The Gift of Knowledge (The Gifts Book 2) (16 page)

    I felt reluctant at first, but they promised huge sums of money and prestige for completing the task. When I was still dragging my feet about the purification rites, the sect wired over a million dollars into my bank account and assured me that more money would come if I would cooperate.

     When I felt I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain I complied. I spent two weeks fasting and chanting to their different deities, and then consumed special drinks laced with hallucinogenics. I saw the most terrifying and, at the same time, beautiful creatures then watched as the holy men transformed into magical beings full of light.

     These beings introduced me to my own personal spirit guide, Ariella. She was the loveliest creature I’d ever seen, full of light and beauty. Her voice was the most wonderful sound in the world, and I felt so loved by her. She shared her vast knowledge, and how to use her power as my own to change and manipulate people and things in the physical realm. Soon, I never wanted to leave her. I thought myself in love with her and I knew I could never live without her powers.

     After coming out from under the influence of the drugs, I was sick for days. The withdrawal was awful. I longed for Ariella and the power she’d given me. Then the holy men told me Ariella was real and not a hallucination. I was besotted. I had to have her back. All I had to do to be with her forever was to allow her to come into my body and let her live inside of me in the physical realm.

     Once again I chanted for days, calling Ariella to me. Finally, she came. Only this time she wasn’t the beautiful creature I beheld in my dreams. She was ugly and deformed. She told me how ashamed she was of her true appearance and that she appeared this way as punishment for sins in her past lives. She begged me not to turn my back on her and promised that if I accepted her into my own body that she would once again be beautiful in my eyes. With her power, we could be together forever and live a rich, happy life.

     In my spirit I knew she was lying. I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I knew there would be no going back. Then Ethan’s face came into my mind, and the old hatred of him welled up inside of me. I wanted him to pay for everything he’d taken from me. I wanted him dead, and I needed Ariella to help me do it. I agreed to complete the rituals to have Ariella come into my body. After it was done, I was allowed to meet with the man who wanted to steal what Ethan could find. I didn’t know that Ariella had lied to me in so many ways. She was not even a she, but a demon from the pits of hell who soon took over my body, mind, and soul.

     I returned to Ethan and his team and made several attempts to hurt all of them, without success. Finally, Will, Ethan’s anthropologist, caught me, as I tried to slip some poison into the water supply. Ethan didn’t really believe it, but at Will’s and the others insistence, Ethan let me go.

     I lurked around Ethan and the team for months stalking them and trying to get information on the upcoming dig in the Amazon. The evil spirit inside me pushed me and drove me with promises of wealth and prestige, those things I felt Ethan had stolen from me.

     My moment of revenge was close, and I could feel it when Ethan sent Will back to the states to find information on the Spaniard’s journals. I only wanted to find a way to steal the journals or get to them before Will did. I never had any intention to harm Will, but the demon inside of me finally took complete control over me….

     At that moment, Lazar’s vocal cords froze up, and he clutched at his throat as if being choked. He fell back on the mat and began to thrash around. Matthew and Simon ordered the demon Armodius to cease his attack on Lazar. Abruptly, Lazar became very still but remained unconscious.

     Matthew and Simon sighed. The man still had not come to repentance. He had not asked Jesus for forgiveness nor did he ask him into his heart. Lazar still clung to the demon inside him and did not seem to actually want to be free of it. They would let him rest for now and try to speak to him more, later.

***

    
Lazar… Lazar… Wake up…
The demon Armodius spoke from inside of him, appearing in his dreams as the beautiful Ariella once again.

    
Do you see me? Look Lazar… See what you have done? You have made me beautiful once again. We can start over now, darling. You have saved me, and now we can be together this way forever….

     Lazar thrashed and moaned.
No, go away. I never want to see you again. You are an evil spirit sent to torment me.

     No, no, my darling. I must comply with the master’s plan. Only when I complete my assignment to take from Ethan McGowan the secrets of the lost giant kings and deliver them to the master will I be truly free to be with you. Please believe me. I love you. We are so close. Don’t give up now.

     Lazar fought his own mind, but as he gazed on the beauty of Ariella, he knew his desire for her was still strong. It was all a lie, a deception. He knew this illusion was not real, but he wanted it badly. He could stay in this dream-like state with her forever and not care if it was real. Right or wrong did not matter as long as he could be with Ariella.

   
OK… Ariella… Tell me what I have to do so we can be together like this…Forever….

   Run! Run, Lazar. Now. These men who are here with you want to tear us apart. If you stay with them they will succeed in driving me away. Run away from here quickly….

     Lazar was instantly awake and on his feet. He was alone in the hut and peeked out into the darkness of the night. There was no one to stop him, as he ran into the forest and did not look back.

     Simon and Matthew watched silently as Lazar ran. They were saddened that he had once again turned back to the demonic forces that controlled him, but they could only follow him and wait for another opportunity to minister to him.

Chapter Fourteen

Casting all your care on him; for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brothers that are in the world.

1 Peter 5:7 

     Emily woke to the sound of rain. She’d slept in, and as usual, Phoebe was already up and gone, but she’d been so restless of late that she’d really needed the sleep. Aunt Gemma and Marta had been on her mind so much that she decided to send an email to her aunt and then make good use of her satellite phone to call Marta.

