by Summer Lee
“What about you?” he asked with concern. “You’re taking on an army and probably even the Egyptian government!”
“Then my faith in God had better be strong today,” she replied, showing confidence and a smile. “We will not die here today, my love. Keep that thought in your mind. Pay no attention to what transpires. Know only what you believe and what your heart tells you. I love you, Sam.”
“I love you too, Achava,” he said, and kissed her. He patted her tummy. “Be safe, little one.”
He watched as she took in a deep breath and raced down the Steps of Penitence to head off the oncoming army.
He then saw the helicopters hovering. They were too close. He headed rapidly for the Moses cave. Once he was inside, he looked for the ark. Not there. He leaned against the back of the cave wall. Placing both hands on the Staff of Moses, he concentrated on victory.
“You were glowing for a reason,” he whispered to the staff. “I know there’s something I have to do, other than just wait and hide like a big chicken.” He looked upward. “I ask You, Lord, for direction and guidance. Although I assume that Achava would be asking for the same thing. Please forgive my nervousness. Also protect my wife. If she ever needed you, it’s definitely now. Amen.”
He tried to remain calm, as he heard one of the helicopters land close by on the summit. He could see clearly outside the cave. The hollow opening was unobstructed. He clasped the sleeping mat and held it close. Peering out of the rather obvious entrance, he knew that if someone looked in, they would surely see him.
When he heard military men shouting in two different languages, he almost passed out. He could tell they were rushing around outside. There were two armies out there, determined to find him. When he saw united Israeli and Egyptian soldiers run past the opening of the Moses cave, he folded over, hiding his face in his folded arms. Holding his breath, he sat still. He did not want to make any noise until they passed by.
Opening one eye, he saw an Israeli soldier look into the cave. He narrowed his eyes, as the soldier stepped into the cave entrance. He stared right in Sam’s direction, while he looked around the cave. Sam remained quiet, waiting. He was ready to fight for whatever good that would have done him. He was ready to fight against not one, but two armies, if necessary.
He closed his eyes and tried to find his strength in his faith. His breathing remained shallow as he gritted his teeth. For some reason, he believed that would increase his intensity.
All he could picture was the soldier warning his comrades about the man with a stick inside the cave. He even pictured them laughing to some extent before carrying him off to prison, or worse.
Sam opened one eye again, confused by the lack of interest in him. He then opened the other eye when he saw that the soldier not only didn’t see him, it was apparent that he couldn’t see him. He can’t see me. It’s a miracle.
Looking down at the staff, he saw the familiar glow. “Wow,” he said aloud. “I guess you are my friend, Mr. Staff.” If that didn’t give him confidence, he guessed nothing would have at that point.
He stood and walked to the entrance of the cave and tried to look out without being spotted. He looked up and saw something other than just helicopters in the air. There were two air crafts that looked like small, sophisticated military jets, but there was one noticeable difference. As one approached the summit, the engines rotated to bring it straight down vertically.
Sam had heard of the vertical take-off and landing vehicles, but he didn’t know that Egypt or Israel had them. It was hard to argue with the fact that they did. There they were. No more than 100 yards from him.
He looked at the staff and again talked to it. “I can’t stay in here all day. It’ll be dark soon. I need to get moving. Can you do anything about that?”
The staff glowed brightly, as Sam felt energized. He was compelled to test the staff’s power. He stepped out onto the summit, leaving the safety of the cave behind. He boldly walked forward and into the traffic of hustling Israelis and Egyptians. Unnoticed!
His mouth dropped as they paid no attention to him. It was as if he was not even there.
He could not help but laugh. “Ha ha! If I would have known you could do these kinds of things,” he said, “I would have used you as a partner a long time ago!”
He then quickly placed his free hand over his mouth. He knew he couldn’t be seen, but he didn’t know if perhaps they could hear him.
He looked all around, certain that no one could hear him. He was safe, so he realized that he had to stop stalling and pull his weight. Putting his finger on his temple to concentrate, he thought, Achava! I understand if you’re busy, but I just wanted to let you know what’s going on. A vertical take-off and landing vehicle and one helicopter have landed on the summit. The staff has made me invisible to everyone, so I can safely look around to see if I can figure out what their next move will be. I appear to be safe for now. How about you?
There was no answer. Sam knew that she probably had her hands full with the army on the Steps of Penitence. He hoped and prayed that she was as successful as he was.
Chapter the Seventh
ACHAVA DECIDED NOT TO BE SHY about confronting the Israeli army ascending the steps on Mt. Sinai. She knew that she would have to pull out all of the stops to make a dent in the amount of men that she had to fight.
She took in a deep breath and thought about Sam. She wondered how he was doing, as she realized her advantage.
Jumping through the air, she led with her feet and hit the first soldier squarely in the chest. Just as she expected, the domino effect caused the first soldier to be pushed back into his comrades. She was thankful that they were going up the steps close enough together, so that they all tumbled on top of each other.
Their confusion from being knocked backward was just what she wanted, as she kept her momentum going. She clothes-lined some of the soldiers who rebounded quickly. She then pushed others onto the rocky surface and off the designated trail. It made it harder for them to regain their balance. It even caused some of them to fall further down the trail of Mt. Sinai.
