by Robin M Helm
The Captain of the Host was issuing an order, and Xander obeyed without question. When Xander took angelic form, Michael saw that his armor included a helmet as well as a special covering for his feet.
Your armor is now different from mine, Michael observed.
Xander had noticed the change as well. Jehovah-Naheh said that I now had the helmet of salvation and my feet were shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is the first time since my conversion that I have gone into battle. Perhaps I have these extra safeguards as His child when I fight the evil ones.
Interesting, commented Michael, spreading his wings.
As they flew through the wall, Xander remembered Elizabeth.
Who is guarding Elizabeth in your stead? Xander asked, concern evident in his voice.
Jehovah-Gador Milchamah instructed that Gabriel was to guard Elizabeth while you fight Lucifer’s forces with me. Elizabeth and Jonathan will have their own assignments from Jehovah-Saboath.
~~oo~~
Elizabeth’s eyes flew open as Gabriel leaned over her, speaking into her ear, Elizabeth, wake up. You must pray for the believers of Atlanta and for rain. Turn on the television. They are under attack by Satan and his followers. Pray, Elizabeth. Make intercession for them.
Elizabeth sat up in bed, turned on her bedside lamp, and picked up the remote control. The display on her clock radio read 4:15. She stretched and yawned, turned on the television, and scrolled through the channels until she found a local news program. After a few minutes of watching the graphic violence and listening to the reports, she got out of the bed and walked to the table and chair by the window in her room. Sitting with her elbows on the table, she put her face in her hands and began to pray aloud for the people who lived in the troubled area. Gabriel stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. She began to pray for protection for the believers who lived in the midst of the bedlam, and for God to send rain to quench the fires that raged out of control.
A few doors down the hall from her, Lexus was rousing Jonathan with a similar message. Jonathan also switched on his light, got up, and turned on the television, selecting a cable news channel. The images of the flaming buildings and looting were already filling the screen, and the riot police were struggling to get the situation under control. Hundreds of people were screaming and running for safety; others were fighting. There appeared to be organized gangs terrorizing anyone in their paths. Store alarms sounded, piercing the night as windows were broken and doors were kicked open, and sirens wailed as dozens of fire trucks sped to the scene. He watched, stunned as the fires seemingly erupted by spontaneous combustion. From the aerial shots, he could see buildings in blocks unaffected by the fires suddenly start to burn, but he could not see anyone starting the fires or leaving the scenes of the blazes. The evangelist knelt beside the bed, bowed his head, and began to pray for the people of Atlanta who lived in that area. He prayed both that God would preserve the churches and show His might and glory and for non-believers to be spared so that they might have the opportunity to know God. Jonathan was to sleep no more that night.
In the room next to his, the scene replayed as Hector, another guardian of the higher ranks, awakened Dave. Several hundred miles away in South Carolina, Roark and Niall were also relaying the message to pray for the people of Atlanta to Elizabeth’s parents. Believers across the country were on their knees with their guardians whispering into their minds.
~~oo~~
Xander and Michael raced to the densely populated, low-income section of Atlanta that was just beginning to burn as Michael quickly issued orders. Double the numbers of warriors on every church and sanctified dwelling. I want four warriors on the roof of every church and ten others surrounding the buildings. Two warriors are to be on the roof of each house that shelters a believer, with two others on the ground. Take solid, visible angelic form if you are on a roof. Humans bent on mischief approaching churches and houses should be able to see you with your sword at the ready. Warriors who are not guarding churches or the homes of the Master’s followers should search the area for believers who are outside their homes or churches and help their guardians keep them safe. No church or believer’s home is to burn. We will lose no one who belongs to the Master to the schemes of Satan this night.
Xander spoke authoritatively. Guardians, tell your charges to remain indoors and pray. No believer who stays in his home or in a church will be harmed. Non-believers who remain in dwellings with believers will also be protected because of the warriors. If your charges are already outdoors, tell them to return home. Guardians of those servants who will not listen, warriors are here to help you defend your charges. Do all that you can to keep them safe, even from themselves.
Suddenly, in front of them, Xander and Michael saw a strip mall begin to burn, but there seemed to be no source for the fire. Xander thought that the roof burst into flames before the rest of the building, so he looked at the trees, buildings, and utility poles near the point where the fire originated, seeking to track the source.
Michael, look on the roof of the neighboring building. That is Gregory, is it not?
It is, indeed, and he has four guards around him, replied Michael. He and Xander hovered for a moment and watched as Gregory, in demonic form, gathered a ball of fire in his hands and threw it at another business. The store exploded, and the flames continued to spread to the next building. Gregory laughed, looking directly at Michael and Xander as looters fled from the building, scattering like rats on a sinking ship.
Gregory saw the thieves running and grinned wickedly at the Captain of the Host and the Chief Guardian, his hands gesturing toward his handiwork. “What do you think of my pyrotechnic display? Father and I like your SoulFire idea so much that we decided to expand upon the theme.” He laughed as he conjured another fireball and flung it at a nearby church.
