The next morning Love-God stood outside the blackened walls. Nadia and some of her wounded friends came to hear what she had to say. 'You must each send another plea to the King for forgiveness. Go boldly to the Holy Spirit and ask for his help in writing your letters. And go now.'
This seemed to put fresh heart into everyone, for although Love-God looked young, they obviously respected her.
At the secret room where the Holy Spirit dwelt, the door was slightly open. Nadia knocked and walked into the room hesitatingly, while her friends waited outside the castle in hopeful anticipation. I was sure I could hear their hearts beating loudly with anxiety but, as I said earlier, angels seem to have especially good hearing.
'Is the Holy Spirit still there?' we heard someone call.
'Even if he is, will he take any notice of Nadia?' another friend asked.
It was time to listen through one of the higher open windows. We felt such love for Nadia and Max that we wanted everything to work out well for them -- especially if we could help in any way. Brambles had spread thickly even to this height, covering the open window with thorns. But we managed to pull them away without getting too many scratches.
'My treasured Nadia, you have not been here for a long time. What do you want?' We could hear great tenderness and patience in the Holy Spirit's voice.
Nadia must have sensed it too, for she took encouragement and knelt down, hanging her head in shame as she spoke. 'You know how badly we have behaved. We have allowed the army of Diabolus to defeat us. We are not able ...'
The Holy Spirit stopped her. 'Nadia,' he said gently, 'I want to hear what you have done, not your friends.'
'But we've all ...' Nadia put her hand to her mouth. 'I'm sorry. I have behaved badly. I have allowed Diabolus and his friends to defeat me. I cannot get an answer from the King's Son.'
'And?' the Holy Spirit asked. 'You have not told me yet what it is you want.'
'I want the King's Son to forgive me. I've been forgetting what he did for me. Now I want to know him again, but I think I've gone too far away from the love of the Lord God to deserve mercy. I believe some people deserve to be forgiven -- but not me.'
The Holy Spirit shook his head. 'Deserve mercy? No one deserves mercy, Nadia -- not even the most holy person on Earth. Mercy and forgiveness are gifts. I am afraid you have let All-Except-Me whisper in your ear for too long. When he comes again you must destroy him with your Sword.'
'Then please write a letter asking for forgiveness,' Nadia begged. 'Surely the King will listen when you write to him.'
The Holy Spirit told Nadia to kneel by his side. 'First of all you must forget what you heard from All-Except-Me.' He put his arms round her shoulders and held her with such tenderness that Nadia told her friends later it felt as though the whole power of the Lord God flowed through her. 'The promises of the King's Son are for you,' the Holy Spirit added.
When she heard this, Nadia began to cry.
'I cannot write for you,' the Holy Spirit explained. 'I can provide ink and paper, but you must do the writing yourself. How else could you say it is from you?'
Nadia smiled and wiped her eyes. She said it made her happy to know that she'd found the way to reach the King, with her plea for the Prince to return. But even as she wrote the letter, the sound of Diabolus' drum started to echo through the castle.
Boom and boom and boom and boom.
Several times Nadia stopped in fear, saying it might be better to go out and fight the enemy rather than to continue writing the letter.
'Nadia, have you not learnt your lesson?' the Holy Spirit asked. 'You are not to fight evil in your own strength.'
At last Nadia finished, in spite of the interruptions from outside, and put her pen down.
The Holy Spirit took the letter and sealed it himself. 'I will send it at once,' he told her. 'You had a hard lesson to learn, Nadia, and you have been very stubborn. The King has allowed your castle to be broken. Take courage now, for the answer will not be long in coming.'
'I'd like to write some letters for my friends,' Nadia said.
'No, Nadia. You can help your friends write letters, but the words must be their own. It must be their decision, their will.'
Quickly Nadia ran outside to tell her friends the news. Some returned to their castles immediately to take up pen and paper, but a few stayed and said they wanted to see how it all worked out for Nadia before writing anything themselves.
Diabolus kept beating his drum all through the rest of the day, and then into the night while we sat on the grass outside Castle Nadia. In spite of the letters, Nadia and her friends trembled in their beds. The army of Doubters and the companions of Diabolus ran noisily around the castles, singing and shouting that Diabolus was coming to destroy everyone with his sharp and dreadful sword.
