Jack Staples and the Ring of Time

by Mark Batterson

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  1. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

  2. WITHIN THE FLAMES

  3. THE SHADOWFOG

  4. BULLIES IN TRAINING

  5. WITHIN THE CLOUD

  6. A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER

  7. THE CHOICE OF A BEAST

  8. THE BIRTH OF THE ASSASSIN

  9. A BAD DREAM

  10. TO SAVE A LIFE

  11. EVERYTHING IS NORMAL

  12. THE STRANGER

  13. WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGES

  14. THE ORIAX

  15. THE BATTLE BEGINS

  16. WHERE THERE SHOULD ONLY BE ONE

  17. THE WAR OF TIME

  18. WALLYDROM

  19. A LONG WAY DOWN

  20. THE UNDERGROUND CITY IN THE SKY

  21. THE BEZELS MAR

  22. THE BATTLE OF AGARTHA

  23. STRAWBERRIES ON THE FLOOR

  24. A BOY, A SWORD, AND A STREET FIGHT

  25. AN ENDING TO REMEMBER

  Excerpt

  Extras

  Chapter 1

  A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

  A blackbird fluttered through the open flap of an enormous circus tent. Only one boy out of the hundreds of men, women, and children sitting inside noticed. The boy was as thin as a rail with bushy brown hair and bright blue eyes. His name was Jack Staples, and today was his eleventh birthday. Jack sat sandwiched between his fourteen-year-old brother, Parker, and his mother, whose age he did not know.

  No one else in the crowd had noticed the bird because their attention was drawn to the center of the tent where a girl in a crimson hooded cloak walked along a rope suspended between two platforms. The girl’s daring walk was only part of what had the onlookers so entranced. Not far beneath her tightrope, two lions—one with a golden mane, the other’s black—circled and snarled. As the girl walked the rope, the beasts leaped and swiped their razor-sharp claws, barely missing her feet. With each miss, they roared their frustration, and the crowd gasped in fear.

  Encircling the lions was a blazing ring of fire. And just outside the flames were four tumblers. Each held a torch and moved continuously, somersaulting and leaping about to ensure the beasts stayed within the circle of flames and away from the watching crowd.

  Jack should have been mesmerized by the death-defying spectacle, yet he was becoming more irritated by the second. As the balancing girl neared the center of the rope, bringing the bottoms of her feet closer to the lions’ claws with every step, Jack couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting upward. The annoying blackbird was still flapping about near the tent ceiling.

  This girl, thought Jack, is only moments away from being eaten, and here I am looking at a stupid bird!

  Jack’s eyes shot downward as the crowd gasped. The girl flailed her arms, trying to regain her balance. Jack clutched his brother’s hand as the rope pitched and swayed beneath her.

  Throughout the tent, the crowd shouted instructions and words of encouragement. Just as it seemed the girl was sure to plunge to her death, she stretched out her right leg and stood on the toes of her left foot. Amazingly, these movements allowed her to regain balance.

  A collective sigh of relief rose from the stands as the balancing girl took the final step to the center of the rope. The beasts bounded upward, gnashed their teeth, and roared wildly. Outside the flames the tumblers flipped and spun as their blurred torches sent sparks hurling in every direction. Jack didn’t breathe. Even when something hard and cold bumped against his leg from beneath the bleachers, he barely noticed.

  As the tightrope walker crouched low, she wrapped her crimson cloak around her body. At the same moment, the tumblers gave a final leap before also dropping to their knees.

  The black-maned lion roared as both beasts bounded upward, snapping their jaws at the girl taunting them from above. Yet the girl also leaped high, spreading her crimson cloak wide and performing the most magnificent spinning backflip.

  As she landed, the rope pitched dangerously beneath her, but she maintained her balance. And when she extended her arms wide, the crimson cloak enveloped each, making her look like a bird with wings outstretched. From beneath her hood, the girl grinned widely.

  For a moment, perfect silence hung inside the circus tent. Even the stupid bird was quiet. And then, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, the tightrope walker stood tall and bowed, giving an extravagant flourish of her cloak.

