Chapter 6 - Fire!
“Papa, Worrell the Tyrant and his oppressive forces are securing positions throughout the county,” Eli reported. “Should we call for reinforcements?”
“It happens now as it has happened for ages past. Dissatisfaction and Envy are the first to arrive. Then Greed and Violence claim their territories. Once secured, Destruction is on the throne,” Papa said to all those present. “The Destroyer of Dreams infects the grandfather who transfers their chains to his son. The son enslaves the grandson and generations are perpetually enslaved.”
“So much wasted! So much lost! Is there no remedy?” asked those before the throne.
“Flesh and blood have been given the remedy. Choice is the gift. Freedom is the responsibility. Life or death their reward. These are enough.”
Isabella had no choice but to wait for the phone to ring. She and the other ranch hands groomed and feed the rest of the horses after their long ride. Bella tried to occupy her time by preparing dinner and glancing through some holiday magazines on the kitchen counter. But when the veterinarian had not called by 6:00pm, Bella phoned his office.
“Ms. Randal, your horse is not here,” Doc Keegan said surprised. “My staff and I waited all morning. We called your home several times, but no one answered the phone. When you never came, we thought maybe Orion was feeling better and you just changed your mind about bringing him in.”
“Lance! They’ve got Orion!” shouted a frantic Isabella on the phone. “We have to do something! We have to get him back!”
“Calm down, Isabella,” urged Lance. “I’ll send a deputy right away to Doc Keegan’s office to check out those two assistants who took Orion. My hunch is they were not from Keegan’s office at all, but part of John Minion’s gang. And from what you’ve told me so far, it sounds as if this was a well-organized theft. I’ll call the Highway Patrol and have them set up road blocks on the highways in and out of the greater Spokane area. I bet they’re headed straight for the Idaho state line. But we’ll have little welcoming party waiting for them when they arrive.”
“In the meantime, Honey, have Mitch and the rest of your ranch hands search the back roads around the estate. John’s men may be hiding Orion along one of the old county roads until the excitement dies down. But tell them to be careful and if they find anything, call us. I’ve asked Dad and Mom to get the prayer chain started. You stay home close to the phone. And don’t worry Bella. We’ll find Orion.”
Holy Servants were ordered to guard both the Carpenter home and the church. Avis sent a squadron to Camp Orion. And Commander Crystal dispatched two groups of elite forces on special assignment.
With everyone out looking for Orion, from Bella’s perspective the ranch was eerily quiet. It had been hours since she last spoke to Lance and a deep darkness had settled over the valley. Standing at the kitchen sink finishing the remains of a once hot cup of coffee, Isabella closed her eyes and prayed once again. “Dear God, please protect Orion and bring him safely home. In Jesus name, amen!”
As Bella opened her eyes she looked again out the bay windows towards the barn. Horrified she gasped, “Oh God! No!” Thick, black smoke was rolling out from under the double doors at the main entrance to the building. Bella darted out the kitchen door and ran down to the courtyard. Both the fire and smoke alarms were blaring so loud, Bella was certain they could be heard in the next county. She knew the fire department would see the alarm on their security monitors and dispatch fire engines as soon as possible. Their trucks would be arriving any minute.
But in the meantime, she had to get the horses out of the barn. Bella pushed against the main double doors but they would not budge. It felt as if the doors had somehow been bolted from the inside. Picking up a large rock, Bella broke the protective glass covering an emergency fire ax which had been mounted to the outside wall near the side entrance. Removing the ax, she smashed the top window pane on one of the side doors. A huge cloud of black smoke poured out the opening, filling the barnyard with burning vapors. Bella used the ax to cut a hole near the lock then kicked open the door.
Covering her mouth and nose with her sweatshirt, she entered the barn. Through the darkness and chocking smoke, Bella inched her way to the front entrance. She was able to see a thin stream of light indicating the location where the two main doors connected. Extending both arms, she pushed hard against the opening but nothing happened. It was too dark to determine exactly what was preventing the doors from opening and there wasn’t much time for investigation. She had to get those horses out and fast.
Panic-stricken, Bella put her shoulder firmly against the heavy doors once again pushed with all her might. Suddenly there was a loud popping and cracking sound, like splintering wood. Metal brackets and wooden braces fell to the ground in pieces and both barn doors swung wide open.
Eli and Crystal lowered their great ivory horns and ripped the steel lock completely off of the metal latches. The lock, latches and metal hinges fell to the ground and the heavy doors opened. The host of heavenly warriors waiting outside cheered as the demonically-placed blockade ended.
Isabella knew there wasn’t time to individually halter and lead the horses out of their stalls. So one-by-one, she opened the stall gates, smacked the horses on their hind ends, and yelled, “Go! Eyhaa!” She didn’t really care where they ran as long as it was away from the fire. She knew the men would be able to round them up later.
