I tire of being shackled by condemnation! Did my savior die that I might remain chained by the guilt which comes from the enemy? I hear his mocking laughter for the last time as I rise up and snap the chains that encircle my wrists and ankles. They break like brittle ceramic, for their strength was but an illusion! How can condemnation have any strength when the savior was condemned in my stead? I have been a fool!
Now as I feel the power of heaven flowing through me, my tongue is loosed in praise vocalizing the Holy language that only the King can understand, for it does not originate with me, but with He who has been with me all along, waiting for me to throw off the enchantment that had blinded me and take hold of His authority over darkness!
And I do just that for now my eyes are opened and I see clearly what was crippling my spirit! Surrounding me, filling the courtyard I have allowed myself to cower in, is the fog of condemnation, the foul smoke that pours from the nostrils of a Cockatrice!
My hand takes hold of my sword at my side, unused for far too long, and I draw it forth with renewed zeal to fight! The unknown tongue that flows from my lips becomes a battle cry! I cast about the room for my enemy with fire in my eyes!
I glimpse the great beast through the smoke and see it moving to escape, or so I assume seeing only it's tail facing me. But as I pursue it, brandishing my sword, suddenly I see it stop and out of the clearing smoke, it's monstrous, beaked snout appears, curling back on its serpentine neck. My first concern is its fiery breath and I suddenly realize that in my haste I neglected to grab my shield once again, leaving me defenseless. Fortunately, the demonic spawn is not interested in destroying me... not yet. Gaze dragons, known more commonly as cockatrice or basilisks, like their fallen master, are ever more concerned with keeping Sons of Adam under their foul enchantments if not completely corrupted to their foul purposes and this one is no different. Seeing that I have awakened from it's smoke enchantment and thrown off the condemnation of it, it falls back to it's primary means of attack for which it gets its name!
Almost too late, I remember to look away before those deadly eyes penetrate the cloud and paralyze me in their crippling gaze! I am too soon set free to allow myself to fall back into that trap, however, turning my face away from the beast leaves me blinded to its next move. Fearing that it will double back and strike, I decide to move. I leap sideways, rolling and springing back to my feet to keep any forthcoming attacks from landing. The moves prove wise. A sudden crash beside me confirms that the dragon is no longer interested in enslaving me. Having roused so quickly and fully immersed in battle-song, I have proven that I will not be shackled again. But more than that, I have dared to come out of my prison with sword blazing and proven myself a threat. That the dragons cannot allow for they know the power of an armed Knight Raider.
My momentary zeal cools, replaced by wisdom. This is no mere dark creature. This is a Great Wyrm! And very few Knight Raiders have the faith to face one alone, let alone defeat one! Faith - that is what I'm missing! It has been so long unused that once again I have forgotten it and find myself almost defenseless... almost but not fully. Judging by the crash beside me and the large shape in my peripheral vision, I close my eyes and spin, swinging my flaming sword with both hands in a wide, chopping stroke to my right. It makes contact and draws blood, but the poorly aimed blow is largely deflected by hard scales. Still the basilisk roars in pain and by the sound I can tell it has reared back and that the blow must have landed on or near it's striking head.
This buys me only a few rapid heart-beats, but I make them count. Casting about for my shield, I leap away again, this time backward and away from my assailant. I need space to move and escape. "Lord, deliver me!" I cry, knowing that I cannot evade my enemy for long. My muscles are too weakened by lack of use and I feel myself growing fatigued already.
Enraged now, I hear the dragon sucking in a great, long breath and I realize it is about to breath fire. The area is not very large and I realize too late that I have moved away from the entrance and put my enemy between myself and freedom. I see my shield lying in the far corner where it was carelessly discarded, but it is still too far away to reach before the flame strikes me and melts the flesh from my bones.
As I move away, he passes me running toward the dragon and I hear another roar of pain accompanied by the fiery blast that should have ended my life. The heat and light from it fills the air but deflected in another direction giving me the time I need to reach my shield and put it between myself and any further attacks. Of course now I am cornered, but taking up my faith again and reminded that I am never alone, I turn to face my foe with renewed hope once again.
The Emissary stands before me in resplendent armor, bright as the mid-day sun, and it is the Basilisk that turns its face away for the moment, it's snout freely bleeding from a large gash laying open one of it's smoking nostrils. And then the Emissary speaks to me.
"Remember your training, warrior! You know the Word that is needed for this deceiver."
Suddenly a verse from the sacred scrolls comes to my memory and I release it from my lips in song as I once again brandish my blade and stride forward with new confidence. It is from the 37th song of the great Psalter: "Turn from evil and do good; then you will always live securely. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones!"
My sword flames brighter at the words and as the great wyrm turns its blasphemous gaze back to fix upon me, I realize that looking through that holy fire I am sheltered from its inner darkness. I can look at my enemy without fear, armed with the knowledge of the Word. My enemy realizes it as well, and instead of crippling condemnation in those eyes, I see defeat. My King has already defeated this foe and I am his representative bearing His authority and accompanied by His Holy Emissary with renewed faith to stand.
And so it falls back, but not before resorting to its final and most deadly weapon... it's voice.
"This changes nothing, Knight Raider! It is not the first time you have pushed me aside and strode forth in all your glory to take back what I have stolen from you, feeling so self-assured and even blessed by your wonderful King to do great exploits. But I am patient and I know that with great freedom comes great temptation and that you are pitifully short on endurance to go the distance in prolonged battle. You will tire soon enough and look longingly into the surrounding darkness for comfort and pleasure and I will be there to see that you return to it. I have no need to fight you further. You will return to me like the little spoiled child you are, begging me for the trinkets only I can give."
"No. I know you're game. You offer what I want only to then whisper to me what a failure I am for taking it until I can no longer breathe under the weight of your crippling enchantment! You are not called Cholos for nothing. You are the crippler but I will not be shackled again. I am saved by the grace of my Lord, not by my own righteousness!" I take another step toward the winged abomination still looking through the flaming blade as I hold it before me.
Cholos retreats toward the entrance and begins to slither his serpentine body backwards through it as he hisses his final words. "We shall see... as we have seen before. It is always the same with you. A moment of inspiration, a day of strength and glory and your flame goes out, the sword sheathed and the shield abandoned, for you cannot hold those weapons and handle the pleasures we offer at the same time. Your sword arm will grow weary soon enough, mighty man."
And with those final sneering words, the basilisk disappears behind a final blast of choking smoke that catches me off guard. Inhaling it, I swoon momentarily feeling the exhaustion return to my sword arm as if weighed down by the very words of the serpent. I lower my sword watching the holy flames dwindle along the blade and question my own resolve... for I too know my pattern.
I stumble backward... and feel strong arms catch me.
"You are safe, my child. Rest now in my presence and put no more thought into tomorrow. For today has enough troubles of its own and I am here with you. And I will be with you tomorrow when those temptations return. And I will not give you more than you can bear. Take what you have learned from this encounter and hold it close."
I look over my shoulder and see, not the Emissary, but my Lord himself, his face so full of love and care for me that I cannot help but surrender to his embrace. I collapse against him, turning to bury my face in his lap as the tears fall freely. How my King loves me no matter how many times I fail him. And because of HIS love and mercy, there is always hope, not only for me, but those he calls me to fight for.
"Oh my Lord, help me to be a faithful one!"
