The Gift of Light: (Revised) (The Gifts Book 1) (2 page)

      “No, really you are. With all that curly red hair and big green eyes, you’re what my mom would call a bloomer.”

      “A bloomer, what’s that?”

     “Oh, you know, a young girl on the verge of becoming a beautiful woman.” Marta’s eyes took on a serious look. “I bet all those freckles will disappear before you know it. Then you’ll be the envy of everyone, with a perfect peaches and cream complexion.”

     Emily wondered what her new friend was talking about when she pulled a magazine from her bag. Marta shoved the magazine across the table, tapping her finger at the glossy picture on the cover.

     “That’s Nicole Kidman. You’re going to look just like her, I am sure of it. Isn’t she gorgeous? I’m going to be a writer and then an editor for a fashion magazine someday. I can’t wait to grow up. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

     Before Emily could reply her backpack flew off the bench next to her. The blond boy from her class snatched it up and dangled it over Emily’s head.

     “Give it back, Bradley!” Marta screeched as she reached out and grabbed one of the straps. A tugof war began with, Bradley pulling against Marta so hard that she was lying across the table.

     She suddenly let go of her strap and Bradley lost his balance. Arms flailing, he landed in a plate of food on the table behind him. The whole cafeteria echoed with laughter as the other students enjoyed the scene.

     “You’ll pay for that, Marta Farta!” The boy dropped the backpack, turned on his heel and walked away from the table.

     “That’s Bradley Steel. His dad’s a senator.

     He’s only here ‘cause he got kicked out of Saint John’s Academy. You’ll want to stay away from him.”

     Emily slowly nodded as she felt the boy’s black eyes boring into her back. Staniel stood beside Emily as she and Marta ate lunch. Other angels watched over their charges, as did the demons that cared for their own. All unseen and undetected by human eyes, Staniel’s arrival in the mix did not go unnoticed by angels or demons.

     As Bradley approached Emily to grab her backpack, Staniel pulled his dagger from its golden hilt. The dagger emitted a high-pitched hum as it lit up the entire room. The light was a signal to all the other angels in the area that a fight was about to break out.

     The demon ranks in the room shrank back as the angels pressed forward, many drawing their own weapons. The smell of battle caused the area to flood with tension. Bradley crept up behind Staniel and Emily.

     The stench of evil overshadowed the bright light coming from Staniel’s dagger. Upon Bradley’s shoulders sat two of the foulest beings in the area, Rebellion and Hate.

     Rebellion and Hate appeared as twin oversize bats with black tattered wings and razor sharp fangs. They acted and spoke as one, their long, black talons firmly embedded in Bradley’s flesh.

     As the tug of war began over Emily’s backpack, Staniel swiped at the two demons with his dagger. In unison, the demons began to hiss and screech.

     A flash of brilliant light filled the room before the fight could begin. Angel or demon, they lifted their hands to shield their eyes from the fiery brightness. The fluttering sound of large wings drew the collective attention of angels and demons alike. An incredible warrior, mightiest of all God’s angelic creation, stood before them.

     The demons in the room abandoned their human charges and disappeared, leaving behind Rebellion and Hate to fend for themselves. Now surrounded by a host of watcher angels and one very large warrior, the two demons squealed and screamed.

     Liam placed a strong hand on Staniel to hold him back.

     “It is not the appointed time, my brother. Let them leave unharmed.”

     Liam’s command caused all the other angels to sheath their swords and pull back. Rebellion and Hate hissed together.

      “The appointed time is coming, just as Azelius approaches to destroy the girl and the woman who prays.”

     Liam drew his flaming sword, pointed it at the demons, and issued a solemn warning.

     “You! You tell Azelius his time is coming soon. I will be waiting for him when it does.” The demons, together with their charge, Bradley, turned to leave. In unison they spoke.

     “You’ll pay for that, Marta Farta!” they said, using Bradley as their mouthpiece.

     Staniel sheathed his dagger as he looked over at Emily. She appeared a little shaken, but otherwise fine. He turned his attention to the warrior in front of him.

     “Liam, my brother, you have my gratitude for saving me once again.”

     “Think nothing of it.” Liam continued to stare after Bradley and the minions of Azelius. “We must find prayer coverage for the boy. He is dangerously close to possession.”

     “I will talk with Gemma about him. She will pray, as always.”

