THE_REALM_SHIFT Read online

  Three demons had been near the docks when the wounded pirate captain had shown up earlier screaming his head off about his broken arm and the young man who had done it. When the captain’s arm had been set into a splint onboard his ship, by the resident surgeon, the same three demons had been listening.

  The pirate captain had sworn his revenge on the young man in the green cloak and the ruddy youth traveling with him. When the captain had organized his men to go back to the Weary Traveler inn, three demons had followed them. They waited to see exactly who the youths were and where they could be found. Now, the pirates had flushed out the prey. Three demons sped down the dark streets of Tilley inhabiting the only three people who had not fled the inn when the pirates had returned.

  Five blocks away from the Weary Traveler Inn, Ethan and Gideon paused, attempting to find a safe way down to the streets, or a way to circle back to the stables and their horses. The noisy pursuit of the pirates had faded by now as the boys had nimbly outmaneuvered them several rooftops back. The city sounded alive below them. People made their way to taverns where they could spend what little money they had on drink and frivolity.

  “Thereâ€="24™s an alley on this side with some crates and hay bales, Gideon. Do you think we could make the drop here?â€�

  Gideon walked over to where Ethan was standing on the edge of the roof. Under the cast of an oil burning street lamp, they saw what appeared to be a delivery yard for a seed and feed business. Bales of hay and stacks of seed bags lay just beneath them. A wagon sat parked on the opposite side. The drop from here was more than twenty feet.

  Then Gideon spotted something that might help them. Against the wall, on the opposite side of the alley, lay a tall ladder on its side. Other farm equipment and tools were stacked nearby or hung on the wall by hooks. But there was no way for them to reach the ladder.

  “What happened to you exactly when you disappeared back at the camp?â€� Gideon asked.

  “I’m not quite sure. I wasn’t trying to make it happen,â€� Ethan said. “I suppose I must have entered into the realm of demons or something. The demons could see me. The weird thing was that my appearance changed too.â€�

  “Really, how so?â€� Gideon asked.

  “I was wearing this armor that resembled mercury all over my body. And I was carrying a sword. The blade was as brilliant as the sun to look upon and it hung by my side without any connection to my body. Every time I’ve seen the demons, they’ve been carrying similar weapons.â€�

  Gideon looked back at the ladder and pointed. “Do you suppose you might be able to pass through the spiritual realm and get to that ladder?â€�

  Ethan judged the distance. He could not, the way he was. As for the spiritual, he simply did not know. “I’m still not sure how I entered that state.â€� Ethan looked hard at the ladder lying there against the wall. If they started back across the rooftops then they might run into the pirates. Surely, they had not given up their search. He knew he had to make this power work for him, somehow. Then, almost as if a switch turned on, Ethan disappeared.

  Just as before, the world took on a more vivid state for Ethan. He saw more, heard more, and felt with more clarity than he ever could in his natural state. Once again, he found himself in the quicksilver armor with the brilliant shining sword at his side.

  Ethan felt power surging through his spiritual body as though he were a waterwheel fed by a raging river. He saw Gideon smile when Ethan disappeared. He tried to speak to Gideon, but the warrior-priest did not hear him, just as he had suspected.

  Ethan ran to the edge of the roof, leaping away without fear. He sailed out over the courtyard much farther than he would have been able to manage naturally. He somersaulted, six flips through the air, coming down on his feet. It was an exhilarating feeling.

  Ethan returned to his natural state as he ran toward the ladder. He had been able to turn off this realm shift with a thought. Can it really be that easy to shift from one realm to the other? he wondered.

  “That was perfect, Ethan!â€� Gideon shouted from the rooftop.

  Ethan grabbed the ladder from its place, rotating it around, over his head, in order to maneuver it past the wagon it had been kept behind. He looked for Gideon on the roof so he could bring the ladder to rest near him. Ethan watched in horror as an old woman came up behind Gideon. But she was not a normal old woman. She was controlled by a demon. Ethan saw the creature’s form like a shadow moving within her body.

  “Gideon!â€�

  The warrior-priest spun on the old woman, instinctively unleashing a vicious roundhouse kick, knocking her to the ground. The old woman turned a sadistic, toothy grin on him, rising to her feet again.

  Ethan was already half way across the courtyard with the ladder, maneuvering it vertically as he ran. The old woman growled with an unnatural voice and lunged at Gideon. He turned, leaping out of her reach—off the roof—toward the approaching ladder. Ethan saw the move and tried to compensate.

  The ladder nearly tore free from Ethan’s hands when Gideon caught the top rung, swinging his legs around to land two rungs below the top. Gideon quickly descended using the side rails to slide down the ladder. He was half way down when the old woman leaped away from the building, copying Gideon’s move.

  When she landed on the ladder top, it became too much weight for Ethan to hold. As the ladder tipped backwards, he used Gideon’s weight at the middle and the woman’s weight at the top in order to bring it down even faster. The top end of the ladder, with the old woman, slammed into the parked wagon as Gideon dropped to the ground. The old demon-controlled woman smashed right through the bottom of the wagon with a horrendous explosion of wood.

