Vero sucked in huge gulps of air as he tried to catch his breath. But then several fireballs ignited the dry, ancient bark, setting it ablaze. Vero dashed out of the tree before it could trap him.
He nimbly moved through the forest, around tree trunks, glancing in all directions. This time, no fire fell down on him. Up ahead in the distance, through the thick vegetation, Vero caught sight of a glimmer of vivid colors. Could it be a rainbow? Pressing forward, he stealthily made his way to a clearing, nearing ever closer to the bright hues. He saw the source of the colors was brilliant gems—thousands and thousands of precious stones inlaid in a door that had been hung in a hollowed-out redwood trunk. Vero smiled, for his Vox Dei screamed to him that through that door lay the garden of Eden.
And then all he saw was red. The heat of a fire singed his eyebrows before he could even shield his face. He quickly backed away from the inferno. And when his eyes were again able to focus, he saw before him a massive serpent’s head with devious yellow eyes, and black slits for pupils. Two razor-sharp horns protruded from either side of its head. And when it reared back, Vero glimpsed the rest of the monstrous creature. The beast’s reptilian body was covered in thick gray scales. Plates ran down its back and tail like an armored suit. The four-legged creature stood upright on its hind legs and flapped gigantic, leathery bat-like wings. Vero instinctively covered his eyes as the wind buffeting from the wings kicked up a storm. When the creature stopped beating its wings, Vero lowered his arm. His eyes clearly made out the true nature of the being that stood before him: it was the dragon.
Puffs of smoke blew from its large nostrils. Vero anticipated what was coming next. He feigned right as it opened its heinous mouth, and a long, forked tongue shot blasts of fire at him. Vero instinctively dodged the jets of fire by flipping his body over midair and then quickly sprinting back onto his feet.
Almost without thinking about it, Vero’s sword appeared. From several feet away, he held it defiantly toward the dragon’s head. An evil smile lit the creature’s face, as if Vero were holding a toothpick instead of a sword.
“Are you really going to fight me, fledgling?” the dragon cackled loudly, shaking the ground underneath Vero’s feet. “Give me the book now!”
Vero looked the dragon in its yellow eyes, and definitively shook his head. The dragon grew incensed. It opened its mouth and tried to clamp down its large jaws around Vero’s sword. Vero almost instantaneously shot up into the air, and thrust his sword into the creature’s back.
The dragon’s head reared around, its fearsome eyes seething. It snapped at Vero, who quickly flew out of its reach. The dragon unfurled its wings and lifted into the air. As Vero flew higher, the dragon followed on his heels. Its mouth opened wide, ready to devour him.
Vero flew to the left, dodging the dragon’s clamping jaws yet again. He cut right then jerked hard left again, then right, trying to dizzy the creature. But no matter where Vero moved, the dragon’s head followed, its eyes focused and snarling teeth bared.
Out of the corner of his eye, Vero saw the dragon’s spiked tail heading for him. He quickly rose higher, but a spike caught the flesh right above his ankle, grazing him near where the demon dog had already injured him. Pain coursed through his leg. Vero shot down to the ground and hid around the base of a redwood.
He lifted his pant leg and removed Ada’s scarf to check his gashes. The new cut was bleeding, but not as badly as it hurt. Luckily it hadn’t reopened his previous wound, mere inches above. He fastened Ada’s scarf around both wounds. As Vero looked back up, a powerful spray of fire escaped the dragon’s vile mouth. Its target was not Vero but the redwood where Vero stood. The heat of the fire was so intense that it burnt straight through the trunk of the tree. Watching the tree totter, Vero ran away as fast as he could for fear of being smashed underneath it. The gargantuan tree fell with a deafening thud, taking the branches of nearby trees down with it. A mass of branches stopped Vero in his tracks. It was so large that Vero could not walk around it. Rather, he climbed his way through the tangle of tree limbs. Blasts of fire fell all around Vero, who wasn’t moving as fast as he would have liked—his injured leg was holding him back. He broke through the branches and ran toward the gate, his leg dragging.