     “That would be good. I must return to Perry House. It will soon be time for me to pick up Emily from school.”

     The large angel nodded as he lifted himself on mighty wings and disappeared.

Chapter Two

You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God.

Ephesians 2:2

God’s Word Translation

     The rest of the school week passed quickly for Emily, her days filled with classes and homework. She felt a little less out of place after Liam took her shopping for the required school uniforms, khakis and polo shirts. Most of the other students were distant, but not unfriendly. There were others who openly snubbed her. They were the old richies according to Marta.

     Old richies were more self-important than new richies. Marta was a New Richie. As such the old richies snubbed her, too. Marta spent an entire afternoon explaining the distinct difference between the two groups.

     “Old richies come from families who have always been rich. A new richie, like me, comes from a family that has not always been rich. My dad and mom are software engineers who started their own company. The money came later for them. That makes us newly rich. My dad says that we have more money than some of the old families here, but that doesn’t matter. We are all God’s children anyway, but Bradley’s family is old rich.”

     Marta explained that most of the families in Hook Pond were wealthy, but the super-rich snobs didn’t attend public schools past junior high. Those children would leave Hook Pond to attend prestigious private schools.

     “All the better for us,” Marta stated.

     “What about you, Marta? Are you going to leave for a private school?” Emily dreaded the thought.

     “What? How could I leave my best friend behind? Besides, my parents have good old-fashioned values. They don’t want strangers raising their children. The truth is, both my parents would be lost without us close to them every day.”

     Emily felt a great relief knowing her new best friend would not be leaving her behind anytime soon. Bradley Steel hadn’t bothered the girls since that first day, but Emily often felt his cold eyes when they settled on her in class or in the cafeteria. A chilly shiver went down her spine as she thought of him now.

     Today was Friday, and Marta had invited Emily for a sleepover at her house. Aunt Gemma had been a little reluctant, but gave the OK after Liam spoke with Marta’s parents. Both girls were excited when Marta’s mother picked them up after school. Amy Sims was an older, more sophisticated version of her daughter with the same soft brown eyes and straight brown hair cut in a flattering style around her face. She smiled wide

     “At last! Marta’s done nothing but talk about you all week long.”

     “I’m so happy to meet you, Mrs. Sims.” Emily gave the woman her best smile and climbed into the backseat.

     “Call me Amy, honey. That title is reserved

for my mother-in-law.” She gave her daughter a

knowing smirk at the mention of Marta’s

grandmother.

     “Come on, Mom. Gran isn’t that bad. Dad says she means well, you know.”

     Amy made a funny face at Marta in the rearview mirror and both girls laughed with glee as they drove away from the school parking lot.

     The Sims’s house was an amazing massive yellow Victorian trimmed in white scrolled woodwork with a beautiful wrap-around porch. To Emily it looked like a giant dollhouse.

     Marta took Emily by the arm and practically dragged her through the house and up the stairs to her room. Done in shades of lavender with a canopy bed draped in a pastel rainbow of colors, it was every young girls dream. In one corner sat a white desk with a laptop computer, and on the far wall hung a large flat screen TV.

     Emily felt overwhelmed by the sheer size and space. The room was almost as large as the whole of Aunt Gemma’s cottage.

     Marta flopped on the bed. “Well, Miss Emily, what shall we do first? We can watch a movie, play video games or ... you can try on all my clothes and let me do your hair.”

     “Oh, let’s do that.” Emily knew her friend loved to dress up.

     Later that evening, after trying on every outfit in Marta’s closet, both girls went down to dinner. Emily got her first look at the family as they assembled in the large dining room.

     Marta’s older brother, Patrick, was in high school. He was not here tonight, but attending an out-of-town basketball game. Her younger brothers, Matt, a happy seven-year-old and three-year-old Tommy, sat at the table, smashing toy cars together. Marta’s father sat between them, reading a paper.

     The whole scene was a casual chaos that Emily, being an only child, found endearing. Amy brought in buckets of take-out chicken and the girls took a seat. Marta’s father, James, put down his paper, smiled and winked at the girls as everyone joined hands to pray.

     Emily was no stranger to prayer, but this single act made her fall head over heels in love with Marta’s entire family.

     Gemma knelt at her bedside, praying for Bradley, the boy Staniel told her about. Being deaf and mute, she prayed with her mind and her hands. The Holy Spirit heard every word. Staniel stood right by her side.

