by Bryan Davis
“What’s the second catalyst?” Elam asked.
She rose to her feet, her expression sad and forlorn. “A sacrifice. Someone will have to give his or her life for Makaidos to be reborn. My teacher said that I must apply the blood of our willing victim to the plant’s leaves.”
“Who will it be? Has it already been planned?”
“Our teacher wouldn’t tell us,” Sapphira said. “It’s hard to explain, but, in the Valley of Souls, the concept of planning is very strange.”
A ripple of light ran across the wall, and a voice sounded as if echoing the tremors of energy. “The lamb has been preparing for this sacrifice for many years, though he or she does not yet know it.”
Directly behind the plant, a vertical line of dazzling light split the wall. A leg protruded, then an arm. Finally, a man appeared. He stepped around the plant and stood with his arms crossed over his Second Eden-style leather tunic and breeches. His white hair and thin white beard dressed him with many years, but his sparkling eyes told of youthful vigor.
“Father Enoch!” Sapphira hugged him around the waist. “It’s wonderful to see you again!”
He laid a palm on the back of her head. “And you, dear child.”
“It’s good to see you again,” Elam said, shaking Enoch’s hand. “I assume you’re aware of the coming army.”
“Indeed. And you are ill prepared. They outnumber you at least a hundred to one.”
“A hundred to one!” Elam looked at each member of his company. Billy read Elam’s dismay. It felt like a stab in the gut. All of their planning now seemed like spitting into a hurricane.
“They are still gathering their forces,” Enoch continued. “Many have been summoned from a great distance, and Arramos, whom I will now call by his real name, Satan, has timed their arrival for this date and hour.”
“Why do they need so many to conquer two little villages like ours?” Elam asked.
“Oh, they haven’t assembled this army to conquer you.” Enoch spread out his arms and called out. “Gather around, everyone, and I will explain. We can take the time, for I must give you a solemn charge.”
Yereq, Sir Barlow, and Candle, who had been standing at the edge of the garden, walked toward them. Billy, Bonnie, Walter, Ashley, Elam, Sapphira, and Valiant formed a semicircle in front of Enoch, leaving room for the three others to join in.
Enoch touched the wall, raising a bright light around the outline of his hand. “The army has come to attack Heaven itself. The alliance with Flint was merely a vehicle, a stepping-stone of sorts. Satan often uses willing fools in his quest to bring down Heaven’s throne. He makes them feel important for a time, then casts them down when they are no longer needed. Now the evil one finally has the means to attack Heaven’s Gate with the legions of warrior slaves he has collected throughout history.”
“So is this the same Heaven’s Gate I saw in the Bridgelands?” Elam asked.
“It is. The Bridgelands were nothing more than a buffer that separated the realms of Earth, Hades, and Second Eden. When the realms joined, the buffer collapsed and brought all three to Heaven’s doorstep. The single world now is a blend of three realities. Because of the temperature, my guess is that where we are standing is a temperate or subtropical zone on Earth, and the residents there have been forced from their usual abode and must find a suitable habitat. Fortunately for us, we blended into Earth’s environment in a zone that was inhabited by very few humans.”
“Do we have other Earth dwellers here now?” Elam asked.
“And Hades dwellers. Except for this barrier to Heaven, all portals have been destroyed. There is no limit to travel between the realms.”
Billy looked at the wall at the east side of the birthing garden, the only barricade separating them from the advancing army. “Are you going to send warriors from Heaven that’ll mow down the forces of Hades?”
Enoch pulled Billy’s sword from its scabbard and lifted it high. Even in the bright sunshine, its glow created a brilliant aura. “We have thousands of angels, and they could wipe out this horde in short order, but that will not be God’s way. Since Satan is bringing an army of his followers and not his demonic host, Jehovah wishes to counter with his own servants and not with his angelic advantage.” He slid the sword back into the scabbard, extinguishing its glow. “Those who live by faith are always more powerful than those who live by sword and sinew.”
Billy again imagined the attacking army, hundreds and hundreds of warriors armed to the teeth. “I guess it makes sense, but I don’t see what’s wrong with having a few angels on our side.”
