The Gift of Light: (Revised) (The Gifts Book 1)

by Jen Gentry

  “Who are you?” The senator asked Emily. It was apparent he did not remember her from Bradley’s memorial service.

  “I am a child of the most high God, the King of Kings, the Lord and Master of everything in heaven and earth. He rules over the masters of evil you have served. It is He who has brought you down Senator Steel, before you could bring great harm by allowing the demonic beings you worshiped to control you. You will stand in judgment before the great Jehovah, Himself. I pray you repent to Him before it is too late.”

  The Holy Spirit told Emily to leave and let the police find Bradley and Marta. She was assured by Liam they were both safe and that every demon in the area had either run away or died by angelic sword. No demons remained to threaten those she loved.

  Emily walked into the night, hands raised, giving praise and thanks to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, for saving her friends.

  The angels in her wake, shouted in victory as brothers-in-arms with their great swords lifted to the

  heavens in salutations.

  “For the Lamb, who alone is worthy. To Him be the power and glory forever and ever. For the Lamb alone is worthy, and worthy to be praised.”

  Epilogue

  The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood the forgiveness of our sins.

  Colossians 1: 13-14

  Amplified Bible

  The next morning the entire nation woke to scenes of Senator Brad Steel, presidential candidate, being arrested and charged with kidnapping his son and pregnant daughter-in-law.

  Every TV station in the world played the video of the senator led out of his D.C. townhouse in handcuffs, then more video of Bradley and Marta placed in separate ambulances to go to the hospital. Repeatedly, the video scenes played everywhere on every type of broadcast. This was how election day started.

  The senator’s staff disappeared to hide in shame. There was no way to cover up or fix this disaster and the election was a joke. The incumbent president won by the biggest landslide in the nation’s history.

  Bradley and Marta shared a private hospital suite, slowly trying to piece together the missing parts of their lives.

  Marta was still a little confused about details. She remembered being at the campaign headquarters and confronting the senator then being roughed up by his security personnel. She had no idea how she ended up in the basement of the townhouse.

  Her cell phone disappeared, and there was a big question about how her father got the text about her kidnapping. It was still a mystery how he convinced the police that his daughter was in danger, one of the many strange happenings that set that night apart forever.

  The good news was Marta and the baby were doing just fine, and while Bradley still had a long road to recovery ahead of him, his prognosis was excellent.

  Both of them gave hours of statements to the police investigators and FBI agents. The press camped outside the hospital as they waited for any word on the couple.

  Emily returned to Hook Pond. She wanted nothing to do with the media and did her best to stay under the radar. Bradley and Marta had no idea she’d even been at the townhouse before they were rescued.

  Seth stayed with Emily at Perry House for a few days. They would always be friends, but they were not in love. They realized they had different callings on their lives and reluctantly accepted the facts and parted ways as very close friends.

  Time passed, and Bradley and Marta moved back into Amelia’s penthouse in Manhattan. It was the only place Bradley truly felt at home. It took a few weeks to settle Amelia’s vast estate, but in the end, it named Bradley and Marta as her heirs.

  Bradley grieved Amelia’s loss and visited her grave often, with Marta at his side. She rested in the family plot alongside his mother Camille and his grandparents.

  After many hours of rehab and physical therapy, Bradley was able to walk using two special canes. His doctors expected that he would continue to improve but would need at least one cane for a long time to come.

  Everyone was excited about the upcoming birth of their baby. Emily visited them as much as possible and helped turn Bradley’s old room into a

  nursery.

  It took several months for the press to stop hounding Bradley and Marta. They led quiet, uninteresting lives, at least to the media, steadfast in their goal to lead normal Christian lives for themselves and their child.

  They stayed away from the press, and refused to give interviews and eventually other people appeared with new stories to report. Bradley received an honorable discharge from the army because of his injuries, and would remain a decorated American hero.

  Amelia Camille Steel arrived with the spring, right on time. Her parents decided to call her Amy, for short, in honor of Marta’s mother. The beautiful baby with her cap of blonde curls and rosebud lips captivated all who saw her.

