Marcus blinked and rubbed his eyes, then sat forward. “Yes. Certainly. I mean, I’ll attempt to . . . it was so—”
“Ethereal?” Dana asked.
“No. So real. Like seeing a film but standing inside it at the same time.”
“Yak it, brother,” Brandon said.
“I was on my knees. Praying. I slowly leaned forward till my head pressed into the carpet. I asked God to show me more of him and more of the reality of the spiritual world. A few seconds later there was a flash, and suddenly it was as if a film was playing. My eyes were closed but the sensation was as if they were open. And the movie was playing on a sixty-foot screen in 3-D.
“I found myself on a narrow road with four others. In front of us, inches off the ground, clouds gathered, rolling in on themselves and growing larger. Black and red sulfurous clouds. We were on a road leading into the heart of the vapors. Sprinting. Full-out on white horses.
“I felt the rhythm of the horses and their muscles strain as they pushed on as hard as they could. It felt as though the four others and I rode as one. There was one rider to my left and two to my right. In front of us was one with the name Warrior. He leaned forward on his horse, so all I saw was the back of his head. But his intensity was obvious from his pace, and his horse rather than acting driven seemed one with its rider.
“As the vision unfolded I knew we were riding against the hordes of hell, and the clouds were a demonic manifestation of evil. The clouds swirled with hate, death, torment, and above all, fear. Great clouds of fear. But there was no fear in our band. We rode like the wind and with fire in our eyes.
“As we rode deeper into the cloud, it parted around us. Like a subway tunnel. It didn’t recede much, but enough that we didn’t breathe its fumes. The clouds became demons that flew at us and I was aware of it, but there was no fear. We had swords out and we struck with fury, swiftly slicing through the demons’ bodies like lightning. But it was only a slight distraction from the laser intent of the ride. To go deeper into the stronghold.
“A demon flew up and grabbed at a chest, either mine or someone near me—that part is cloudy. I can’t remember. But the loathing was palpable, the hatred in its voice only a whisper compared to the hatred in its eyes. But as it touched the breastplate that all of us wore, it screamed and pulled back as if its hands had been scorched.
“We continued riding and as we did, a realization swept over me. The torrent that was swirling above and around us was an illusion. The enormous wall of clouds I saw at the start of the vision had descended on us, yes. But the tunnel that we rode through was just that. A tunnel. Only four or five feet thick. As the thought finished in my mind, the tunnel began clearing and soon we were beneath a reddish-gray sky.
“There was no life on the red sand that covered both sides of the road. Soon we reached a point where the way sloped sharply downward, then after a hundred yards or so grew level.
“The Warrior leading us stopped and told us to remain there till he returned. He rode to the bottom of the slope and seemed to be searching for something or someone. Suddenly a man appeared from nowhere, his hands and feet shackled. The Warrior’s sword flashed and its razor edge bit into the chains, shredding them into a hundred splinters.
“More men and women appeared, reaching out and crying for him to come to them, all shackled and chained to the ground they lay in. Not on. In. They were buried up to their knees and waists in shame and sorrow.
“Then I looked beyond the valley below and up the other side. The road twisted and turned into cliffs that shot almost straight up. At the top of a column of dark red rock was a fortress. It seemed to radiate dark power.
“The Warrior rode up to the gates of the fortress, dismounted, and strode through its gates and disappeared. I saw him again a moment later on the highest wall of the fortress facing the dark one.
“There were no words. Neither dropped the gaze of the other. The dark one struck the Warrior, and he was cast over the wall where he landed on the rocky ground a hundred feet below. But the triumph of the dark one remained only for an instant.
“The Warrior stood and grew so tall so fast it happened in seconds. His feet were on the ground, his waist even with the high wall of the fortress. He had to be three hundred feet tall. The Warrior reached down to the dark one and plucked him off the wall between his thumb and forefinger. He held the dark one up to his face and spoke with a phrase that surprised me in its simplicity. ‘You don’t understand, do you?’
