CHAPTER ONE

 

Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

John 8:32 (ASV)

 

 

"Stop!" Andy yelled.

Budd hit the brakes and his old Ford truck skidded to a halt. Andy opened the door, leaned out of the truck, bent over, and vomited. They relieved their guts these days quite often. Fact was it was a regular occurrence. Andy waited to see if Bud was going next. He wasn't. They'd been that way ever since they worked up at the old Monastery.

Everyone who had worked at The Monastery spoke of it in muted whispers, especially of all the commotion that had gone on up there. A group of crazies was dancing, gyrating in circles. Huge fires were visible. Surely, some of the villagers thought, it was a Dionysian festival. Even as the dozens of workers left the compound, they could smell a peculiar odor about the place; not the musty smell of old, something more rank.

When the action up there really got under way, the villagers thought it was a fireworks' display. But after the second or third explosion, they realized it wasn't. The flashes that burned their way across the night sky were putrid, bile-colored bolts, jagged and sharp. None could remember having seen anything like it. Some thought Mount Baker was erupting. A few of the younger bolder men took it upon themselves to go to the top and find out. They didn't get far. A huge steel gate prevented that. However, in truth, they didn't go that far. The closeness of the lightning strikes turned them back. As the lightening sizzled all around them, they high-tailed it out of there.

"I ain't feelin' so good," Andy said. "Maybe we should turn back. You ain't forgotten what it was like up there?"

"Nope," Budd said as he downshifted gears in the pick-up. "We gotta do something."

The Monastery underwent a massive renovation and even a name change. It was now called Eagles' Crest since a mated pair had honored the site by building a nest in one of the huge trees that stood sentinel-like over the hundred-acre compound. As part of the renovation, the workers cleared some of the trees; drained a deadly methane pond, filled it in, and replaced it with a beautiful fountain, a large bronze eagle with a salmon in its claws. The main entrance to the compound's three-mile-long driveway was a massive gate. Fastened to its steel bars re a sculpted bald eagle and the name Eagle's Crest. At night, those in the little village down at the base of the mountain, could look up at the mountain, and see a gleaming blue-white glow. Despite its name change, the locals still referred to it as The Monastery. It always would be just that for them-The Monastery.

Budd pulled up before the massive steel gate, stopped the truck, rolled down his window, and vomited. He remembered all too well. Even now, however, he didn't realize The Monastery had been the site of a pitched battle-a battle so fierce that the late-night sky exploded with wild bile-green radiation. People in Idaho, Montana, and the southern part of western Canada marveled at the unusual lightning display. He and Andy witnessed the death-throws of the personification of the vilest of evil, the djinni, Moon-Woman.

They stayed late to finish some work in one of the rooms of the main building. When the ferocious clash between the She-Devil and the Healer began, Bud and Andy ran outside and hid in the area where the new fountain stands. Since then they were different, sickly, lethargic, and taken to fits of vomiting. Their skin had turned a yellowish green, and their once dark-brown hair was now snow-white. More than anything, they wanted to look and feel normal.

"Maybe we'll get a financial settlement," Bud said easing his way on out of the pick-up. He pushed a button at the gate's left side. He waited.

The village folks shunned them, unsure of what had happened to them. And like most people, they didn't like change. Understanding the French phrase, plus c'est méme chose was not within their mental processes. Figuring if they got some money, the town's folks wouldn't care if they had a green pallor about them, if they had fits of uncontrolled vomiting, or if the whites of their eyes were yellow.

Bud pushed the gate button again, jabbing his finger hard. "What do you want?" demanded a harsh voice that crackled over a speaker mounted inside a cement column.

"We came to see the Healer. We worked here, and we're sick."

"So what?" snapped the voice.

"We need help," Andy yelled from the cab of the truck.

Several minutes went by. They sat there feeling stupid. "Guess we shouldn't have come up here," Bud said.

The massive steel gate gradually slid open. Bud got back in his truck, started it up, and eased it through once the gate was fully open. Keeping the truck in low gear, Bud slowly drove along the long driveway. Two men with guard-dogs stepped out into the road as they rounded a curve.

"Holy shit! Where'd they come from?" Bud said slamming on the brakes.

"Damned if I know. Better be careful," Andy whispered. He felt sick to his stomach.

"Out!" a giant of a man growled. Jabbing his Uzi at them, he continued, "Put your hands clasped behind your heads and spread your legs."

Too scared not to comply, Bud and Andy spread their legs. The big man's hands searched their bodies. They were sure the big man would crush their testicles. He didn't.

"Okay. Come with me," Samuel ordered. He jabbed his Uzi toward a clump of Daphne shrubs.

They obeyed, sure that they were about to be executed. Instead, he told them to get in the back of an ATV that sat there. The four of them zoomed along the paved road. The guard-dogs raced along behind the ATV. A radiophone squawked.

