The Complete 8-Book Guardians Adventure Saga

by Summer Lee

  Every ounce of his soul felt like it was being ripped from him. As he spread his arms out wide, he could feel something unseen take over. “I believe God is my Father and the Almighty One. Nothing is too hard for Him.”

  A strong wind came up. His arms felt like they were being ripped from his body, so he let out a scream of release. The wind was behind his back, as he held the staff tightly. He felt like he was pushing Mt. Rushmore uphill.

  The harder he pushed toward the sea, the more he believed a miracle was about to be released. He was not doing it for anyone but God and his family. He did not worry as to whether he would be remembered or not.

  He asked to be blessed. He wanted his baby to be born healthy and his wife to rest for the first time in her life. He wanted his family by his side and there was nothing that would stop him from achieving it.

  Holding the staff high over his head, he expected God to empower him. He was frozen to the spot, as he felt the air current behind him pick up stronger. He watched the sea swirl in convulsion as the wind blew across the sea.

  “No!” Ben-Shahar yelled at the top of his lungs. “I will not be a part of this… again!”

  “You don’t have a choice!” Sam yelled back. “Take a seat and prepare to be defeated… again!”

  The sea’s water churned. It was as if a great storm had caused the waves to crash against themselves. As the water rose and fell, Sam became lost in the wonder of it all. He no longer acknowledged Ben-Shahar, in spite of his rants. All Sam could do was watch yet another Biblical event first hand. This time he wasn’t just watching it, he was a part of it.

  In his mind, he was nothing compared to the power of God. He felt the same way during the flood in Noah’s time as well. He let his mind take it all in and didn’t bother to try and figure anything out. There was nothing to figure out. All he had to do was have faith and witness the glory of the miracle, as the waves became larger.

  A wall of ice water formed on the right. There was an evident lowering of sea water directly in front of Sam, as the water flowed to the left downstream. That’s where the displaced water was going. He noticed that to either side of him, the sea stabilized.

  As the water level decreased in front of him, he couldn’t look away. His arms were numb, and his hands hurt. But he gripped the Staff of Moses even tighter. He guessed someone would have to pry his fingers loose to get it away from him.

  Sam was ecstatic. He watched the sea part and the sea floor become visible. The staff got hot as it glowed brighter than ever before, lighting the way. Something was on the bottom of the sea floor. He narrowed his eyes to try to see what it was. A metal object was glistening in whatever sunlight was left.

  It then hit him.

  Achava! The Ark of the Covenant is at the bottom of the Red Sea! We need to get to it, but I have to keep the sea… uh… open!

  I’ll take care of it, Sam!

  Achava appeared out of nowhere.

  ***

  The flame tornado started to bend at the center. Straining against more pain than Achava had ever known, she manipulated the tornado right over Ben-Shahar. Before he could realize what was happening, he was sucked up and into the funnel. Achava shot him out like a rocket. He flew out over the Red Sea to where the water was deepest.

  There was a small splash. Ben-Shahar was gone.

  She then focused on her next objective, which was the tornado. She was going to use it to prevent the Egyptian army from advancing. She breathed deeply and blinked her eyes. Instantly, she was next to Sam. She grabbed his hand. “Are you ready this time?”

  He nodded. “Sure am.”

  They both were transported toward the metallic object on the sea floor. They landed on thick mud, right where the air permeated sea water. They looked at each other and then in awe at the water being held back. The Ark of the Covenant was sitting on top of a large piece of rotting wood. It was dry and clean. How strange!

  Sam was able to move his arms, as the staff came free of his grasp and levitated on its own about 5 feet above the ark.

  They could see the fire tornado in the region, slowly dissipating.

  “I’m sorry, Sam,” Achava said. “I cannot hold it together from this distance.”

  “That’s alright, honey,” he replied with a smile. “I think it served its purpose.”

  Sam approached the ark. “I hope I can still touch it, even though I’m not in contact with the staff right now.”

