The Diamond Arrow Read online

  The Diamond Arrow

  Golden Warriors

  Henri T. De Souza

  Copyright © 2015 Henri T. De Souza.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Incidents, events and locations in this book are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  WestBow Press

  A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

  1663 Liberty Drive

  Bloomington, IN 47403

  www.westbowpress.com

  1 (866) 928-1240

  Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

  Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

  Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

  Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

  ISBN: 978-1-4908-4772-6 (sc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4908-4774-0 (hc)

  ISBN: 978-1-4908-4773-3 (e)

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2014914225

  WestBow Press rev. date: 01/16/2015

  Contents

  Acknowledgment

  Chapter 1 The Whirlpool Cloud

  Chapter 2 Genesis

  Chapter 3 Simultaneous Visions

  Chapter 4 Majestic Horses

  Chapter 5 Double Escape

  Chapter 6 Sinayor

  Chapter 7 The Diamond Arrow

  Chapter 8 The Book Of Life

  Chapter 9 The Test

  Chapter 10 The Golden Armor

  Chapter 11 Parts Of The Armor

  Chapter 12 The White Door

  Chapter 13 The Ancient Scroll

  Chapter 14 Home Sweet Home

  Chapter 15 Maturity

  Chapter 16 Casting Away A Fallen Angel

  Chapter 17 Conquering Sickness

  Chapter 18 Disarming Anger

  Chapter 19 The Training Place

  Chapter 20 Overcoming Fear

  Chapter 21 Discerning Lies

  Chapter 22 Winning Over Pride

  Chapter 23 New Horizons

  Chapter 24 Heaven’s Mightiest Warrior

  Acknowledgment

  Thank you, Lord of Hosts for Who You are.

  Thank you, Alpha and Omega for Your sacrifice and Your power.

  Thank you, Holy Spirit for Your guidance and Your inspiration.

  My deep appreciation goes to you Henriette, my beloved wife, for the love and patience you demonstrated through every stage of this project. Your support has been instrumental in the writing of this novel. May you be blessed for your encouragement!

  Altesse, Royale, Prince and Eminence, I am grateful for the enthusiasm you displayed and the joyful feedback you provided throughout this adventure. My thankfulness also goes to the Audains for their genuine support and heartfelt excitement demonstrated toward this project, and particularly to Aggie for the editing efforts as well as the thorough review of this novel. My gratitude similarly goes to Thom and Stephanie for their support. My heartfelt gratitude is equally extended to Mark Willock for the extensive review as well as the bighearted contribution towards the enhancement of this novel.

  The support received from the community of Revive in Alexandria, Ontario and the reinforcement received in so many ways have played an influential role in the development of this book.

  Map of Lystra and Area

  CHAPTER 1

  The Whirlpool Cloud

  Year: AD 1209

  Location: Middle East

  “Wait up, Silas!” shouted Lydia, running behind him. “Wait for me! I can hardly keep up!” she added, gasping for air.

  When Silas looked back, he saw his sister struggling to keep up so he slowed down. “Hurry, Lydia!” he exclaimed, glancing back at her. “Hurry!”

  A few steps ahead of them, a shiny blue cloud was hovering in the middle of the sinuous corridor. Their steps resonated on the walls of the mountain cave while they ran as fast as they could. As the two young warriors sprinted toward the whirlpool cloud, the torches on the walls of the ancient cave reflected light on their golden armor.

  “The whirlpool cloud just blinked again,” said Silas as he choked, puffing for air.

  “Second … and last time,” wheezed Lydia. They both knew they had only twelve seconds left before the whirlpool cloud would vanish, leaving them trapped in the dark hallway of this curious mountain. They realized that they had only one option: hurry up and plunge into the hovering blue cloud as soon as possible.

  With his right hand, Silas grasped the left hand of his twin sister, while he held in his left hand an ancient scroll written on the inside and the outside.

  Suddenly, a strong wind started to blow from behind them. The wind was picking up speed. Soon, it surrounded them.

  It did not prevent the twins from running but appeared to slow down time and motion. The young warriors were getting closer to the whirlpool cloud, and they knew that a presence had surrounded them. Their hearts were racing, not only from the rapid pace they were into but also from the excitement of what was going to come out of that purpose-driven wind.

  When Silas and Lydia reached the whirlpool cloud, they took their last strides to enter it. Determined, they jumped with all their strength. Right at that moment, time and motion stopped.

  While they were suspended in their jump, a bright silhouette emerged from the strong wind, stood between them and the blue cloud, and said, “I am with you. Peace be with you.”

  They recognized the voice of the One they had heard about: the Alpha and the Omega. They knew they had in front of them the Prince of Peace.

