by Lynn Landes
She listens and her heart breaks. He speaks the truth. “I do understand it, the desire to be free! To make my own choices, but the true power comes with the freedom of that choice. To choose to do the right thing and say no to evil. It is not too late for you, Raphaim, to say no,” Elina responds through tears.
This is not going as he planned. He intended to break her then convince her to join him, but he can see now that it will take more. Instead of convincing her, she is preaching to him! With a deep sigh, he stands, “Elina I had hoped to avoid any more unpleasantries, but I can see now that you are going to be difficult.”
Kane enters, followed by three of his companions. Malevolence oozes from his body and Elina knows fear again.
“Raphaim,” she begs, “choose this day whom you will serve,” she responds.
“I already have.” He leaves and the others move into the sound of screaming.
Chapter 10
He waits in the shadows of hell for the screaming to stop. One, by one, they leave smiling and laughing over, the fun they have had, at her expense. Elina did not bother to fight back this time for she knows it would only excite them.
In her mind she goes to her secret place, longing for her father to rescue her. She knows now, she is Fallen. That much of what Raphaim told her was true.
When Lexy replayed her memories, Elina saw the moments of weakness that caused her destruction. “I’m sorry, Father, forgive my weakness.” On the ground naked and surrounded in her own blood, Elina feels him before he speaks.
“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, Elina. Ask and you shall receive,” Nameed tells her. Quickly he picks her broken body up and walks to the stone table. Stretched out on the table, she whimpers and cringes in pain.
“Just let me go, Nameed. Let me die. They will not get the book from me...” she coughs up blood from the abuse done to her body.
“You prayed for forgiveness, Elina. Your sins are no more, let go of the guilt and shame, and follow the thread placed in your life.” Nameed begins to heal her and soon, Elina begins to feel better.
He cleanses her body in the ways of the Angels and clothes her in a white robe. He cleanses her skin of all damage, dirt, soil, blood and sweat. Her hair is cleansed and fresh, and her wounds are no more.
“I don’t understand, Nameed. Am I not fallen?” she asks confused.
“No, you chose the righteous path, but made a few bad choices on the way. Yet your heart remained true to your God. Will you continue on this path, Elina? Are you prepared for what must come next?”
“I am scared I will fail us all again, Nameed,” she whispers hanging her head in shame.
“Once our Keeper told me to stay true to the covenant made to our Father. Now I tell you the same thing! We need you, Elina, but the choice is yours.”
“Are you fallen, Nameed. Did you come just to play with me, like the others?”
“Reach for your power, Elina. Do you feel it?” He asks with a soft smile.
Elina closes her eyes and seeks her Father God, and she feels him. He fills her spirit with his grace, his strength, and his love. She feels his forgiveness, wrapped in his perfect love and she weeps with joy. “Thank you, Thank you,” she cries into her hands. When she lifts her eyes to Nameed’s she sees his tears reflected there.
“There is no condemnation for those that walk in faith, Elina. Forgive yourself and let go of the shame. It will weaken your power. Your sins are washed away, never to be seen again. Do you believe it? Do you feel it?”
“I do.” She says standing up she takes his hands in hers, “Nameed how do I get out of here?”
“I will show you the way,” he holds out his hand.
Elina grasps the hand of salvation and feels a protective light surround her. One minute they are in the fiery depths of hells belly, the next moment they are in a vast empty white space. No sound, no breeze, only emptiness. Nameed releases her hand and reassures her.
“Elina we are in between time and space. We have much to discuss and here you will find the rest you need to rejuvenate your body and hopefully your soul. Do not be afraid.”
He smiles and turns painting with his hand a large blue sky with white clouds moving. A soft breeze caresses her face and blows her hair back, she closes her eyes and inhales taking the fresh air into her lungs.
Soon the unmistakable sound of the ocean fills her ears. The ebb and flow of waves crashing on a beach and the salty smell of sea air fills her nose. Beneath her bare feet, she feels warm sand and overhead seagulls call out. The hot rays of the sun cause her to shield her eyes before she opens them. She smiles in delight.
“Where are we?” Elina asks as she drops to the sand and picks up a fistful, letting it sift through her fingers.
“I searched your soul and found this to be a place of peace for you. Do you like it?”
“I love it, Nameed. But why now? I don’t understand?” she says when she sees a small cottage on the beach behind her with a porch.
“Elina, the choices you have made set off a chain of events that brought us to where we are. You are being given a rare gift, to set things right.” Nameed begins to walk towards the small house and Elina follows him.
“Wait a minute; please,” she calls out to him. “I saw you fall, Nameed. You and other angels. Did I imagine that?” she asks, confused and afraid of what is coming next.
Nameed steps up onto the small porch and turns to her smiling softly, “You saw what I wanted you to see, what was necessary. I have been waiting for you, Elina. I knew you were coming, but I didn’t know when. It has been a long ten years.”
“You knew I was going to… that Malach would die to protect me?” she asks with shock on her face.
“No, don’t misunderstand me, Elina. Our Father gave you the freedom of choice, I had a plan for multiple possibilities. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but here we are. After Malach pushed you away the battle was fierce, but he didn’t stand a chance against so many. He knew if you stayed all would be lost. He believed that everything happens according to God’s plan and so do I, it’s time for you to believe it too.”