“Then the Warrior reached down to the floor of the stronghold and picked up a box. It appeared ancient and heavy looking. And not much bigger than the dark one.
“The Warrior threw the evil one into the box and slammed the lid. Then the Warrior shrank to the size he was when I first saw him. And the box that held the evil one shrank too, so it was smaller than one of the Warrior’s fingernails.
“The ground surged under our feet and the red and gray sand grew brown and rich in texture. And the Warrior took the box that held the dark one and tossed it to the ground, where it was swallowed up by a crack in the soil. And in the next instant the soil was swallowed up by a carpet of thick wild grass.
“And the people the Warrior set free gathered round him, shouting and dancing. A moment later the four of us were back at the spot on the road where we had started, the Warrior facing us and our three horses.
“’You have been chosen to ride.’
“His eyes bored into mine with fire and truth and love. I was ten feet from him. He on his horse, me on mine. But in the next instant, he was crushing me with an embrace of acceptance. I wept as his overwhelming love surged through me.” Marcus finished and looked up. His cheeks glistened from the moisture on them and his countenance was filled with wonder.
They sat for a moment, digesting Marcus’s words. After a few minutes Brandon said, “That fries me.”
“Why is that?” Marcus said.
“First, how powerful that is. Second, that you had it.” Brandon laughed. “I’ve never met anyone who had visions. I didn’t even know that happened these days.”
Marcus looked at them. “Do I need to even say we are the riders?”
“I think we all picked up on that, bro. And I think we’ve just found the name for our little band.” Brandon smiled. “Warriors Riding.”
“So be it,” Reece said.
As Reece listened to Brandon and Marcus discuss the message of the vision and how it would play out in their lives, he smiled inside. They were stepping in. The vision would open worlds to them if they embraced it. And they had gone into Doug’s soul last night without complication. Knowing Doug and his old allies had been praying and would keep praying, Reece could imagine his confidence growing to where it had been in the old days. Almost.
Reece glanced at Dana and shot up a silent plea to the Spirit. Covering Dana’s faded jeans and light green sweatshirt was a translucent white dress that started to shatter. Bring it, Lord.
A few minutes later Brandon stopped talking and looked over at Dana, who had her head down. Yes. Brandon had seen it in her as well. Or sensed it. Or the Spirit had told him. Now he just needed to speak it. He saw hesitation in the musician’s eyes. Give him the courage, Jesus.
Brandon shifted on the couch and gazed at the floor. “Um, Dana, are you okay? You’ve been pretty quiet since Marcus finished telling us the vision.”
Yes. That’s it. Go with it, Brandon. Lean in.
“I’m fine.” She blinked back tears and rubbed her face.
Reece’s gaze darted back and forth between them. Stay with it, Brandon.
“Maybe it’s me, and it probably is, but I’m feeling like the Spirit is saying . . . I mean, I’m getting the sense you need to—”
Dana’s head shot up and she lasered Brandon with her eyes. “It would have to be you that noticed, right?”
Grace now, Brandon. Grace.
“Yeah, it would. Sorry it had to be me.” He clasped and unclasped his fingers. “Just wanted you
to know we’re here if you want us to pray or you want to tell us—”
“Tell you what?”
Don’t back down. Speak the truth. But speak it with tenderness. “Anything inside that might be pounding to get out.” He tapped his chest over his heart. “And if the Spirit is telling you to tell us, you need to. Because maybe we need to hear it spoken out loud too.”
Yes. Well done, Brandon.
Dana lifted her head and looked at the ceiling, then let it drop back down, chin against her chest. “Talk about going for the throat,” she whispered.
The rest of them stayed silent.
Did she have to tell them? Of course. There was no question the Spirit was leading her to. But would they hear her? And in front of Brandon? Dana sighed. God certainly had a sense of humor. But it was right. How to start? She rehearsed an opening line in her mind, and a hint of light seemed to splash on her heart. Lord.
