Chapter 28:

At first, Glendower had been afraid Dylan had recognized him, changed though he was by the hardships he'd suffered during the years since Dylan had escaped the stockade.  He'd thought he'd seen a look of recognition in his eyes, but he'd said nothing. 

He wasn't certain that Dylan was any longer the prince.  Another commanded, calling himself the God, Mihangel.  Glendower suspected he was instead Emrys.  He looked like Emrys; he commanded like a prince. 

Although he called himself the God, Glendower didn't believe he was, instead, believing he was Emrys, once again in his true form.  How he'd done that, leaving behind Dylan he didn't know, but that made more sense than a god come to earth.

It wasn't that Glendower didn't believe in gods; he did.  He'd seen too much evidence of their power -- the creation of the golems, Dylan's ability to escape the stockade, healing of the cut boys -- to believe otherwise, but gods exerted their power through wizards.

Perhaps it was Emrys, who had been the wizard all along, not Megan.  She, after all, was back in Anglesey.

Although he called himself Mihangel, Glendower saw only Emrys when he looked at him, Emrys, the boy who had cut him, made Glendower love him despite that, then left him for another. 

He owed Emrys for all he'd suffered.  That Mihangel -- Emrys to his mind -- seemed to trust him, had included him as one of his disciples, didn't matter.  He owed him for all he'd lost.

And, that Mihangel trusted him was proof to Glendower that he wasn't the God.

* * *

The thirteen of them, Mihangel and his twelve followers, sat around a long table in a merchant's house, eating supper.  "My time on Earth is almost at an end," said Mihangel.

There were cries from around the table of: "Nay, my lord," and "Say it isn't so, my lord."

Mihangel held up his hand, saying, when all was quiet, "With your help, I've accomplished all on Earth that I needed to do.  The one hundred forty-four thousand have been cut and the mission to cut every last male on Earth has been established.  I go now to join my father, that part of me in the other world.  There, we will battle against Nysrogh, defeating him forever.  Only then can we establish the kingdom of heaven on Earth, and all those cut in my name shall become like gods."

"How do you travel to the otherworld?" asked Dylan.

"I must die in this one," said Mihangel.

Again, those seated around the table expressed their shock and dismay over such a possibility.

"Nay," said Mihangel, "while this body lives, my spirit remains in this world.  I'm needed in the otherworld to defeat Nysrogh once and for all.  Mihangel must die so the God can reign supreme in both this world and the next.  I make this sacrifice to save all of you -- all of mankind -- from Nysrogh.  It's by my sacrifice that you shall be saved.  And it is a sacrifice, because -- although I am the God in human form -- I am also human.  I feel this body's desire to continue, just as any of you would.  I don't fear death, of course, just as those of you loyal to me need not fear death.  When I die here, I go to my world, the world of gods; and there -- this time -- I will rule supreme.  This time, Nysrogh will be defeated for all time."

"How will you die, my lord?" asked Pedr, "Will you just lie down and die?"

"No," said Mihangel, "Heddwynn will set me on a pole."

"But why?" asked Dylan.  "Why such a death?"

"So the world knows that I have suffered for it, for it's salvation, so the males of the world realize that the sacrifice of their cocks and balls are nothing compared to what I have sacrificed for them; so that they willingly sacrifice their genitals to achieve heaven here on Earth.  Man -- all men -- must realize that as long as he has a cock and balls, he will not become divine.  Gods have no need of sex.  That a man has cock and balls, separates him from the gods, binds him to a mundane existence.  Only those that sacrifice their genitals can be my children, experiencing heaven on Earth."

"Will you turn yourself over to Heddwynn?" asked Dylan, "He searches for you, but cannot find you."

"No," said Mihangel, "one of you will betray me to Heddwynn.""

"Surely not," said Pedr and Tomos together, "who among us would betray you?  Tell us and we'll kill him now."  Dylan glanced at Glendower, but said nothing.  If any of them would betray Mihangel, it would be Glendower that would.

Dylan didn't say anything, because he knew Mihangel didn't want him to, that Glendower was part of Mihangel's plan and had been all along, that Mihangel, had allowed Glendower to join them for just this reason. 

Still, Dylan was tempted to kill Glendower to prevent his betrayal, because, although he loved the God, he also loved the man, Mihangel, the boy Mihangel, birthed from the loins of Megan, the woman he loved. 

He had watched him grow from a baby to a man in five short years; now Mihangel was to die.  Dylan felt he was losing a father and a son, all in one person. 

When Mihangel had been a baby and defenseless, Dylan had protected him as any father would his son; then he had followed him into battle when Mihangel was a lad, Then he'd become his disciple, following him, sitting at his feet, as a son would his father's feet, learning from his as a student would from a teacher -- and all that in five short years.

"When, my lord?" asked Dylan, "When will it happen?"

"On the morrow," said Mihangel.