  “HELP, HELP! Two men are killing a woman!â€� Hook-hand shouted as he ran into the crowded street in front of the Old Panther Pub. A great many men had congregated there tonight and they were outraged by what they heard.

  “What’s that?â€� someone cried.

  “This way, two young men killing a lady!â€� Hook-hand shouted again.

  “Come on!â€� The men began to follow. The crowd turned into a mob quickly. Men with guns, knives, and torches followed Hook-hand through the streets. Within moments, the young bouncer appeared ahead of them, running back toward the crowd. “Hurry, Hurry! They’re trying to escape! They’re behind the Seed and Feed!â€�

  It happened to escape everyone’s notice that these two men looked rather feral. They smiled as they ran ahead of the crowd. But the most significant characteristic, concerning Hook-hand and Bouncer, was something none of them could have seen. They were possessed by demons.

  GUILTY OR INNOCENT

  The old woman stirred in the wreckage of the wagon as Ethan helped Gideon to his feet. She burst through the sidewall of the wagon, rushing across the courtyard toward them. She wailed like a banshee, foaming at the mouth. She charged at the boys like an enraged bull, but could not have weighed more than one hundred pounds.

  “Get behind me!â€� Gideon shouted.

  He picked up two of the wooden rungs from the broken ladder. Gideon twirled one through his fingers to get the feel of it, then tagged the woman in the collarbone with the other as she came at him. Bone cracked. She fell back stunned, but did not retreat.

  She leaped at Gideon only to meet a flurry of alternating strikes with the wooden dowels. Normally a woman, her age and in her condition, would have been killed very quickly by such an attack, but the demon kept her body empowered with the strength of ten men.

  Ethan tried to help with a longer piece of the ladder, but the woman splintered it with her boney hand and grabbed him. Gideon intervened with lightning speed. The frail, old woman threw Ethan ten feet across the yard, turning to take on Gideon again. The sound of a mob filtered through the alley leading to the Seed and Feed.

  The old woman fought
like a rabid animal. She answered every one of Gideon’s strikes with defiance. No matter how much damage her body took, the demon within would not give her up. Gideon lost sight of Ethan in the fight.

  Ethan disappeared from the physical realm after the old woman threw him to the ground. He appeared in the spiritual realm arrayed for battle. The old woman had her back to him as she tried to back Gideon up against the wall of the building. In the spiritual realm, the demon’s form was the more apparent, with the old woman appearing transparent around it.

  Ethan drew the sword from his side and charged at her. He was not sure if the demon would be able to see him while inside of the woman or not, but it did not matter. In this realm, Shaddai had made him a mighty warrior. He struck the woman with his blade. It swept right through her physical form, but caught hold of the demon.

  That mighty blow knocked the demon out of the woman’s body. It tumbled backward to the ground. The bewildered look on its face told the story.

  Released from the energizing power of the demon, the old woman fell to the ground like one of the sacks of feed stacked against the wall. Gideon knelt down cautiously, checking for signs of life, but the demon had pushed her body beyond hope. She was gone.

  “There they are!â€�

  A crowd appeared in the entrance to the courtyard. They were armed, carrying torches. A man with a hook for a hand led the way.

  Ethan saw the evicted demon run into the crowd. He moved with dizzying speed from one person to another, feeding them thoughts and steering their perception of what they had just found in the courtyard of the Seed and Feed. They saw a helpless old woman lying murdered.

  Ethan appeared back in the physical world with Gideon. The men moved in, brandishing their weapons. “What do we do?â€� Ethan whispered.

  “We give up, Ethan, and pray the Lord will have his hand upon us. Nothing can harm us without his allowing it to.â€�

  The demons watched as the crowd fell upon the two young men and bound them. They led them away from the Seed and Feed to the stockade nearly one quarter of a mile away. A guard, who kept the stockade, locked the boys in a cell.

  The magistrate would try them in the morning, then sentence them. Everyone knew the only penalty for murder was death by hanging. Even as the night hours crept along into morning, the gallows were already being prepared.

  Some time in the morning hours, a commotion erupted in the jailhouse where Ethan and Gideon remained under lock and key. The rancid smell made any possibility of sound sleep remote. Only from sheer exhaustion had he and Gideon been able to nod occasionally as the night progressed. Members of the mob had beaten them before leaving them at the stockade. The mob had called the boys many unsavory things, making their arrival at the jail almost a relief.

  Ethan awoke to the sound of voices in the outer office of the jail. It sounded very similar to what he had heard when he and Gideon arrived. Within moments, the keeper of the jail brought in three men dressed as pirates.

  There was only one large cell in the jailhouse, so these men were placed inside with Ethan and Gideon. Darkness made it difficult to tell much about the new arrivals. The only light filtered in from a moonlit window outside of the cell on the other side of the room.

  Gideon seemed uninterested in the men. He slept, or at least he pretended to. Two of the men found themselves a corner to occupy while the third, more outgoing fellow, stood at the bars, talking to whomever might be paying him any attention.

  “What are you lads in for?â€� he said.

  Ethan almost told him, before Gideon grabbed his arm in the dark. “We were framed,â€� Ethan said instead.

  “Framed? Aye, we were framed too, weren’t we lads!â€� the man laughed.

