kingdom of god 15

And she kept returning. When the day’s festivities drew to a close and the crisp air bit down she came into his chamber bearing goat meat and olives and wines for Sheridan. The older man drank of the wine and when he was fast asleep the two beloveds undertook their wordless dalliance first by a caress of the hand then a stroke of the cheek. And when he kissed her, she entered behind his chamber and he took from her what could not be given back. In the nights thereafter she took him out of the chamber and away from the prying eyes of the community and in an enclave nestled high in the mountains he would lay with her and look down to the Nain below and consider his escape. He could not convey to her the need for his Remington and buck knife nor plead on behalf of Sheridan. He would return to his prison each night.

They had been in the Yorkin Pass for a fortnight when the priest came to them. The holy man blessed them and told them that the time to take the Nain was near. “You will be a blood sacrifice,” he said.

“Wait a minute,” begged Wade. “I told you before that they have guns. You will need us.”

“And you have been told before that you must be washed of the blood to enter the Nain.”

“Then wash me goddamnit!”

“Your moment has passed. You have been sanctified.”

“I want to speak with Josea!”

“Not even the great prophet can change the will of God.”

“I will speak with him anyway. Give him my last testimony.”

But the priest only blessed them then departed. The next morning Wade was taken out his chamber and escorted to the temple and placed at the feet of Josea. The prophet held open his palm as was the symbol of Jonny and ordered the prisoner to speak.

“You’re making a mistake,” Wade shouted.

“It’s a decree of God. There are no mistakes,” Josea stated without interest.

“You will be slaughtered.”

“So be it.”

“Then why speak with me?”

Josea leaned forward and placed his hand on the head of the prisoner. He closed his eyes as if to receive a message from God and then he revealed to Wade his great revelation.

“Seia,” spoke the prophet.

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 14

And for the next several days at moonlight, the holy man would enter their chambers and chant hymns in the tongue of Nain and place the seal of unity in ochre paints onto their heads and bless the prisoners before departing. On these nights, the priest’s eyes would turn white as lightning and his chantings were like a demonic serenade and when the ceremony was over he would wash his bear skinned cloak in the blood of an unknown creature and drape it over his shoulders.

“Blood will cleanse our land,” the holy man said to Wade.

“Who’s blood?”

“You will see.”

“Ours?”

But the priest departed and said nothing and then the Saranian girl entered the chamber and offered the men unleavened bread and meats and wine. Wade took of the wine and drank and then thanked her and asked of the ring. She heard him but said nothing.

“Do you understand me?” he asked her but she stood bewildered. “I’m Wade,” he said and thumbed his chest.

The girl nodded. “Sela,” she spoke.

“Sela,” Wade repeated. “You are beautiful.” He gestures to her face. “Very beautiful.”

The girl again faintly smiled and bowed and then swiftly left the chamber. Sitting in the back, Sheridan chuckled to himself. “You certainly have a way with the ladies,” he jested towards Wade.

“I have a plan.”

“Oh I know you have a plan. And I can see it’s working.”

“There’s a reason why they’ve kept us alive for this long.”

“Of course. They’re gonna make us a part of their blood ceremony. See? You’re not the only smart one here.”

“Do you see any other way out?”

“I don’t. So keep working your magic.”

After finishing the bread and wine, Sheridan was fast asleep and Wade laid awake listening to the ceaseless chanting and drum beats before it all faded away into the night. And minutes after it did, Sela returned to the chambers and offered him more bread and then she took the dead hermit’s ring and placed it back into his hand.

“No no,” said Wade. He took her by the left hand and slid it onto her finger. “This is for you. Something to remember me by.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 13

Wade returned to the cage and women brought them meats and furred blankets for the nights ahead. Sheridan remained cowed under the coverings and caked in dried blood with his hands shaking at the faintest echo of chanting monks and the hollering of warriors. Not wanting to stay silent, Wade informed Sheridan of his visit to the prophet.

“Will he let us go?” asked the older man.

“I don’t know,” said Wade.

“Then what will happen to us?”

“I can’t say.”

Sheridan gnawed on charred deer meat and drank water while Wade stayed seated with back towards his fellow prisoner. “What is this place? What are they doing here?” Sheridan asked.

“I reckon they’re hiding from the nighthawks.”

“And what of Josea?”

“He’s a charlatan.”

