Seventh Dimension - The King - Book 2, A Young Adult Fantasy (16 page)

I saw recent
animal tracks but did not know what kind of animal had made them.
Thick stands of fig, dwarf oak, and hawthorn covered the area. The
trail started uphill and then descended, which made for easy travel
to the lower valley. The air was humid and fresh at the lower
elevation. A small stream percolated nearby and the water murmured
down the rocks. Two small waterfalls glimmered in the full moon. A
wooden sign with an arrow pointed straight ahead—Robbers
Creek.

I had heard of
this place—tales of robberies of unsuspecting tourists and murders
of wealthy businessmen—but I didn’t know the location. I thought it
was folklore.

Many stories
had been written about strange occurrences in the area. I didn’t
want to be here. Why had I left the road? The area was soaked in
splotches of darkness.

I shuddered. I could spend the night and not let my
mind run wild or I could keep traveling and risk whatever monsters
crouched in wait—wolves and coyotes were as much a threat as
muggers.

I was too tired to keep traveling. I was even too
tired to backtrack, which was the wisest thing to do, and climb
back up the mountain. The whisperings of the water nearby would
help me sleep. I could even swim in the morning.

I made a
makeshift bed in the small meadow on the middle ridge. Having some
elevation would help me to see any approaching animals. I lay on a
bed of leaves, hiding my moneybag underneath me. It couldn’t be
that much further to Dothan. When light returned, I’d get my
bearings.

Even through
the tree canopy, the stars burst out in the night sky. The sounds
of crickets and the cooing of doves and loons reminded me of days
when I was young, the camping trips we took.

Despite my
uneasiness, I drifted off. In a dream, fire surrounded me. The
flames shot into the air and made a circle, trapping me. My feet
were cemented in stone. Smoke filled my lungs and I couldn’t wake
up.

A creature
danced around the fire, but I couldn’t see the face. I wasn’t sure
if it was a man or a woman. The creature turned towards me. The
yellowish rotting teeth revealed the dancer’s identity. She wore
the same clothes she had worn before. The shadows from the fire
gave her a hellish appearance.

I awoke with a
start. I sat up, checking to make sure I hadn’t been robbed. I
rubbed my eyes, but the smoke burned. Several feet away a campfire
blazed. The old woman sat cross-legged in front of the fire,
stoking it with a pitchfork. I waited for my eyes to adjust. I
tasted sour stomach contents and swallowed. I wished I had
water.

The strange
creature was singing a minor key dirge and laughing. Her eyes found
me, and she pointed at me with her bony finger. “Come to me,” she
spoke to my mind.

I shook my head.

“You love
campfires. When you were little, you told creepy stories by the
fire as you roasted marshmallows. Come join me. The air is cold.
Come warm your hands.”

I wanted to run
away, but I couldn’t. Or I was too afraid to move. Maybe she was a
demon.

I recalled a conversation with Shale. She saw a dark
creature that she called an underling. I cringed. I’d forgotten
what Shale told me—until now.

Had I made a
pact with the devil? I should kill her. No one would know. I could
claim self-defense if anyone ever connected me with her. I could
snatch the pitchfork and stab her with it. No one would miss
her—especially me.

“Why would you want to kill me?”

Fear seized me. She knew what I was thinking. How
dare she—but had she not given me that power? She spoke in a smooth
snake-like voice. “Sit with me by the fire.”

Who was she? Only a spiritual being could perform
magic. She was not an angel.

“Come to me, Daniel. You weren’t afraid of me
before. Why are you now? Come join me. I have something special to
give you.”

She stoked the fire with the pitchfork and the fire
shot up. Flames swirled around her. How could she not be
burned?

“No,” I yelled.
“Go away. Leave me alone.” I shivered.

She laughed. “Why do you want to get rid of me,
Daniel? I’ve made your life so much easier than it would have been.
That’s why I haven’t been around. I didn’t need to worry about you
going to the dark side. You should thank me.”

What did she
mean? What did Shale tell me? The woman had sabotaged my thoughts
and I couldn’t think straight. Why would she show up
now?