  He reached out and reluctantly placed his hand on the ark, while closing one eye. Nothing happened. He breathed a sigh of relief. “That means the presence of God is not in it anymore, but He is close by.”

  Achava saw the army working its way down into the dry area of the sea. “They’re coming, Sam. Just like Pharaoh’s army.”

  “I know,” he answered. “I think I know how we’re going to end this.” He looked up at his wife. “It may mean both of our sacrifices, though.”

  Her eyes teared up. “If we are to go out, then we do so together in the name of God.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Sam replied. “I don’t know how Ben-Shahar or Lucifer, managed to take away free will from the armies of Israel and Egypt, but I think we can stop that from happening again. In spite of their desires and actions, God chooses to keep everyone’s free will in tack. If the devil takes one person’s will, then he would take all. We will not let that occur.”

  “How do you plan to prevent that from happening again?” she queried.

  “By reintroducing the Commandments of God into the world,” he said, nonchalantly. “If I’m right, the ark hasn’t held the Commandments inside for four thousand years. By placing them inside, we send the power of God’s Commandments to everyone and renew the freedom from sin. God puts His law in the hearts of all who believe. Don’t ask me how that works. I have a feeling God has it all under control.”

  “I believe you can return the Commandments to the ark, Sam my love,” she said, as she kissed him. “With God’s help.”

  “Without the law, we have no idea how to show the love of God to our neighbors,” he said. “It is almost a code of love.”

  “When Jesus told his disciples that the work they should do was to just believe, he showed his love to them in a precious way. The only way to believe in the power of God is to stay in the Word of God.”

  A small army approached, coming over the hills in plain sight. Holding their weapons out front, they aimed them toward the warrior couple. Their faces were full of confusion as they marched rapidly.

  “They are Israelis,” said a confused Achava. “They want the ark.”

  Holding the staff, Sam placed one hand on the lid of the ark and clutched his wife’s hand with the other. It looked like the staff was going to break apart when the sea slowly spilled over into the dry area. But Sam gripped it tightly.

  By now, the army was marching down into the split in the sea, about 100 yards away.

  They needed to protect themselves. Achava became concerned. She asked, “Now?”

  “Not yet,” Sam answered with confidence as he stared at the oncoming horde.

  They were 50 yards and closing in. Sam stood fast.

  At 25 yards, Sam yelled, “Now! Hold on to me! We’re going to the other side.” They practically flew across. It did not stop the soldiers though, as the army got closer.

  He opened the ark’s lid and a brilliant, blinding luminescence shone forth. It was the brightest light possible. It emitted out as far as the naked eye could see. It radiated in every direction. As if it had a mind of its own, the staff broke loose and floated on its own.

  “Look. The staff!” Achava pointed to the staff afloat. It was continuing to function, as more water splashed on them.

  “We have to let it go,” said Sam as the light proceeded to reflect all around. The army continued to run forward, toward them, right through the middle of the miraculous path in the sea.

  “What’s wrong?” Achava asked, impatiently. “Why is the water not closing in on t
hem, like it did for Moses?”

  Sam gulped. “It obviously has to take a little while to work.” Nervously, he added, “I hope it doesn’t take too long, because we’re running out of dry ground on our side.”

  “We have to do something.” Her voice was trembling. “Let’s work together.”

  They both pulled the ark toward dry ground. At the same time, the water was up to their waists.

  A shot rang out, as Sam spun away from the ark and landed in the water. The lid opened and closed. He had been shot in the side. Achava screamed and pulled her husband up from the water. He could not drown—not after all he had been through.

  “It’s okay, Achava,” he said painfully. “As long as the baby’s alright.” Sam then passed out.

  “Help, Lord.” Engaging supernatural strength, Achava pulled Sam and the ark up onto the river bank.

  Achava tried to open the lid to the ark, but it would not budge. She could not do it. Once it was closed, it sealed itself shut.

