by Bryan Davis
“We have?” Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Now that you mention it, you do look familiar. Did we meet before your burn accident?”
The man snorted. “Accident. That’s a laugher. The only accident is that you’re here, so now I have to decide what to do about this unfortunate meeting.” He withdrew a dagger. “I doubt that I could catch you, so it would be better for both of us if you would leave as quickly as possible.”
Gabriel gave his wings a quick flap and scooted away. As the man’s voice and manner registered in his mind, everything grew clear. This was Mardon, the mad scientist who tried to lasso Heaven and join it with Earth, and the dagger looked like the staurolite blade from Dragons’ Rest, though the hilt was slightly different. “Where’d you get the knife?”
“Don’t play me for a fool with your small talk. I wasn’t born yesterday.” Mardon looked upward, apparently in thought. “Upon reconsideration, it might be advantageous for us to work together. As you can imagine, I am not happy with what happened to my face, and I want to exact revenge upon the beast who did this to me.”
“Beast? What beast?”
“The devil himself. He masquerades as Arramos, one of the dragons of old. If I could get back to the Bridgelands, perhaps I could find him and use this dagger to end his charade. My sources tell me that only a staurolite blade is able to cut through his scales, and such a cut will force that devil from his body so that he won’t be able to deceive or maim anyone else.”
“Well,” Gabriel said, “I’m all for taking a shot at him, but I have to find some friends who were trapped in the sixth circle of Hades. Do you know anything about that?”
“I know more about your friends than you do.”
Gabriel resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. Mardon’s dramatic pause was annoying, but he had to play along. “Well, then, please tell me where they are now and how to find them.”
“I will tell you, if you will agree to help me foil Arramos’s plans.”
“Yeah. Sure. As long as it doesn’t conflict with what I need to do.”
“We will not be at cross-purposes.” Mardon nodded toward the boulder. “I have anchored a line that attaches Earth and Hades to this realm. I did it here because, when I transported from the Bridgelands, this is the point where I appeared in Second Eden. I thought it best to try to return by this route. Shiloh, too, was here, so it stands to reason that she might have gone there as well. Therefore, your journey is tied to mine. My sources tell me that you are also seeking Acacia. Although I have not seen her, the story of her disappearance would indicate that she is likely with Shiloh. Finding her would serve my purposes well.”
“Why is that?”
For a moment, he paused, nervous, uncertain. “I gave her life in my laboratory thousands of years ago. So, of course, I want to see her again.”
Gabriel studied Mardon’s uneasy manner. He had balked. Was he lying? Either way, it didn’t really matter. He had to complete his mission. “Right,” Gabriel said. “I heard about how you did that with Acacia, and Sapphira, too.”
Closing his eyes, Mardon took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes, Sapphira. I wish to see her more than any other. She was a wonderful assistant to me, intelligent, thoughtful, kind, even when my father brutally misused her.” He shook his head as if tossing off a wayward thought. “In any case, if we work together, perhaps we can signal the Bridgelands that we are here and request safe conduct to that realm.”
“Signal the Bridgelands?”
“Yes, my mother knows the gatekeeper there, and he monitors attempts to enter. If we can make an attempt to open the portal, whether successful or not, perhaps he will come and see who is, shall we say, knocking at his door.”
“Fair enough.” Gabriel looked around for a loose piece of wood. “What do we do? Spin a flame like Sapphira does?”
“Exactly. I was able to do it when transporting from Shinar to Hades, but that was a wide-open portal. I’ll wager that this one won’t be so easy. Otherwise, the people of this land would have gone there long ago. So, I am hoping you will fly around with a flame. Perhaps that will attract the gatekeeper’s attention.”
Gabriel shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have any other way of getting there.”
“Very well. I brought flint stones and parchment, so I will start a fire, while you search for a suitable firebrand. There are fallen trees within a mile, so with your wings, I assume you can locate a branch and return quickly.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Gabriel lifted into the air and scanned the valley. As Mardon had said, several trees had succumbed to the long winter, leaving rotting logs with spindly branches reaching upward like a man drowning in frigid water. He zoomed down to one, snapped off a branch, and again rose into the air.
