Hidden Thrones

by Scalzo, Russ

  Jeff’s head was spinning. “This is incredible stuff. So what do you and Jack plan on doing? We can’t let this guy become President.” Jeff realized that he had just included himself in this nearly impossible quest.

  “So... it’s we now?” Frank observed with a grin. “Jack’s got the lead on this one, but I’m sure he’d agree that we could use all the help we can get.”

  As they approached where Frank had parked his car, Jeff turned to him with a very worried look on his face. “Wellsenburg obviously has his eye on you and Jack, so you better be very careful. He is a very powerful man even without Dante or becoming President. I will keep my eyes open and let you know if I hear anything.”

  Frank put his hand on Jeff’s shoulder, “Remember what I told you and spend some time talking to the Lord tonight. You need to have Him in your life. Jesus is the answer to everything you are going through.”

  “Are you kidding? I was praying off and on the whole time you were telling me that story. The Lord and I have a lot to talk about. My life is kind of full of screw-ups. You know I can be a real jackass at times.”

  Frank grinned. There were so many things he could have said to that, but he thought better of it. “Compared to God, we’re all screw-ups. That’s the whole reason for the cross. Besides, I heard he likes little people.”

  “Yo, what ya sayin?!” Jeff gave him the Louie De Palma look channeling Danny DeVito’s character on Taxi. They both laughed. Frank needed to add one more thing, “About Wellsenburg. Please don’t do anything stupid. Let Jack and I run with the ball on this one. I will be in touch.”

  Jeff nodded in agreement and walked off to get his car. Frank was genuinely concerned about his friend. They would have to stay in close contact from here on out. Only God knew what the next move was.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The morning sun found Jack beside his bed on his knees asking God for His divine protection, strength, and discernment. He knew he had to become even more dependent on the Lord’s touch and protection on his and Emily’s lives. He thanked God for Frank’s salvation and his strong desire to follow the Lord.

  Unbeknownst to Jack, someone, or in this case something, was on his front porch. It made no sound as it moved about, for it lived in a different dimension of time and reality. The creature stood five feet tall and had arms and legs, but it moved quickly, smoothly, back and forth without using them. Its feet were large with sharp claws protruding from the ends of them, which left deep scratch marks on the wooden porch floor as it moved. It reared up on its legs to its full height and peered through the large, picture window. Wisps of red vapor trailed from its twisted mouth and nose, and an eerie smirk grew on its distorted face as it studied the layout of the house. Its bulging, reddish eyes searched back and forth, and then grew wide as it looked down the hallway and spied Jack kneeling by his bed.

  Suddenly there was a thump and another wisp of red vapor appeared as an identical creature landed right beside the first. They lowered themselves into a coil of sorts, their shoulders now hunched over like two old men. They each carried short, black daggers strapped to their sides, which dripped with some kind of black slime that burned like an acid when it hit the porch floor. They looked at each other, then at Jack, and slowly pulled them out of their sheaths. Their intent was to stab Jack with their poison daggers. It would not be a physical stab wound leaving deep wounds and flowing blood, but rather a spiritual one that would leave Jack discouraged and fearful. In some, it lasted for days, others weeks, or even longer. Their task was to distract, discourage, and eliminate the threat to their master’s kingdom.

  Like a bolt of lightning they took off and flew around the house in some sort of demonic ceremonial dance. They shot straight for the front door when suddenly an object of incredible brilliance fell from the sky and appeared on the front porch. The creatures hit the light with tremendous force, but they could not penetrate it. Instead, when they hit it they were thrown backwards with an overwhelming force that propelled them head over heels onto the front lawn, hissing and spewing red and orange vapor as they tumbled a hundred feet from the front porch. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves staring at Uriel, who had parked himself right in front of Jack’s door.

  Uriel put his hand on his sword, peered right into their crazed eyes, and with all the authority of God himself, pronounced, “You cannot enter here because of this man’s prayer. Be gone or be destroyed!”

