Read Spirit Fighter (Son of Angels, Jonah Stone) Online
Authors: Jerel Law
Spirit Fighter (Son of Angels, Jonah Stone) (15 page)
Jonah slumped back down into his chair. “
If
? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Henry cleared his throat. “Your mother is being held in a place that your father, for instance, could never have found. It’s likely this has something to do with the mission being given to you.”
“Because he’s fully human?” Eliza asked.
“Exactly. Someone like your father, with great spiritual sensitivity, can sense the spiritual world, even if he cannot see it. For example, he can feel fallen angels’ presence, their darkness. But he cannot
see
them, unless they choose to reveal themselves to him. Marcus, Taryn, me—we have allowed Benjamin to see us.”
“But we can see the Fallen,” said Jonah, “because we are quarterlings.”
Henry nodded.
“So what exactly do they want with my mother?” Jonah asked, the question almost exploding out of him. “I heard what Marcus said. About how powerful nephilim are. And how they can be . . . swayed.”
“There are so many things that hang in the balance here. Your mother and the other nephilim are the linchpin to their plan, and if they fall . . .” Henry paused. “Then I am afraid that everything all our futures hold will be in question. Abaddon has planned this for some time. He asked his fallen angels to father children—to create these nephilim.”
While they were talking, Jonah paid the bill, and they headed out of the restaurant and down the street.
“Why would he want to create so many nephilim in the first place?” asked Jonah.
“Nephilim are immensely powerful creatures,” Henry said. “They have a history of wreaking havoc on this earth. Marcus told you that they were part of what caused Elohim to send the flood in Noah’s day. There is something about the combination of angel and human blood that makes them incredibly powerful, and quite unstable. Your mother has no idea what she is capable of. Of course, what we now know is that the birth of your mother was only one part of their plan.”
Jonah walked in silence along with Eliza, his brain churning. This was so much bigger than just getting their mother back.
“Abaddon wants to use her to somehow rule the world?” Eliza asked.
“In some ways, he does rule this world,” Henry said darkly. “What he wants is total rebellion and utter chaos. He wants hate, murder, selfishness. Those things cause him to grow stronger. He believes he can sway the nephilim to his side.”
Henry continued to walk like he knew where he was going, turning another corner.
“There were others who were created and captured, as you know,” he continued. “Seven others in all. Marcus and Taryn believe that they were all taken to the same place.”
“They’re all in New York together?” Eliza said. “Along with our mom?”
Henry nodded.
“Abaddon will try to break them down, to pull them into his grip and draw them into the war against Elohim. As you might imagine, he can be quite persuasive. One nephilim wields enormous power. They are great warriors. Having eight on their side—well, the world has never seen it. With their sheer strength and ability to influence humans, it would be no exaggeration to say that they could cause unprecedented destruction.”
Jonah’s brow furrowed. “What I don’t get is that if Elohim knows all of this, why doesn’t He just send down, like, a couple hundred thousand warrior angels to handle it? Why doesn’t He just swoop in and take control and get our mother back?” Eliza nodded in agreement.
“It does no good to question the will of Elohim,” Henry replied. “Send in warrior angels He may, and if He does, thanks be to Him. But our duty is to obey, to respond to what is in front of us, and to do our best to do what is right.”
Jonah was not satisfied with that answer. He wanted to see power and strength, to watch the bad guys get destroyed. How was that going to happen through a ragtag couple of kids and a measly
guardian
angel?
“Where are we going, anyway?” Eliza said as she tried to keep up with the fast-moving Henry.
“There’s another reason your dad would have failed in his attempt to get your mother back,” he said. “You see, humans can’t enter the hidden realm.”
Eliza walked along silently for a few steps, squinting her eyes in thought. “Hidden realm? HR!” She pointed to Jonah’s MissionFinder 3000.
Jonah held up the watch. “Since Helene and Robert didn’t work out, I guess that makes perfect sense.”
“Yes,” said Henry. “Your mother and the other nephilim are located there.”
Henry stopped walking. They had emerged from the shadows of the skyscrapers to the edge of a large lawn, almost the size of a football field, but rounder, with trees scattered through it. There were a few people sitting on benches. A lady in a pale green business suit was walking a tiny dog across the lawn.
Beyond the grass was an expanse of water, and in the middle of it, a small island with a figure just barely visible through a bank of fog under the cloud-choked sky.
“Look, Jonah!” Eliza pointed. “The Statue of Liberty!”
“Cool,” he said. They were at the very southern tip of Manhattan.
They walked with Henry to the middle of the park and stood underneath the outstretched branches of a tree.
“The hidden realm is not so much a
where
as it is a
what
,” Henry said, eyeing them both. “Jonah, pull out your Bible. Read Ephesians 6:12.”
Jonah slid the book out of his pocket and found the verse.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
“Thank you,” said Henry. “You see, there is a world that is invisible to humans. It’s a layer, a deeper layer, to this physical world.” He pointed to the people sitting on the bench across the lawn. “It’s a world that most people do not believe exists. Even though they are influenced by it every day.”
“Can humans see it—if they believe in it?” Eliza asked.
Henry smiled. “Insightful question, Eliza. They cannot see it like angels, who do most of their work there. But if they are in tune with it, they can sense it and even engage in the battle.”
“How about us?” asked Jonah. “What about quarterlings?”
Henry cleared his throat. “In theory, since you have one-quarter angel blood, you should be able to access the hidden realm like any angel could.”
“In theory? What does that mean?”
“I’ve never actually worked with quarterlings before,” Henry admitted. “I don’t know any angels who have. We’re in some unknown territory here.”
