by Mark Romang
Spencer beamed. “Thanks, Dad.” He trained his eyes toward the melee outside the wall. “How is the war going out there?”
“We’re winning. We’re pushing the enemy back.”
“How long do you think the war will last?”
“I don’t know. I suppose until the last demon is conquered.”
“Be careful down there, Dad. Even though you can’t die, I’m not so sure you can’t get hurt.”
“I’ll be okay. I have the Covering. Nothing can penetrate it,” Maddix said. Even though he needed to return to the main battle, he couldn’t tear himself away from Spencer just yet. They were in a father and son moment, a time when a father realizes his son has left behind childhood and grown up into a man. “Keep up the good work, Spencer. You and your archers are exacting a heavy toll on the enemy.”
“It’s hard to tell from up here. There’s so many demons. They fill the sky and ground.”
Maddix continued to look at his son with wonderment, as if seeing Spencer for the first time. And in a way he felt as if he were looking into a mirror at his own reflection.
When Spencer entered Heaven he’d been a child. But now he was a young man in his prime, a warrior just like him. The transformation had been instantaneous. Some might say that Maddix had been cheated out of watching his son grow up. But Maddix didn’t see it that way. He felt only pride and love for his son. And he would feel this way for all eternity. And that part was priceless. “You’re making a difference, Spencer, trust me. You’re fighting the good fight, and I am proud to call you my son. I wish I could stay up here with you. But like you, I’m also in charge of troops.”
“Then you better go, Dad. We’ll talk when this is over.”
Maddix smiled at Spencer, and then teleported back to the battleground.
Chapter 37
Heaven—outside the wall
When Maddix arrived back at the spot where he’d left Webb, he was surprised to see the fighting had stopped. An enormous circle had formed, and angels and demons stood next to each other peaceably. They seemed to be watching and cheering something taking place inside the circle. Occasionally a roar would go up.
Maddix found a small opening in the circle and elbowed his way in. Inside the circle Michael and Satan went at it.
Maddix felt his jaw drop and stomach turn as he watched the two battle it out. It was easily the most violent fight he’d ever watched. There were no rules, and no holds barred. Michael and Satan took turns pummeling each other.
Evenly matched and nearly equal in size, the two archangels employed multiple fighting techniques. They boxed and wrestled, used martial art kicks and strikes, and flipped each other using judo and Greco-Roman throws. They also fought with their swords using Samurai methodology. And for every move there was a countermove.
But Maddix knew his friend Michael, as powerful and as accomplished as he was at the art of war, could not win against Satan. And that made the fight difficult for Maddix to spectate.
An aura of invincibility followed Michael around wherever he went. He was a hero of renown, and every angel looked up to him and admired his courage. But the commander of Heaven’s army didn’t appear invincible at the moment.
Although he dished out more than his share of punishment, Michael looked vulnerable, even beatable. It occurred to Maddix that if all the angels standing in the circle would merely step forward and assist their leader, Satan wouldn’t stand a chance.
But no one is going to do that, Maddix thought. Michael is on his own.
Michael slipped a punch, absorbed another strike, and then grabbed one of Satan’s wings and flung him to the ground using a flying mare throw. The angels in the circle all erupted into boisterous cheers.
Michael rushed forward to kick his foe and gain the upper hand, but Satan grabbed Michael’s foot and pulled him down. And then the devil pinned Michael, trapping him. Straddling Michael’s chest, Satan unleashed viscous ground-and-pound strikes to Michael’s face.
Maddix turned his head. He could watch no longer. And when he turned his head he saw the north gate on the wall open. A bright light burst through the pearly gate as it swung open. Jesus walked out the gate and toward the circle.
Maddix had never seen Jesus glow so brightly. His eyes were like fire, and he no longer looked like a misunderstood teacher who traveled Galilee healing the sick, a humble carpenter who allowed himself to be beaten and crucified on a rocky hilltop. He was now the Lion of Judah, the risen Lord and undisputed champion of the world. And yet through all his power and glory, his infinite love and mercy still shined the brightest of all his attributes.
