by Summer Lee
Saeem showed his concern. “Achava. We cannot be seen together in Qatar. The only way to get to Israel quickly is by something motorized and that means we will be seen in public. There is not enough time to devise a plan to gain disguises or sneak our way on to any mode of transportation. Our vehicle will also not make it in the time you require.”
“I know it looks that way,” she said, thoughtfully. “Itai could not face me at my full power in Israel, which is why he had to trick me away from his real desire.”
“Ha,” said Saeem. “So now you trick Itai.”
“Regarding the sword, I know it is buried in the Garden of Gethsemane. I never realized it before, but it does make sense. Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant with the sword during the time that Jesus was arrested in the Garden. There is no record of the sword that I know of, ever leaving Gethsemane. It must be there.”
“I hate to be devil’s advocate, no pun intended, but how are we supposed to get to the Garden quicker than the fastest mode of transportation?” Sam queried.
“If there is a will, there is a way.” Achava showed apprehension mixed with a little fear.
“No!” Sam replied, as if he knew what she was thinking. “You can’t do the Soul Merge again! Not after what it did to you the last time!”
“The distance is shorter than last time, Samuel Godfrey,” she responded, with a smile. “It will be a piece of cake.”
“Soul Merging could kill you!”
“I must agree with Samuel,” Saeem added. “It is too dangerous! You just traveled a half a world away and the effects have not left you yet! We must all travel together.”
“Oh Saeem, I thank you that you will go with us.” She laughed.
“There is strength in numbers,” Saeem said. “You are tired and Samuel has been poisoned. You need me there.”
“I agree,” she said, without hesitation. “We will all go together. Once I get back to Israel, I will be at full power. We will all operate in power.”
Sam shook his head. “You don’t know that!”
Achava kept her smile as she held Sam’s hand. She then smiled at Saeem and grabbed his hand as well.
“Wait a darned minute!” Sam interjected. “How are Saeem and I going to get the…” Before he could finish his question, Achava closed her eyes and all three of them faded from Qatar.
Chapter the Tenth
ACHAVA FELT LIKE she was being torn apart from the inside out. Her world spun uncontrollably out of control as she focused on the Garden of Gethsemane and the Sword of Peter.
She barely felt the touch of her friend’s hands in her own as she breathed heavily. She had lost her train of thought.
Then it hit her. I am breathing too heavily! Suddenly, she realized that she was supposed to have held her breath during the Soul Merge. She had done it so fast that she forgot she forgot to do it right.
There was no telling what would happen to her breathing during the experience now. She did everything in her power to retain her dwelling on the moment, but the strain was incredible. Her muscles ached and her heart beat faster than she ever thought possible. It felt like it was going to burst right out of her chest. Still, she had to retain self-control as everything around her spun faster.
She could no longer feel Saeem’s and Sam’s hands in contact with hers, but she kept control of her mind, anyway. She could not think what to do next, and attributed it to the fact that her entire body was going numb. Each breath was more and more difficult. She stayed centered on one thought: the Garden and the sword! She focused on those two things and those two things alone. There had to be no thought of Saeem or Sam before landing if she wanted to save them all from spiraling into something, or somewhere, unknown.
The Soul Merge shouldn’t have taken so long, since the distance was shorter than the last time. Questions filled Achava’s mind as her focus was lost. She could no longer keep her thoughts in place. Total confusion filled her brain. She didn’t remember the spinning from her trip to Texas. She didn’t remember the numbness or the weakness, either. Fear filled her soul. It may have been because of her forgetfulness to hold her breath. She would apologize to Saeem and Sam just as soon as everything stopped spinning and her head cleared.
Her body fell hard to the ground. She gasped for air. Her breath was erratic. She had to stay on the ground until the trees stopped spinning before she could think about standing up. Her body trembled with exhaustion and frustration. She could barely move her head and had to breathe through her mouth to get enough oxygen. She would wait until she regained her strength.
She smiled as she noticed the soft green grass beneath her. She had returned to the Garden. The Garden? Yes! Although painful, Achava managed to turn her head slowly. She saw that she was near an old olive tree—her olive tree. In spite of the fact that she knew she was in Israel, she didn’t feel the connection of her birthright with her homeland that she usually felt. She wondered if performing two Soul Merges in one day had drained her completely. She never felt so weak in Israel before. Starting to cry, she sobbed. “I did it all wrong,” she said aloud.
She thought she was punished for being impatient. She was never impatient before. Not until she met Samuel Godfrey.
That was the closest she had ever gotten to a mortal. She had no idea that the closer she was with Sam, the more she took on some of the least attractive traits of the human race. She couldn’t help how she felt about him though. It could have been his vulnerability, or his morals. She enjoyed talking with him at great length about anything and everything. She didn’t want to confuse her feelings for Sam with her purpose in life. She either cared a great deal about him as a friend… or something else. Either way, she was hooked on his mild manners and boyish good looks.
She managed to push herself up off the ground. She needed the tree to lean against for support. Once her breathing was regulated, she looked around. She started to panic. Another mortal trait.