In the end it all became too much for us, and I knelt down with Talora and called out to the King's Son. We should have done it much earlier, but that's how it was. The King's Son spoke to us immediately.
'Do not think I enjoy such events as these,' he explained, as the drum grew silent at last. 'Max and his friends had for a long time been calling out to me to come and receive Nadia as my own. Now you can see why I brought the catapults and the battering ram. It was to make Nadia aware of my existence.'
'And it worked,' I said, remembering how Nadia had at first been angry, and then pleased to hear the King's Son calling her. 'But her new faith didn't last,' I added.
'It was not necessary for Nadia or her friends to turn away from me, but they listened to too many other voices, besides mine. And so did two of Max's friends. There has been much sadness in Heaven over this. Zephan and Talora, look over there beyond the hills. Today will be a day of victory that Nadia and everyone with her will remember for the rest of their lives.'
CHAPTER 40
Soldiers!
As the sky grew lighter, I could see Castle Max down in the dip still looking weak, although we now knew a greater force than nature kept it secure. I remembered how strong we thought Castle Nadia looked on that first day when we arrived from the planet Eltor, and it depressed me to see that the building was now such a mess. The brambles and nettles had grown even higher and thicker over the last few days, covering most of the burnt and blackened walls.
I flew up to the top of Castle Nadia with Talora and looked towards the Shadowed Wood, and ... I wouldn't be surprised if my face went pale at what I saw. 'Keep back, Talora!' I warned.
Talora looked across at me in alarm. 'What is it?'
'There are hundreds of soldiers out there,' I told her. 'Hundreds.'
Talora's eyes lit up. 'Then we must be happy,' she said. 'Nadia asked for the King's Son to come, and now he's bringing his warrior angels.'
'No, no!' I said in panic. 'The soldiers are shadow angels. They're coming from Shadow Hill and they'll surround us at any moment. What will happen to Nadia now?'
We heard a furious knocking on the castle door. I looked down but didn't recognise the caller.
I said, 'It might be a trick. I hope Nadia doesn't open the door.'
Before I could do anything, Choosing limped slowly on crutches to a window. He'd been so badly wounded, fighting All-Except-Me and the Doubters, that at the time I thought he might never walk again.
'Who's knocking?' he called down. 'Nadia is still asleep.'
'Let me in! Let me in!' the frantic plea came from the front of the castle.
'What do you want?' Choosing asked after a long silence.
'I have a message for Nadia. It's from the King.'
Choosing hurried downstairs and opened a small sliding panel in the door so he could see the messenger. 'Why, I know you,' he said. 'You're Captain Faith. You are a brave fighter. What message do you bring?'
Choosing opened the door just wide enough for Captain Faith to slip through, then shut it quickly, slamming the heavy bolts back in place. I flew down to the door with Talora, and we put our ears to the small panel Choosing had used to speak to Captai
n Faith.
'I have a package from the Lord God,' we heard Faith say. 'Call Nadia, and we can open it together.'
I guessed Nadia would take a few minutes to wake up, so we decided to tell Nadia's friends that she'd received a reply. Quickly I flew with Talora to other castles where we could see white flags, passing on the good news.
'Come to Castle Nadia,' we said. 'Nadia has received an answer to her letter!'
The people hurried from their doorways, shielding their eyes from the bright morning light. I flew with Talora back to Castle Nadia, leaving her friends to make their own way there.
'We're alone!' I said, as we dropped down onto the grass outside the castle door.
'What do you mean?' Talora asked
'The shadow angels. They've gone. That's why it's so quiet.'
It was an easy mistake to make, for I certainly thought Diabolus had called his army away when Captain Faith arrived. I had no idea the shadow angels were so close, hiding and plotting their attack.
Then we saw someone else knocking on the castle door.
'Nadia, open up. It's me, Love-God.'
Nadia opened the door and quickly dragged Love-God inside. 'I'm so glad to see you,' we heard Nadia say. 'Captain Faith is here. We're just about to open a package from the King. Come quickly, and we'll open it together.'
