AN: Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Ben sat against the side of the darkened house, the dog curled up beside him. His family was no doubt already sleeping, but Ben wasn't tired. He loved winter. The crisp, cool air; clear, sharp sky; even the icy dew on the ground all helped to soothe his mind.
When his hands went numb, he buried them in Clefspeare's shaggy fur; when his nose went numb, he let out a puff of air, and the area around him warmed instantly from his super-heated breath. His eyes drifted shut. This was peace.
Light suddenly flooded the yard. Clefspeare jumped up on all four feet, letting out a surprised woof. Ben jerked awake and stumbled into a crouch. What was going on?
Still on his knees, Ben spun to face the house. Two feet above his head was a square of painful yellow. The kitchen window. Slowly he pulled himself up to the window so he could just barely see over the sill.
Inside, his parents sat at the table, both dressed in pajamas, their robes wrapped around them. They were facing away from him. An old man was pacing quickly back and forth directly across the room from Ben, and it was he whom Billy and Bonnie were watching. The man was wearing a long, plain robe and worn sandals, looking as if he had just jumped out of a Bible story.
Ben couldn't see the expressions of his parents' faces, but he figured they must know the weird man, or they would have called the police by now. Something about the man seemed familiar, but Ben couldn't place the feeling.
Billy leaned forward and Ben pressed his face to the glass. He heard his father's low voice, clear but quiet.
"We got your message, but," he shared a glance with his wife, "we don't understand. What exactly happened?"
The old man stopped pacing and turned to face Billy. Ben ducked a little lower. "You know that for years Sapphira and Elam were conducting expeditions of Second Eden." The couple nodded, and Ben recalled all the things his parents had told him about the other dimension. He knew that Sapphira and Elam were good friends of his parents that had remained in Second Eden.
Bonnie leaned forward to speak as well. Her voice was much quieter than the men's, and Ben strained to make out her words. "Well, yes, but we lost contact with them more than five years ago."
The old man dipped his head and continued, "I know, and I will address that issue in a moment. Well, their explorations to the south and east were successful. The explorers reached the sea with no sign of human habitation, and no danger beyond a quick skirmish with a few muskrats. Unfortunately, the journey to the north did not go well." Every line in the old man's wrinkled face shifted into a troubled frown. "Less than a week out, the group was brutally ambushed by a strange band of warriors. None of our friends were killed, but Elam was crippled."
Ben saw rather than heard his parents' reaction to this news about their friend. Billy stiffened, and his hand, which rested on the table, gripped Bonnie's tightly. Bonnie, who had crumpled in her seat, straightened a little at the touch.
The old man placed a hand on Bonnie's shoulder with a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid the news gets worse, my dear. The expedition had only been back three weeks before an entire army of the strange warriors converged on Founder's Village and drove our friends out. They were forced to retreat to Peace Village, with the warriors following close behind.
"After conquering both villages, the warriors seemed content to leave our friends alone, but many innocent residents of the villages were killed or injured during the retreat."
"But what about the dragons? Makaidos, Thigocia, and Legossi should have put those warriors in their place!" Bonnie's voice now traveled loud and clear.
Even as far away as he was, Ben could see the sadness in the old man's eyes. "During the retreat, the warriors managed to capture a few of the villagers. They hold them under guard constantly, and they sent a message proclaiming that at the first sign of attack, or first glimpse of a dragon, the captives would be killed.
"For a year, stalemate reigned. Then only a few months ago, Elam and the others decided that they had to try to rescue the captives. They mounted an attack on Founder's Village, only to find that few warriors remained and the captives nowhere to be found. Valiant led a group that chased the warriors out, but the village is utterly destroyed. All of Ashley and Walter's technology, the floating hospital, all of it ruined."
Even to Ben, the silence following the old man's words was oppressive. He shrunk down a little, secretly glad he couldn't see his mother's face, because he wouldn't be able to handle it if she was crying.
"What do Elam and Sapphira want us to do?" Bonnie's voice was thick.
"They want you to come to Second Eden." The old man's voice made it sound obvious.
"But that's impossible. We have no way to get there." Billy said flatly.
"Apollo can be fixed."
"But Ashley said…"
"Ashley did not lie; Apollo is damaged, just not permanently. It would take weeks to fix it, and you know Ashley has barely a few hours to spare, let alone weeks."
Bonnie laughed ruefully in agreement. "Then how are we supposed to help Elam and Sapphira?"
Ben heard a sigh. "I have no answer, my dear. I am only a messenger. The only advice I can give you is to pray our Lord makes a way for you."
Ben heard chairs gently scrape the tile floor, and knew his parents had stood up. The kitchen light flicked off, and a few moments later he heard the front door open and close.
Once again Ben settled against the outside wall, much more exhausted than before. What had just happened? Part of him wanted to run inside and demand an explanation, but the other part, the larger part, feared what his parents would say. A line from a favorite book of his came to mind, and a chill crawled down his back. Staring blankly through the kitchen window, he whispered, "We wait for the stroke of doom."