Ten seconds later she glanced around the room at each of them. Even Brandon. “All right. I think I’m supposed to—I know I’m supposed to—tell you guys what the cloud is that’s been wrapped around me my whole life. When Marcus was describing his vision, the answer struck so hard it was almost physical.”
She hugged herself and shifted back on the couch. “And you’re exactly right, Marcus. That gray cloud wrapped around me might be in reality only a few feet thick, but it seems like there’re miles of it between me and the sun.”
“I can relate.” The professor leaned forward.
Dana ran her upper teeth over her lower lip and stared into the fireplace. “It happened when I was six.”
“You’re sure you want to tell us?” Reece said.
She shook her head but started speaking. “My mom and dad divorced when I was five, my mom worked, so I was put in day care after school got out.”
Dana shuddered as the scene floated up from her memory.
“Will Mommy come soon?”
The woman sitting cross-legged to Dana’s left smiled. “I’m sure she will. She doesn’t get off work till after the other moms, so that’s why you always get picked up last.”
“Okay.” Dana picked up a white stuffed kitten and made it jump from knee to knee. “I don’t like it here alone.”
“I know, I know.” The woman patted Dana’s knee and glanced at her watch.
“I’m sure your mommy will be here almost instantly.” The woman snapped her fingers and Dana smiled.
A few minutes later the door to the room was flung open and another woman rushed through. “There’s a phone call for you, Tina.”
The woman’s face went white. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s your son.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes, they say he’ll be fine, but they want to talk to you.”
The woman sprang to her feet, took two steps, then turned back to Dana. “I’ll be right back, honey, okay?”
Dana nodded and held the kitten tight to her chest.
“I answered it in the office, so you probably want to take the call in there.”
“Okay, thank you.” The woman stumbled through the door into the hallway.
The other woman called after her, “I have to go, so I’m sorry, but I can’t help you lock up tonight.”
“Go, go. I’ve got it.” The woman waved her on, then turned to Dana. “You’ll be okay playing by yourself for a few minutes?”
Dana nodded as she rocked back and forth, clutching the kitten, and stared at the back of the door as it closed with a soft click. The only sound was the tick of the big white clock on the wall over the door. Her stomach started to hurt as the sunlight outside the windows faded and dusk turned to night. Where was Mrs. Sander? She said she was going to be right back. And it was so, so quiet.
Finally Dana rose and trundled over to the door of the playroom. It creaked as it opened, but that was the only sound in the day care. “Mrs. Sander?”
Her heart beat like she’d played hopscotch too fast. There was no answer.
“Mrs. Sander!”
Tears spilled onto her face as she wandered through the day care, her sneakers squeaky on the floor of the hallway, her legs wobbly and her stomach aching even more. She finally went back to the playroom, plucked the stuffed kitten off the floor, and huddled in the corner next to the bookshelf.
“Don’t worry, kitty. Mommy will be here soon. Very soon.” Tears streamed down Dana’s cheeks. “Please. Please come now.”
But her mom never came that night twenty-nine years ago. It was her dad’s turn to pick her up and take her to his home, and he forgot. Her mom called him early the next morning to make sure she’d slept okay and to remind him to get her to school on time.
Dana stared at the fire in the hearth and let the tears come. The men didn’t say anything and the silence grew louder. What? They didn’t know what to say? They thought it was stupid to be so worked up over some silly childhood memory? They thought she should just grow up? Why did men have to be such men at times like this? Dana grabbed a pillow next to her and buried her head in it. Foolish! Why couldn’t she have stayed quiet?
Then a strong arm draped over her shoulders and pulled her close. Had to be Reece. She opened her eyes but it wasn’t him. It was Marcus and his eyes were watering.
“Why are you—?”
“Crying?” He glanced at her, then at Reece and Brandon. “This isn’t logical; I have no idea where these emotions are emanating from.” He looked back at her. “But I’m hurting for you.”
