The Gift of Empathy (The Gifts Book 3)

by Jen Gentry

  ****

  The angels filled the skies over the water and above the small island. Goat Island itself was hardly visible. A mass of demons so tightly packed it resembled a solid black wall covered the entire island like a protective dome. Emily stood on the deck of the small fishing boat just off the coast of the island. Her dark red tresses flew about her face like mad in the bitter cold wind blowing off the sea.

  In all the times Emily faced demons in the past, including the massive horde in the Amazon, she’d never felt such an oppressive evil presence. She stared out across the frigid waters of the North Sea and shiver ran up her spine. Somewhere in that black mass Jewel was being held by the most evil and vile demons ever known. Only God could bring these demons down. There was no doubt in Emily’s mind that the enemy would fall today. The sheer numbers of angels gathering in the skies made it clear the Lord was here with her and Jewel right now.

  Ethan stepped up beside Emily on the deck and placed his hand in hers. “We will get Jewel. You know that, right?”

  Emily smiled. “Yes, we will get Jewel. I know the Lord is with her and us. We are not alone, Ethan. I wish you could see what I see.”

  “That’s OK. I’ll take your word for it. I’ve seen all I need to see of the spiritual side of things.” Ethan gave Emily’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

  He had no doubt of Emily’s gift and found it comforting to know that the angels were near when they were so needed and the Lord had to be near as well.

  The Gift of Empathy

  Chapter Seventeen

  Proverbs 12:21

  No harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

  After fasting and chanting face down on the sharp cobblestones of the castle ruins for hours on end, Bathomet at last had his answer. He was to force a full possession on the girl or kill her. But the masters warned him that time was running out the girl must be turned over to them or be dead by nightfall. Something was disturbing the masters and Bathomet knew better than to ask. Not that the guru cared one wit for the girl herself. It was her gift that Bathomet coveted. He felt that given more time, he could convert the girl to the point that she would accept the masters willingly—which was always best for the host and the master who guided them.

  On a raised ancient stone altar, Bathomet prepared for the ritual that would hopefully bind Jewel to the master that had been chosen for her.

  The chosen one had opted to call himself Joaquin and that was the name Bathomet chanted to call him forth as he poured out the bowl of Jewel’s blood on the altar and blew her lock of hair into the wind. At sunset, Jewel was brought bound and gagged and placed on the altar.

  In her drug induced state Jewel only knew she had been moved by the feeling of cold fresh air hitting her face. She continuously prayed to the Lord in her mind and with as many words as she could get out with the gag in her mouth.

  “Silence! Your God is dead. He cannot save you. Jewel your only hope for life is in giving in to the masters’ plans for you. They will not suffer you to live if you will not accept them into yourself.” Bathomet screamed at Jewel then went back to chanting over her. He waved a jeweled dagger over her head and across her body making arched and stabbing motions in an attempt to severe Jewel’s ties to a God who would not help her. After several attempts to force the spirit Joaquin on Jewel, Bathomet put down the knife and again tried to reason with Jewel. “Your spirit and your will are strong, Jewel Bell. I will tell you one last time your God is dead. Accept the masters or die.”

  Jewel opened her eyes wide looking straight into Bathomet’s. Bathomet removed the gag from Jewel’s mouth.

  “There now, all you have to do is let the masters guide you. Then you will be a sister and leader to all of us,” Bathomet crooned.

  Jewel managed to sit up and screamed “MY GOD IS NOT DEAD. HE LIVES IN ME.”

  Bathomet raised the dagger above his head. “If you will not come willingly you will die.”

  Jewel blew out her breath as hard as she could in Bathomet’s face before he could plunge the dagger into her heart.

  A flaming great Lion burst forth from Jewel’s breath. It was the last image Bathomet saw before the great Lion consumed him whole. “Again I say, MY GOD IS NOT DEAD!” Jewel shouted. Then the Lion leapt from sight and Bathomet lay dead at Jewel’s feet.

