Deathly silence was so thick in the space.

The demons were all very cautious. Even the ones who felt like coughing or scratching didn't dare to. The impulse would have to wait.

Dagon was well known for his fury at the tiniest hint of a flop in plan, most especially if it had to do with defeat by the heavenly host. Their foes made him tip his jar of rage.

But now, astonishingly, he was silent, and this unusual trait of his was creeping the horde out of their decaying, slimy skin.

Was his anger so great that he had resorted to capping it in lest he explodes and does unimaginable damage? Made sense.
Was he scheming a comeback? No one could tell. His dark face was blank, void of any expression.
Was he resigning to defeat? Far be it from the ancient Dagon Lord to cower just because of resistance.

The silence continued.

A tap, tap, tap sound suddenly reverberated through the throne room. It was Dagon tapping the spiky arm of his throne.

The demons saw as his face, which housed bloodshot eyes, shifted up to a twisted, demented smirk.

Then, he chuckled. The sensation obviously bubbled in him and he chuckled more. It grew into sporadic laughter.

He laughed the evilest laughter that had ever been heard. Even his demons were more terrified than fear itself.

Mergirlina, who lay wounded and bleeding, her silver tail sliced at definite angles, shivered involuntarily. And so did her two accomplices.

Leviathan, Behemoth and the Queen of the Coasts were there. Each one sat unmoving in their respective thrones. All the gods were in their humanoid forms with pensive looks etched on their faces as they tried to process the horrific news. How could it be fathomed that the vessel they had waited and planned for 100 years to use was now in the enemy's camp? The gravity of this weighed down on them and they just sat there immobilized. They were doomed.

After Dagon had calmed from his three minutes maniacal laughing spree, he stood up.

The entire hall, except Mergirlina and her two aides who were horribly wounded, stood up as well.

"I anticipated this," he said in a guttural voice. "You fools were so gullible to actually watch the girl fall into the wrong hands." His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared-all signs of his anger.

Turning to the limp and suffering Mergirlina and her cohorts, he pronounced his verdict. With a jab of his gnarled finger towards her direction on the floor, he screeched, startling every creature present.
"Since you have proven, times without count, to be an ordinary waste of space, you are hereby banished to the lower dungeon. You will remain detained there until we have recovered our specimen."

Soft gasps and harsh whispers erupted from all over the room. Mergirlina was already too weak to react. Nevertheless, to say she was horrified by the news she heard would have been less than an understatement. Her worst nightmare had become a reality even after several attempts to prevent it.

The lower dungeon was a step down from the Evil Master's lair in rank of punishment. The last candidate who stayed for the human time frame of a week in the lower dungeon had been stripped of his powers and subjected to the worst kinds of torture by the hellish tormentors who controlled the place.

The tormentors appeared in a flash of red and whisked her and her two co-failures away. She didn't even protest. See couldn't.
It was her eternal curse to have been assigned to Aquifer. If she ever survived the dungeons, she'd make sure to take a personal revenge on that stupid girl.

"Now, to more serious matters," Dagon continued hastily, successfully shutting up the whispering demons. "This is no time to count our losses. Like I said, every possibility has been taken care of. This inclusive. It is true that the Holy One is relentless over these earthlings. But so are we." He gave an exaggerated smirk.

"We all know that according to the covenant, it is either we emerge for total dominion through the vessel Aquifer. She alone, being the 100th descendant of our protegee, Princess Jaire. Else we'll all be trapped bound to this realm. And what we seek is more influence, more territory for ourselves and our Great Evil Master."

Leviathan twitched his grim lips.
Behemoth grunted in agreement.
The Queen of the Coast nodded slowly, her blank eyes squinting.
They were all in agreement.

"It is time to use plan B of recovery. The flames," he said slowly, scanning the arena and looking into the demons' eyes to make sure the gravity of his words sunk deep.
"The messenger demons should make contact as soon as this meeting is dispersed. Then we'll proceed with the next stage."

