'Where are you, Lord God?' I called in panic, surprised I could no longer feel the love of the Creator as we could on Eltor. Surely we hadn't been deserted on this strange planet called Earth.
CHAPTER 16
Danger!
Close to us we could see two small castles, both flying white flags. Well, to be precise, the nearer one, which was in a dip, was flying a white flag. The other -- a very smart castle on a high rock -- had a white flag just peeping up on top, although it was still rolled up. These weren't massive castles, each one was just a small keep.
The keeps were all shapes and sizes, although most of them were more like watch towers. Each castle had a single door, and the windows were often high up for safety. Mansoul had been a town where many people lived. We now knew that just one person lived in each of these castles, although clearly not everyone was home. We could see people of all ages coming and going, chatting with each other and laughing. Most of them seemed happy enough with life. Some had even left their doors wide open when they went out.
We walked towards the smart castle, the one on the rock. It looked so much better than the one in the dip, even though the one in the dip was flying a white flag on a high pole. The walls of that one had been poorly built, and it wasn't even in a position where it could be properly defended. What sort of person lives in a castle in a hollow, instead of one on a mound for protection? I was amazed the flag hadn't blown down in the first winter gale, taking the castle with it. I decided the place might be tougher than it looked, and was probably Castle Nadia.
The castle in front of us seemed to be superbly built, and someone had chosen a great place for it. Not only was it on high ground, it had been built on a rocky outcrop. The large blocks of stone in the walls fitted tightly. With such a strong doorway, this must be Castle Max. I felt sorry for Castle Nadia, which would need a lot of defending if the enemy came.
I pulled Talora to the ground. 'Let's make sure we can't be seen,' I whispered.
'We were invisible in Mansoul,' she reminded me.
I had a feeling things were different now. 'Don't forget Mansoul was just a vision. We could be in serious danger here.'
'I thought angels are invisible to people,' Talora countered.
I glanced around warily. 'I'm not taking any chances. Imagine what would happen if people were able to see our wings.'
Angels are pretty sharp when it comes to knowing things. We have an in-built knowledge. Of course, we don't know everything, which is why I was wondering if anyone could see us now.
'You're right,' Talora agreed, now sounding a little anxious. 'Let's get off the path.'
Slowly, so as not to attract attention, we made our way through the long grass to some bushes where we could shelter -- and keep an eye on the strong building I thought was Castle Max.
After a few minutes I felt braver, and decided I'd been worrying about nothing. We were, after all, angels. It was time to spread our wings and get a view from high up. 'Fly with me,' I said. 'It's best if we stick together.'
Once in the sky we hovered and looked down. From up here we had a clear view over the whole countryside. Much of the area seemed pleasant, with fields and valleys where wild flowers grew. Massive outcrops of rocks and low hills broke through the ground, with small castles everywhere. It surprised me to see just how many of these castles stood in poor positions for defence.
Behind us was a long ridge, Shadow Hill, with a wood of thin and sickly trees moving across the top, like a dark, giant caterpillar. The Shadowed Wood. Don't ask me how I knew these names. As I've said, angels just know things. But you wouldn't need to be an angel to sense the Shadowed Wood was not a good place to visit.
In the other direction we could see the River. I must make it clear that this wasn't an ordinary river. It divided the land, where the Lord God lived, from the land of people. Beyond it, in the far distance, we could see the golden hills of Heaven.
Over to our right I noticed large areas of brambles, swampland, steep rocks, and unfenced holes in the ground, all looking treacherous. Amongst the trees of the Shadowed Wood I thought I saw some movement, but I was more interested in the castles than the wood.
Talora let out a sigh of admiration. 'What amazing buildings these castles are.'
I agreed. 'I hadn't expected so many. And to think each castle is really part of a person.'
'It's how the Lord God wants us to see people,' Talora reminded me. 'Each castle must be like the person who lives there. Old castles have old people in them. See that old man over there? His castle looks ready to fall down.'
