The Gift of Knowledge (The Gifts Book 2)

by Jen Gentry

  “There, park right in the front of that church,” Emily pointed the way. Ethan pulled into a parking spot next to the curb in front of the building, and parked the car.

  “So, we’re just going to walk right into this church without any problems?” Ethan asked as he gave Emily a look that clearly showed his confusion in her choice of a place to be safe.

  “Yes, Ethan, I know this must be strange to you, but I need you to trust me for just a little while, alright?” She smiled at him and he shook his head,

  “It seems that at the present time I’ve no other choice.”

  Emily got out of the car followed by Ethan carrying the bags of first aid supplies. To his surprise, the large, wooden front doors to the church were open, and Emily walked right in.

  It did not take long for the two of them to find a bathroom with cold running water. They both sighed with relief as the cold water ran over their hands. Ethan began pulling burn creams and bandages from the pharmacy bags then took Emily’s hands in his own to examine them. His gentle touch perplexed Emily. It seemed as if the good doctor was more than he appeared to be. He very carefully applied a soothing lotion to the blisters on her palms and wrapped them in gauze.

  She then helped him do the same. Fortunately, the burns were not as severe as Ethan first thought.

  Once she finished wrapping his hands, Emily looked up into Ethan’s eyes. He towered over her by several inches, so she judged him to be at least six-four to her five-ten. It was a rare thing for Emily to look up at anyone. His eyes were a golden brown, a strange and unique color. Emily felt a pull from inside that could only be described as a strong attraction. As his eyes met hers, she knew he felt that same pull. She took a step back to put some distance between them. This was not what she had in mind when she promised the Lord she would help him.

  “OK, Doc, let’s find a place where we can sit and talk.” Emily left Ethan to follow after her as she went to find an empty pew.

  ***

  Outside the church the angels surrounded the building. Liam was with them. They were on the lookout for any demons as well as the man, Lazar. Terrence found Liam standing in front of the doors to the church, which were now locked and secure.

  “How is Emily, Terrence?” Liam asked the large, dark skinned warrior.

  “Her injuries are minimal, Commander, and Ethan will be fine, as well.”

  “Good work, Terrence, in getting them here safely. What of the journals?”

  “The ancient ones are a total loss, sir, but there are photographs of them on Ethan’s cell phone. Mr. Perry’s private journals are locked in the car.”

  Liam motioned for two angels standing close by to come forward as he gave them orders.

  “Cover the car. Those journals must be kept safe. Lazar wants them badly, and the dark ones want only to destroy them.” The two angels followed orders and spread their massive wings out over the car to cloak it from both human and demonic eyes.

  “Go back to Emily, Terrence, I am sure she will need some help in explaining a few things to Ethan. Help him to understand and accept the Lord’s will.”

  Terrence went back into the church to do as his Commander bid. The rest of the angelic host continued their watch over the church and the humans inside of it. Together they formed an impenetrable barrier as they faced outward with their weapons drawn. Liam wondered at the lack of a fight as there were no demons in sight so far, but he remained vigilant. The attack would come, he knew, as it always did.

  Chapter Three

  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

  Jeremiah 1:7 King James Bible

  Emily found a light switch in the church sanctuary, flipped it on, and sat down on a pew in the back. Ethan sat beside her and faced her. “Are your hands OK?”

  “I’ll be alright. Listen, Ethan, I don’t know what you know, and I don’t know what you may think I know. So I’ll just be honest with you. I can see things that other people can’t. I know the Lord wants me to help you. I’m not sure why, but I’m led to stay with you and help you find what you’re looking for.”

  Ethan didn’t know what he expected to hear, but this wasn’t it. He decided to take an analytical approach.

  “What do you mean when you say you can see things that others can’t?” He would start there and get to the other stuff about her staying with him later.

  “I have a gift. I can see angels and demons. What I can tell you is that it was no accident that the Spaniard’s journals burned. A demon purposely set them on fire. I can only guess why. Your mission is an important and dangerous one. You have spiritual forces working against you. I know how this may sound, and frankly, other than my Aunt Gemma, I have never spoken to anyone else about this until now. My Aunt Gemma and I are the only ones I know who have this gift. I am sure there are others like us, but secrecy is of vital importance if we wish to live fairly normal lives. Not even my closest friend, Marta, knows this about me.” Emily felt she should let Ethan digest that information slowly. As she remained silent and watched him a look of disbelief then doubt crossed his face.

  “So… you think you can see angels and demons, and you think that God is somehow telling you to stay with me, and do what? Help me find the lost giants in the Amazon?”

  Very softly Emily began to pray out loud, “Father, in heaven, please give Ethan eyes that he may see, ears that he may hear, and wisdom that he may understand. I ask these things in Jesus’ name.”

  Emily watched as Terrence spread his wings and cast his light upon Ethan while placing his hands on Ethan’s shoulders. Ethan didn’t see Terrance or the light, but he felt a peace like he had never known before come over him. In his heart he knew as he looked into Emily’s eyes that she was telling him the truth. Somehow he just knew. With that knowledge he also realized he needed Emily. If he was going to find the lost cave of the giants he would need her help. He also knew that having her with him would be placing her in harm’s way. He needed to ask her what she knew about Lazar.