  The crowd roared their praise; Jack let out a great sigh of relief. When the poised girl turned to continue up the rope to the opposite platform, she made it look as if the rope were as wide as a road and she didn’t have a care in the world. The applause grew to a crescendo as men threw hats and children high into the air.

  “I was so scared!” Jack had to yell to be heard above the cheers of the crowd.

  “Me too!” shouted Parker. “Did you see how close those claws came?” Parker made a growling sound and curled his hand into a claw, mimicking the lions.

  Jack laughed as his eyes drifted to the ceiling once more. The blackbird was still flapping about and screeching loudly. As the girl continued her walk to safety, the ridiculous bird rammed into the ceiling one final time and then plummeted downward in a daze.

  Crouched low on the sandy ground was the black-maned lion. Its eyes were also locked on the falling bird. With a new target in sight, the beast leaped higher than ever before. And though it missed the bird, it did manage to chomp through the tightrope.

  Shrill screams erupted as the lion landed on the sandy ground. Fingers pointed toward the dazed girl who was now lying between the two beasts. The lions seemed puzzled at the girl’s presence, yet it was only when the four tumblers leaped into the ring of fire that the beasts became angry.

  The tumblers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, shouting as they whirled their torches with dizzying speed, thrusting them forward in a threatening manner. But the lions stood their ground. No matter how close the men came, the beasts refused to back away from the girl. They paced in front of her, roaring at the approaching men.

  The tumblers were now so close to the lions that they could have touched the beasts with their firebrands. Yet the lions swiped at the torches, refusing to move. As the men took yet another step forward, both lions let out a defiant roar, then turned and took three running steps toward the now unguarded ring of fire … and jumped.

  The crowd surged into motion, people screaming and running wildly in every direction. The lions’ roars were like thunder as they bounded into the mass of men, women, and children, nipping and swiping at anyone unfortunate enough to be in their way.

  Jack was terrified. His mother grabbed his hand, as well as Parker’s, and began running toward the exit. Even without the lions, though, the run was perilous. The crowd had become frantic. Everyone sprinted blindly with no regard for those around them. It was chaos.

  Jack’s mother skidded to a stop, knelt, and pulled both boys close. As the panicked crowd sprinted past, Jack could see where she was looking. On the far side of the tent, a young girl sat on the sandy ground, screaming. A short distance away, the golden lion stalked slowly toward the girl.

  Jack’s mother placed Parker’s hand over his. “Parker,” she shouted, “take your brother and get him out of here. I need to go help that girl.” As the crowd rushed past, bumping and jostling them without care, Jack’s mother bent and kissed each of them on the forehead. “Make your way to the wagon, and I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” Without another word, she gently shoved them in the direction o
f the exit, then turned and ran back for the girl.

  Jack was panicked. Parker dragged him a few steps toward the exit, but Jack escaped his brother’s grasp and ran backward, desperate to find his mother in the crowd. What is she doing? he wondered. She’s going to be eaten by the lion!

  Parker caught up to Jack and tugged his arm, shouting, “We have to keep running!” Jack hadn’t realized he’d stopped. When he turned to continue his run, the fabric walls of the circus tent burst into flames. Someone must have knocked over one of the lampstands, he realized. Both boys shared a fearful look as the fire spread quicker than Jack could have imagined. They bolted forward again as the flames shot toward the ceiling and thick smoke filled the air.

  Jack struggled to keep his feet as Parker was knocked to his knees only to get up again and continue running. Jack looked over his shoulder one last time in hopes of finding his mother, but she was lost amid the smoke and hysteria. As he turned back, he collided headfirst with someone’s elbow. Bouncing backward, Jack landed flat on his back on the sandy ground.

  For a moment, everything went dark. Then, as his vision returned, he felt disoriented. He stared at the ceiling in a daze. It was positively beautiful. Bright flames danced far above as bits of fire and ash fell all around. He lay on his back watching in wonder, the flaming walls and ceiling seemingly spinning around him.

