"I don't see any donkeys around here," Maxwell replied as they turned around.
"I'm going to leave that one alone. It's too easy," Tamarius joked.
"Whatever." Maxwell smiled.
Tamarius looked down at his watch. It was four forty-five. "We need to get the ring."
"You’re wearing it. I can't control that thing." Maxwell looked at his brother as they walked back towards the secret passage way.
"Why are we walking?" Tamarius asked.
They both stopped, looked at each other, then vanished only to reappear in front of the glass case containing Solomon's ring; the ring that was used to control demons.
Behind them appeared Archangel Michael. "That won't help you now," Michael said.
Maxwell and Tamarius spun around to see the glorious sight of the eight-foot Archangel Michael dressed in gleaming armor with his sword which hung at his side. "We need to destroy those demons, not make them wash our dishes." Michael smiled.
"There are legions out there," Tamarius said.
"Nothing is more powerful than God."
"Amen," Maxwell and Tamarius replied.
Another angel appeared and walked over to Michael. He leaned over, whispering something in his ear.
Michael nodded as he left. "We have secured the front to give you time to prepare. It was wise to send your family away. As we speak, God has commanded some of His angels to surround the plane. They will be safe. Don't worry. You will both need your strength as this will not be easy. Go prepare yourselves. We will stand guard until the time has come."
Maxwell and Tamarius found a comfortable spot to meditate, each finding separate corners of the room to focus their energy and pray. Maxwell and Tamarius meditated until two in the morning without breaking. Their bodies hovered as their strength increased. Michael smiled and nodded as he saw their swords appear beside them, strengthening along with them.
***
Mei watched her husband who looked nervously out the window. She knew he was trying to hide his feelings and gently reached for his hand as she sat next to him. "Babe, your father and uncle will be fine. They’re not so old and feeble." She tried to lighten the air.
Max turned and smiled at his wife as he squeezed her hand. "How do you feel?" He placed his hand on her stomach.
"We’re fine."
"When we get back to the campus we need to go to the doctor."
"Campus will be closed."
"I want you to take it easy," Max replied.
Mei nodded in agreement. She knew he was just trying to get his father and uncle off of his mind. Mei leaned on his arm as her own thoughts drifted back to Maxwell and Tamarius.
Makayla and Cressida sat next to each other. Cressida was weeping silently as Makayla was a million miles away. Lin looked at her niece, speaking to her in Chinese and trying to get her to think about something else. Makayla was so far gone, her thoughts rested on Tamarius. Her heart was aching for him. It was late in the afternoon by the time they reached the family vacation villa.
Everyone seemed to move silently as they each found a place to sleep for the night. Winston led the staff to a second nearby house .that had been built especially for the Martinez's staff. Before leaving, Anna helped Lin to bed and made sure her every need was taken care of.
Makayla sat in the dark living room looking through the window at the beach. She couldn't cry anymore; the worry was too intense. She curled up on the couch and closed her eyes. Tears trickled across her face as she began to pray for her husband and brother-in-law.
Cressida closed herself off in her room and cried. The guilt consumed her. If anything happened to Tamarius or Maxwell… she couldn’t bare the thought of that possibility. She conjured up the image of her father and tried to understand why her father would do something so awful. She didn't recognize him as the man she’d grown up with. She lay back on her bed and tried to make sense of everything that seemed so nonsensical. Disturbed and distraught she fell into a light and troubled sleep.
A light tap at her door brought her to reluctant wakefulness. She pushed off the bed and sluggishly got up to open the door.
"How are you holding up?" Makayla asked with both concern and fear in her eyes.
"Come in." Cressida stepped back and returned to her bed. "I'm so sorry I got everyone in this mess."
"You didn't do anything wrong. Stop doing this to yourself. Look, I don't really know what happened back there. I got up, took a shower and came out to see my bags being packed. My first impression was, okay he wants to get rid of me."
"Tamarius loves you.” Cressida was quiet a moment. “Okay, I have a confession to make. Exactly one hour before Tamarius met you, he had asked me on a date. I was really surprised. I mean, one minute he seemed to like me and the next, it's like I wasn't even standing there. I can't believe I'm telling you this."
"I guess it doesn't matter anymore." Makayla smiled.
"Well, from the second he laid eyes on you, I knew I’d lost him. I've never seen that side to him before, and I grew up around his family. I found out later that Maxwell had forced him to ask me out on a date. But Tamarius knows what he wants, and found it in you," Cressida said, looking at Makayla.
Makayla smiled, as she sat down on the bed. "I find myself praying for them constantly."
"Good. They’re going to need it. This morning…” Cressida gazed pensively at the ring on her finger. She could almost feel the touch of Maxwell’s hands over hers. “I had some mundane task to take care of before we left for our honeymoon.” Her voice was a hush and her gaze distant. “I wanted to ride my Bentley, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of calling a driver. It's the holidays and, well, they deserve a break."