Talora beckoned to me and we flew to the open window where we had already cleared the brambles away, in time to see the Holy Spirit unfold a long banner from the King's Son. He started to explain its meaning to Nadia, while Love-God, Choosing and Captain Faith listened.
Then we heard the drum again. The forces of Diabolus were back.
Outside the castle, the friends of Nadia had already arrived. They held their heads when they heard the drum, and what had been rejoicing soon turned to despair.
Choosing looked out of the window. 'All-Except-Me is down there with his army of Doubters,' he shouted to Nadia in panic. 'Stay indoors and don't listen to his evil talk.'
Sad to say, Nadia was quickly on her feet, dropping the King's banner to the floor as she rushed to the window. We moved to one side, out of view.
'Greetings, Nadia,' All-Except-Me called loudly from below.
Nadia stood in the open window. 'What do you want?' she demanded, more than a little anxiously.
'I mean you no harm, Nadia, but you can surely see that your castle and your friends are outnumbered. You have Captain Faith with you. You do not need him. Send Captain Faith, and him alone, to me. Then I will leave you in peace.'
Nadia turned to Choosing for advice.
Choosing shook his head. 'Captain Faith is one of the King's men,' he told her. 'If you send him out there you might as well give your castle to the Doubters.'
Nadia shouted down words to this effect.
'Foolish talk!' All-Except-Me spat angrily.
At that moment a great cheer went up from Nadia's friends outside the castle. From the window of the Holy Spirit's secret room floated a long banner -- the message that had just arrived from the Lord God.
The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.
Then something extraordinary happened. Somehow, in all the excitement, All-Except-Me had managed to creep unseen through the castle door. Nadia spotted him climbing the stairs, and grabbed hold of his arm. Quickly she picked up the Sword the King's Son had given her earlier. It looked cleaner and sharper now. With a shout she threw All-Except-Me to the floor and using both hands plunged the blade's sharp point through his chest. All-Except-Me screamed as the powerful steel penetrated his body, then Nadia picked him up and threw him through the open window. Fortunately, Talora and I were able to duck as the lifeless body hurtled past. It crashed to the ground with a sound of breaking bones, and Nadia's friends cheered again.
'I understand it now,' Nadia said in excitement. 'The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. It's a message for me from the King's Son. I never understood it properly before. It's not just for good people -- the promise is for me, in spite of me being so bad!'
When Won't-Believe and the army of Doubters realised what had happened, and heard Nadia shouting out the words on the banner, they turned away in rage. I could understand why. The Sword had killed All-Except-Me, and now the words on the banner were piercing them. The Holy Book was indeed the sharpest weapon.
Just as I was thinking that the army of Doubters intended to leave Castle Nadia in peace, Won't-Believe suddenly turned round. 'Sound the attack!' he screamed. 'Sound the attack! The castle will perish!'
At his command, the army of Doubters rushed forward. The sight of the army and the sound of the beating drum made Nadia and her friends nervous. Yet, as they looked at the promise on the banner, we could feel their trust in the Lord God growing stronger.
'Take the castle,' Won't-Believe ordered the shadow angels. 'Nadia will be ours -- if we can get inside!'
With Won't-Believe leading them, the Doubters encircled Castle Nadia and prepared to storm the door.
Then the voice of Diabolus came clearly from the direction of Shadow Hill. Nadia and her friends would not have been able to hear him, but shadow angels could, and so could we as the Lord God's angels.
'Come back to the cover of the wood,' Diabolus ordered his troops. 'You can hide there until these people forget about the Lord G ... the Lord G ... the King again. It will be easy to take the castle when Nadia and her friends have forgotten the words on the banner.'
Won't-Believe sounded impatient. 'Victory must be ours today!' he shouted. 'Why, by this time tomorrow the King's Son may be here. There is no time to lose!'
Diabolus, however, seemed unable to make up his mind. Sometimes he called out one plan, and sometimes another. While this was going on, Nadia and her friends were reading their Holy Books, sharpening their Swords, putting on their armour and gaining fresh strength to resist the attack.
