By the Sword - By Sara Flower Page 0,60
to rot. There were so many things that she regretted and would never be able to fix. She used to think that she would have her whole life to make up for everything that she had done wrong. It never would have crossed her mind a week ago that she would die in a Malinorian prison.
Now more awake, Talya forced herself to sit up. She leaned against the wall. Both of her sides hurt from being kicked numerous times.
She slipped into a fitful sleep until she heard a quiet voice beside her. She opened her one good eye. Jalarn stood next to her.
Am I dreaming?
She smelled something delicious. He had set down a large bowl of stew beside her. He really had come back. There might still be a chance to reach him before the battle. Before she slipped away for good.
But I am so tired. I can barely keep my eyes open. Help me, Lord.
“Jalarn,” she whispered.
Talya hated how weak she sounded. She cleared her throat.
“Please eat, Talya,” Jalarn said.
She reached for the bowl and moaned. Jalarn went to his knees and handed it to her. She grasped the spoon he gave her and brought a spoonful of chowder to her lips. Her hunger pangs subsided as she filled her stomach with the nourishing meal.
Jalarn remained silent as she ate.
When she was finished with the stew, he handed her a tall goblet of water, and she guzzled it down, relieving her parched throat.
Talya’s mind cleared. Even the pain had lessened a little.
“Thank you, Jalarn.”
“Tell me that you have reconsidered.”
His expression was unguarded, lost. His hair was messy and even the buckles of his cape were askew.
Talya swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
“Of course I haven’t,” Talya sighed. “I could never turn my back on the God that saved me.”
Jalarn placed his head in his hands as he sat and leaned against the wall. Her heart broke for him. The heartless monster she used to think he was had stepped aside for a moment. This was the real Jalarn now.
“Please, tell me what’s troubling you,” she said.
“When I met you in the battle at Cardamon and then again at the outskirts of Malinor, all I wanted to do was to finish you off like every other worthless rebel. Ever since that night in Hunter Forest, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. It’s maddening. I’m not supposed to feel for anyone, not even for myself. And now… for reasons I cannot even imagine, just the thought of losing you is more than I can bear.”
He cares about me?
Talya could only stare at him. She almost wondered if it was a dream.
Jalarn huffed and looked up the ceiling. He had meant every word, but he was trying to stay strong.
“So, you must understand now why I cannot allow you to refuse the prince.”
“Jalarn, when you trust in my God, you don’t have to fear.”
“Who said anything about fear?”
“You did when you admitted that you couldn’t bear losing me.”
“I never said that I was afraid.”
He pulled something out from his armor. It was her scroll.
“Jalarn, have you been…”
“Reading? Yes. And I was confused about something. Why would God sacrifice His Son? I did not even know that He had a Son.”
Talya’s pulse quickened. Now was the time.
Lord, help him understand!
“God sent His Son, Jesus, down to earth so that He could die for all mankind. He was the perfect sacrifice because He knew no sin. We cannot gain our own entrance into Heaven, because we are all born as sinners, but if we believe that Jesus died for our sins and that He has risen from the dead, then we will become children of God. We can go to Heaven when we die.”
“So, after being sacrificed He rose again?”
“Yes. He did it for everyone, Jalarn. He bore all of your sins on the cross.”
“I just… it’s just that I’ve never heard of that before.”
“It’s never too late to believe,” Talya said gently.
Jalarn’s expression grew dark.
“After all that I’ve done to those that serve Him… He would only cast me away. He hates me.”
“That’s not true. You were deceived then. The Savior died for everyone from the lowliest slave to the greatest king, regardless of what they have done. He did not die for a perfect world.”
“I have done ten lifetimes worth of evil to get where I am now.”
“The first step is recognizing that you have done wrong. Jesus died for every single sin that