Of Kings and Demons (15 page)

It was worth making this trip.

He had ordained a King.

“This battle will be tougher
than the rest you have experienced so far, Walter.”

“Then I can only be stronger,” he
replied. “The only thing is whether I am truly ready for this role…”

Jin smiled at the intelligent
reply and had wanted to follow up but was distracted by an unwelcomed shrill. 

“A fresh attack?” Walter asked.

“This is a friendly, but it
seems to be in distress.”

Then, like a white arrow, a
huge bird circled over them before landing on a boulder next to Jin.

“Pologus, my friend!”

The bird flexed its wings and
released a forlorn shrill.

“My friend is in trouble and
they need me.” Jin asked?

“Anything I could do to help?”
Walter asked.

“Walter. Make your decision
wisely. I will leave Eugene to protect you. It is necessary in such
circumstances.”

Jin nodded at Eugene.

Walter asked “We shall meet
again?”

Jin was silent and simply whistled
for his steed. He mounted in a suave motion and roused his steed into the
skies, leaving a trail of fire.

Daylight arrived, coated in
suspicious shades of grey. The usual warmth of the sun was missing and day was
like a pale cousin of the night. The phenomenon planted a seed of worry in
Maganus. The forests were beginning to look like the untamed medieval forests of
the 1
^st
century, bogs and peats with patches of ominous fens.

Stroking his beard, he looked
to the sky, hoping to glimpse Pologus, who might bring assistance. Maganus did
not feel good. He had been weakened by the exertions of healing Mathew, whose
life force, the powers of sustenance of all humans, had been gravely depleted. Foolhardy
behaviour can hardly be counted as valour, but he owed Mathew a favour for
saving his life.

That was and would always be an
enduring quality of humans, their spontaneity and altruism, that natural desire
to help. What else could spur Mathew into a foolish act of attacking a
supernatural being? Death was a step away for him.

When Mathew began to stir,
Maganus felt the weight was lifted off his heart.

“What happened?” were Mathew’s
first words.

“You saved the world,” Maganus
quipped.

The young man strained as he
recollected. “Did I …” He sat up and eventually said, “I remembered now. I dashed
out and slain the monster, and saved you.”

 “Yes, credit is yours but at a
very heavy price.” Maganus grimaced.

“I was in total darkness, drifting
and about to drown.”

“Discretion on your part is
much appreciated, Mathew. Rashness is an unwanted quality in a man, much less
for such a quality to reside in a King.”

“Is my sister fine?”

Maganus nodded and called out
to Sarah, who had been in the safe custody of her escort bear. She ran over,
giggles aplenty and brimming with joy. Maganus shrugged as the siblings
embraced.
Humans can be so sweet at times, despite their inherent
shallowness, sometimes.

Father Bellator brought them
food and water, and they spent the next hour freshening up. Father Bellator had
been busy over breakfast, and despite heavy fatigue, looked unflappable.

“Thomas, you are truly a
warrior with a come-hell-or-high-water attitude,” Maganus said. “The mayhem
around you had barely any effect. How’s your wound?”

“Nothing that matters,” the
priest replied.

Maganus clasped his hands and
prayed to create a congregation of light. The miasma had grown stronger and the
dark vibes feed on human emotions like a swamp of locusts.

After finishing his meal,
Mathew asked, “What should we do now?”

“Are you strong enough to
travel?” Maganus asked.

Mathew winced. “I thought I had
proven myself in the last twelve hours?”

Maganus gave a dismissive wave.
“You are obviously ready.”

The group set out in deep silence.
Sarah opted to walk with the brother, who trekked with the assistance of a
Telum. Mathew
carried a heavy
grey on his forehead which indicated the lingering effects of his injury. His
steps were firm, but the strained expression worried Maganus. He wished
to cover much distance before nightfall.

Darkness was the ally of the
Demons, whose prowess peaked when sunlight was forfeited. In particular, Demon
Lords like Count Raum could cast the strongest of spells and curses which even
a Guardian Angel finds it hard to undo. Human beings were especially vulnerable
to demonic manipulation at such moments. Their hearts and minds were easy
pickings for the demons, like ripe cabbage for hungry rodents.

