The Song of

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The Song of Es-soh-en

(Book Three of THE DULAN ARCHIVES)

by Dennis Knotts

Map & Cover Art by Ron Patterson

E Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co.

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Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved – Dennis Knotts No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, from the publisher. Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co. 12620 FM 1960, Suite A4-507 Houston, TX 77065 www.sbpra.com ISBN: 978-1-61204-853-6

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The Song of Es-Soh-En

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Table of Contents DEDICATION INTRODUCTION COME WITH ME TO DULA! 1. INTO THE MIST 2. THE SONG BEGINS 3. THE BIRTH OF DULA 4. UNICORNS IN THE GLEN 5. THE COMING OF ISH 6. TITLES 7. MEETING IN THE SKY 8. THE LESSER SONG 9. UNIONS, REUNIONS AND TALKING ANIMALS 10. REVELATIONS 11. RIPPLES IN THE WATER 12. THE GARDEN OF TANGAR 13. THE WHISPERS OF SHADOWS 14. THE POWER OF A NAME 15. REBELLION IN THE KINGDOM 16. CHARGES AND ACCUSATIONS 17. BANISHMENT 18. AN UNNAMED ADONI REVEALED 19. THE FALL OF THE LANDS OF THE ADONI 20. THE DEATH OF DULA 21. ESCAPE CLAUSE 22. DISHONOR 23. ACTIONS AND WORDS 24. DEFEAT IN THE VALLEY 25. WHEN A UNICORN DIES 26. JUDGEMENTS AND PROMISES GLOSSARY

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Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book first of all to my daughter Shalom. She spends long nights writing out her own books by hand. Most of all, she looks upon me as a writer even though nothing has been published yet at the time I am writing this book.

Next, I would like to dedicate this to Bruce Nelson, who has such a love for children that he has given his entire life to ministering to them. It is his love for God and encouragement in my life which has helped me keep going when my own spirit begged me to give up.

Lastly, to my wife, Bev. Her support and in-put have helped to make THE DULAN ARCHIVES what they are today...completed.

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Introduction

This is a hard piece for me to write for several reasons. I had put together THE DULAN ARCHIVES in order to pursue a single question: If there was another world, and this world fell; what steps would Jesus take to redeem this other world? I saw the structure of the redemption process as the ultimate goal of a legal system, and so the underlying foundation of these books would have to be legal in nature. Little did I know that God would have me spend fifteen years in a legal system in order to finish this study.

I did a careful study to the Bible as the guideline for these books, and I saw four major events described in the Bible from a legal standpoint. The first major event was twofold: the Creation and the Fall. This would give the Creator legal grounds to redeem His creation; the second part would illustrate the need for the redemption. The second major event would be the establishment of the legal system which would bring about the redemption. The third major event would be the actual redeeming of the world. The last major event would be the taking physical possession of the world which was redeemed.

To this end, I have told the entire story. It was not in this same order, but with the completing of THE SONG OF ES-SOH-EN, I have penned all four major events. With the exception of rewriting THE RETURN OF THE ADONI, the story is now complete.

THE SEARCH FOR LOGOS was where everything was first introduced. The Children of Earth find themselves suddenly thrust into the story where the Adoni are establishing the legal system that will be used to redeem the world. This would be the same as the exodus from Egypt by the Israelites; Moses giving the Law, and the nation assuming control of the Promised Land. Queen Dianna would represent both the nation Israel and King David of the Old Testament. The Children of Earth's first visit was at this point in the history of Dula so that there would be some background for me to draw upon and explain to them. That's the key to story-telling: someone always has to explain something to someone else.

THE BATTLE OF ES-SOH-EN was the redemption of the Lands of the Adoni. It was the second visit for the Children of Earth. They had some history to draw upon, but they were in the dark just like the rest of the world. Then they saw the parallel between this world and their own. Now they understand. They know the message. This book is the crucifixion and resurrection of this world's Christ-figure.

This brings us to THE SONG OF ES-SOH-EN. I thought writing THE BATTLE OF ES-SOH-EN was difficult because I had to take such a beautiful character as Queen Dianna and make her evil. Little did I know that it was just a test run for THE SONG OF ES-SOH-EN. I had spent weeks creating my idea of the ultimate perfect world; the kind of world we all dream about. If our world worked the way we would like it to work, how would that be? It took a lot of time building that, and putting in all the finishing touches. Then I had to corrupt it. I literally had to take time off and get away from the story because it was too painful for me to pollute this paradise. But it's done. The Children of Earth are now on track to serve the Adoni in the Lands of the Adoni. They were introduced to the legal system that would be used to redeem the world. They saw the redemption of the world, and now they are on hand to see it fall, and to give encouragement to the First Father and Mother.