  The creatures looked at each other and grinned, convinced in their lack of wisdom and overriding desire to get to Jack, that they could defeat Uriel.

  “There is only one of you and there are two of us,” they hissed in a voice so evil that it silenced every bird in the nearby trees.

  Uriel’s sword began to glow as he pulled it from its sheath. He was well aware that these were lesser spirits sent to discourage Jack and do damage to his spirit. They did not have the power to do anything more, but it would have been enough to disrupt what the Lord had planned. Uriel could not and would not let that happen. Their plan was no secret to him. He knew why they were sent and who sent them.

  The creatures leaped to their feet, flew straight up into the sky, and began to circle around and around above the area right in front of Jack’s house, screeching in a fit of rage and fury. Their eyes burned red hot. The thought of not completing their mission was intolerable and gnawed at them. With their daggers in hand, they flew with all the speed they could muster towards Uriel.

  Uriel knew that one would try to distract him while the other would attempt to get at Jack. He would have to move quickly to foil their plan, but he was used to moving in between moments of time. In the blink of an eye, they were on him. He moved swiftly and decisively slashing one across its chest, sending it spinning backward onto the front steps, red vapor spewing everywhere. The second one headed for the window at lightning speed. Moving between the seconds, Uriel swung his sword to his right and quickly cut the creature in two.

  There was a high-pitched screech and, in an instant, Uriel vanished in a wisp of smoke. The first creature picked its dagger off the floor and, seething with hatred and with red vapor oozing from its chest, came back at Uriel a second time. This time, Uriel swung his sword high and with one mighty stroke removed the creature’s head from its body in an explosion of red vapor. The vapor cloud rose up, and for a brief moment, formed the image of the slain creature, but then was abruptly swept away by a sudden gust of wind. With its vanishing, a feeling of peace instantly surrounded Jack’s house. Uriel could sense that the air was clear, but he carefully scanned the skies above just in case. He could hear the birds singing once again in the nearby trees. He loved to hear them praise their Creator.

  Uriel turned and walked up to the window to check on Jack. He was still praying and pouring his heart out to the Lord, unaware of the battle that had just taken place. Uriel was pleased. He walked out onto the large green lawn in front of Jack’s house, took one more look around, then unfolded his large, powerful wings, smiled and whispered, “Carry on, Jack Bennett.” With that, he shot straight up into the crystal blue sky and disappeared.

  Without realizing it, Jack’s prayer began to turn to praise, and as it did he could feel a sudden and overwhelming peace sweeping over his whole body like a warm gentle breeze. Suddenly, he could sense that he had broken through and received the answer he had prayed for. Either God had answered his prayer or He was about to. Either way, Jack felt an awesome release in his spirit and an inner joy that he couldn’t explain. He finished praying and stood to his feet, wiped a few tears from his eyes and made his way into the kitchen. He always felt connected to the Lord when he prayed, but this time it was different. It was one of those special times that only happened once in a while. He felt refreshed, but hungry. He had showered earlier, but hadn’t wanted to eat anything before he prayed. He walked into the kitchen, turned on the Keurig that was sitting on the counter, and stepped outside for some fresh air.

  Once outside, Jack quickly n
oticed deep grooves in the wood flooring of his front porch. At first, he was puzzled. He bent down and ran his fingers over the marks. As he did, a chill ran down his spine. It was not out of fear, but of blessing. He had seen enough demon-like creatures to know something very disturbing had happened here, either over the past night or early this morning. Jack ran out on the front lawn to get a good look at the front of his house. He looked high and low, but there was no other damage or evidence of any conflict that he could see, so Jack decided to take a walk around the rest of the house to see if he could find any more confirmation of a demon incursion. He found none. It was quite evident there had been a battle of some sort between the forces of darkness and light. There was no doubt in his mind that it was the Lord who had kept him safe. Jack’s heart overflowed with gratitude and praise. He now clearly understood why he had such an amazing time in prayer. An unexplainable surge of new energy and faith pulsed through his mind, body, and spirit.