The Lord God had said we'd be able to understand life on Earth if we saw things this way. All sorts of people, living in all sorts of small castles. Old ones and fairly new ones -- and brand new ones that seemed to have been built within the past few weeks or months. And each one ...
Talora interrupted my thoughts. 'Have you seen the white flags?'
I'd spotted them as soon as we arrived, but hadn't taken much notice. As we rose gently on a current of warm air I looked down at the smart castle, with its flag still rolled up on the pole. The white flag on the poor castle in the dip flew high, although the light breeze made the pole bend this way and that. Was the flag a sign of surrender? That was when I realised that all the flags had the same picture on them.
'A dove,' I said slowly. 'What do you think it means?'
'Definitely a dove,' Talora agreed, flapping her wings gently to maintain height. 'It must be a picture of the Holy Spirit, to show that he lives there. That one in the dip is one of his castles!'
I felt sure Talora was right, and it made me excited to know there were castles belonging to the King so close to us. In some places we noticed groups of castles flying these flags. In other places the white flags were in ones and twos, but many, many castles were without flags.
'Well,' Talora said, pointing to the castle on the rock, 'Castle Nadia certainly looks strong.'
I shook my head. 'I think that's Castle Nadia down there in the dip.'
Talora flew closer to the castle and shook her head. 'It says Castle Nadia over the doorway. And see, the door is open.'
I frowned. 'Is it all right to go in?'
'No, Zephan, we've been told we cannot enter the castles.'
'Then where's Castle Max? Maybe it's one of the other strong buildings over there on high ground. The Lord God wouldn't have sent us to the feeble one in the hollow.'
Talora smiled. 'Perhaps that's exactly what he would do.'
Yes, I thought, Talora was probably right.
Talora pointed as she swooped down. 'The door's closed, but if you look carefully you can see it says Castle Max on the stonework above it. The place doesn't look strong enough to be a castle.'
I felt shocked by its frail looks. A white flag high on a bendy pole, no defences worth speaking of -- this was the sort of situation where all you can do is trust the Creator God.
Castle Max and Castle Nadia were newer than many of the castles around. A rumbling sound from behind made us turn quickly as something large came out from the Shadowed Wood, raising a cloud of dust.
Talora grabbed hold of my arm. Angels can do that when we're flying, as long as we're facing each other and make sure our wings don't clash. 'What do you think it means?' she asked.
'Riders on horseback,' I said, hearing my own voice rise with unease.
'Are we in danger?'
I pointed to some dense bushes. 'I've a bad feeling about this. Let's drop down there and keep out of sight -- until we know who those riders are.'
Once we were in the shelter of the large green shrubbery I raised my head, but not very much.
Talora cautiously raised her head with mine. 'I'm glad we hid,' she said, her voice shaking. 'I can see soldiers, but they're not the warrior angels of the Lord God.'
I frowned. 'So why isn't everyone rushing back to their castles?'
Talora shivered. 'I think it must be because they can't see them. So why can we?'
That was when I un
derstood. 'Because we're angels and they're angels, Talora -- shadow angels -- and they'll see us if we're not careful. So let's keep quiet.'
'I expect Diabolus has sent them to look for us,' Talora said.
I didn't like the sound of that. 'Don't say such things.'
Talora gave me a comforting squeeze on the arm, but my main concern was for Castle Max. The building looked different from ground level, as things do, but no stronger. I could see Max on top of his castle, staring towards Shadow Hill. He must have realised something was amiss, but all he did was tighten the cord holding the flag high on the pole.
Talora pointed up to Castle Nadia, the one I now knew was the smart one on the raised rocks. 'Look, Nadia's opening her door! Doesn't she feel any danger?'
I was looking at the top of Castle Nadia. The flag we'd seen from the air, rolled tightly around the pole, had now disappeared from sight. The shadow angels stopped on the path by our hiding place, close enough for us to hear their horses panting for breath. How had the King's enemies found us so quickly? Were spies of Diabolus here, passing on every bit of information?
'They'll see us if they come any closer. I know they will,' Talora whispered.