She may have lost something on her trip from Qatar to the Garden. Sam and Saeem were nowhere to be found.
Chapter the Eleventh
IN SAM’S MIND, he had officially been through everything.
He trembled as he had enough of a time getting himself up off the ground. His insides felt like they had been torn inside out. A small amount of bile was regurgitated where he lay. He tried to look up, but his vision was blurry. He found that his breathing was erratic. He pulled his inhaler from his pocket and took a deep breath in. He had to repeat the process to finally gain control over his breathing.
He heard a male groan come from close by. Sam rubbed his eyes to clear the blurriness and finally managed to sit up. When he could see clearer, he saw Saeem lying on the pavement next to him. He looked like he felt as bad as Sam did.
Sam looked up and realized that he and Saeem were not in the Garden of Gethsemane. Saeem recovered quicker than he did as Sam nudged him. Sam had never seen anything like that.
There was a huge bowed building about 100 yards in front of them. There was nothing but pavement between them and the building. It looked to be some kind of royal structure with turquoise statues adorning the entrance.
There were screams of sirens coming from all directions as Sam and Saeem managed to stand. They were wobbly, but at least they stood. Several small SUVs with blue lights on top pulled up to the front of the building. The word Polizei was on the sides of each vehicle. It was obvious they were police cars, but the more immediate concern was the country the two men were in.
“Soul Merge, huh,” Sam whispered. “I thought we were supposed to go to the Garden of Gethsemane, Saeem.”
“We were, my friend,” Saeem answered. “I don’t understand how Achava sent us here.”
Both men looked around in a panic.
Sam looked at Saeem with great concern. “Did she try to send us to the Garden, because that’s where the Sword of Peter is?”
“Yes!” Saeem exclaimed. “She thought that the destinations were one in the same.
What if the sword was not in the Garden?”
Sam looked at the commotion at the building. “I think we have our answer, Saeem. The sword must be in there!” He lowered his head in disappointment. “That means Achava is probably in the Garden alone.”
Saeem saw several black vans speeding away from the back of the building. “Sam. Would you do anything to accomplish the task that Achava has set before us?”
Sam looked at Saeem with some suspicion. “Yes. Of course I would. Why?”
Saeem pointed at the fleeing vans. “Because those vans may mean that a robbery has just occurred. I will explain more, once I obtain a vehicle.”
“A vehicle?” Sam answered. “Wait! How…”
Before Sam had a chance to ask his question, Saeem limped out into the road and waved down the first car he saw. He held his arm and pretended he was hurt. The Mini-Cooper stopped and an elderly man got out to see if Saeem was alright. Saeem ran past the gentleman and jumped into his automobile. Pushing the gearshift into drive, he skidded it around to get Sam. The old man raised his fist in the air, cursing in Arabic. He then ran toward the car, trying to catch up.
No such luck. The swearing did not stop. He called out, “Just borrowing it. You’ll get your car back.”
Screeching to a stop by Sam, Saeem pushed the passenger side door open and shouted, “Get in, partner!”
Sam jumped in the passenger side and slammed the door.
Saeem pointed. “Look at that.”
Sam was shocked as he saw all of the police cars right in front of them. “Oh my gracious.”
“They have very important problems!” Saeem huffed.
Sam mouthed the words, I’m sorry as they passed the owner of the car.
“We must hurry if we want to fulfill Achava’s mission!”
“I’m game for doing what it takes.”
Saeem had a determined look. The Mini-Cooper had surprising power as it sped away after the vans. “That building is the Hofburg Museum, which means we are in Vienna, Austria. By the way. You know those vans that sped away?”
“I saw them.”
“Something big just went down.” Saeem had an intense look in his eyes. “I must assume that they just robbed the museum. We came to Vienna just in time.”
“Hofburg Museum! Why does that name sound so familiar?” Sam asked as he looked back toward the museum.
“Hofburg is home to the Imperial Crown, Orb, and Scepter of Austria as well as the Spear of Destiny.”
“Interesting. But what does that have to do with our mission?”
“Hofburg Museum is apparently housing the Sword of Peter as well.”
Sam’s mouth dropped open as his eyes widened. “So someone just walked out of that place with that entire memorabilia?”
Saeem nodded. “I believe so. If Achava sent us here, whether on purpose or by accident, we should be following the sword and perhaps even the spear.”
“What spear?”
“The one that pierced the side of Jesus.”
“Oh!”
“Our concern is just the Sword of Peter right now.”
“So that is our mission, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
“Onward and upward then, Saeem!” Sam exclaimed confidently.
Saeem stopped at a stoplight. Sam used the opportunity to open his door and cough up more green bile onto the street.
“You okay?” asked Saeem.
“Getting better,” said Sam, wiping his mouth with a tissue.
“You were rescued in time. Achava is a good woman.”
“I know,” Sam agreed. After a couple of minutes, he added, “I would, at some point, like to talk to you about your methods of obtaining automobiles though, Saeem.”
“My methods of action,” Saeem said firmly, “are to do whatever it takes to bring the Sword of Peter back from those thieves. Wouldn’t the end justify the means?”