  Nestled in the arms of her glowing parents, all smiles wide, they were the picture of a happy family with Emily serving as honorary aunt.

  A jury convicted Brad Steel on two counts of kidnapping after Marta and Bradley testified against him. There wasn’t enough evidence to try him for the murder of his wife, Camille, and no connection could be found linking him to the death of her sister, Amelia, although he certainly had motive in both deaths. Before sentencing, he received a visit from his son.

  “I want you to know I forgive you, Father, but his is the last and final visit you’ll have from me. I’ve brought you two things: a picture of your granddaughter, whom you’ll never see, and a Bible. I pray you come to know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior.” Bradley turned on his heel and left without giving his father a chance to respond.

  Alone in his jail cell, Brad opened his Bible. No one ever came to see him. He was an embarrassment to anyone who had ever supported him or worked with him. His name was a source of scorn and shame.

  As he read his new Bible, he prayed and cried out, “Dear Jesus, please forgive me.”

  ***

  On that same afternoon, Emily stood on the front porch of Perry House, watering her collection of potted flowers and ferns when the Holy Spirit began speaking to her.

  She remembered Mr. Perry’s last words to her about his life’s work, his long search to find proof of the great men of old, the giants written of in the Bible.

  At that moment, Gemma appeared at her side. She signed to Emily that the Lord had spoken to her and foretold of a man who was to come into their lives. He’s an Irishman with dark hair named Ethan McGowan. This man is searching for the lost giants, also known as the Nephilim.

  “I know he’s coming, Aunt Gemma, and I know why. He wants my grandfather’s research and documents.”

  The question is will I be able to part with them without a fight?

  Author’s Note

  Jen is a Christian writer of fiction and nonfiction works. She writes to entertain and inspire as well as to bring glory to her own personal savior, Jesus Christ. Making her home in Oklahoma, she is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a Registered Nurse. Her life journey has not been an easy one. She knows what it means to walk through the fires of faith, as she knows the pain and the joys of life. She has a strange fascination with hummingbirds as one has always showed up in times of difficulty in her life, either a real one or an image of one. She loves things like old tea-pots and Mopar muscle cars from the seventies. She thinks of herself

  as kind of a redneck chick-slash-southern belle, as she loves to dress up fancy, but spends most of her time in jersey tee-shirts and jeans, with her hair up in a ponytail. When she is not praying, writing or spending time with her family, you can find her with her nose stuck in a book She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at jennyokiern37@gmail.com.

  Please enjoy this excerpt from the second book in

  The Gifts Series

  THE GIFT

  of

  KNOW
LEDGE

  Ethan knew he needed to be professional about this. “I am looking for maps of the Amazon from the late sixteenth century. Specifically, my team and I are looking for a mountainous region purported to have caves where the bones of giant men were found. My team has spent months trying to gather information locally, but the indigenous tribes there consider the area sacred, and it’s impossible to access without proper maps as modern day explorations are very rare. It’s basically uncharted territory. My hope is that these documents will shed some light on the specific area we are looking for.”

  “So, you seek the renowned men of old from the Bible. Do you really think you’re going to find what countless others have searched for without success over the last several hundred years?” Ethan had to give the man credit. He was like a bulldog protecting a precious bone.

  “Sir, I have made this my life’s work. To prove that such creatures once existed would lend credibility to the most controversial historical accounting ever, the Bible.”

  “In other words you are trying to prove or disprove the Bible as a true historical accounting of the history of men?”

  Ethan pondered his reply carefully before he simply stated, “Yes.”

  Emily sat in her chair and listened intensely. Dear Jesus, he’s looking for You and he doesn’t even realize it. As she thought about this, the Holy Spirit spoke to her. “Stay with him. He needs your help.”

  “Robert, it’s alright. I’ve already agreed to let Dr. McGowan take a look. Ethan this is Robert Monroe, he is the executer of Mr. Perry’s estate and personal friend to my Aunt Gemma and me.”

