The Complete 8-Book Guardians Adventure Saga

by Summer Lee

  “Stop it, Khassima!” Aharon yelled, as he got more and more frustrated. “You cannot change what you have done! What’s done is done! That’s in the past!” As soon as he said it, he shook his head.

  “Is it, Aharon?” Khassima replied. “I’d say I’m at about the right time, if the smells tell me anything. I never forgot the way my home smelled. I never forgot the way my home felt. It feels the same now. You cannot tell me that you don’t feel it. Yes?”

  He reluctantly nodded.

  “See?” She responded, as she spun around with her arms extended. “You cannot deny where we are! Ha ha! Now I can undo what I did and all will be right with the world!”

  “You can undo nothing!” Aharon insisted. “You will destroy everything and change things in ways that can never be repaired!”

  Her happiness turned to anger as she confronted Aharon. “How dare you try to take this from me! Do you know how long I have waited for forgiveness? It is God’s will!”

  Aharon raised his hands in anger. “Never!”

  Achava stood between the two. “Aharon. What makes you think that you know anything about Khassima? I know something about going on a quest for forgiveness myself. Maybe she should be allowed to undo what she has done. Perhaps it is God’s will.”

  “What do you know about God’s will, whelp?” Aharon had never been so adamant before. “I know not only who Khassima is, but what she’s done!”

  “How do you know?” Sam asked.

  Aharon rolled his eyes. “I know, because I am an Antiquarian. I know all about Khassima, if that’s what she calls herself now. I prefer her real name.”

  “Silence, old man!” Khassima hissed. “No one cares about your tales! I am here because God has sent me back to make amends! I shall do it to please my Lord!” She raised her hands, again.

  “Where are we, Aharon?” Anthea asked, while standing firm with her arms crossed.

  Aharon sighed. “It’s not a matter of where we are, Anthea. You should be asking when we are.”

  When?

  Achava’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped. When, not where. “That explains why we are no longer in possession of the fleece.”

  “Yes!” Aharon replied. “I think you’re getting it now! I knew when I saw the glow. I knew that Achava was doing some weird mind thing to Anthea to predict when she would Soul Merge, so she could prevent her from escaping with the artifact. I also knew that once I made this trip, I would never return.”

  “What about the rest of us?” Sam argued.

  Aharon shrugged. “I don’t really care what happens to you. I knew I’d never be able to report what I found if I traveled with you all anyhow. That’s why I went off alone. But I needed to see it for myself. What a way to go out! Just like your Professor Salinger, Sam.”

  Sam winced. “How do you know about the professor? Why do you care?”

  “I don’t,” Aharon responded, nonchalantly. “I just wanted you to know that everything Achava has done thus far, has been recorded. Your professor is among the recordings. You see, the Antiquarians don’t just enjoy and collect history… we record it.”

  “Why can’t you record it from here?” Anthea appeared to be as nervous as everyone else. She asked where they were and she was not getting any answers.

  “We are not supposed to record over what has already happened.” Aharon looked up to the nearby mountain, as if the answers would just rain down upon them from there.

  Khassima showed anger. “Don’t spoil my time, old man! Yes?” Tears welled up in her eyes.

  Aharon looked at her with sympathy. “Do you really believe that God has sent us back, just so you can rewrite the Bible?”

  “When are we?” Sam insisted. “Seriously, when in history are we?”

  Khassima glared at Aharon and stood up straight. “Think about it. The fleece was supposed to be a map. Yes? A map to what?”

  “To the Crown of…” Sam never finished his thought. It all made sense now. At least as much as it was going to. He finally put the pieces together, from the vague statements that Aharon and Khassima had made. “Aharon’s right.”

  Khassima waved her hand at him. “My decision is final! Think about it! We’ve gone back in time to when Jesus was on earth. John the Baptist is alive right now!”

  Achava almost slapped Khassima. “That’s who you’re excited about, when we are in a time that will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt, once and for all, the existence of our savior! We are in the time where Jesus, the Son of the living God… is alive!” She felt frustration. “Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yes.” Khassima bowed her head in shame.

  “Then the crown of thorns has not even been made yet.”

  Sam almost wished he knew how to talk to God. Someone needed some heavenly wisdom.

  Chapter the Eighth

  KHASSIMA WAS TORN AND ACHAVA knew it.

  She could see the mental battle going on within her traveling companion. Achava stepped over to her and pulled her aside. “If this was any other circumstance, I would suggest that you correct your wrong. This is not the case. Anything you do in this time could have catastrophic consequences on the future. Especially if it involves the Bible. Now you should know that our Father would not have enabled us to travel back in time, if He didn’t trust us not to change anything. Please tell me that you understand.”

  Khassima looked at Achava with tear-filled eyes. “You have lived a while, Achava, but you have no idea what I’ve been through or how long I have lived. I had a prophet killed. I believe God kept me alive to prove that I am worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. To ask me not to correct my mistake is to ask me to sacrifice my soul as well!”

  Achava tried to hide her irritation. “Mistake? I know who you are! Demanding the head of John the Baptist is not a simple mistake that one can simply get corrected!”