She had to maneuver not only down the steep and rocky path at a higher than desired speed of descent, but she also had to jump and dodge around fallen soldiers, who made grabs for her as they tried to get their bearings. Fortunately for her, she was trained for situations like that. The soldiers were stunned. “Leave us alone,” she said. “I don’t want to have to kill you guys.”
She easily avoided their contact, while making her way back up to the top. She blocked all who attempted to follow her, being sure that no one else made it to the summit. She knew the helicopters were landing there, but Sam would have to handle them. She knew he could. Having the force in the staff helped him considerably.
Guarding the infant in her womb, she worked her way back up the steps easier than she had anticipated. She was still being followed, but she knocked each soldier back down as they approached her. She focused on not losing her balance, while slipping every once in a while. She knew that the soldiers wouldn’t dare fire their weapons at a single woman. Achava did her best not to have too much self-confidence. She knew that God was working through her. It was not her own strength.
Ben-Shahar would not pull an all-out attack with just a few squads. He deliberately used the Egyptians to intimidate her. They were wearing brown and tan camouflage uniforms. Their being involved meant that was at least one country he convinced about her and Sam’s guilt as terrorists. Great!
She also realized that would be one less country that would come to their aid. It felt like the entire world was against her, whether it was or not. She decided to admit her total dependence on God and His angels. Help, Lord.
There would be some who wouldn’t side against her just because of their different beliefs. She also knew that throwing the word terrorist around was all Ben-Shahar needed to do to turn countries against the couple.
She almost laughed at the possibility of the world thinking th
at she and Sam were that dangerous. She had to push the thoughts of all the good she knew she had done out of her mind. They were on a mission to find the tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them by the finger of God. It was all for God. If the world went after them, then so be it.
She could not afford to allow herself to become distracted during a battle, which would not do her any good if she got caught. She was sure that Ben-Shahar gave orders to shoot to kill. He wouldn’t give her the opportunity to say anything to defend herself.
That was fine with her. She had done nothing wrong. If need be, she would go down fighting for what she believed in. Her confidence, which she showed to her husband, was not exactly right. She was so scared that she trembled, but she could not show it. No matter what Sam said about being honest with each other, some things had to remain a secret.
She convinced herself that sometimes the truth must take a back seat to the mission at hand. That didn’t sound right to her, but she could not take any chances that Sam would lose confidence. If they both surrendered to doubt, then they might as well have just given themselves over to Ben-Shahar and be done with it.
The fight was far from over.
The fight continued—one woman against two armies. Using karate kicks, chops and punches, she put some out of the battle. She was surprised when her feet landed on solid ground. She was deep in thought all the way down the steps and still managed to defeat the enemy and keep her balance. Good training was in her favor.
A smile almost crept over her mouth, until she realized that there were no soldiers on the steps for the last 20 feet or so. That gave her a realization that she wished it didn’t. She slowly raised her head and just about lost the remaining confidence she had left. She faced the truth of the consequences she knew what was happening. Now her fear increased.
Surrounding the base of Mt. Sinai, were more military than she could count. Egyptian and Israeli soldiers alike. Just beyond the horde, she could see several Israeli AIL M325 Command Cars mixed in with Egyptian military vehicles.
There were even war tanks. Oh God, help.
She gritted her teeth as she faced more weapons aimed at her at one time than she ever had before. Raising her hands to cup her mouth, she yelled at the top of her voice, “Egyptians! You have been duped into believing that I am a terrorist! I am no such thing! Why do you allow one Israeli to deceive you? His vehicles and soldiers should not be on Egyptian soil without proof. Has Ben-Shahar brainwashed you that much? I had thought better of your country! Do not allow yourselves to be pulled into this personal matter between Ben-Shahar and me! We should settle this one on one and not bring entire countries into it! Hear me!”
Amidst the silence after her plea, was the sound of one person clapping in short intervals.
“Bravo, traitor!”
Ben-Shahar pushed his way through the crowd of soldiers. She narrowed her eyes and saw that the soldiers appeared to be in a trance-like state, as he approached her.
“I am here, terrorist,” he said, with a smug look on his face. “I believe you said you wished to go one on one with me?”
She glared at him with a look of disdain. “I am no fool, Ben-Shahar, or whoever you really are. We both know that Egypt would never allow you and your circle of enlisted men onto Egyptian soil without conducting their own investigation. No country would. What hold do you have over them?”
He grinned. “I have something that has eluded you for what appears to have been decades. The truth! Isn’t that something that should set you free? All you have to do is denounce this God that you claim to do missions for and all will be right with your world. You can then come and go in your homeland of Israel as you please without any fear of being shot.”
“Is that what this is all about?” she queried. “So this is bigger than just an ignorant Israeli soldier wanting my head, and an Egyptian protecting his turf? I do not hide behind masks! I represent the truth and I now know the truth of who you are!”
Ben-Shahar spread out his hands and pointed to the forces behind him. “So tell them! Ha ha! Tell the world! Who will they believe? A terrorist, or a mortal who is trying to bring the world together for a common cause! Ha ha! Tell them!”