"Know this everyone. She's ours. Even if she claims to have hid in the enemy's camp, the covenant remains. And earthlings are so naive. Just see as a little shaking will have her scampering back to us." He chuckled.

"The tougher the battle, the sweeter the victory."

He grabbed a cup freshly filled with red juice from the bowl on the altar. The other gods did the same. They made their toast and gulped down the blood.

~~~

Pink splashed against a grey horizon on the water. Ella was able to see it all from the place where she stood behind the church building.
While exploring the building that morning, she realized it was actually situated on an escarpment.

The sea waves lapped the edge of the cliff-like raised earth where she stood. That explained why it was colder there. The wind bore a cool, misty effect.

Ella had never felt as light-headed and joyous as she felt at the moment. So real it was, that she felt as if any slight draft could pick her up as a feather and alight her upon a rainbow where she'd find a pot of gold. Or was it at the end of a rainbow that the proverbial gold pot was seated? Whatever.

She had always imagined what it would feel like to be truly free. Now she knew. And who would have thought all it took was a simple faith?

"Thank you, Jesus," she said, lifting up her hands and twirling in the dawn. Saying the name made her feel like a love-intoxicated bride who had just gotten wedded to her beloved childhood crush; one she had initially detested.

She heard a tentative clearing of throat behind her.
"Ella?"

She turned. It was the man she had come to know was named Pastor Mike. His hair looked ruffled and his dark eyes had small bags underneath them, all thanks to her.

He had this expression that would be on the face of any average man who caught a girl dancing in the rain. The look of amusement.

Her lips curved upward. She couldn't contain her joy.

"Sir?" she answered coyly as she tucked her hands by her side.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? God's creation," he said, standing by her and staring into the sea as a tiny segment of the fireball emerged from the sea.

"Yes."

"I came to fetch you. You have visitors," he said.

"I do?" Ella turned to look at him, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Come." He gestured for her to follow and she quietly obeyed while her heart pounded.

Visitors? If it was Deborah and Jeremiah-for they were the only ones that knew her-, she was in no way prepared to meet them.
She just wasn't ready.
Shush, heart, be still, she tried to reassure herself. The chances of them knowing this random church she had run into is zero, right?

It's an axiom that life is never fair. And Ella confirmed it for the umpteenth time in her lifetime. For it was Deborah, with a gasp of relief escaping her lips, and Jeremiah, trying to maintain his blank stare, that stood just in front of the pulpit, watching her as she entered behind Pastor Mike.

She almost shrivelled up. She'd never felt so naked in her life. And sorry too.
Her head tipped down and she suddenly found the pattern of the marble tiles interesting.

"Oh Ella!" Deborah cried. She walked to Ella and pulled her into a deep hug. "Why do you always have me so worried? I'm so glad you're safe. Thank God."

Ella felt the lump well up in her throat and the constriction tighten in her chest. This was love unrestrained. All for her. She couldn't stop her tears.

"I'm sorry," was all she could mumble as she began to sob.

"It's okay dear," Deborah whispered into her ears as she smoothened her auburn hair.

"I, I see it now. Everything you've been telling and showing me. The Redeemer, he has set me free."

The morning star couldn't have been brighter than Deborah's face as she smiled.
Not even the sun in its fullest strength could come close to her beaming smile.

"Really? Oh thank you Jesus, thank you Lord."

"Thank God for Pastor Mike. God used him. And his wife," Ella said as she disengaged from Deborah's embrace and faced Pastor Mike.

"It was all a result of obeying God in time. By the way, Ruth sends her regards. She had to scoot for her goods which has just arrived by delivery that's why she couldn't wait up."

The two ladies smiled and nodded in understanding.

"But, how did you know I was here?" Ella asked.

"Actually, Pastor Mike is our spiritual mentor. This is our church. Jay and I rushed here when he called."

"Oh!" Ella was surprised. They were members here? What a small world! What a big God!