  Gunfire erupted from around the great castle and men with night vision goggles and machine guns filled the castle grounds. At last she was saved. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. I knew you would.

  ****

  “Oh, dear sweet Jesus, thank you. Ethan! Look they got her. They got her.”

  Emily stood on the deck of the fishing boat and pointed. She had the only pair of night vision goggles and Ethan couldn’t see what she did, but he stood beside her and praised God, too.

  Soon the large raft carrying Jewel pulled up alongside the boat and two sisters who’d only known of each other a few months were reunited.

  “Thank God you’re alive, Jewel. I almost gave up and then the Lord promised me that you were in his hands.”

  Locked in a tight embrace, Emily stroked Jewel’s hair. “I am never going to let you go, never again, you know.”

  “Emily you’re choking me, and I have so much I need to tell you.” Jewel gasped for air and the two of them fell to the deck still wrapped around each other in a fierce hug. They stayed together like that all the way back to Amsterdam.

  ****

  Major Hale and his men quickly overtook the small island. They rounded up the entire cult and their security team. Every member of the sect was locked up tight and heavily guarded.

  Bradley joined the Major on the island just as the last person was locked up. “Well, Major, it looks like you and your men did a fine job here.”

  “Sir, I wish I could tell you we did a fine job, but the truth is we really did nothing but mop up. There was only one casualty and that one was dead before my men got to him. We don’t know what killed him either. It’s like he got struck by lightning or something. It’s the strangest thing.”

  “So what will happen to those you have captured?”

  “Well, we have found documents that lead us to believe that this cult made its money by way of human trafficking. There are lists with names of those who have been taken connected with buyers. I think we should take those documents to the Dutch authorities and turn these men over to them.”

  “Hmmm, that sounds like a good idea. And what do you think will happen to this island? It’s so remote. I wonder if it wouldn’t make a great base for covert operations.”

  “I was thinking the same, Sir. But my men say this place is haunted by evil spirits. They all want off this cursed island as quickly as possible.”

  “Do they now? Well, let’s just leave the rounding up of evil spirits to me. I know God, and he knows how to deal with evil.”

  Bradley knew this battle was not over yet. The human puppets of the Ba al` had been taken out of the way, but the evil ones themselves were still very much alive and present on the island.

  “Dear Lord, give me the strength to finish the task you have put before me.” Bradley bowed his head and prayed.

  The Great Ba al` cried out in unison. What was left of the ruined castle shook and tumbled to the ground as the demonic counsel exited the island in mass chaos. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much.

  The angels rejoiced. It seemed the Lord’s plan had come to be just as the Lord willed it to be and it was by the Lord’s own hand that it was done.

  The Gift of Empathy

  Epilogue

  “I do.” Emily looked into Ethan’s eyes as she said the words both of them had waited so long to hear. Jewel and Marta stood to Emily’s side with tears streaming down their faces. Bradley and Ethan’s close friend, Russ, stood next to the groom.

  It was a bright warm day at Perry House and the wedding guests cheered when Ethan swept his bride up in his arms and sealed the marriage with a kiss.

 
At the reception Jewel sat on the staircase with an old acquaintance, Old Sam. “I can’t believe you’re actually here, Sam.” Jewel smiled up at the man who’d been more like a father to her than any other on earth.

  “I came because I wanted to talk to you about Jake. He has been given immunity because his testimony helped put the Merchandizer gang away for good and now he wants to help bring home others who have been taken into the sex trade as captive slaves.”

  “I know all this because Jake has agreed to work with Bradley in helping to bring home as many as they can. But how did you know all this and why did it mean so much to you that you wanted to talk to me about it?”

  “I reckon I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you and how happy it makes me that you have finally found a forever home. And I wanted you to never worry about me. I have a good job and a new forever home as well.”

  “Oh, Sam, I am so happy for you, too. Please stay in touch with me, won’t you.”

