by Robin M Helm
Why don’t you just read my mind, Xander? I seem to have no rights to my own personal thoughts or space.
That is not true. I try to stay away from you, and I have struggled against invading your privacy.
Elizabeth suddenly pulled her hands from his and turned her back, putting her face in her hands. “I recognize your voice! I have heard that voice in my head! It was you telling me not to go with Gregory that day.” She lifted her head and dropped her hands to her sides. “And I have heard you telling me that everything would be all right, but there is another voice that I hear more than yours.”
Xander was grateful that she had not remembered his voice from her childhood. Could my voice sound a little different in her mind since the Almighty gave me a dual nature? It must be so. However, she did not recognize Michael’s voice when she met him. It could be that our angelic voices do not sound the same in human minds as they do aloud. Both things could be true. My Father must have realized that this time would come. He must have prepared for it. Thank you, Abba, Father.
He tentatively placed his hands on her shoulders, ready for her to pull away again. “God speaks to us in many ways, Elizabeth. There are voices in my head as well.” I expect them to erupt any time now to tell me how badly I am handling this.
The silence from the wall was telling.
Xander waited in agony for her to speak. He could hear her analyzing all that he had said. Finally, she faced him and spoke with resignation.
“I suppose that the worst thing of which I can accuse you is loving me too much.” She was not smiling, but she was at least looking at him without disgust.
“Thank you for being gracious, Elizabeth. You are probably the only woman in the world who would handle this information with such kindness. I should be silent now before I begin to babble in gratitude.” Xander nervously raked his hand through his hair.
“Xander, I cannot bear knowing that you are watching me when I cannot see you. You must promise me not to do that anymore,” she said firmly.
I cannot be around her in angelic form again until she knows everything, he thought. So be it.
“Elizabeth, you could ask me for anything right now, and I would agree to it if you would just forgive me and smile at me again.” He reached for her hands, imploring her with his eyes.
After a moment’s hesitation, she put her hands in his, though she did not smile.
“I do forgive you, but you know this isn’t over. I will have more questions,” she said, arching a brow.
“I know, love. You have always been inquisitive, and this revelation is too much for your curious mind to lay to rest in such a short time. I will expect more questions,” he answered, kissing her cheek lightly. She allowed his kiss, and he could feel the tension begin to leave her body.
“Shall we begin our training now?” he asked, trying not to sound giddy in his relief.
“You will hear my questions before I ask them,” she stated with a little resentment. “Your answers will be ready. This is all so unfair.” Her pout was adorable.
Xander chuckled. “That is true, but I cannot help it.” His expression became serious. “Your consolation will have to be that you have the ability to surprise me as no one else ever has, and my happiness rests with your approval. I have known every time you doubted me and believed Gregory, and it has cut me to the heart. This gift is a double-edged sword.”
His extreme vulnerability displayed before her so openly touched her deeply, and she could not maintain any sort of anger toward him.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, releasing her discontent as she breathed out. “I think an hour of hard training will help to settle my mind before I try to sleep. Let’s get to work. I don’t want to think about this anymore now. Show no mercy.”
“I am your servant,” Xander said, bowing.
That went amazingly well, thought Gabriel.
True. It is fortunate, although very sad, that Elizabeth would understand the concept of being a ‘freak,’ answered Michael.
For the next hour, Xander reviewed stances with Elizabeth, and then advanced to several ways to block an attack or break a hold. As he played the part of the attacker, he imagined himself to be Gregory, devious and cunning in his methods.
It was a very intense session.
Chapter 17
“He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.”
Psalm 91:4-6
Lucifer’s eyes narrowed as he fixed a blazing glare on his son. “Tell me again how we lost the stronghold of Atlanta. Whose brilliant idea was it to burn the city?” His voice was icy.
“Well, it was not mine. You were the first to bring up flames, if I remember correctly.” Gregory stood his ground, facing his father with his fists clenched by his side, eyes glowing with rage.
“You were the one on the roof, throwing fireballs and losing your entire force of guards to Michael and Xander as you ran from them. It was humiliating. Our enemies are laughing at us because of you.” Lucifer spat the words, turning abruptly on his heel to pace the length of Gregory’s living room in Spartanburg.
“At least I was there,” muttered Gregory darkly, scowling at his father’s back.
Lucifer whipped his head around and roared, “What did you say?” He strode across the room and grabbed Gregory roughly by his shoulders. The Dark Prince brought his hands together and raised his arms with lightning speed, breaking his father’s hold on him. He retained just enough coherent thought to keep silent.
Dark Spirit slithered between them. Enough! he thought into their minds as he rose up and turned his cold gaze from one to the other. Fighting among ourselves causes us to lose sight of our goals. Instead of casting blame on one other for this fiasco, we should be coming up with a workable plan. Obviously, burning Atlanta brought people together to help each other, and their fear sent them running to those meetings where they became believers. Attacking the cities will not work. The church always grows during times of persecution.
The Dark Lord looked into the serpent’s eyes speculatively. “I sense that you have a better idea. Share it with us.”
