The Gift of Knowledge (The Gifts Book 2)

by Jen Gentry

  “It was, but I think that with the Spaniard’s journals we may just have another shot at this. Which brings me to why I need your help, I have the pages from the journals here on my screen. Have a seat and take a look.” Ethan pushed his chair out of the way as he pulled another up for Emily to sit in front of the screen on his laptop.

  Emily got to work with the first image on the computer screen. It showed a drawing of a ship, an ancient Spanish galleon, to be exact. She took a pencil and some paper, wrote down the inscription beneath the drawing then set about deciphering the words as she read them aloud.

  “En el año de nuestro Señor quince novecientos setenta uno….Which is… In the year of our Lord fifteen hundred and seventy-one….

  Yo Juan Martinez de Soledad que se ha designado por su rey de la Alteza real Phillip la segunda de España…..

  I, Juan Martinez de Soledad, having been appointed by his Royal Highness King Phillip the second of Spain…..

  registrar los días y acontecimientos a bordo del Nuestra Señora de la Concepción ya que expone en su viaje inaugural a las Américas…..

  to record the days and events aboard the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción as she sets forth on her maiden voyage to the Americas….”

  Ethan gasped and took the written paper from her to read it for himself.

  “Did you say the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción? Emily, do know what that means? This ship is the most famous of all ships in Spanish history. It’s the ‘Our Lady of Immaculate Conception,’ also known as the Cacafuego or the fire-crapper. It was the most famous treasure ship in history, as it was captured full of South American gold in fifteen hundred seventy-eight by Sir Francis Drake. This drawing is a first-hand accounting of the most famous of all treasure ships in the history of mankind.” Ethan slapped his forehead in disbelief, as Emily smiled at him.

  “Yeah, I took a few history classes. I know the ship.” She couldn’t help but laugh at Ethan’s delight, as she shared in the awe-inspiring moment with him.

  “Well, keep reading,” he stated impatiently.

  Ethan grabbed a recorder to take down everything Emily translated well into the evening hours.

  Chapter Eight

  Truly I say to you, Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middle of them.

  Matthew 18:18-20

  Liam and his legion of angels spread out around the perimeter of the campsite. They faced outwardly with their flaming swords drawn. Ever ready for an attack, they maintained their post tirelessly hour after hour for days, years if need be. Liam guarded the camp from the skies above. From this vantage point he could see for miles.

  The Meleke tribe’s settlement was a good fifty miles to the west of the base camp. He didn’t worry about the natives so much. They kept to themselves purposely, especially since the tribal council members were visited by angels a few months back and warned to send the white men away. Liam did not know why the Lord had ordered it to be so, he just knew that it was. The Lord revealed his ways and mysteries in his own time. Liam trusted the Holy Father’s will implicitly as did all of the angels under his command.

  On this evening Liam’s only concern centered on the demons he could see in the outlying forest and the ones he could not see. The demon ranks were being very careful not to disclose their true numbers. It was a strategic battle tactic that he himself had employed from time to time. Unfortunately, the tactic created a disadvantage for him in this quest.

  A ball of light headed towards the angels from the north. Liam recognized the angel Simon, who would be coming in to report on Lazar’s progress on reaching Ethan. Liam realized there must be something wrong. The angel was not slowing his speed. Instead, Simon headed right for him at full speed, until coming to an abrupt halt at Liam’s side.

  “Commander, I need reinforcements. Lazar has taken Jorge, his wife and children captive. He plans to torture them into divulging Ethan and Emily’s location and then to bring him to them.”

  Liam lifted a trumpet to his lips and sounded a battle call. All the angels in the area met him and Simon in the sky. He gave orders for half the legion to stay at the campsite and to keep a very close eye on Emily and Ethan at all times.

  “Simon, you will lead the way.” Liam turned back to the angels that were leaving with him and shouted as he lifted his sword high into the air. “For the Lamb, who alone is worthy.”

  The angels lit up the sky as one by one they streaked away leaving trails of light in the darkness.

  ***

  Back in the small town of São Gabriel da Cachochoeira, Jorge prepared to fuel his helicopter. His wife and two small children were tied, gagged and hidden in the cargo hold of the aircraft by an armed man unknown to Jorge. When this strange man broke into Jorge’s home and took his family hostage he made one simple demand, take him to Dr. Ethan McGowan and his team’s camp or Jorge’s family would die. Having no choice Jorge did what the crazy-loco man said.

  Liam and his warriors arrived just as Jorge hooked up the gas line to begin the fueling process. “They’re in here.” Simon pointed to the cargo hold where Jorge’s family was hidden with Lazar. Liam tore open the cargo hatch, pulled a stunned Lazar from the hold, and shoved him to the ground.

  “ARGHHH!” The demon inside Lazar screamed and wailed until hordes of other demons came out of the darkness to defend him. Thousands of demons of all sizes descended on Liam and the other angels, as more and more came to answer the cry of Armodius. Soon, the angels were outnumbered, and in the crush, Lazar slipped away.

  Just as quickly as Lazar disappeared so did the hordes of demons. The angels let the retreating creatures leave, as they began to minister to Jorge and his family. They freed his wife and children from their bonds, while Liam spoke into Jorge’s ears.

