The Children of Eternity (17 page)

“Nerloft?” asked Jonathon. “What is that?”

Zurel smiled. “Oh, nerloft is a sort of spell that can be placed around a building to prevent ethereal tunnels from penetrating it. I believe you call them wormholes or gates.”

“Oh,” said Jonathon. “So, it goes around the entire building?”

“Yes,” confirmed Zurel.

“And it has a source, right?”

“Yes,” replied Zurel, “The source is a circular room right in the middle of the building. I’ve been told that the device that does it all looks somewhat like a glowing tree of multicolored crystals.”

“Sounds pretty cool, I’d love to see that,” said Jonathon.

“So would I,” laughed Zurel. “It is heavily guarded at all times. I’ve never even been near it. I may be a lieutenant in the master’s service, but I’m not trusted that much. That thing is a key component of the defense of this place. It lies directly below the great ring, the one we use to transport ourselves from one level of Heaven to another, or even directly back to Hell, which is where our human prisoners are probably going to be transferred.”

That revelation shocked Jonathon. “That doesn’t seem quite right. I mean, these are sons and daughters of God, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. I’d think that there would be serious consequences if that was done. I think that the Father would be very displeased about the whole thing. Don’t you agree?”

The demon hesitated. “Yes, that may be so…nevertheless, that is the master’s command, and it must be followed. It may be that we will be ordered to return them to Heaven when this war is over, so we will take great efforts to keep track of them. I have been told that they will be kept in holding cells and spared any real torments.”

Zurel paused. “But I doubt that that shall be their fate. I suspect there are those in the master’s service that would insist on more severe treatment of the prisoners. Many of my species truly hate your kind, especially the true sons and daughters of God. They would like nothing better than to throw one of them into a fire pit or crucify one of them in much the same way that your Savior Jesus was crucified. I have heard talk of such things among the ranks.”

“That’s monstrous!” exclaimed Jonathon, as he realized too late that he probably shouldn’t have said that.

“I agree,” said Zurel, “and I am not at all happy with the prospects. It puts all of us in a very unfavorable light. Still, I would not be so bold as to question the orders of the master, and I’m sure that he would not object to such harsh treatment of your people.”

This line of questioning wasn’t getting Jonathon anywhere. He refocused his questions. “Do you think that it would be possible for a human inside of the Hall of Angels to gate from one place to another?”

Zurel seemed in deep thought. “I would assume so. That may be the reason that the human prisoners within this place are so tightly shackled to the wall, to prevent them from wandering around. Still, even if they did escape, they would eventually be caught. At any given time there is as many as 30,000 of my kind within that building. After all, we need to rest too, just like the angels you are more familiar with. We utilize the cubicles along the many passageways as places of rest and contemplation.”

The question that Jonathon asked next served no real purpose. He was veering back off topic. After all, he had gathered all of the information that he really needed. Still, he felt compelled to ask. “Zurel, what do you contemplate about?”

Again Zurel seemed deep in thought. His expression seemed almost blank.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” said Jonathon. “I realize that was a very personal question.”

“No,” replied Zurel, “it was a fair question. I contemplate my freedom.”

“Your freedom?” asked Jonathon. “I don’t understand.”

“I doubt that you would, my friend,” said Zurel. “Only an angel in Satan’s service would. You may think that the humans damned to the torments of Hell are Satan’s only captives, but I tell you that this is not the case. Those who serve him are as surely his captives as those who suffer within the pit. Our pain is different, of course, but it is pain nevertheless. For so long I missed the wonders, the blessings of Heaven. I missed the presence of the Father’s divine Spirit.”

Jonathon nodded. “I think I can understand that.”

“I am a warrior,” continued Zurel. “I would like to think that I am one of the best. It is the reason that I have risen from humble beginnings to the rank of lieutenant. I am not a torturer of humanity, Jonathon, please believe me. My job as a member of Satan’s regular military is to keep order in Hell, to put down any human rebellions that may arise.”

“There have been human rebellions in Hell?” asked Jonathon, his tone of voice speaking of his surprise.

“There have been many,” replied Zurel. “Most were short-lived. However, even as our forces embarked upon this war of conquest, we were in the midst of the most serious rebellion that I have ever seen. An organized and well-equipped group of humans supported by a dissident sect of angelic beings known as the dark angels were at war with us. Indeed, they had won an important battle on the very day we launched our assault on Heaven. We should not have embarked on this campaign. We had serious problems at home.

“Still, the master’s plans would not be changed, and so here we are. During our absence, the rebels have launched other attacks—bolder attacks, or so I have been told. The last one was upon the City of Sheol, the most important city built with demon hands. It has been completely destroyed by some terrible weapon. I had friends stationed there. I cannot help but wonder if it would have happened had we delayed this war and taken care of business at home before embarking upon this far-flung venture. I suppose I shall never know.”

“I think that a lot of beings have suffered as a result of this war,” noted Jonathon.

“Such is the nature of war,” said Zurel. “I will tell you this, my friend: I had been looking forward to this conflict—I openly admit it. To walk through the meadows of Heaven once more was an experience I have longed for. But now that I am here, I question the wisdom of this conflict. This is not the Heaven of my youth. My compatriots are turning it into a wasteland in order to gain control of it.

“You cannot imagine how much I appreciate people who think as you do. Yet, I fear that in the end, even if we triumph over our enemies, this place will not be the same. We will serve a people who both dislike and distrust us. I cannot envision such a place being Heaven, can you?”

Jonathon was shocked. He placed his hand upon this mighty demon’s shoulder, and it was not a well-planned deception on his part. He truly felt sympathy for this being. He had to leave. “I need to be off. I do hope that we get a chance to meet again. I hope you find the freedom and the peace you deserve.”

