonfire that was built on the paving stones
near the middle of the town square. Pipe and drum music filled the air. And,
druids were dancing around the blaze, worshipping and praising the name of
Baal, a Canaanite god.
Up on the wooden platform,
more druids bowed before and worshiped a gold-plated statue of Baal.
Townspeople joined the druids in the dance about the fire and the worship of
Baal. Tables laden with food and barrels of wine had been set up, and the
townspeople began getting drunk.
The same platform where
Markus and Andrew had given a message from God to warn the townspeople was now
a scene of paganism, debauchery, and idolatry. Everyone who had heard the
pilgrims’ warnings had ignored them and continued to live in hypocrisy,
hedonism and self-indulgence.
After the licentious and
debauched festivities had ended in the early morning, the people dispersed and
returned to their homes. Unknown to hedonistic, proud townspeople, hundreds of
enemy sappers had been tunneling beneath the town for months. Large cavities
had been dug out in certain locations under the town. Thick, wooden beams
reinforced the underground chambers and tunnels.
These underground cavities
were now being filled with barrels of gunpowder or black powder. Long fuses
were connected to the barrels and made to snake through the tunnels. Ends were
knotted together so that the fuses would carry the ignition flames to their
targets. To make them burn faster and more reliably than earlier fuses, they
were coated with a highly-flammable substance.
In the Dungeon
Three nights came and went
following the time that Markus and Andrew had spoken in the town square. It was
now the fourth night that Markus and his friends had been in prison beneath
Duke Mount-hill’s castle. Markus had understood from the guards that the
hanging would take place at noon some hours after the sun would have risen. He
realized that he only had 10 hours before the hanging would take place since a
guard had just told him it was 2 in the morning.
Suddenly, he heard a thump
come from outside his cell door. Markus stood up from the floor and walked
over to the barred door. Peering through the gaps between the bars, he saw a
guard lying on the ground, unconscious. But, in moments, a loud snoring came
from the man’s nose. Markus’s eyes locked onto a set of keys which hung from a
metal ring. The ring of keys was attached to the guard’s belt by a small cord.
The Markus reached through
the bars, stretching out his hands toward the cord with the key ring. He was
able to grab the cord easily enough. Then, he began untying it slowly, hoping
the soldier would not awake. Once it was untied, he slowly removed the keys,
trying to not let them clack together. He didn’t want any more sounds than were
absolutely necessary.
Carefully, he pulled the keys
through the bars, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he awkwardly placed a
key in the keyhole, for it was an ancient, two-way lock. It didn’t work. So, he
tried two more keys. As he did, he glanced at the sleeping guard. The snoring soldier
hadn’t moved an inch since he fell unconscious to the floor.
Markus selected another key.
This was the fourth one. He inserted the key, and this time it turned in the
lock, and the door clicked open. Rejoicing quietly, Markus picked up the Bible
and took it with him as he stepped out of his cell.
He was now in a hallway lined
with prison doors. The guard was still asleep, snoring loudly. Markus prayed
that no other guards would see him. Being human, they could possibly apprehend
him or kill him. But, Markus rejected these fears and chose to trust God. After
all, God had gotten him out of the cell and had put the guard into a deep
sleep.
He walked down the hall some
distance and saw Henry in a cell on his right. The 50-year-old man was reading
a Bible by the light of a torch mounted in the hallway. Markus inserted a key
and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t unlock.
He heard a sound come down
the hallway to his right, and froze. Footsteps were approaching. Markus turned
his head and spotted a supernatural enemy. It was a knight dressed in dark-grey
armor with a sallet helmet.
[Sallet: A
style of medieval helmet that was popular during the 15th century.
This style often had a curved flange of metal in the rear of the helmet. Later
sallet helmets had movable visors (to protect the face) and bevors (to protect
the neck and lower face). The bevor was
a piece of armor that covered the upper shoulders, the neck, and the lower
face.]
