They found Rudy the following morning near the gates of Endor. He lay facedown on the ground with a black arrow protruding from his back.
Thomas spoke quietly to the small group gathered around the two fresh mounds of earth beside the road to Endor. “Our friends Rudy and Wart became brothers in this life, and they were not long parted. God used them to touch people’s lives on this earth, and I believe He will continue to use them as they walk the corridors of heaven. Their service to mankind will never be forgotten.”
A man slipped quietly from the shadows and touched Benhada’s arm. “Cap’n,” the Watcher whispered. “Three men have been seen leaving the city.”
Benhada touched Seagood’s arm, and the small gathering moved quickly from the somber scene. They gathered at the forest’s edge and watched three men ride across the clearing bearing a white flag of parley. “The scum,” Mathias spat. “I’d like to give them a taste of my steel.”
“Peace, Mathias,” Thomas said. “If there is treachery here, let it be from their side, not ours.”
They held their weapons and watched as the party drew near. Suddenly Thomas sheathed his sword and ran forward with a shout of joy. “Stanley!” he cried. “You’re alive!”
The old farmer slid from his horse, and the two men embraced. Thomas stepped back and looked in the older man’s eyes. “What is going on in the city?”
The old man looked weary as he spoke. “My lord, the city, or what’s left of it, is yours.”
Thomas, Seagood, and their party rode through the gates of Endor. They were astonished by what they saw. Jabin and his men had left a mess. Dead bodies lay unheeded throughout the courtyard and in every building. They had never witnessed such wanton disregard for human life.
Thomas turned to his men. “Seagood, have your Watchers secure the grounds. Mathias, gather as many as you can to clear the dead. Stanley, take me to the dungeons to release the prisoners and set them free.”
Everyone was conscripted for the labor.
Two days passed before Maria was discovered in a ballroom balcony. She was buried with dignity in a grave of her own, but no special ceremonies were held in her honor.
Finding Maria’s remains reminded Thomas of another person he had failed to see: Melzar. Where was the old jailer? Thomas began to ask everyone what had happened to Melzar, but no one seemed to know.
On the beginning of the fourth day of their occupation, Thomas finally met someone who knew the events of that fateful day. Grabbing Mathias and Seagood, Thomas searched Melzar’s room until he found the key to the bottomless pit. They bounded down the stairs, taking several at a stride, until they neared the bottom. Thomas began to move more slowly, and Seagood and Mathias caught up with him.
“I see why they call this the land of the forgotten,” Mathias said. “We’ve taken so many turns and descended so far, I hope you know your way out,” he said to Thomas.
“Somehow this seems more frightening than coming to the cavern from below as we did,” Seagood whispered.
“What if he’s not here?” Thomas asked. “Do we go after him as you came after me?”
The men stared at each other in silence, dreading even the thought.
“Dear heavenly Father,” Thomas prayed, “prepare our hearts.”
Together they descended the last flight of stairs and stood before the door. With a trembling hand, Thomas inserted the key in the lock. He swallowed hard and twisted his wrist. They heard a click.
“Give me a hand,” he whispered. The three men pulled on the heavy door. A deep darkness and putrid stench poured into the stairwell as the door swung on its hinges. There, lashed securely to the door, was a very old and very frail man. He slowly turned his hollow eyes toward their torchlight and moved his mouth.
“Melzar!” Thomas cried. They quickly released the old man from his bonds, and as the others carried Melzar up the stairs, Thomas studied the key in his hand. What if there are others we need to find down here? Reluctantly he closed and locked the door, putting the key into his pocket. I pray I never need to open that door again.
He heard voices above anxiously calling, and he shouted, “I’m coming.” Then he turned and raced up the stairs, two by two.
The cleanup continued, but Thomas spent as much time as he could by Melzar’s side. The old man’s nightmare would never be fully known, as he seemed to waver between coherent thought and random raving.
One day, during one of Melzar’s more lucid moments, Thomas asked him, “Do you remember Maria?”
Recognition flickered in the old man’s eyes. “Yes,” he whispered. “Very lovely. Very dangerous.”
“Do you know what happened to her?” Thomas asked.
“Tried to escape,” Melzar said. “I tried to help her.”
Thomas could scarcely believe his ears. Melzar had not been this coherent since his rescue. Hardly daring to breathe lest he break the spell, Thomas waited.
Melzar spoke slowly. “I saw her again.”
“Where?” Thomas asked.
“She was in the light,” Melzar whispered. He was growing very weak.
“What light?” Thomas asked. “Where was the light?”
“With Jesus,” Melzar sighed, and he breathed no more.
“All right!” Kelsey put down her mending and stood up. “That is enough! If Grandpa hasn’t scared you children yet, he should have. You probably won’t sleep a wink!”
Destry was startled by her sister-in-law’s outburst, but she had to agree. She felt shivers run up and down her spine. The fire had burned low, and maybe the house was just cold, but she couldn’t stop shivering. She wasn’t sure she could ever get the images of that old man out of her mind.
“But, Grandpa, what happened to Melzar?” Joshua asked.
“He died, Joshua. He joined his Lord in heaven. Both he and Maria came to the light, and the light set them free.”
“No more questions,” Kelsey said firmly, giving her father-in-law a withering glance. Bill shrugged and grinned. “It’s late!” Kelsey said. “I want every last one of you in the loft,” she said, pointing. “And no talking once you get there!”
There was a general grumbling as seven little bodies began to stir. Robbie sat up and looked hopefully at his mother, but Destry shook her head and held out her hands. He dutifully plodded to her embrace. “You need to stay with us tonight,” she said.
Destry watched her sister-in-law herd seven children into the hallway and toward the stairs. She admired the woman’s boldness and wished she could be as forthcoming. Holding Robbie tight, she wondered when Philip would finally let her leave.
“Grandpa?” Robbie asked from his mother’s arms. “How did you and Grandma get back together?”
Destry was chagrined at her son’s question, and seven children struggled to come back into the room.
“Dad!” Kelsey exclaimed in exasperation.
Bill held up his hand. “Your aunt is right, Robbie. No more questions tonight. It’s bedtime for us all. Maybe I can tell you that story tomorrow.”
“Dad!” Philip shouted. “That’s a bit unfair. You know we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Bill frowned.
“Don’t start!” Philip warned.
Bill simply held up his hand in surrender and shrugged.
“Sorry, Dad,” Philip said. “I didn’t mean to make a scene.”
“It’s getting very late,” Mary scolded. “Everyone needs to be in bed.”
Ned stirred in his chair and said sleepily, “Say, it’s getting late. We need to hit the hay.” There was movement from all corners of the room, and soon everyone was telling everyone else good night.
“Merry Christmas,” Bill and Mary called as the last of their children slipped off to bed. They stood alone before the fire. “It’s really hard for her, isn’t it?” Bill asked, thinking of Destry.
“She’s a lovely girl, Bill,” Mary said.
“I know,” Bill said. “I wish she would let us get to know her and Robbie. Part of me wishes Philip had never joined the army. He might have met a local girl and lived around here.”
“You know better than any of us that we can’t undo the past,” Mary said, patting her husband’s arm. “Just enjoy them while they’re here, all right?”
“Sure,” Bill said, grinning. “Say, how come you’re so smart?”
“I’m not!” she countered. “I’m just fortunate to have married you.”
They held each other tight and turned toward their room. The embers of a dying fire crackled softly in the hearth, and the wind moaned through the trees outside, driving flecks of snow against the side of the house.