“This is important,” Sotare said with emphasis, “you must understand that feelings and personal preferences are not what determine truth. You don’t create your own reality, nor do you create your own truth. You don’t make reality go away if it is inconvenient. You must face it because truth is tied to reality, and reality is independent of you. Therefore, truth is independent of you.”
Mark was obviously straining a little to keep up.
“Think for a moment. Whether or not you know that there is a 1907 ten-dollar gold coin buried ten inches under your feet has no effect on whether or not it is there.”
Mark looked down. “Is there one?”
“Yes. You didn’t know it, but now you do.”
Mark looked back to Sotare.
“The wise seek truth, no matter what it is. The foolish hide from it and seek their own comfort or try to distort truth to suit their own desires. Don’t be a fool.”
Mark listened. He could find nothing wrong with what Sotare was saying, even though he didn’t like it all that much.
“And what of the prince? What is he doing now?”
Sotare looked to the treetops. Both the prince and the slave demon were gone. He looked at Nomos, who had been standing guard.
“They left a few minutes ago,” Nomos informed Sotare.
“They are gone,” said Sotare to Mark. “We don’t know where they went.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“You’re learning.”
Sotare looked at Nomos then back to Mark. He was breathing slowly and a little hard. “Are you tired?”
“A little. This is taking a lot out of me.” He glanced out into the garden again.
“You enjoy your garden, don’t you?”
“It’s my reality check,” responded Mark with a smile as he looked at the trees and bushes. “The garden has always calmed me. I love it out here. It’s my refuge.”
“You need a rest.”
“I’m okay.”
“You need a rest, Mark. You haven’t eaten for hours. So I will disappear for a while.”
“No, please don’t go. There is so much I want to know.”
“I understand, but you need rest and food. Please go into the house and get yourself something to eat and then relax. It will be dark in a few hours and we can talk more this evening.”
“I’m okay. Really, I can understand how you would be concerned for me, but I’m fine.”
Sotare smiled. “I have only your best interests at heart. Please rest. After you eat, lie down on the couch. You’ll fall asleep and when you wake up, we’ll talk more.”
Mark frowned and gritted his teeth slightly.
“I’m going to disappear now. Ready?”
Mark just stared at him. With that, Sotare vanished and Mark stared into empty space. There wasn’t much he could do, so he sat there for a minute in quiet stubbornness before he finally got up and headed for the house. His stomach growled.
In the kitchen he made himself a large sandwich, grabbed some chips and a glass of ice water, and went into the living room. He sat down on the couch and clicked on the TV. There was a basketball game on, but it didn’t interest him. It seemed so mundane now in light of recent events. He flipped through the channels and stopped to listen to the news for a few minutes. The reporter was on the scene of a shooting at a drug house. He then commented on the unsolved killing of a woman. Behind the reporter, Mark saw some trees and wondered if any demons were there. Everything was so different to him now.
More news. There was a famine in an African country and civil war in a Central American country. It was depressing. He pointed the remote at the TV and turned it off with a firm click. He finished his sandwich as he thought about Sotare.
What a day.
He downed the rest of his water and decided to prop his feet up on the couch. He laid his head on a pillow and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he fell asleep.
Beside him Sotare stood, guarding him.
Chapter 4
THE SPACE AROUND NABAL seemed to bend as the powerful creature moved through the blackness of the spirit world. The slave demon was barely able to keep up, straining hard to not suffer the wrath of its master should it fall too far behind. But the prince was unconcerned with the frailty of its slave. Instead, it was intent on answering the call of the worker demons.
In the hospital, the two fallen angels waited. They glanced at one another in fearful expectation of the arrival of the prince and watched John and Kathy, who were oblivious to their presence. The first demon cursed the man in the hospital bed.
John and Kathy talked about Mark and about Kathy’s mother, who had passed away two years ago. John spoke of his hobby of building model airplanes, and, of course, his church. It was mostly chitchat, nothing too serious because Kathy did not want to burden her father with anything weighty. She realized that he was tiring and still in some pain, as his eyelids slowly grew heavy and he winced slightly, clutching his side occasionally as he adjusted himself in bed. She felt bad for him.
“So, are there any eligible bachelorettes at your church?” asked Kathy, trying to make small talk. She knew her father still missed her mom and she was trying to humor him a little. “You’re a handsome man and I’m sure you have to beat the women off with a stick.”
“Actually,” responded John in an overconfident tone, “I was thinking of getting two wives. I don’t have enough time to train one to do everything I need so I figured that if I got two, then maybe I might have better luck.”
Kathy lightly smacked him on the arm as she smiled. “Well, why don’t you get three?”
“I couldn’t handle three right now. I need to heal up first. Maybe after a month or so I can start looking. After all, I…” He stopped abruptly.
“What is it?”
John stared at her. He sensed something. “I don’t know. I just feel funny.”
“Do you want me to get the nurse?”
“No. It isn’t that. It’s more like a…” He paused and looked at her, carefully trying to decide what to say. “It’s more like a spiritual thing.”
Kathy slumped her shoulders. “Oh Dad, I thought it was serious. You scared me.”