Dark Spirit’s forked tongue darted out several times, and his eyes sparkled, as hard and cold as diamonds. He hissed, Rather than attack the cities, we should divide and conquer the SoulFire team itself. My spies tell me that Elizabeth and Xander grow more involved with one another every day. It appears that he has admitted to her that he has been hearing her thoughts and speaking into her mind since she met him in January. He has not, however, told her the entire story.
Gregory’s eyes lightened, glittering with sudden understanding. “Just since January? She still does not know that he was her guardian angel. She has no idea that he has always been watching her and listening to her.”
He will eventually tell her that himself. She has forgiven him for invading her mind, and she will forgive him for being her guardian as well – if she does not find out for herself first.
Lucifer’s face twisted in a sneer. “She will feel betrayed that he did not tell her the entire truth himself. She will think he deceived her.”
“I will be happy to tell her. I can run into her at their next stop in Washington, D.C., and be her sympathetic friend,” offered Gregory, smiling devilishly.
No, Gregory. She will think that you are lying. He has undermined her trust in you. The girl needs to see Xander’s treachery for herself, and the longer he waits to tell her, the better it is for us, because the stronger she will feel about his betrayal. I have several ideas concerning the best ways to accomplish this, and the beauty of it is, if the first try is not successful, we can keep trying until she knows. None of these things will destroy our territories or drive any more people to the meetings. If we split the two of them apart, we kill SoulFire. Rumors and in
nuendo about a quarrel between them will destroy that ministry. The sooner we can do this, the sooner SoulFire will end.
Dark Spirit had the undivided attention of both Lucifer and Gregory.
“Tell us your ideas…” said Lucifer, his eyes calming as he stroked the beast.
~~oo~~
After the extreme tension of the first few days in Atlanta had passed, Xander had enjoyed the rest of the week immensely. Thousands of people of varying ages had surrendered their lives to Christ, revival had continued to spread through the city, God’s love was being shown through the compassion and service of His people to those who were in need, and he had taken the first step toward revealing the entire truth about himself to Elizabeth. More than that, she had accepted it and had forgiven him for his secrecy. He felt that they had grown even closer to each other; she had begun to play games with him using their mental telepathy. For the first time, Xander had begun to feel glimmers of confidence that Elizabeth would understand and continue to love him even when she was in full possession of all the facts, and he was anxious to tell her everything. He wanted nothing to come between them, and, even though the rallies were a joy to him, he counted the days until the SoulFire tour was finished so he could confess all to her.
Mark’s series of reports concerning all that had happened in Atlanta, from the fires to the miraculous events which took place at the SoulFire rallies, had been picked up by a cable news channel, and they had offered him a short term job following SoulFire with a small camera crew for the rest of the summer. He had gratefully accepted and submitted his resignation to WAGA, leaving that station in good standing. The station manager had appreciated the national attention Mark had garnered, and he had assured the young man that he would always have a job waiting for him in Atlanta if he ever cared to return. Jonathan and Mark had talked, and Jonathan had invited Mark to travel with SoulFire Ministries for the rest of the tour. He left his car in Atlanta at his parents’ house for the summer, using the oversized van provided by his new employers and taking turns driving with the other three young men on his crew. The young men also shared hotel accommodations, booking two rooms in the hotels used by the SoulFire team in each city.
Jonathan and Dave rotated driving shifts in his van, and Charlotte split her time between Elizabeth and Jonathan, sometimes riding with one and sometimes with the other.
The itinerary was grueling; as soon as the rallies were over on Friday night in one city, all of the equipment was dismantled, packed up, and loaded into vans and semi-trucks. The caravan of vans, trucks, and Xander’s Escalade, escorted by a mighty band of guardians, archangels, and warriors, would begin traveling early Saturday morning and usually drive all day, depending on the distance to the next conference. From Atlanta, the trip to Washington, D.C., took eleven hours of driving, not including stops for meals and bathroom breaks. The following week ended with a wonderfully short three hour trip to Philadelphia, and the next stop was six hours away in Boston. After the fourth week, the fatigue was beginning to set in, and the twelve hour drive to Chicago seemed to go on forever.
In each city, God’s glory had shone like a brilliant Bethlehem star, attracting capacity crowds. The news of the spiritual births of tens of thousands of new believers spread like wildfire throughout Christendom and the excitement building in the country was palpable. Jehovah continued to use the gifts and talents of Xander, Elizabeth, and Jonathan in mighty ways, adding thousands to His kingdom each day. Though Jonathan had not cast out any more demons during the meetings themselves, he had done so while visiting the ministry sites of the campers in each city, and Mark was there to capture each exorcism on film. The images were compelling; only the eye witness testimonies of those who were there stopped people from thinking it was all a hoax, a trick played by experts manipulating the camera footage. Even then, there were many doubting Thomases who would not believe unless they saw with their own eyes.
Recognizing the usefulness of Elizabeth’s gift of tongues, Jonathan had begun to give her larger speaking roles in the conferences. Though he still ended each rally by bringing the final message, she had started giving short talks, relating the Bible to current situations and real life dilemmas, in between music sets.
During the decision time at the end of the services, it was not unusual for Xander to feel the Spirit leading him to pray for specific people who had come forward for counseling, and through him, they were healed of terminal diseases as well as their spiritual sicknesses and addictions.