“It was good to see you,” replied Zurel.

Jonathon moved on. He discovered that the others had kept walking so as to avoid suspicion. It took several minutes before he at last caught up to them. “I’ve learned all that I need to know,” he said. “I have a plan.”

T
HE CHILDREN GATHERED ONCE MORE
around the dining room table. They had plans to make and little time to make them. Jonathon began by telling what he had learned from his conversation with the demon Zurel.

“You’ve got the Jedi mind trick down perfectly,” said Christopher.

“You don’t understand,” said Jonathon, “I didn’t use it at all. Zurel told me all of those things of his own free will, and I know that he was telling me the truth.”

“Why would he do that?” asked Grampa Bud.

“I’m not sure,” admitted Jonathon. “But I think I know how to get in.”

Jonathon opened the book once more to the diagram of the Hall of Angels. He concentrated on the page for a few seconds. Abruptly, a three-dimensional schematic of the building appeared floating above the table before them. “Good job, Grandma,” said Jonathon, glancing over at Grandma Gladys. “You materialized the book perfectly.”

“I guess being a perfectionist pays off,” said Gladys, smiling broadly.

Jonathon nodded. “Here is what I was thinking: the teleporter ring is located directly above the field generator…” He paused. “My friend David is the real expert on all of this. He has been teaching me, but I’m uncertain about my facts. However, I think that it may be possible to gate into the complex, right into the prison level, if someone was positioned directly above the Hall of Angels when the ring was active. The wormhole formed by the ring would interfere with the field protecting the facility, producing a gap in the field directly above the building, and making it possible for us to enter. We would be able to exit the same way—waiting for the ring to activate and then gating out.”

The usually quiet Lilly looked at Jonathon incredulously. “So we’d have to find some way of hovering above the building unseen until, by chance, the ring was activated?” Lilly turned to Christopher. “You and I have the power of levitation. How much weight can you levitate and for how long?”

Christopher had to think about that one. “Well, I’ve levitated myself. I’m sure that I could levitate two people. I don’t know for how long.”

“I could probably do the same,” noted Lilly. “We may be able to get in. But how would we get out with several hundred people?”

“You wouldn’t have to levitate anyone,” said Jonathon. “Distance is no object in gating. Creating a wormhole a billion miles long is no more difficult than forming one a mile long. What is directly above the Hall of Angels on the fourth level of Heaven?”

There was a momentary silence. Everyone in the room looked around at each other.

“Someplace on the fifth level of Heaven?” asked Jerry.

“Bingo,” said Jonathon. “We would need to be at the exact same latitude and longitude as the Hall of Angels, only on the next level up. It would differ in location by only one dimension.”

“Would something like that actually work?” asked Grandma Gladys.

“I think so,” said Jonathon.

“But where would that place be?” asked Grampa Bud. “Jonathon, it could be in the middle of an ocean.”

“It could, Grampa, but it isn’t. I’ve checked. It happens to be in the middle of the Ion Desert. We go there, wait for our window of opportunity to open, and then gate in.”

“Gate into a place we’ve only seen on a map?” asked Lilly.

“Yeah, that’s about it,” confirmed Jonathon.

“It wouldn’t work,” objected Lilly. “You can’t even be sure that the floor plan on that diagram is accurate. Someone is going to have to go down there and find out. Then they could reach out to the group and guide them in.”

“Who could do that?” asked Jerry.

“I could,” said Lilly. She turned to Jonathon. “You could gate to exactly where I was, even if I was in that dungeon. You managed to sense my thoughts before and gate straight to me in the forest.”

“But how would you get into the dungeon?” asked Jonathon. Then the realization of what she was suggesting hit him. “No, you can’t be serious.”

“I am serious,” insisted Lilly. “If I were sneaking about their fortress, perhaps with a particle pistol on my person, I would probably end up in that dungeon.”

“After they interrogated you, or worse,” said Grampa Bud. “No, that’s just too much of a risk.”

“And if I don’t, then hundreds of innocent people get sent to Hell to experience who knows what. Don’t you see? I have to do this—
we
have to do this. This is what the Father brought us together for.”

“Lilly is right,” said Christopher. “I don’t like this idea either, but the time has come for us to place all of our faith in the Father. He will not abandon us.”

“But it shouldn’t be Lilly who goes; it should be one of us guys,” said Jerry. “I’ll volunteer.”

“You say that because I’m a girl,” said Lilly, just a trace of anger and frustration in her voice. “I’m the best choice. I can reach out to Jonathon from anywhere in Heaven, I’m sure of it. I’m not so sure about you—it’s just not your gift. You’ll need to have Jonathon with you. He understands how this complicated gate is going to work. If something goes wrong, he is the one who will be able to figure it all out.”

Lilly’s logic was impossible to argue with. In the end, the group agreed. All afternoon was spent working out the details. At best, it was a thin and risky plan. So many things could go wrong.

Just two hours before sunset the group gathered in the meadow behind the mansion, all ready to go. They could hear the pounding waves in the distance and feel the gentle breeze. There was a perfect sense of the calm before the storm.

“The sun will set about an hour earlier in Sarel than it does here,” said Grampa Bud. “Everything is all set.”

“Grampa, please…no heroics,” begged Jonathon.

Grampa smiled slightly but said nothing.

“It’s time,” said Grandma Gladys. She hugged each of the children. “Come back safe.” She tried to keep her spirits and her smile intact.

Lilly walked over to Jonathon. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I have faith in you, Jonathon. Find me, rescue me, rescue all of us.”

“No worries,” said Jonathon, bowing slightly. “I’ll be your knight in shining armor, fair maiden. We all will.”