The dragon blew puffs of scorching fireballs at tree after tree, severing their trunks and causing the massive beauties to topple over. Vero ducked the colossal trees, but soon they were coming at him in all different directions. His reflexes began to slow as he fought for every breath. His leg was killing him. Vero looked up as a redwood was heading straight toward him.
He threw himself beside a fallen tree. As the redwood came crashing down, Vero pressed himself against the fallen tree trunk, tucking behind it. He covered his head with his arms and hands, bracing for the impact. The very top of the falling tree smashed down, crashing onto the tree trunk over Vero with such force that he thought for sure he’d be pounded deep within the ground. Luckily, it landed directly over Vero’s hiding spot—the enormous tree trunk had saved him.
Vero quickly came to realize that he was still very much alive. He quietly began to climb out of the tangled mess of branches and leaves that now covered him. His head poked out, then the rest of him. The silence was eerie. He climbed out and stood on top of a fallen branch, surveying the forest. Fallen redwoods were everywhere. Up ahead he saw the tree with the gemstone door. It stood unscathed and seemingly so close . . . A steely resolution came over him.
The fallen trees had created a clearing. Vero sprouted his wings, and, with a huge burst of speed, he flew to the door. And then, right in his flight path, a person’s face came into view. Kane! His one-time friend and former fledgling stood before the door, blocking it, sword in hand.
“Move aside, Kane!” Vero shouted.
“No,” Kane said, stalwart.
“I don’t want to fight you!” Vero yelled.
“Because you know I’ll win!” Kane replied. “Deep down you know I’m more powerful than you! All this time, the archangels all thought you were the special one, the chosen one! Well, guess what? I’ve been chosen too!”
A look of disbelief registered on Vero’s face.
“You think Lucifer and Lilith chose you?” Vero scoffed. “You’ve got it backward . . . you chose them!”
Vero’s words seemed to give Kane pause. He looked momentarily perplexed. As Vero advanced Kane, his sword emerged. Suddenly, the dragon’s tail coiled around Vero’s chest, immobilizing his arms. It tightly squeezed his body, and Vero began to gasp for air. He fought against the tail that constricted him like a rodent twitching in the clutches of a hungry snake. His breathing became labored. He felt as if the top of his head would explode.
As he felt the blood rushing to his face, Vero realized the tail had turned him upside down. It violently shook him side to side. And then Vero watched; as if in a bad dream, the blue sapphire—the book—slipped out of his pocket to the ground. Kane scrambled over to the sapphire, and with lightning speed snatched it into his hand.
The dragon let out a triumphant roar, so loud that Vero thought more trees would topple over with the vibrations. The tail loosened a bit. Vero slipped through and plummeted to the ground, twisting his body in the air so he wouldn’t land headfirst.
“Kane, please . . .” Vero pleaded as he got to his feet and approached him.
Kane stepped back, wielding his sword at Vero. The dragon moved toward Kane.
“On my back, Kane,” the dragon said, lowering his tail so Kane could climb aboard.
“Kane, please, give it to me.” Vero’s eyes begged him.
“Come Kane, and reap your reward.” The dragon smiled.
“What is my reward?” Kane asked. “We never discussed that.”
“The glory that you deserve,” the dragon answered, his forked tongue flicking out. “You will possess great power, for I will make you prince of all that I have. As it turns out, I have a new vacancy.”
“All he has is hatred, envy, pride,” Ve
ro shouted. “Kane, you are none of those things. You are light!”
Vero’s words upset Kane. His hand holding the sapphire began to tremble.
“Come back to the light!”
“I can’t. It’s too late for me,” Kane said, his voice cracking. “I’ve done bad things . . . terrible things . . .”
“Yes, you have,” the dragon snickered. “In fact, your light is disgusted with you. He hates you.”
Vero watched as flames twisted in the blue sapphire, creating symbols: a horse, a horn. The dragon’s eyes also focused on the symbols. Vero could tell that the dragon could also read them. Vero’s mind quickly understood what the book was telling him.
“The blessing of the unicorn!” Vero blurted out. “You won the blessing of the unicorn! You won it! Not me! You have a special grace from God! I thought I had needed it. But God knew all along you would need it. He’s giving you one last chance!”