A warrior on the church roof batted the flaming orb with his sword and directed it into a building which was already burning.
Gregory began to throw the flames with both hands, moving faster than human eyes could see. Trees and shrubbery caught fire, houses went up in flames, and fireballs landed in the crowds thronging the streets. People ran in all directions, trying to escape the rain of fire. The Son of Perdition tossed a ring of fire just beyond his feet to the roof on which he stood as he spun in a circle, dancing in the center of the hell fire and filling the air with the sounds of crackling flames and his hideous laughter. The tar of the roof scorched and sizzled.
Michael and Xander landed on the rooftop where Gregory and his guards had established their point of attack. Crevan, Jolon, Braeden, and Duglas formed a wall of evil between the holy angels and Gregory.
Gregory smirked at them. “What are your grounds for attack? This is our territory. You have no right to be here.”
“We are commissioned by the Lord of Hosts to protect the churches and believers who are under attack in this section of the city. You just tried to burn a church. That alone is justification for our presence,” replied Michael, his voice ringing with authority.
“And you, Xander? You are a guardian. I have not attacked your charge. El is not in this area. What gives you the right to be here?” Gregory sneered at him as he tossed a ball of fire from one hand to the other.
“Gregory, you astonish me. Have your spies failed you? I have been a guardian warrior for three years.”
“What is that to me? You are wearing shiny armor,” he mocked. “That changes nothing. A guardian cannot use force against my father’s forces unless we directly attack his charge.” He made a show of looking around. “I still do not see any sign of your little girlfriend. I would be very happy if you would bring her here, however. She must grow weary of your pathetic attempts at making love to her. I could educate her in those pleasures and have her begging me for more. She is a luscious little piece, and she would make a good plaything for me.” Gregory leered, licking his lips as he spoke the last words.
“You will not speak o
f Elizabeth in that manner.” Xander spat the words, and Gregory snickered.
Michael put a hand on his arm. Do not allow him to bait you. You must keep a clear head.
Xander calmed before he spoke again. His voice was soft and menacing.
“Again your information is lacking. Though I am still Chief of the Guardians, Michael has been Elizabeth’s guardian since January. However, for tonight, that duty has shifted to Gabriel. Michael is the Captain of the Host, and I became a warrior under his command when I assumed angelic form this night. My orders were issued by Elohim Himself. Take your arguments to Him.” Xander allowed a smile to play around his lips. “Are you afraid of me, Gregory? Is that why you wish for me to leave? I remember just last year that I bested you in battle. You were carried from the room, like the spoiled little brat that you are, nearly cleaved in half.” Xander’s eyes hardened as his deep voice resounded, “Come out from behind your guards, you coward, and this time I will make certain that you do not survive.”
Gregory’s eyes glowed bright red, betraying his anger, and he drew his sword. “One day soon my father and I will rule all the universes, though you will not live to see it.”
Michael, in reaction to Gregory’s display of his sword, unsheathed his weapon and flew as quickly as the blink of an eye between Crevan and Jolon with his sword in his right hand and his shield in his left. As the demons turned to strike at the warrior, he flew straight up and they struck at each other. Howling in fury and pain while screaming curses, Crevan, minus his right arm, and Jolon, missing most of his right wing, took refuge behind Braeden and Duglas.
Xander’s sword hissed as he ripped it from its sheath. Holding the attention of Braeden and Duglas while Michael fought their fellow guards, Xander advanced slowly toward them. The demons came to meet him, leaving their backs unprotected, as well as opening a large gap between them and the other two guards. Xander immediately took the tactical advantage and flipped over and behind them. Turning with blinding speed, Xander grasped his sword with both hands and swung it with all his might. He caught Braeden’s torso, slicing into it deeply, but Duglas leaped out of the path of his weapon.
Michael dove swiftly into the space between the two demons he had injured and their fellow guards. With his blade extended and his shield protecting his midsection from attack, Michael slashed the demons in two as he flew by them, and they dissolved, spiraling and screaming into the fiery pit. He scanned the rooftop for Gregory but could find no trace of him.
Duglas charged at Xander and took flight, aiming for the guardian warrior’s neck. Just before Duglas reached him, Xander flipped again, landing to Duglas’s right. The fiend spun to get into position to use his sword, and Xander took his shield in his hands, holding it flat horizontally and grasping the edges of it as he turned. He slung the shield, spinning the weapon at the perfect moment so that it struck the demon in the throat, knocking him to the roof. Xander flew straight at him and severed his head as he struggled to rise. He vanished in a cloud of foul-smelling smoke. Calmly, Xander leaned over and retrieved his shield.
Michael stood over Braeden who was fatally wounded but not yet unbodied. Shall I finish him, or do you want to end what you started? asked Michael.
Braeden groaned and tried to crawl away, but his life was ebbing and he was too weak.