“Of course he’s a charlatan! I mean what’s his angle?”

“What’s the angle of any charlatan? He claims he sees visions of Jonny. That’s what brought him up here.”

“But we can’t be far from the Nain.”

“We ain’t. It can be seen from Josea’s temple.”

“Is that what you’re aiming for? An escape?”

“What other option we got?”

Another young woman of browned skin and dark hair flowing over her exposed breasts brought the night’s food wrapped in hide cloth and she handed it to Wade. Wade took it and asked her her name but the girl meekly looked down and didn’t answer. Before she left, Wade called for her. The girl turned around and he reached into his pocket to pull out the ring taken from the hermit and he offered it to her. She cautiously approached the cage and reached out her hand. Wade placed it into her palm and he clasped her fingers into a fist and he held it. “Thank you for the food,” he told her. She briefly made eye contact and flashed a faint smile then departed.

“Where do you think she came from?” asked Wade.

“I can’t say for certain,” said Sheridan. “Possibly from the Sanalands to the west.”

“Think she speaks English?”

“Not a chance.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 12

Nestled in the Yorkin Pass, an ancient complex to an unknown god was carved out of tanned stone and mounted thousands of feet in the cool and thinned out air of the Urbanas Mountains. This imposing structure housed the so called Temple of Josea and it faced north to the land of Nain. The holy man and Wade ascended the crumbling and crack ridden steps towards the sanctified temple and they were greeted by a battery of naked soldiers with cocks sheathed in bronze and holding spears of chromium points. The holy man signaled to the soldiers and the men unfastened the doors and ushered Wade inside. Josea the man, flanked by his warriors, was cloaked in royal purple but appeared as no king. He stood contemplatively like a wise sage away from his visitors and the holy man instructed Wade to kneel and he complied.

Returning to his stately form, the prophet looked upon Wade. “Speak,” he ordered him.

“I’m a representative of the Milner Corporation passing through here to meet with the Shepherd,” Wade stated.

“Did you not know that this pass was occupied by the people of Jonny?”

“How was I supposed to know that? You people weren’t here a few years ago. This was a dead land used only by prospectors and foragers passing through.”

Josea nodded. “Aye. But did you not hear the Great One speak? He granted us this land by holy decree.”

“The Great One? You mean Jonny?”

“Aye.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t follow your legends.”

“It’s no legend. He walked among us and blessed the poor and the righteous. He taught us that the reign of the nighthawks will end and that the Kingdom of God will be upon us.”

“Yet he was killed by the nighthawks.”

Josea closed his eyes as if to speak in a trance and he raised his hands to give Wade a mighty revelation. “Jonny revealed to me in his heavenly form that he will return to bring about his kingdom. The destructive power of the nighthawks will be used against his enemies and righteousness will be restored.”

“Yes I’ve heard that one before. So you’re a prophet?”

“So you say.”

“Are prophets always this cagey?”

“It is not upon me to declare myself a prophet. I receive visions and interpret them to the followers.”

“And that’s how you got this temple?”

“It’s for the glorification of Jonny.”

Wade laughed and got off his knees. After dusting off his dirtied trousers, he dropped the pretensions and looked Josea in the eye. “I don’t care what you’re doing here,” he told the prophet. “If you think the nighthawks can’t reach you in these mountains then you’re dead wrong. It’s only a matter of time before the corporations, probably the Shepherd, come through here and take this pass. You can release me or you can kill me. But just know that I won’t be joining this ridiculous circus.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 11

Blackness covered the Yorkin Pass and the naked foot soldiers marched single file with their two prisoners towards the sounds of a primordial dance where fire irradiated through the valley and shadows pranced like demons against the rocks while bare chested women and throngs of gyrating bodies beat their heads with stones to the vibrations of goat skinned drums. And when the festivity reached a nauseating pitch, the carcass of the warrior killed by Wade was dragged through the crowd and placed upon a gallow where Sheridan was stripped naked and placed underneath and the carcass was split open and blood showered over him like a torrential rain. They took Sheridan’s rifle. They removed the buck knife from the barrel and handed the edged weapon to Wade. A holy man decked in garish trinkets of human ears and scalps blessed the preceding and Wade awaited his fate while standing around the bonfire of corpses. The crowd quieted as a boy of no more than fifteen and armed with only a spear approached the glowing blaze and looked upon the prisoner. Wade looked back. The boy lunged towards him and he easily parried the charge. While behind his attacker, Wade waved the spear from the boy’s hands and had the knife to his throat. They tussled before he threw the boy into the fire and the boy briefly escaped the inferno with singed skin and lurched towards the spear. Wade grabbed him again and held his head into the blaze. With his hair alight, the crown sat quietly while the flames engulfed the boy. The victorious prisoner threw the knife to the ground and spoke to the masses.