“Angels on your side?” Enoch chuckled. “I suppose you could say that. Although they are neither Cherubim nor Seraphim, the two faithful witnesses who felled the giants’ tower to Heaven are working behind the scenes to help you in whatever way they can.” He added a wink. “In fact, I think you know them, an especially spunky redhead and a petite songstress. Although they cannot come out here for the battle, they are at this very moment behind that wall planning their strategy.”
Billy looked at Ashley standing near the end of their semicircle. Her broad smile said it all. She knew who the redhead was, her sister Karen. And Elam’s melancholy expression revealed his recognition of the songstress, Naamah.
“So what do we do?” Elam asked.
“Defend this gate. Repel the attackers. Take courage, knowing that you have been prepared for such a time as this, and even if some of you die in battle, you will not be forsaken. You will simply pass through this barrier and take your place with the saints who cheer you on from that side of eternity.” Enoch raised a finger. “And there is one more issue. It is crucial that you bring Flint to the battlefield. Jehovah wants him to see what his decisions have wrought.”
Elam nodded at Sir Barlow. “Will you see to that?”
“With pleasure.” Barlow lumbered toward the village.
“Now,” Enoch said as he stepped back toward the wall, “I must leave you in order to advise our two angels.” He paused and looked at the plant, a sad expression sagging his features. “Until the lamb comes to complete the sacrifice, you will likely suffer great losses. Pray that she comes soon.”
With that, he turned and disappeared through the split in the wall. Then, as if closed by a zipper, the line sealed from bottom to top.
Billy glanced at Bonnie, then at everyone else. Had they picked up the clue? Enoch said, “She.” Who could be the female who would act as a sacrifice that would bring Makaidos back to life?
Bonnie whispered into his ear. “It’s better not to guess. Let the one who is called do what she must do.”
A low hum sounded from the village. Above the trees, the hospital rose slowly into the sky. With the sun shining on its metallic shell, the glint blinded them for a moment, but when it turned and continued to ascend, the luster faded. Soon, it shrank to the size of a mechanical pencil.
Elam locked wrists with Valiant. “Are you ready, my friend?”
“I will be, after we pray.” Valiant’s muscular forearm rippled as he firmed his grip with Elam. “With the enemy closing in, a moment in prayer will feel like another layer of armor.”
From the forest near the village, two figures appeared, Barlow with his arm around Flint. As the two drew closer, Elam faced Heaven’s Gate and lowered himself to his knees. The others joined him in another semicircle. Forming a chain of hands, Elam on one end and Valiant on the other, they waited for Barlow to arrive.
Billy looked at Bonnie. Kneeling with her at Heaven’s Gate felt like the fulfillment of the greatest dream of all time. Someday, when their engagement time reached its climax, they would kneel at an altar of marriage, but could it ever match this heavenly altar?
When Barlow and Flint arrived, Candle released Walter’s hand at the middle of the line. Barlow knelt, took Candle’s hand, and looked up at Flint, who stood shakily. “There is always room for one more,” Barlow said.
Crossing his arms, Flint offered a timid shake of his
head and stepped back a few paces. “I am ill, and I don’t want to infect Candle or Valiant.”
“Very well.” Barlow grasped Walter’s hand and closed the line.
At the end of the row on Billy’s left, Valiant lifted a hand and called out in a loud, vibrant voice. “Father of Lights, creator of all, hear our plea. We kneel at the doorstep of Paradise and ask you to grant us more strength than we have in our muscles, more courage than we feel in our hearts, and more endurance than our feeble arms and legs now possess. We are humbled by your confidence in us, that you would deem us worthy to suffer, bleed, and die for the sake of defending your glory. Although you could sweep this rabble away with a breath, you have blessed us with this great honor. Let us be your breath. Let us be your might. Let us be your hand of wrath upon your enemy.”
Valiant took a deep breath and continued in a softer, gentler tone. “And let us be your hand of mercy as we extend your grace to Flint, an offer of forgiveness if he would only turn from his rebellious ways and allow himself to be embraced by your love.”