As he flew, memories of battling Mardon’s giants flowed back into his mind. This madman had been the cause of so much trouble over the centuries, including very nearly destroying the entire world. Would it be right to help him? Was there really any choice?
Gabriel eased into a descent. The air carried a nasty chill, but the prospect of working with this snake in the grass made him shiver even harder. He had to keep a close eye on Mardon’s every move, a very close eye.
Acacia searched for an appropriate branch, something easy enough to break from a limb, yet thick enough to hold an enduring flame. Although nothing seemed suitable so far, the search had been relaxing. The woods here were always a delight— shade from the never-setting sun, a breeze tossing the treetops into a melodic swish, and blossoming vines to flavor the air with hints of honeysuckle and jasmine.
Ever since their transport to this realm and the subsequent vanishing of the sixth circle’s village, life had been sweet and easy. With Shiloh for company, as well as a variety of animals, both familiar and exotic, including unicorns, every day brought new sources of pleasure and mental stimulation. But with her strength still ebbing daily, any strenuous exercise taxed her body. Even breathing seemed to erode her from within.
Although she didn’t need food to survive, she occasionally took small meals to see if something would revive her energy. They brought some strength at first but later burned like fire in her bones. Shiloh was always worried and daily cajoled her into a few more mouthfuls of this fruit or that herb, warning her that she had grown so thin, her Second Eden garments now hung like rags on a skeleton.
Not only that, thoughts about worried loved ones haunted them both. Shiloh spoke about them more often, especially Gabriel.
Acacia crouched next to a bush that bore a yellow flower the size of her hand. She took in the lovely fragrance—sweet, mellow, and buttery. This was one of the edible flowers, but the thought of eating it made her feel queasy.
She looked back at Shiloh as she worked on her latest effort to contact Gabriel. She had abandoned any pretense about her love for him, choosing to believe that he would be the one to find her and sweep her off her feet. Years ago he had watched over her and proven his devotion. Even after all this time, he wouldn’t have forgotten his commitment to keep her safe.
And now new hope had arisen. They finally learned where they were. Although Acacia had long suspected this to be the case, a strange old man had confirmed today that they were in the Bridgelands. She had been here before when she, Joseph, and Ruth came through, but they had been in such a hurry, and Ruth’s condition had so dominated her thoughts, she didn’t pay much attention to the details of this world.
During their journey, Joseph, while carrying Ruth, led Acacia across a bridge over an apparently bottomless chasm. Yet, the bridge Acacia more recently found here was very different, so she wondered if it was the same one. Most of the planks connecting the supporting ropes were either gone or broken, and the ropes themselves were so frayed, in some sections only a few strands held them together. With every gust, the span swung wildly, making the broken steps clack and creak. If this was the same bridge, there seemed to be no way to get to the other side where Heaven’s Gate awaited.
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br /> The old man said just moments ago that they need not make an attempt to cross the bridge. Why? In his strange and mysterious way, he hinted at bringing someone from another realm, but he just cackled merrily when she or Shiloh tried to press him for details.
As a heftier breeze swept past, Acacia looked up. A limb hung low with a protruding branch that seemed perfect. She reached up and snapped it off. It was time to give their new plan a try.
After exiting the woods, she held up the arm-length tree branch and called out, “Ignite!” A flame erupted at the end and burned steadily. Lowering it to eye level, she showed it to the withered old man seated on a stone. “Will that be sufficient, Glewlwyd?”
Glewlwyd eyed the flame and spoke in a squeaky voice that sounded more like a rusty hinge than a man. “Perhaps. Perhaps. We shall see. When the circle of stones is complete, we can test it.”
Shiloh pointed at the stone Glewlwyd sat upon. “May I use that one? I can’t find any others close by, and I need one more.”
Smiling, the old man pushed on a cane and rose to his feet. “I will be most satisfied when this is finished. The body I received has aged slowly while in the Bridgelands, but not slowly enough to keep these old bones from complaining.”
