Emerald City Dreamer (16 page)

Such thoughts of her long-gone lover caused Jett to let down her guard a little. Without even thinking, she softened inside. Jina's dreamtide lapped at the shore.

After her shower, she put on a robe and went down to the kitchen to make some toast. A straight, strong pine grew up through the floor, past the dirty dishes, and into the ceiling. A droopy-eared grig chittered at her from its bark, like a squirrel, and she gave it a breadcrumb.

She heard the front door slam, and Fiz came bounding in, dumping his backpack in the dining room.

"
Milady!" Out of breath, Fiz bowed deeply and kissed her hand. His raccoon ears twitched forward as he looked up into her eyes. So charming, even though his longish hair was always a tousled mess. "I present to you, a gift." Still bowing, he placed a button into the palm of her hand.

He straightened his back and swept his arm to the side.

"
Today while strolling through the square, I spotted a Lost One preaching Christianity beneath the fatal obelisk. He had horns upon his head." Fiz tapped at his temple, and finished his description with a flourish of his wrist: "His hair was rough, with arms hung to his knees."

"
A troll..." Jett mused. "Like the boy Ivy reported. Ask and ye shall receive..."

"
Yes, like that! A troll quoting the Bible! I gathered in close, and he started using wild glamour. He cleared the weather and made the sun come out."

Jett looked outside. Wind thrashed rain against the window so hard she could hear it. Backlash. Mother Earth did not like to be controlled so forcefully.

"
He enthralled the whole crowd, maybe twenty people," Fiz continued, motioning an expanse with his hand. His tail curled with excitement. "Then he floated right up in the air. They all saw it. The whole group was ready to be baptized right there in the puddles. Imagine, one of the fair folk converting people to Christ! What is the world coming to? Satyrs at Sexaholics Anonymous, I say!"

Indeed. Treason or ignorance? This troll did not belong with the murdering disciples of the One-God.

Her eyes smoldered, but Fiz laughed at the irony and continued on.

"
He must have stored the glamour. It shot all around the square like an explosion before he floated right up into the air. After the fireworks, he fell into a deep sleep. That is when I absconded with your gift." He nodded at the button in her palm and made a gesture with his fingertips. It disappeared from her hand, which gave him another opportunity to bow and present it again. "Milady..."

All the pieces were coming together. Though clouds resist force, they can be blown about by the subtlest of breezes. As luck would have it, she would have luck. And here was her lost troll, handed to her by a faithful duine chlainne who kept his wits about him when the clouds blew in.

One down, two to go.

"
One more thing, milady, relating to the eventual fate of this young man. He was whisked away suddenly by his companions, an old man and two women of questionable character."

Fiagai. She closed her hand around the button protectively. "Go on."

"
The women simply showed up, offered help to them, and dragged the troll to their car."

"
Could you tell which way they were headed?"

"
No, milady. I couldn't keep up."

"
Thank you, Fleetfoot. You have served me well."

"
Cool. Can I have a peanut butter sandwich?"

"
Only if you make me one, too." Jett held the button up to the light, and then slipped it into her pocket. Breakfast first. And peanut butter sounded just fine.

EZRA STIRRED. Something jabbed his back and his arm was asleep. So dark.

"
So you're finally awake. Can you stand?"

Elder Noah.

The memory came back in flashes. The square. All those faces, looking up at him. Then the blur of spoken word and light. A feeling of dread overcame him. He'd done it again, and in front of so many people!

He groaned and rolled over, putting his hands in the dirt. His knee hit a root. They weren't at camp. This was a trail.

"
You must be exhausted after performing so mighty a miracle. I would have gotten some water, but I had to keep watch for them."

Ezra looked up. He always had excellent night vision, so he could make out Elder Noah's face in the tree-shrouded moonlight as he held a cloth to his head.

"
What... what happened?" Ezra asked as he tried to stand. His head spun and his vision blurred, so he sat back down.

"
You performed a miracle, Ezra. A godly wonder. You prophesied and brought the Holy Spirit to an entire crowd."

"
I did?" Ezra pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

"
Yes, and you also attracted the attention of persecutors." The Elder held out the blood-soaked bit of torn shirt he'd been pressing against his head. "They struck me, before I cast them out. I commanded them to leave, in Yeshua's name, and they fled."

"
They did?" Ezra's unusual outbursts had always gotten him in trouble, but now Elder Noah spoke to him in revered tones.

"
As soon as you can walk, we'll get you back to camp. Then I'll tell Elder Isaiah the good news."

"
No- don't. Please don't tell anyone." Ezra wrapped his arms around his middle.

"
Humility, is it?"

"
No, it's not that... it's that I... they won't understand."

Elder Noah paused and seemed to consider that for a moment. "It is true; there were a few things about your display I didn't understand myself. But I always promised myself I would recognize a true prophet if I saw one. No doubt about it, you performed a miracle. Now come on." Elder Noah held out his hand. Ezra grasped it and stood. His head reeled at first; then as he opened himself to the forest around him, his heart filled with God's presence, and he rapidly regained strength. Soon, he found himself helping the wounded old man down the darkened path.

Camp had entered the quiet phase of night, when the brothers and sisters softly bore testimony around camp fires or read their Bibles by flashlight. Elder Noah made straight for Isaiah's tent. In lieu of knocking on a flimsy tent door, he cleared his throat and called out the prophet's name. The flap unzipped and Elder Isaiah stepped out.

