Eve of Redemption (44 page)

“We are sorry for any disrespect, sir,” Sara said. “We have been through a lot over the last couple days, most of which we do not understand. We may be all that is left of those who lived in the Keep. Our last command from the Keep, from Master Eleazar, was to seek out Eve and bring her back.”

“Ah, Master Eleazar sent you, did he? And did Eleazar train you in the ways of battle?”

“Yes, all three of us have spent years training.”

“Hold out your hand.”

Sara paused, unsure. “My hand? Why?”

‘’Brave and cautious—a good combination. But if I am to help you, I need to be certain you are the one.”

“The one?”

“The one who is to come,” the spirit master said, as if the answer was obvious. Ryan stepped up beside her, and his closeness comforted her.

She thrust out her hand. The spirit master reached out with incredible speed and grabbed her, his fingers an ice-cold steel band around her wrist. She tried to pull away, but he held tight. She looked down at his hand and let out a shriek.

The fingers wrapped around her wrist were nothing but glistening white bone.

“What’s the matter, girl? Don’t like my touch?” The spirit master’s laugh held no humor.

Ryan reached out as though to help, but the robed master held out his staff, and the young man froze. Sara glanced at him, then back at the spirit master who still held her tight. Kyle did nothing.

The spirit master pulled Sara’s hand up to the cowl that covered his face. Sara pictured him biting off her fingers, but he stopped before her hand reached his mouth. He breathed deeply, as if inhaling her very essence.

“Ah, yes.”

“Yes, what?” Kyle asked, though he moved no closer.

The spirit master ignored the question. He released Sara’s arm, and Ryan gasped, freed from whatever spell had held him.

“I can help you find Eve,” the spirit master said. “However, finding her is only half the puzzle. Only you can release her.”

“What is it we must do?” Ryan asked.

“Not we, boy. Her. Only she can bring Eve back.”

Somehow, this revelation came as no surprise to Sara. Everything up to this point had been about her. Why should that change now?

A sudden flash lit up the mist behind them, followed by the sound of a huge explosion. The three warriors stumbled, and the ground shook.

“What was that?” Ryan yelled over the ongoing rumble.

“I don’t think you’ll be returning to your Keep. Ever.” The spirit master chuckled as though the total annihilation of the Keep meant nothing at all to him.

Sara choked back a sob. Her parents were dead, and now the only place she knew as home had been destroyed. She had nowhere else to go.

No, that wasn’t true. She could go forward. A fire lit inside her, fueled by rage that anyone should dare tear her world apart. Her fists clenched.

“Take us to Eve.”

“Ah, now that’s the warrior who will waken Eve.” The spirit master turned away and started into the mist. “Follow me, young ones. I will take you as far as I can. The rest will be up to you.”

Sara followed without hesitation, not bothering to see if her friends joined her. They could come along or not; it made little difference. She was going forward. She was going to find Eve and end this once and for all.

“THE BENE HA’ Elohim grow restless.” Lagos waited for his master to respond.

“Even in their dreams their power moves worlds. Imagine what they will do once freed.” The wonder and awe in his master’s silky voice was unmistakable. Lagos could imagine what the imprisoned Sons of God would do. Though he did not necessarily agree with Agibus’s assessment that freeing the Bene Ha’ Elohim would be good for the rest of them, he did know that the puny human creations of the Ancient One would be wiped from the face of the earth. That alone made the whole thing worth the time and planning.

“I assume they pulled Burke’s human friends into the veil and placed them in that scene?”

Agibus’s shoulders shook as he chuckled. “Of course. Just as it was they who altered the way the humans saw you in the cabin. The Bene Ha’ Elohim are unconsciously pulling ideas from the humans’ minds and placing them in the game.”

Lagos did not share his master’s enthusiasm. “So far their interference has been innocent, but what happens if they adversely affect what we have worked so hard to set up? Without even knowing, they could jeopardize everything.”

Agibus turned toward his second-in-command. “I have thought of that. You and I will join the final confrontation. We are too close to leave anything to chance.” The demon lord froze Lagos with his intense gaze. “The pieces are all falling into place. The girl is almost there. Once she accepts the souls I have captured for her, nothing will be able to stop her. Not even the Ancient One himself.”

“The question remains—is she desperate enough to accept such evil into her own soul?” Lagos knew that everything hinged on it.

“She will be, my skeptical friend. I know just the thing to push her over the edge.” Agibus’s manic laughter managed to bring a smile to Lagos’s lips.

J
osiah groaned as he sat up. He struggled to remember where he was, but nothing looked familiar. His vision blurred, as though the world were still trying to decide what it wanted to be.
Lord God, what in the world is happening?
Josiah forced himself to close his eyes and listen for any answer that might come. He heard no words, but his mind did feel calmer, like a soothing breath had chased away the fear. It was enough.