Shiloh picked up the stone in both arms and, with knees bent, carried it to a flat, grassy area nearby. She had already set out eleven similarly sized stones in even intervals, one short of creating a circle with a diameter roughly matching hers and Acacia’s combined heights. After letting the stone roll out of her arms and onto the grass, she shoved it into place. “There. That should do it.”
Acacia walked to the center of the circle. “So how will we know when someone passes through this spot in Second Eden?”
“That is where you need my help.” Glewlwyd shuffled across the perimeter boundary. The moment he passed the stones, his body morphed into a transparent, liquidlike substance. Only his slow movements allowed them to detect his presence at all.
When he stopped at the center, he seemed to disappear, but his voice was clearer than before. “I am the gatekeeper of the Bridgelands, and I am able to discern if anyone is trying to pass through an entry portal. Since this is the spot that you appeared, a portal remains, and that is why I asked you to build this new gateway. Someone, indeed, is at the gate, and the stones will create a dome of safety for the traveler.” For a moment, he paused. His liquid head shifted slowly from side to side, as if he smelled something odd. “This is a strange portal. I cannot discern what is different about it, but it feels … dead.”
“‘Dead’ might be a good word,” Shiloh said as she joined them in the circle. “When I was in that old ghost town in Hades, Semiramis told me only dead people could travel through the barrier.”
“Hades is an unusual place, but when it merged with Earth, all the rules of travel changed. The dead were able to pass into the lands of the living, but the living ones were still shackled by their corporeal existence.”
Acacia raised a finger. “But I’m not dead. Clefspeare, Billy, and I were able to open it, and I fell through the barrier.”
Glewlwyd’s barely visible head nodded. “A most perplexing mystery. Perhaps there is something about your existence that even you do not yet know. In any case, I am the gatekeeper here, so I have the power to open any portal in the land, and now I will peer into Second Eden to see who is about.” He took the branch from Acacia and waved it over his head. It seemed that a flaming, crooked stick floated in midair. “Take heart. I will return as soon as I am able.”
The old man, or what was left of him, disappeared, along with the branch.
Shiloh let out a breath and sat on the grass. “Well, since he’s gone, at least we know the portal still works.”
“True enough.” Acacia sat next to Shiloh and took her wounded hand in both of hers. “Have you been keeping track of time?”
Shiloh gave her a shrug. “Not really. Since my watch quit working and since we have constant daylight, it seems impossible. I kept track for a while by watching my body changes, you know, counting my cycles, but even those got out of whack. Maybe it’s the food here. I don’t know.”
“I’ve been watching.” Acacia looked up at the sky. “Even though this world’s sun never goes down, it still makes a circuit in the sky. If that equals a day, then we’ve been here between four and five years.”
“Sounds right. It didn’t make much difference in Hades, but now I’m finally aging, so the passing of time feels more important than before.”
Acacia caressed Shiloh’s cheek. “You still look very young, no more than twenty years old, and you’re as lovely as ever.”
Shiloh looked down and plucked a blade of grass. “When Gabriel shows up, I hope he thinks so. In reality, I’m practically a senior citizen.”
“And he’s even older.” Acacia gave her a gentle push and laughed. “Come now, Shiloh, don’t fret. He loved you before; he will love you now.”
Still looking down, Shiloh let a smile break through. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am. Trust me. He will sweep you off your feet and fly you to the wedding altar. After all you’ve been through, I’m certain God will reward you with the desires of your heart.”
“After all I’ve been through,” Shiloh said, pointing at herself. “What about you? You’ve been around for thousands of years, suffering loneliness and pain for a lot of that time, and you’ve never had anyone, no husband to lift you up when you’re down, to offer you a shoulder to cry on, or to …” She looked away. “Or to give you babies.”
“Oh, Shiloh, is that what’s troubling you?” Acacia turned Shiloh’s face toward her. “Don’t worry about your womb. I’m sure it’s as youthful as your face, and Gabriel will prove to be a marvelous father. You have nothing to fear.”