Xander walked to the demon and stood over him for a moment. He looked into Braeden’s eyes and saw the hatred there. Even this foul creature should not be left to suffer and die a slow death. He will know torment in hell, but not by my hand. I am no fit judge. Xander used his sword to quickly banish the dark one from the earth.
Where is Gregory? Xander asked, glancing around the top of the building.
He is gone. The little prince left his guards to fend for themselves and ran, probably following Lucifer’s orders. I notice that Lucifer does not show himself. I suppose he is too far above this company to soil his hands. Michael saw a flash of lightning split the night sky and heard the roar of thunder instantaneously. Within seconds, they were standing in a torrential downpour.
Xander and Michael laughed aloud. Gregory’s fireballs will not be nearly as effective in this storm, commented Xander.
I would say that the Master has rendered that particular weapon virtually useless at this time. Let us scout the area.
As they flew, they saw all the churches and houses that were being protected by angelic warriors. The buildings were clearly delineated by the light glowing around and over them, enveloping them. The darkness receded as the light grew.
Xander and Michael spent the next two hours patrolling the area, joining the occasional skirmish, until the troubled area was quiet again and there was no longer any danger to the churches or the homes of servants of Jehovah. The rain continued, quenching the fires and sending people running for shelter.
No church or dwelling of a believer had burned, and the presence of those untouched buildings was a testimony as they stood in sharp contrast to the burned-out shells around them.
As the sun began to rise, the reporters and television news people began to knock on the doors of the unburned houses. At one such home, an elderly African American lady answered the door, her Bible in her hand, no sign of fear on her face. She stepped out onto her small porch, and her guardian took his place beside her. Xander and Michael landed in her front yard to listen to the exchange.
A television newsman shoved a microphone in her face, asking, “Hello. My name is Mark Goodman with WAGA news. Ma’am, would you give us your name please?”
She smiled, unruffled. “Certainly, young man. My name is Eileen Watts. Can I help you with something?”
“Yes, ma’am. Your house is one of the few on this block that hasn’t burned to the ground. Can you explain that?”
“Son, I don’t pretend to know everything about the Almighty’s ways, but I did receive a phone call a couple of hours ago. I was already awake because of all the noise outside; I was up reading my Bible and praying. I answered the phone, and it was my neighbor, Louis, across the way there on his cell phone. His house had already burned, and he was standing in the street. I could see him from my window. Louis asked me who the two big men on my roof were. He said that they were glowing and waving swords at anyone who tried to come to my door. Louis said that no one bothered me because they were afraid of those men.”
Mark looked interested. “Mrs. Watts, do you have any explanation for that? Do you know who those men were?”
Eileen Watts’s face was wreathed by a beautiful smile. She opened her Bible. “I have an idea or two about that, young man. I’m a Christian, and God promised right here in Romans 8:35-39 that He would take care of me.” She pointed at a passage and began to read. “He said, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’”
The newsman was incredulous. “You think that Jesus was on your roof?” She’s a nut job.
She spoke patiently and kindly. “I think His angels were on my roof defending me from evil, and I’ll bet if you ask around at the other unburned houses, you’ll find that I’m not the only one who had big, glowing men with swords on their housetops.”
“That’s a very interesting concept, Mrs. Watts, and a great angle for a story. I think I’ll do that. I notice that none of the churches were burned either.”
“Of course they weren’t, son. If God would send His angels to protect me, don’t you think He would have more angels on those churches? Would you like some coffee? I have some made in the kitchen.”
&n
bsp; “No, thank you, ma’am. I think I have some legwork to do. You’ve given me some ideas. Look for yourself on the news today.” The young newsman and his crew headed back out to their van ready to speed away to find more unburned houses. However, when he got into the van with all the equipment, something else occurred to him.
Mark looked at his cameraman. “Do you have any footage of churches or unburned houses from last night?” he asked.
“Tons of the stuff,” was the answer. He began to scan through the images on a screen in the van. When he saw a church, he paused the feed.
“Wow! Look at that!” Mark exclaimed.
“What is it?” asked the cameraman. Clearly visible on the roof were two faintly shining, white images. They were not clear enough to have a defined shape, but there was no mistaking that something was there.
The newsman replied, “If Mrs. Watts is right, we are looking at two angels. Let’s go. There’s definitely a story here.” The van pulled away from the curb.
I must get back to the hotel before Elizabeth and the others miss me, thought Xander. I am going to be tired today, I think, but it was well worth it.
You will not be the only one who is fatigued, my brother. Elizabeth, Jonathan, and many others were awakened to pray just as we left your room last night. They have been praying for hours.
Maybe we can fit in a nap before tonight. Otherwise, it is going to be a very long day.
Before he and Xander rose to the sky and took flight back to the hotel, Michael issued an order for his warriors to spend the rest of the day in the burned area of south Atlanta.
Chapter 11
“But now, thus says the Lord, your creator, ‘O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”