Chapter 8 - Where’s Orion?
“Victory belongs to Papa!” sang the host of triumphant warriors hovering above Spokane.
“The faith of the loyal. The prayers of the faithful. These are their mighty weapons,” Papa proudly declared to the congregation before him.
Isabella knew Lance was right and she was exhausted. After kissing Lance goodbye and locking the doors, she went upstairs. The house was quite for the first time all day and Mitch and the men were already fast asleep. Bella didn’t have the strength to shower or even put on her pajamas. Falling on top of her bedspread, Bella cried herself to sleep. She dreamed singing angels were in her room.
Jasmine knelt at the head of Bella’s bed. Avis the Comforter stayed on her knees near the footboard. Both lifted up soothing melodies of praise, filling Bella’s room with the healing presence of God’s love.
Several folks from the Spokane Christian Fellowship had gathered at the Carpenter’s home to pray around the clock for Isabella’s safety and the return of Orion. About 2:00am, a freakish wind storm descended over the neighborhood. Loose windows began to rattle wildly, branches began to bang against houses, and trees were forced sideways under the power of the unexpected gale.
Suddenly the front door of the Carpenter’s home blew wide open. Frigid, wintery air blasted through the downstairs, blowing over an end table in the entry way and extinguishing a blazing fire in the living room fireplace. The intercessors shuddered as Mr. Carpenter and two other men struggled to close the door against the force of the bone-chilling winds. When the door was finally closed and securely latched, Mr. Carpenter rekindled the fire to warm the shivering bodies of his guests. Then, just as abruptly as the wind storm had erupted, they ceased.
The experienced group of prayer warriors sensed the powers of darkness were trying to disrupt their intercession. “This is intense spiritual warfare,” Mrs. Carpenter said to her dear friends. Her husband agreed. And with a renewed commitment to their calling, the faithful continued praying.
Outside, a contingent of Radiant Ones discovered two demons hiding in the parking lot of the Bigelow Bed and Breakfast Inn. One stab of the shining horns of light and the troublesome intruders melted like snow on a warm spring day. Radiant unicorns continued their watch around the Sheriff’s office and Old Man Wilson’s store in case any other unholy snipers tried to cause further trouble for the humans.
Back at the ranch, Commander Crystal’s elite forces discovered a renegade band of demons formerly under the command of the Prince of Violence. The wicked warriors had regrouped in the apple orchards west of the ranch and were planning an assault on the camp grounds. But the highly-skilled unit had anticipated such a maneuver.
Undetected by their enemies, the Soldiers of Light swiftly encircled the dark renegades. Materializing in full strength directly in front the demons, the evil contingent was taken completely by surprise. Stunned and hopelessly outnumbered, every single wicked creature was instantly stomped to death before any of them realized what hit them.
Meanwhile, two elite scouts also uncovered a lone demon hiding inside one of the teepees. But with a single stab from one of the scout’s deadly horns, the wicked warrior was killed. The creature’s lifeless body was then tossed into the fire pit where it vanished in a puff of putrid, black smoke.
Throughout the night, Commander Crystal’s armies remained vigilant in their watch over Spokane County. They were delighted to report no further disturbances. The battle for Isabella Janea Randal and her riding school had been won!
The Randal ranch did not come to life until after 9:00am the following morning. Bella was the first one up. After a quick shower, she meandered downstairs and started the coffee for the rest of her crew. One by one, the men rolled out of bed and made their way to the kitchen downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter arrived with Lance around 10:00a.m.
“Sorry Honey, but nothing new has developed,” Lance informed Bella.
Trying to keep Bella’s spirits up, Mrs. Carpenter added, “But the prayer group is still asking God for Orion’s safe return. These are seasoned prayer warriors, Isabella. They will not give up until God answers their petitions. You can count on that!”
After a hearty breakfast, everyone present decided it was time for a first-hand survey of the damage. As the group exited the back door and began walking through the courtyard, the air was still heavy with the smell of smoke. Standing in front of what used to be the barn entrance, it was painfully obvious that nothing remained of the original structure.
Exhaling slowly, Isabella said, “Looks like a total lose,” then added, “But we’ll rebuild.”
Lance put his arm around his best friend and together the group continued their visual inspection of the property. As they stood before the charred foundation of what had been the employee housing, the Spokane Fire Department’s Arson Inspector arrived. Isabella, Lance and Mitch accompanied the Inspector as he carefully examined each building, recorded his official assessments and collected vital evidence which would be useful in convicting the guilty parties.
Having concluded his investigation, the Inspector said, “Ms. Randal, there is no doubt in my mind the fire was started in the center of the barn, near Orion’s stall. From there it quickly engulfed the interior of the building then spread rapidly to the adjoining structures. I found ample evidence of arson. The smell of gasoline is everywhere. Examining the most intensely burned areas, it’s easy to follow the trail of gasoline in and through all of the damaged structures. I’ve collected all the soil samples and physical evidence I need. I’ll give Captain Daniels my final report tomorrow. I am very sorry for your loss and sincerely hope you are able to rebuild and continue your work in the community. Ms. Randal, Sheriff Carpenter, good day to you both.”
After the Inspector left, the group decided to walk down to the campgrounds to see how the horses were doing. Even near the corral a mile away, the smell of smoke still polluted the once wintery-fresh air.
“The herd certainly looks peaceful this morning,” Mitch said. The group nodded in agreement.
Still engaged in quiet conversations, everyone slowly made their way down to the fire pit. It was a frigid, but beautiful December morning. At Bella’s request, Lance and his father kindled a fire.
Sitting on the logs around the roaring bonfire, Pastor Carpenter said, “I know it may not seem like it right now, Isabella, but God has been faithful through this trial. He has answered many prayers. Not only did He keep all of you safe, but He protected the horses and the fire fighters from harm.”
Eli and Jasmine smiled as offerings of thanksgiving were shared among the Beloved.
“And John Minion’s gang is behind bars,” added Lance.
“Amen to that!” Isabella said smiling. “And I agree, Pastor. We all have a lot to be thankful for. And I do believe that wherever Orion is right now, God is keeping him safe and will bring him home very soon.”
Hugging Isabella, Lance kissed the brave young woman he loved so much.
Jasmine winked at Eli playfully. She loved it when Lance expressed tender affection for his future wife.
The group lingered around the cozy fire for some time, enjoying both the warmth of the flames and the warm fellowship of close friends. It was Lance who made the first move to leave. Standing up he said, “I hate to break up this lovely party, but I should probably be getting back to the office to see if there is any news on Orion’s whereabouts.”
Lance and his father worked together to extinguish the flames in the fire pit, scattering the burning logs towards the outer rim. Mrs. Carpenter gave Isabella a great big bear hug, as Mitch collected the ranch hands. The group had started up the trail towards the house when Isabella thought she heard noises coming from the back side of the teepees. “What on earth is that noise?” she said to the group.
Curious, everyone walked together towards the back side of teepee circle. To their amazement, a horse trailer was parked close to one of the teepees. Loud stomping and huffing sou
nds were coming from inside the trailer. As wide eyes began looking at one another, it was easy to tell what each was thinking. Bella rushed to the back and opened the trailer gate. There stood Orion.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Isabella put both arms around his beautiful black neck. Tears of joy freely ran down her cheeks. “Thank you, God!” she cried. “Thank you!”
It was easy to see that Orion was just as happy to see Bella as she was to see him. After a quick examination of his body, Orion appeared to be as strong as ever, in good health and spirits. Mitch got a halter and rope. Soon Isabella was leading her beloved stallion out of the trailer and into the corral to join the rest of the herd.