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When I penned the introduction to the SONG OF ES-SOH-EN nearly thirty years ago, I was sorry because I believed that there was only one additional story to tell: THE RETURN OF THE ADONI. In fact, THE RETURN OF THE ADONI had originally been sub-titled, The Third Book of the Dulan Archives. But when I felt God leading me back to write THE SONG OF ES-SOH-EN, I changed its sub-title to The Final Book of the Dulan Archives because I wasn’t quite sure how many books were left in the tales. Now that I am preparing the books for publication, two other stories are calling to me. I am excited because I love coming back to the Lands of the Adoni and learning from God as He reveals these stories to me. I have glimmers of what has happened, but then the entire story unfolds. As I went back to re-read the Glossary of THE SEARCH FOR LOGOS and THE BATTLE OF ES-SOH-EN I found a number of stories I had forgotten hidden among the names of the characters and places. Now God is calling me back to learn more about them and to tell their stories.

I do not want to be writing them, just for the sake of writing more stories. I have seen other series where the magic is gone and the theme is repeated once or twice too often. I’ve prayed that God would not let that happen with these books. The series sat in a drawer or in my computer untouched, and I did not write on them for thirty years because I wanted to tell the tales God had for me. Until I felt God drawing me back into this mythical world I refused to return there on my own. But as I prepare this manuscript for publication, I find THE SILENCE OF THE SWORD and THE BALLAD OF PENTRA calling out to me. I am not sure which one will capture my attention first or where they will lead.

As my wife reads the Glossary of the first two books, she is finding story after story there and wants me to fill in the details; but at this present time God has not given the complete stories to me. We will see what God has in store. But until them, we still have the SONG OF ES-SOH-EN waiting for us, so let us plunge into the golden fog and…

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Come With Me to Dula!

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice

and there shall be one fold and one shepherd" —Jesus—

(John 10:16)

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Chapter One

Into the Mist

The sound of the waves breathing against the sands of the beach was slowly lulling David to sleep. The warm fingers of the sun massaged his copper-brown skin as he let his breathing match that of the sea. There was something under his blanket that dug into his shoulder. He had been trying to ignore it for a long time, but he finally sat up. He shook his head, and his shoulder-length brown mane whipped about his face, flinging the loose sand away from him. He ran his fingers through the hair to pull it back from his face, out of his hazel eyes; and the slight hint of blonde among the brown strands caught the sun. David reached beneath his blanket, found the stone that had caused him the irritation, and with a fluid motion, hurled it into the building waves.

"So where do we look next?" asked his sister Tanya as she resumed her previous conversation. "Where do we normally look?" he grunted as he resumed his basking in the sun. "That's just it! We never seem to find it. It always seems to find us." her voice had a hint of

frustration in it. "So why bother looking for it?" It had been their on-going debate regarding actions versus

faith. "The first time the golden mist came was when we were in the cave. We weren't looking for it. We didn't even know it existed. The second time we spent days trying to find it, and it wasn't until we stopped looking we found it; only this time it wasn't a golden cloud, it was shaped like a full moon. Now, should we start looking until we give up and it appears in some new form; or should we just wait until it's time?"

"But the last time we were looking for it. Glidon told us the Adoni had given us the desire to return because we were needed. We've both felt the calling; but there's no door. What do you say to that?" snapped Tanya. She let her last word coincide with the snapping of the rubber band she was using to pull her reddish-brown hair back into a pony tail.

"'He is a most imaginative and creative Hobber'." quoted David as he egged her on, knowing full well that quoting Kal the minotaur instead of giving her a direct answer would only aggravate her further.

"David James!" she blurted. "For a Knight of Es-soh-en you have terrible manners." "Look, all I said was that if we both have the same desire to return to Dula; then the Adoni

must be calling us. If They are calling us; then They will take care of the details. For a Knight of Es-soh-en, you seem to have forgotten your lesson on faith."

"Look! They're the Creators. They created Dula, guided Dula, saved Dula. There's nothing They can't do."

"I agree with that; but They have limited Themselves through laws. There are laws in our world. There are laws in Dula. They will work within the laws They have set down. When everything is ready then we'll find the door."

"But we are ready. Remember the last time we traveled to Dula, it had only been a few weeks, but it was two hundred years in Dulan time. They can move us to any point in time, so there isn't any need to make us wait until Dula is ready." Tanya finished her argument by pounding her fist into the sand next to her.