There was a small shuffling of shoe heels against marble and then a clearing of throat.

The ladies turned to stare at Jeremiah who had his hand in his pocket and a lost look in his eyes.
Both turned pink but for different reasons. Deborah because she was thinking of how hot her fiance looked in his wine, starched shirt that hugged his abs, and black, pressed trousers, and then scolding herself of thinking such a carnal thought in God's holy temple.
Ella because she realized that this was her half-brother and yet the very man she had had intentions of seducing.

Deborah prodded Ella forward.

"Uhmm... I, I..." Ella stuttered for lack of where to begin. Her eyes surveyed everywhere else but his face.

"I wonder why you seem to be unable to construct a complete sentence when you see me? Do I have three heads or something?"

Ella could have laughed but she didn't. Instead she summoned courage and looked into his deep set brown eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Her eyes misted.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe. Deborah wouldn't let me rest."

Tears pooled down Ella's cheeks. It had to be now else she would never have the courage to tell him.

"I'm your blood sister. For real." She closed her eyes, turned her face and said it so slowly that the very words seeped into the hearers' bones.

Jaws fell.

Jeremiah frowned.

"Oh my God. How is that possible?" Deborah asked. Her eyes were so round in sheer disbelief.

Jeremiah had began to pace. So, his childhood hunches were correct. His father cheated. And this girl was his sister? Oh God!

"Our father took my mom in as his mistress secretly. My mom was gullible and she fell from his sweet talk. That was all before she became born again, as I just recently came to know. She's in a better place now. I was the result of their affair."

"I can't believe this," Jeremiah finally said.

"You can ask your father. I saw him recently upon his request," Ella's eyes darkened as she mentioned that part. Jeremiah remembered the letter and then his father's accident.
"We can go get a DNA test if that would convince you," said Ella.

"You're my sister?"

They stared each other down.

Jeremiah's features softened. All he could see as he stared into her lilac eyes, the window of her soul, was a scared girl who had opened up about her past.
It was true. She definitely was his sister.

Sighing, he came closer and embraced her.

Ella felt like her seams would burst open.
No, it wasn't a result of thrills of lustful desire. Only pure joy that her half sibling had accepted her. And so easily.
Jesus was too wonderful.

"Welcome home sis." Jeremiah had mixed feelings. She could never replace Joshua, that he knew. But he was relieved to know this truth.
Father was so going to get it from him. Oh! He was still in the hospital, recovering.

Thinking back, he understood it all. That was why he had been caught in her web of messes. And all he did was push her off, thinking he was lustfully inclined to her. God have mercy on him.

"Waaaiiit..." Deborah drawled in a musical tone as she glanced back and forth between both siblings. "Does this mean we get to be sisters-in-law at the end of the day?"

Ella shrugged. "Well, technically, I guess.

"OMG! You're definitely going to be my best lady on our wedding day," Deborah squealed, holding her hands together with the fingers intertwined, underneath her chin.

Ella grinned so wide. "I won't miss it for the world."

**********

Author's note: I didn't know what exactly would happen when Ella finally had to face Jeremiah again.🥺🥺🥺 But I guess this was it. How did it feel to you guys?

And hey, Mergirlina has been banished. The dark side is fuming.😬 Time isn't on her side. Ella might not know it, but she isn't very safe... yet.😱

By the way guys, a few folks (my younger sister, most especially) have been telling me my use of words is too complex.😟 Is this true? Should I go soft on the grammar and vocab thingy? Tsk... Like I can.😝
Another thing. Are the chapters too long?🤔 I use a week to write and polish an average of 2300 words. Let me know your thoughts please...

Thank you for reading this piece anyway, no matter how slow, hard to read, boring it may be to you. 🙏

Don't forget to vote, comment and share🤩. My bruised ego needs some support.🌝🌚

Now, off I go to write more for God's glory.

And by the way, Happy New Month.💃 I'm three days late, I know. Have a fantastic holiday this December.🎊🎊🎉🎉✨✨

Yours in Christ,
PeculiarPraise. 💖