“I demand to speak to Josea,” he said.

The holy man was silent as warriors took up Wade and Sheridan and put them away from the crowd. Sheridan wept and still dressed only in blood, he cowarded underneath a bear skinned cloth and away from the eyes of Wade. Wade stood stonefaced towards the entrance of the cage and the two men said nothing to each other. Then the sun dawned upon the valley and neither slept. The holy man reappeared bearing water and deer meat and Wade took the water and drank. “Are you Josea?” he asked the man.

The priest looked upon the prisoner and waved his arms. “Who are you to come into this valley and kill one of our own and then demand to be in the presence of our sanctified one?”

“Cut the bullshit,” shouted Wade. “I am a representative of the Milner Corporation and if you kill me then men will descend into this valley and put an end to this madness. So if you know what’s good for you, you will take me to Josea.”

“We don’t fear the corporations,” the priest said defiantly.

“Then you’re a fool. They have guns. You only have spears.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 10

The naked warrior was on the ground with the corner of his skull blown open then Wade and Sheridan covered their noses and dragged his body out of sight. They hastily covered him with rocks and dirt and Sheridan pulled out his canteen to wash the blood from his hands. “There was a better way to handle that,” he told Wade.

“How so? By stripping naked and getting washed in the blood?”

“That’s preferable to getting hunted down. They surely heard that rifle shot.”

“Probably so. Is there another way around the pass? Perhaps along that ridge?”

Wade pointed to the east and Sheridan looked in that direction. He shook his head and drank from the canteen. “Maybe,” said Sheridan, “but they probably have this entire valley covered.”

Wade stood up from where he knelt and dusted away the dirt from his knees. “Well, then we should move fast. They’re likely moving in the direction of the shot. We should be out of this valley before they figure out what’s going on.”

Sheridan twisted the cap back on his canteen and they grabbed their rifles and trekked up the meager paths carved into the boulders until they were on top of the ridge overlooking the crevice below. Sheridan had the buck knife ready and attached to the end of his rifle as a bayonet while Wade held the Remington to his hip. They made a quick pace along the ridge and kept a heavy eye in all directions but no naked warrior opposed them. None appeared at all.

“Maybe they didn’t hear the shot,” Wade uttered.

Miles in and a faint echo of an ancient chant was heard. “Did you hear that?” asked Sheridan.

“I ain’t worried until I see something.”

As they descended the ridge down to the flatter plain beneath, Sheridan breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re almost out of it,” he said. Then a six foot spear flew from atop and burrowed into Sheridan’s right thigh and as he went to the ground, Wade fired a single round towards the ledge.

“Christ!” Sheridan shouted in agonizing pain.

Wade placed his foot on the spear to break and shorten it and after he did, he threw Sheridan’s arm around his shoulders. “It’s too late!” the wounded man cried. And it was. A dozen blood soaked warriors appeared before them like ghosts from the ether and had them surrounded. Wade dropped the rifle to his side and the leader approached him and looked upon him with pugnacious eyes.

“Ah psh NEE!” the warrior cried in an alien tongue and his breath reeked of a putrid grave. Two more naked warriors flanked the men on both sides and took them by the arms.

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 9

Sheridan hardly budged. He promised him several sheckles of silver as a down payment plus a partition of the land on the north shore of Siana once Milner purchased it. But the old drifter only spat and drank whiskey and he sat alone while he considered the offer. Meanwhile Wade dug through the old bottles in the tavern cellar before settling on an aged bourbon. He twisted off the cap and threw it to the ground then whiffed the bottle. “I haven’t seen a bottle of bourbon in ten years,” he said to Sheridan. “You’re sitting on a fortune.”

The old man waved him off.

Wade took a swig then sat it down. He hung the satchel around his body and threw the rifle bag over his right shoulder and proceeded towards the door. “If I leave here, I won’t be coming back,” he said. “The offer will be null and void. Are you coming or not?”