'They've already seen us. See, they're leading their horses this way.'
'God will protect us,' Talora said confidently. 'If he's placed us here to do his work, he will save us from harm.' She looked up at the sky. 'Lord God,' she called loudly, making the shadow angels stop. 'Lord God, in your name we ask you to come and protect us.'
The riders drew back as the name of the Creator King filled them with panic. Even the horses started to pull violently at their reins, jostling into each other.
That was when we heard a distant trumpet.
CHAPTER 17
Five Captains
A cloud of dust on the horizon came closer and closer as more riders arrived. We felt a thrill of excitement when we saw them. The Lord God's warrior angels. Among a sea of bright armour and coloured banners sat the King's Son on a white horse, his armour of gold gleaming like the sun itself, the armour of his captains glittering like the stars in the heavens.
The shadow angels fled.
'Talora and Zephan, you must never be afraid to call for help.' The King's Son leant down from his horse and spoke softly. 'My enemy is powerful, which is why you can never beat him by yourselves. But against me he is powerless. Do not forget that.'
The warrior angels of the King's Son seemed to number thousands. Horses and their riders filled the countryside, but clearly none of the people from the castles saw anything unusual. Then I heard a door slam shut.
The King's Son pointed at Castle Nadia. 'You see, Nadia senses I am near. We may be sure her castle is well defended against me now.'
'I don't understand,' I said. 'Nadia has a white flag on her castle. So surely ...'
'I don't understand either,' Talora interrupted. 'If you'd been quicker you could have slipped through the door while it was still open.'
The King's Son smiled. 'I cannot trick my way inside these castles.'
'But these people need you,' Talora protested.
'Talora, I cannot go where I am not invited.'
I glanced at Talora. Yes, we still had much to learn. The planet Eltor and the twin suns of Caspar seemed very far off now, almost a distant memory. I looked up at the King's Son on his white horse. Close to the King's Son five captains sat on their horses. These were not the captains who had challenged the town of Mansoul, but I recognised every one of them.
The first was Captain Trust, carrying a blood red banner with a picture of a Lamb. The second was Captain Good-Hope. His blue banner had three golden anchors pictured on it. The third captain was called Love. His banner showed a group of young people being held securely by the King's Son.
Captain Innocent was the fourth. We had to wait for his white banner to blow in the breeze before we could see the picture showing three golden doves. Captain Patience, the last captain on horseback, held a banner showing tears shed by the King's Son as he waited and cried for the people he loved to turn to him.
'Zephan,' Talora kept her voice low, 'why do so few castles fly the King's flag?'
'Because they don't know about the Lord God,' I explained. 'Maybe it will change soon. Look, the King's Son is going up to Castle Nadia. Let's see what happens.'
Talora still seemed anxious. 'Do you think the shadow angels will be back?' she asked, looking towards Shadow Hill.
I nodded. 'I'm sure they will, but probably not yet.' I watched closely as the King's soldiers formed a circle around Castle Nadia.
'We should be doing something,' Talora said, when the circle was complete. 'The Lord God wanted us to help, not stand around watching.'
'There's nothing for us to do. The King's Son is in charge.'
'Maybe we'll be needed soon,' Talora suggested. 'Stay with me, Zephan, just in case.'
I thought Talora was to be commended for her enthusiasm. Perhaps she was sounding braver than she felt. She certainly sounded bolder than I felt at that moment. The shadow angels were unlikely to be far away. It was time to join the King's Son at Castle Nadia. As I hurried there with Talora, a loud trumpet blast sounded from amongst the King's soldiers. This time I didn't jump at all.
Nadia appeared at one of her high windows. From up there the army of the King's Son would surely seem an awesome sight, but Nadia only frowned, obviously unable to observe anything unusual.
We could see what Nadia couldn't. From the castle as far as the horizon, thousands upon thousands of the Lord God's warrior angels stood ready for action.
Just this side of the River I could see two hills. The King's Son turned to us as we approached him. 'The hill on the right is called Mount Freedom,' he explained. 'The other is Mount Justice.'