  “Jack!” Someone’s scream interrupted his cloudy thoughts. “You put me down! Jack! Can you hear me?” the voice screamed again.

  Why are the walls on fire? And why does my head hurt? Jack’s mind felt sluggish.

  “Jack! Get up! I’m telling you, put me down!” The same voice shouted again, yet this time it sounded farther away.

  I recognize that voice. That’s Parker! As he sat up to look for his brother, tears leaked from his eyes. The air was filled with billowing smoke that was growing thicker by the second.

  “You let me go! That’s my brother in there! Let me go!”

  Jack finally saw him; Parker was in the arms of a large man who was carrying him away like a sack of grain. His brother hit the man with his fists and continued yelling to Jack.

  “Get up, Jack! It’s coming! You have to get up! The lion is coming!”

  Before Parker could say more, the man had carried him out of the tent.

  As fire exploded along the cloth walls, Jack remembered where he was. And with the memory came a paralyzing fear.

  Chapter 2

  WITHIN THE FLAMES

  The blazing ceiling sent ash and embers floating down in an other­worldly rainfall, yet Jack Staples didn’t move a muscle. Utterly terrified, he sat alone on the hot, sandy ground in the center of the burning circus tent. The heat was blistering, the air shimmered, and the fire danced, yet Jack could not make himself stand.

  Suddenly, from somewhere deep within the flames came a voice that rasped with the sound of a freshly dug grave.

  “COME TO ME,” it creaked. “YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER.”

  The fire was so hot Jack was sure his skin would soon burst into flames. However, the voice was far more terrifying than mere fire ever could be. Once again it called to him.

  “YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME,” it rasped. “TOGETHER, WE WILL DESTROY THE AWAKENED AND RULE THIS WORLD. THE PROPHECY DEMANDS IT. YOU ARE MINE!”

  As Jack lifted his arms to shield himself from the voice, he thought he saw a bright and horrible … something, standing in the midst of the inferno. Yet when he looked again, there was nothing but raging fire.

  But then Jack saw the shadow of a great beast reflected in the smoke, approaching from the opposite direction. Fear gripped him as the shadow quickly resolved into one of the circus lions. The beast looked otherworldly striding through the thick veil of ash and smoke.

  Large firebrands cascaded from the walls and ceiling, yet Jack couldn’t make himself move. Without slowing, the mighty lion stalked straight up to him and let out a fierce growl. It was the lion with the golden mane, and as it looked at Jack, its eyes reflected the light of the burning flames.

  Firebrands landed all around, and the smoke grew steadily thicker, but neither beast nor boy took notice. Both stared at each other as if in a trance. Ever so slowly, Jack stood. Tears streamed from his smoke-filled eyes, and his skin burned, but he didn’t look away. Without thinking, he reached out and touched the beast’s shoulder, tracing his finger along the length of a small scar. And as he touched the mighty lion, it began to purr.

  For a long moment, Jack and the lion were completely still. Smoldering fragments rained down while flames hissed and danced. Finally, the beast let out a small sigh and glanced at the burning tent. Jack also looked. The blazing walls were both beautiful and terrifying.

  As Jack began to cough from the thick smoke filling his lungs, the great beast nudged him with its nose and then inhaled deeply. Without warning the lion let out a thunderous roar. The roar was so powerful that the force of it knocked Jack flat on his back.

  Lying on blistering sand surrounded by a raging fire, Jack was sure he was about to die.

  Outside the tent, the world was chaos. Full night had fallen, and in the minutes after the fire erupted, a massive thundercloud broke overhead. Rain poured down, and lightning streaked the sky. The dirt roads were quickly churned into mud as beast and human ran frantically in every direction.

  Parker stood in the midst of it, in the pouring rain, his eyes fixed on the burning tent. The same man who’d carried him out of the tent stood just behind, holding him firmly by the shoulders.

  “I’m letting go of you now, but you need to promise you won’t try to go back in there again,” the man said gruffly.