  “I promise you, Jewel, I will never be so far away that you will not be able to find me.”

  “Good, now I better go help Aunt Gemma or she’ll try to do all the cleaning up by herself even though Emily hired a mountain of people to do it.” Jewel took off in the direction of the kitchen to find Aunt Gemma. Old Sam disappeared and the angel Samuel took to the skies above Perry House.

  Liam, Staniel, Terrence and all the other angels of Perry House rejoiced to see Emily and Ethan wed at last and for Jewel to be home safe. But Liam did hold back from the celebrating. He looked to the east out over the Atlantic Ocean.

  Samuel placed his hand on the commander’s shoulder. “What troubles you, my brother?”

  “I look to the east and I see all those lost souls taken by the sex slave traders. They are innocents and my heart cries out for them. I want to join in the battle that is even now brewing to save them. But the Lord is telling me to beware for this war is not yet won, and Perry House is in even more danger as the Ba al` calls out to Lucifer himself to intervene on their behalf. The dark ones are crying out for revenge. We must take great care of our charges, for the war will now come to us.”

  The End

  Please enjoy this excerpt from

  The Story of Liam

  Infinite Star

  Coming Soon...

  From: Jen Gentry

  Long before the place of nothingness known as the great void was filled with the planets and stars I was born into the heavenly kingdom of God. It was a time of joy filled with peace in all the corners of the heavens. Discord was unknown to the angels as a foreign concept. Never had strife come to us. We lived to serve the Lord.

  All was as it should be. For eons we, the angels, lived in perfect harmony. Fulfilled and content to serve our creator and most benevolent God. The Great Jehova was more than a God to us, he was our father. Angels were known in that time before time as simply as the sons of God.

  In those glorious days all angels were brothers. Brothers, who lived together, served together, broke manna together, and even shared our dreams with each other. It was in this way we loved one another, as close as any brothers ever could be. When the dark days of the separating came, pitting brother against brother, the pain of separation would remain a constant ache amongst the allegiant angels as well as the fallen for eternity.

  This enduring suffering pain was rent by brothers in arms ultimately tearing the very fabric of all the galaxies apart in the ultimate battle to protect and preserve the realm. It was during this battle, Lucifer, the brightest of all angelic stars, turned angel against angel with lies, deceits, and treachery.

  It was the single greatest act of evil, in a realm that had never known evil, when Lucifer attempted to steal the throne of God.

  On the day I came into being the Great and Mighty Jehova spoke forth my name. “And you shall be called Liam, Infinite Star, steadfast and loyal. You will shine in darkness always. Never will you burn out.” As God spoke the light that would become me burst forth from his words. I sprang from those words into existence fully formed in an immortal body with all consciousness and knowledge of my Lord and myself.

  Then the Great God declared my talents “Liam will excel in strategy to promote my Kingdom.”

  My brother angels rejoiced in my creation and welcomed me into their folds. The first to welcome me was Dachael.

  “Welcome, Liam, Infinite Star. I am Dachael, PortumStellum, Star of Safe Harbor.” Dachael clasped my wrist with his extended hand and I felt a distinct connection to him. He would indeed become my safe harbor. He pointed upwards and drew my attention there.

  It was then I looked upon Lucifer for the first time. He was standing at the right hand of God in the throne room, a glorious being. The light of our God shone radiantly upon him. His smile and countenance lit up the entire sky. There was no mistaking that Lucifer truly was favored of Jehova himself as the Bright Morning Star.

  To know Lucifer was to love him, so close to God was he. All the angels bowed their heads and lowered their wings in deference to Lucifer whenever he came near. It was not the face to the ground worship given to our God, but homage to Lucifer as the right hand of God. While envy was unknown to our kind in this time before the separating all angels longed to be as close to God as Lucifer was. It was a humbling experience to be given notice from Lucifer in the days before his fall from grace and I shall never forget the first time he spoke to me.

