Unbroken Kingdom

by Lorie Gurnett

  “Chester, pay attention.” Senora darted away as another hairier beast approached. “You spend too much time distracted in your thoughts; there are gaps in your patrol.”

  “The Master asked me to patrol. So, I patrol. Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive,” Chester whined.1

  “Oh, never mind you. Go back to the hidden entrance, but pay attention,” the hairier beast ordered. Chester shrugged and lumbered off away from the Shadow Dominion border. Senora quietly snuck away and continued to follow Chester.

  “They never know what they want. Patrol, guard, pay attention, demand, demand. Some people just need a high-five. In the face. With a chair. Things will be different when Master has won.” Soon a rusty door came into view. Senora knelt and watched as Chester looked around. He reached down and grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it over the doorposts. Soon, the door opened, and Chester entered. The door slammed shut behind him.

  What are these creatures? Are they the Shadow Knights? The ones Katerina mentioned? What should I do now? Please help me know what I should do, Senora prayed.

  “You have all the answers you seek. Just open your eyes and face your fears. When you face your fears, you find your courage. For when you’re weak, His strength shines through you.” The Tall Bearded Man appeared behind Senora. She jumped at his sudden appearance. Scurrying to his feet, she brushed off her pants and tried to clear her dripping hair from her face. “Remember, you’re never alone. I’m your guide, but He rules your heart. The Saviour’s always with you.”

  She nodded as she gathered her thoughts. I need a plan. Senora’s courage filled her as she stood, nodded, and approached the rusty door.

  As she rubbed her hands along the frame of the door, she asked, “What’ll I face in there?”

  “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon Lucifer.2 He rose up against the Saviour, tried to claim His eternal authority, but the Saviour is unchanging and all powerful. You will not be alone. Despite the dangers awaiting you in the dark, you will be protected.” He patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring wink.

  “Dragon? What dragon?” Senora’s thoughts returned to the Silver Dragon and her friend Sam. She hugged her arms and rubbed them vigorously.

  Ignoring her question, he continued with his story, as if he was recalling a distant memory. “The dragon and his angels fought back.”3

  Turning, she pressed the palm of her hand into his chest and look up at him. “Wait. You said his angels. Who’s he? I only know of the Silver Dragon and the Red Dragon.”

  Looking down at her, his face grew sad as he continued. “But he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who’s called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.4 Lucifer and His angels were cast out and renamed.”

  “Wait, deceiver of the whole world? Do you mean Lucas?” she asked as her hand shot up to her mouth in shock.

  He picked her up in a warm hug and released her, holding her shoulder firmly. He smiled and nodded toward the door. “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.”5

  Touching the door frame again, her mind was spinning with this new knowledge. “What do you mean, his time is short?”

  “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.6 Guard your mind darkness thrives here. Lean on the Saviour’s strength and fill your mind with His truth.”

  “Will you go with me? I don’t know the way.” Senora looked over her shoulder, but the Man was gone. She looked back at the door, reached down, grabbed a handful of mud, and took a deep breath. “Well, here goes nothing. I hope this works.” She smeared mud over the doorposts, and soon, the door opened. She carefully stepped through as the door closed behind her.

  “What was your mom like?” Lucas asked as he leaped into the room. Robert jumped back and bumped into a nearby filing cabinet.

  “Why do you keep asking me about my family?” Robert growled.

  Lucas calmed his expression and leaned close. “I think you need to walk with me again. Once again, Robert rose and followed Lucas out of the room. They turned right and walked down several dimly lit caves. “Where’re we going now?”

  “You’ll see. Just open your mind and focus your eyes.” They soon emerged into the Forest of Truth, past the ruined city of Dragon Kingdom, and suddenly Robert found himself standing next to a strange-looking tree.

  “Is this the Tree of Hope you were talking about before? Why is it called that?”

  Lucas smiled mischievously as he leaned against the old, large tree. “The dragon’s believed that the Tree of Hope would be a beacon of light for the Saviour’s arrival. But with the fall of my Silver Enchantress, their defeat was at hand.” He ran his palm along its bark as if in gleeful triumph.

  Jumping in shock, Robert braced himself for a fight. “Defeat? I thought you said you loved her?”

  Lucas looked at the ground, shook his head, and chuckled. “Oh, but I do. She was my half that made me whole. But when Scarlett deceived the Silver Dragon to the light, I realized that love was only bondage.”

  Robert shoved Lucas away from the tree and punched him in the mouth. “No, I don’t believe that.”

  Lucas staggered and spat out some blood. “You don’t?” Regaining his composure, he stood and walked around the tree again. Grabbing ahold of the tree trunk, he swung around it and glared at Robert from behind the tree. “Tell me about your mother.”

  “She was just as manipulative as my dad. It took all her strength to keep our life a secret. She would put on her fake smile and pretend we were the perfect family. I wasn’t allowed to speak in public. She didn’t want me to slip and tell anyone. You see, family problems are just that; they’re to stay behind closed doors. But as I got older, I realized something.”

