“Katrina!” Bart called. No answer.
Kat tried to look up from her newfound treasure, but the daydream was enveloping her, breaking her will. The more she looked at this beautiful thing, the more she wanted to look at it. She felt so good. She was relaxed. She never wanted to go back to the fear and anxiety she had fought since childhood. Never.
“I don't want to go back.”
“You don't have to, Kat.” The thing pulsed in reply.
“Kat.” Kenneth this time. That voice, who was that? She felt a tingle of excitement but couldn't understand why. She lifted her eyes from the stone but saw nothing and returned her gaze to her new friend.
“What's your name?” she asked.
“Pet,” it responded.
“Why does that sound so familiar? Have we met before?”
“Maybe in your dreams. I have been waiting for you a long, long time. But my master has been waiting for you even longer. We should get going. He is not a patient one.”
Bart and Ken pushed forward, but could not make any progress through the thick foliage. The more weeds, thorns and grass they pulled, the faster other vegetation grew in.
Kat had turned back to continue her journey down the path.
“Kat, no, don't go!” Bart screamed. His voice bounced back to him. Kat did not respond but started forward.
Josiah had slipped away from Alese and Paul. He started down the path. “Your will, not mine, Lord,” he said as he grabbed hold of the underbrush to the side of the ravine path and began to descend, caution in every step.
He hadn't gone far before Miggie jumped out from the right side of the path.
“Leave now, old man, before I take you to Iconoclast to be eaten alive.”
Josiah stared at the apparition before him. Fear welled up inside of him, as he looked into death's—no, hell's eyes. He shook himself.
“Be gone, evil one. You have no power over me. I am the Lord's.”
Angered, Miggie lunged forward to take this arrogant mortal to his master.
“In the name of Jesus, be gone. The Lord Jesus Christ rebuke you!” Josiah pushed Miggie. Miggie fell backward, tumbled through the underbrush, mouth agape, and fury on his eyeless, bloody face.
Josiah continued down the hill, hoping to get to Kat before she was lost forever.
Josiah neither heard nor sensed Paul and Grandma until they were behind him. He turned and smiled.
“So be it, we go as one!”
“So be it,” they responded.
“We can't get through. How can we get her attention?” Bart and Kenneth stopped, helpless to prevent the woman they both loved, in different ways, from heading for the ravine bottom.
Just as Kat reached the opening, she felt a tug on her heart. She looked over her shoulder, not certain anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes, as an overwhelming sadness blanketed her heart. She thought she heard someone calling her name, someone who had once been very dear to her.
“Silly, no one else is here,” Pet said. “No one loves you like I do. No one will love you like the commander.” Kat felt the sorrow from so long ago. She had never stopped grieving the death of her parents and the family she once had.
“Step in, Kat.”
Josiah, Grandma Bricken, and Paul reached the clearing in the path and the undergrowth where Kenneth and Bart stood. They were a few feet behind them, working to make their way through, Paul pushing the brush aside for Grandma to step through and holding it long enough for Josiah to come in behind her.
“Bart, Agent Melbourne,” Paul called out.
They turned, losing focus on Kat.
The group was together again. In the twinkling of an eye, the angels that had been with them became visible, their brilliance displacing the darkness.
The radiance fell on the hag trees. They shrank back into the ravine walls. The brush shriveled in the heat. As the awed group watched, the scrub that had grown at an alarming rate, and had laced ropey fingers around their feet, disappeared. The dirt path became evident. Thick brush still lay between them and Kat. It was a foot-wide barrier. She stood within inches of the arch that led to the ravine floor.
Kenneth lunged forward. Josiah jumped the brush, with the agility of a man half his age and grabbed Kat's arm, pulling with all his might.
Kenneth and Bart followed suit. But no matter how they tugged, her strength kept her in place.
Josiah noticed her hand was closed in a fist.
“Katrina, open your hand.”
“No, it's mine!”
“Katrina, open your hand! Let me see what you have there.” This was the voice of Grandma Bricken.
“Where did she come from?” Bart whispered to Ken.
“Don't know.”
Kat's soulless eyes sparked in response to her grandmother's voice.
“Kat, I will not steal it or take it unless you allow me to; but let me see your new prized possession, my sweet one.” Grandma was lifting Kat's head, working to catch her gaze and bring back that beloved granddaughter from wherever she had gone.
Kat's grip loosened, then retracted around the rock.
Kenneth, Bart, and Paul completed a semicircle in front of Kat, nothing standing between her and the archway. She stepped backward.
Kenneth made a grab for her arm and missed. Josiah jumped behind Kat, between her and the arch, almost falling backward into the darkness beyond.
He grabbed Kat with both hands.
“God, help us! Save this young woman. Have mercy on this land; we deserve no better than utter destruction but I ask that you spare us again for Your mercy's sake.”
The group came closer, hands outstretched toward Kat. Each prayed for help, some not sure help would come. But man's way had failed and God was their last hope.
“Leave here; this is my domain,” boomed a voice on a gale that blew up from the ravine floor.
