by Summer Lee
She glared at the soldier. The sounds diminished, as they stared at each other. Amidst the death and destruction all around her, she made verbal contact with the now trembling young man.
“My battle is not with you, soldier. You are on the wrong side. I will not raise one hand against an army that is from a land more dear to me than any other. You think about that, before you take any more lives for Ben-Shahar’s war,” she said. “He is an evil man.”
She then looked up the side of the mountain and saw one she thought to be Sam coming toward her. She called out, “Guess what? The Sentinels of the Lord are fighting for us at the base of Mt. Sinai.”
“Who are they fighting?” he asked.
“Artemis Kieleg brought some Egyptians and Israelis,” she answered, puzzled that he did not know the answer. “You…” Then it hit her. This was a sorcerer’s trick. If it was Sam, he would have known the answer. Her anger got the better of her. “Who are you? Where is my husband?”
The imposter pulled back. At first he tried to look puzzled and then chose it was foolish to keep the charade up. The staff in his hand disappeared from his grasp. The air altered around him, until the familiar visage disappeared to reveal another one.
Achava panicked. Another enemy from the past. Artemis Kieleg wants me dead..
She grabbed him with both hands and lifted him off the ground. “I will ask you only once more! Where is my…?”
“…husband. Yes, I heard you the first time.”
She raced toward him, locked his arm behind him and pushed it upward until it snapped. He acted like it was nothing.
“Where is Sam?”
“Why should I know? Love is so overrated,” Artemis Kieleg said nonchalantly as he grabbed her hair. Pulling her head back to look at him, he grinned. “So many things are overrated. Like you, for example.” She then turned, grabbed him, and threw him down the mountain toward the battlefield.
Achava turned and ran toward the helicopters, thinking that Sam might be tied up and suffering. Yet, she tried to dismiss that possibility as she approached the vehicle.
Chapter the Eighth
SAM WATCHED AS MOST OF THE AIRMEN ran from the helicopters and proceeded down the hillside to fight with the soldiers. There were about ten airmen left behind. They had stayed to guard the V.T.O.L. and the main helicopter.
Instantly, a heat surge came up fast from below him. He dodged just in time to avoid being hit with a huge fireball. It did hit the helicopter though, and it exploded upon impact. The resulting explosion caused flaming debris to shower down on a large area of the summit, while the force of the blast pushed Sam several yards downhill. He strained to get up as pain shot through his body.
Sam caught a glimpse of Achava making short work of some enemy soldiers. “Achava!” he called out, running to her and embracing her. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” She was crying.
“Why are you crying?”
“I just dealt with Artemis Kieleg. I managed to throw him down the mountain.”
“How did he know we were here?”
“I don’t know, but I tackled him.”
“Good. What should we do now?”
“Maybe nothing, Sam,” she responded, trying to compose herself. “We have… allies.”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Allies? So we’re not alone in this battle for the stone tablets? That’s great! Isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “It is a blessing. The Sentinels of the Lord are here. ”
She went silent as sounds of gunfire rang out. Sam quickly turned around. Kieleg had arrived. He grabbed Achava by the hair, holding a firearm aimed at Sam. “I’ve got you both now.”
“Use your weapon,” Achava said.
Sam slammed the bottom of the staff down onto the ground. The entire summit shook violently as if an earthquake had just hit.
Kieleg looked shocked.
No one was more surprised than Sam, as Kieleg let go of Achava and backed up. Sam had no idea what to expect next, but that didn’t stop him from slamming the staff down on the ground for a second time.
The top of the staff warmed up to Sam’s touch and had a red glow. The staff shook as Sam held onto it with all his strength. It took both hands just to keep it steady. The red glow grew larger as a single locust flew out from under it.
Sam’s eyes widened. “Achava, look!”
Almost immediately, thousands of locusts swarmed out from the glow. It seemed that they were of one mind as they went straight for Kieleg.