A hot, dry breeze washed over him, carrying the odor of rotting garbage. He snapped his eyes open and saw that he sat in the middle of a deserted street. On both sides of the road stood derelict buildings—most with shattered windows. Josiah heard a groan and turned to see Tiny struggling to get his bearings. Around them, the rest of the Lord’s Rebels lay in various stages of awareness.

“Where are we?” Tiny asked.

Josiah shook his head. “Beats me, boss. Not where we was, that I know.”

“This place stinks, but it looks as abandoned as the town in the desert.” Raquel climbed to her feet, then reached down and helped Josiah stand. “Are we all here?” She walked among her fellow Rebels, helping them up. “Burke’s not with us.”

Martinez turned in a full circle, searching for his friend. “John,” he called out. “John, can you hear me?”

“Quiet, man,” Tiny hissed. “We don’t know who might be out there.” The huge man waved his arm at the surrounding city. “No need to attract attention to ourselves.”

Martinez accepted the rebuke. “Sorry. Should have thought of that myself. Why would all of us be here but him?”

“This whole thing’s been about him from the start,” Josiah said. “I don’t think we were invited to play in the same game.”

“Well, whatever’s going on, the first thing we have to do is figure out where we are.” Tiny gathered his small gang to him like a mother hen gathering her chicks. “Josiah, you getting any insight on this?”

Josiah had hoped Red would show up to give him some answers. She had told him that he had to let his old role go, but he still wanted to impress his friend and leader. He shook his head. “No, nothing.”

Tiny grunted and looked to Martinez. “You?”

Martinez was silent a moment before answering. “The Bible tells us that no matter what our circumstances, if we put our faith in the Lord, he will protect us. King David found himself in much the same situation we are in. Maybe not quite this weird, but you get my point. He prayed to the Lord, and God came through for him again and again.”

“So, you’re saying we should pray?” Tiny’s massive beard did not hide the skeptical look on his face.

Martinez shrugged. “Can’t hurt. Besides, none of this is natural. Sounds cliché to call it a battle of good versus evil, but that’s exactly what it is. God is our strength. The only strength we have in this.”

Tiny nodded and spit on the street. “I won’t argue that. Lead us in prayer, then.”

Again, Josiah felt a surge of jealousy. Leading prayer had always been his responsibility. He looked up at Raquel just in time to see her turn away, a look of disgust on her face. Disgust at him? Even what little he had was being taken from him.

Be strong, Josiah.

The words were just a whisper in the breeze, yet he knew they were for his ears only. He would be strong. It was all he had left.

The small group stood in a loose circle. Martinez took a deep breath before closing his eyes. “Holy Father, we praise you and thank you for keeping us safe thus far.” One of the Rebels chuckled, but if Martinez heard, he chose to ignore it. “Father, we ask for your guidance and protection in this…whatever this is. We put our faith in you now. Amen.”

“Amen,” the rest of the group repeated.

“Well,” Raquel said. “That was nice. Now what?”

Tiny stood in the middle of the street, looking both ways. The sky was overcast and stormy, with no sign of the sun, so he couldn’t determine directions. They appeared to be on the outskirts of a long-dead city. In one direction, the buildings faded in the near distance, only to be replaced by more sand and desert. The buildings continued in the other direction, going deeper into the city. “Walking into the desert sounds like a really bad idea,” Tiny said. “I guess we check out the city, see if anyone’s around.”

As though in response to Tiny’s comment, a sound like the screech of metal on metal rang out. The close confines of the buildings made it impossible to determine from where the sound originated, but Josiah thought it had been close by.

Tiny reached into his leather jacket and felt around, confusion—then anger—on his face. “My piece is missing,” he said. Others in the group began searching various parts of their bodies.

“Mine, too,” said Josiah.

“My daggers are all gone.” Raquel clenched her fists.

Martinez pulled an empty hand from inside his jacket. “All our weapons are gone. Someone must have taken them while we were out cold in the street.”

“Now, there’s a cheery thought,” Raquel muttered.

“Then we aren’t alone here,” Josiah said.

“Tiny, this ain’t right. We gotta get outta here.” A few others mumbled their agreement.

Tiny glared at the man who had spoken. “You think I don’t know that, Hank? You think I like any of this? But we’re soldiers, aren’t we? Soldiers of God? The Lord’s Rebels, right? Or do we only call ourselves that when everything’s all righteous?”

Josiah watched the other gang members. Most of them hung their heads, a few shaking them in the negative.

“Do you guys turn into a bunch of little girls when things get tough?” Raquel yelled. “A bunch of little babies out in the big bad world?”

That got their attention. No matter how strange their surroundings, being called out by a woman lit a spark in them.

Tiny gave Raquel a rough look, as if to tell her he had things in hand. She smiled at him and shrugged.

A crash from a nearby building startled them. “Okay, let’s get moving.” Tiny turned toward what Josiah guessed to be the heart of the city. The group spread out, keeping a loose formation, but not so close as to step all over one another if they had to fight. Josiah watched their discipline with pride. He knew they were seriously freaked out, but they were once again Lord’s Rebels through and through.