33

Rae

Rae placed his hand on the dirt and closed his eyes. He whispered a prayer, deep and low. Evil had been brought in through Rafa’s betrayal to the Father.

The earth vibrated and Rae prayed faster.

The vibrations stopped.

Peeling open one eye, he glanced at the ground.

Nothing. The dead plant was still dead, poisoned by whatever evil had found its way in.

He resituated his hand, then closed his eyes and prayed more fervently. The vibrations restarted and this time he extended his prayer for protection. Continued life. Guidance. When he opened his eyes, the dead plant had sprung anew. It bounced and swayed in the humid air, and Rae smiled.

No matter how the evil one tried, he would never gain access to the garden. He would not find the tree. Never again would he use it against the Father.

A shuffling and a crack sounded to his left. Standing from his place on the ground, Rae scanned the area. At first, he saw nothing, but then he froze. Hot dread seeped through him.

A man stumbled through the inner garden, staring at everything he passed, his mouth hanging wide.

The Miles man.

Rafa!

Rafa was the only explanation for how Miles had gotten inside.

Rae dashed behind Mr. Miles, following as quietly as he could as they moved through the jungle. Cutting him off would be easy; rerouting him would be the bigger issue.

Still, Rae could not force Mr. Miles to leave for good. He had to leave of his own choice, or he would continue returning.

Rae needed Avery. She was the only one who could turn her father back. She was the only one who could stop the wrath of the Father.

Mr. Miles moved slowly, taking in every tree, every flower, every animal with awe. His eyes practically glowed with excitement. While the rest of the group prepared to leave—and should have left, if Rafa had not confused the youth leader’s trip across the jungle and doubled the time it took—Mr. Miles was in no hurry. He meandered between trees, strolled along the crystal stream, and even bent low as if he would drink the water.

Thank heavens he didn’t. Water directly from the River of Life was not suitable to offer drink to a human. It was bad enough they were drinking from the small creeks that ran through the rest of the jungle.

Rae positioned himself behind Mr. Miles and to the right, then slowly, he projected the air currents toward the man. Closing his eyes, he held out his hands and blew out through his nostrils.

Mr. Miles didn’t seem to notice, and he began moving closer to the perimeter of the garden. He stopped to finger a piece of fruit.

Rae projected further. If he pushed too hard, Mr. Miles was sure to notice. He obviously knew he was in a special place, and he would begin to wonder where the force was coming from.

Mr. Miles left the fruit hanging and continued exploring. He moved back toward the inside, away from the wall, and Rae ground his teeth. Miles headed straight for the tree.

Hadn’t he known this wouldn’t be easy? The elders had told him to be prepared for a day like today. Jacob had warned that not every century would be simple.

Rae’s time to fight had come, he just hoped it did not come down to an actual fight.

He prayed quickly then darted behind a tree and worked to hide himself on Mr. Miles’ left side. His eyes slid closed and he took a deep breath, then he pushed—not too hard, but harder than before. When he opened his eyes, Mr. Miles had moved back toward the outer edge. Rae moved a few trees closer and continued pushing. Mr. Miles stepped even closer to the wall.

One more push and he would be out. Once Rae had secured their home, he would be free to bind Mr. Miles and send him on his way. The human would never know where he had been, and he certainly would not remember what he had seen.

Taking a deep breath, he projected one last time. Mr. Miles lifted his foot. His body moved in sync to cover the six or eight inches needed to get to the outside. His foot headed toward the ground…

A commotion on the left drew Mr. Miles’ attention and Rae growled. He jerked his gaze that way and froze.

Avery and her friend Luca stumbled into the clearing and gazed around with the same awe and wonder that was on Mr. Miles’ face. Avery spoke to Luca in a low voice. It was too low for Mr. Miles to hear, but Rae heard it and winced.

She knew the truth, had figured it out for herself. But that also meant she could help.

Mr. Miles’ eyebrows rose, showing his disbelief at seeing his daughter. He opened his mouth to speak, but a moment later two others stepped through the wall.

Rae sucked in a breath of frustration. This was impossible! How were they getting through? He would never be able to stop them all.

June gasped and cried, brushing at her skin and shaking. “Get it off! Get it off!” she screamed through her tears. Nothing crawled on her skin, and it was unscathed, though she likely felt like she was on fire. That could only mean one thing, but the girl was hardly his concern right now.

“Whoa!” Benny said. He didn’t seem to notice June’s distress. “What is this place?”

Avery glanced around, but she hadn’t spotted Rae or her father yet. Her gaze finally landed back on Luca and she took a shaky breath. “I think we’re in the Garden of Eden.”