Suddenly, an image of Jonah’s mother seared across his brain, a picture of her in chains, her exhausted face drooping, her eyes closed. He didn’t know if it was just his imagination or for real.
“Let’s try,” Jonah said urgently. “What do we need to do to enter the hidden realm? How do you do it?”
“We just . . . do it. Angels don’t think about it,” Henry said, scratching his head. “But if I were to break it down, there are two things that allow us to enter the hidden realm. One is the fact that we are angels.”
“Okay, we have that covered,” said Eliza. “What’s the second thing?”
“Belief. That a hidden realm exists, that you have always sensed, always been a part of, but never seen. That’s the essence of faith, after all. Believing in what you don’t see.”
Jonah looked at Eliza. “Okay. Belief. We can do that.”
Henry nodded. “Okay, then. All it should take is a heartfelt prayer.”
Standing underneath the tree, he grabbed their hands so that they formed a circle and he closed his eyes.
Jonah caught Eliza’s eye, and they both bowed their heads.
“Elohim, I believe in the reality of a spiritual world, which is the real world, where the battle between good and evil is taking place.” Henry solemnly uttered these words and squeezed Jonah’s hand.
Jonah cleared his throat and said from his heart, “Uh, I believe too.”
“So do I,” Eliza said.
They waited a few seconds, and then opened their eyes.
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
Daniel 2:22
NIV
T
he first things Jonah noticed after he opened his eyes were Henry’s wings. They were back again, sparkling with a silvery light much brighter than when he’d seen them earlier.
The second thing he noticed was Eliza. There was a glow emanating from her, a soft, brilliant golden light that seemed to be coming from the center of her chest and working its way out to her arms and feet, almost dripping off the ends of her fingertips.
Henry noticed Jonah and Eliza staring at each other. “It is the mark of Elohim you see. In the hidden realm, the true spiritual nature of people is much more evident. You have both given your hearts over to Him, allowing Him entrance into your lives. It’s His light that shines through you. Quite beautiful, don’t you think?”
Jonah reached out and touched Eliza on the arm, noticing the soft light around his own hand.
“Cool,” he said under his breath. The glow around her was stunning. Eliza seemed just as mesmerized by the light coming from him, staring with a suprised smile.
Jonah sensed movement behind him and he turned quickly to see what it was. The woman who had been walking her dog had circled back and was on the path, staring right at them. The little fluffy dog seemed to be eyeing them too, and he growled and then barked.
“Max!” she said, tugging at his leash. “What’s wrong, my little mushy-kins?” The dog just kept barking at them.
Jonah whispered to Henry, “Can she . . . ?”
“No,” he said evenly. “She can’t see us. Max the dog can’t either. However, he can sense our presence. Dogs are funny like that.”
“Elohim is Elohim.” Jonah shrugged with a grin. He stepped forward until he was only a few feet away from the dog lady and waved. She looked straight through him and continued walking. He realized too late that he had gotten so close that he couldn’t get out of the way in time. Bracing himself for a collision, he closed his eyes.
The woman passed right through him. Literally. Her entire body went through his. As this happened, Jonah felt a shock run through his chest, like a sudden blast of electricity. She must have felt the same thing, because she breathed in sharply, stopped in her tracks, and turned around. Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes looked longingly through Jonah once again, as if she had remembered something very important but had just as quickly forgotten it.
“Hmm,” she said to herself, slowly turning away. They watched her continue to walk for a few more seconds.
“In the hidden realm, humans cannot see, hear, or touch you,” Henry observed. “But every once in a while, they can sense your presence.”
“Especially if you let them walk right through you. Right, Jonah?” Eliza said, smirking.
Jonah ignored her, glancing at Henry. “She has a glow too. But it’s not nearly as bright as ours.”
“Yes, that’s right,” he said. “Every person is born with it. It’s the essence of who they are, the image of God. It’s Elohim’s fingerprint—it comes from the soul. But when humans have chosen to ignore Elohim, to resist Him, they cannot experience the full life—and therefore the full light—that He wants them to have. They live as shadows of themselves. Their light is diminished. Like hers.”
Jonah stepped off of the pathway and onto the green grass. All the buildings, cars, and streets looked exactly the same in the hidden realm. But there was a kind of electricity that ran over the grass he was standing on, subtle, but there. It appeared alive, and in a constant state of motion.
“Look at the grass!” Eliza said. “And the trees!”
The branches of the trees in the park had a pale, but similar, electrical glow.
“They’re alive,” Henry said, reaching up to hold a tree branch, which seemed to grow brighter when he touched it. “Anything Elohim creates has His mark all over it. Not a soul, like people do. But they do have His touch.”
“Okay. So where’s Mom?” Electric grass or not, Jonah was ready to find his mother. “Are there any other clues about where they are holding her?”
The natural smile faded from Henry’s face, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Like I said before . . . we know she’s in the hidden realm, but beyond that . . . we’re not exactly sure.”
Eliza took a step closer to him, arms folded. “Aren’t you supposed to know what’s going on here?”
“I’m a guardian angel,” Henry said. “I’m here because it’s my duty to protect you as much as I can. But I’m not a warrior-class angel. Not yet.” Jonah thought there was an edge of disappointment in his voice.
Eliza rolled her eyes and turned her back toward Henry. Henry was staring down at the asphalt pathway beneath his feet, clearly ashamed he didn’t know more.
“While we’re trying to figure out what to do, you could at least give us a few pointers,” Jonah said helpfully. “We haven’t had a lot of practice with these new abilities and we could really use some help before we get attacked again.”