Slowly the soldiers hauled four enormous wooden catapults onto these two hills. Then they took a golden battering ram towards the castle. These war machines were exactly what we'd seen in the vision of Mansoul -- where they'd done serious damage to the town defences.
I turned to the King's Son in surprise. 'It looks as though you're going to smash your way into Castle Nadia,' I said. 'You told us you can only go where you're invited.'
'Wait and see, Zephan,' the King's Son replied quietly.
From inside the castle we heard a shout of panic. Nadia must now be able to sense something of what we could see, and it sounded as though she didn't like it. She rushed to the top of her castle, struggling to pull the white flag higher up the pole. The flag opened, went up a short way, then stuck. This was the first time I'd seen Nadia's flag unfurled. Whatever picture it had on it, it didn't look much like a dove. It was more like some strange bird Nadia had drawn herself -- but not very well. Then Nadia shouted down to Castle Max in the dip that she was about to be attacked. However, there was no longer any sign of Max.
'Do you think I am doing nothing to help Nadia?' the King's Son asked us, when he saw our puzzled faces.
'I know you love your people,' Talora said. 'It's just that we don't know what's happening.'
'Then hurry down to Castle Max, but return to me as soon as you understand how I need people to help me in my work. I shall be waiting for you on Mount Freedom.'
Of course I wanted to stay and see what was going to happen at Castle Nadia, but orders are orders, and I've already told you that we chose obedience at creation. A gentle rain started to fall in the dip as we walked towards Castle Max, but it soon cleared. One thing I have to say in favour of the castle's position -- the rain kept it remarkably clean.
Why were we walking? You may be wondering why we didn't swoop down on Max. Well, he probably wasn't used to seeing angels land without warning outside his door, and I wasn't convinced we'd be invisible.
Max was sitting on the grass in front of his castle, so it was just as well we'd been careful. Or was it? He didn't look up, so we probably were invisible. It may not be polite to listen to other people's conversations, but something felt good. Angels are quick t
o sense things -- good things and bad things.
Five friends sat with Max, and they'd arranged themselves in a circle. I learnt later that this is how close friends often sit when they're talking with the King's Son. And we could feel the King's Son here listening -- even though we couldn't see him.
In short, Max and his friends were asking the King's Son to come to Nadia to take her to be his own. And to come to their other friends. We could hear Max and his group naming them one by one. James and Sophie were just two of the names. For some reason these names stuck in my mind. Maybe we'd see them later. Now we understood the words of the King's Son. He did indeed need people like Max and his friends to help him in his work on Earth, by praying for their friends.
The words of Max and his friends really moved me, and through my tears I noticed Talora was also crying. I wouldn't want anyone to be surprised to know angels cry. We feel for you when things go wrong, and the same when things go well -- although of course we can't love you as much as the King's Son loves you. He has a very special love for you that he doesn't even have for his angels.
Talora began pulling at my hand. 'Come on, Zephan. Now we've seen Max we must go back quickly to the King's Son on Mount Freedom. Those were our instructions.'
This was the first time we'd seen Max close up. I'm not too good at judging people's ages, because angels tend to see things as being thousands or even millions of years old. But Max was probably about the same age as Nadia.
The Lord God said we were here on Earth to help Max and Nadia. Well, Max didn't seem to need our help right now, but I looked forward to meeting him properly some time soon.
CHAPTER 18
Nadia
When we reached Mount Freedom and stood with the King's Son and his soldiers, we noticed Max was already back on the top of his castle. Nadia shouted to him that she thought the King's Son was getting ready to make a nuisance of himself -- again. Even at this distance we could hear them both clearly. I didn't realise angels had such good hearing.
'Look at the soldiers' flags,' Nadia called out. 'And look at their glittering armour and the banners. What does the King's Son want with me?'
I'm not sure exactly what Max saw or heard, but it was enough to make him raise his hands in excitement. For a moment Nadia became hushed as the soldiers hoisted a huge white flag on Mount Freedom. Then she called even louder to Max for help.