Sheridan begrudgingly recorked the whiskey and prodded through the clutter before finding a tactical buck knife and then reached for an old Winchester and it’s case. He placed the rifle in the bag then closed it and looked sternly at Wade.

“You don’t know what’s out there,” he warned.

“Pack lightly,” said Wade.

Under the drizzled rain they left the deserted streets of Khiva and marched north toward the Yorkin Pass nestled in the Urbanas. They stopped briefly to fill their canteens at a passing rivulet before pressing forth and as the elevation climbed the air thinned out. When they were above the prevailing mysts of the Siana Valley and they walked at the feet of barren peaks, they came across a peculiar boulder at the opening of the pass. On its face was imprinted a palm in darkened and dried blood.

“Followers of Jonny?” asked Wade.

Sheridan couldn’t be sure.

At high noon they arrived at the summit of the pass before drifting downhill towards the plateau of Nain. The peaks again grew taller and the two men found themselves in a deep crevice surrounded by brown rock on all sides. At the opening several yards ahead they see a lone warrior standing tall with a spear in hand. As they approached they could make him more clearly. The man was totally naked and drenched in blood and grease from head to toe and his rotten stench extended out several feet. He lowered his spear and the travelers stopped.

Wade lowered his rifle. “You seem to be outgunned,” he called to the naked man.

“Have you been baptized in the blood?” the warrior posed.

“What?”

“This is the Valley of Josea. The gateway to the land of God.”

“And who’s that?”

“Josea. The prophet of Jonny. You are trespassers.”

“Is that so? Well how about I blow a hole in you right here and be done with it?”

“You could. But there will be others. There’s an easier way to pass through.”

“And what’s that?”

“You could surrender arms and join us in the purification of the body. We baptize not by water but by the blood of the slaughtered. For the land of Nain is sanctified and only the holy may enter.”

Wade cocked the rifle and pulled the trigger.

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 8

The northern shore of the wide Siana was a rocky and barren plain looked over by the Urbana Mountains that stood like crumbling and snow capped tombstones to the gods. Save for the occasional screaming Nighthawk, the lowland stood silent through night and day as an ominous warning to travelers drifting northwards. After Wade departed the ferry he crept westbound towards the town of Khiva and he crossed no one along the way. Upon arrival he found that the outskirts were deserted and the buildings and homes were stripped of their parts and there were no occupants either living or dead. Myst from the mountains drifted downward and wetted the ground and at the doorstep in the back alley of the abandoned tavern, Wade shouted. Moments later a scraggly drifter answered Wade’s call and invited him in. He served the guest boiled potatoes from an old brass pot and a bottle of whiskey.

“Is that all you have?” asked Wade.

“It’s all that grows,” answered Sheridan.

Sheridan belched and helped himself to a heaping of potatoes and small bits of skin and water dribbled into his beard as he shoveled it into his mouth. Wade sat his bowl down and took from the whiskey bottle. “I’m looking for the Shepherd,” he informed Sheridan.

“Did you ask Gomez?”

“I did.”

“And what did he tell you?”

“He wouldn’t say.”

“If the Agency doesn’t know then what makes you think I would?”

“Because I don’t think it’s that big of a secret.”

“Then why didn’t Gomez tell you?”

“He knows what I’m aiming to do.”

“Which is?”

“Kill him most likely.”

Sheridan guffawed and uncorked the whiskey bottle. And after he drank he sat the bottle down and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and a stern look fell over his face. “Most likely?! What the hell else might happen?!”

“If I can reach an agreement with him, that would be better,” explained Wade. “Milner wants a piece of the Nain and the Agency would prefer if a peaceful settlement could be achieved.”

“And if not?”

“Then you know what happens.”

“You’ll kill him?”

“He’ll try to kill me first.”

“That goddamn Milner is a clown,” shouted Sheridan. “And you’re a fool for throwing your weight behind him! Is he still calling himself a chiefdon? The Promised Land?! It’s a joke ya hear!”

“Spare me, Sheridan. The Shepherd is no sage.”

“And that’s why I stay out of it!”

“By surviving on potatoes and whiskey? Now where is he?”

“He’s north of the Urbanas! That’s all I know.”

“Can you show me?”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“How much are you asking for?”