'Draw them away from the castle,' Diabolus shouted. He had left Shadow Hill now, and was coming closer on horseback. 'When they split up, you can destroy them one at a time.'
'They will not be so stupid as to fight us again in their own strength,' Won't-Believe told the army of Doubters impatiently, ignoring his orders. 'To war, I say, and the victory will be ours this very hour!'
I hovered with Talora above the castle. For the moment Diabolus had his way, and the army withdrew.
'Where's the King's Son?' I asked Talora. 'He promised to help.' I'm not sure if I felt impatient at the time or not. You have to bear in mind we were caught up in something terrible.
Talora put a finger to her lips. 'Do not doubt the King's Son,' she said. 'I can sense his love, even though there is so much evil below.'
Captain Faith called Nadia and her friends together. 'Don't be afraid,' he shouted confidently. 'You have seen the promise from the King's Son on the banner. Read it again.'
Led by Nadia, her friends read the words aloud. 'The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.' They repeated the promise over and over.
'These words are for you,' Captain Faith told them. 'All-Except-Me is dead, and you no longer have to listen to his false messages of doubt.'
'But where is the King's Son?' Nadia asked. 'Please tell us.'
Captain Faith smiled. 'Soon he will be outside this castle to do battle with the army of Diabolus. Hurry to your castles and gather every trumpet you can find, and then come back here and blow them loudly, ready to receive the Son of the Lord God!'
Within a few minutes Nadia and her friends began to blow long and loud on their trumpets outside Castle Nadia. At first the trumpets sounded rather tuneless, but after a few minutes the music became harmonious, so that it seemed like a chorus of praise rising to the rescuer who was on his way.
'What is the meaning of this noise?' Diabolus shouted to Won't-Believe.
'They seem to think, sir, that they are about to be rescued,' Won't-Believe told him, trying to conceal his trembling limbs.
Diabolus spat on the ground. 'We must hold back from t
he attack. I have no wish to be defeated.'
'We cannot be defeated,' Won't-Believe said firmly.
Diabolus turned away angrily. Clearly he didn't want his soldiers to see fear of the Lord God in his eyes.
CHAPTER 41
Swords and Shields
There was great excitement at Castle Nadia. Nadia and her friends were now well armed, having cleaned and sharpened their Swords to prepare themselves for this great battle.
'The Sword of the Prince and the Shield of Faith!' Nadia called, but not very loudly.
Everyone took up the cry, louder and louder, until the sound echoed off the neighbouring castles. 'The Sword of the Prince and the Shield of Faith!'
Diabolus lost his temper. With a mighty roar he ordered his army to attack. Nadia and her friends let fly at his army with weapons the King's Son had given them.
'The Sword of the Prince and the Shield of Faith!' they shouted again.
So loud was the battle cry that the forces of Diabolus shrank back.
'The Prince is close at hand!' Captain Faith called loudly
Thinking this was merely a trick, the troops of Diabolus hurled themselves once more at Castle Nadia. Each time, the weapons of the Prince drove them back. Then Nadia let out a great shout.
'The Prince is coming! The King's Son is coming!'
With flags and banners flying, trumpets sounding, and the feet of his men and horses scarcely touching the ground, the Son of the Lord God rode up the hill from the valley.
'Emmanuel, Emmanuel!' the people cried.
'God with us! God with us!' echoed from around the castle walls.
Diabolus looked terrified. In front of him he could see Nadia and her friends -- well armed with the King's weapons. Behind him was the angel army of the Lord God, approaching fast.
Leaving his army to fight their way out, Diabolus dug his spurs into his horse and raced away to the shelter of the Shadowed Wood.
We watched as the mighty warrior angels of Heaven set on the army of Doubters. Before long they all lay dead on the ground, cold and silent like stones along a beach. Led by Nadia, her friends ran to meet the Son of God. He held up his hand to bless them.
'Peace,' he said loudly, so that everyone could hear his words of welcome. 'You cannot understand how pleased I am to be with you this day. Over and over I will forgive all the wrong things you do. Let us talk together, for I have many plans for you.'