  His voice resounded as thunder, echoing on the walls of the cave, which shuddered in return. Silas and Lydia felt the genuine peace of this glorious Prince, who made their souls quiver and gave them great contentment. As they smiled at Him, the Alpha and the Omega smiled back and His image faded away.

  Right after that, time and motion unfroze. Since the two warriors had jumped to go through the cloud and were suspended in the air just before the Prince of Peace appeared to them, when time and motion unfroze, their momentum led them right into the whirlpool cloud, which disappeared on the spot.

  CHAPTER 2

  Genesis

  Three days earlier, Silas and Lydia had still been in their parents’ elegant house in Lystra, the seaside town where they grew up. The lively city was surrounded by three hills that added to its charm. On the eastern hill loomed the prominent castle of the city’s ruler, Mernid. With his horde of faithful soldiers, the fifty-two-year-old ruthless ruler had conquered Lystra from its previous master several years earlier and had imposed peace upon the city and the land. The beautiful sunset that could be admired from the western hill attracted many visitors on cloudless afternoons. Traffic in and out of the city was facilitated by the gravel road that curved around the southern hill.

  In those days, the Word of the Lord of Hosts was written on scrolls that had been passed down from one generation to the next. Even though people thought that one day they would see the gathering of these scrolls into one book, no one had done it yet. As a result, there was not a single place one could go to find the complete message about the Word of the Lord of Hosts. Despite efforts that were made by a good number of faithful believers in various Asian cities such as Lystra, the task was enormous and people living in several towns did not know where to start.

  Among the Middle East townships, Lystra was a center where trade was prominent. In that prosperous city, Lystrans made a decent living from the proceeds of agriculture, fishing, and silk trade. Paul, the father of seventeen-year-old twins Silas and Lydia, was a merchant. The forty-eight-year-old Lystran was a healthy man whose prominent house stood on one of the main streets of Lystra. He traveled frequently to buy spices and clothes of great value. Every time he came back from his travels, he gathered his family and told them exciting stories of his journeys. The stories were sometimes about what he saw during the trips and sometimes about what he heard from other travelers. Paul would usually travel by sea and rarely by land, as he preferred the safety of the sea.

  His wife, Riya, stayed home and cared for their two children. She was known by many, including friends and neighbors, for her loving heart and caring soul. With great generosity, the forty-two-year-old nice-looking wife of Paul opened her home to the needy. She relentlessly cooked good meals for the beggars. Each time someone thanked her for her generosity, she would
answer, “Great is the Lord of Hosts!” Blessings were heaped upon blessings in their lives, and they did not lack a thing.

  Late that afternoon, Paul came back considerably earlier than he should have. Since he had left only the previous day, they were not expecting him for at least five more days. When he arrived, he would usually go into their common room as a first step. However, that afternoon, he went directly into his fine linen shop and gave instructions to Nabas, the chief steward of the house’s servants. He asked Nabas to unload the goods that he had purchased and brought back, and then he went to the private room where he usually treated business matters.

  A few moments later, Riya, who was informed that her husband had just returned home, followed him there.

  “Welcome, beloved Paul!” she exclaimed. “Nabas told me you were back. You are early.”

  Paul, with head bowed down, had both hands covering his face. He murmured something back at his wife.

  “I can’t hear you, Paul,” she continued, walking toward him. “Is anything the matter?” As she reached out to touch him, Paul raised his head and looked at his wife. The sadness she saw in his eyes made her gasp.

  “They are leaving.… They are leaving, Riya,” Paul said. Tears were glowing in his eyes.

  At that point, she realized that something was really disturbing her husband. The last time Riya had seen tears in Paul’s eyes was when she had accepted his marriage proposal over two decades earlier. She recognized the current matter, whatever it was, must be serious for Paul.

  “Who?” asked Riya.

  “Our children, Silas and Lydia,” murmured Paul.

  Riya gasped again and enquired, “What are you talking about?”

  “Our children are leaving us!” said Paul.

  “What? No… how come? Explain to me, Paul,” insisted Riya, in shock.

  “Sit, Riya. Sit down first,” Paul said to his wife, pointing at a nearby chair he was barely looking at.

  Riya sat down to pay attention to the story. Paul wiped his tears and started to tell his wife about the events that had unfolded which led to shorten his trip.

  “We sailed as usual from the port and headed east to Nysia. The wind was subtle and the sea appeared favorable. About an hour after we left, an old woman who had also boarded the ship came to me. She looked very old and must be at least one-hundred-year-old. When she asked to talk to me in private, I did not accept at first as I found that suspicious. An old lady, whom I did not know, wanted to talk with me in private? That was unusual. But what convinced me to listen to her was that she knew my name…”

  “How come?” interrupted Riya.

  “It was odd,” Paul continued, bemused. “She said her name was Anna the Prophetess. She told me that she saw me in a vision, a vision granted to her by…” He paused for a brief moment and then completed his sentence. “The Alpha and the Omega.”