“Markus,” Henry said, looking
up from his Bible, “what are you doing out of your cell?”
Then, Henry saw the metal
object in Markus’s hand, and he said with a hoarse whisper, “You have the keys!
Praise God!”
Markus could see that the
enemy’s visor was closed. In one hand, the foe held up a shield, and in the
other, a war hammer.
“Shh,” Markus said. “We’re in
trouble. Take these keys.”
Markus quickly passed the key
ring to Henry, through the bars, and the older man began trying keys out for
his cell door. But, the metallic footfalls were getting louder.
One end of the foe’s hammer
was a metal point for puncturing armor. The other end was a flat hammerhead for
knocking men unconscious.
“You humans will be thrown
into a dungeon from which you will never escape,” the evil knight said as he
walked toward Markus with an aggressive posture. On the evil knight’s helmet
appeared a word in red paint: “Fear.”
Then, Markus saw his armor –
the silvery, Ephesians 6 armor – appear on his arms and all over his
body. The armor went from being nearly invisible to being fully opaque.
He drew his broadsword from its scabbard and held up his shield of faith.
[Opaque: Something
that is opaque does not let light pass through it. It is not transparent or
semi-transparent.]
Markus shut his close
helm’s visor and said boldly, “God’s Word says this in Romans 8:37:
‘Nay,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.’”
“You are weak,” the evil
knight said harshly. “You cower before a
mere mortal soldier, who dies when a plague strikes him. Pilgrim, you are
ineffective and worthless.”
[Close helm: See Chapter 1 in the part titled “Azul Cielo Mountains” for more
information.] [Cower:
To move backward in fear. Or, this means to cringe in fear. To cringe means to move the body or head away
from something, out of fear.]
Then, he suddenly attacked,
striking Markus with several powerful blows against his shield. Clang.
Clang. Clang. Markus blocked a blow that was aimed at his helmet, but he
missed one that was directed toward his shoulder. It struck his right pauldron (i.e. shoulder armor) with
a dull ringing sound and sent shockwaves through his body. Then, the evil
knight slammed his shield into Markus and knocked him off balance, and he fell
to the ground.
[Pauldron:
This is shoulder armor that also covers
part of the upper back and a portion of the upper breastplate.]
The dark-grey knight began
pounding Markus’s shield with blow after blow from his hammer – tong,
dong, clang – as the pilgrim knight lay on the stone floor. Just
then, a cell door flung open and another pilgrim knight entered the battle. It
was Henry Willow in a suit of shiny armor.
The evil knight was about to
rip Markus’s shield from his hands when Henry’s broadsword swung toward the
knight’s armored neck. Henry hit him hard and fast with blow after blow against
his foe’s sallet helmet and bevor (i.e. neck and lower face armor).
The evil knight turned to fight off Henry, but Markus kicked him in the legs
and knocked him to the ground.
[Bevor: The
bevor was a piece of armor that covered the upper shoulders, the neck, and the
lower face.]
Then, he and Henry struck the
knight repeatedly. The foe’s bevor cracked,
and his helmet began to dent inward. The evil being threw away his shield and
broadsword, and ran toward a solid iron door a short way down the hall. He
yanked it open and passed through. The door slammed shut, and it locked with a
click.
“Let’s get out of here before
that human guard wakes up,” Markus told Henry as he opened his visor.
“Good idea,” Henry said,
opening his own visor. “I know where to find Gregory and Andrew.”
The two men passed down the
hallway and soon reunited with the other pilgrims in their group. Once Henry
had released them from their cells, Andrew and Gregory rejoiced and praised God
for the deliverance.
“Let’s see about the other
prisoners,” Markus said after the celebration was over.
“God has shown me that they
are all hardened against Him,” Andrew said soberly. “None of them will repent.”
“It looks like they are also
all in a deep sleep,” Markus said with astonishment as he peered at the
unconscious forms in the cells nearby. In various cells, he could see men with
their eyes closed, lying on ragged blankets. None moved at all, except for
their rising and falling chests.