It was a time of perpetual celebration in heaven.
Apart from occasionally finding flat tires and spray paint on their vehicles on the Saturdays they were to travel, the SoulFire crew had not been bothered by demon attacks after Atlanta. Michael, realizing that Lucifer often lulled people into a sense of complacency by ceasing warfare only to catch them off guard later with an unexpected assault, did not allow his forces to rest. The Captain of the Host ordered warriors to do battle training on a daily basis. As an extra precaution, Xander also commanded guardians to train in shifts while warriors protected their charges.
Something ominous was definitely stirring in the spiritual realm.
~~oo~~
After the long drive to Chicago on Saturday, the SoulFire team had slept in on Sunday and met for lunch in the hotel restaurant. They made their way through the buffet line and carried their plates to rectangular tables set for eight. Xander, tired because he insisted on driving the entire time so that Elizabeth could rest, sat across from Jonathan at the meal with Elizabeth seated to his right. Charlotte was beside Jonathan facing Elizabeth; Dave, Mark, and a couple of members of Mark’s crew joined them. A waiter came and took their drink orders, returning swiftly with their preferences. The rest of the crew and Thorncrown filled up most of the available seating, and the atmosphere was noisy and friendly.
Michael and Gabriel, along with all the other angels, stood around the perimeter of the room, building a hedge of protection for their charges.
Because it was Elizabeth’s birthday, Xander made an extra effort to hide his fatigue, but she noticed the faint circles under his blue eyes. She reached for his hand and squeezed it, thinking, I love you, my angel. You look tired. Char and I have a suite this week with a nice big couch and a television. Do you want to nap on the couch this afternoon? You can sleep with your head in my lap as I watch a movie.
But it is your birthday, today, Elizabeth. You are eighteen, and we should do something to celebrate. I want to take you out for a nice dinner – just the two of us.
Your birthday is tomorrow – the big two-one. You are officially an adult. That’s what should be celebrated. All I want for my birthday is to hold you and stroke your hair while you nap this afternoon. I’ll rub your shoulders, too, if you want.
Let us compromise. Elizabeth smiled at that. Xander returned her smile and continued, I will take a nap, and I will gladly accept your offer of a massage, if you will go out with me tonight. I love for the others to be with us, but I want to be with you alone for just a few hours. That is what I wish for my birthday – a special evening with you.
She entwined her fingers with his and gently stroked his wrist with her thumb. I accept with great anticipation. Dress up?
I want to take you out for a very special evening, so, yes. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes. Xander caught her thumb with his and squeezed her hand before letting it go to pick up his fork. Charlotte was looking from him to Elizabeth with altogether too much interest.
Xander cleared his throat, and Jonathan glanced at him. “It is Elizabeth’s eighteenth birthday today, and we are planning an evening out tonight alone. I hope that will be agreeable with everyone else.”
Elizabeth laughed. “He’s not telling you that his twenty-first birthday will be tomorrow, so our celebration will be a joint one.”
Charlotte smiled at her friend. “Fortunately, Xander is not the only one who knows the date of your birthday, El, and it’s a good thing that you told me last week that he
’ll be twenty-one tomorrow.” She nodded toward the door where a waiter stood with a large birthday cake, candles blazing. “I’m not a great singer, but here goes anyway.” Charlotte started singing “Happy Birthday,” and everyone in the room joined her in serenading the couple as the waiter brought the cake to their table. There were eighteen yellow candles and three blue ones above a musical staff with the words “Happy Birthday, Elizabeth and Xander.”
To Xander’s utter astonishment, the cake was set before him and Elizabeth with cries of, “Make a wish!”
If I do make a wish, you’ll hear it. I think I’ll just keep it to myself. Help me blow out the candles. She chuckled aloud.
He smiled and did as she requested. He knew what his fondest wish was, and he hoped that it was her wish as well. However, it would have to wait until she knew everything about him.
I hope you get your wish, Xander, said Michael, smiling at his brother.
Happy first birthday, brother. I wish I had gotten you a gift. Dancing shoes would have been just the thing, added Gabriel.
~~oo~~
After lunch, Xander had confirmed the arrangements for everything he had previously set up for their special evening when he had gone to his room to change into his workout clothes. He and Elizabeth had done their training session early, having missed working out the previous day because they were traveling, and knowing that they would be out late on their date during the upcoming evening. Xander had been so pleased with her progress in the past few weeks that he had begun to teach her different kicks and other offensive moves. He and Michael had discussed her training and decided that she was ready to learn more aggressive techniques. The Captain of the Host had given Xander a bo staff, blessed by God especially for Elizabeth, and using his own bo staff, Xander had added working with the weapons to their regimen.
Following their workout, the couple had returned to Elizabeth’s suite to enjoy their long afternoon together.
Because Jonathan and Charlotte had gone out together after lunch, they were alone in the suite, except for Michael and Gabriel who stood a few feet away. Michael’s arms were folded across his massive chest, and he looked ready to go to battle for Elizabeth’s honor at any moment. Xander did his best to ignore both of them.