  Lucas licked his lips and leaned closer to Robert as he turned his eyes to the ground. “What did you realize?”

  “That my worthless life was a lie. My friend Trevor believed in my worth. His friendship gave me hope and purpose. He showed me there’s a way out. His little sister, Nora, taught me about the Saviour.”

  Lucas squirmed at the mention of the Saviour. He quickly turned and tapped Robert’s forehead, and he fell back against his chair in the cluttered room once more. “I have to go, but we’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll give you some much-needed insight.” Lucas left the room.

  Robert stood and walked to the clustered mess Lucas left on the floor. He knelt and slowly picked them up and placed them back on the table. Strangely, most papers appeared to be blank. He searched around the maze of filing cabinets and chairs scattered throughout the room. After trying to open one filing cabinet, he realized they were all locked. He walked to the door, but it was locked too. Guest on his terms, Robert reminded himself.

  He made his way back to the middle chair and slumped onto it. When Dad went away to prison two years ago, I made myself a promise. I will not allow that man back into my life. He won’t be allowed to hurt anyone again, Robert reminded himself as he drifted off to sleep.

  Senora found herself standing in a damp, dark, and rocky tunnel. The air was dense, cold, and foul. She covered her nose and tried breathing through her sleeve. “Not much place to hide here. God, please protect me.” She slowly shuffled down the tunnel, the only light coming from the glow of her pendant. Soon, she heard Chester’s laughter up ahead. She leaned against the rocky wall, but the wall shifted, and she stumbled behind a hidden boulder. How’ll I ever get around him? And how’ll I ever find Bobbie or Sam? This tunnel seems to go on forever.

  “Oh, I wish they would make up their minds. Patrol, go inside, report,” Chester grumbled as he stumbled over his feet. “I
t takes real skill to choke on air, fall up the stairs, and trip over nothing. I have those skills. Patrol is so boring my mom won’t even do it,” Chester sighed, “And yet, I could be useful. The nice part about being a pessimist is that you’re constantly proven right or pleasantly surprised.7 One will see I prove my loyalties. Yes, I could.” Senora watched silently as Chester lumbered past her, heading back toward the rusty entrance. She shivered at the sound of Chester’s high-pitched laughter. Relief returned as Chester’s laughter faded. She swallowed her fears, moving forward.

  Robert sat in the chair. He felt utterly defeated, unloved, and alone. His mind raced, and he felt dizzy. You’re alone. You’re a liar. You’re not good enough, and you’re not worth loving. Lucas’s words danced in his mind, tormenting him.

  Lucas entered the dark room. “Let’s take a walk,” Lucas declared like he had every day for the last two weeks. Robert’s mind spun in a fog. Between these walks and being bound, his mind struggled to make sense of his surroundings.

  “What is it you want from me?” Robert asked.

  “What makes you think I want anything? I’m teaching you.”

  “Teaching me what exactly?” Robert questioned. “And why won’t you let me see Sam? Where is she?”

  “After everything I’ve done for you?” Lucas punched Robert in the cheek. “Why’re you so ungrateful? Maybe you need some discipline.” Lucas swung his fist at Robert’s face again but this time, Robert caught Lucas’s fist in his hand and pushed him away. “Good reaction time. There’s hope for you yet. Maybe tomorrow, you’ll be more willing to listen and talk. Your dad caused so much pain; your mom pretended like nothing was happening. What would you say if I could take your parents out of your life?”

  “No, I’ve forgiven my dad.” Robert’s mind wandered back to the tornado of fire, and the child called Nobody. Forgiveness is the key to healing; the thought ran through his mind.

  “They don’t deserve forgiveness. You said you wouldn’t let him hurt you or your mother again. Right?”

  “I know, but I don’t need to lose myself to unforgiveness.”

  “You just think about the power, protection, and control I offer.” Soon, Robert was alone in the cluttered room once more. He hung his head in despair.

  “I can’t do this anymore. I’m unlovable, I’m alone, and I’ll never be good enough. I’ve already seen so much, or at least what Lucas allows me to see, and yet, I still can’t find Sam.”

  “No, His divine power has given you everything you need for a godly life through knowledge of him who called you by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given you his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”8 The Tall Bearded Man appeared before Robert. Being caught off guard with the Man’s sudden appearance, he toppled backward, and crashing to the floor, he bumped his head on one of the cabinets.

  Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, he jumped to his feet to hide his surprise. “Who’re you?”

  The man calmly walked around the cabinets, keeping an eye directed on Robert the whole time. “I’m the divine servant of the High King of kings, the great I AM.”

  Skeptically leaning against a cabinet, he asked, “Who am I that the Saviour would send me such a loyal servant?”

  Waving a gentle hand toward him, the Man kept walking around the room. “You’ve found favour with God.”9

  “Why do you say favour? I’m worthless, worse than nothing, unlovable, and I’ll never be good enough.” Robert fell to his knees, feeling broken.