Elina looks away as she struggles with exhaustion, shame and fear.
“In three days, I will return to you and offer you a chance to rectify One moment, One choice in your past. Choose carefully, Keeper.” Nameed’s smile fades and his eyes turn serious. “Elina your choice must be made regardless of your feelings.”
Elina’s turquoise eyes fill with tears and she sobs out, “I have made so many mistakes, how will I choose who should live or die? I am flawed.”
“No, you are human. Ask yourself what would make Malach proud? What would make your family proud? When you stand before our Father on the Day of Judgment, will it be with pride or shame? Right or wrong the choice must be yours. You will find all you need inside. Rest easy, you are safe here.”
Nameed spreads his striped wings and leaps into the air flying away, leaving Elina to her thoughts. She sits on the steps and wraps her arms around herself, listening to the ocean, she watches the sunset and heads inside her sanctuary.
Chapter 11
How does one choose a moment out of their lifetime to relive? It is like pulling a thread on a quilt, if she chooses the wrong thread, the whole thing could unravel and the world would never be the same. Inside the small cottage Elina finds a small galley kitchen, stocked with food and water. A small living room and a covered porch on the back of the house. She roams through the empty rooms and down a hallway into a bedroom and bathroom.
On the queen size bed Elina finds a Holy Bible. It’s not just any bible, but her family bible! She touches it reverently running her fingers over the worn brown leather. She can hear her Uncle Ronnie’s deep voice reading to her from its weathered pages and she smiles through her tears.
Sitting on the bed Elina opens the bible and traces the names inside. Reverently she traces her name scrawled in her mother’s beautiful script, it reads Elina, beloved daughter. Now ho
lding the bible tightly against her chest, Elina cries herself to sleep.
Exhausted, she sleeps until the sun breaks through the window in her room the next morning. Elina rises with the sun, grabs a shower and decides to walk. Ruby always said exercise cleared the mind and strengthened the body.
“Well, I certainly need a clear mind now.”
She sifts through the memories Alexandria showed her and she sees the moments that could have changed everything.
The first moment that comes to mind is the moment the book was created. If she could go back in time to the moment they separated each piece of the book and put them in the jars, she could prevent all of this from happening in the first place.
She stops suddenly remembering that Nameed said her lifetime. With a deep sigh, she continues walking in the morning sun, enjoying the squish of the sand through her toes.
When Raphaim first attacked her village, she was a girl. If she goes back to the exact moment before he comes, she can kill him and none of this will have happened. Then she will never lose her parents or the villagers.
“Except, Elina, you forget that the Mocker was also in the village. Great, now I am talking to myself. He could be mocking as anyone and I would be giving him what he wanted all along, the Keeper. Moving along then.” She walks to the edge of the shore and enjoys the feel of the water rushing over her feet.
Maybe the pyramid when her power failed her. She could kill Raphaim and prevent him from taking the scroll. How about when he followed her to the cave and battles her and Malach. Or, the moment when he gets to the house and meets the baby, finding the scroll.
Elina sinks into the sand and watches the ocean, quietly thinking. So many moments of her life and Raphaim’s are woven together like a fine tapestry. Removing one could cause a ripple across all of the other moments, destroying her family or delivering the other parts of the book into the enemy’s hands.
Maybe she is blaming Raphaim when she should be looking at her own choices. “Your greed, envy, and lust Keeper,” echoes in her mind.
Horror fills her mind when she realizes the truth in the statement. When Malach told her to go, she disobeyed not because of her fear for him, but because she was beginning to doubt. She was greedy! She wanted to have it all, save humanity and have a life with Malach, but that was never an option.
Elina lifts her face to the sky and begs for forgiveness, now with a true understanding.
“Father, I have broken the covenant I made, I have broken your laws, and my sins have separated me from you. I am sorry… I am sorry,” she sobs. “Please forgive me, please wash my spirit clean and send your Holy Spirit to live in my heart. Help me obey your will and laws for the rest of my life.”
Elina feels a tingling, warm at first, it grows and begins to feel like an electric current beneath her skin. She stands slowly wiping her eyes and looks at her arms. She is glowing and her tattoos are beaming with a white hot light. They begin to fade and Elina smiles as she feels her Father with her and stronger than ever.
“Thank you,” Elina whispers and she begins to walk back again to the house.
The next two days Elina prays and fasts. She gives her heart to God and forgives herself for the mistakes she has made, knowing shame will fester inside her and infect her soul. When she thinks now of the past, she sees the times of weakness which led to the moment that changed everything. When Nameed comes she will be ready.
On the evening of the third day, Elina is standing on the beach watching the sun set when she hears him land softly buffeting her with sand. She turns and smiles at Nameed.
“The Covenant is not broken, Elina. You are the Covenant. It was written into your cells, your genes, and your very blood. Only you can offer humanity a chance. It will be given to them, if you choose properly. Your time is up, Keeper. Tell me what have you chosen?”
Elina’s smile fades and her eyes glow with holy fire, “I will show you.” Reaching for his hand, they spin through time towards her chosen destiny.