     Bradley was in serious danger.

     That same evening, in a stark white beachfront mansion overlooking the Atlantic, a downcast Bradley sat across from his father, the senator.

     “You are such a disappointment, always.” The senator’s voice remained calm, but his face was a mask of barely concealed rage and contempt for his only child.

     The boy kept his head down. He knew better than to look his father in the eye; retribution was always swift. His father started pacing behind his desk. This was not a good sign. The man had to be very angry. The boy shrank back in his chair and remained silent.

     “You must learn to control yourself. You can’t afford to get kicked out of yet another school. It’s bad enough that you have to attend public school in the first place. No respectable private school will have you now with your record of willful disobedience. Every private school we’ve applied to has turned you down flat. Do you understand what an embarrassment that is for me?”

     Now Bradley knew why his father was so upset. He hadn’t been accepted into any of the prestigious schools his father had applied to. Saint John’s Academy branded him the worst kind of student, one who willfully disobeyed all the rules and was repeatedly caught smoking in his dormitory.

     “Do you hear me, boy?” The senator jumped in front of Bradley’s chair and slapped him soundly across the face, knocking the chair backwards. “You better stay out of trouble and pray you get accepted to another school soon.”

     Bradley’s father straightened himself and strode casually from the room, leaving his injured son sprawled across the floor.

***

     Azelius, the Demon Prince of Hook Pond, watched the whole scene play out from his perch in a dark corner of the senator’s office. With the exception of coal black eyes, razor sharp teeth and claws, and shiny black wings jutting from his back, Azelius appeared almost human. He stood tall, eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a strong physique.

     He was a terrifying and enigmatic presence, his chiseled face topped with a mane of long, wavy chestnut brown hair. Voice calm and level, he addressed the two lesser demons, Rebellion and Hate.

     “You two had better get a grip on that boy. I have great plans for him when he succeeds his father.”

     “We are doing our best, Prince. It is the woman, the one who prays. She prays for the boy. Her prayers prick at us. We can feel her even now. The prayers make us weak.”

     Rebellion and Hate spoke and responded in unison.

     Azelius screamed at the pair, his calm façade transformed into a mask of fury. “Deal with that woman now! Strike her down. Stop her prayers. We can’t have her interference.”

     The mewling pair whined and wailed. “It’s impossible, Prince. The woman is watched over by no less than Michael himself. Liam is there as well.”

     “Michael!” Azelius spat the name out between clenched teeth. “You have seen him there and you did not tell me?”

     The two small demons huddled together bracing for the coming assault.

     “Yes Prince. Michael has been seen coming to and leaving from the angelic stronghold of Perry House.”

     Azelius pulled his sword and swung at the two demons. Rebellion and Hate, together with their charge, Bradley, raced away. Azelius paced the room in a solitary rage.

     Fear crept into the demon prince. He could not lose control over his stronghold. If word reached the demon ranks that he was losing his grip on the powerful Steel family, Lucifer himself would intervene.

     Azelius knew he would have to deal with the woman who prays, and quickly. Michael or no Michael, he could not allow anyone to interfere with the stronghold he’d held on the Steel family for generations. The power he wielded tied directly to the power of the senator.

***

     Senator Brad Steel returned to his office after his son left. He came from a powerful line of political magnates. His family tree traced all the way back to Colonial times. A member of the Steel family held an official office in every generation for more than a hundred years. He and his son were the last of their line.

     The senator’s mother died when he was very young, and he and his brother were raised by their very strict and demanding father. His younger brother died a few years back in a car crash, driving drunk, after which his father suffered a massive stroke and died a few weeks later.

     The senator looked much like his brother and father. The Steel’s, known for their boy next-door looks, had thick blond hair and strong masculine features.

     Brad was no exception. He had his mother’s bow-shaped mouth with a perfect and charming smile. He was a great orator with a strong following of supporters. He sat at his desk with a short tumbler of whiskey and ice in his hand as he pondered his situation. He considered excessive drinking to be a weakness, and the fact that he was drinking now signaled his extreme irritation.

     His son had caused him to lose face with some of his supporters, making it look as if he could not manage his own offspring. Nothing enraged the senator more than to look as if he came up short in any arena, especially one as personal as this. Making tough decisions was what he did best, and he intended to force Bradley into submission, no matter the cost.