Maddix dropped to his knees immediately. And then all the angels and demons followed suit when they noticed Jesus approaching. The sound of hundreds of millions of knees hitting the ground at once deafened all other noises.
Michael and Satan stopped fighting. Michael rose to his knees and bowed low. Satan remained on his feet, alone and defiant. He sulked with arms crossed, and tried to muster a glow matching the Lord’s golden luminescence, but came up woefully short.
Jesus walked up to Michael and helped him up. He then faced Satan. “Your siege has failed, Satan. And so has your assault on Thorgus. You and your followers must depart at once. You will never return to Heaven again. And you will never stand before the throne and accuse the saints ever again.” Jesus looked at Michael. “Escort Satan back to the first heaven.”
“It will be my pleasure to do so, Jesus,” Michael replied.
Jesus turned and walked back toward the open gate. Maddix stood up. And as he watched Jesus go it occurred to him that he’d just witnessed Revelation 12 unfold before his very eyes. No sooner had Jesus walked through the gate than all the demons disappeared, both the wounded and the unharmed. And the ballistae emplacements disappeared with them. One moment the siege engines were there, the next they were gone.
Maddix looked all around in amazement. It was as if the war in Heaven had never even taken place. The trampled battleground had transformed back to a lush, green lawn without any divots. And Heaven’s bejeweled wall sparkled as before. In fact, everything about the golden city looked as perfect and sublime as before.
Maddix spotted Samson heading back into the city. The strongman no longer held the Nephilim femur. Sin couldn’t exist in Heaven, and neither could Nephilim bones.
Michael held onto Satan’s arm, and they walked right by Maddix. Satan slowed and looked at Maddix. “Give Sara and Spencer my best regards, Andrew. I think of them often.”
Maddix lifted his sword instinctively. Michael shook his head. “Don’t do it, Andrew. Don’t even listen to him. If I can’t defeat Satan, you surely can’t either. Only Jesus can defeat him. And he already has. Satan is just too vainglorious to admit it.”
Satan turned his head toward Michael. “Such a defeatist attitude, Michael. Our next encounter will be so anti-climactic with you thinking like that.”
“The next time I see you I’m bringing a heavy chain with me. It has your name on it. And I will bind you with it.”
“The chain says Lucifer?”
Michael snorted and shook his head. His brown mane shook. “The word Dragon is chiseled onto the links.”
“If only I could breathe fire like a dragon. Think of the carnage I could unleash.”
“Just bide your time, Satan. One day you will breathe fire. You will also taste it, because you’ll be swimming in fire,” Michael declared just before he and his nemesis left the third Heaven and entered Earth’s atmosphere.
****
Maddix sheathed his sword and headed for the gate. Webb trotted up and slapped him on the back. “That was crazy, Mad Dog. Did we really just fight a war? You could never tell it by looking around. It’s like it never happened.”
“I was thinking the same thing. But yeah, it really happened.”
Saints atop the wall cheered and applauded them as they filed into the city.
“This may be my first hero’s welcome,” Webb sa
id as he waved at the cheering saints.
Maddix nodded and looked up at the cheering multitude. “The next big battle will include them.”
“Armageddon?”
“Yeah, we’ll all mount up and follow Jesus to Earth.”
“That will be quite the sight, won’t it?”
“It most definitely will be a spectacle. I think many people on Earth will see the Lord descending and fall dead from fright.”
Webb nodded soberly. “The first time Jesus came to Earth he brought with him forgiveness. The next time he comes he will bring justice.”
On the other side of the wall Maddix found Sara and Spencer waiting for him. They both wore dazzling smiles. Sara threw her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you, Andrew. You fought gallantly. When I wasn’t refilling arrow quivers I watched you.”
