The villagers came out to see the giant killers. Most were glad to be free from the burden of the tribute they had to pay Seir. However there was a small group who jeered Kendra and the others.
"Now what do we do when Seir sends an army to punish us for slaying some of his heroes?" sneered one of the cocky men.
"Say you were nothing to do with it and send them after us," replied Kendra.
"And where will you be?" asked another.
"The rock of Morpeth."
The rock of Morpeth was the holy place where they had stayed the previous night. A wild rock in the middle of nowhere looking out on a sparse wilderness. In the spiritual realm it was a well used gateway to heaven. Kendra could see this and it brought him comfort. Chralane was there still praying when Kendra returned with the others and three new men.
"So we have three new recruits then?" he smiled. "How did you fare?"
"We killed eight of their number," explained their leader, "now we must prepare for an onslaught."
I have made you some food,” said the priest as he walked towards a metal cooking pot, “Will we have time to eat?”
Sitting on a stone Kendra propped his blade against the rock wall, “We will have as much time as it takes Seir to send enough men out to punish us for our rebellion against him.”
The three men from the village came close to the fire. “Who are these?” asked the priest.
“I do not know their names, just that they helped us with the giants in the village.”
Lifting up a bowl Chralane ladled some broth into it and handed it to the first man with a piece of bread. “I am Chralane, priest of the Lord. Welcome friend, what is your name?”
Looking quite surly the first man said, “Drogha,” then smiled as he took the bowl. “These here are Finlan and Loja”
The other two men nodded their heads slightly as they too took their meals from the hands of the priest and went to sit near the fire.
The rest of the party huddled around the camp fire and began to eat their humble meal.
As they drank they began to chat. Looking at Kendra Loja asked, "Why does a giant want to fight against his own kind?"
"I am not the same as them. My father was a good angel, one of the Twenty Four, who was deceived into giving his blood to make me. I live
in a different place to them, one closer to heaven. They are naturally my enemies because of this, many times have the fallen and their offspring tried to kill me." He looked into the fire remembering the many battles he had fought both in heaven and on the earth.
"So you see angels then?" inquired Drogha.
"Aye, I can see into the spirit realm and commune with my father's people."
"What do you see now?" wondered Finlan.
His eyes glazed over a little and he began to describe what he saw. "I see a gateway to heaven, many angels surround us to protect us from the evil that tries to encroach upon us."
"What would the evil do if it encroached upon us?" thought Nimen.
"It would oppress us, depress us, and try to slay us in our sleep."
YOU ARE READING
The Twenty Four
FantasyAs he was being birthed in the Bosom, Kendra was fated to be at war with his own kind. His ancestors, the Twenty Four, were good angels who had been deceived into creating progeny that would eventually be at war with all of the 'giants in the earth'...