The demon was cooking fish. My stomach growled.

She stood and started walking towards me with the
pitchfork in her left hand.

“Go away,” I demanded. “I want nothing to do with
you.”

“By whose authority do you think you can order me
around?” The creature smirked.

“By the power
of the living God.” In an instant, the bag woman was
gone.

I had no idea
where the words originated. I hadn’t spoken them, but if I didn’t,
who did?

She had to be a
demon. I looked behind her and the fire was out, as if someone had
doused it with water.

I clasped my
bag and climbed back up the trail. I didn’t care how steep the
mountain was. I ran as fast as my tired legs could get me off the
cursed ground.

That strangely
familiar odor reached me as I gulped in the cold night air—the
smell of rotten eggs. Every time the woman appeared, the smell was
present. Once I reached the desolate, dark road, I hightailed it
all night to Dothan and reached the outskirts of the town at dawn.
When I saw the sign for the leper colony, I knew I was home. I
never thought seeing the sign would bring me such
comfort.

Several weeks
passed since I had arrived in Dothan. The poor and infirm made
daily visits to Dr. Luke. Some men and women stopped by just to be
encouraged. He worked tirelessly to help everyone. I was surprised
I didn’t see Simon, the leper, when I made several deliveries to
the leper colony. I feared he had died.

Later, Dr. Luke
told me, “The traveling rabbi, Yeshua of Nazareth, healed Simon and
nine others.”

“Did you see
him do it?” I asked.

Dr. Luke shook
his head. “I didn’t see him, but I heard. It was all anyone talked
about for a few days. The lepers came from our colony.”

“Do you believe the rabbi healed him?”

Dr. Luke said,
“I understand they had to appear before the priests before they
could enter the temple. Simon was later seen thanking the rabbi and
offering a gift. What is more striking is what the little boy of
one of the healed lepers said.”

“What was that?”

Dr. Luke looked at his plate and stirred his food.
“He said the rabbi was the long-awaited Messiah.”

I chuckled. “Children are very gullible.”

Dr. Luke
furrowed his brow.

Did he really believe it might be possible?

“Suppose he is, Daniel?”

I shrugged. “What are the odds? What is the
proof?”

Dr. Luke leaned back in his chair and crossed his
leg. “Nevertheless, Simon is healed, as well as the others, and I
don’t know how.”

“But you didn’t see Simon yourself, did you?”

Dr. Luke
thought for a minute. “No, I didn’t. He began following Yeshua and
sharing his healing with others. I expect him to stop by sometime
in the future.” Dr. Luke laughed. “A healthy person has no need of
a doctor.”

I agreed the
rabbi was mysterious, but so was the ventriloquist. Israel had a
long history of sorcerers, false prophets, and diviners. Even
Israel’s prophets were not very popular with the people, although I
never understood why. I suddenly realized how woefully lacking I
was in understanding some of my Jewish history.

I leaned towards the doctor. “It’s been four hundred
years since God has spoken to us. Why would God send someone
now?”

Dr. Luke chewed on my question. “Why not?”

I swallowed hard. I held to my belief that while
Yeshua may be a learned rabbi and a good man, that he had to be a
false prophet.

“What about the
Sanhedrin, Doctor Luke? Is there even one member out of the seventy
that takes him seriously?”

Dr. Luke nodded. “Two. Joseph of Arimathea and
Nicodemus.”

I swallowed
hard again. “Oh, I didn’t know. Interesting.” I suddenly lost my
appetite. I could debate this all day and come up with reasons to
justify my doubt. Dr. Luke didn’t know about the suffering of the
Jews for the next two thousand years. Wasn’t the Messiah supposed
to restore Israel? And Yeshua seemed to spend most of his time
attacking the religious leaders and not Rome.

Dr. Luke changed the subject. “I need to go into
town today. Would you like to help me bring back the supplies?”

“Sure.”

“Great. We’ll
leave as soon as I check and see what we need.”

An hour later
we traveled into town. Dr. Luke was frequently stopped by people
and he talked with anyone who passed us. Many were former patients.
Some were just old time buddies.