Maddix returned Sara’s embrace. Although they were no longer married, and no longer enjoyed each other intimately, their bond had grown stronger than ever. And in Heaven they understood each other completely. The confounding mystery of the opposite sex no longer seemed so mysterious. “Our son fought gallantly as well.”
Spencer grinned. “I’ve had plenty of practice.”
“Spencer is a chip off the old block, if you ask me,” Webb said. He smiled mischievously. “He’s just like his old man,” Webb added. “Well, I guess I can’t use that moniker anymore. You’re not really old at all.”
“How was Teredel?” Spencer asked, steering the conversation away from his father’s age.
Maddix pulled away from Sara. He looked at Spencer. “Dark and sinister.”
“And hot. Teredel is definitely a place to steer clear of,” Webb said. “The dregs of Heaven are kept there in dungeons.”
Maddix saw Webb’s hair start to glow. And then all four were suddenly bathed in golden light as Gabriel entered their midst. Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God when not delivering messages, looked down at Maddix. “You are coming with me, Andrew. Another mission awaits you.”
“Sure, Gabriel. Where are we going?”
“To Earth. A man there needs convincing, and a younger man needs instruction.”
Maddix felt a tiny bit of fear surface inside him. Those who didn’t immediately obey Gabriel usually didn’t fare well. Lot’s wife and Zechariah came to his mind. But he had a concern, and reluctantly voiced the concern. “Um, Gabriel, Jesus is the only man to return to Earth after he died. Am I to be like Jesus in this way?”
“There is another way to do this, Andrew. A way that will not take away from the Lord’s glory.”
“When do we leave?”
Gabriel looked at him with cobalt eyes, brighter than the bluest sapphires. “Soon. Very soon.”
Chapter 38
Olympic Peninsula
The birds-eye view at nine-thousand feet brought a rare smile to Tanner Mason’s face.
He felt liberated.
Weightless and carefree.
No UWC officers could track him down up here, and no executioners could swing their axes down on his neck up here.
Tanner hadn’t smiled much the past three and a half years, and almost forgot what it felt like to experience joy. Besides his brother C.J., heartache and danger had been his constant companions since they began their journey to Washington from Alaska. But as he floated to earth over Mt. Deception, his red-and-blue chute canopy rattling in the wind above him, he remembered the emotion.
No matter how tough life gets, life can still be beautiful, Tanner thought.
His uneasiness at jumping from an airplane left as soon as his chute popped open. And like Gretchen promised them when she explained static line parachuting, their chutes automatically opened for them just a moment or two after they stepped out the plane door.
Looking at the world below, the snow-capped Olympic peaks and the verdant rainforests covering their lower slopes and valleys, Tanner could almost trick himself into believing the world wasn’t shackled by Henrik Skymolt, terrorized by the devil parading around as a man.
Almost.
I wish I could just stay up here. But we’re so close to home.
The bunker—their haven against persecution sat not far away. From up here Tanner could almost see its location, the high glade where the abandoned gold mine lay hidden under a pile of boulders. Once at the bunker they would finally be safe, finally have adequate food supplies and water, firearms and ammo for hunting and protection, medical supplies and new sets of clothing, everything they needed to survive to the end.
The only thing Tanner didn’t like about his gentle float to earth was the cold temperature. Up here the wind blasted him with icy air. Gretchen had offered them jumpsuits, but they declined. The suits would be just one more thing to climb out of, one more thing to dispose of. And they were brightly colored, so they couldn’t just leave them on as they hiked to the bunker.
Tanner figured that if all went well, he and C.J. would make it to the bunker by early afternoon. Their arrival could have been much earlier, but they didn’t get wings in the air until nine am. Gretchen had promised to have them at the drop zone by dawn. But dawn didn’t come until a little before nine. The sun’s increasingly odd behavior continued to baffle.
Tanner looked around for a suitable landing spot. He didn’t think they could make it all the way to the valley; not necessarily a bad thing. From the valley they would have to hike back up to the bunker. But if they landed higher up the slope they could snowboard down the mountain toward the bunker and save considerable time.