Markus tapped the bars of a
cell, and whispered loudly, but the prisoner within didn’t stir. He was in a
deep sleep. Markus and the others soon found that none of the other prisoners
would awaken from their sleep.
Feeling somewhat reluctant to
leave the prisoners behind, Markus paused to seek God. And, he found out from
God that a deep sleep had come upon all the dwellers within the castle. God had
told him to leave the compound and not return, for it would be destroyed in a
short time. So, Markus listened to God’s guiding voice and began walking toward
a spiral stairwell entrance at the end of the hallway.
As they walked, Henry dropped
the key ring to the floor and said, “I don’t need these anymore.”
The four pilgrims passed down
a number of hallways, climbed up spiral staircases, and walked past numerous
sleeping guards. A little later, when the silvery knights had reached the back
gate in the castle curtain wall, they found that both the inner and outer gate
doors were open.
“This is a miracle,” Henry
said as they walked across the grassy bailey.
[Bailey: An outdoor
courtyard surrounded by castle walls.]
“God must have had these
gates be opened miraculously while we were still in the dungeon,” Markus said
as he approached the inner gate.
The pilgrims passed through
the back gate and walked across a lowered drawbridge.
“Look over there,” Gregory
said, pointing toward a field.
“What is it?” Henry said.
“Chargers are coming,”
Gregory replied.
Four white horses came
trotting up to the pilgrims as they walked across the grass near the castle
moat.
Riding into the Night
Grateful to have their horses
back, the pilgrim knights mounted their steeds and rode off into the night. The
moon washed the landscape in pale light and cast faint shadows from the horses
and their riders. And, stars sparkled in the black void of space like
snowflakes on a sable banner (or a black flag).
Markus snapped the reins, and
his horse began galloping. The rhythmic thuh-thump, thuh-thump of the
galloping hooves was a pleasant sound to his ears, after having been in
captivity. Air rushed over his face as the horse quickly covered ground. It
felt good to breathe the fresh, clean air, and Markus inhaled deeply. Then, he
realized his horse might tire, so he slowed the charger to a cantering pace. His friends did the same with
their steeds.
[Canter: The
pace of a horse that is slower than a gallop but faster than a trot. It is the
medium speed of a horse.]
The pilgrim knights had only
traveled two miles, when a deep, booming sound came from the direction of the
castle they had just left. Markus turned in his saddle and watched, with great
amazement, as a huge, bright ball of fire shot into the air. It was filled with
flying debris and rubble: the remains of the town of Rebellion and the castle
of Baron Mount-hill.
Grey clouds rose high into
the air, following the explosion. When the smoke had dissipated a little,
Markus and his bewildered friends saw a blackened pile of rubble on the castle
hill and another pile of rubble below the hill. The castle and the town were
completely gone, taken away suddenly by a huge, gunpowder detonation.
When a few minutes of silence
had passed, Gregory said, “What just happened? That whole town and castle are
no more. Gone. It must have been a huge gunpowder explosion, but who would have
set up the fuses and the barrels of gunpowder?”
“I don’t know,” Andrew said,
as he gazed at the distant rubble.
“God allowed it to happen
because of how wicked those people are,” Markus said soberly. “You saw how the
townspeople, the guards, and even the prisoners rejected everything we said to
them. And, you saw how they wanted to kill us for merely telling them the
truth.”
“We could also hear the sound
of revelry,” Henry said, “drunken laughter, and voodoo drums coming faintly
down the spiral stairwells. It is rock music they were playing as they
partied upstairs.”
“That’s the devil’s music,”
Andrew said quietly. “They play that music to call up evil spirits to empower
them.”
“It is sad that those people
were so hardened that they would not repent and seek God,” Gregory said
solemnly.
“That is sad,” Markus said. “I
remember a certain scripture passage. Psalm 37, verse 12, says: ‘[12] The
wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.’