“A gift from the Spirit,” Reece said.
She closed her eyes. “I’ve never told anyone about that until now.”
Marcus gave her one more tight squeeze and scooted a few inches away. When she opened her eyes, Reece was staring at her. “How do you feel?”
Strange. She felt peace. The memory wasn’t as razor sharp. The fear not as deep. “Better. Not so all by myself.”
“Yes. That’s right, Dana. We’ve all been broken. Every soul that’s ever lived. We’re not alone. But the enemy wants us to believe we’re alone so we keep our stories hidden inside. When we tell them to others, healing often begins.”
She nodded and glanced at Marcus. “Will you pray for me?”
“Of course.”
Freedom filled Reece’s heart as he watched peace settle on Dana’s face. He would love to have stayed, but it was time to go. Let Marcus and her finish without an audience. He motioned for Brandon to join him and they stepped out onto the patio and meandered down to the listening post. “Well done, friend.”
“I thought for sure she wouldn’t open up, so I almost didn’t say anything.”
“I’m glad you did. Our job isn’t to worry about the outcome; it’s to worry about whether we’re willing to step in or not.”
“What comes next?”
“Jesus is bringing freedom to Dana right now. I believe Marcus will help bring more as they pray together.”
Brandon clasped and unclasped his hands. “She needs to know why she was abandoned another time in her life.”
“I agree.” He patted Brandon on the shoulder and strolled back toward the cabin. “I’ll ask her to come out here and join you when and if she’s ready.”
TWENTY-FOUR
AN HOUR LATER THE SOUND OF SHUFFLING FEET ON THE white limestone sounded behind Brandon. Dana. He turned. Her eyes were red from the tears, but she was still beautiful. Arwen.
“Thanks for coming out.”
She sat in the teak chair across the fire pit from him, her legs tight together, her arms wrapped around her body. “Reece said you wanted to talk to me.”
Brandon struggled to find the words. The rehearsal had gone fine in his head as he waited, but now, with her sitting in front of him, the perfect sentences melted away.
“Do you have something to say?”
“That was powerful in there.” He pointed to the cabin and shifted in his chair.
“Of course it was powerful, but it doesn’t mean you and I have to debrief on it together.�
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“I want healing between us too.”
“There’s nothing to heal.” She stared at him, eyes steely.
“That’s a lie.”
“I’m not ready to talk about this, Brandon.”
Her voice said she wasn’t, but her eyes said she was. “Do you ever have feelings for me?”
“No.” She turned and stared at the river.
“You never think about us?”
“Is that it?” Dana stood. “Or was there something else?”
He scratched his head and fumbled for the right words. “I’m sorry.”
“For?”
“What I did.”
“Really.”
“Yes.” He motioned to her chair. “Can you sit for a few more minutes?”
She sank into the chair and glowered at him.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Then why did you?” She flicked a leaf off the armrest of the chair and watched it float to the patio. “Why couldn’t you ever give me a reason?”
“I did give you a reason.”
“It wasn’t a reason. Not the real one.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I have a long time to listen.”
Brandon got up, moved closer to Dana, and sat on the concrete ring of the fire pit. “If we’re going to work together in Reece’s little band, we’ll have to get along.”
“I think we’ve been getting along fine. I learned to live without you. It doesn’t mean we have to be friends.” She pulled her knees tight to her chest. “I can’t get into this right now.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t. Drop it.”
“How can I drop it? If God has us together on Reece’s team, then I can’t believe God doesn’t want us to be friends.”
“There’s a difference between being friends with someone and being on a team with them.”
It wasn’t going as he’d imagined. But what could he expect? No matter the reason, he’d still broken her heart. Enough stalling. “My mom left when I was eight. Walked out and I never knew why. I still don’t.” Brandon stared at his feet. “And I did the same thing to you.” He glanced up at her.
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