"
You're late. Where have you been?" he asked gruffly. Then he saw the blood, and a hint of concern entered his voice. "What happened?"

"
Elder," Noah began. "Ezra here, he performed a miracle before the unbelievers. He spoke prophecy and evangelized. He calmed a storm, and his feet lifted from the ground in a pool of heavenly light!"

Elder Isaiah glanced left, then right. "Lower your voice, Elder!" He glared at Ezra, a judgmental, fiery glare. "There can be only one prophet in any dispensation. You know this."

A look of confusion came over Elder Noah's face. "This is true, but... I saw what I saw. I am not saying he is the Prophet, only that he bears gifts of the Holy Spirit."

Elder Isaiah considered for a few moments. "Light you say? And he arose from the ground?"

"
Yes. He even spoke in tongues, like the Mount of Transfiguration. Like the Pentecost. The clouds parted."

Elder Isaiah tapped his finger against his jaw and cast a glance at Ezra. "What makes you so sure that this miracle was of God?"

"
By his fruits. The students listened eagerly; we left them wanting more. And on our return, we were pursued by persecutors. They tried to stone me. By the grace of Elohim, I avoided their attack and cast them out in Yeshua's name. Satan only attacks the righteous."

Ezra wondered why they argued this in front of him. He'd never seen the Elders disagree about anything.

"
For such are false apostles," Elder Isaiah quoted from scripture, "transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

And there it was. The Prophet and leader of the
Wanderers
had cast his judgment. Ezra had begged Noah not to tell.

Elder Noah continued to argue. "Why would Satan-"

"
Enough, Elder!" Isaiah turned to face Ezra. "What do you think of all this, brother? What say you about your miracle?"

"
I... I..." he stammered. He could not disagree with Elder Isaiah. But to admit he was right, that his powers were of the devil? "I don't know what happened," he finished.

Elder Isaiah grunted. It reminded Ezra of a growl of a dog he'd once seen in an alley, guarding a bone. And an older memory, much older... no more like a dream, of a king who would stop at nothing to amass more power.

Ezra stuffed down such thoughts as covetous and jealous. It was not his place to judge, especially given the taint on his soul.

"
Elder Noah, we will continue this conversation in private. Take the boy to your tent, and bring Elder Levi. The three of us will pray, and discuss what to do."

Noah's tent stood just a few paces off. Inside, he gently motioned to a sleeping bag on the left. "Best get some sleep, Ezra. Don't worry, I believe in you." He put his hand on Ezra's shoulder and squeezed.

Ezra climbed into the bag and tried to sleep with his thoughts spinning round and round. Perhaps Lucifer worked through him to lead them all astray. Now even the Elders fought with a spirit of contention.

Of course he was a devil. He'd known it all his life, and he had the horns to prove it.

He'd seen a picture once. Someone had handed him a pamphlet against Satanism. The picture showed a demon, a frightening image of a man with wings and the head of a goat. With horns like his. Since then, he'd seen other horned gods in shop windows, sellers of occult goods and other nonsense from foreign lands. And he knew they were Satanic.

His mind flashed once again to the horrible scene in the square. He'd been filled with euphoria. But wasn't that Lucifer's way, to tempt with the pleasures of the world?

A horrible thought occurred to him. What if he were the Antichrist? He'd misled a lot of people out there today. He'd begun by telling them about the love of God, but then found himself telling them to pursue their interests and seek out inspiration. Wasn't that idolatry?

After a time, hushed voices came closer to the tent. Ezra's ears picked up every word, in spite of himself.

"
I swear, he spoke the words of God." That was Elder Noah.

"
But you said he spoke of magic and pagan beliefs." Elder Levi's voice.

"
He is young," Elder Noah said, "maybe still tainted with the ideas of the outside world. Did Yeshua not say, through Paul, that he gives unto all men gifts of the spirit? Even giving to men the gift of working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues. All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit. Thus are not all men apostles, prophets, teachers, and workers of miracles?"

"
And yet, I am still our leader," Elder Isaiah said, "our prophet, our teacher. Why would Elohim send two prophets? And one speaking damnable heresies?"

Elder Isaiah was the true prophet. He actually talked to God, so he should know.

"
Are we so blind that we cannot recognize a miracle?" pleaded Elder Noah. "No wonder He no longer deigns to show us wonders."

Elder Noah would not defend him if he knew Ezra's secrets.

"
Word is already starting to spread," said Elder Isaiah. "People are starting to speculate about why you came back late. We have to tell them something."

"
We tell them he got sick," said Elder Levi.

"
Thou shalt not raise a false report, says scripture." It was Elder Noah again. "Mark my words, next week when we go back, twenty people will be waiting for me and Ezra. Some are sure to convert. We can
use
this."

No one said anything after a brief silence, so Elder Noah spoke again. "We could use this to inspire faith. Convert the world like it says in Revelations. This could be one of the signs-"

Elder Isaiah cut him off. "And then what happens when Ezra turns out to be a deceiver, a pawn of the Adversary? What happens to our
Wanderers
when we lose favor with Elohim?"

"
And what happens if we cast a prophet out of his own land?"