Achava rolled out of the way as Kieleg was bombarded with every locust that came out from the glow of the staff.
Sam held his ground as he looked on in shock. One of the plagues of Egypt.
Yes, Sam. It is a miracle, like Moses.
The locusts completely covered Kieleg. He panicked and attempted to magically burn them off. It did not work. As he was covered more, his screams echoed throughout the valley. He wizardly made ice where fire failed. That didn’t work either. He then endeavored to summon the earth itself to completely cover him to protect him from the locusts. Nothing worked.
The dirt formed a cocoon about him. The locusts moved so fast that a large amount ended up being trapped in the dirt cocoon with him. As if he had one last chance, Kieleg struggled to use the power of the air to blow the insects away. It was like watching a horror movie for Sam. It was a plague of Biblical proportions, after all.
Yes it was.
Turning, Sam helped Achava up. Still looking in awe at the enemy, he was entranced with what the one plague was doing to their foe. Sam looked back toward the vehicles. “How goes the war?”
“Speaking of war…” she said, “…there is one still going on at the base of Mt. Sinai. I can’t explain it, but I… feel it.”
Sam grabbed the Staff of Moses and walked toward the edge of the summit where the Steps of Penitence were. “They’re fighting our battle, Achava.”
“I know,” she responded. “We must help them finish what we started.”
“Can you make it to…?” His question was cut short. For the first time since Kieleg attacked her, he finally got a good look at Achava. Much of her hair had been yanked out and was now extremely short. She looked embarrassed and tried in vain to straighten her hair out by running her hands through it.
“No,” Sam said in a comforting tone. “It’s fine. I didn’t fall in love with your hair. You’re still beautiful. We do have to leave immediately, though. Can you make it to the vehicles?”
She nodded, as they headed toward the aircraft. Kieleg’s screams continued as they turned their backs on him. When Sam was about to open the door to the V.T.O.L., a fireball struck him in the back and slammed him into the craft with tremendous force.
He dropped the staff and fell to the ground. Achava turned to see Kieleg facing her with a grin on his face. “Did you really think you could get rid of me with a bunch of bugs?” he asked. The locusts were about three feet behind him. He obviously used his air powers to keep them at bay. When Sam collapsed, unconscious, the locusts disappeared.
***
ACHAVA BENT DOWN TO CHECK to see if her husband was still breathing. He was. Barely! She was feeling more than her fair share of emotions as she glared at Kieleg. “What did you do? You almost killed him.”
“So, I have your attention now,” he said with a smug look.
Achava stood back up and motioned to several of the Sentinels of the Lord to come care for Sam. They responded instantly. First, they picked Sam up and placed him in the aircraft, placing the staff across his chest. Next, they guarded the plane from Kieleg.
Motioning with her hand, Achava said, “Slay the guy. I’ve had enough of him.” She had previously made it a point to try to hold back her temper. Even when she fought people who wanted her dead. She had kept everything inside for too long. Now she had to release it. She recalled the stories of when Jesus saw that merchants had set up shop in the temple. She remembered tales of his anger whe
n he kicked them out. She hated to compare herself to any aspect of Jesus’s life, but she knew when she had reached her limit. Even warriors of God felt stress sometimes. As long as she was in the flesh, she would feel as humans felt. She could be hurt and feel anger. All of the persecution. The loss of so many allies. Her mother gone. The loss of her sister. Leaders in her country declaring war against her. Now Sam was dying. It was too much.
Achava said nothing, but mentally called upon every power and ability she had acquired from Anthea. She hadn’t taken stock of what her new abilities were since her sister died. She hadn’t wanted to even think about it. But now was different. Being in touch with the inherited gifts, she could feel different components of Anthea coursing through her veins. Different emotions accompanied the former tattoo powers of Anthea. Achava remembered that Anthea would get a new tattoo to match her mood. She made sure to get the tattoo before she lost her current demeanor. It made the tattoo and ability more personal to her that way.