“You'll have all of us and more if we do, Iconoclast.”
Atramentous came forward, visible for all to see now, and managed to grab Kat. He began to choke her. “Leave.”
Kat was gasping for breath, her hands tightened and flew to her neck, grabbing at her assailant. She dropped Pet. He bounced toward the opening but not through it.
Paul had no idea why, but he picked up the sick tar thing that Kat had been guarding as if her life depended on it. He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wrapped it up.
Kat lost consciousness, limp in the clutches of the dark mist.
Atramentous had reached around Josiah to grab Kat. He was so intent on Ken, Bart and Grandma, he did not see Josiah step backward through the archway into the darkness.
Grandma watched in horror as he disappeared. She heard him say, “I have come to slay you, slayer of my family.” The laughter rose, then a growl. Then silence.
“What are we doing here?” Kat asked, rubbing her eyes like a small child just waking from a nap.
Grandma grabbed Kat and drew her to herself. “My baby, my baby.” Grandma began to cry.
Bart walked up and enveloped both his women in a huge bear hug, setting his chin on Kat's head and smiled. Kenneth stood feeling like an outsider as he watched this family moment, and wishing he could grab Kat, yell at her and hold her forever.
Paul was looking toward the archway, face white and lined with sadness. He could not hear Josiah nor see him.
The rest looked toward the archway, too. As they watched, the arch began to disappear and a mountainous rock, as tall as the ravine itself, took its place.
“Where's Josiah?” Kat asked.
Grandma lifted her head, pointing with her chin.
Tears filled Kat's eyes. Another loss, “crazy old man,” she whispered as her heart broke.
Kat looked over at Ken. It was his voice that she heard above that beautiful music.
Kenneth smiled. Kat smiled back before she buried her head on Grandma's shoulder and cried.
Epilogue
The Legend Sleeps
The tired group sta
rted the long walk up the ravine path. The loss of their companion weighed heavy on their hearts. Even in sadness, none of them could deny the gratitude they felt for their lost friend. For without his help and sacrifice the battle would have been lost.
“What do we do with this thing?” Paul was unwrapping Pet as he spoke. He looked up in astonishment.
The group took a look into the handkerchief. A small pile of ash lay where the rock had been.
Grandma smiled. “Burn the handkerchief, Pastor, or wash it. Seems like that's the end of the pet.”
Kenneth wedged himself between Bart and Kat. “I need to talk to you.”
Kat gave him a suspicious glance but she couldn't deny that her heart beat just a little faster when she heard his voice. She realized she liked this annoying FBI guy. In fact, she felt feelings for him that were unexplainable after only knowing him for such a short time.
They reached the top of the ravine as the first light of day dawned. The old hag tree that had been there since Grandma could remember stood as ugly as ever. But perched on one of its misshapen branches was a small, brown sparrow singing to greet the morning. Grandma smiled and turned to watch the small group she had come to love in a matter of a few short, but intense, hours.
Bart turned to Paul. “So tell me about Jesus Christ, Pastor.”
Paul smiled. “With pleasure, Bart, with pleasure.”
Kenneth stopped and turned Kat to him and held onto both her arms. Kat looked up at him in surprise.
“I think I love you, Katrina Agnes Tovslosky.” Kat stood, unable to move, saucer eyes searching his face.
“Your grandmother asked me if I was willing to die for you before I went into the ravine. Much to my surprise, I was. She seemed to know that was the answer, even before she asked it.”
Grandma Bricken came alongside beside Kat. “Tell him you love him, too, Katrina. You know you do.”
“Grandma!” Kat felt ganged up on. Deep inside, a small hope began to take root. Her longing for family was possible with this man.
“First I need to figure out what happened to me. I need to talk to Pastor Paul because I think he knows. Josiah,” Kat sighed, “would have been my first choice.”
“I miss him, too. But he was a man of God and he is a man of God no matter what.”
Kat nodded. If she had heard her grandmother say those words a couple of days ago, she would have rejected that thinking as foolish. Not now.
“I've seen things I don't understand and can't explain, that's for sure.” A swift peck on the cheek ended that conversation. Kat rushed up on the other side of Pastor Paul. Within seconds, she, Bart, and Paul were deep in conversation.
Kenneth snapped his cell phone shut as he came up beside Grandma Bricken and took her arm. The chief had okayed a few more days at the Cove, to wrap things up. Kenneth focused on Kat as she walked into the distance. He knew it would be easy to wrap up the case; but getting Kat to finish their conversation, that was a different story.
“Not to worry, Kenneth. She'll come back to you soon. And when she does, you better be ready to take her on, that cantankerous BC and all.
She wrapped both her arms around his. “Welcome to the family, Kenneth Melbourne. Welcome to Ravens Cove.”
Kenneth stared down at Grandma Bricken and grinned.
“Welcome to Ravens Cove, indeed,” he said, as he patted her hand and started down the hill with the others.
THE END
Ravens Cove Page 16