Billy sneaked a look at Flint. He kept his stare locked on the eastern wall, shaking in spite of the warmth.
Lowering his hand, Valiant ended with a quiet, “Let this prayer be answered according to your wisdom, by which we all strive to live.”
Bonnie whispered, “Amen.” Several others echoed with quiet amens of their own.
Pulling on each other’s hands, they rose as one. Valiant walked over to Elam and grasped his upper arm. “Warrior Chief, the command is yours.”
Elam looked around at his little army, his muscles flexing and his eyes flashing. “Candle, are the bombs ready?”
The teenager’s dark face lit up with a brilliant smile. “They are on the airplane. Windor is aboard. He was too sick to come out.”
“Get in the air. One or more of the dragon riders will guide your bombing runs.” Now animated in his delivery, Elam thrust a finger toward Ashley. “Is the fuel apparatus ready?”
She nodded. “We’ll burn the whole village before we’ll let them into the garden.”
“Excellent.” Elam grabbed Barlow’s hand with both of his. “My good friend and noble knight, are you ready to go to battle on a dragon?”
Barlow’s smile lifted his mustache. “By all means! May I ride on my old friend Legossi?”
Deepening his voice to mimic the knight, Elam said, “By all means!” Adding a laugh, he pointed toward the village. “You go ahead of us and tell the dragons that we’ll be there soon. They’re probably getting anxious by now.”
While Barlow hurried away, Elam paced back and forth in front of the others. “When the enemy comes within reach, Billy will try Excalibur’s beam. When he has done all he can with it, he will ride Clefspeare into battle. Walter will ride on Firedda, Ashley on Thigocia, Bonnie on Hartanna, Valiant on Yellinia, and I will take Sorentine. Remember to watch for weakness in the dragons. That would indicate that the enemy has candlestones, and we will have to call off our dragon cavalry. And remember this. If your dragon falls to that evil gem, and you survive the fall, but the dragon is incapacitated, you must leave the dragon and hurry back here to help with guarding Heaven’s Gate. There is nothing more important. Our dragon friends will understand.”
Billy gauged everyone’s expression. Bonnie, in particular, grimaced at the thought of leaving her mother behind, but they all seemed to understand that this strategy was necessary.
“Sapphira will stay on the ground,” Elam continued, “and ride Dikaios to light the fires when the enemy gets close enough to our trap. Yereq will stand here at the wall as the final guard. Any enemy who gets past our defenses will have to face him.”
He stopped pacing and, with a serious bend in his brow, faced his troops. “Any questions?”
“I have one.” Bonnie pointed at the forest near the village. “What are we going to do with her?”
Like a timid deer, Listener peeked out from behind a tree. Dressed in the village’s battle uniform, she walked slowly toward them, her head low and the spyglass in her grip. With sleeves and pant legs overlapping her hands and boots, she looked like a soldier who had shrunk while wearing her clothes.
Bonnie whispered, but her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. “I know what she’s doing.”
“The lamb?” Elam asked.
Bonnie nodded. “At least she thinks she is. She overheard me talking to Sapphira about the need of a sacrifice to resurrect Makaidos. Since she feels like she should have died in his place, she wants to be the one.”
As Listener approached, the image of her nearly lifeless body on the surgery cot came back to Billy’s mind. During those torturous hours, everyone had worked so hard to keep this precious girl alive. Makaidos had given his own life in her place, choosing flames and forfeiture of his soul to let her live.
Billy shook his head. No way. There was no way he would let her die now.
“Bonnie,” he said, keeping his own voice low, “can you fly her up to the hospital?”
“I can try, but—”
“No time,” Elam said. “We have to go to war. And, besides, the choice of the lamb isn’t our business.”
Billy gritted his teeth. Like Valiant had said earlier, they were going to battle for little girls like this. How could they let her die now?
Dikaios galloped out of the forest. When he caught up with Listener, he stopped, helped her climb to his back, and carried her to the garden.