“There you go again,” Shiloh said. “You’re always concerned about me, never about yourself.”
“That’s because I’m not sad about these things. Although I have often longed for strong, embracing arms, I have them in my Lord Jesus. Day after day I needed a shoulder to cry on, and he gave me one that never tires of hearing my lamentations. And now that I have seen him, I know that his presence was real every moment.”
“You’ve seen him?”
Acacia looked up at the sky. “Only once, but it was so strange. One day while I was praying at Heaven’s Altar, a group of martyrs rose up and cried out, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judgment and avenging our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’ During that moment, I could look up into Heaven itself and see the Lord, and he instructed an angel to give each martyr a white robe.” She shifted her gaze back to Shiloh. “You see, I’m not a martyr, so I wore a blue cloak while I was there, but when new martyrs come to the prayer room, they are given white robes. Anyway, that’s when I heard his voice. He said, ‘Rest, my beloved, for a little while longer until your brethren who will be killed as you were fulfill their purpose.’”
“Wow! That must have been amazing!”
“Oh, Shiloh, I can’t even begin to describe it. But here’s my point. Ever since the day Sapphira restored me after my fall into the chasm, I learned to turn my focus outward, never inward, and I find complete fulfillment in serving others. I have no need of a husband or children. All I want to do is make my savior, my only husband, happy with me, so that when I finally get to meet him, to touch him, he will smile and welcome me into a physical embrace and ensure that I never need a shoulder to cry on again.”
Looking up into the sky, Shiloh breathed in the fragrant air. “Just think. It’s going to be even better than this place.” Then, half closing one eye at Acacia, she added, “Do you think they’ll have unicorns in Heaven?”
Acacia shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Maybe they’ll even let you take Cornelius with you.”
“Speaking of Cornelius,” Shiloh said as she rose to her feet, “have you seen him lately?”
Acacia pointed. “He was grazing in a meadow just beyond the
stream we crossed. He seemed to like the clover there.”
“Let’s bring him over here. Maybe Glewlwyd will be back by then.”
Shiloh ran through the calf-high grass. Acacia followed, though more slowly. Her legs hurt too much, and today they felt worse than ever. Her body seemed empty, like a sail without wind. Her flames had been adequate for starting campfires, and she could still fashion a small fireball, but the days of creating blazing infernos seemed to be over.
Was age finally creeping up on her after all these centuries? Did her years in Heaven’s Altar leave her pining away for the sweet fellowship of the martyred saints and another glimpse of the Holy One, the blessed Messiah Jesus?
Urging her legs into a quicker walk, she searched for Shiloh. There she was, petting Cornelius, the leader of the unicorns, at least the leader of the herd that grazed on this side of the chasm. After Cornelius and Shiloh met, he left his herd to stay with her, apparently realizing that she needed a strong, tactile companion, someone who could physically return the love she poured out.
Acacia stopped and waited while Shiloh led the unicorn back. Acacia crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. The way Shiloh treated Cornelius proved that Gabriel would someday have a sweet, gentle wife, a real treasure. All would be well.
A tear dripped from Acacia’s eye, and she quickly swiped it away. Yes. All would be well.
Chapter 13
A Double Plunge
Holding the flaming branch, Gabriel landed next to Mardon, out of breath. “I don’t think … it’s working. I did … about thirty orbits.”
“Yes, I know.” Mardon glared at the dwindling flame. “Thirty-two, to be precise.”
A squeaky voice broke in. “I counted exactly thirty.”
Gabriel turned toward the voice but saw nothing, only the snow-covered ground he had flown over so many times. “Who’s there?”
A vague outline took shape and slowly filled in. After several seconds, a stooped old man stood barefoot on the snow carrying a flaming branch similar to Gabriel’s. His brow suddenly scrunched tightly, and he looked down at his feet as he lifted them in turn. “If you don’t mind, please state your business quickly. Since you are not trying to enter from Hades, I will bypass the usual required examination protocol.”