And, Psalm 37, verses 14 through 17, says: ‘[14] The wicked have
drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as
be of upright conversation. [15] Their sword shall enter into their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken. [16] A little that a righteous man hath is better than the
riches of many wicked. [17] For the arms of the wicked shall be broken : but
the Lord
upholdeth
the righteous.’”
“That
is very sobering,” Gregory said as he scratched his short, prematurely-grey
beard.
“Markus
said, “I remember that Proverbs chapter 29, verse 1, says, ‘[1] He, that
being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.’ [Proverbs
29:1.] You see, this man who was repeatedly reproved (corrected or warned)
chose to harden his neck, and stubbornly chose to not turn his heart away from rebellion and sin.”
“You
know that King Saul once served God,” Andrew said, “but he departed from God to
serve his own will and ambitions, contrary to what God wanted. And, Saul
strongly sought to murder the innocent David, who would one day be king.”
“Hmm,”
Gregory said quietly as he listened.
“In
his hatred against David, Saul ordered the deaths of innocent priests who
assisted David,” Andrew said. “Then, the wicked Saul went to a witch for
counsel when he found that God wouldn’t answer him. We know that God forbids
witchcraft and sorcery in Bible passages such as in Deuteronomy 18 and in
Revelation 21, verse 7. If God will judge one wicked person, He will certainly
judge a whole town or nation of very hardened and rebellious people.”
“You’re
right,” Henry said.
“And,”
Andrew said, continuing, “1 Chronicles chapter 10 (verses 13 through 14)
says: ‘[13] So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against
the Lord, even against the
word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had
a
familiar spirit, to inquire of it ; [14] and inquired
not of the Lord : therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the
son of Jesse.’”
“Let’s pray, brothers,”
Markus said. “I think we need it.”
The men halted their horses,
dismounted, and prayed together. Then, God directed them to turn north and head
toward a forest growing up at the edge of the fields they had ridden through.
Mounting their white horses again, the pilgrim knights rode toward a trail head
near the border of the woods. The dirt path through the woods brought them on a
winding coarse toward a large, inland sea. As they traveled, Markus and Andrew
had asked God about where the trail was heading toward. God had told the two
that they and the other pilgrims would have to cross a sea to continue on their
pilgrimage to Heaven.
After traveling ten miles,
they stopped their horses and set up a simple campsite. There was no food, and
the men were very hungry, so they prayed. When they had finished praying, Henry
opened his eyes and saw something in the moonlight that wasn’t there when he
had closed his eyes to pray moments ago. A haversack and thick, rolled up
blankets were lying on the ground directly in front of him. Other haversacks
and blankets appeared beside the rest of the pilgrims.
“Where did these haversacks
come from?” he cried as he dashed toward the closest one. Opening the sack, he
reached in and drew out metal containers filled with cured, smoked meat and
flatbread.
“God answered our prayers,”
Markus said. “Praise His Holy Name!”
After finishing their meal,
the men went to bed and slept until ten in the morning to catch up on missed
sleep. Then, after waking from sleep, the men sought God with opened Bibles.
Breakfast came next. Half an hour later, after having eaten more smoked meat
and flatbread for their first meal, they packed up camp; fastened rolled up
blankets to the horses’ backs; and donned their haversacks.
The knights rode down the
forest trail for fifteen more miles and soon came to the edge of a large,
inland freshwater sea or lake. Nestled beside the lapping water sat a
medium-sized fishing village filled with thatch-roofed cottages, three-story
town houses, and a few stone church buildings. Tall masts, with both furled and
unfurled sails, rose from a huge body of water behind the town. The sea seemed
to stretch nearly to the horizon as the pilgrims gazed out at the village and
the water beyond.
“I’ve never seen such a vast
body of water before – except for the ocean,” Gregory said from his saddle. “This
is the sea God told you gentlemen about, no doubt.”