  She cradled Sam’s head and awaited the horde to destroy them both. “Thank you, Lord, for giving us this chance to serve You.”

  She expected those to be her last words. All of the sudden, there was pure silence, and then she heard the angels sing. Achava looked up to see a very confused throng of soldiers. “What’s happening? Where are we?” The soldiers shouted in muffled tones.

  Then they all looked up at the angel choir and fell to their knees in prayer. They were all Jewish soldiers who knew how to praise the God of heaven. They stood, turned and marched the other way, singing as they departed.

  Suddenly, the staff floated ashore. Achava gasped, as the sea walls slammed together and the water was whole again. A calm came over the sea, as nothing moved—not anywhere on the sea.

  She placed the staff in Sam’s hand. Healing filled his body. When he opened his eyes, he was in Achava’s arms. “Let’s put the Commandments in the ark and go home,” she said.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The ark responded favorably this time.

  Epilogue: Twenty Years Later

  AL-ACHSAH PLACED THE COVER OVER the Ark of the Covenant, with the mercy seat on top. The original Commandments of God were inside. The jar of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded were never found.

  The Sword of Peter was safe in the Archdiocesan Museum, which was a three story brownstone building that housed not only the Sword of Peter brought to Poland by Bishop Jordan, but other historic memorabilia.

  Other artifacts were sealed in a cement box near the Ark of the Covenant. The Staff of Moses and the Crown of Christ rested side by side in a sealed coffin. The Fleece of Gideon was safely protected by Bedouin peasants in the Judean hills. Other artifacts were still in Israel as well.

  Achava’s ancestor, Al-Achsah, had always been the guardian of the Ark of the Covenant. Now Achava’s daughter had that job. When Achava had her baby, she named her after her favorite ancestor, Al-Achsah.

  The young Al-Achsah lived up to her namesake. She used her powers to prophesy for good. Guarding the Ark of the Covenant and the Commandments of God was now one of her jobs. Although, she was tired of spending most of her time in dark caverns. For the time being, she was the only one who could do the tasks at hand. She prayed for patience.

  She was young, but she felt like she had been doing the mission forever. Maybe to some extent, she had. She was pushed too hard and too fast to become who she was. She needed time to experience at least a small part of life that she missed growing up. She wanted to be a normal girl, even though she was anything but normal.

  Normal girls could not time travel.

  She was stronger than anyone else in her lineage. That must have meant that something big was coming soon. Something that she had to be completely focused on, if she was going to succeed. She had no idea what it was, but she knew that she had been prepared to do exploits.

  Her deep love for God and family made her perfect for captivating missions. She performed them well. Even at a young age, she displayed strong faith and knowledge in the scriptures. She learned that the Bible had the power to change lives. It was almost as if she had the knowledge from infancy. Maybe she did.

  She let out a small sigh as she walked through the winding cavern tunnel and out into a grassy field, where the sun shone brightly on the moist grass. Once outside, she turned toward the cave entrance and waved her hands over it, sealing in the artifacts. She created a shimmering energy around it. She then turned to walk slowly through the grass. She kicked off her sandals and let the moist greenery run between her toes.

  Raising her arms in gratitude for that brief moment of solace, she tilted her head back and managed to laugh heartily. She had not had that much relief for a long time.

  That was the first time that she felt like lowering her defenses and allowing life to just happen. She could not let her guard down though, because she sensed someone was nearby. She turned around and saw a man. She expected him to approach her, but he lingered in the background.

  “The flower has bloomed.” A soothing male voice came from behind her. Obviously, he wanted her to know he was there.

  “Took you long enough,” she said as she turned toward the man’s voice with a smug grin. She felt an intrinsic energy coming from him. “How chesty that you tried to sneak up on me. So arrogant.”

  “That is not how you feel.” His eyes had a passionate appearance. She saw a man who looked to be in his twenties. He had on a long robe and wore a full beard. He was not a bad looking man, but he seemed bad. She could feel it.

