East of Ashes (23 page)

Firuz registered an infinitely brief flash of pain - and then darkness crushed him.

-------

Lamech ducked as an enemy sword whirled over his head. It was getting increasingly difficult to fight without a shield, requiring him to sidestep, duck and roll to miss blows that he would otherwise have easily blocked with his shield. The effort was tiring him very quickly and he could feel his concentration waning.

The only thing counting in his favour was that the number of enemy combatants
that
he had to face was becoming less, thanks to the focus of the fight moving to the gate. Realising what the Crusaders were up to, the Caracen forces had made for the gates where the fighting had quickly erupted into a frenzy.

Crusaders were still pouring over the wall though, compelling the city's defenders to head their way too. The walkway on the wall was very narrow; allowing a small number of Crusaders to take up position next to where their comrades were pouring over the wall and keep the Caracens at bay.

The two soldiers who had helped Lamech and Othniel were down - one killed and the other in
the
foetal position, clutching a stump of an arm where his hand had been moments before. Othniel was still standing, while three more soldiers had taken their fallen friends' places.

Lamech was fighting desperately to not end up like the two on the ground, but he didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

Behind him a cheer suddenly went up near the gate, followed by a grinding noise as the heavy doors slowly swung open.
Good news
, Lamech thought as he parried a blow and struck the enemy soldier with his fist, crushing his nose.

And then the air was filled with a thundering sound, and the ground trembled as the remaining Crusader cavalry charged for the gate.

While he was engaging a beast of a soldier with a huge shield and spear, Lamech could see the rest of the Caracen troops behind the man forego attacking them and heading to the gate instead. They were desperate to close the gate before the cavalry got there.

Focus!
Lamech shouted at himself as his massive opponent took a quick step backwards to balance before striking. Lamech instantly recognised the danger and watched his opponent's shoulders to see where the strike would be aimed.

For I know the plans I have for you...

The voice spoke from deep within his being, but Lamech barely had time to register it when the enemy soldier stabbed at his chest with a blurring spear. Lamech almost landed on his back from the sudden backwards whiplash to get out of the way.

... to give you a hope...

The man was unbelievably quick, pulling his spear arm backwards and balancing on his back leg before Lamech could even bounce back. And suddenly Lamech knew his opponent had planned it that way...

Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death...

The soldier had timed it perfectly. The moment Lamech straightened, he knocked him with his massive shield. Unable to keep his balance, Lamech stumbled backwards and began falling to the ground. Even as he was falling, his opponent was on him - arm stretched backwards, spear pointed straight at him.

He brought his arm forward so quickly that Lamech almost couldn't see the motion. The moment Lamech hit the ground, the spear drove straight through his stomach and slammed into the stone floor below him.

Pain exploded through him. His head arched back, his mouth open in a silent scream.

Othniel cut down the last remaining soldier and then turned around to see his friend being speared. He ran to assist him. The massive Caracen soldier had his back towards him, so Othniel lifted his sword high and to the side, gripped in both hands, and sliced at the man's legs. The force of the blow almost severed the soldier's legs completely, and he fell to the ground screaming in pain. Othniel was on him in a flash and cut off his head with one gigantic blow.

Lamech lay on the ground panting, his eyes struggling to focus on the clouds in the sky as life poured out of him in a torrent. Othniel dropped to his knees next to him, laid his hands on his friend and began praying fervently.

Through his pain and even though he could barely focus, Lamech somehow registered that his friend was extremely calm. The shock of it brought a moment of clarity and Lamech could suddenly see clearly, even though the pain was excruciating.

He looked up at the ridge of the mountain behind the city and was stunned to see the sun break through the clouds directly in his line of vision. In the background he could still hear Othniel asking God to heal him, but it sounded far away.

... Do not fear...

The ethereal voice he had heard during the fighting was suddenly very loud, the words reverberating through him.

Then the final words rang like a gong:
For I AM with you.

The moment the words were spoken, the pain was gone. For a moment Lamech was completely stunned, unable to formulate a coherent thought.

Othniel, however, was laughing like a mad man and crying at the same time. "Thank you Jesus! Hallelujah!" he cried over and over again, but Lamech couldn't understand why.

And then he touched his stomach and his hands began shaking as he realised there was no wound. Othniel helped him to sit up straight, still laughing and giving praise to God.