Achava looked to see how many there were. The number perplexed her. She knew she and Sam would easily be overwhelmed by sheer numbers if they were ever caught. She also knew that she did not want to kill anyone that was under some sort of mind control spell. She was just glad that they didn’t know how to Soul Merge. Achava fought the urge to take one step back. He was only one man. Now that she knew who she was dealing with, she decided to play on his weakness. With a Cheshire grin on her face, she lowered her voice so that he was the only one who could hear her. She addressed the devil within. “You, who have looked upon the visage of God and thought yourself better than He who created everything, know of the one true defeat. Yours. You are anything but stupid. Childish yes, but stupid? No. You know that you have lost the battle, which is why you play like a child who lost his favorite toy. Your battle is with the Lord. You try to hurt God’s children in order to harm the one who created you.”
He hissed as he glared at her.
“You actually believe that the more you claim as your own, the bigger the feather will be in your twisted cap. That is the extent of any victory you will ever have with Him. You cannot defeat Him.” Achava spoke right in his ear. “It must pain you to not show your true self. God’s angels are the most beautiful of anything He has created. People would not fear your true form. You are a hypocrite even to yourself. I do not hate you. I pity you.”
Achava knew that what she wanted to say next would anger her foe more than anything else she had said up to that point. She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. At the same time, she never took her eyes off of Ben-Shahar’s. “You have no power over me. You cannot defeat me.” She whispered, “I pity you, Son of Satan. You have no covering. I’m covered with the blood of Jesus.”
She could see his breathing become more rapid as he gritted his teeth and stepped back. He raised his hands as he turned to face his ground forces. “Men of Israel and Egypt!” he announced. “Today is a banner day in which we eliminate one half of the most influential terrorist team ever! You may shoot to kill at will!”
“Sir!” A lone voice came from the right side of the horde. It was an Israeli soldier under Ben-Shahar’s command. “You said that she acts alone with her husband! I have but one question, then! What about them?” He pointed beyond where they stood.
Ben-Shahar turned slowly toward the direction that the soldier pointed. Achava looked up. About 50 yards past the last soldier stood another army. One that Ben-Shahar didn’t know about. One that he didn’t and wouldn’t be able to control.
Achava stared as well. She was just as surprised as her enemies, but made no point to show it. Her face lit up as a single tear of joy rolled quickly down her cheek. God had answered her prayers. He would not let her die alone that day without a fighting chance.
As far as the eye could see were female warriors. They were dressed in baggy green pants and shirts made from an extremely lightweight fabric. Except for their eyes, their heads and chests were covered with a green Hijab.
The Sentinels of the Lord. Her friends from the past.
They were in full force. Achava knew that they were there for her and Sam. She remembered when they said they would be there when Achava needed them the most. Their timing couldn’t have been better.
One of the Sentinels stepped forward. “Achava and Samuel Godfrey are under our protection! Any fight with them is ours! Come sisters! For God!”
The sea of green appeared to move as one, as they flooded toward the soldiers.
Achava grabbed Ben-Shahar’s arm. “Now this is war! You cannot sneak out from under the repercussions of having your forces fighting against the Sentinels on Egyptian soil! There will be much to explain, Ben-Shahar! Are you prepared to answer all of those questions?”
“You think me defeated?
” he asked with arrogance. He raised his hands again. The air itself shimmered, cutting off the battle from the outside world. “Now, it is just us. We can let loose with full force against each other! Let’s see what you’ve got, Achava! Ha ha!”
She sneered. “You think you’ve won? Many lives will be lost here today, even if those lives are not Sam and me! I would suggest you stay for this one, Ben-Shahar, because I’m not done with you!”
Achava knew who she was dealing with and decided not to hold back. She chopped him twice in the throat with the side of her hand. Next, she grabbed his head, bringing it down on her knee.
Bam!
He fell backward on the ground. His nose was bleeding, but his reaction was not what she expected. He was laughing.
“Do your worst, Achava,” he said calmly. “Meanwhile, I’ll do mine as well.”
Beyond the hedgerow, the green garb of the Sentinels merged into a sea of camouflage as the battle was underway. Achava looked on in horror as memories of previous such wars flooded her senses. She shook it off and didn’t give Ben-Shahar a chance to get up off the ground. She kicked him in the crotch and he blacked out. Placing her foot on his neck, she held him down.
When she pulled her leg back, he grabbed her ankle with incredible speed. “I guess it’s time I fought back.”
She bent down and twisted the collar of his shirt, cutting off his air. Pulling her ankle free of his grasp, she said, “One on one is not your style. I am not stupid! Your favorite pastime is to let others fight your battles for you!”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Oops! You got me! Ha ha! Truer words were never spoken. You better watch your husband’s back, because I think he’s getting a visit from an old friend.” He howled as he faded out of sight. His laughter trailed off and echoed even though he was no longer visible.
Suddenly, Achava felt a fire in her shoulder. She clasped her hand up to it, and brought her hand back with blood on it. Turning to see what had happened, she faced an Israeli soldier pointing a handgun at her. The barrel was smoking.