  There was no doubt that Jack loved the Lord, but to have God come down and personally touch him like that… well that was beyond awesome. He stood on his front lawn, stretched his arms up to the sky, and with only the birds and the crystal blue Virginia sky as his audience, shouted at the top of his lungs, “Thank you Jesus! Thank you Lord! You are incredible!”

  Tears of joy began to run down his face. God had taken him from a place of despair just a few hours ago to a place of great joy and renewed vision. In his mind, the mission was clearer than ever. He was to continue to expose the powers of darkness without fear, trusting in Almighty God to lead, guide, and protect. The Lord had given Jack many seemingly impossible tasks before. But this… this was deeper water. Jesus knew just what he needed. It reminded him of what an old pastor friend of his used to say over and over again. “God equips those he calls.”

  He stood there for a while with hands raised, gazing up into the sky. It was almost like he could see in the Spirit, right through the atmosphere and straight into heaven. His spirit was soaring. He felt like he could fly and he knew in his heart that one day he would.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Dante’s private plane landed at Reagan National at 4:35 p.m. late Wednesday afternoon. Dante traveled alone and without security, at least none that anyone could see. He felt it was important to travel in the same way as everyday mortals did. He loved portraying himself as human. It gave him a definite edge. He particularly loved the way women looked at him. If he had to choose a form to take, he figured he might as well be good looking. He was tall, but not too tall at six feet, three inches, with jet-black hair and an athletic build. He moved quickly through security, carrying only his briefcase and a small travel bag. He continued out to the concourse level at terminal A and stepped outside.

  Senator Wellsenburg had arranged for a limousine to pick him up right outside the terminal. The limo was right on time and waiting for him as he came out of the terminal. The driver quickly got out, walked around the back of the limo, and opened the door for him. Dante never looked at the driver and got in without saying a word. He was extremely focused and had no interest in talking to someone who, in his eyes, was of very little significance. The driver closed the door and walked back around shaking his head. He returned to his seat and the long, black limousine quickly pulled away. The driver never spoke. He had been instructed to stay silent and to bring his passenger directly to the Hart Senate Office Building.

  Dante sat in the back of the limousine and checked his email messages on his phone. He was a very powerful being, but could only be in one place at a time. He wasn’t God although he liked to think of himself as god-like. For now, this was the best way for him to keep up with the rest of the human race, especially those on the Hill. He enjoyed flying for many reasons, but absolutely hated driving around in cars. He would much rather just appear at his destination than waste his precious time getting frustrated in traffic. However, he had to continue to play the game if his plan was to be successful.

  It was a relatively short drive to the Hart Senate Office Building from Reagan National via the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It was just over five miles and on a good day, you could make it there in about eleven minutes. Today was a good day.

  The limo pulled up to their destination on Second Street. The driver quickly jumped out and opened the door for Dante. As he stepped out, a devilish grin crossed his face. The driver had explicit orders to wait for him to return and then take him to The Palomar Hotel on P Street. He had told the senator that whenever he came to Washington, The Palomar is where he wished to stay, so he left his small bag and briefcase in the limo. He knew he would have to go through security before entering the building and he preferred not to have anyone looking through his briefcase. He lifted his head and scanned the building, then moved swiftly up the steps to the double doors on the outside of the building.

  Dante entered through the westernmost set of stationary doors. The one on the right hand side opened towards him and to the right. He entered through it, then through another interior stationary door and immediately was within inches of the security checkpoint. Dante walked in and lifted his arms high to show he didn’t have anything to place on the conveyer belt of the x-ray machine. The guard didn’t care for his dramatic display and looked him up and down. Then, in an annoyed gesture, motioned to him to walk through the metal detector. Once on the other side, he smiled triumphantly amusing himself. The guard shook his head, and then gave him a nod of approval and Dante continued into the lobby. He looked up at the atrium ceiling that rose high above the first floor, revealing the eight balconies of the other floors in the building. The ninth, and very top floor, was used for meetings and did not have a balcony.