  “Telephono policia. Entonces advertir a Ethan tan pronto como sea possible.” Jorge must warn Ethan that the crazy-loco man was looking for him as soon as possible. Jorge and his wife were astonished. They did not know what had caused the crazy man to run away screaming or how the gags and ropes fell off them, but they gave thanks to Jesus for saving their lives.

  Liam spoke with Simon about the demonic attack before sending him back to keep watch over Lazar.

  “The demons are not behaving predictably. For some reason I can’t fathom, they are helping Armodius, but that’s as far as it goes. They are not interfering with the expedition in any way. We can only assume that the goal is for the expedition to continue as planned. The question is why? When you find him again keep your eyes open, Simon, and continue to report back to me when you can.”

  Simon lifted his sword up in salute as he spread his wings. “For the Lamb, who alone, is worthy.”

  “For the Lamb, who alone, is worthy.” The other angels shouted back as Simon took to the sky to track down Armodius and his victim, Lazar. Simon knew the stench of Armodius well at this point, and he let his nose lead him in the right direction.

  ***

  The next morning the team woke to the sound of Jorge’s helicopter flying overhead and then landing. Everyone came running out of their tents still getting dressed. Emily knew something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. She stopped Anke as he ran passed her tent and asked him.

  “Anke, what’s wrong?”

  “My brother is here a week early. He’s not supposed to drop off supplies until next week. Something must’ve happened for him to be here now. He would never waste fuel for something that is not an emergency. Senora, I must run now.”

  Emily finished lacing her boots and ran after everyone else. Ethan was waiting for her on one of the ATVs . The others doubled up as well. Emily saw Anke take off with Mari before anyone else. He seemed very worried about his brother.


  Emily climbed on behind Ethan, and they took off after Anke. The bumpy ride back to the landing site took about half the time it did before as they weren’t packing supplies, and everyone was in a hurry to meet up with Jorge. Still, when they finally stopped Emily felt as if her teeth had been rattled from her head.

  Ethan jumped off the ATV and ran to meet Jorge. Anke was already talking to him with a frantic Mari helping Jorge’s wife and children from the helicopter. Before Emily could get close enough to hear the conversation, Ethan shouted out. “What, he’s here?”

  Ethan ushered Jorge and Anke to a more private part of the clearing so he could talk to them without everyone else listening in. This didn’t sit well with the rest of the team, especially Mari. Sometime later a very frustrated Ethan rejoined the group.

  “Ethan, what’s wrong? Is everyone OK? Is someone hurt?” Emily was as anxious everyone else for information.

  “It’s Lazar. He’s here.” That was all he said as he walked down to the ATVs.

  ***

  After they returned to camp, Ethan called a meeting for everyone around the campfire. He told the story of Jorge and his family being held captive by Lazar. Somehow, they’d managed to escape, and they were all fine. Lazar was now somewhere in the Amazon searching for Ethan.

  Phoebe spoke first. “Let him come. I got a bullet with his name on it.”

  “Now, now let’s not go off and start shooting things up. Lazar was on foot. The chances of him finding us here are slim to none. Only Jorge knows the exact location of our base camp. Nonetheless, I want everyone to be extra careful, and if you see anything that doesn’t look right or by chance you actually see Lazar, scream and run. Do NOT attempt to talk to him or otherwise engage him in any way. Is everyone clear on that?” Ethan looked around at each person in the group until all had murmured assent.

  “Good, let’s get back to work. Gary, you and Russ going up topside today?”

  “Yes, Ethan, we’re doing some climbing today.” Gary replied.

  “I was thinking maybe Emily and I might join you. She needs to see the rainforest from the best point of view. Emily, you should go get your backpack with your climbing gear and meet us at the ATVs.

  Before long they were on their way. Ethan helped Emily put on a thick layer of insect repellent and checked her gear before they left. Instead of heading towards the clearing where the helicopter landed, they went straight into the forest. Gary and Russ led the way single file up a dense trail that had obviously been blazed already. Emily could see how easy it would be to get lost in the forest, though. The thick foliage made it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. And if you did turn around it was just as impossible to see where you came from. She was glad she had experienced guides to lead her.

  The further they ventured into the forest the taller the trees became. After about five or so miles they stopped under some very tall and robust trees Ethan called Kapoks. The trees stretched up into the clouds so high their tops weren’t visible. The trunk of the nearest one measured at least ten feet around.

  “This is our lookout tree. You can’t see the top from the ground, but this tree is over two-hundred feet tall. We have a small look out deck built at one-hundred-fifty.” Ethan explained.

  Russ and Gary pulled out the climbing equipment and began putting it together. The two men worked fast, but they took the time to explain the basics to Emily. Using two carbines, they attached harnesses to ropes that were already hanging down from the tree. The plan was to hoist Gary up to the deck first, and then he would help the others using a pulley system already in place.