  Ethan thought it was strange that Emily referred to her grandfather as Mr. Perry, but pushed the notion aside as he donned the gloves, and carefully stepped around the attorney to view the documents.

  An hour later, after Ethan carefully photographed each page from the older journals with his cell phone he asked, “What’s in these other journals?”

  Emily joined him at the side of the table and pulled the first one open.

  “These are the personal journals of Miles Perry. He also did some exploring of this area of the Amazon back in the nineteen-fifties. You may find them helpful. I’ve read over them and they’re fascinating, if you like this kind of stuff. Most of them are accounts of supplies and such for the journey. But there are some accounts of the local natives that may interest you.”

  “I must ask what Mr. Perry was looking for and how he came by these other Spanish journals.” Ethan’s curiosity was piqued. He knew next to nothing about the man as an explorer.

  “I don’t think anyone really knows how he came by the Spaniard’s journals. He left them to me in his will, and asked that I take care of them, as they were his most prized possessions. He told me that I would one day know what to do with them. They’ve been here under Mr. Monroe’s care for several months now, and that is all I can tell you about them. As for his quest, I can only assume it was the same as yours.” Emily handed the newer journals to Ethan.

  “I think you should have his personal journals now. Something tells me that he would’ve wanted another explorer to have them. I hope they’re helpful to you. I wish I could part with the older ones, but they’re historical artifacts. They really should be in a museum.”

  Emily’s generosity touched Ethan deeply. He certainly would have loved to have the older Spaniard journals, but as an archeologist, he understood the need to preserve such old and valuable documents. He couldn’t wait to get the photos up on his laptop for a closer look.

  At that moment, a light fixture above the table exploded and sent a shower of sparks spraying across the older journals, setting them on fire. Emily and Ethan sprang into action and tried to put out the flames with their bare hands. Mr. Monroe ran out of the room to grab a fire extinguisher.

  Just then, Emily saw a small grey and black demon crawl across the ceiling and out the door. She was the only human who could see him, and knew the demon had purposely exploded the light fixture.

  By the time Mr. Monroe arrived with the fire extinguisher, it was too late. The journals were a complete loss although he did manage to put the fire out. Emily felt a tug on her arm and turned to see her guardian angel, Terrence.

  “Emily, take Ethan and leave, now. Others are coming. You are not safe here.” Only Emily could see and hear him.

  “Ethan, we have to leave, now!” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him from the room, leaving behind a bewildered Mr. Monroe to deal with the remains of the smoldering journals on the table.

  Ethan ran behind Emily, clutching Mr. Perry’s personal journals, and did not stop until they got out the door of the building. It was still raining, but he could make out a figure dressed in black standing across the street from the law office. He stopped dead in his tracks, and halted Emily, still holding her hand.

  He knew this man who stared so intently at them. Dr. Carmine Lazar, his former colleague, and now arch-nemesis. Emily pulled hard on Ethan’s hand to get him moving again.

  “Where’s your car?” She shouted through the rain. Ethan looked at her, and pointed down the street to where his rental waited. When he looked back across the street, Lazar was gone.

  “Ethan, you have to trust me. We have to get out of here. We’re not safe.” Emily started to pull him towards the car. Ethan shook himself and broke into a run beside Emily. He knew what Emily was saying was true. If Lazar was on their tails, they were indeed in danger. The question now forming in his mind was ‘How does Emily know that we are in danger?”

  Ethan fumbled with the car keys in his pockets, unlocked the car, and shoved the journals in his arms in the back as Emily dove into the passenger seat. Within seconds, Ethan was driving in traffic with the rain still pouring down.

  “OK, Miss Bell. Where to now?”

  “Just drive out of the city. We need to find a safe place where we can talk privately.”

  “Yes, we definitely need to talk.” Ethan wanted to know just what was going on, and what it was that Emily knew that he did not. He wondered what, if anything, she knew about Dr. Lazar.