  “Emily,” he said as he took her bandaged hands in his. “I believe you, but you have to understand some things. The place I’m going to is uncharted and uncivilized. This is not the kind of place a person can go to without proper training and guidance. These are things that I do not have time to teach you, as I have a man on my trail who would like nothing more than to steal all my research and make a name for himself by finding the giants before I can. He’s a dangerous man. I can’t prove it, but I blame him for the death of one of our colleagues who was helping me. I don’t want to put you in danger by having you with me. Do you understand that?”

  “Dr. Carmine Lazar, that’s the man who’s after you, right?” Emily asked.

  “Yes, do you know him?” Ethan’s gut feeling was right. Emily had heard from Lazar.

  “He came to Perry House about a month ago. He wanted the maps. The Lord spoke to me and warned me not to let him have them or even look at them. I sent him away and told him I no longer had the Spaniard’s journals, which wasn’t a lie, really. He offered me money to lead him in the right direction. I turned down the money and gave him Robert Monroe’s number. Then I called Robert and told him to not let Dr. Lazar near the documents. That man has an evil presence that drives him. Robert told me he made many offers for the documents and has been quite persistent in his quest for them. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore now that they’ve destroyed.” A hint of sadness crept into her voice, and Ethan thought she might be feeling the loss of the Spaniard’s journals.

  He groaned. He may have led Lazar to her inadvertently while making inquiries regarding the Spaniard’s journals amongst his other colleagues. He should have known Lazar would be watching his every move. He would have to be more careful in the future with his inquires, and he would have to find a way to keep Emily safe.

  “Alright, the only way I can keep an eye on you is to keep you with me. I still don’t
like this idea, but I think it may be the only way. You will need your passport and a whole list of other things before we can leave. How long do you think it will take to get what you need for an extended trip like this?”

  “We can shop for supplies in the morning. I have my credit cards with me, and the funny thing about my passport is that Marta has one for me. We were planning a trip to Europe soon and we each got one not long ago. I think we could be on our way by tomorrow afternoon,”

  Emily tapped her chin as she thought. Well Lord, you certainly paved the way for this. I pray your will be done and you keep both of us safe. She pulled out a small notepad and a pen from her purse.

  “OK, let’s make a list of everything you think I’ll need and anything you need as well.”

  Into the night and early morning, Ethan and Emily planned together. Ethan tried to impart as much knowledge as he could to Emily regarding the rigors of traveling in the remote Amazon and was surprised at how quickly she grasped certain basic concepts. It made him happy to learn of her talent for deciphering different languages. She may be more helpful than I first thought. He was learning more and more about the stunning Emily. She was smart and well educated as well as beautiful. He made a mental note to himself to keep his relationship with her as professional as possible, not wanting or needing any romantic entanglements that could put them both in danger. His need to stay focused on his primary goals remained paramount.

  ***

  Outside the church, Liam and the angels kept watch all night. All was quiet. Liam did not like the quiet. To him it was like the calm before the storm. The demons must be holding back for some reason. This quest that Emily and Ethan were about to embark upon had the potential to expose the fallen angels for what they were and provide hard evidence that they did indeed exist. The demons had spent several thousand years covering their tracks. The best weapon they had against the humans was humanity’s belief that they did not exist. If the majority of humans did not believe that demons existed it was not a far stretch for them to disbelieve in the existence of God himself.

  Liam felt sadness for the humans that wouldn’t know the glory of the Lord, the ones who were lost. He didn’t know what the great Jehovah’s plans were for Emily and Ethan. His job was to keep them safe, and right now he felt the calm before the storm was close to coming to an end.

  Emily fell asleep in the pew leaning her head on Ethan’s shoulder. Sunlight started to shine through the stained glass windows of the church sanctuary and cast a dim rosy glow across the room. A gentle hand on her shoulder woke her.

  “It is time to go. We spotted Lazar not far from here. He has been searching for you and Ethan,” Terrence warned her.

  Emily shook Ethan. “We have to leave. It’s morning.”

  Ethan yawned and stretched. “I need coffee and food.” His stomach growled loud enough for Emily to hear, making her laugh.

  “I agree. Coffee and food is the first order of business.” She didn’t want to alarm Ethan with Terrence’s warnings as she ushered him through the front door. She planned to let him take the lead and get them on their way.

  While Ethan drove around looking for a fast food restaurant, Emily sent a text to Marta and then to Aunt Gemma. She let them both know she was with Ethan and told Marta to expect her at the penthouse soon. She left out some important details about the previous night and upcoming plans to leave the country. Aunt Gemma would understand as Staniel, her own guardian angel, would let her know and have her pray. Marta would be more protective of Emily and not want her to go so far away with a man she hardly knew. She expected her friend to be very vocal about her and Ethan’s plans.