Outside the window, an ominous, evil creature glided towards them. Nabal had arrived. The demons bowed low to the floor.
Preceding the monster was the stench of death and decay and it reminded the demons of The Cavern. Nabal billowed its wings to slow its descent and skillfully folded its wings as it slipped through the wall. It crouched slightly to fit in the confines of the hospital room. The slave demon remained outside, hovering. The two demons cowered in a corner.
“Master,” said the first. “We need your strength. We are too weak to accomplish your commands. We are your servants and bow before you. Great One, the enemy is weak and vulnerable, and we knew that such an opportunity is best used by such a one who is as powerful and wondrous as you are. Therefore, we fearfully requested your presence.”
Nabal accepted the sycophantic flattery, then looked at the second creature, which still crouched with its head bowed almost to the floor. “You are fortunate that I do not crush you for summoning me away from my prey.” Nabal stepped towards John, and the two demons quickly bowed lower.
“Something’s not right,” said John to Kathy. “I can’t explain it, but I feel as though… as if something bad…”
“It’s probably the antibiotics and the narcotics they’re giving you,” interrupted Kathy. “Let me get a nurse.”
“No,” he said as he put his hand on her arm. “It isn’t like that.”
John knew that she would not be able to relate to what he was sensing and, even though he was concerned, he was also cautious about saying too much to her. She simply wouldn’t understand. Besides, maybe she was right. After all, he did have a lot of medicine running through him, and it could be playing tricks on his mind.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “This old body can’t handle these newfangled medi
cines.”
Kathy nodded approvingly and relaxed a bit. He smiled as he tried to reassure her, but he could not shake the feeling. He suddenly had the urge to pray but he could not because Kathy began to talk to him. She was trying to distract him.
“Dad, I’ve been concerned about you being all alone in the house without someone else there. I know you’ve told me you’ve been fine, but I really want to know how you’re doing.”
John realized that he could pray after she left, so he decided to engage her in the conversation.
“I’m doing great. I have my model airplanes, volunteering at the church, working in my garden, and worrying about you.” He smiled.
“You and Mark and your gardens, he’s just like you and loves to putter the hours away out there.” She knew that was one of the things that first drew her to Mark, an obvious attraction born from seeing her father work in his garden when she was younger.
“Yes, he’s done a fine job. I still remember the first time I found out he also liked to garden. I knew he was the right man for you. That was all that mattered.” John smiled. They had had this conversation before, and he liked to lovingly rub it in that he knew Mark was going to be her husband before she did. Kathy rolled her eyes as she smiled. They continued their loving banter.
Nabal moved closer to John. It examined both of them but focused on him. Neither of them knew that pure evil was only a few feet away, watching them, lusting after their destruction. Nabal leaned down to John’s face and opened its fanged mouth very close. It exhaled slowly. Then it turned to Kathy and put its hand over her chest. It bent down close to her ear and whispered, “I will pull the flesh from your bones and drink your blood.” Kathy broke from her conversation and shivered slightly.
“What is it?” asked John.
“I don’t know. I just felt a chill.”
It wasn’t a chill, but that was the best way she could describe it.
“Probably a vent open or something,” responded John.
Kathy didn’t answer. She couldn’t shake the odd, uncomfortable feeling that was mixed with a twinge of anxiety. She wondered momentarily if there was something more to her father’s feeling of unease than she realized.
Nabal saw the IV bag that was dripping into John’s arm. The first demon began to speak very carefully, raising its head only high enough to look at Nabal’s feet. “Oh Great One, we thought that if we could force air into the veins of this mortal creature, it might cause his heart to stop.” With that, the demon returned its head to a downward position.
Nabal considered the possibility but only after first examining the room carefully. The electronic devices only reported information. They were useless. The antibiotics were not potent enough to harm him, even if the prince could manage an overdose. It looked at Kathy. She hadn’t been cultivated for use so Nabal dismissed her. There was nothing suitable. It realized that the first demon was right.
Without confirming the demon’s recommendation, Nabal raised its clawed hand towards the line that led into John’s arm and drew its face close. Piercing the veil is difficult even for a prince, but it could be done. Nabal grasped the line with two talons and extended a razor-sharp claw from its other bony hand. Both the demons crouched, motionless. The prince closed its eyes, feeling the line, sensing its existence. Its breathing slowed and, after a few seconds, it opened its eyes to focus. Then it moved the tip of its talon forward slightly. The fabric of space around it sliced open and the tip of the razor sharp talon emerged into the room.
If John or Kathy were to glance at the line, either would have seen only the tip of Nabal’s claw. But the prince had selected a place where it dropped down beside the bed, so it was not visible to either.
Nabal aimed at the soft plastic tubing, moving slowly, pressing its claw onto the plastic. The line tugged slightly. Nabal carefully tried to keep it as still as possible so as not to draw attention, and managed to press it against the bed frame. Then the tip of the claw began to compress the plastic and a visible dent formed. Nabal moved deeper into concentration, ignoring external noises and movements as it slowly and inevitably ensured its ability to pierce the line. The small indentation was growing, deepening. Soon, the tube would give way under the pressure. The next step would be to force air into John’s veins with its own vile, poisoned breath.