Guilt sat on his heart to hurry
Mathew. After two hours of continuous trek, Maganus decided to call for a
respite, drinks and a moment to take stock.

“We have to head for the
plains. We will be safer there,” He said with Thomas Bellator in nodding
agreement.

“How does our itinerary look?”
Mathew asked.

Father Bellator spoke. “I am
afraid we have to move deeper into the woods before we can move out of it. The
path ahead is about eight hundred yards of virgin woods. Then we should come to
a hill, Emerson Grounds. Once we are over that, we will come to the northern
perimeters of the reserve.
Road 81
awaits us.”

The priest had stopped and
seemed to be lost in his study of the coordinates.

“Go on, Father.”

Father Bellator muttered. “It
is only 500 yards from the medical facility.”

Maganus smiled wryly. “If we
get to leave the woods…” He shook his head in amazement. They were all along in
the proximity of the hospital but the Demons turned the woods into a labyrinth
filled with ambushes and traps. Those cunning Demons had earned his grudging
respect for their elaborate scheme. From the illness of John Springs, to the
road trip, from the encounter at the parish to whatever is to come in the
woods, the Demons had a plan, a brilliant one.

The only point of doubt in his
mind however, and that was shared with neither Mathew nor Thomas, was the plan
to capture Mathew and Sarah Springs. Why do the Demons need to deploy such
elaborate methods after the blatant assassinations? Unless of course, they had
no intention to kill the Springs’ siblings at all.
Are the children simply a
chess piece in a larger plan?

He eyed a wary Mathew. “We will
get out successfully. Fear nothing but fear itself, Father Bellator.”

“Do the Demons always get this bold?”
Mathew asked

“We have our rules of
engagement. Earth is for the humans and the Kings have overall responsibility.
We do not cross the line, Mathew. However the Demons had trespasses. I don’t
know where this new conflict is heading for but we will stick together.”

“It is a severe trial,
Maganus.”

The Angel answered with calm

“When humans are faced a stern
test, and I am talking about the one that will test you to the core, to the
base of your soul, you will be driven to value the significance of your
existence.”

“I am still young to understand
what you had said.” Sarah quipped. “But it makes sense.”

“You are doing pretty well, my
angel.” Maganus said.

“And so am I.” Mathew said
“Hope we are coming to the end of these madness.”

Maganus patted Mathew on the
arm. “Patience and faith, please. Your survival, and Sarah’s, might make or
break the future of humanity.”

“I just wonder how you can stay
calm and untouched under such circumstances.”

Maganus smiled as he worked on
lighting his pipe.

“How do you feel being an
Angel?” Mathew probed further. “The miseries, the hopelessness and having to
deal with diehard cynics like me. I still find it hard to believe all this.”

Mathew threw up his arms as a
brief moment of exasperation travelled across his brows.

“Don’t you feel tired? Saving troubled
people all the time?”

Maganus chewed on his smoking
pipe, playfully spewing tiny circles of smoke.

“I went too far,” Mathew said.
“Apologies.”

“Don’t apologize, Mathew. Very
perceptive of you. It was never easy dealing with such prevalence of cynicism
and hopelessness of humanity. However the cry for our help has never
diminished, and man keep repeating their mistakes, and the Demons kept trying.
We just cannot let them succeed but we will win in the end. We make a
difference. This was what kept me going.”

“You are very resilient.”

“It is a human strength, their
resilience and unlimited capacity for love. I was once a human, I know. They
recover from each disaster, each setback with tremendous success. Man has that resilience
and perseverance, and free will. It was a freedom, that freedom, to determine
their future. You can talk about the pressures and distractions, but that
liberty always stays with man. Although, sometimes, they are plain foolish to throw
that liberty away.”

“You ever thought of giving
up?” Mathew quizzed.

Maganus mused and hesitated
before nodding. “Yes, there were moments of despair.”