  ”Please go. This is not my time.”

  There was a shadowy figure on the side of the hill, watching over her. Mother!

  Al-Achsah. She was instantly Soul Merged away.

  She reappeared inside a familiar house. It was much older, but it kept the same look of twenty years earlier. It was located in Dallas, Texas.

  After she appeared, she went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Removing a bottle of water, she opened it and went into the living room to sit down. Stretching out on the sofa, she placed the bottle on the coffee table.

  “I would appreciate some warning.”

  She jumped off the sofa in a panic and faced her mother.

  Achava smiled at her daughter, but shook her head at the lack of discipline. Achava appeared to be in her 50s now. Although there was a sense that she was ageless. What was once long raven hair, was now short, dull hair with streaks of gray. There were definite signs of age on her face, but she kept herself in shape and still looked healthy. It was her desire to be a mother that had humanized her.

  “Mother!” Al-Achsah exclaimed. “I… you know I am still young and need guidance. That is why you watch over me. But I will never be half the warrior that you were.”

  A man’s laughter was heard coming down the hallway. “Wow! She really knows how to con!”

  Samuel Godfrey came in the living room. He now wore bifocals and was much older. He kept in shape as well, but his hair was grayer than his wife’s. He smiled, as he watched his daughter give Achava a big hug and then repeated the hug for him.

  “Ow!” he exclaimed. “Be careful! Ha ha! You have some kind of strength there, young lady.”

  Al-Achsah grinned and nodded. “I get that from Mom’s side of the family. I get my looks from your side, Father.”

  Sam held his chest, as he laughed even harder. He had been having chest pains lately.

  Achava placed a loving hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Did you see me out there?”

  “Yes, Mother,” Al-Achsah replied with a smile.

  “Did you see the young man?” Achava became serious, as she stood in front of her daughter with a stern look. “You need to take him seriously, Al-Achsah.”

  “Oh Mother, I do,” she said, as she waved her hand at Achava, as if to dismiss her statement. “I know how to handle him.”

  Achava said, “You don’t even know him.”

  “This is just the beginning, Al-Achsah,” Sam
said with sincerity and concern. “You need to marry well.”

  “You and Mother can always come out of retirement, if you’re that concerned about my future,” she replied with sarcasm.

  Sam shook his head. “Can’t.”

  Achava sighed. “It’s better that the world thinks us dead. We accomplished our final mission and are now rewarded with a life of retirement… and worry about our headstrong daughter.”

  “Your mother Soul Merged us out of the Red Sea in the nick of time,” Sam said proudly. “If she hadn’t been on the ball that day, we would be…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. Everyone knew it bothered him knowing how close they had been to death. “We picked up the coins of Judas at the wailing wall, and then rescued Peter’s sword that he used to cut off a servant’s ear.”

  “The items are safely sealed in the cave, Father.”

  “We accomplished much,” said Achava. “Even though a lot went wrong.”

  “There’s no need to fret,” Sam said, while trying to understand. “Let’s look at the positive side. Those eleven Shekels of Tyre were extremely rare with their dates and condition. It was more than enough to take care of us in our old age and to help out with someone’s college education, if she so desires. My parents are alive and well and living with Khassima. Speaking of Khassima, she said she would help Al-Achsah with missions, if she needed it. She’s just waiting for you to contact her.”

  Al-Achsah said, “I may just do that.”

  Sam and Achava smiled as they looked at each other. They never told their daughter how they met. Surprisingly, she never asked.

  “Do either of you know who the young man was that followed me today?”

  “He came up to my last lecture several months ago and told me how he saved up enough money to come to Dallas and be a part of the course I was teaching,” said Sam. “As I was giving my lecture, I saw the eagerness in his eyes. It stood out from everyone attending. I remember myself sitting in almost the same row from Professor Salinger, as he talked.”