Tanner looked to his left. A craggy rock face offered nowhere to land. But a glacier to his right looked promising. Situated on the northwest slope and hiding from the morning sun, the glacier lay painted in bluish-purple shadows. Farther down the slope the glacier emptied into a shallow basin.
Tanner pulled down on his right toggle. His chute canopy immediately turned to his right, toward the glacier. That was easy enough, he thought.
He pulled down slightly on his left toggle to correct his hard right turn. In just a little bit he would need to pull down on both toggles and flare his canopy before landing on the glacier. Tanner just hoped there were no crevasses. He couldn’t see any from this high above the glacier, but it would be just his luck to land in a crevasse and slip to his death hundreds of feet down below the ice.
He lifted his head to see where C.J. was. His brother had jumped after him. Tanner craned his neck and spotted C.J. a few hundred feet above him and drifting slightly to his right. It looked to him like C.J. also planned to land on the glacier.
Tanner eyed the glacier’s flattest part and gauged his speed. It would be close if he didn’t flare his chute too soon. But being a newbie at skydiving, he underestimated his speed and drifted in over the glacier more quickly than he wanted.
The flat spot he wanted to land on sped toward him, and he was going to miss it if he didn’t slow down. Tanner pulled down on both toggles and held them in a static position. His canopy flared. His speed dropped along with his altitude. His backpack and snowboard were tied to his waist by a rope. The backpack and snowboard hit the glacier first. And then he touched down just a little shy of his desirable landing spot. He’d hoped to stomp his landing, but ended up sliding on his right knee and hip for several feet before skidding to a halt on the glacier, the snowboard acting as a brake on the ice.
Tanner stood up and unbuckled his chute container and wriggled out of it. He started gathering his lines and canopy, folding them up as best as he could. A shadow moved overhead and he looked up. C.J. drifted over and landed about twenty yards away, landing perfectly on his feet.
Tanner grinned as he watched C.J. whoop and holler and dance around on the glacier. It did Tanner’s heart good to watch the lighthearted moment. C.J. was good at providing such moments. He was a goofball who liked to live in the moment, and considered it his job to make Tanner laugh.
His chute folded up, Tanner looked around for a place to hide it. Gretchen requested they bury the parachutes or
hide them in some way. The chute containers had her father’s business logo sewn onto them.
A bit farther up the mountain he spotted a small cave in the glacier a little over a foot tall in height. Perfect, he thought, and headed for the hole, arriving at it a minute later.
Dropping to his knees, Tanner shoved his parachute and container back into the hole as far as he could reach.
“Is there room for one more?” C.J. asked.
Tanner stood up and stepped to the side. “Yeah, the hole is pretty deep. I think it will hold both chutes.”
C.J. bent down and shoved his chute and container into the hole until it disappeared. He stood back up, took a step forward and hugged Tanner. “That was awesome, bro. We have to do that again sometime. Only next time we freefall.”
“Sure thing. But let’s get to the bunker first. We should make it there in two hours, three hours max.”
C.J. nodded. A tired smile flashed across his face. “We’ve almost made it, Tanner. We’ve defied the odds, the weather, the wolves and bears, little or no food, and the UWC.”
“It’s been a journey, that’s for sure.”
C.J. glanced at the snow-covered terrain falling away from them. “We should be able to snowboard for quite a long way.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.” Tanner set his snowboard down on the glacier and stepped into the bindings. To save time they’d jumped out of the plane wearing their snowboard boots. He then tightened his waist strap on his backpack. C.J. stepped into his bindings.
Tanner surveyed the glacier’s geography and the snow-covered slope beyond. He wanted to have an idea what route to take down the mountain. They needed to head southeast to get to the bunker. Luckily it was only late November. The heaviest snowfalls were yet to come. Avalanche danger remained low.
But then he heard a humming noise, and realized a greater danger descended upon them.
“Is that a drone I hear?” C.J. asked.
