James Somers - The Sword of Gideon

Gideon's horse grew nervous beneath him. Grimwald's seemed to grow anxious as well, but the General only barked at the animal, forcing it onward through the trees. Behind them, the demonic hybrids trudged on, some of them sniffing the air now.

"Something's coming!" shouted one. All along the front line, the soldiers drew weapons to the ready. The sound of scraping metal, as weapons were loosed, crossed the forest behind Gideon like dominos falling.

Gideon could think of only one thing that would cause all of this. He turned to Grimwald as the General watched the hybrids prepare for whatever lay ahead of them. "Follow me, Grimwald, if you want to live!"

Gideon kicked into his horse's haunches, "Hiya," sending the animal forward with a burst of speed. Grimwald waited only a moment, considering, before doing the same. He shot away from the bewildered hybrids in pursuit of Gideon.

The trees passed quickly on either side. Grimwald had nearly caught up, calling to Gideon in anger. "What are you doing, priest? There's nothing here!"

No sooner had he said it, before huge brown blurs shot away from the trees, roaring furiously. The beasts lunged and missed. "Lions!" Grimwald shrieked. Gideon pulled his body down over the right side of his horse as one of the beasts passed over his stallion's haunches and fell away.

Grimwald blanched as a lioness closed the distance. He pulled his sword from the sheath upon his saddle and made ready to strike. The lioness leaped as another appeared flanking her. General Grimwald, startled by the second lion, misjudged and swung too early. The lioness hit his arm after the blade passed before her face and caught him in her teeth.

The lioness wrenched Grimwald from his saddle back over the rear of his black stallion. He crashed into the ground, his arm torn and bleeding profusely. "Gideon!" he cried in panic.

Gideon pulled up to a stop as lions flooded into the area around them. Behind, the hybrids had surged forward in a roaring wave, flying into the lions, even as others were taken down and mauled upon the forest floor. Gideon looked back, searching for Grimwald and found him on the ground trying to fend off the lioness with a long dagger held in his good hand.

Gideon considered the matter. He could save Grimwald and be sure of his child's safety, or let him die and probably have one of the hybrids inform Mordred. The lioness circled, her muzzle pulled back, exposing her bloodstained teeth. She would charge in seconds.

Gideon spotted three carnivores closing on him. He bolted toward Grimwald's position and loosed his sword. He charged at the lioness slashing wildly. She backed away, but the other three on his trail joined her, surrounding the two men. "What do we do?" Grimwald said as he gained his feet again. He stood back to back with Gideon watching the lions. Gideon thrust his sword in every direction, while the lions looked for a way through.

"You're going to have to help, Grimwald!" Gideon shouted above the din. At least one hundred lions had scattered their army among the trees. Demonic hybrids lay dead everywhere mingled with the carcasses of slain lions.

Grimwald threw down his dagger and picked his sword back up with his good hand. "There are too many. We'll never get out of here!" Grimwald grew furious. "You've led us into a trap, and you can be sure our spiritual allies will get this news back to Mordred."

Gideon gritted his teeth.

"If I die, priest, then so will your son!"

Gideon screamed in fury, then lunged at the nearest lion. The beast tried to dodge away, but Gideon still landed a deadly blow. Another tried to lunge for Grimwald, his wounded arm still covered in blood. Gideon flung his sword back into the charging lion, striking it in the breast as it leaped toward the General.

He flew past Grimwald taking the General's sword and charged into the other lions. Gideon killed the first, but the second hit him hard, knocking him to the ground. He reacted immediately-instinctively. Gideon thrust two fast knees into the lioness' side to knock the wind out of her.

The lioness tried to maul him, but Gideon ducked his forearm below her jaw and thrust upward exposing her neck. He pulled a dagger strapped to his thigh and jammed it into the lion's neck. The beast recoiled immediately, gasped, and then fell dead.

Gideon rolled out and got to his feet. The fighting was dying down already. The battle had taken its toll on Grimwald's forces, but they weren't down for the count by any reckoning. The General surveyed the damage.

Demonic hybrids, many of them battered and bloody, began to regroup as the last of the attacking lions were either killed, or retreated into the forest to lick their wounds. Grimwald and Gideon walked back toward the others, hoping to find their horses. Gideon had seen these lions before. He had known many of them since they were only cubs. The Order of Shaddai kept them as a contingency plan in case the Temple was attacked-more than a match for any normal army, but not this one.

Most of the hybrids had survived. These toughest among Grimwald's host would be the same to take on whatever priests were undoubtedly preparing to meet them inside the Temple itself. Gideon surveyed the carnage regretfully. He couldn't help but wonder if he should have allowed the lioness to take Grimwald while he had the chance.

"So…it really is you."

Gideon turned to find a man mortally wounded-a broken spear protruding from his belly. "James?" He'd known the Lion Keeper well. It shouldn't have surprised him to see the man here on the battlefield. James had never let his lions out of his sight. He had always treated them all as if they were his children.

Gideon couldn't help wondering if having his lions scattered among the dead didn't cause him more pain than his own wounds. James' lifeblood seeped out onto a bed of dead pine needles around him. Still, he struggled for a few final words. "I've never doubted Isaiah before, but somehow I just couldn't picture you betraying us. I was wrong though, wasn't I?"

Gideon found himself unable to speak, unable to even try and defend himself from the accusations. He deserved this, only a thousand times more. James leveled his gaze on the battlefield. His face slackened, and his eyes closed as though he would rest. Then he stopped breathing altogether.

Gideon could only stare at the man he had called friend for so many years. Will it be the same when we get to the Temple? How many of my friends will I have to watch die today?

General Grimwald rode up behind him on his recovered horse. "So, one of the priests unleashed the lions. Then they know we are coming. We must hurry before they all escape. Get your horse, and let's keep moving. The priests must not get away."

Gideon closed his eyes. Even closed he could still see James lying there against the pine. Grimwald rode on past him as one of the demon soldiers pulled another horse toward him. He looked on to the end of the forest toward the place where they would enter the Temple. "If only they would escape," he sighed, "But that won't be their plan."

Gideon looked at the demon hybrid who released the horse's rein. It snorted at him indifferently, then returned to the reorganized ranks. Gideon hoisted himself sluggishly into the saddle. He dreaded what lay ahead, what he would have to watch. He prayed silently, again, that Shaddai might stop this army before they arrived.

It had only taken another hour to get Grimwald's hybrid army to the archway which led into the main Temple courtyard. Normally, Gideon would have expected a number of guard patrols to intercept intruders before they got this far. And he already understood what it meant that they had not.

The priests of Shaddai were preparing to face an army-one they knew was coming. This was why they had sent out the lion pride. This was why no guards had been waiting for them along the way-why no audible alarm had been sounded. A battle was going to take place, perhaps in moments and everyone involved knew it.