Part 22 (1/2)
Grandma Nell patted her heart and briskly said, ”I'll get more candles.”
Screeching tones and static caused Prissie to jump and look at Beau accusingly. Her brother shrugged at the scanner. ”It has batteries.”
Jude trotted into the kitchen, making straight for his mother's arms. ”Do you think Maddie's okay?” he asked worriedly.
Grandpa, who'd followed close on the boy's heels, answered, ”The coop has a good foundation, so even if she's fussed, she's safe. Kinda like us.”
As Tad and Zeke sidled into the room, Prissie scooted over to join Koji at the window. Another blaze of lightning forced her to squint, but once it gave way to a deep roll of thunder, her eyes widened in disbelief. ”How is that possible?” she whispered.
”Nothing is impossible,” answered Koji.
”Well, I never!” muttered Grandpa Pete, who promptly headed for the back door to get a better look.
The Pomeroys crowded onto the back porch to stare up at the whirl of clouds surrounding their farm. They were in the eye of the storm, and the sky above had opened up, revealing stars overhead. Prissie had no idea what her family was seeing, but on every side, colors flashed and darted, driving back the shadows. Angels were doing battle, keeping the enemy at bay. ”We're safe!” she gasped.
Another rumble began to build in the distance, and Tad grimly said, ”I don't think that's thunder.”
”Is there gonna be a tornado?” demanded Zeke, staring around with an awed expression.
Vibrations shook the porch, and Grandma Nell exclaimed, ”An earthquake?”
Just then, a bolt zoomed across the sky, colliding with the barn, and its lightning rods danced with electricity. ”Bas.e.m.e.nt! Now!” Momma called, her voice ringing with authority.
They hadn't needed to take shelter since early summer, when tornado warnings had sent them down below. The storm cellar was always stocked for emergencies, though the s.p.a.ce wasn't due for an airing out until spring. Tad led the way, calmly grabbing hold of Zeke's arm before the youngster could run off. ”You heard Momma,” he scolded.
”But my stuff!” the eight-year-old protested.
”It'll keep,” Tad said with a sympathetic smile. ”Come on, Jude. You bring Momma.”
”'Kay!” agreed the youngest Pomeroy, who was holding tight to Naomi's hand.
Grandpa Pete helped Grandma Nell snuff the scattered candles, then escorted her downstairs as well, but Prissie lingered by the door with Koji. Blinding flashes danced along the edges of the whirlwind, as if they were being held back from striking the farm buildings. Each strobe cast their orchard into stark relief, black trees against white snow; however, they brought something else to Prissie's attention.
Something was moving in the orchard, and it was big. A spate of sleet cut through the air, stinging her cheeks, but she lingered, staring hard as she waited for the next flash. When it came, she almost couldn't make sense of what she was seeing.
”Coming, Priss?” called Beau.
”J-just a minute,” she answered, giving her brother a pleading look.
”You shouldn't be in the open,” he warned, hesitating at the top of the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs.
Lightning blazed again, and Prissie's gaze swung back to the orchard. The winds dropped, and in the strange stillness, she could hear noises-creaking, groaning, cracking. ”Oh, no!” she moaned. ”The trees!”
”It cannot be helped,” Koji remarked, his gaze fixed on a struggle of epic proportions.
Not one colossus, but two grappled in the midst of the orchard. The giants stood taller than the barn and its silos, and as they pushed and pulled against each other, apple trees snapped like twigs beneath their feet. Even though the scale boggled her mind, Prissie recognized the sweep of silver hair that swayed behind the brighter of the two figures. ”That's Abner,” she gasped.
”Indeed.”
While her Caretaker friend's raiment shone as brightly as ever, his opponent seemed to be draped in rags; they hung from the gaunt frame of a demon with wild eyes that held nothing but hate. Abner's hand was firmly planted over the enemy's mouth, preventing him from uttering a sound. ”Is he the one responsible for the storm?” she asked. ”Does that mean Abner is stopping him?”
Koji solemnly said, ”He will not let the enemy speak, for his words are like poison.”
From behind them, Beau asked, ”What are you guys looking at?”
”What can you see?” she asked nervously.
”Not much,” he admitted, trying to follow her gaze.
The wrestling match continued over precious acreage, and she murmured, ”Is there anything we can do?”
”You can pray,” Koji gently replied.
Prissie glanced nervously at Beau, who frowned deeply at something in the distance. Shaking her head, she whispered, ”For what?”
From amid the swirl of colors, a single streak of blue cut into the open sky, swift as a comet ... or a falling star to wish upon. Gripping her hand fiercely, Koji pointed urgently, exclaiming, ”For them!”
”Is that ...?” A rolling cloud of malice pursued that single beam of light, and Prissie's hand clapped over her mouth lest she blurt out anything in front of Beau.
Her brother's eyes narrowed, and he muttered, ”Is that a meteor or something?”
”Kids!” their mother called urgently, her voice carrying up the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs. ”Come down here!”
”Hang on, Momma!” Prissie called back, her eyes fixed on Milo's wavering flight pattern.
Koji's took a half-step forward, eyes wide with concern. ”He is fast, but his burden is great.”
”Where are the others?” she wailed, no longer caring if Beau heard. ”Can't they help?”
”They are,” he a.s.sured. ”They part before him and close ranks behind him.”
The streak grew close enough that Prissie could make out Milo's wings. They were tucked close to his body, giving him a streamlined appearance as he dove toward safety. Nervously, Prissie asked, ”Shouldn't he be slowing down about now?”
”Prissie,” Beau interrupted, his wide eyes fixed on the oncoming angel. ”That thing's gonna hit!”
”Y-you can see him?” she gasped.
”Him?” he echoed, shooting her a look of utter confusion.
A crack like thunder split the night, and the earth trembled underfoot as something crashed into the house, rattling it to its foundations. Momma's voice came again. ”Kids! Are you all right?”
”Yeah!” Beau answered, his face pale in the beam of the flashlight he clicked on. ”Something hit the house, but don't worry! I'll check it!”