Chapter 12
Elina opens her eyes and finds she is in Polly’s hallway outside Varena’s bedroom, and she hears Hunter singing to the baby. She chose this moment to try to keep Raphaim from getting the scroll. Tears fill her eyes at the sound of his voice.
“Alex, I need you!” She calls to her brother’s mind, as she wipes the tears away and prays for guidance. Hunter looks up and his smile fades when she steps into the room.
“What’s wrong?” He holds the baby a little tighter as if to protect her.
“Hunter, we don’t have much time. The demon Raphaim is coming for them. I think with Alex’s help we can stop him.” She rushes over to Varena and gently shakes her awake.
“Varena, wake up. Raphaim is coming,” she tells her terrified friend.
“What! I have to go now! Give me my daughter!” She says starting to swing her legs over the side of the bed.
“No! Listen closely,” she tells her and breathes a sigh of relief when Alex drops into the room behind his startled dad. “You had a scroll, where is it?”
Confusion shows on her face, “It… It is in my dress pocket. One of the fallen stole it and told me to give it to you.” Horror fills her eyes when she realizes she forgot. “Elina, I’m so sorry, I meant to give it to you earlier, but I went into labor!”
Elina is already moving to the bathroom and she hears the baby start to cry. Hunter walks over handing the baby to her mother. Varena gathers the baby close to her heart, calming her.
Elina picks up the dress and finds the pockets empty. She rushes back into the room, “It’s not there. Who helped you undress? Ruby did right? Everyone, search the room! Look for a rolled up scroll!” The sense of urgency emanating from Elina urges everyone into action.
Hunter starts searching drawers and Alex crawls under the bed, “Got it!” he calls out.
Everyone goes quiet, when Elina sighs with relief, “Thank you!” she says as she takes it from him.
“We don’t have much time, Raphaim will be here in a few minutes, I have to get this scroll to safety, and you need to stop him. Alex, I know what I’m asking…”
“We can handle this, Elina.” Hunter says with a dark smile. “It’s my job, he won’t get near them! I promise.”
She kisses Alex, on his cheek and prays it will not be the last time. “Go, sister! I will help, Dad.”
Before she pulls back, she whispers in his ear, “Varena is a keeper, she can help you protect the baby. You can channel her power.” She laughs at the shocked look on his face and she closes her eyes and calls to her Father.
Peace fills her face as she closes her eyes and his Holy light surrounds her. Her hand holds tightly to the scroll, the third part of the book. Elina understands now that she can’t control everything and her focus must be on the task God has given her.
“For I know the plans I have for you, Declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” she hears whispered in her soul.
Bright heat forces her to squint against the sun and the ocean breeze blows across her skin once more. She is back in her sanctuary. The call of an owl fills the sky. His scream is so loud it drowns out the pounding of the ocean and drives Elina to her knees.
Her tattoos start to hum and burn as the Hebrew script illuminates. With tears streaming against the noise and pain she looks up to see a giant owl with tiger striped wings flying towards her. He begins to burn brighter than the sun, forcing Elina to close her eyes tightly against the light.
She holds the scroll up high and hopes he doesn’t take her arm with it. He screeches and she feels the brush of a claw when he snatches the scroll and flies away.
Sighing with relief she slowly opens her eyes, but the sand beneath her feet begins to shift. Elina scrambles backwards as the beach beneath her begins to swirl, panic fills her mind. The ground beneath her feet opens up and swallows the beach in a river of sand, sucking her into a vortex Elina screams as she falls. The last thing s
he sees before being pulled down, is the owl disappearing into the sun.
Chapter 13
Raphaim smiles when they leave him. Did they actually think one simple watcher could get rid of him that easily? Now thinking of the Indian, his fangs lengthen and he realizes he is starving.
“I need blood and this Hunter is the perfect candidate to give it to me.” His eyes go black as he steps out into the fresh air. He closes his eyes and inhales to draw in the familiar scent of his prey. Raphaim launches himself with a great sweep of his midnight colored wings. Flying fast, he closes in on his victim.
He circles Polly’s house looking down for his meal. Smelling him inside Raphaim lands lightly and slips into the house, listening, it sounds empty.
As he stands in the living room a feminine scent wafts to him. It can’t be! Raphaim inhales deeply, drawing the scent into his soul and his eyes snap open in recognition.
It’s her! He rushes down the hallway into a bedroom and sees her, his Rena! A step into the room towards her and an unseen blow throws him into the wall with a crash of broken sheetrock.
Fury fills Raphaim’s face when Alex steps through the door behind him.
“You are not welcome here, demon!” Before Raphaim can move he is hit again driving him backwards through the hall and into the living room. Raphaim crashes onto the coffee table and shatters it into pieces.
With a laugh, he leaps to his feet. “Okay, boy! Let’s play!” Raphaim screams and launches himself through the air straight towards Alex.
Varena walks slowly through the demolished hallway, holding her newborn daughter. She listens to the fight and prays for guidance. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion. Raphaim is flying through the air at Alex, with his fangs fully extended, claws out, and wings ready; she sees him for the monster he is.