  “I could have saved him,” Parker cried. “I told you to put me down. I could have saved him!”

  “Boy, if I hadn’t grabbed you when I did, you’d be as dead as he is. There was nothing you could have done.” The man pointed his finger at Parker. “I need to go now. Don’t do anything stupid.” Without another word he walked away.

  A beastly roar came from somewhere deep inside the burning tent, and as it sounded, Parker collapsed to his knees and wept.

  A short distance away, a tusked elephant ran past as men and women dove into the mud to get out of its way. An arctic wolf trotted in the opposite direction, followed by an ape that seemed to be chasing an ostrich. Yet Parker barely noticed any of it. His attention was on the flames stretching into the night sky.

  “Parker! Jack! Where are you?”

  Parker stood slowly.

  “Parker! Jack! Do you hear me?”

  It was his mother’s voice. She was alive! He wanted to call out to her, but how could he? Jack was dead because of him. Just as he was about to turn away, his mother caught his eye.

  “Parker! Son, I’ve been calling you. Didn’t you hear me?” She ran over and threw her arms around him. “I am so glad you’re safe. I was worried about you.” After a moment, she froze. Keeping her hands on his shoulders, she leaned back.

  “Where is your brother?” Her voice was quiet, though it still held the sound of alarm.

  Parker opened his mouth, but no sound came. His mother’s face shifted from alarm to horror as she dropped to her knees. Rain continued to pour down, and lightning streaked the night sky. Wild and exotic animals galloped and pranced all around, yet neither Parker nor his mother paid them any attention. Both just stared into the flames.

  After a long moment, his mother stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your brother is not dead,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I will not believe it, and you mustn’t either. He is the Child of Prophecy. And he will lead the Awakened in the Last Battle. I do not believe this fire will kill him.”

  Parker knew his brother was special. But as he watched the blistering flames rocket into the night sky, he couldn’t make himself believe Jack was still alive. He didn’t think anyone could survive that. Not even the C
hild of Prophecy.

  It took four hours for the larger flames to burn out, and the sun had not yet risen when Parker’s mother walked into the ashes. Red-hot embers covered the ground while small flames danced throughout. As the rain subsided, every drop sent smoke billowing upward. Silhouetted by smoke and flames, Parker’s mother continued forward until the haze obscured her completely.

  Minutes passed. Parker began to fear for his mother’s safety. He stood, nervously wondering if he should follow her in.

  “Parker! I need you,” she called, her voice muted by the heavy haze. “Come, my boy!”

  Parker darted forward, hope blooming in his chest. His feet warmed as the soles of his shoes began to burn. When he found his mother at the center of the burned-out tent, she was kneeling before a mass of matted fur and seared flesh.

  It’s the lion, Parker realized as hope dissolved into fear. He didn’t want to find his brother’s body if it was going to look anything like this poor beast. “Mother, what are you doing?” he cried.

  “Get down here and help me push!” she said through teary eyes. “It’s too heavy, and I need your help.”

  The body of the lion shifted ever so slightly.

  What? Parker couldn’t believe it. Unsure what was happening, he did as his mother asked. Kneeling on hot ashes, Parker and his mother shoved the beast with all their might. And there, lying unconscious on the sandy ground and looking as if he’d been in the sun for days, was Jack Staples.

  The searing light brought an agony that cut to the bone.

  “I love you, my boy,” Jack’s mother whispered. “You are safe with me now.”

  Jack opened his eyes as pain coursed through his body. He was lying in a wagon bed with his head in his mother’s lap. Parker sat up front, driving.

  “Where …,” Jack croaked. He stopped and tried to work moisture into his mouth. “Where are we?” he rasped.

  “We are almost home. We left the circus this morning, and we will be home within the hour.”

  As he looked up at his mother, he blinked. A strange light was glowing from somewhere deep in her chest. I must be imagining things, he thought. Yet even as he watched, her hands moved in a strange pattern as they gathered the light. Smiling at him, she touched his burning skin, and where she touched, the pain began to subside.