“I am surprised. I thought…”

“Thought I would hide that face
and pretend to be strong? There has been challenging moments and I had thought
of giving up my mandate but I held back. After seeing the sacrifices of so many
generations of Angels and man, I cannot abandon them. I cannot give up. Never.” 

“Tell me about your opponents,
the Demons.”

“There are so many of the Demon
Lords.”

“The one you fought.”

Maganus stroke his beard

“Ivan Raum, the Demon Lord who
killed your grandparents, was the mastermind of catastrophes of mankind. He was
largely the cause of Chernobyl.”

Mathew’s eyes widened “The
nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl? That killed thousands.”

“And maimed many more.” Sarah
added

“If you think he was bad, maybe
you should hear me tell you about the big One?” Maganus extended his open
palms.

“Big One?”

“Lucifer - the Overlord of Hell.”

Maganus stroke his beard.

“He was a first class general
of his army, a marvelous leader but he chose the wrong side. He had never
tolerated the thought of humans having sole control over their realm. He found
humans unworthy of God. He must contest. He must fight. He has a case to prove
to God and the best way to do that is to find the Achilles’ heel. He never
fails to try, and he inculcates that same tirelessness in his commanders and
soldiers.”

 “The human race is vulnerable.
We have too many weaknesses and most of the time, our responses are feeble.”
Mathew lamented.

Bellator joined the dialogue. “Quite
the opposite, Mathew. Demons can only tempt the hearts of man. It is the
individual humans who decide their own destiny. There is no Demon who can
corrupt an unwilling man. A man who has chosen to trust in the good of mankind
has built an impregnable wall. Similarly, there is no way an Angel can save a
man who has already chosen the dark side. Free will is supreme. Not an Angel or
Demon can decide the destiny of mankind. That is why Lucifer can never claim
complete victory over mankind.”

“The adversity you face now is
the catalyst to transform you,” Maganus added with a wink. “Men respond to adversity
in many ways. Some will view it with dismay and react with anger and fear.
There will be a selected few who respond with different perspectives and give gumption,
perseverance, and inspiration.” Maganus puffed hungrily before continuing.
“Look at Edison, Walt Disney, and the whole bunch of them. If they had given up
their pursuit of their dreams in the face of crushing odds, the state of human civilization
would be vastly different today.”

“They responded differently,”
Mathew murmured.

“You only saw the suffering but
failed to realize there is an opportunity beneath every difficulty. Your
response will determine your character and shape your ultimate destiny.”
Maganus said.

“I am grateful for the different
perspective, Maganus,” Mathew replied.

“It has not been easy for you
and Sarah. You should see misfortunes as a blessing you have that rare
opportunity to be somebody different.”

Mathew looked at Sarah, then
turned to Maganus. The siblings held hands and remained silent.

The group moved on and the fog
lifted in the late afternoon, much to Maganus’s delight. They were entering the
virgin woods which seemed to harbor a potential hazard in every tree and shrub.

The dense woods grew thicker as
the group managed an undulating journey over the terrain. They halted for
another meal, and Father Bellator refilled their water containers. After food
and rest, they continued and found the woods growing sparse, with little cover
against the chill winds that sliced across the terrain like a merciless sword.

As light withdrew, with the
inevitable arrival of the night, Father Bellator found a large tree with
overarching branches as the resting point. A strong gust of wind buffeted them,
then a loud shrill drew their attention.

Maganus smiled at the familiar
sound. He recognized the signs of Pologus. The hawk swooped down and perched on
Maganus’s right arm.

Within seconds, lightning
flashed in the sky, followed by more gusts of wind.

Mathew held Sarah close. “Who
is it? Allies? Or Demons?” he asked.

“Benign, Mathew,” Maganus said.

Mathew and Sarah stood in awe
as the winds gathered into a whirl and a portal opened to a path of light. A figure
materialized, mounted on a handsome steed of black and red.

“My brother angel!” Maganus
exclaimed.

Jin bit his lips. “You are in a
bad shape, Maganus.”

“I could do with a word of
encouragement.”

“I am your best encouragement.
Say a prayer of thanks.”

“Thank you.”

“I came immediately after
Pologus located me.”