“Yes, this must be that same
inland sea,” Henry added as he squinted at it. “I can discern blue mountains
far off in the distance beyond the water.”
“Let’s go into that town,”
Markus said, “and find someone to take us across this sea. We will pay him
well, of course.”
The Fishing Village
The pilgrims rode through the
town, and their armor once more became transparent. Their white clothing again
was visible. Minutes later, they trotted up to the docks. Henry spotted a man
coiling up a rope in a caravel anchored fifteen feet from the
dock.
Five other men were busy
moving wooden chests across the ship’s deck. This particular caravel appeared,
to Markus, to be 60 feet in length, had two masts, and seemed a suitable vessel
for sailing across a sea. A blue longboat rested up against the starboard side
of the small ship.
[Caravel: A small,
Portuguese merchant vessel. It typically was lateen-rigged (i.e. having large,
triangular sails) and had usually two masts. It had a raised half-deck (in the
stern / rear) which provided cover for sailors to sleep under. But, caravels
had no forecastle.]
“You there,” Henry shouted.
“What is it?” the man said,
looking up from his rope.
“We’d like to pay your
captain to take us across this inland sea,” Henry said, cupping his hands.
“I’m the captain of this
vessel. You can come aboard, but I can’t take your horses on my ship. Perhaps,
you can sell them. I think the mayor might want to buy them.”
“Father God, what should we
do with our horses?” Markus said in a whisper.
“My son, release the horses,
and I will bring them to you when you need them,” Abba God replied to him.
Markus quietly informed his
friends about what their loving Heavenly Father had told him. Then, they
dismounted their horses and released them with a slap on the back. The chargers
galloped away, riding through the town and out onto the beach. They vanished
from view behind a dense patch of maple trees.
Half an hour later, Markus
and his three friends were standing in the caravel as its triangular sails
billowed with a strong breeze. The sky overhead was blue and clear. Very few
clouds were to be seen. The ship was departing from its harbor and was
preparing to take its passengers on a short voyage across the inland sea.
Once the ship was a mile from
the coast, the captain, named Bartholomew Herring, turned his attention back to
his guests and said, “Well, gentlemen, you’ve come at the right time.”
The captain was a
40-year-old, tall, red-bearded man who had sailed the inland sea ever since he
was a young man of 17.
“Why do you say that?” Andrew
asked him. He had been standing near the starboard railing, looking out at the
sea and the scenic, forested landscape nearby.
“I’m a fisherman, a merchant,
and a sailor. I’ve lived near the Sea of Prueba all my life,”
Bartholomew said. “I normally carry barrels of food, such as salt pork, or locked
chests filled with valuables. But, I have had fewer goods to transport ever
since Duke Mount-hill stopped using my shipping service.”
“That’s too bad,” Andrew
said.
“He thought he would try
building self-sustaining communities in his duchy,” the captain added. “I
believe he was preparing for war with the Kingdom of Sargonia. He must have cut
off all trade with them.”
[Duchy: The region
of land controlled by a duke.] [Sargonia:
A fictional kingdom.]
“Well, we were captured by
Duke Mount-hill, but God provided us a way of escape,” Andrew said. “Would you
like to hear about it?”
Bartholomew’s eyes were
opened wide. “You escape from him? Yes, I would like to hear about your escape.
Tell me all.”
Andrew and Markus informed
him about all that had happened to them since they had left their town of
Mankind to go on a pilgrimage to Heaven. [See
Part 1 of Pilgrim’s Journey]. Hours
later, they finally recounted their imprisonment at the duke’s formidable
castle.
When they described the
massive, gunpowder explosions they had witnessed during the night, the ship
captain exclaimed, “That is preposterous. You expect me to believe that huge,
black-powder explosions destroyed the duke’s town and castle? No man would fill
his town and castle with black powder.”
“I tell you that this is
true,” Henry said, entering the conversation.