"Take them to the small conference room and wait there," Paul Dakota said.

Bud nudged Andy as they slid off the back of the ATV. The added huge pillared portico at the front of The Monastery awed them. The place had changed a lot since they had worked here as plasterers. Timidly they followed Samuel up the wide steps. They waited while he punched in a code, turned the handle, and opened the massive doors for them to enter. He escorted them to a small side room halfway down the main corridor.

The room could seat about twenty people. Its shades of blue began dark, lightened as they reached the ceiling, and spread into undulating tints of the base color. Subtle contrasting blue velvet drapes hung on the bank of windows that made up one wall. Posh blue velvet cushioned chairs separated by dark mahogany tables broke the space of the room. Each table had a Tiffany lamp. Their glass shades were also blue. In one corner, sat an 18th-century mahogany secretary. Along another wall, sat a long narrow mahogany table. It held a beautiful set of sterling silver goblets, two decanters, and a pile of neatly folded linen napkins.

"Sit down. Someone will be with you shortly," Samuel said as he left the room.

Andy was sure he heard a click-the sound a door makes when it locked. They both stood there, afraid to sit down. They weren't wearing very clean clothes.

"Oh, Lordy, Lordy! I gotta puke. Can't help it, Bud," Andy said. Frantically, he looked around. He saw no toilet room.

Bud came to his rescue. He handed him a plastic bag. It was something he now took the habit of carrying because he never knew when one or both would need it. Once Andy was done, he dumped his stomach in the same bag. A couple of times, he retched. "Man, I wish I had a beer. My mouth tastes like shit," Bud thought. Instead of sitting down in one of the velvet-covered chairs, he sat down on the marble floor. Andy followed suit. What one did, the other did. They waited, nervously uncertain if the Healer would help them.

CHAPTER TWO

 

 

Adam greeted them with a smile, extended his hand to each. They sensed his smile was genuine and that his azure blue eyes held no immediate threat. They'd heard you should watch a man's eyes. That way, you could tell if he was going to get ugly. Since they did not see a threat, they heaved a loud sigh of relief. Adam indicated they should take a seat. He pulled a chair in front of them and sat down. He looked first at Bud and then and Andy searching for any hidden clues as to the reason for their visit. People from the village did not come up to the Monastery. They weren't invited.

"Why didn't you leave the grounds when the rest of the workers did?" Adam said. His voice was so quiet they weren't sure if they heard him.

"How'd you know that?" Bud stammered.

"Yeah. We ain't ever told anybody," Andy said shaking his head to emphasize his comment.

"It would be a good idea if you answered questions rather than asked them," Running-water said. "I'm Paul Dakota, Adam's attorney."

"Where were you hiding?" Adam asked.

"Well, at first we weren't hiding. We had a room to finish up," Bud said.

"Yeah. After that we came out at the back of the Monastery and started around to the front," Andy interrupted.

"And?" Paul said.

"There was a big fire, a really big fire. People going crazy, running around in circles. Drums beating," Bud said.

"Yeah, even the people in town saw it," Andy said.

"Then three guys dressed in fancy Indian costumes and one guy sat down in front of the fire," Bud said.

"He looked just like that guy over there," Andy said pointing at Samuel.

"Uh huh. Then all hell broke loose," Bud said.

"What do you mean by that?" Adam said.

"The sky got real black and then the lightning came, striking everywhere. One bolt nearly got us," Andy said.

"You talk too much," Bud said. The ten and twenty questions annoyed Bud.

"Well ain't what I said true? I tell you, Mr. Adam, the whole place went totally wild. This ugly face appeared in the sky, a woman's face, drooling, and she was screaming at these three Indians. Hundreds of other Indians were running around in circles. Man, it was awesome! Suddenly, the Indian dressed in white doubled up and fell to the ground. That's when things really got hot. You know what I mean. Really hot," Andy said

"Then what?" Paul said.

"These other two Indians turned bright blue and began to vibrate. They vibrated so fast I thought they had disappeared. One of them jumped into this big ball of light. Then, there was a huge flash. I thought the world was ending. You know, Armageddon. The most god-awful scream filled the whole mountain. I have to admit, I pissed my pants right then and there. You did too, Bud. Don't go and lie about it."

"I appreciate your honesty. But what do you want from me?" Adam said.

"Well, ever since that thing happened, we've been different. Our hair is now white, and as you can see, our skin is yellowish green, and the whites of our eyes are yellow. We vomit for no reason. People shun us. Hell, we can't even get laid. Our lives are a mess. We figure you owe us," Bud said.

"How do you figure that? You two were trespassing," Paul said.