I tapped Dr.
Luke on the shoulder. “I’m going to stop by and say ‘hi’ to my
sister. I won’t be gone long.”

Dr. Luke waved me on.

Martha’s bright smile greeted me. “Daniel, it’s so
good to see you again.”

I leaned over
and hugged her. We laughed and chitchatted about the past. Her
business had taken off. “Do you know of anyone who would like a
job?” she asked.

I thought about the women I knew. I shook my head.
“Maybe I could help you out occasionally,” I suggested.

“Like you know anything about women’s clothing and
accessories,” she laughed. “When do you start medical school?”

“Soon. I’ve been saving my money.”

Martha smiled. “Good for you.”

She leaned over
the counter and whispered to me. “Daniel, I want to tell you
something.”

What was all the secrecy? “What’s that?”

“Do you remember Abbey, my good friend, who had been
sick for many years?

I searched my memory for a friend of Martha’s from
my time, but I couldn’t place her.

“She was healed.”

“That’s great.
Is it a secret that you should whisper it?”

“Daniel, have you heard about the rabbi from
Nazareth? People are calling him a miracle worker, a great
prophet.”

My muscles tensed. “Yes, I’ve heard about him.”

Martha whispered, “He healed her.”

“What was wrong with her?”

Martha looked
embarrassed. “She had female issues. Bleeding. That’s why she never
married. She couldn’t go to the temple because she was
always—unclean. Couldn’t be around men in that condition. She felt
ostracized. She might as well have been a leper. Poor woman. She’d
been to every doctor and spent all of her money.”

“
So what happened?”

“The last time she was in town, I told her to go see
Doctor Luke. I knew he wouldn’t charge her. Doctor Luke told her
about Yeshua from Nazareth. She went to see him—had to fight the
crowds to get near him and managed to touch his robe. That’s all it
took, just touching his robe. Can you believe it?”

“Sounds like a miracle,” I heard myself saying.

“Yes.” Martha’s eyes sparkled.

“Who do you believe he is?” I asked.

Martha shook her head. “I don’t know. I want to meet
him. Maybe he’ll be in Jerusalem at Passover.”

“Yes, maybe.”

All the talk about the Jewish rabbi and Messianic
claims overwhelmed me. “I must be going. It’s good to see you.”

We embraced. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Don’t stay gone so long next time,” Martha chided
me.

I found the supplies Dr. Luke wanted and rejoined
him a short time later. I hoped I didn’t hear another word about
Yeshua from Nazareth for a few days.

We were almost to Jacob’s Inn when I noticed a
familiar face.

“Shale!” I rushed over. “I had a strange feeling I
would see you again.”

Shale was upbeat, though tired from the journey.
Baruch stood behind her. I imagined it was a much quicker journey
on a donkey than on foot, but still a long one. I focused my eyes
on her face. Did she bring me good news?

Dr. Luke walked up. “Should I know your friend?”

I smiled.
“Doctor, this is my friend, Shale, the daughter of Brutus, son of
Dirk.”

Dr. Luke tipped his head. “How is your brother?”

Shale pounced on his question. “Oh, Doctor Luke, he
needs Daniel to return.”

Dr. Luke looked
concerned. “Is he sick?”

Shale shook her head. “No, he’s fine. He misses
Daniel terribly.”

Dr. Luke turned to me.

I wasn’t sure what to say.

The doctor
reached over and rubbed my shoulder. “The young lady has traveled a
long way on behalf of Brutus’s son. You should accompany her back
and check on Nathan. The work here will wait until you can
return.”

Did I want to go back and deal with Scylla and Judd?
Only a couple of months had passed. Shale and Judd would be engaged
soon.

I nodded. “Yes, Doctor Luke. Of course.”

“Give my best
to Brutus when you see him.”

Shale smiled.
“Yes. I will.”

Once Dr. Luke had left, I glared at Shale. Some
things weren’t fixable—things that were written and sealed long
ago. Could we alter our future? I didn’t want to bargain with fate.
I feared I had already bargained with the devil.

Shale interrupted my thoughts. “You can’t leave like
that, Daniel. Nathan needs you.”