  “Again, I say that you couldn’t possibly know the burden that I have carried with me all these centuries!” Khassima exclaimed, as she became more adamant. “I have suffered without the release of death for the sole purpose of making good what I have done wrong!”

  Achava stepped back and tilted her head at Khassima. All of a sudden, it became so clear. Her tears could not be stopped as they flowed mercilessly. “Oh, dear Khassima. How did you find out that your immortality was for your repentance?”

  Khassima looked at the warrior with confusion. “No one told me, if that is what you’re getting at. I am smart enough to figure out the plan that was set in motion for me. I’ve been on a downward spiral. Pathetic little Achava.”

  “I don’t know that Bible story,” said Sam. “What did you do that was so terrible?”

  “I asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter,” said Khassima. “The greatest of all prophets was killed and beheaded because of that.”

  “I don’t understand why you’d do that,” said Sam.

  “My father and stepfather were both rulers. My mother left my father for King Herod. John the Baptist told him that was wrong, so my mother was angry. When I danced before a drunken party, the king let me choose my reward. My mother told me to ask for the head of John the Baptist, so I did. I have suffered ever since, seeking death. But I never die.”

  “Let me ask you something, Khassima,” Achava said, with a heavy heart. “How have you felt personally about your lengthy life?”

  Khassima forced a smile, as she bit her lower lip. She showed Achava a faux air of confidence. “At first, I felt really blessed, even though I don’t deserve blessings. Yes? After the first hundred years, I started to see all of the people around me die, who I had grown to know and love. Then it was not so much fun. It became a…” A look of realization hit her, before she could finish her thought. “I… uh… realized that I really wanted to die. I wanted a release from the hell that had befallen me.”

  Achava gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Have you felt this way ever since?”

  Khassima nodded. She was too choked up to reply, knowing
the truth. “It wasn’t even me, directly. I went to my mother for advice and she told me that I should ask for the head of…”

  “Then you know that God did not send you back to correct something that you have been paying for with your extended life. What your mother told you to do, is to be judged by God and God alone. It is you that we are talking about now.” Achava spoke softly and calmly. She hoped that Khassima would understand and give up her quest to save the man she sentenced to death. The man who was the cousin to Jesus Christ.

  Khassima collapsed in a heap on the ground. Achava was immediately on her knees by the side of her new friend. Aharon and Anthea walked casually over and looked at her and turned away. Anthea said, matter-of-factly, “Well sis, since you appear to be the local therapist, I think you have another patient to heal.”

  Achava felt the pain of the rejection, but refused to give Anthea the satisfaction of knowing how cutting her remarks were. She just said, “Whatever.”

  ***

  Sam clasped Achava’s hand. “How can I help?”

  “Get me some kind of cloth and dip it in cold water. I will wipe her face and hands.”

  Their eyes met and once again, Achava’s heart skipped a beat.

  Sam said softly, “I’ll be right back.”

  Sam returned with the cloth and wiped the face and arms of their new friend. Achava put a soft cushion under Khassima’s head and feet. “God will work it all out for you.”

  “Thank you.” She fell asleep.

  Sam and Achava did not move away. Instead, Sam moved closer to Achava and put his arm about her. She lay her head on his shoulder. Neither one moved for an hour.

  Chapter the Ninth

  SAMUEL GODFREY HAD BEEN THROUGH A LOT during his short time on earth. He battled giants, survived a tremendous airplane crash, defeated an evil collector, met all kinds of people he never knew existed, and watched his mentor die the way that he assumed any archeologist would want to go out.

  He started to accept the outrageous lifestyle he had been thrown into. He was willing to go along with beings, who had what he could only describe as super powers.

  He never dreamed that he would be a part of history, or at least go back to it. He was having a hard time coping with that concept. He listened intently to everything he heard in conversation from Achava, she was a brilliant lady.

  He saw Achava grow, not only as a warrior, but as a person. He smiled when he knew that she was accepting her humanity, after all of her experiences with the supernatural on earth. He still didn’t know how old she was for sure. He knew better than to ask.

  He even accepted the fact that she had a rather annoying half-sister. One complete with tattoos for every occasion.

  He might not ever understand everything his eyes had seen, but he had to move past the unexplained and go on. Sometimes, Achava and her friends were less than open about the circumstances that they expected him to be a part of. He risked his life, time and time again, for the greater good.

  Until recently, he was unsure as to what the greater good was. He was told that he was doing God’s work, but he never really knew where he stood on the concept of the love of God. Professor Salinger was a believer. Sam could see the faith in his mentor.

  Once he met Achava, it had been nonstop adventure, artifact hunting, and saving the world in the name of God. Yet, not once had anyone, Achava included, ever tried to tell him about God and Jesus. Not once was he even asked what he believed in.

  There were plenty of opportunities for the discussion. They weren’t going out to save the world every day, even though it felt like it.

  Most of the time, he didn’t feel like anyone asked his opinion, so he had to take the bull by the horns and speak out. When no one would listen to him, he implemented his ideas anyway and sometimes ended up saving the day. To say that he felt unappreciated was an understatement, but he knew that if he complained, he would just be ignored or told to be quiet while the grownups were talking. At least, that was how he felt. He didn’t feel that he was taken seriously, even though he single-handedly defeated Itai Malka a few months ago, and he had a priceless artifact in a secret room of his house. A secret room that he designed and paid for out of his own pocket, by the way.

