Along with me, Jamie and Rose were among those who’d chosen to stay. Jamie’s heart had been taken by darkness quickly in the forest, but it fell more quickly into light. Now, understanding his fear, Jamie shone as brightly as I’d ever seen him.
Rose couldn’t deny her deep agreement with fear or how love had shown her a way out of that fear, but her road was different from Jamie’s. She would soon have to face the authorities, and we all knew that once the public found out what had occurred in Haven Valley, there would be an outcry. The world’s version of justice would demand punishment to satisfy its fear.
But I didn’t think those impending consequences were at the top of Rose’s mind. Her struggle was more due to the guilt she felt for having fallen so far from the truth despite her intentions to follow a pure Christian path. Even now, as many talked quietly among themselves, Rose stood off to the edge of the grassy field, lost in thought.
I placed my hand on Jamie’s shoulder to signal I would be back, then stood and walked toward Rose. Evelyn and Stephen, running on the grass, waved as I passed, and I waved back.
The ability to believe and see the light was easier for most of the children than for any adult. Stephen had recently told me he was going to start practicing flying. “The light of the world can surely fly!” he’d said excitedly before rushing off to find Evelyn. She was one of the only children to remain unsure in the wake of Sylous’s demise. She’d committed herself deeply to her mother’s guidance, and fear still lingered in her mind.
I placed my hand on my lower stomach, reminding myself once again to make sure my child learned love rather than fear in every situation.
Rose glanced at me as I approached. Tears on her cheeks glistened in the sunlight. My heart felt her pain. In her position, I would surely have been as deceived as she’d been. In fact, I had been. She believed what she’d been taught, and so had I. Wasn’t the whole world the same way? In punishing Rose, the world would only be doing what it thought it should do to protect itself. And that impulse to protect itself was born in fear.
The whole world was lost in fear. Only a direct encounter with love could save it.
I stopped beside her and we stood in silence for a long moment, letting the breeze whisper through our hair. I decided I liked mine short, but Rose was going to try growing hers out, long like her beautiful daughter’s.
“Do you think we could forget love enough to end up enslaved to the Fury again?” she asked.
“I think we’re enslaved often, whenever we cling to this world in fear of losing something. Fear’s always available to us, just like love is. We have the opportunity to choose love over fear with every breath we take, and each time we choose love, it becomes more natural, until it becomes our breath.”
She nodded and sighed. “Sometimes I think I still feel him,” she whispered. “He manipulated me for so long . . .” Her words trailed off, and I stayed quiet as she processed. Rose didn’t use Sylous’s name anymore—it was too hard for her to say. “His words rang so true to me. I never saw what he really was.”
“No one did.”
She nodded thoughtfully, staring at the horizon. “Sometimes I think I can hear them in the night.”
“The Fury?” I followed her stare. “Maybe that’s a blessing. At least you know what they are. Most don’t even know their fear has the kind of power it has.”
Rose remained silent for a few beats. “I miss Harrison,” she whispered, eyes misted once again.
I placed my arm around her elbow and pulled her close.
She looked up at me and shook her head, then lowered her eyes. “How can you be so kind to me after everything I’ve done?” she asked.
“Love holds no record of wrong, remember? Bless your enemies. It’s easier on some days than others, but I’m learning.”
Rose gave me a sideways glance. “So I’m your enemy?”
I saw the corner of her mouth pull up into a smile, and I started to laugh, joined by her.
As our laughter faded, we fell into an easy silence. Rose finally broke it. “So what now?”
I shrugged. “We learn to rest in love, no matter what happens. And we share that with whoever has ears to hear. What a story you have to tell the world! Maybe they will listen to you more than anyone else.”
“Well, then,” Rose said, turning to join the others. “No time like the present. Guess I should get back and do that now.”
I watched her go, then turned to follow, and as I did, I heard a soft giggle on the breeze. I glanced around, knowing I wouldn’t see him. At least not in person. In my mind’s eye, I could often see his bright blue eyes and his charming smile. His presence seemed to follow me wherever I went.
I hadn’t actually seen Eli in the flesh since he’d appeared to me in my prison cell. I doubted I ever would. Who was he, really? They’d thrown his burned body over a cliff, but it was now missing, maybe taken by animals. Had he been a real boy? He had to be. Or had he been an angel? Or something else I hadn’t considered yet?
The mystery would remain until I died, I supposed. But it really didn’t matter either way. Eli would be with me always, because no matter who he was, he was the embodiment of love, which knew no fear.
Indeed, Eli was love. And beyond all of my blindness, so was I.
I smiled and headed toward Jamie, who was now laughing with Colin about something. What a difference the truth could make! Yes, our mother was gone. Yes, Ben was dead. Yes, we had all endured the hells of fear for far too long.
But Jamie and I and the others were alive, more alive now than any of us had ever been. So were Eli and Ben and my mother and little Lukas.
It was going to be a beautiful day in Haven Valley.
It already was.
Ted Dekker is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, with over ten million copies sold worldwide. He was born in the jungles of Indonesia to missionary parents, and his upbringing as a stranger in a fascinating and sometimes frightening culture fueled his imagination. Dekker’s passion is simple—to explore truth through mind-bending stories that invite readers to see the world through a different lens. His fiction has been honored with numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Inspy Awards, an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and an ECPA Gold Medallion. In 2013, NPR readers nationwide put him in the Top 50 Thriller Authors of All Time. Dekker lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Lee Ann.
Rachelle Dekker is the Christy Award–winning author of The Choosing, The Calling, and The Returning in the Seer series. The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle was inspired early on to discover truth through the avenue of storytelling. She writes full-time from her home in Nashville, where she lives with her husband, Daniel, and their son, Jack. Connect with Rachelle at www.rachelledekker.com.
RachelleDekker.com
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Table of Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Title Page
Copyright Page
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Epilogue
About the Authors
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