The Light of His Sword by Alaina Stanford Page A

the darkness.
    “Then perhaps we should start with the
basics.” He shot her a quick glance. “I’ve always been athletic. I
love to compete. My favorite sport is football, because it’s a full
contact sport. It places me in a position where I have to succeed
or be overcome. I can use all my aggression against my opponent. My
body is my weapon. It’s necessary to work in tandem with the rest
of the team to triumph. I think it’s the ultimate sport.”
    “We didn’t play any organized games.” Alyssa
began, “When our chores were done we were allowed to play quietly
in the gathering room. In the warm weather, we were allowed outside
for short periods of time.”
    “Tell me something good about your time at
the compound.” Gabe said with soft encouragement.
    “My best friend was Emily. She had long,
black, hair and dark, brown, eyes. We would make puppets out of our
socks. Sometimes we would play tag with the other children. No
matter what happened Emily was always happy. She was always
smiling. We would snuggle together on the floor mats that were our
beds at night to stay warm. I pretended she was my sister. When no
one was near, I would share the fairy tales my mother told me
during our early morning lessons. Sometimes we would act out a
fairytale with our sock puppets.” Alyssa’s face lit up as she spoke
of Emily. She’d forgotten about Emily.
    Gabe drove quietly allowing her to talk.
    “I loved the fairytales. They were magical
adventures in faraway lands where good always defeated evil. I
shared all of them with Samantha, and I hope someday she will share
them with her children.”
    Gabe said, “My mentor loved to tell stories.
They were filled with adventure and always had a purpose, although
you might not realize it at the time. I have a good friend named
Mike that lives in Alaska. He’s never had the patience for a story.
Mike was always the one to rush in headfirst and asks questions
later. He likes the rugged life in the wilderness. Mike lives like
a pioneer, no power, living off the land. He loves it there. We
served in the war together. Now, he chooses to live in Alaska
because it its calm and quiet, a place where he can hide from the
world and be himself. We are exact opposites. I chose to drive a
truck because it gives me the freedom to roam and meet people.”
    Alyssa glanced at him. “He sounds like the
brooding type.”
    Gabe nodded, “He’s very intense. Mike lead
us in the war, he was fearless, still is. But deep down inside he
has a soft heart although few see it. I remember once when Mike
singlehandedly tore open a path down the center of a battle so one
little girl to escape to safety. Then as soon as she was free he
was off to wreak havoc with the enemy.”
    “You make it sound like some ancient battle
between gladiators.” Alyssa smiled.
    Gabe glanced at her, “I’ve learned it
doesn’t matter who you’re fighting or how the feelings still the
same. They want to kill you and you want to survive long enough to
protect your people. Mike gets that better than anyone. For him,
it’s all about winning the battle. For me, it’s about the people
and how we can help them recover from the damage that’s been
done.”
    “Do you see him very often?” Alyssa
asked.
    “I have a feeling I’ll see him soon.” Gabe
answered.

    ********
    Walton snarled through clenched teeth, “You
fool! I told you to summon the reptilian demons! Not some lesser
horde of beasts, barely capable of possessing of a fully grown
woman!”
    “I called out to all that would answer.”
Maxwell countered, holding his ground as Walton advanced across the
room toward him. “We didn’t have much time.”
    The elders stood around them in a circle in
the center of the sanctuary. A single light shined down on the
small group, leaving the rest of the room in darkness. The large,
black altar, devoid of any inscription or decoration stood in the
center of the circle. Maxwell glanced around at the elders