Sam looked thoughtfully out the window. “You and I come from different places with different beliefs, but we need to do what we can to get that spear and the treasure back to the museum. What are we going to do with the sword though? Doesn’t it belong to Hofburg?”
Saeem nodded in agreement. “It is a decision that should not be made by mere mortals. However, we have quite another problem that needs addressing.”
“What’s that?” Sam queried.
Saeem took a deep breath. “What do we do with the people in the vans, once we catch up to them?”
Sam laughed and shook his head. “That is your concern. Mine is to find Achava and see what on earth happened to our flight to the Garden of Gethsemane.”
Saeem appeared to be perturbed. “Achava will find her way in the Garden. The Sword of Peter is priceless, and it is of utmost concern to Achava.”
“I know. Her missions are very important to her.” Sam smiled. “I love that woman.”
“You are breaking out of your comfort area. Achava will need to do the same. You need her, Sam. She needs you as well. Yet, she refuses to admit it. Could it be that as much as you honor your obligations, you don’t believe you are worthy to be loved by her?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“You have been avoiding becoming something that you already are. You are madly in love with Achava. You are human. In essence, you are experiencing emotions you’ve never felt before. Maybe there are ones who rejected you that you dared to open your heart to. It’s alright. You do not owe the world your emotions and your soul in order to protect it. Embrace the new feelings you have for Achava.”
Sam remembered how Achava had always come to dine with him at the end of each school year. He loved when she did that, but she still remained at arm’s length to him. “Right now I just want to find her.”
“We both do.”
“I still want to know what you plan to do about this car that you stole.”
“When we abandon it, the police will return it to its owner.”
“You have your ideas, and I have mine.”
“The sword must be found.”
Perhaps Saeem was right.
Chapter the Twelfth
ACHAVA STUMBLED throughout the garden, looking for clues as to where Sam and Saeem may have been deposited by the Soul Merge. There was no sign of them. There was a small stream trickling down the slope. Falling on her knees beside it, she splashed water on her face, and cupped her hands for a drink of cool water. Laying back on the grass, she rested. She felt her strength returning slowly, but it was nowhere near what it should be, considering she was back in Israel. But she could move forward.
“I need to keep walking,” she muttered to herself. “If my supernatural strength does not return, I will have to build up my muscles the human way.”
The sun was setting as her search continued. Occasionally stretching a leg made the muscles tighten. She had been through enough to know that someone wanted to purchase Peter’s Sword at a high price. She must rescue it from evil hands.
When the disciples were in the upper room, Jesus told them to carry a bag with supplies and clothes whenever they went on a missionary trip. He said that on an earlier trip, he told them not to. He said, “When I sent you out without purse of bag, did you lack anything?” The disciples answered that they were taken care of. But this time they were to take clothing and weapons to protect themselves. They told Jesus that they only had two swords. He said that was enough. Luke 22:39 says, “And he went out and proceeded as was his custom to the Mount of Olives. And the disciples followed him.” The disciples asked if it was time to use the swords. Peter immediately used his. Jesus must have known what Peter would do, but he did not warn him. He just let Peter cut the ear off of the slave of the high priest. And then he healed it and told them to stop.
Achava then thought about going to the precise spot where the ear was cut off by Peter, Jesus’ disciple. Her heart raced as she shed a tear trying to picture the arrest of the only perfect man who ever walked the earth. He had to be God the Son. T
here was no one like him. She breathed in and walked faster.
Remembering the scripture, Achava wondered how it affected the power that was in the sword now. Or, was it because so many holy men had handled it through the years?
She saw something she never expected to see in the Garden. Up ahead of her were some green clad females digging around different olive trees. There were four of them. At least that’s how many she could see.
She ran toward them using every ounce of energy she had. Happily, her strength was slowly returning, and her trembling decreasing. She fought for right and the knowledge of God.
She knew that she got her supernatural strength from God’s power. As long as He was with her, nothing was going to stop her from fighting for that which is right.
Slowly, she approached the women. She jumped the last five feet in the air, landing on a warrior’s back.
Achava wrapped her legs around the one Sentinel’s neck in midair. Her hands were outstretched and the first part of her to touch the ground. With her legs still around the surprised Sentinel, she twisted her lower body as she flipped the warrior into the air and slammed her into a tree.
Achava heard the sound of the woman’s neck break when she hit the tree. Her body fell lifeless to the ground. Achava quickly rose to her feet and stood with her back against the tree to avoid the remaining ones from attacking her from the back. “Explain yourselves,” she said.
Achsah blinked her eyes several times. There was something different about Achava; something primal as she stood with her head lowered, peering out from behind her black hair, which hung loosely in front of her face. Yet, she could tell that the expression in her eyes was piercing. Her opponents stopped digging and looked with complete surprise.
Achava acted without hesitation and without restraint for the first time in her existence. She acted rationally and thought out her next moves. The three Sentinels of the Lord hesitated to attack, while they surmised the situation.
That was their mistake.