"Yeah, I understand."
"Well, I got to my client’s house and dropped off the paperwork. It took two seconds. I got back in my car and felt something cold and hard poke the side of my neck. I froze. Actually, to tell you the truth, I almost peed in my pants. I was so scared. I glanced down and saw a gloved hand holding a pretty impressive gun to me. I knew right away how stupid it was for me to drive a Bentley around town, as if nobody was going to notice. I thought I was getting robbed. The man told me to drive to my father's law firm. I knew my father had sent him."
"Oh, my goodness."
"The thing is, everything I saw as I was dragged through the office was just... unbelievable. I was brought up in a perfectly normal home. Everything was normal. I had a father and a mother who loved me, and two siblings. I don't know how to absorb all that’s happened."
"Hey, you gotta put God first, especially being married to a Martinez." Makayla looked at Cressida.
"Before my wedding, the last time I’d stepped foot in a church was at Max and Mei's wedding."
"Do you see any of us breaking down the church door come Sunday morning? Don't feel bad. We aren't perfect and God knows we aren't, but don't condemn yourself because you don't go to church religiously. Go to church because you want to be there, not because you feel you have to. Church is great and it's amazing therapy; very healing for the soul. The thing is God should be in your heart always, not just on Sunday," Makayla said.
Cressida nodded as she looked at Makayla. "When we went to church it was just something we did on Sundays, something to do before Sunday brunch. I never felt connected. Having been raised around the Martinez family I didn't always understand them and at times just thought they were weird."
"And, now you’re one of the weird ones." Makayla smiled.
"Yeah, and I couldn't be happier."
"Me, too."
"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Cressida asked.
"I don't know... I don't even think I care. Part of me wants to go outside and just throw myself in the sand, praying that when I wake up my husband will be here," Makayla replied.
"I feel the same way," Cressida mumbled. "How long do you think they will be gone?"
"I don't know. When we were in Trinidad, Tamarius spent most of the time fighting, just
a few demons at the orphanage. We were there for a couple weeks."
"Did he succeed?"
Makayla smiled as she bowed her head thinking back to the night he showed up late for dinner. “One night Tamarius was supposed to meet me at a brand new restaurant that had just opened up near the mall. I was so mad at him," Makayla began. "I thought he’d stood me up. But it turned out that Tamarius had successfully chased off those demons. He’d closed the portals and cleansed the building. He still says it should be burnt to the ground and the earth overturned. Anyway, that night he stayed at the orphanage late; he couldn't just leave. In the end I was happy to know I still had him. Maxwell and Tamarius are strong fighters and they won’t be alone."
"That does make me feel a lot better. Why don't you bunk with me? I don't mind."
"I don't know if I can sleep, but I will try."
"What do you mean by they won't be alone?" Cressida asked.
"Has Maxwell told you everything about his family?"
"Well, I’ve seen some things I would never have believed humanly possible today. I’ll be honest, I'm a little freaked out. To know that my father did things I never knew he could do.” Excitement flickered in her eyes as she turned to look at Makayla. “Like, did you know your man could just like... vanish into thin air?"
"Yeah.” Makayla settled comfortably on Cressida’s bed. “Has he popped in on you in the shower?"
"He can do that?" Cressida asked, her eyes widening.
Makayla laughed. "I'm pulling your leg, but I'm sure they can, though. They don't like to play with their gifts."
"So just because they can doesn't mean they should." Cressida tried to understand.
Makayla admired her enthusiasm. Most women would be heading for the door. "Well, with the teleporting thing, they can move from one place to another by passing through portals. They do need to know where they are going. Tamarius has a natural gift for opening and closing dimensions. He explained it all to me. It was like sitting in a quantum physics class. I had to use toothpicks to keep my eyes open. I love knowledge, but don't get that boy started on quantum physic unless you need to sleep," Makayla joked.
Cressida laughed, but was curious to know more. "So, did he learn to do what he does?"
"They were trained at a very young age. They’ve had years of meditation and prayer. It's amazing to me how Maxwell still ended up with Jenna. When you think about it, he probably felt he could help her. Anyway, it's science and it's not." Makayla glanced at Cressida and knew she’d lost her.
"Okay, here is an example. What is the most amazing machine?" she asked Cressida.
"Man, I don't know… an I-pod?" Cressida joked.
Makayla laughed. "No. The human body. Well, animals, too, but let's not get lost. The human body is so amazing that when I was a little girl I would stare at people a lot. My cousin just figured I was easily amused or just plain weird. The truth is I was amazed by what God had created. How can you look at another human being and not believe in God?"