“Their army is now complete,” Dikaios said when he arrived. “Clefspeare estimates at least nine hundred armed men, perhaps a thousand, along with two hundred horses and fifty chariots. He expects them to arrive within fifteen minutes.”
Elam looked into the horse’s eyes. “My good friend, when we met in the Bridgelands, did you know that we would be facing such an army together?”
“No, Elam. I was called to serve my master, and that is all I need to know. If I must sacrifice limb or life, I do so gladly, for there is no greater joy than to die in my master’s hands.”
“Well stated.” Elam looked down and dragged his shoe across the drying mud. He seemed ready to speak again, but he just sighed and whispered, “Well stated.”
“I have come to help Timothy resurrect,” Listener said from atop Dikaios. She sucked in a breath and squared her shoulders. “I can fight almost as well as Candle. I promise not to die on purpose.”
Billy turned away. Watching that girl’s determined, yet piteous expression would make him laugh or cry, or maybe both at the same time.
“Let her come with me,” Sapphira said to Elam. “She can help me set the fires. We certainly can’t leave her alone in the village.”
“I guess that will have to do.” His face melancholy, Elam looked at Billy. “I’m going now. You have a couple of minutes if you need more time with your friends.”
Billy nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”
Elam stood face to face with Sapphira. She looked up at him, her eyes moist. He looked back at her. They neither moved nor spoke.
Billy slid his hand into Bonnie’s. He could feel the heartache. Elam and Sapphira had waited thousands of years to come together, often in the abyss of loneliness. Now they had to separate once more, and who could tell if one or both of them might die in battle?
Elam lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers. A tear emerged from Sapphira’s eye. A spasm shook her body, and as she wiggled her own fingers, she broke into sobs, but she didn’t say a word.
Turning abruptly, Elam signaled for Valiant. They each took one of Flint’s arms and marched him out of the garden.
Bonnie embraced Sapphira and kissed the top of her head, then, with Ashley’s help, boosted her onto Dikaios’s back with Listener. Without a word, Dikaios turned and trotted away.
Walter clapped Billy on the shoulder. “You ready?”
“I think so.” Billy gripped Excalibur’s hilt and looked around. Yereq stood in front of the plant, his feet set firmly and his arms locked over his chest. The great giant
was now the only one in the garden besides Billy, Walter, Bonnie, and Ashley.
“We’d better go.” Billy reached for Bonnie’s hand. “How about you? Are you ready?”
Her eyes a blend of sadness and determination, she nodded. “I am.”
Walter pulled Billy and Ashley closer, and Bonnie joined them in a tight circle. “Listen, guys,” Walter said with a shot of confidence in his voice. “This is just like old times, the four of us fighting the bad guys. We’ve battled the forces of Hades before; we can do it again.” He put his hand in the middle of their huddle, palm down. “If you don’t believe we’re going to win this thing, then don’t join your hand with mine. But if you think that the God who took us to Hades and back is going to help us kick these guys’ butts, then let’s see it.”
Ashley laid her hand on top of his. “I believe it with all my heart!”
Bonnie’s hand came next. “Whether I live or die, I am the Lord’s, and he will win the battle.”
Billy looked at each set of joyous eyes. What faith! What sincerity! They exuded the overflowing confidence they had been learning through all their incredible adventures. And now, when called to face almost certain death, they showed no hint of hesitation. How could any army, no matter how great, conquer a God who could instill such supernatural courage in his soldiers, no matter how few?
Billy laid his hand on top. He then set his other hand underneath and pressed the layers closer. Reaching for the same confident tone, he let his gaze pass across each face. “Nothing will ever separate us, neither life, nor death, nor the armies of Hell. If I don’t see you again on this side of the heavenly wall, I will see you on the other.”
Chapter 15
The Invasion
Billy stood next to Clefspeare. Both stared into the northeastern field, the same field where they had battled the shadow people.
In the daylight, everything seemed so different—bright, cheery, almost peaceful. Yes, almost. Billy’s danger alarm was already burning in his stomach. A rise in the landscape prevented them from seeing beyond a half mile or so, but a low rumble from somewhere in the distance agreed with the alarm. Something big was on its way.