  Excitement filled Emily, as she prepared for her turn by putting on her climbing gloves and helmet. It was almost like an amusement park ride without the crowd and the noise. About halfway up, she got her first close-up view of the stunning forest around her. It took her breath away. Soft grey clouds drifted atop lofty trees, as flocks of colorful birds in flight caught her eye. The sights and sounds of the forest overwhelmed and humbled her. She thanked God for his majestic creation and for giving her the opportunity to see it with her own eyes. All too soon her ride was over, and Gary was helping her onto the lookout deck.

  The deck itself was built around a natural shelf in the tree and made out of the same kind of wood as the tree itself. It reminded Emily of a large tree house with half walls. A thatched roof provided protection from the rain. The view put the ride to Sugarloaf Mountain to shame.

  After Emily, Russ and Ethan sent up some backpacks with supplies before they themselves made the climb. The four of them enjoyed a tree house picnic, of sorts, before they got to work.

  Gary took out some colored pencils and a drawing pad then settled into a corner of the lookout to start mapping the landscape. Emily now knew where all those hand written maps came from that were in the common tent. Gary was obviously an accomplished artist. His face held a look of total concentration that resembled the expression Aunt Gemma assumed when she was out on the grounds of Perry House with her easel and paints. A sudden bout of homesickness made Emily want to send her aunt an email when she got back to the camp.

  Russ was busy pulling survey equipment from one of the backpacks. He explained that one of the pieces was a digital theodolite. He would use this to help him map out horizontal lines across the landscape that could be used to pinpoint exact spots in the forest and to add distances to the maps Gary drew. He explained that they had already mapped out a circumference of fifty miles around the tree. The goal was to keep extending that distance out until they had an extremely accurate map of the entire area.

  Emily walked to the opposite side of the deck where Ethan used some high-powered binoculars to look over the terrain. Emily asked if she could take a look. They spent the next few hours together, as Ethan pointed out specific landmarks. But Ethan seemed edgy, and Emily wondered if his mind was on Lazar and the threat he posed to the entire team. It had to be weighing on him. He took his responsibilities very seriously, and he was responsible for the safety of everyone on this expedition, including her. Before she worked up enough courage to ask him about it he put down the binoculars and called Russ over.

  “Look, Russ, that cloud formation is still in that exact same spot as last time.” Russ accepted the binoculars and took a long look in the direction where Ethan pointed.

  “Yup, you’re right. That’s strange. It appears to be the exact same formation in the exact same spot. I wonder if there isn’t a large body of water there?”

  “Or something else.” Ethan mused. “See if you can figure out how far away it is.”

  Russ mapped out some calculations and shared them with Ethan. “Those clouds are about sixty miles away. It would be a tough trek, but we could probably reach it in about three days on foot.”

  “Great, that’s something to look forward to.” Before Ethan could say more a burst of static emanated from the hand radio clipped to his belt, followed by Phoebe’s voice.

  “Ethan, do you read me? Come in. Over.”

  “I read you Phoebe, what’s wrong? Over.” Ethan looked Emily in the eye. She could see the sudden worry there.”

  “You need to come back to camp. Cliff has been bitten by a wondering spider. He’s very sick. We’re fortunate that Jorge decided to spend the night here with Anke. We already have Cliff onboard the copter, and we’re getting ready to take off. Over.”

  “Phoebe, tell Jorge to take him to the hospital in Diamont Peru. It’s the closest. You go with him, and tell Jorge to come back for me in the morning. You got that? Over.”

  “I’m already on the copter, Ethan, I’ll see you tomorrow. Over and out.”

  Ethan turned to Emily. “I know you pray. Now would be a good time to do it.”

  A look of worry crossed Ethan’s face, and his hands trembled as Emily began to pray.

  Chapter Nine

  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your
heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

  Jeremiah 29:12-14

  The doctor caring for Cliff met a frantic Ethan, with Emily at his side, in the hallway outside of Cliff’s room. He explained Cliff’s serious condition.

  “The patient is very lucky to be alive. We’ve given him the anti-venom and a round of anti-histamines along with some anti-convulsants to manage the seizures he experienced when he arrived yesterday. He’s resting now, but we will need to keep him a few days for observation.”

  “But he is going to be alright, he will live, right?” Ethan pressed the doctor.

  “It’s good you got him here so quickly. I expect him to have a full recovery. But he must rest for now. The wondering spider’s venom is a powerful neurotoxin that can cause damage to the heart and central nervous system. He’ll need tests to tell us if there is any lasting, serious damage.”

  “Give him whatever he needs, Doctor. Money isn’t a problem. I’ll pay for everything.”

  The doctor nodded and walked away.

  By the end of the week Cliff was up and eager to get back to work. But Ethan had other ideas. He talked to Cliff about going home for a while to visit his family and re-cooperate. Cliff was resistant at first but in the end admitted to still being weak, which gave Ethan all the excuse he needed to make arrangements for his friend to fly home. He and Emily helped Cliff board the plane before they headed back to the rainforest. While they waited for Jorge to pick them up, Ethan asked Emily a strange question.

  “Emily, what happens when you pray? I mean, I’ve had other people pray with me and for me and I’ve prayed myself, but when you held my hand and prayed for Cliff I felt something… like a surge of warmth throughout my body. What was that?”