  The north elevator area had six identical elevators, three elevators on the west wall and three elevators on the east wall. There was no seating in any part of the vast lobby area, so Dante made his way towards the elevators on the east side. He was supposed to text Senator Wellsenburg when he arrived, but he wanted to take his time and soak in his surroundings. He pushed the button for the floor of the senator’s office and grinned. He didn’t care at all about mere mortals, but he loved and respected power and control and he felt it in abundance here.

  The elevator doors opened and there in the hallway, right in front of him, stood Senator Colson, Wellsenburg’s chief nemesis. He was discussing a bill with Senator Rimersol of South Carolina, a tall, thin, grey-haired man and a staunch supporter of religious freedom. Colson, hearing the elevator announce its arrival, turned and glanced over.

  As Dante stepped out, their eyes met and instantly locked. They both felt it. It was like a jarring jolt to their spirits. Something grabbed Dante’s attention immediately. His eyes widened and he involuntarily took a step backward. There was a small, glowing, gold, circular mark on Senator Colson’s forehead and it appeared to have some kind of writing wrapped around it.

  Dante knew what it was, but didn’t expect to find it here in what he mockingly referred to as “The Den of Iniquity.” The mark was invisible to humans. Only spirit beings could read it. No mortal could, not even those who wore it. It was the seal of the Spirit of God. It came upon those who were true followers of Jesus Christ. It was a seal of ownership, a kind of deposit guaranteeing complete redemption of body and soul in the future. Dante turned his head away quickly and acted like nothing happened.

  Senator Rimersol glanced over at Colson to get his reaction. Colson’s face said it all. He felt something was terribly wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. All he knew was that he had an eerie feeling that started at the roots of the hairs of his head and ran all the way down to the soles of his feet. Dante wasn’t interested in any type of spiritual encounter, so he took note of who he was and then continued down the hall as if nothing had taken place. Colson watched Dante walk down the hall and turn into Wellsenburg’s office.

  Senator Rimersol couldn’t help but notice the way Dante reacted. “Do you know that man?” he asked, with a curious look on his fa
ce.

  “Ah, no I don’t. And I’m not altogether sure what that was all about, but I saw him go into Wellsenburg’s office, so I have my suspicions.”

  The senator nodded his head in agreement. “I have no idea either, but that seemed pretty weird if you ask me.”

  Senator Colson had a gut feeling that Senator Wellsenburg was up to no good, which usually meant trouble. He knew deep inside that he and this mystery man, whoever he was, would cross paths again. The two men decided to take their conversation to Rimersol’s office.

  Dante walked into Wellsenburg’s office, dismissing the encounter as normal but unexpected. He announced himself to Ms. Venoldy, the senator’s secretary, “Hello, I am Mr. Dante Adal. Senator Wellsenburg is expecting me.”

  Ms. Venoldy looked up from her desk, a bit surprised but somewhat delighted. “Oh, Mr. Adal, The senator had every intention of meeting you in the atrium.”

  Dante smiled at her, “Yes, I was supposed to notify him upon my arrival, but I decided to take my time and look around a bit first before coming up. It’s fine. May I see him now?”

  Ms. Venoldy smiled. She was obviously taken by his charm and good looks. If she knew who he really was, she would have screamed and run out the door. “Yes, of course! I will announce you at once.” She had a hard time taking her eyes off of him.

  She picked up the phone, hit the intercom button, and said, “Mr. Adal is here sir.”

  Within moments the door flew open and Wellsenburg appeared quite surprised. “Dante. I would have met you as you came in. Did you have any trouble with security?”

  Dante just stared. “No. Why would I have a problem with security?”

  “No reason. I just wanted to make sure that all went well. Please come in.” Turning to Ms. Venoldy, he said, “See that we are not disturbed… for any reason.”