Chapter 14
On The Road To Battle
The teenagers finally spotted the last bus from their R.V. Center position an hour after everyone else left. There was a lot of rejoicing as the teenagers saw their friends again but sadness about Nash and Hunter. By the time the funeral procession was at the top of Monteagle, God’s Dozen was at Hardee’s having hot chocolate. The first buses started arriving after having terrible difficulty getting up the steep mountain grade.
Behind them, like clockwork, the remainder of the caravans arrived and parked across the street at the Golden Gallon and all over the dirt-turnaround parking lot near Hardee’s, all except the teenagers. As soon as the cars arrived, Irish, Triune, and Trinity helped the kids take bathroom breaks, which they divided equally between the Golden Gallon and Hardee’s.
Keel saw all the kids and remarked, "Where are all these kids going? There must be a church camp nearby."
Keel spotted Irish and said, "Wow!"
Anne punched him, "Slow down there, Tex. She looks a little too old for you." Then she finished her one line speech by saying as in the Kung Fu series, "Grasshopper," in an elongated, hissing sound. They all laughed but admitted to themselves that Irish was one beautiful lady.
Irish turned when Keel spoke and winked at him, mouthing, "Thank you."
Keel thought, "How could she have heard me?"
The bus windows were open now, and the children were told they could carry on as much as they wanted. It was a free for all with much pent-up energy. The buses became a crescendo of kids’ playing, fussing, and rough housing. It was a relief to see so much life from the kids; kids who had been under lock-and-key for so long. The cool November breeze coming through the windows gave everyone a refreshing break.
Enya talked with Isaac about Nash and Aaron’s group. "I hope everything is okay. They sure are behind schedule, aren’t they?"
Isaac already knew about Nash. He knew what Nash was going through his own Jacob’s troubles, a Paul of Tarsus experience of the roughest kind. He never answered Enya but went about kicking bus tires. Enya noticed the distancing, then remembered everything Aaron had said to Nash.
"Isaac, Isaac," she said desperately. "Do you think Nash can handle what Aaron was talking about?"
Isaac’s face was not full of confidence. He spoke carefully, not really knowing Nash’s capacity. Nash could change his own fate in seconds. He wasn’t making any bets or predictions.
"I just don’t know, Enya. I just don’t know. It depends. If he tries to do it on his own, he’ll die. If he depends totally on our Lord, he won’t. Nash was caught, Enya. He won’t be on any of the buses. He was left behind because he was trying to save Hunter."
Enya was speechless, and her lips quivered with emotion, "My Nash, left behind? How could Aaron let it happen? How could any of you let it happen?"
She realized that she was getting angry and tried to restrain herself. This was one of those walls that she hoped she’d never come up against—a wall that didn’t make any sense. She had very few of those walls in her life—everything always made sense,
sooner or later. God’s will always paid off. But this, leaving her Nash behind, didn’t make any sense.
"Is there anyone left to watch over him, Isaac? Isn’t Aaron going to send in a group of you to get him out?" Enya pulled at Isaac’s sleeve, not letting him walk away from her.
Isaac knew a lot, but he didn’t know how much Enya could stand right now. His nervousness made him say too much. "Enya, not this time. This time, Nash is on his own. He was taken to jail for the murder of Hunter. Aaron was telling the truth. Nash is going to have to survive this one by himself. It will be the biggest and most difficult test of his faith, and Dar-Raven is there too, Enya."
"Who in the world is Dar-Raven?" She thought Isaac wouldn’t stop making her feel worse. How much more of this could she stand?
"He’s a dark angel. The one Aaron fought to get to Nashville. He’s one of the most savage dark angels in existence."
Isaac realized how far over the line his comments were and tried to retreat again, walk off, and get away from her, but Enya didn’t let him. She ran ahead of him and cornered him against the bus.
"Okay, enough is enough. You’re telling me that my Nash is in jail for trying to save Hunter’s life? No one is going to save him? To beat it all, there is this Dar-Shaven, or whatever his name is that is probably going to do what, kill Nash, torture him, both? Is this the good news you’re trying to tell me?”
Enya had built up a head of steam by now. She hardly ever lost her temper, but Isaac was getting it with both barrels. He didn’t like it, but he knew he’d gone too far, and he had to take it and listen. He was earning his keep today.
He answered, "Yes," while going back to kicking bus tires.
He turned to Enya, took her by the shoulders, and said, "I’m not supposed to say another word, but the odds are in his favor. The chances of Nash being delivered are good. It won’t be by us this time. When he finally comes to surrender it all back to God, his life, his pain, his suffering, then God is going to anoint him. He will be able to stand up to Dar-Raven and live, if…"
Enya saw the hope, the plan, the outcome, and said, "If? Don’t say anymore. I believe in Nash’s ability to surrender it to the Lord. He’s never believed in his own talents for anything. His biggest talent is trusting God. I may not be able to help him or be with him, but I can pray that he passes out when the pain gets too great. Do you think God will honor my prayer?"
Isaac answered simply, "Yes, there isn’t a person on earth who couldn’t have that same prayer answered if they want, a prayer to pass out, a prayer to go unconscious. Trust in God, Enya, to make it happen for you." Isaac hugged her as she sobbed against his chest.
Enya rubbed the tears from her eyes, "For Nash, Isaac, for Nash," then she turned and walked away to be by herself.
Children of the Sanctuary Page 17