"Well, I don't see that we were trespassing. We just didn't get to leave when everyone else did," Bud replied.

"Yeah. That's right. We just got caught in that mess. And that's the God's truth," Andy said.

"Are you asking Adam to pay you?" Paul said.

"I ain't. I want him to help me. I'm sick. Please, Mr. Adam, fix me like I used to be," Andy said.

"And you Bud, what is it, you want?" Adam asked.

"Oh, hell. I'd like to be like I used to be, but I also think you should pay me something for all my misery," Bud replied.

"According to our records, you were paid well above the standard rate for your kind of work. Yet you want more money? I think what you have been paid is more than enough," Paul said.

"I turned my paychecks over to my mother. I gave it all to her, so she wouldn't have to take in laundry anymore. I live on what little I now earn," Andy said.

"I uh banked my money. Put it in an annuity," Bud said.

Adam sensed that Bud was not telling the truth. He recognized that he was the dominant one. It was important that a bond of trust existed between them. That was essential to any healing process he might attempt. Where there's a lie; there's a lack of trust.

"Do you trust me?" Adam asked,

"What ya mean, trust you?" Bud asked.

"You got something in mind?" Andy asked.

"I'm not sure I can do much for you. You have to trust me if I'm to try. Trust is very important. It's the second basis for all that we are," Adam said.

He was sure they didn't understand what he meant by 'trust was the second basis for all that we are.' And he wasn't sure explaining it would benefit the two men in front of him. "You have to trust me, or I can't help you," Adam said.

"I'll do whatever you say," Andy said. He was anxious to get on with it.

"What you plan on doin'? I'd like to know that before I agree," Bud said. He was perspiring.

"Didn't he say we had to trust him? I sure don't know why you came up here if you're going to continue to act like such a dumb ass. What's the matter with you?" Andy grumbled, shaking his head in disgust.

"Okay! Okay. Let's just get it over with," Bud said.

"You have to realize I am not a medical doctor. I do not prescribe medications. I do recommend natural herbs and other ingredients. I am a healer. My hands are healing hands. I detect illness and sometimes the source of that illness. When I do, I then realign the bio-electrodes in the body so that it can heal itself," Adam said. Continuing to explain, "I do that by bringing them into alignment with my own bio-rhythmic pattern."

In the years, they had been together; Paul had never heard Adam explain what it was he did. Not even when he twice saved his own life.

"Look, Adam has saved my life twice," Paul heard himself saying, "once when I had a badly injured kidney and was bleeding to death."

"No kidding. What was the other time?" Andy said.

"When he fought the She-Devil for my soul."

"She-Devil? What the hell's that?" Bud asked.

"That was the face you saw in the sky; a daemonic creature from the Other Side," Paul replied.

"Man, what happened to it?" Andy asked.

"She is no longer. If you want me to try to help you, I suggest we get on with it," Adam said.

"What's that smell in here?" Samuel said as he began to walk across the room.

"The Bag. Gimme the bag," Andy said. Bud pulled the used bag from behind a chair.

"Whew! Give me that," Samuel said. "There's a toilet at the end of the room. Use it. I'll be right back."

"One of you lay down on the floor," Adam said.

Andy went down on his back. He was breathing hard. Adam knelt down beside him, moved his hands just above Andy's outstretched body. At no time did he touch him. Adam's hands didn't turn red; they barely had a blue glow about them. He sensed nothing. Paul watched as Adam knelt beside the outstretched Bud. Nothing. Adam looked up at Paul and sent him a telepathic message.

Weleetka, [1] I can't detect anything. My hands no longer tremble or turn color. I've lost my ability to heal.

The door to the conference room opened. As Esaugetuh strode in Adam stood up.

"Mind if I ask a couple of questions?"

"Of course not, father. You are always welcome," Adam replied.

"Were you near the pond at any time?" Esaugetuh said.

"Well, yeah. We was. We sat there while we ate. Why?" Bud asked.

"You may have a bad case of jaundice. Most likely, the culprit was the methane gas from the pond. A good dose of my karvi torai [2] liquor should clean out the liver," Esaugetuh said.

"Great. I sure could use a drink about now," Bud said.

"Not alcohol. Are you a heavy drinker?" Esaugetuh said.

"No. No, I'm not. We're not. A couple of beers now and then."

"I think they should stay here for a few days. With the karvi, some fresh vegetables, and fruits, I think they'll be just fine," Esaugetuh said. He paused as he took a long look at his son. Adam's life force was weak. "He's dying," Esaugetuh thought. "Got to stop the drain on his system."

 

 

[1] From the Creek language, meaning 'running-water'.

[2] A bitter gourd. Its leaves are placed in a cheese cloth and pounded into a pulp. The cloth is then squeezed to release the juice. The juice is taken internally.