  The other two men dismissed his joviality. Considering the circumstances they found themselves in, they were not in the mood.

  “Well, what are you in here for?â€� asked Ethan.

  The man left the bars, walking over to Ethan and Gideon’s side of the cell. He knelt down where Ethan sat against the wall. Gideon waited. “What’s your name, lad?â€� The man had a goatee and a ring of silver dangling from his left ear. His hair was black and shaggy and he smelled like the sea.

  “Ethan.â€�

  “Well, Ethan, we were caught trying to blow up Mordred’s munitions depot.â€�

  Gideon responded. “Mordred has a munitions depot in Tilley?â€�

  “Aye, that woke you up did it, sleepy head?â€�

  Gideon stood up followed by the pirate. They stood toe to toe, face to face, and eye to eye. Ethan hoped a fight would not break out between them.

  THE_REALM_SHIFT

  “Why would he have such a thing way out here?â€� Gideon asked.

  “There’s a war going on, lad, or didn’t you know?â€� the man said.

  “Of course, I knew.â€�

  “Well, lad, Tilley sold her soul three months ago to that devil. Mordred will use this place as a staging ground when he begins stamping out the rebellion in these parts.â€�

  “And who are you, part of the rebellion?â€� Gideon asked.

  “Aye, I don’t guess it matters now, since we’re caught. They’ll be hanging us all anyway for sedition when the magistrate arrives tomorrow. They love a good hangin in Tilley, ya know?â€� he said with a wild grin on his face. “My name is Ash and me mates here are Anthony and Brass.â€�

  “And where did you come from?â€� Gideon asked.

  Ash just smiled. “I wouldn’t want to give away any surprises,â€� he said, looking at Anthony and Brass. “How bout you, priest?â€�

  Gideon had forgotten about his priestly robes. No one in the crowd had seemed to notice what his clothing represented.

  “What, do you think I don’t know a warrior-priest of Shaddai when I see one?â€� Ash said, feigning insult. “Give a man of the world a bit more credit than that, lad. And from the color of your robes, I’d say you’ve been out, shall we say, severing liabilities?â€�

  Ethan did not dare say it, but he was beginning to like this man, Ash. No one who could make the vein on Gideon’s temple pulse this way could be all bad. At any rate, they all appeared to be in the same predicament.

  Gideon eased off a bit. It was hard to understand how a man in Ash’s position would be making light of their situation, but he did not care to argue the point with him. Ash seemed like the type who forever turned a conversation to his advantage.

  “Shaddai will make a way for us,â€� Gideon said finally.

  Ethan and Gideon were both surprised when Ash actually agreed with the statement. “Aye, he will. And maybe, just maybe,â€� Ash said, looking at his mates, “he already has.â€�

  JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER

  “Get up you mangy sewer rats!â€� the keeper said as he unlocked the cell door. Several armed men stood by the cell with muskets and swords in case of an escape attempt. The wild look in their eyes dared anyone to try it.

  Ethan, Gideon, Ash and his men sat inside the cell wide-awake already. The keeper opened the cell door. “The magistrate will see you now, ladies,â€� he said.

  Ash led them, walking out the door with a bright smile. “Lovely day, ain’t it gov’ner?â€� he said cheerfully, as if he had been invited for tea. The keeper leered at him.

  Ethan and Gideon followed the others out. “Have you been praying?â€� Gideon whispered to Ethan.

  “Absolutely,â€� he said.

  “Then the Almighty will deliver us. The prophecy concerning you can’t be undone.â€�

  When they came into the outer room of the jail, they stood before a man in a black robe wearing wire-rimmed spectacles and a curly white wig on his head. He sat at a table with a large black book full of legal preceden
ts setting under his right hand.

  The magistrate gave them all a cursory look, then spoke with the keeper of the jail, also acting as the bailiff for their hearing. “Bailiff, what crimes are these men charged with?â€� the magistrate asked.

  Ethan reflexively goaded Gideon in the side. He had just noticed that the magistrate was under the control of a demon. He saw the spirit within the man. This would not go well.

  “The two younger ones are charged with murdering an old woman,â€� the Bailiff said. Ethan examined the Bailiff. He appeared to be completely normal.

  “Really?â€� the magistrate said, leering at Ethan, completely confident he had them dead to rights. The magistrate held the power of judge, jury, and executioner in these parts. Even if Ethan tried to tell the jailer about the demon, he would only be branded a lunatic and sentenced to a fate worse than death in some nightmarish asylum.

  Ethan felt desperate, but something Gideon had just said to him moments earlier would not let him go. The prophecy concerning you cannot be undone. If Ethan really was a part of this prophecy, as Gideon had said, then Shaddai’s purposes concerning him must come to pass. No man, or demon, had the power to undo his counsel. Still, it was difficult to hold onto faith when a spot on the gallows waited for him outside.

  “They were caught in the very act of killing her, Your Honor,â€� the Bailiff said, “and we’ve got plenty of witnesses who can verify it.â€�

  “It seems like you two young men have been caught red handed, as they say,â€� the magistrate said. “Therefore it is my judgment that you both be hanged by the neck until you are dead.â€