  It was on the eve of a great calamity in the celestial galaxy of Proventia. Our Lord gave word to my legion to prepare for a gathering in the proximity of the ancient star as it began its collapse. It was always a great honor to witness the death of a great star such as Proventia. But more than that it was an experience like none other offered in the heavens.

  As protectors of the realm angels are required in great numbers to surround a dying star to keep it from spinning out of control. Other galaxies can get sucked into the vortex of a dying star during the implosion stage. A chain reaction could occur destroying even more galaxies. This would create a super nova like no other. Our job was to contain the energy created by the great star as the spin and implosion began, then direct the energy of the explosion into the creation of another galaxy. It was to this end that Lucifer came to me with a directive from God himself.

  “Liam, my brother, blessed you are among all my brothers. Our Lord has singled you out for a special mission. Come walk with me. Let me share with you the vision of our Father.”

  Bowing low I stammered to be so honored. “I am honored by your request, Lucifer.” He and I fell into step as we exited the great room where my legion gathered in preparation for the stratospheric flight to Proventia.

  We walked the gold paved path leading up to the high mountains that reached up to the stars. The mountains were dotted with clear bottomless lakes that reflected the celestial galaxies like glittering diamonds. This part of the realm was a well-known favorite to Lucifer. To walk with him to this place of quiet reflection was an honor he bestowed upon me. It did not escape me that Lucifer had to know that my legion would see this as great favor for me. My brothers had to be rejoicing for me even now.

  Lucifer stopped along the path and pointed out the most beautiful views. When we reached the top of the highest mountain peak he spoke.

  “Our Lord wants to send the life giving force of Proventia into a galaxy unknown to us, Liam. Our Lord says to focus the energy to one planet in this new system he has named Lac Vitae, the milk of life.

  The planet shall be called Earth. It is on this planet our Lord will create living species. That is all I know. It is the desire of our Lord that you will guide your legion as they escort the life generating energy to Lac Vitae and then focus it on the planet earth.

  “I am our Lord’s humble servant, may I serve him well.” I fell to one knee as I accepted this favor from my Father God.

  “Rise brother. I am sure you will not falter on your mission. You are the Infinite Star, are you not?” Lucifer extended his hand to help me rise.
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  “Yes, I am that.”

  “I want you to keep a detailed account of what you find in the new galaxy, Liam. I personally am very interested in our Lord’s plans for Lac Vitae. I hope you will not mind sharing the results of your quest upon your return with me.”

  “Of course, Lucifer, it would be a great honor for me to do this for you.”

  Lucifer, The Bright Morning Star smiled that dazzling smile and clasped my shoulder. “No brother, it is I who will be honored and grateful.”

  On the walk back down the mountain path Lucifer gave me the gift of his perfect baritone voice and sang a ballad of angelic brothers lost to one another. As I enjoyed the music along with the majestic views I could not have fathomed how prophetic his song really was.

  A note from the Author

  Dearest Readers,

  I wanted to tell you how much each one of you have meant to me. You have helped the Lord carry me through the most difficult times. Thank you so much for your love and support. My life has been fraught with battles the likes of which you would not believe over the last few years. Personal tragedies have almost consumed me and my family. But praise be we serve an awesome and mighty God. Amen!

  The Lord has delivered me and carried my family through the horrific loss of our two-year-old granddaughter and has never left our side. Since this terrible time in my life other tragedies would come including job losses, and yes I say plural losses, and other frightening things. I share this with you to tell you how blessed I am today. I am a successful author. Praise God. My family is now stronger than we ever were. Praise God. I now look forward to each and every day as the Lord restores my soul and rejuvenates my spirit.

  I have the peace and love that passes all understanding and if you do not have this in your life I invite you to pray the sinner’s prayer with me and bring Jesus into your life. When Jesus died on the cross he paid every sinner’s debt and made a way for all to come to him. When you have nothing left and all hope is gone… Just call the name, Jesus. He will come.