The Mark

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Henry glanced at his knees, which were starting to sting pretty badly, completely aware that once again she was touching him. “Yeah, I'm fine, but, man, these pants have seen better days."

Henry walked Anna to her car, his knees aching with each step. "So, one final question," he said as he opened the door. "Do you think risking my life to save your bulletin earned me a lunch this week?" If he couldn't guilt her into another date, this might be the end.

She turned to him, resting her hands on top of the opened door.

"You are relentless, aren't you?"

"That didn't answer the question."

"You know you've trapped me. What choice do I have?" Her eyes sparkled and Henry knew he had won. "Fine. Lunch on Thursday. That will give me enough time to come up with an excuse to cancel." "You're welcome," Henry said, with a half smile. "For the bulletin."

Anna returned the smile and got in her car. Henry closed the door for her. He stepped back as she pulled out of her parking space. He noticed that there was a blood stain on both knees, and he gingerly walked to his car. Sitting in the driver's seat, he said a prayer before he turned his car on.

"Father, thank You for sparing my life today. I don't know who pushed me, so I'm giving You the credit. I also don't know what to do about Anna, Lord. There's something about her that I am drawn to, but I don't even know if she truly knows You. Please soften her heart to Your Word and use me to show her the truth."

Henry pulled out of his parking space and headed back home. He would clean up his knees and maybe catch a baseball game on TV. There was a meeting at Dave Conover's house at seven, and he would try to get some practical advice from Dave after the meeting was over.

Across the street, the man in the black baseball cap was leaning against a tree, watching. Today he wore a tee shirt and jeans, but the hat kept the sun off his face.

That was certainly a close call. This guy's going to be a lot more work than originally expected.

He stood to leave and something caught his eye in the air above the church. There was definite movement, like a swirl of dead leaves caught in a wind burst, except without the leaves. There was no sound and no wind, but he definitely saw a swirl. The invisible force moved from its roost on the roof of the church and lighted on the ground in front of the man with the black cap. The spirit materialized just enough to reveal an impish face, with a large forehead and deep set eyes. Its mouth was but a s***h between its cheeks, with poorly spaced teeth set in the gap.

"What are you doing here?" it snarled. "Nice to see you, too. You're looking good."

"You've never been here before who are you following, and do I need to let my master know about him?"

"So you're going to act like you had nothing to do with that little scene over there?" Black Cap nodded with his head toward the site of

the near miss incident.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Lies only make you uglier. But you've chosen your doom, so you may as well look like your master. Enjoy the freedom you have now because it's quickly coming to an end."

"Talk. Talk. Talk. That's all you guys do. We rule this earth and we have prepared for any attempt to usurp our throne!"

"Prepare all you want. You couldn't stop Him the first time, and

your little preparations will be futile the second time. You know Who

rules and you know Who wins. It's just a matter of time."

"You have sung that song for thousands of years. It bores me! I en joy watching the fruit of my labor. Do you like my little church? They make me so proud! They are ripe for the future-I've done my job in preparing them. Your team seems to be losing steam every day. You must be here because you've lost another church. Yet the battle rages on and you continue to lose. It must be frustrating."

Black Cap smiled. "Like the humans say, ignorance is bliss. Don't say I didn't warn you, but it's not like you can switch over. Your des tiny is set and your time is short. You can do nothing without God's permission so enjoy the freedom He has allowed you. We both know the end so quit wasting my time."

With that, Black Cap grinned, knowing his adversary wouldn't argue his point. The imp's eyes flashed and his temper flared. Black

|Cap watched as the imp flew down the sidewalk, wreaking havoc with anyone in his path. He knocked the ice cream cone out of the hand of a small child, who proceeded to throw a temper tantrum. He bit a dog in the leg, causing him to growl and lunge at an elderly couple passing by. He knocked a wheel off of a skateboard, sending the teenager sprawling on the sidewalk. And he removed the "s" from the sign outside of the gas station that read "Come to Shell for your hot coffee!"

Then he returned to his roost. One last sneer and the imp smiled at his handiwork. Black Cap shook his head in wonder.

Why He has such patience I'll never understand. Setting his mind on the task at hand, he turned and disappeared, leaving the scowling demon to his domain.

June

Elise Orion sat quietly next to her employer, a pad of paper in front of her and pen in hand. The trip had been a whirlwind up to this point, from the flight over to the tour of the temple. But now, she could catch her breath. They all could. Magorum had kept her close at hand, and while she manually took notes, she also recorded every conversation per his request.