Lamech explored with trembling fingers the hole the spear had left in his armour, incredulously staring at his blood-stained tunic below it. But when he touched his stomach, the skin was smooth and without pain.

With a flash of understanding he looked up at Othniel who laughed even louder at the wonder in his eyes.

"Yes, my brother!" he cried, "The Lord of Hosts has healed you!"

Othniel did a little dance on the spot. The sight was funny but Lamech didn't - couldn't - laugh. And then the full force of what had just happened struck him and he collapsed onto his back.

Lamech lay there, blinking as he looked up at the sun bursting through the storm clouds. Thoughts and emotions churned below the surface of his consciousness, looking for a way to break out into the open. Then they found it. Tears welled up in his eyes and formed silent rivulets down the side of his face.

At last he understood what Joash and Leala had been on about.

Thankfulness welled up from deep within him and his lips trembled. Slowly he sat up, swallowed a few times and eventually found his voice.

"Othniel," he said softly. His friend walked over and kneeled next to him. "Pray with me."

Nodding his head in understanding, Othniel clasped his hands, bowed his head and prayed: "Lord, we are simply consumed by your goodness today. Even in the midst of the ungodly bloodshed that's taking place here today, You have cast down a ray of light to envelop us; to remind us that even when evil seems to triumph around us, You will not be diminished; Your love continues to be with us. We thank You for bringing hope into our midst today."

"But more so I thank You for healing Lamech - and for bringing life to him in the darkness that he's been living in. Thank you for bringing forth beauty from the ashes. And so I pray on behalf of my friend that you will become the Lord of his life today, Jesus. He gives his life in surrender to You. Please forgive him his sins and remove
them
from him as far as the east is from the west. Lead him now down a path of righteousness, and life to the full. Amen."

Lamech had been nodding his head vigorously, silently mouthing agreement with every word that Othniel had been praying; the words his own. Opening his eyes, he saw his friend staring at him with a big smile and tears streaming down his face.

"This is why I came on the Crusade," Othniel said. "For a time like this."

Lamech couldn't say anything, his throat constricted with emotion. So he grasped Othniel's hands tighter and nodded.

They sat like that for a few moments, silently contemplating the magnitude of what had just happened. Lamech still struggled with the fact that he was completely healed from a mortal wound - not to mention being cleansed from his sins in one miraculous moment.

But he knew it to be true - the weight that he had been carrying on his shoulders all these years suddenly felt lighter. The storm in his soul had subsided too. He instinctively knew it was still there, waiting for him to drop his guard and let it out again, but he also knew that with time that storm would be destroyed completely.

Right now, however, the sound of another storm was slowly breaking through into his consciousness. Turning his head towards the city, the sound of raging battle became clearer.

Still shaking, Lamech struggled to his feet. Othniel helped his friend and together they looked down at the city.

The carnage that met them rocked Lamech to his very core.

Normally when a city is taken, the conquering army would burn everything to the ground. The princes had, however, given strict orders not to destroy anything for fear of not having proper defences when the advancing Caracen army arrived.

That did not, however, stop the Crusaders from killing, raping and looting.

For the first time Lamech understood just how evil this whole Crusade was. After talking to Othniel that evening - which now felt like years ago - he had felt there was some truth to his words
,
but he hadn't thought his friend completely right.

Now, looking at so-called Christians killing everything that moved, leaving the streets stained bright red
while
pools of blood form
ed
in depressed corners, he realised that not only was God not behind this war,
but that
these men were not Christians at all.

The murderous scenes were cast in shocking contrast to the light, love and hope that he had experienced just moments before. It left him deeply disturbed.

Othniel had been right after all.

CHAPTER 12

--- Antioch, 3 June 1098 ---

That evening Lamech set out to return to Europe.

He was still struggling to come to terms with how dramatically his life had changed in the space of a single day. His miraculous survival on the walls of Antioch was earth-shattering enough, but the ensuing events had been equally dramatic.

After witnessing the bloody slaughter of the city's inhabitants, Lamech had sought out a quiet place to try and sift through his emotions. All around him the Crusaders were celebrating while inflicting unimaginable horrors on the remaining survivors.

It was difficult to find a quiet place away from the stench of evil, but eventually he found a nondescript little house wedged up against the walls of the city.