“No, it’s a lie!” the dragon snorted. Puffs of smoke escaped his nostrils. “You’ve turned from the light, Kane! You are mine!”
“He gave you this grace because . . . He loves you! He wants you with Him!” Vero shouted.
Kane’s face contorted into a look of extreme agony. When he looked at Vero again, tears streamed down his cheeks.
“I raised my sword to my friends. I turned my back on God. And Pax is gone because of me!” Kane sobbed. “How can I be forgiven for that?”
Vero stepped closer to Kane, and looking him squarely in the eyes said, “Because His mercy is endless.”
Kane fell to his knees as his whole body trembled with tears. Vero watched him, unsure what he would do.
“I’m sorry!” Kane shouted so loudly, his voice drowned out any other sounds of the forest. “I’m sorry!”
Enraged at the turn of events, the dragon’s pupils grew larger, coloring his eyes completely black as Kane placed the blue sapphire into Vero’s hand.
Vero quickly jammed the book back into his pocket, and as he did so the dragon hissed. Its head reared up, its jaws opened. Vero knew he and Kane were in great danger. He grabbed the back of Kane’s shirt.
“Let’s go!” he shouted, pulling Kane to his feet.
They raced for the door; they would be safe once inside it. But in a split second, the dragon’s jagged black wings flapped madly. Teeth barred, claws opened, it headed straight for Vero. Vero had no choice but to turn and face the dragon. His sword was poised for battle, knowing he was no match for the dragon.
Surprisingly calm, Vero closed his eyes, and muttered a simple prayer. “Please, God, give me the strength.”
At that exact moment, Clover too uttered a prayer. She held hands with Tack and Chiko, who linked hands with many other pilgrims, forming a circle around the peace pagoda. Though she had no idea why, a passage from Ephesians came to her lips:
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
As the dragon closed in on Vero and Kane, Vero felt something wrap around his feet. He glanced down. Gray streaks shot from his feet, up his leg, until they covered his body, leaving only his head exposed. It was a suit of armor! A light shield like the archangels’ materialized in his left hand. And in his other hand, his sword began to flame.
In that moment, Vero lost all fear. His leg no longer hurt. He stood tall as the fierce confidence of a warrior consumed him. Kane’s mouth dropped at the sight of Vero suited in armor with a flaming sword. The dragon spewed fire from its mouth at Vero, who calmly held up his shield and deflected the flames. More fire spit out the dragon’s mouth. Kane ducked down, behind Vero. Vero again caught the flames with his shield. He swung his fiery sword at the dragon’s head, forcing it to retreat.
“You’re fighting for the wrong side, fledgling,” the dragon said. “I can give you everything you want.”
“There’s nothing I could ever want from you,” Vero snarled.
“Switch to the winning side,” the dragon said. “Look at your earth . . . I am succeeding. It’s all my doing—the violence, the strife, the unhappiness. It’s all because of me. Wars, disease, starvation . . .”
“Yes, let’s look at my earth,” Vero said.
The dragon looked momentarily confused.
Vero waved his sword, and an image appeared midair before the dragon. Clover and Tack stood in a circle, holding hands with the pilgrims. People of many races and religions stood together, hand in hand, praying, meditating, and sending good thoughts for Vero.
Vero waved his sword once again, and the image vanished.
“Now remind me, who exactly is winning?” Vero smirked.
The dragon grew enraged. The tip of its tail swung around, blindsiding Vero. It hit his legs, knocking him to the ground.
“Vero! Watch out!” Kane yelled as the dragon’s mouth opened directly over Vero.
He couldn’t get up in time. The dragon sunk his teeth into Vero’s stomach. Vero screamed, but then realized its bite wasn’t able to penetrate the armor. The dragon bit him again, but could not inflict harm. Frustrated, the dragon picked Vero up in its mouth and violently shook him. The shield disappeared back into his palm, and then with both hands on the hilt of his sword, with all his might, he drove the flaming sword into the dragon’s left eye. Vero could see the fire instantly spread in its eye. The dragon opened its mouth, howling in pain. Vero fell to the ground and quickly scrambled to his feet, watching as black ooze gushed from the dragon’s injured orb.