  The Man stopped at a far cabinet, and Robert looked up without moving his head as the Man forced the cabinet open and pulled out a file. “You’re a child of God, you’re justified completely, you’re free from condemnation, you’ve the mind of Christ, you’ve been made righteous, and you’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing.”10

  Scurrying to his feet, he scratched his head. “How did you?”

  The Man opened the file and started leafing through it. He continued walking around the room as he spoke and reviewed this file.

  “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we’re formed, he remembers that we’re dust. We’ve this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. For you’re a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.”11

  Shaking his head, he slunk back in his chair, resting his elbows on his lap and placing his head in his hands. “Why would He choose me? I’m not even worth loving.”

  With each step, the Man’s words became bolder, and full of compassion. “You’re loved with an everlasting love; therefore, He has continued His faithfulness to you.12 Even before he made the world, God loved you and chose you in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt you into his own family by bringing you to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”13

  When the Man stopped in from of him, Robert looked up with sadness. “Why would God care about me? He has been silent for years.”

  Robert watched as the man flipped through the file more vigorously, appearing to be searching for something. “Even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So, don’t be afraid; you’re worth more than many sparrows.”14

  “This is an impossible situation; it can’t be fixed. Lucas has already won.”

  “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”15

  Clenching his fists, he turned and punched a nearby cabinet. “I’m too weak, I just can't fight anymore.”

  The Man smiled as he pulled a piece of paper from the file, looked up with such conviction, and said. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”16

  “God has forgotten me.”

  “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, God will not forget you! See, God has engraved you on the palms of His hands. Stay strong in His strength ‘He is with you always, to the very end of the age’. God has said, never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”17 The man placed the paper into Robert’s hands. “I’m sending you one who’s wise in the faith. She’ll remind you of a time you’ve forgotten. Stay strong you’re not alone.”

  The Man placed his large hand on Robert’s back and nodded toward the paper. He turned and walked back to the far file and placed the folder back in the cabinet. “You need to come face to face with God’s judgment on your sins today because the longer you avoid what God says to you, you are unable to help others. No one else can hear of God’s love for them through you if you are living in denial of your need of saving. When you are brought low at the cross of Christ and confess your sins and acknowledge the punishment falling in Christ, other people will notice and be drawn to the truth. No one can earn their salvation. God can save anyone. Sin will not go unpunished, but God’s judgment will be merciful in the way He spares His people because He has good intentions toward those who belong to Him. What will God bring forth after you have gone through the judgment to be refined, purified, and restored?”

  “I fear the consequences. I am afraid that there will be nothing left of me.”

  “Read the paper. You cannot deny this truth. Courage is found in unlikely places, like fear. The fear of saying no to God will override the fear of everything else. If you fear the right thing. If you fear the Lord and cultivate an awareness of Him and His goodness by fearing His word, then the fear of everything else must get smaller by comparison. If it doesn’t, then you haven’t understood what God has been saying to you. If you will listen, you will be brought near to hear the roar of the lion and will show you must fall down and get low in reverence to God. Let God’s voice be your sou
rce of conviction and truth that shapes the way you worship, the way you live, and the way you treat your neighbours. Christ’s righteousness is made available to you. He has not held it back. Stay strong in His strength, and the truth will set you free.”

  Robert looked around the dark room. He felt confused, but held on to a small glimmer of hope. Looking down at the paper he saw a photo of himself. Stamped across the photo it read Chosen. Robert is my adopted son, whom I love. Robert sat in silence as the darkness no longer felt as heavy.

  Senora shuffled along silently for what seemed like hours in the darkness, when suddenly, a dull glow appeared before her. She cautiously approached the light. Crouching at the end of the dark hallway, she found herself facing a large, pillared room full of glowing candlelight. Statues lined the outer walls. Each statue was a beast-like creature with the face of a man. As she focused on the statue closest to her, she wavered as a shiver of fear hit her. The face was that of Lucas. “No, not Lucas again,” Senora gasped barely above a whisper. Her eyes scanned the large room in search of other tunnels or entrances she could slip into. She caught a glimpse of two hairy beast-like creatures emerging from the other end of the room.

  “They’ll soon be overcome. Master Drayvon will prevail. Lord Lucas is almighty.” One creature laughed with glee.

  “They’ll soon see they’re alone: nobody’s coming for them,” the other declared. Senora dove behind the nearby statue as the two creatures walked past and entered the dark tunnel she had just come out of. Sighing out of relief of not being seen, she quickly jumped and dodged behind each statue, bringing her closer to the other entrance. Cautiously sliding into the darkness, she reached her new destination undetected.

  The hallway was still cold and damp, but the air was not as foul. Senora pressed against the side, rock wall in hopes that if any more creatures came her way, she would be able to slip past them unnoticed. She hid the glowing eagle pendant in her pants pocket and continued on her way.