There was a knock at the door. John and Kathy looked up.
“Come in,” said John.
A man stuck his head inside.
“Hi, Pastor Tim,” John said with a smile. He tried to sit up a little but the pain prevented him.
“Hi, John. I was at church and I had the strongest urge to pray and then you came to my mind. Since the hospital was on the way home, I thought I would stop by and see how you’re doing.”
The two demons shuddered and stared at their master, who was deep in concentration, eyes closed, breathing slowed. They moved along the wall, away from the door, and towards the window.
“I’m doing great,” said John. “Oh, this is my daughter, Kathy, who I was telling you about.”
Kathy stood up, walked around the bed, and shook Pastor Tim’s hand. As she did, she passed through Nabal’s body and noticed that odd chill again. She ignored it.
“You are as beautiful as your father said you were.”
Kathy threw an embarrassed look at her father.
“Well? It’s true,” said John.
Tim was smiling. “It really is a pleasure to meet you.”
Nabal was having difficulty forcing its claw into the tubing. The pastor’s presence was weakening its concentration.
“It is nice to meet you, too,” said Kathy. “My father has mentioned your church many times.”
“Yes, and he has mentioned you as well. We have all been praying for you and your husband.”
Kathy shifted her weight. She felt uneasy about strangers praying for Mark and her. “Thank you,” she said politely and let it go.
“Well, look,” said Pastor Tim as he picked up on her body language. “I don’t want to disturb you two but I really did have a burden to pray for you, John. Can I do that quickly and get out of your hair?”
“Of course. I’d love it. Kathy, do you mind?”
“No, I don’t mind. I can go outside in the hall and wait.”
“You don’t have to leave,” said Tim. “If it makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to go out, but—well, I’m sorry. Maybe this isn’t a good time.”
“Oh, no,” said Kathy. “It’s fine. I’ll stay right here. I guess prayer never hurt anyone.”
With that, Tim and Kathy moved back towards John. She went to her chair and Tim moved to the bedside. As they did, both inadvertently passed through the same space in which Nabal was standing. The demon prince shuddered.
“That’s strange,” said the pastor. “I just felt a chill.”
Kathy and John looked at each other.
Nabal was deep in concentration, but faltering.
Pastor Tim gently grabbed John’s hand. “I’ll make it fast.”
The two closed their eyes and Tim began to pray. “Lord, I lift up John to you right now and ask that you would protect him and guide him as he heals from this surgery.”
The prince reeled as if it had been struck. The tip of its claw slipped back into the spirit world.
“Please let him recover fully and completely so that he might serve you once again. We thank you that you have given us this hospital through which you have worked your healing hand and we give you thanks for your everyday provision. And, Lord, please protect John and Kathy from evil as well…and draw her to yourself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
The pastor’s prayer reverberated into the spiritual realm and ended with a seismic shockwave produced by the mention of the Savior’s name. Nabal shuddered as if it had been violently struck. The two demons cowered and backed away. Nabal shook its head trying to clear its mind, and then in an instant, realized what had happened. Nabal had been in immediate proximity of a pastor’s prayer
. The prince threw its head back and roared. The two demons had been backing away, but now they both leaped out through the wall, trying to escape the inevitable wrath of the immense demon. Nabal was enraged and opened its jaw full-breadth, jutted its head forward, and shrieked deafeningly into the hospital room at the pastor. Kathy felt an uncomfortable wave pass through her, but she said nothing. The pastor and John had both stopped talking as well, and were both looking at Kathy.
The prince lunged out through the window. The two demons were trying to escape, beating their wings rapidly, fearfully glancing behind them. They flew as fast as they could, but the prince was faster. They split into different directions. Nabal focused on the closest demon servant and with lightning speed, fell upon it and grabbed it, instantly changing direction to find the other, which was still flying frantically. Nabal crushed the throat of its victim and grabbed its wings. With a single movement, it broke them both and threw the wounded demon downward, racing towards the other.
The second growled in terrified defiance, drastically changing its direction, hoping to escape Nabal, but it could not. Each time it dodged, Nabal followed. The demon ducked, but Nabal kept up. It flew upward and bolted to the left, but Nabal tackled it in midair with a thud. The demon screamed but its shriek was cut short by the crushing pressure of Nabal’s talons piercing its throat. The demon shuddered violently and beat Nabal with flapping wings. The prince responded by immediately breaking both its wings and ripping a gash in its chest. The demon gurgled; frothy black blood erupted from its mouth. Nabal brought its face close and peered into yellow eyes until their glow faded. When all movement stopped, Nabal loosened its grip and the demon fell downward, disappearing into the earth.
Then the prince turned its gaze upon its own slave demon, who had fallen behind but was now approaching. It bowed its head in submission as it hovered in the air, awaiting its fate. Nabal considered crushing its frame, but thought it best to let it be, only because it liked having a slave nearby. The prince turned towards the garden and flew, the demon following at a safe distance.
***
The Influence (Supernatural Thriller) Page 9