The tattoos were not necessary. All of Achava’s newly acquired abilities were just as personal for her as her own had been. Achava could feel the emotions her sister imbued into each power. She could feel the passion that often went unnoticed by others. She could also feel the loss of love in Anthea’s life. Achava could not help but shed a tear for her sister’s hidden burdens. Anthea was never truly accepted. Even by her own family.
Achava was always the star, the one to succeed and do the will of the Lord. Achava rarely thought about how that made Anthea feel, until recently. She realized that Anthea had reached out like a child wanting attention. She couldn’t get positive reinforcement, so she followed a darker path. Another tear rolled down Achava’s cheek, as she realized her sister achieved her goal of getting attention. She got it when she went down the path of evil.
Achava always could feel Anthea’s conscious vying for control over the emotionally torn warrior. She now knew that Anthea tried to follow her path, instead of finding one of her own. When she did strike out on her own way in life, it was the wrong path. The path of destruction.
One more tear ran down her cheek, as Achava realized that Anthea died saving Sam and her. She sacrificed herself and took out most of their enemies, to buy the married couple some time alone.
The tears started to pour down her cheeks, as Achava then thought about all of those who sacrificed themselves for God’s missions. The latest being her sister and Aharon. All of their sacrifices would not be in vain. Achava and Sam would rid the world of evil.
For starters, Kieleg would get his.
Achava walked right up to Kieleg, who didn’t flinch when she was about an inch away from him. A smirk slowly crept over her mouth, and she was reminiscent of Anthea’s attitude. “You ruined my hair. My husband loved my hair.” She flashed her hand back and forth in his face, and then she slapped him unconscious. Bam!
“Good bye, evil one.”
As she said those final words to Kieleg, an explosive force of energy expelled from every pore of her body. It completely encompassed Kieleg in a blinding burst of visible radiation. With it came a feeling of relief for Achava, as she forced out all of the emotional ties to her new-found abilities.
She had felt the hatred, anger, fear, depression, envy, feelings of inadequacies, and more, enter her subconscious from Anthea. Her emotions set up shop in their new home. She had felt them trying to take her over, almost as soon as she inherited Anthea’s abilities. Now it was time to let the worst thoughts go.
The difference was that Achava knew how to put those emotions into play and not let them control her. She controlled them. She now unleashed their full unfettered fury onto just one target—Kieleg. It was intoxicating as a brilliant light show was performed in front of her. She saw some energy strands swerve off on their own in some sort of macabre act as they danced up into the sky.
Some Sentinels stood and watched in shock.
The soldiers at the base of Mt. Sinai would probably just see something that resembled fireworks. In actuality, it was so much more. The release froze Achava in a blissful suspension, while her foe disappeared. He was no more.
Once the light show started to fade and Achava could move again, she noticed that there was absolutely no trace of Kieleg. She glanced over the entire area to see if there was anything that would cause her to believe that Kieleg would be a threat in the future.
There was nothing. There was no trace of him.
She actually felt in her gut that he had disintegrated. That revelation startled her, but relieved her just the same. The electrical energy had caused her physical pain. She felt an ache in every part of her body, as she slowly turned back toward the aircraft where she had left Sam. Each step took serious effort as she forced herself forward. When she finally made it back to the plane and stepped inside, she felt safe. Joy filled her soul when she saw Sam moving around. She bent down and gently touched his face with the back of her fingers. He opened his eyes and smiled. She smiled back and kissed his forehead.
“Am I dead?” he asked, with a groan.
She shook her head. “Not this time.”
“Do we have more to do?” he replied with a sigh.
“There are still enemies nearby.”
“Then I need to finish my course.”
She nodded. “I’m afraid so, Sam. Although I do have good news.”
“What’s that?”
“We don’t have to worry about Artemis Kieleg anymore.”
“Praise God.” Sam looked around with concern. “Did you…?”