  Sam looked around at the barren surroundings, wondering whether there was any validity to what the others were saying. His mind had accepted more unusual situations in the short time that he knew Achava, but he didn’t know how he could deal with this current one. Sam had always been of the mindset that what he could see was what he would believe. He was on the scientific end of archeology, even though he followed somewhat in his mentor’s footsteps. Salinger was the believer. Sam, the doer.

  He sat on the ground with his knees pressed up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around his knees and lowered his head onto his knees. He rocked back and forth, hoping that he would get some answers soon. He was almost afraid to move. He felt safe, as long as he didn’t have to face the world. He was still waiting for the determination as to what time period he was in. The fact that he even had to consider that as a possibility, boggled his mind. He jumped and his head popped up as he felt a hand being placed gently on his shoulder. Achava.

  She smiled. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He smiled, studying her eyes.

  “Sam. I know this all may be a little too much for you.”

  “Do you?” he asked, nervously. “Does anyone here have any idea what I could possibly be thinking right now?”

  She lowered her head. “I know you are right. I had no idea we would end up here when Anthea and I used the Soul Merge at the same time.”

  “Can you honestly tell me where here is?” He was noticeably trembling.

  She looked in the direction of Khassima. “I have it on good authority that we are in the time frame of when our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth.”

  Sam could see the excitement in her eyes. He also saw that she did her best to contain her excitement for his sake. He did his best not to sound disrespectful, while still maintaining his beliefs. “How do you know for sure?”

  “Khassima is from the same time period as Christ, Sam.”

  He wanted to cry. “Now I have to believe in time travelers and that I’m one of them? This is too much for a mere mortal to comprehend, Achava!”

  “I know.” She sat down on the ground beside him, wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him tightly. “I truly am trying to understand, Sam, but you must let me try. You have seen many strange and unusual things, since you have been with me. I apologize for not sitting down with you and talking with you about all of the missions. I should have even talked with you about God. You made tremendous sacrifices for God. You’ve shown respect for someone that you may or may not believe in. Please forgive my lack of patience, as I thought the world needed saving.”

  He turned his face into hers. “I understand that you have a mission to accomplish, and it is not keeping a man satisfied.”

  “You’re right.” Placing her head on his shoulder, she continued, “I was too preoccupied to explain who I am and what I believe in. I was too preoccupied to listen to you and your needs. I have been blindsided by the events that even I have trouble understanding. You have come through as a wonderful partner. You have shone brightest when you were left to your own devices. I can’t thank you enough for that, Sam.”

  He lifted his head and looked upward while she was talking. He thought he was dreaming. Everything she was saying, was everything that he was concerned about. Maybe he was in a place of miracles. “Thanks for understanding how, as a college professor, I could be drawn away from my home in Texas and thrust into a fantasy world.”

  Achava continued, as she could see that she was getting through to him. “You may see some things here that will take away your choices to believe. You will be shown proof that Jesus died for our sins. That should be enough.”

  “If that is true, why are there so many who do not believe?”

  “It is their choice,�
� she said. “I’m sure that finding truth is going to be more of a shock than just being here. Think about it, Sam. You are given a chance that no other mortal has been given. God wants us all to have faith in Him and believe His words.”

  “I believe. Ask God to help my disbelief.” Sam looked up and saw that Khassima, Anthea, and Aharon were straining their ears to hear his and Achava’s conversation. He noticed some trepidation in each of them as well. That comforted him somewhat, because he was the only mortal there. He had a right to be concerned about himself.

  “I want to see a miracle.” He turned his attention back to Achava. “Why doesn’t God perform the kind of miracles in our time that He performed back… in this time? You know, the time of Christ.”

  She smiled. “He had to show the world who He was, before He could trust them to trust Him. All of the fantastic things He and His disciples did, they did because the Bible was not complete yet for them to know Him the way we can. Do you know why He chose the time that He did to bring Jesus into the world to die for our sins?”

  Of course not! Before speaking, Sam thought about it for a moment, and then smiled. “There was no competition for religion at that time. The Romans were in control of well… everything—including religion. At least that question has some history in it for me.” He looked into her face. She had a look of pride as her smile grew.

  “Do you ever wonder how there are people in our time, who use clichés that were inspired by actual events from the Bible, without even knowing it?” she asked, matter-of-factly.

  Sam answered her with a questioning look.

  She rubbed her hands together. “How many times have you heard the term, I wash my hands of the situation? It is a standard reply from someone who has had enough of a certain situation. Mathew 27:24. When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility.’ Pontius Pilate did not want Christ’s blood on his hands. He gave the angry crowd a choice. Free Jesus, who he saw as doing nothing wrong, or free the criminal Barabbas. The crowd was so angered that Jesus called himself the Son of God. They thought Jesus wanted to change their beliefs, so they said, ‘Give us Barabbas!’ They freed the criminal, and sentenced God the Son to death. That’s when Pilate washed his hands of the situation.”