“You folks are crazy,” the
captain said, shaking his bearded face.
As the men had been talking
about their adventures, they hadn’t noticed dark clouds forming overhead, or
the wind picking up speed. Seven of the 10 sailors, who were employed by
Bartholomew Herring, were dozing, stretched out on the decks. Standing
below the half deck in the small, single-storied aft
castle, a helmsman was steering the caravel with a large tiller that ran up through a slot in the stern of the ship.
[Deck: A
floor surface that usually goes from one end of a ship to the other end.] [Half deck: A deck that
runs atop the aft castle. It is open to sunlight.] [Aft castle: A structure in
the stern of a ship. In large or medium-sized sailing ships, the aft castle
contains the great cabin (where the captain lives) and other chambers.] [Aft: this refers to being
near or toward the stern of a ship.] [Helmsman:
A sailor who steers the ship.] [Tiller:
A wooden beam connected to the rudder of a ship.] [Rudder: A flat board or a
structure made of boards used for steering a ship through the water.] [Stern: This refers to the
rear of a ship.]
“I tell you that you are mad,”
Bartholomew said strongly. “The duke would never allow murderers to plant so
much explosive material, with fuses, in his castle. Get some sleep and maybe
you’ll wake up sane.”
“We are not lying to you,”
Gregory said with frustration. “I saw it. We saw it with our own eyes! The town
and the castle exploded.”
Just then, ‒ ka-boom ‒ a powerful
thunderclap filled the air. Markus looked upward and saw that dark clouds were
starting to blot out the sky. He realized that they had been talking with the
captain steadily for three hours, with few breaks. Now, it seemed a storm was
brewing in the atmosphere and in the dark water beneath it.
Lighting flashed, tearing
across the dark, indigo sky in irregular branches and forks. Thunder boomed,
making a powerful, rolling rumble. Then rain came, slapping the deck planks and
the faces of the drowsy sailors, waking them from their sleep.
“Furl the sails!” the captain cried, running over to his men. The
sailors stood up and began scrambling to furl the sailcloth, which could either
assist or harm them. They also began battening down hatches and preparing the
ship for the worst.
[Furl: This means to
roll up a sail so that it would not catch the wind.] [To unfurl a sail means to unroll a sail so that it can catch the wind
to bring the ship on its way across the sea.]
First, the rain came as a
drizzle. A couple minutes later, the drizzle had turned into a downpour. The
sound of myriads of droplets hitting the ship–shh–filled the men’s
ears in between the crashes of thunder and flashes of lightning. The sea, for
many miles out, was filled with billions of little ripples from the impacts of
the raindrops. Thunder roared ‒ ka-boom
‒ and lighting ripped through the
dark skies in brilliant flashes and twisting fingers of electricity.
The captain angrily swore and
screamed insults toward his men as he tried to get them to hurry up and get the
ship sealed up and water tight before the storm got worse. As the captain
cursed and shouted orders, Markus began praying for the man. It was clear to
him that this ship captain was no pilgrim and did not know God as his loving
Abba Father.
The wind grew stronger and
more powerful than before, and the captain shouted for all the men to get below
decks, except for the sailors still working on furling the sails. As the wind
hit him with a strong and sudden gust, a certain sailor lost his balance on the
mainmast rigging, and he fell overboard
with a loud cry of dismay. A loud splash came from the port side where he
plunged into the sea.
[Aft: This refers to
being located at or toward the rear of a boat, ship, or other vessel.] [Mainmast: Usually, the mainmast
is the tallest and strongest mast of a sailing ship. It is usually located in
the middle of the ship, between a foremast and a mizzenmast. A foremast is the
mast closest to the bow (front) of the ship. A mizzenmast a mast near the stern
(rear).]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 5 and 6 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapter 7 and 8 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 9 and 10 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 11 and 12 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 9 and 10 here.]
[Read BOOK 2: Chapters 11 and 12 here.]
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