  They ate and drank coffee in the car while driving to a sporting goods store to stock up on gear for Emily. Going off the list they’d made together, Ethan picked out mountain climbing ropes, cinches and a small tent. Rugged boots and khakis along with rain gear, tarps, a small tool kit, first aid supplies, flint, flare gun, and several pairs of socks went into a huge backpack. A simple bottle with a water filtration system was another necessary item. Ethan explained that they would need to pick up a machete and a hunting knife for her in Brazil, as they wouldn’t be able to carry those items on the plane.

  At a cell phone store, they bought a satellite phone with a personal GPS and tracking program with extra batteries in case she got lost. As an added precaution, Ethan also bought a high-powered two-way radio system with a handset for both of them. Emily was happy he seemed to not want to lose track of her. It was a bit daunting to be making this trip, and she prayed again for the Lord’s protection over the both of them.

  It was afternoon when they arrived at Marta’s penthouse. Even though they’d just been there the day before, it seemed a lifetime ago to Emily. Her whole life had changed in one night. She wanted nothing more than to get on the plane and get some sleep. Facing Marta to get her passport didn’t top of her list of fun things to do.

  “You’re going to what? Emily, how can you do this? You’re not going to the Lord only knows where in the Amazon wilderness with a man you only met yesterday.” Marta refused to give Emily her passport on those grounds.

  “Geez, Marta, yesterday you called him ‘Dr. Dreamboat,’ and now he’s a monster carrying off a helpless damsel. Give me some credit. I can take care of myself, you know.” The two women argued alone in Marta’s private office space on the second floor of the penthouse. Ethan remained alone downstairs to finish up booking the earliest flights to Brazil.

  No matter what Emily said, Marta stubbornly refused to give over the passport. She would have to try another tactic. Emily knew her friend possessed her own spiritual gifts. Marta was a discerner of spirits. She could tell truth from lies.

  “Marta, let’s pray about this. If you don’t get peace from the Holy Spirit about this I’ll call the whole thing off. I’m telling you I’m led to do this. I wouldn’t be doing this crazy thing under any other circumstances.” Emily pled with Marta until she finally gave in.

  “OK, let’s pray then.” The two of them joined hands and began to pray. It didn’t take long before Marta had her answer. The Holy Spirit descended on both of them. Emily sent a silent thank-you to the Lord for moving her friend to do the right thing.

  “Fine, I’ll get your passport out of the safe downstairs, but I’m still going to give Dr. Dreamboat a fair warning. He better bring you back without so much as a scratch, or I will hunt him down to the most remote corners of the entire world.”

  ***

  By nightfall, Ethan and Emily were on their way to Brazil. Both of them were so tired they were asleep before the plane rose into the air.

  Liam and his legion saw them off. He was still vigilant, but so far no demonic horde had appeared to try and stop them. There were demons here and there flitting in and out of the airport with the humans, but none paid the angelic legion in the skies over the airport any attention.

  “Commander, Lazar just entered the airport. He is booking a flight to South America,” a warrior named Simon flew up to Liam to report.

  “Stay on his trail and out of his sight. He is a man fully possessed and driven by the dark ones. I want to know his whereabouts at all times.”

  “For the Lamb, who alone is worthy.” The angel crossed his sword over his chest in salute before he disappeared at the speed of light.

  Liam addressed the rest of his legion. “We shall go to Brazil and prepare a clear path for Emily. I do not want any demon to come close enough to strike at her or Dr. McGowan. Their safety is our mission.”

  “For the Lamb, who alone is worthy to be praised.” They all shouted in unison before disappearing into the night, streaking across the sky as great balls of light.

  ***

  Dr. Carmine Lazar boarded a flight a few hours behind Ethan and Emily. His thoughts were no longer his own. He was under the complete control of a horrid demon. This demon, Armodius, had one objective, to reach the cave of the lost giants in the Amazon at precisely the same time as Dr. McGowa
n. All the demonic forces under the command of the great Ba al` were given orders to assist Armodius on his mission, but only he and his superiors knew the exact mission. By tracking Emily’s credit cards the demon knew exactly when the pair headed for the Amazon. An evil smile crossed his face as he reveled in his own genius.

  ***

  The warrior angel Simon attached himself to a Christian couple in the back of the plane. They were tourists off on a vacation to Brazil. To any spiritual being on the plane, Simon would easily appear as nothing but a guardian of the young couple. Several other spiritual beings traveled on the plane, and the angel took care not to draw the attention of Armodius as he watched the evil creature covertly. He didn’t want to appear as an immediate threat to the demon he was sent to keep an eye on. Armodius appeared to be mostly ignoring the other demons and angels on the plane, as the stench of the great demon filled the angel’s nostrils. It was going to be a long flight for them both.

  Chapter Four

  Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

  Psalms 40:5

  The plane carrying Emily and Ethan touched down in Rio de Janeiro while the pair of them still slept. As they exited the plane, Emily felt the heat coming off the tarmac. She was used to the tangy smell of the ocean, but the humid air combined with the heat was overwhelming. Fanning her flushed face, she took in the breathtaking view of Sugarloaf Mountain. In the distance she could make out the statue of ‘Christ the Redeemer.’ It was an awesome sight to behold.