James Somers - The Realm Shift

Ethan descended the tunnel again to his friends. He had to hurry. Elspeth had to be here in the castle. If he could only reach her, then everything would be all right. When he reached Gideon and Levi again, reappearing in the tunnel ahead of them, they had not even climbed half the distance, yet. “I’ve found the palace up ahead. There are intersecting tunnels, but this one goes straight to it.”

“What room does it terminate into?” Levi asked.

“I’m not sure. There’s a grate in the floor and then one lower. I didn’t go in yet. I felt demons nearby.”

“Felt them?” Levi said.

“No time to explain,” Ethan said. “We’ve got to hurry. Elspeth must be here in the palace. I’ve got to save her!”

Levi and Gideon looked at one another. “Well, it’s going to take us a while to get to the top,” Levi said. “We have to go the hard way and this isn’t as easy as it looks.”

Ethan considered it. They had a long way to go. Anything could happen in that time. Elspeth might be lost to him already. “You’re right, Captain. We don’t have time to wait. I can go in alone.”

“No!” Gideon said. “You must not face Mordred alone, Ethan. It’s too dangerous.”

“But I’m Shaddai’s Deliverer, Gideon. You said so yourself.”

“Ethan, you need to think about what you’re doing. Let’s pray about what we need to do. We have to let Shaddai guide our steps or-”

“Shaddai is guiding my steps, Gideon,” he snapped. “I don’t have time to wait any longer. The Lord has given me this power, and it’s time I fulfilled this prophecy against Mordred! I’ve got to save Elspeth.”

“But, Ethan-”

Ethan disappeared. He did not wait to see their reactions. Ethan shot back up the tunnel toward the palace. He was going to face Mordred now and he was going to rescue his sister. He had to.

When Ethan reached the double floor grate, he was still trying to let go of his anger. Gideon was wrong. He could do this. After all, he was the Deliverer. What more did he need to pray about?

Ethan drew his supernatural sword and cut through the two grates. He did not need it cut, but Gideon and Levi would need a way out of the tunnel. Having done this, Ethan rose into the room through the floor.

He found the chamber to be a huge throne room. Ethan had never seen such a massive place. There were many soldiers and civilians moving around inside. All of them seemed to be attending to the man sitting upon a large golden throne at the end of the room.

A huge golden laver stood on either side of the chamber. Ethan had heard something about them being used by priests for purification before approaching Shaddai with sacrifices for sins. They seemed out of place here in the king’s throne room.

But what was even more out of place was what the people were doing with them. A feast was in progress, a celebration of some kind. Mordred is celebrating while a battle rages outside of the city? It seemed impossible to believe.

Servants filled pitchers of wine from the giant lavers. Each giant laver held enough wine to fill a small pond. Ethan’s anger kindled a white-hot flame in his belly. He felt righteous indignation welling up within. This was an insult to Shaddai-using temple vessels for such activities was an abomination.

Many of the people laughed and talked, eating at a large table overlaid with the finest spread of food Ethan had ever laid his eyes on. Servants attended to their every whim. Some of the guests were soldiers of high rank, while others appeared to be merchants and politicians. Many lower ranking soldiers lined both sides of the massive throne room, standing at attention. The entire palace had been constructed of brilliant white granite, which descended the cliffs into the sea. The white walls reflected every bit of lamp light. Still, darkness which could be felt pervaded everything here.

Ethan tingled all over. Demons had to be here somewhere, but he had not seen them yet. At the end of the chamber, Mordred sat upon the throne, attended by one of his servants. He drank wine from a golden goblet and tore the meat from a large turkey leg with his teeth.

Mordred was a large man dressed in black and crimson. His leather armor bore a standard overlaid in gold and a black cape draped down his back over the throne. He wore a gray beard several inches in length and his wavy hair fell just over his shoulders. A large broadsword stood unsheathed against the right arm of the throne.

Ethan stood invisible in the middle of the room between the lavers, looking at Mordred. He raised his sword, ready for the attack. He would kill Mordred according to the prophesy. Then he would find Elspeth and rescue her from this place.

Just as he was about to charge at the golden throne, Mordred looked up and began to laugh aloud. Ethan stopped short, wondering why the man laughed. Mordred looked right at him and said, “You actually came!”

Ethan looked around, trying to see whom Mordred had spoken to. After all, Ethan was still invisible to human eyes in his spiritual form. Mordred stood up at the throne and gingerly held up his turkey leg. Then the big man tossed it through the air so that it landed precisely at Ethan’s feet. Ethan watched it roll to a stop in front of him. It didn’t make any sense.

“Surprised I can see you, Deliverer of God?” he said. “Mordred said that you would come for him, but I must admit, I wasn’t completely convinced.”

Ethan’s eyes grew wide. His expression must have given away what he was thinking. “Oh, you thought I was Mordred, didn’t you?” the big man said. “I hate to disappoint you, Deliverer, but Mordred felt he should leave this place just in case you managed to come here. I am General Rommil, Lord Mordred’s second in command. We were just celebrating the inevitable defeat of King Stephen’s army.”

Ethan didn’t know what to do next. Mordred had slipped into hiding somewhere and he didn’t even know where to look for his sister in the palace. He took a deeper look into the man boasting before him. A single spirit possessed General Rommil. Overwhelming darkness emanated from the demon.

Ethan raised his sword again. “What is your name, demon?”

Rommil’s laughter faded to a devilish grin. “I am Jericho, son of man. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to know who you were before I destroy you,” Ethan boasted.

The demon within Rommil laughed through him. “Don’t you realize by now? You can’t destroy me. Even if you managed to defeat the man, I would be back eventually.”

This was the kind of insight Ethan needed. Okay, so I can’t destroy demons, only send them away temporarily.

“Do you really take me for a fool, boy?” Jericho asked.

At that point, Ethan heard swords drawn behind him. The soldiers closed in from both sides of the room. Civilians stood from their places at the table. Ethan saw, now, that demons dwelt with them as well, only on a deeper level like Jericho. It took greater concentration to make them out within the mortals they inhabited. Spiritual swords mingled with the steel in their human hands. When the first possessed man closed on him, Ethan’s heavenly blade locked with the physical steel of the soldier’s sword.

The demons can fight with their weapons through humans! Darkness permeated the entire chamber now-power emanating from the demon, Jericho. Ethan realized he had made a mistake. Gideon’s admonishment to pray resounded in his mind like a trumpet.

Ethan tried to pass through the floor and escape, but the Jericho’s power somehow prevented him.

“There is no escape for you, Deliverer!” Jericho said, as if answering the unspoken question in Ethan’s mind. “You have stumbled into death this day, son of man.”