As the frightened animals fled the inferno inside the barn, Radiant Ones ran beside each horse leading the small herd down to the corral near the campgrounds about a mile away. Once safely inside the corral, the gates closed as Comforters took up defensive positions beside each earthly beast.
With the horses now safe, Commander Crystal and his soldiers turned to face Mortimer’s army. Unseen battles between good and evil erupted inside the barn, around the employees’ quarters, on the roof of Bella’s house, across the road and down the trails into the orchards. The Caldron Estate became a spiritual war zone.
Just as the last horse was safely out of the barn Bella turned around to see the attached building where the hay and shavings were stored explode into flames. “Why aren’t those emergency sprinklers turning on?” she wondered. Dashing outside, she grabbed one of the external watering hoses then ran back into the barn attempting to extinguish several smaller fires near the entrance.
As Isabella fought the flames, Eli and Jasmine covered her with their protective wings. Under the shadow of their feathers of light, Bella was invisible to the forces of darkness now storming her estate.
“Where is she? I want her found!” roared the Violent Worrell.
Just down the road, watching the fire from inside a black pick-up truck concealed behind thick brush, sat John Minion and Buddy Johnson. “After this fire, they won’t be able to salvage enough horse hide to make a saddle, much less have an animal fit for riding. So much for ‘Bella’s Trails’ and that ridiculous ‘Camp Weenewhatever,’” John sneered to the caller on the other end of his cell phone.
“Heck no!” he exclaimed callously. “What do I care about a bunch of snotty nosed orphans?”
“You got it!” John replied concluding the conversation. “Nothing would give me more pleasure. After I’m through with the Caldron family, there will be nothing left of their fortunes except ashes and tears. Later!”
In the back of John’s truck, unseen passengers from hell cackled wildly and howled in fiendish delight.
Just then several fire engines came roaring down the highway and turned into the main entrance of the estate. When the Fire Captain saw the garden hose in Bella’s hand, he called out to her saying, “We’ll take it from here, Ms. Randal.” After hearing the sirens, Bella’s staff immediately returned to the ranch, regrouping in the courtyard to help fight the blaze.
Everyone was so preoccupied with the fire no one noticed the black truck slowly pulling back onto the road heading east. As John Minion drove away, the “Bella’s Trails and Riding School” sign
which Isabella had placed over the entrance to the estate when she first moved in, fell to the ground in flames.
Worrell and Prince Mortimer danced triumphantly on top of the burning sign screaming, “Victory is ours! Nothing can stop us now!” Mortimer tossed the burnt remains of the sign into the ditch and flew off to rejoin his troops.
Several fire hoses, along with scores of heavenly hooves, continued to battle the blaze into the wee hours of the morning. Firemen worked relentlessly to extinguish the primary blaze inside the barn determined to prevent the fire from engulfing the entire estate. Fighting the unseen supernatural battle, unicorns under Crystal’s command diligently worked alongside the men. While some assisted in putting out the primary blaze, others radiant warriors worked to stomp out the onslaught of large flaming embers being thrown onto the roof of Bella’s house in hell’s attempt to set the residence ablaze. By the time hose and hoof had extinguished every smoldering flame, the barn, all adjoining structures, and staff housing had completely burned to the ground.
As the firemen were making a final sweep over the area, Mitch and several other ranch hands fanned out over the estate in search of the horses. To their amazement, the men found every horse standing peacefully inside the campground corral. Even the gate had been securely latched.
“Now which one of those ranch hands managed to get all these horse down here?” Mitch wondered.
Reporting back to Bella he said, “I thought all the men were fighting the fire, but I guess not. I can’t exactly explain how, Ms. Randal, but I am happy to say all the horses are safe and accounted for.”
Before leaving the scene, Captain Daniels gave Bella his preliminary report. “I can’t be sure, but it looks to me like the sprinkler system was deliberately disabled and the barn doors were braced from the inside which is why you couldn’t open the doors from the outside.”
“I knew it!” Bella replied in dismay.
“But there’s more Ms. Randal. The smell of gasoline in the barn is everywhere. Whoever did this wanted to make sure there were no survivors - horse or human. I am truly sorry for your loss, Ma’am. But thank goodness no one was seriously hurt and my men were able to keep the fire from spreading to your residence.”
Using a smudged edge of her sooty sweatshirt to wipe away the tears, Bella said, “I don’t know how to thank you for all you have done. If you hadn’t gotten here so quickly, I would have lost everything.”
“It is our pleasure, Ms. Randal. The Arson Investigator will be out around later this morning to complete a thorough inspection of the crime scene. In the meantime, you and your men try to get some rest. Good evening, Ma’am.”
As a precautionary measure, Commander Crystal ordered a radiant, winged covering to guard the fire trucks as they drove back to the fire house.