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 7

Satisfied with the representative’s response, Wade left the Agency’s office and headed back towards the inn. When he arrived he informed the innkeeper to hold his room for a few more days while he went north yet the innkeeper only moaned and protested.

“I took a closer look at that gold ring you gave me and it ain’t worth two rat shits put together. You’ll have to find another form of payment,” the man said.

But Wade spat on the floor and put his hands on the desk. “I’m gonna need the silver. I’ll pay you when I get back,” he told the innkeeper.

“No sir. I need payments up front.”

“And what about you snoopin around rooms while your guests are away? I doubt the Guild would take kindly to what’s going on here.”

“The Guild don’t have no say in how I do business! Now you get your shit and get outta here!”

“Then I want my ring back.”

“Why?”

“If it ain’t worth two shits then what difference does it make?”

“And what about the whore?”

“I’ll settle up with her later.”

The innkeeper gave the ring back and Wade gathered his things with the satchel dangling in front of him and rifle case around his shoulder and he departed towards the river’s edge. There a ferryman stood by and Wade gave him a piece of silver to boat him to the northern shore. As the ferryman cast off, more Nighthawks scrambled overhead and the ferryman chuckled.

“Ya know, they say that the longer you spend on this river that the river will eventually speak to ya,” the ferryman joked. “But I hear nothing from this water. The only thing I hear is that damn screamin from the sky. I found two bodies floating downstream yesterday. Last week I found six! I suppose the creeks from them mountains are washing the bodies down here. Goddamn. I don’t know what kind of fool would want to go up that a way but I imagine if anything is talkin these days it’s the folks up in those hills. The only folks they sendin down this way are their dead and a graveyards ain’t known for being jovial.”

Wade said nothing as he watched the waters glide underneath the boat.

“I can see you ain’t much of a talker neither,” the ferryman said.

TO BE CONTINUED…

kingdom of god 6

And in the morning he stashed away his belongings under the floorboards and away from the prying eyes of the innkeeper and then he marched back down the steps and into the musty streets of Harar where overhead was heard the screaming of Nighthawk missiles as they thundered through the sky and headed northward. Minutes later Wade arrived at the old storefront which housed the local offices of Agency representative Javier Gomez where the inside remained a barren landmark of time in memoriam. The representative himself sans a robust staff scribbled on a notepad at his desk with his back turned against the window facing the northerly Urbana Mountains. Nighthawks continued roaring overhead and were barely muffled by the brick and insulation. Wade noticed Gomez’s hand shaking.

“You think it’s bad here,” he told the representative, “think about how bad it must be for the people of Nain.”

Ignoring his comment and not looking up, Gomez continued his pointless jotting. “What can I do you for Wade?”

“Milner wants to make a bid,” he said.

Gomez dropped the pen and clasped his hands on the desk. “On what?” the representative asked.

“On the lands northwest of the Siana. Just on the border of Milner’s.”

Gomez shook his head and resumed the jotting. “You’re a little late,” he said.

“Why’s that?”

“It already has a bid and I doubt you could beat it.”

“By who?”

“You know who.”

“The Shepherd?”

Gomez nodded.

“Do you know where he is? Perhaps I could discuss the matter with him.”

The representative once again looked up. “That’s not a good idea. As of lately negotiating with him hasn’t been good for one’s health.”

“Are you referring to Tollum’s land?”

“How do you know about that?”

“I passed through it on my way up.”

“Then you know exactly what I mean.”

“But you’re the agency. Can’t you facilitate some sort of arrangement?”

“It doesn’t work that way and you know it.”

“Then maybe I should go up there and take care of that problem for you.”

Gomez’s face turned a bright red and he lifted a finger towards Wade. “You listen to me goddamnit! You keep your mouth shut! I won’t have talk of killin in my offices!”

“I said nothing about killin, Javier. You did.”

“I’m not a fool! I know what Milner pays you for and I don’t like it!”

“Have you been to Tollum’s lately? Women and children dead in the streets with their bones getting picked apart by old hermits. I suppose you’ll cede that land to the Shepherd as well? What good is an agency if it can’t stop this lawlessness?”

Javier piped down and lowered his head back to the notepad. “Alright then. If you want to negotiate with the Shepherd then that’s your business. And unless a lawful agreement can be reached, I don’t want to know about it. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

TO BE CONTINUED…