The bargain she had struck with God the night before had paid off. Not only had the foul thing stayed gone, but that was perhaps the best night's sleep she'd had in a long while. Now she was just wired. As long as she remembered not to look too hard at the mask, she was fine, even though it was 1:00. Another new post from Sophia...
Proverbs 3:31 "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
The song this time was "Envy and Jealousy" by Sweet Comfort Band. She checked a sigh. How many more of these would she have to read? But if Sophia was acting as God's own mouthpiece, then there wasn't much choice, was there? It was either go to Nineveh or die at sea, was it not? Fine. You win...
***
As the song began playing, she saw an open plain. On it she marched with a gruesome company of orcs. The plain looked empty at the moment, but everyone knew it would not stay that way for very long, as they could hear the distant thudding of hooves.
Every time I think I'm okay / I'm in trouble again / I just can't seem to get away / From this emotional sin / I'm inferiority-bound / And lost in despair / Harmony can never be found / When I begin to compare
Envy and Jealousy / They make me so small / Envy and Jealousy / Not there when I fall
You're my only hope to be saved / From this oppression within / Show me there is nothing to gain / By recognition of men
Envy and Jealousy / Invading my mind / Envy and Jealousy / They're wasting my time / Envy and Jealousy / They make me so small / Envy and Jealousy / Not there when I fall
I can recall when I was quite young / I had it all except for the one I wanted / That's Envy and Jealousy...
As the song picked up momentum and the guitars became prominent, she finally saw the enemy: a cornucopia of humanity, closing in from all sides. Vikings. Celts. Slavs. Visigoths. Romans. Incas. Xiongnu. Dai. Arabs. Moors. Ethiopians. Roving North Americans harassed them from three sides, each band flying a name. On the right, Samoset. On the left, Wahanganoche. Driving them into the vise from behind: Long Knife.
As the company was herded to its doom, she saw a mixed host of druids, medicine men, and Levitical priests staring her down from the front. At their head rode a man in plate armor on a black horse. On his standard, she saw an axe and a scimitar, arranged in the shape of an X, and a round targe with three feathers tied to the bottom and a silver cross in the middle, painted with quadrants of red, yellow, black, and white. Her company was now completely surrounded. He raised his sword and arrows rained down on the company from behind the host. Welsh. While her company struggled to recover, he tilted his sword forward and launched into a gallop, springing the trap.
Well, I know it's a sin we're all caught in / But I don't wanna be here forever / 'Cause it feels like a chain wrapped around my neck / And it's bringin' me down / I know it's a trap that I've fallen in / But I don't wanna be here tomorrow / So I'm asking for help / Won't You please get me out? / Won't You take it away?
The ground shook and the company shook even more, knowing they could never win this engagement. Down they dropped, wave after wave, as the enemy bit into them with spear, sword, and axe. By the end, only she remained standing, stained from head to toe with the blood of her comrades. The enemy leader gestured for her to follow him and slowly rode away, his host following.
***
In tingling shock she stared, slowly coming back to the world she knew. Who had that man been? His identity wasn't obvious, but he seemed to know her and to have deliberately spared her, though he slaughtered everyone else. There was something familiar about that standard too, but she couldn't place it. Whatever the case, the message seemed to be that she was keeping evil company and had been spared for now but was nonetheless advised to abandon her position. And the quadrants on the shield... What did they mean?