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"You're right." David's soft voice replied. It had been a tone of defeat she had not expected. "And since you are right, do you know what that means?"

Tanya thought for long moments, and then nodded slowly, "Somehow, we're still not ready. We're the ones causing the delay." She set her blue eyes on her brother, drawing his full attention, "So what are we doing wrong?"

"I can't think of anything except we're trying to force the issue. If we truly trust; then we'll just let it happen...when it does happen."

"Faith is a very frustrating concept." she noted. "Very, but faith is not a club we use to beat God over the head. It's a confidence that when

everything is over, everything we've done – or not done – will have some purpose in God's big picture."

"You seem awfully calm about it." she added with a hint of irritation. "Don't you miss the Adoni? Aren't you anxious to be among the people, the minotaurs, centaurs and other creatures who inhabit the Lands of the Adoni? Don't you long for that sensation of Suma, the sky ship, under our feet as we float through the air?"

"Oh, don't let the calm expression fool you. Thoughts of that wondrous place fill me with just as much excitement as you. I have to work to keep the tension out of my voice and out of my body. I want to be there more than I can imagine. I miss the Power of the Adoni filling me. I miss being as strong and agile as I am when we go to Dula. In the Lands of the Adoni I am a young knight serving the Creators of that world. Here, I'm just another fifteen year old kid. There I have respect and abilities. Here I'm just part of the crowd.

"Don't you think I want to be in Dula, too? For the last few days it was all I could think about. I find myself walking as if the weight of Gennerroth was strapped to my hip. I look in the mirror, and expect to see the emblem of Es-soh-en embroidered on a tunic instead of these kinds of clothes. When we're ready, Es-soh-en will take us into Dula. I know it in my mind, but it's hard to make my heart accept that we just have to wait." David caught himself before his frustration spilled into anger. He vowed he would not be angry at the Adoni as he had been when they were taken to Dula the last time. He was a Knight of Es-soh-en. He had been knighted by Es-soh-en Himself. He was chosen to wield Gennerroth the blade of promise. He had to get it right this time!

"Care for a swim?" Tanya offered after an unusually long period of silence had settled upon the beach. She rose, and dropped her beach robe to the ground. She, too, stood like the Knight of Es-soh-en she was. Her motions made David that much more aware of what he missed about Dula. In those lands they were more than they could hope to be here. David fought back his frustration.

"Go ahead. I'll be in a little bit later. I still have a few things I want to think about." David heard his sister's foot steps pound the sand as she raced toward the water. He could hear the crashing waves and the cry of the sea gulls. The sounds of her passing seemed to change. David wasn't sure how it was different, but there wasn't the thudding sound that marked her passing when she began to race toward the waters. It had started with the heavy, awkward sounds a teenager might make; but with each stride, the impact in the sands softened, as if her weight were being more evenly distributed. It was as if her skills and abilities increased with each sprint. He raised his head, and saw her crossing the now-wet sand; her motions more fluid, graceful. Her posture was more confident. For a moment she seemed more mature. It was the way she had carried her body when they had been in Dula the last two times. It reminded him of the way they had moved when the Power of the Adoni had filled them and empowered them for the task at hand. As Tanya dove into the charging wave, her body slid with the precision of a razor knife cutting into the surging current, leaving almost no trace of her passing.

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David began to wonder at his own senses, and how he seemed to be more aware of his surroundings. He had become aware of the rock under him only a few moments ago, even though it had been under him the entire time they had lain on the beach. His words had more wisdom in them than he had been used to. He felt that he, too, was undergoing a change; the kind of change from this world to that of Dula. It was as if he were changing from a teenage boy to a true Knight of Es-soh-en. He shifted his body to one side, and noted that his arms and legs were stronger. He could feel new muscle tissue rippling under his tanned skin. He turned to call to Tanya, but realized she had not come up for air.

For the Knight of Es-soh-en, the realization was the beginning of action. There was no moment of hesitation, or debating which action to take. He pushed off from the sand with both hands, his muscles propelling like springs to catapult him up into a crouching position. His feet tested the sand beneath him, shifting for the best position. The balls of his feet dug in, his thighs tightened, and released as he began a full sprint across the beach and into the ocean that had just claimed his sister.

The sudden chill of the icy ocean water never struck him. His expectation of the strong currents snatching him and thrashing him about never came. It seemed, according to all of his senses that he was still hurtling through the air, and not the waters. He opened his eyes, and found the ocean was gone. In its place was the golden fog that led to Dula.

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