“In a way,” she replied. “I had help with the gifts from my sister. Originally, I thought they would be a burden, but they have proven to be quite helpful.”
“Is there anything left of him?” Sam queried with some apprehension.
She shook her head. “You won’t find anything left. I had no choice. We had subdued him several times in the past and he kept either getting help to escape or…”
“It’s alright,” Sam interrupted. “You don’t have to explain. You did what you had to do. Unfortunately, this is war. That’s what you have to do in war.”
“Do you wish to finish your God-given assignment?” She held his hand and released energy into him. “Ready for another battle?”
“Ready.” They clasped hands and both disappeared, but neither one knew where they were going or what was going on with them in the supernatural arena. “We have to win this war.”
***
THEY APPEARED AT THE BASE of the mountain and at the start of the steps. As soon as they appeared, the fighting stopped.
“What’s going on?” Sam asked, as if Achava knew any more than he did.
“I have no idea,” she answered. “Whatever it is, I hope it is in our favor.”
Sam could see the air shimmering in what appeared to be a dome over the battlefield. He pointed to it. “Does that have anything to do with what’s going on here?”
Achava looked serious. “It is possible. But I suspect it means that the war is over.”
“If that is true,” Sam said, “we won.”
At that moment, the Israeli soldiers that were still alive, raised their hands in surrender. The Sentinels of the Lord had beaten them down. Achava cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Thank you, Sentinels. Israelis, go home.”
Sam called out as well to the soldiers. “We are not terrorists. You’ve been deceived. Since you surrendered, we could hold you. But you are not being taken as prisoners. So go home.”
It was Achava’s turn to yell again. “I am one of the spiritual protectors of Israel and guardian of the artifacts. I won’t hurt anyone.”
She looked at Sam and grinned. “How was that?”
“Good.” Sam said that he wondered about the Sentinels of the Lord. “Since they are supposed to be loyal to God, will they follow His leading? Or can they be controlled by an evil source to attack us?”
“They are good. Even their name reflects it.” She laughed. “They won’t hurt us.”
“I was just wondering. Is it possible that someone of faith can be controlled by outside forces?” His question was more of a vocal one for his ears only.
Achava heard him. “No,” she said with the utmost confidence. “They will do what is right.”
About that time, the Sentinels lined up to go. They waved. “Be blessed, Achava and Sam,” the leader called out.
“Goodbye and thank you.”
The Sentinels floated away, singing the praises of God as they went. Soon they were out of sight. The soldiers turned toward the couple again.
Sam said, “A nice Soul Merge is in store about now. Don’t you think?” Sam felt his heart racing.
Achava nodded in agreement. She held his hand, as she glared one last time at the host below. They were all Egyptians. She could tell by their camouflage uniforms. Blinking her eyes and twitching her nose did not help.
“Any time, Achava,” Sam said impatiently.
“I am trying, Sam.” She was starting to sweat. “For some reason, I cannot Soul Merge right now.”
“What?” he shouted as he turned his full attention on her. “Is it that shimmering thing again?”
“It might be,” she added.
Sam appeared to be in full panic. “I thought you were capable of much more!” He didn’t sound sarcastic, just worried. “You didn’t lose the Soul Merge when you destroyed Kieleg, did you?”
“I don’t think so,” she said with trepidation. “I still feel that I have all of the abilities that Anthea gave me, plus my own. I think it might be part of me now. I’m probably just tired.”
Sam looked at the steps, then looked at the soldiers. “Before that bunch decides to attack us, I think we should get out of here. Want to take a plane?”
“First, we go up the steps.”
“Fast.”
Chapter the Ninth
ACHAVA PUSHED SAM UP FIRST, so that she could protect their rear.
Although he was reluctant, she persuaded him that time was of the essence. He rushed up the steps with her following close behind. He slipped several times, while trying to keep his balance on the rock path. He tried to go even faster, not knowing how much longer Achava could protect them. There was even a point where he almost had to go on all fours up some of the steeper parts of the path.