    After hearing from Aunt Gemma via email that all was well in Hook Pond and receiving a stern warning to stay on her guard, to continue sending up prayers, and in general to be safe, Emily dialed Marta’s cell number. She sent a silent prayer for a good connection. Emily missed her friend and wanted to be able to share everything with her as she always did. It took a few tries, but soon Marta’s voice echoed on the phone.

     “Emily! Finally, you call. I have so much to tell you. When are you coming home? You know I’ve been frantic without you here. How are things with Dr. McGowan? Is he taking good care of you? Remember what I said? I will still hunt him down if you come back with even one scratch. Oh, it is so good to hear from you. Seriously, when are you coming home?” Marta paused to take a breath, and Emily at last got a word in.

     “Slow down! Girl, how am I supposed to tell you anything if you never let me talk? I take it you’re feeling fine? Is everything going well with the baby and all? How’s Amy and Bradley, they OK?”

     “Bradley took Amy to the zoo today. They’re both great. Amy is talking. She keeps patting my belly and saying baby, baby. The baby is all she thinks about since Bradley told her I have a baby in my tummy. I’ve had the worst morning sickness, even worse than when I had Amy. I’m still in bed today, but at least I was able to hold down some toast. I could really use your company right now.”

      “I know, sweetie. I promise to be home as soon as I can. It’s just that the Lord is really at work here. I haven’t been able to exactly work everything out in my mind yet, but we are getting very close to finding the site Ethan has been looking for. It’s a real rush, this whole adventure thing. I think I may have found my niche, you know?”

    “No, all I know is that I want you home safe and sound, and selfishly, I like having you at my beck and call.” Sigh…. “I can’t help it. I just miss you so much. But I can tell how important this is to you. So I concede you sound happy being right where you are, and I can’t deny you that. Tell me how are things going with the doctor? Any important developments I should know about?”

     “Ethan is a perfect gentleman at all times.”

     “Whoa, hang on there. You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

     “No, it’s not a bad thing. I just can’t figure him out. He is so driven to find these lost giant kings. It’s like he just has to know something. I know he’s searching for proof that God is real and wants to share that proof with the world, but at the same time, it’s all very personal to him. He just has to have proof that God is real.”

     “Well, we each come to the Lord in our own way, I guess.”

     The two women spent some time catching up and sharing a few laughs before Marta heard her daughter calling from downstairs. “I better let you go now, Em. Amy and Bradley are home, and I’m sure Amy’ll be real excited to tell me about her day.”

     “OK. I’ll call you again in a few days to see how you’re feeling. Love you.”

     “Love you, too. Oh, and Em, be safe. I pray the Lord watches over you until you can come home again.” Marta hung up the phone, put on a robe and went downstairs to hear all about the zoo from her daughter.

     On the street below the high-rise apartment building, two dark figures looked up to the penthouse windows.

     “It is there, Prince, that is where the woman Marta Steel lives.” The pig faced demon jumped and pointed.  Dycidius considered his options. It was clear the Host of Heaven guarded this woman closely, just like at Perry House. He easily spotted the angelic host strategically posted around the building, and knew they were watching him, as well.

     “Let us leave this place. I need to think and come up with a plan to strike at this woman. I won’t be defeated again. This time I will be smarter and will only attack when it is the most advantageous for me to do so.”

     The two demons disappeared into the sky over Manhattan. The city offered many places to hide to watch and wait for an opportunity to strike at Marta and her family. Dycidius knew the only way to stop the prayers of the woman in his territory was to strike at someone she loved. His ultimate victim was not the unfortunate Mrs. Steel but her close friend, the red haired woman.

     Dycidius and his accomplice stalked Marta for several days, always careful to stay out of the view of the angels who watched over the Steel family. They listened to every conversation they could, while Marta and Bradley went about their daily lives. It did not take long for Dycidius to learn that Marta was pregnant. And that knowledge gave way to an evil plan, one that would cause the saints of Perry House great pain and, hopefully, cease their prayers.

***

     Ethan felt very hopeful this morning until he lifted the flap of his tent. Rain poured down in sheets, gathering in great puddles all across the campsite.
Darn, no going to the lookout tree today.
Rain was almost constant in the forest, but the rainiest season should be winding down, and soon they would be able to spread out from the main base camp.
Good.
He thought to himself. He wanted to hike to the spot that was constantly covered in clouds. Remembering that day in the lookout tree with Emily was bittersweet. He’d almost lost his friend and teammate, Cliff. Shaking his head of the thought he turned his mind instead to Emily.

     Ethan never would’ve believed how helpful it would be to have Emily on his team. It seemed the perfect fit to have her working here. In fact, without her, they wouldn’t be as close as they now were to finding the lost giants. It seemed he’d been wrong about her from the first.

     He scratched his head. Emily hadn’t mentioned the little thing that bothered him since they’d left the states. She believed she could see angels and demons. For some reason it just didn’t seem as far-fetched as it should have.

    Emily was refreshingly honest. He loved the direct, straightforward approach she had to everything she did and said. She was free of the guile he found so prevalent in most of the females who chased after him. She was intelligent and well educated, which made her independent and not clingy or needy.

     Seeing Emily’s rapture during the trip on the tram up to Sugarloaf Mountain and again at the lookout tree had been intoxicating to Ethan. It was like seeing the world anew through her eyes. Her joy shined in her face making her all the more beautiful. Ethan had known many gorgeous women, but Emily was special. She wasn’t out to trap him into an unwanted relationship. And that attracted him to her all the more.