Part 31 (1/2)
”You're on your own.”
Before I realized it I was on my feet, pacing and fuming. ”I didn't ask for this,” I said. ”And I didn't do anything to deserve it either . . . at least, I don't think I did anything to deserve it. There was that time with Karen in the backseat of her father's Buick, but . . . No! I may not be perfect, but at least I deserve a chance, don't I? It seems like I don't stand a chance here.”
”Grant, your anger is understandable.”
”Is it? Is it? Well, that'll be helpful the next time Semyaza sics his demon hounds on me! Or the next time he turns himself into a supernova and levels me. It's not fair, Professor! I'm not an angel, so I can't disappear or walk through walls and whatever else they do. And I'm not a human, so I'm not protected by G.o.d. And then, for good measure, when I die I go straight to the ceiling with a mess of shadowy green gargoyle demons, and I have done nothing to deserve any of this!”
I had lost the professor halfway through my rant. He stroked his chin in thought.
”What?” I asked him, hoping he'd remembered he had a magic sword in the back of his closet.
”You are part angel. Is it possible that you may have some of their powers?”
”I like this line of thinking. How do we find out?”
”I have no idea.”
”But you're the man with all the answers.”
”I've never encountered a Nephilim before.”
Falling onto the couch, I said, ”Well, I have. Trust me, you're not missing anything.”
It was late. The professor rubbed his eyes. ”The only thing we can do right now is to continue with what we know.”
”Which is?”
”Weapons.”
It was late and I was tired, too tired to get excited over the weapons the professor mentioned earlier, but at this point I was willing to try anything that might give me an advantage over Semyaza.
”Truth is a powerful defensive weapon,” the professor said, ”especially when you're dealing with an enemy whose chief offensive weapon is deception. Stay alert. Don't let Semyaza trick you. And whatever you do, don't help him by deceiving yourself. It's more common than you might think. See things for what they are. Be honest with yourself. Face your challenges head-on and make your choices with your eyes open.”
For the next hour the professor gave me a primer of the spiritual weapons that were available to me.
”Be constant in prayer,” he said.
”Prayer? What good will praying do if I'm praying to a G.o.d who has made it clear He is not my Savior?”
”Pray to the Father. The Creator. You may be unique, but you are still part of His creation.”
”What do I pray for?”
”The ability to stand.”
”Bloodied, but unbowed?”
It was well after midnight when the professor showed me to the front door. ”Read the Gospels,” he said. ”You know what the Gospels are, don't you?”
”The first five books of the New Testament.”
”Four.”
”I thought it was five. Aren't they called the Pentateuch?”
”That's the first five books of the Old Testament.”
I sighed. It was late. ”I guess I'll stop showing my ignorance and go home.”
He handed me his Bible to use.
”Thanks, but I can check one out of the library,” I said.
”I want you to have it.”
The offer touched me. I took it, not knowing what to say. I opened the front cover and saw an inscription.
PhD!!!
Congratulations, sweetheart! I'm so proud of you. I couldn't have chosen a more gentle man to be the father of my children-yes, you read that correctly, Daddy.
Yours forever, Nora I handed the Bible back to him. ”Professor, I can't . . . really . . .”
”You're right,” he said, taking the Bible back.
Angling it so that light fell on the pages, he located a specific page and marked it with the ribbon bookmark. He handed the Bible back to me. ”Now, you can,” he said. ”Start there. Read that pa.s.sage several times a day, plus the Gospels. Study Jesus, how he recognized and moved in the spiritual world while on earth. Study his tactics. Practice them.”
”But Professor, your wife gave you this Bible.”
He smiled. ”Nora would have liked you. She was a lot of fun.”
Back in my hotel room I opened the Bible to the page the professor had marked.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of G.o.d, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
I placed the book on the nightstand. For me, the day of evil was fast approaching, and while I may have had a cla.s.sroom session on spiritual weapons, I had no actual experience.
CHAPTER 25.
Groggily I raised my head off the pillow. The knocking wasn't in my dream. Someone was at my hotel door.
The room was dark, though it was morning. A sliver of sunlight sliced across the floor through a crack in the blackout curtains. Disoriented still, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and felt the carpet with my toes.
The knocking continued.
I'd been awakened out of a dream in which my father came to me, in demon form, and apologized for possessing me the way he had. We sat on a park bench and chatted.