“Now!” Vero shouted at Kane as he raced for the door.
Kane and Vero ran to the door in the tree. Vero stretched out his hand to turn the knob, then felt himself being pulled off the ground. He looked over his shoulder. The dragon’s front claws had grabbed his legs, and it was lifting him upside down high into the air once again.
The seething dragon was carrying Vero farther and farther away from the garden’s door. Vero could not even wiggle his legs from within the grasp of the beast’s talons. Using just his stomach muscles, Vero did a sit-up in midair. With two hands on the flaming sword, he sliced through both front legs of the dragon, just above those talons. Again, the creature howled in pain. Vero freefell with the talons still wrapped around his legs until his wings shot open, arresting his descent. With the flames of his sword, he burnt off the talons from his body.
Vero swooped down to the ground. He landed beside Kane, who stood by the door. His hand on the knob, Vero felt the hot stench of the dragon’s nostrils on his neck. The dragon’s forked tongue flicked out of its mouth, each tip bound for Vero’s eyes. Vero spun.
With unnatural strength, in a flawless single stroke, Vero sliced the fiery blade clear through the deadly forked tongue, severing it. It thumped to the ground.
“Now I won’t have to listen to any more of your lies,” Vero spat.
Shock came into the dragon’s remaining eye. It staggered back, flapping its wings. The dragon flew to the tops of the trees, disappearing from sight.
“Think he’s coming back?” Kane nervously asked Vero.
Vero shook his head.
“But you might want to hurry,” Kane nodded to the door. “In case he does.”
“Maybe you could come with me . . . they might grant you access,” Vero said.
“No. I’m not worthy.” Kane looked down.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have the book right now.”
Kane looked up and a faint smile formed on his lips. “Thanks, Vero, but I need to go back and try to make things right with the others.”
“Tell Greer I said not to go too hard on you,” Vero replied.
Kane nodded. He turned and walked away. The moment Vero wrapped his hand around the doorknob, his suit of armor vanished from his body. He turned the knob and walked into the garden of Eden.
29
PARADISE
Vero’s parents had taken him to many parks and gardens in his lifetime. He had seen the beauty of the Ether with its lakes, mountains, and green fields, but nothin
g had prepared him for the beauty of the garden of Eden. As he walked out of the tree, he was met with the most stunning landscape imaginable.
Trees with perfectly shaped trunks and branches met his eyes in every direction. Their leaves were tremendously healthy and of a deep green hue that Vero had never seen before. Vibrant, graceful flowers perfumed the air. The beauty that surrounded him was beyond astonishing. The grass was even greener than what he had seen in the Ether. Each tree was unique in its shape and type, each with its own personality, and Vero felt he knew each one. In the distance, he saw a lion nuzzle its nose against a lamb’s nose. A doe playfully chased a bear around a tree.
In this garden, there was no food chain, no survival of the fittest. All the creatures lived peacefully with one another. The grass underneath his feet was so plush, so luxurious, that it massaged his feet with each step, reminding him of his injury. He lifted his pant leg and removed the scarf once more. His wounds had been healed.
The most beautiful thing about the garden was the feeling of peace that Vero felt. Everything created a sense of harmony and unity. Nothing was in conflict.
He saw a small herd of whitetail deer grazing under the warmth of a brilliant sky. As Vero gazed upon the deer, he realized that he could understand them. They could communicate mind-to-mind.
“Hello, Vero,” a huge buck said. “Welcome.”
“Thank you.” Vero smiled as he spoke telepathically. “I need to find the tree of knowledge. Any idea?”
“It is on the east side of the garden,” the buck telepathed. “You will see the cherubim with a flaming sword guarding it.” The buck nodded its antlers to its right side. “It is in that direction.”
Vero smiled gratefully to the buck. He turned and walked deeper into the garden. So many sights delighted his eyes along the way. Birds resting on branches sang beautiful melodies. Rocks and boulders were shiny, glistening. The water in a babbling brook sparkled in the light like glistening diamonds. Vero bent down and stuck his hand in the water. Plump, jolly fish swam quickly over to his hand, allowing to be pet.
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