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The Ruler’s smile lit up the entire promise room as Adam walked to him across the floorless expanse without sinking an inch. “Excellent!” The Ruler placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Keep trusting me like that, and you will find this room the source of ever-increasing happiness.”
Adam stepped further into the room, lost in wonder.
“The promise room is the Father’s treasury,” said the Ruler. “All his riches are stored here.”
A pedestal near the door captured Adam’s attention. The gleaming, translucent material mesmerized him. He glanced at the Ruler, who extended his arm toward the pedestal. “Feel free.”
Adam stepped closer, hands behind his back, careful not to touch it. He circled the piece. Opposite the Ruler, he stopped short, eyes wide, lowering his face inches from the side of the pedestal.
He stood. “Is this ... gold?”
The Ruler smiled. “You’ve never seen gold like that, have you?”
Adam shook his head. “I can ... see through it.”
“That’s what pure gold is like.” Then the Ruler motioned with a nod. “Touch it.”
Adam stepped back.
“Don’t be afraid. This isn’t like the gold you’re used to. Go ahead—touch it.”
Adam reached a tentative finger.
The pleasures that coursed through his body startled him. He remembered Kailyn’s words In the high country, anyone’s gold can heal you. At the time, it hadn’t sounded plausible. But here he was, touching gold he didn’t own, and it filled him with sensations of pleasure unlike anything he’d ever felt even with his own gold—hope, contentment, peace, and joy.
The pleasures that came with touching his own gold in the city had always been dampened by anxiety—the pressure of having to guard it and the fear of losing it. But this ... the thought of someone else enjoying it only added to his happiness.
Then the Ruler astonished him. “Anything you see in this room, you may have.”
Adam looked around the room again, thinking there must be some catch.
“This is the most important room in the cottage. You will always find me here. When you are afraid, come here and find refuge in my promise of protection. When you are worried, burdened with guilt, angry, needy, tempted, or sad, run to this room. Whatever you need—strength, wisdom, courage, hope, joy—you will find it all here among the treasury of my promises.”
As the words fell from the Ruler’s lips, they anchored themselves in Adam’s heart. No longer did he feel the need to evaluate them or judge their veracity. They now stood as the foundation of knowledge—the standard against which he must judge all other truth claims.
“I trust you,” Adam said.
“Perhaps. But you won’t really know until I lead you somewhere that doesn’t seem best to you. Following me where you already want to go requires no trust.”
Adam shuddered, recalling Abigail’s description of the room of delights. He hoped he wouldn’t have to go there.
After a tour of the promise room, the Ruler led Adam into a lounge area where people mingled, laughed, and enjoyed an array of desserts from the tables. Adam could hardly wait to join in the conversation. So much had happened, and he wanted to share his experiences with like-minded people and hear their stories.
As he approached a dessert table, Adam sensed the Ruler was no longer near him. He turned to see him standing at a doorway to another room.
With a tip of his head, the Ruler vanished through the doorway. Adam leaned to get a glimpse inside. The dimly lit space stood empty, save a table, a chair, and a lamp. Adam looked again around the lounge. Just a few quick conversations, a bite to eat—couldn’t this other room wait?
Feeling the loss of the Ruler’s presence, Adam sighed, turned his back on the lounge, and stepped through the doorway.
Within the room, the Ruler stood at the hand-crafted mahogany table with a rolled parchment. “It’s a map,” he said as he unrolled it and held the two sides flat.
Adam caught his breath. He recognized the area immediately. The map detailed the region south of the golden city, and in the lower right corner, plain as day, there it was. The pond.
Adam’s spine tingled. Tears welled up and choked his words. “Is that ...”
“Yes. It is the pond that brought you into the half-real world.”
His heart pounded. “If I go there, will it take me back?”
“Dive into the waters, and you will be as you were before the waters.”
Adam could hardly speak. The greatest desire of his heart—the pursuit of his entire life lay on the table before him. Kailyn was right. The Ruler did know the way back to his family. Adam imagined the reunion—the joyful embraces, catching up, learning all about their lives, and telling them his story.
“Can I go there now?”
“The question is not whether you can, but whether you should. If you go, you will find the pond, but you will not find happiness. You will be happier if you stay here with me. If you go, you can never return. If you choose to stay, you must remain, and the map will be destroyed. The choice is yours.”
The Ruler walked farther into the room, around a corner, and out of sight, leaving Adam alone with the map.
My choice? It’s an impossible choice! In his wildest imagination, Adam could not fathom how anything in the cottage could make him happier than going home. And yet, he didn’t think the Ruler would lie. He studied the map the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.
Why didn’t he just command me to stay here? Or destroy the map and then tell me to trust him? Why force me to make this decision?
The room, lit by windows, grew dark as night fell. He pulled the lamp close to the table. The light revealed something he hadn’t noticed before—an inscription on the edge of the mahogany table. He pushed the map out of the way. The inscription simply read, “In his joy ...”
He stood and paced. In his joy? What does that ... Oh! He reached into his pocket for the cottage piece Abigail had given him. “The banquet is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man finds it and in his joy, trades all his gold for the field.”
The fog cleared. Yes ... yes, I see! This isn’t supposed to be a hard decision. It should be driven by joy.
He recalled the treasures in the promise room. He remembered the Ruler’s magnificent glory at the banquet hall, his colors in the mirrors, and the amazing food and family warmth at the meal. Even the blood room had become dear to him. What could compare to what he received in that room?
A smile overtook his face. Then the smile turned to a hearty laugh. He dashed to the table, snatched the map, and ripped it to pieces.
He ran to catch up to the Ruler, and rounding a corner, collided with him. He would have fallen had the monarch not caught him. They both laughed.
*****
Dagon, the warrior assigned to hinder Adam’s progress through the cottage, could feel the heat from the white-hot tip of Anzu’s sword an inch from his face. “You had one job,” the fearsome lieutenant growled. “How hard is it to plant doubt in a man who has lost everything?”
“I ... tried sir. But ... the cottage piece. It—”
Anzu thundered. “Do you remember nothing from your training?” He slapped Dagon’s face with the side of his sword. “Use the mirrors, you incompetent little toad.”
Dagon knew anything he said would only make matters worse, so he held his tongue, bowed, and backed away.
Anzu’s death-glare did not relent. “You’re fortunate I have more important business in the lowlands right now. You’re getting a rare second chance. There will not be a third. If Adam is not falling through the floor of the promise room by the end of today, you will fall. Now, get back to the cottage and do your job.”