"I never thought of it that way?"
"We can do so much, yet we are only using a small portion of our brain. Now scientist will say that if you use more of your brain you’ll die or you won't need a body, whatever. Tamarius and Maxwell, over time and with true dedication, have learned to use a larger portion of their brain than most people. They’re not crazy and they’re not floating brains. Anyone can do what they do; we all have the same tools, but all through our lives people have told us we can't, it's impossible. The list of negatives and pessimistic remarks goes on and on."
"But what about science? What about scientist who do believe in telekinesis and teleportation? They have years and years of research, and most of them believe in evolution," Cressida pointed out.
"Yeah, all those brains and no common sense. Those scientists are studying the body of God... and they don't even know it."
"Okay, explain that one because, I’ll be honest with you, I do believe in evolution. This world is so cold, I question if people even care about their own children."
"Okay, the computer. What does it work like?"
"The human mind."
"Right and who made the human mind? You think we come from a fish or a monkey. And, if that is true, why did it stop? And who stopped it? How did we come to be on a planet that just so happens to have everything we need to survive? I could really go on all night, but then it comes down to this. There had to be a supreme being to start the process, right? Can we agree on that?"
"Yeah... I guess we could."
"Okay, so God or The Supreme Being created us in his own image and in his likeness. So when a scientist designed a computer, he used his mind as a basis of how is should work. Even studying the human brain then take it back who's brain is he really studying?"
"I understand you, but you know most people don't even want to hear that," Cressida said.
"They are too busy being angry at God. Cressida, don't be angry at God. Even though you didn't believe in him, someone who loves you did and, because of his constant prayers and his never ending dedication to God, he has taken care of you. You’re exactly where you should be and at the right time. Nobody is upset with you and nobody is blaming you. I have my own problems trying to chase me around."
"You’re right. My mom, she was a God-fearing woman. She had a hard life, but a friend in school introduced her to Jesus and it changed her life. I want to know what that feels like."
"You’re feeling it now." Makayla turned on her side, her eyelids heavy and refusing to stay up. "Just be present and you will feel it," she mumbled before falling asleep.
Cressida was speechless as she glanced at Makayla. She looked up at the ceiling feeling inspired to pray. She got up and knelt beside the bed. Cressida prayed a sincere and earnest prayer, asking God to come into her life.
***
In Florida, Tamarius and Maxwell finished preparing for battle. They walked around in full armor feeling completely rested and filled with divine strength, wisdom, understanding, and incite. They walked boldly towards the mansion.
God sent fleets of his warring angels to fight alongside Maxwell and Tamarius. There was one demon Tamarius instantly recognized. With his one horn, he was hard to miss. It was personal; this demon came looking for Makayla.
Tamarius didn't let the Soul Reaper get to him as he fought his way through hordes of demons, hacking them to pieces. He watched from the corner of his eye as the demon ran up the stairs to the family’s bedroom suites. He began to make his way to the stairs to follow him when he was slammed to the floor by a demon.
A nearby warring angel knocked the demon off Tamarius and shot him across the room. He helped Tamarius up. "I will cover you... go!" He cleared a path for Tamarius and stayed with him as he searched for the Soul Reaper.
Tamarius found him in his walk-in closet, sniffing Makayla's clothes. "You are pathetic!" Tamarius smirked.
"Where is she?" Soul Reaper yelled.
"Give up. You will never have her."
"I've already had her."
The warring angel stood guard over Tamarius. "Just say the word and I will put an end to this rapist," he told Tamarius.
The Soul Reaper laughed, filling the room with his demonic energy. "I will not stop until she is destroyed. I will find her and when I do, I will savor the taste of her flesh."
Tamarius lunged forward and attacked the demon. The warring angel quickly joined in. Before they could kill him, the demon disappeared into another dimension.
Tamarius yelled as he stabbed his sword into the floor, opening the portal the demon had gone through. The warring angel quickly held him back. "Don't chase after him. It is a trap," he warned.
Tamarius instantly understood and pulled his sword out of the floor, closing the portal.
The angel approached Tamarius. "My name is Lahael. I am Michael's lieutenant general and I know all about Makayla. That demon has a one track mind with her, but now he has met his match. You will defeat him. Right now we need to se
cure this home for the family."
"Thank you for helping me," Tamarius said
"We have a lot of work to do. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Follow me and I will teach you how to turn a demon into ash." He took off.
Tamarius didn't hesitate to follow him. He absorbed all that Lahael had to teach him and used his newfound skills immediately in battle.
New Year's Eve
Max woke early. It was hard for him to sleep as he continually thought of what his father had told him. He got up and showered. How can I help my father and uncle? he wondered. He smiled the moment the inspiration struck. He would fast. "That's what I'll do," he said to himself.
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