  “You mean The Alpha and The Omega? The One and only, the Son of the Lord of Hosts?” asked Riya.

  “Precisely!”

  “That’s very rare!” observed Riya. “There has been no such vision in centuries! We have heard of neither visions nor prophets in ages!”

  “I know. Yes, I know, Riya. That’s why I wanted to listen to what she had to say,” continued Paul. “The prophetess said that, in her vision, she saw a morning sun rising and in the sun appeared a great angel. She said that as she saw me standing by the sea and staring at the horizon, the angel went down to talk to me. He called me by my name, and that’s how she knew I was Paul.”

  “Oh, I see now,” said Riya.

  Paul continued. “The prophetess heard the angel telling me this: ‘Behold, Paul, the Alpha and the Omega chose your children to be among His golden warriors in the era to come. They will learn His Word. They will use their knowledge to bring many souls into salvation. Will you and your household accept this, out of your free will?’ asked the angel at the end.”

  “Our children?” whispered Riya, “Golden warriors for the Alpha and the Omega? What is a golden warrior anyway?” she asked, confused.

  “That is where the vision of Anna the Prophetess ended,” declared Paul.

  “That is it? There was nothing more? Well, in that case, there is no need to worry,” said Riya, sighing at the same time.

  “No, Riya, wait,” said Paul. “There is more to the story, and that is why I am like this.”

  “The prophetess went back to her quarters and we arrived in the afternoon at Nysia, our destination. I went to the market to purchase silk for our commerce. That night, I could barely sleep. At dawn, I woke up and went to the seashore. It was very foggy, but I knew where the east was so I faced it. I knelt, closed my eyes, and prayed to the Lord of Hosts. I don’t know how long my prayer time lasted, but when the sun began to rise, I opened my eyes. Since the sun was just starting to appear, I could still gaze at the horizon.” Paul paused for a moment and continued. “That’s when I saw him…”

  “Who?” interrupted Riya.

  “The angel!”

  Riya wheezed with emotion. “An angel… an angel appeared to you?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Yes, just as the old lady said, Riya. He came to me and told me the exact same thing the old lady said she saw in the vision.”

  “Did you respond to him?”

  Paul paused, and then nodded.

  “What did you say?” Riya spoke slowly.

  “I said to him, Let it be done according to what you have said; as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

  Riya reached out to her husband and overwhelmed with emotions, she cried as she held his hands. Both had mixed emotions: joyfulness from the honor found in the eyes of the Lord of Hosts, and sadness to see their beloved children leave the family home with an uncertainty for their fate.

  As Riya was still crying, Paul raised his head and saw Lydia standing in the doorway with a concerned expression on her face. Behind her, Silas was leaning on the wall, with the same troubled expression. Riya and Paul were not sure how long the twins had been standing there.

  Entering the room, Silas broke the silence. “When did it happened, father?”

  “Son, daughter, it happened earlier today. That is why I boarded the first ship to Lystra to come back and inform you as soon as possible. The angel added that you will also receive a divine visit.” Silas and Lydia were astonished!

  Their mother asked with hesitation, “And… when will that be, Paul?”

  “Tonight!” he announced. “It will be tonight, the angel said.” And Paul related once more the story to Silas and Lydia, from his meeting with the prophetess to his encounter with the angel to make sure they had all the details.

  When Paul finished recounting the story, Riya informed them that it was time to break bread for the night. They went to the common room where they usually shared their meals. They were silent most of the time, lost in their thoughts. While the parents hid their uncertainty, the children on the other hand flowed with inner excitement. During the evening meal, Paul broke the flat bread and shared it with all of them around the table. That meal time was different. They all knew it could be a while before they share bread like that again. When the vegetable dish and fruit baskets were empty, they gathered in their main room and Paul told other stories. Their hearts were not really into rejoicing as they all anticipated what was to come. Even Paul did not show much enthusiasm in the stories he was telling. Soon enough, time came to get some rest. Paul and Riya blessed their children good night, and they all went to bed.

  CHAPTER 3

  Simultaneous Visions

  That night, in the Heavenly Realms, a council took place. The Lord of Hosts was presiding. At His right hand was the Alpha and the Omega. In front of Them, heads bowed in reverence, twelve powerful angels of the armies of Heaven gathered in a half circle. One of them was to be chosen to guard the young Silas and Lydia through their adventure. At a given sign, the twelve raised their heads. Then the Lord of Hosts picked the seventh one from the right. Immediately, the Alpha and the Omega acknowledged His choice with praise. The remaining eleven welcomed with joyful clamor the choice made by the Lord of Hosts. An angelic choir, that was already gathered nearby, came up at once and started to chant for the glory and honor of the One who lives for ever.