Page 16 (1/2)

Chapter Thirty-one

I followed Arthur up a flight of roughly hewn stone stairs, and found myself in what had once been a church, except there was no roof and most of the four walls had crumbled

Arthur paused just inside the abbey entrance and see He suddenly said, "Ah ha!" and strode into a dark corner and caarden rake

I wasn&039;t sure a coarden rake was "Ah ha" worthy, but it see At any rate, he leaned the garden tool against a stone wall and did so that should have surprised me, but didn&039;t Arthur lifted his foot and stepped down hard on the rake, snapping off itswooden pole with a broken end Marion ether as Arthur next brought the wooden pole crashing down over his uplifted knee Now the broken pole o smaller broken poles

I whispered to Marion, "Do you have any idea what he&039;s doing?"

"No clue," she whispered back

"Is there a chance he&039;s completely lost it?"

She frowned atwhatever light there was in the cloud-filled late evening sky, which was da hera shaft in each hand, Arthur turned to us and raised theether once, twice, and by the third ti the upper halves What had once been a coarden rake was noo not-so-common torches He handed one to me

"Godfire," he said casually "Will burn forever, if you so desire"

"And ouldn&039;t?" I said

He grinned and the three of us proceeded deeper into the dah the open roof and whipped our torches into a frenzy Shadows skip-ju scurried over the floor nearby In the near distance, I heard the distinct sounds of galloping horses

They&039;re co

We pushed on and soon cae stone blocks

"The high altar," said Marion Her breathing, I noticed, was sounding raspier and raspier Indeed, she was also looking frail, hunched, and far older than her years My heart broke seeing her like this

And that&039;s when sorabbed Arthur by his shoulders and yanked him around to faceto help your friend, Marion She is dying Her breaths are nuers and create fire like a Vegas ers and heal her lungs, goda He only looked at ht, his irises seehtly behindharder than ever

"He never called himself a master," said Marion "I did Whether or not he is a h for me"

"Are you a master?" I asked him I did not release his shoulders

"I still havemy face

I turned to Marion "Why do you call hi who&039;s lived many lives - sometimes many hundreds of lives A , the art of being, and has raised his vibration to the highest possible level; nirvana, as some would call it A master is one who knows God on a very personal level, and one who can, and does, perforood of those around hiood?" I asked, confused Arthur was still silently searching my face with his eyes I sensed his powerful love for , that which is for your soul&039;s ultiood Others are not Arthur, I believe, is not only aware of his own highest good, but the highest good of those around hiood to not be healed?"

"I don&039;t know," said Marion quietly "Maybe it is, maybe it&039;s not"

"She has the power to heal herself," said Arthur, speaking now for the first time Still, he did not take his eyes off me "We all have the power to heal ourselves, James We all have the power to perforently taking hold ofit from his shoulder, "are the same We are not different We are both loved equally by God We are both, in fact, of God God lives in both us God is always there, waiting for you to come back to Hi Him"

"But now it&039;s time to come back?" I asked

"That is only for you to decide, James"

I took in some air "Still, why don&039;t you heal Marion?"

The sound of approaching horses was very loud now I could even hear the shouts and grunts of men

"I have not asked him to, James," said Marion

I turned to her, stunned "Why not?"

Arthur cast his eyes away froun to rain Also, a black shadow passed beneath the clouds, itssoon was back

"Is she supposed to die?" I asked Arthur, spinning on hiodammit!"

"God never damns God only loves," said Arthur "And her soul&039;s path is neither for me nor you to decide Only Marion and God knohat&039;s best for her"

"She&039;s suffocating to death," I said "To death Why would she not want to be healed?"

"Death is not permanent, inning of another"

"Well, I don&039;t want her cycle to end"

"Sos are out of - "

"Heal her, da the tip at Arthur&039;s throat "Please," I said, ly steady in my hand "Heal her"

"James, no!" said Marion "Please, it&039;s okay"

"It&039;s not okay, Marion He can help you Instead, he&039;s letting you die"

Arthur just stood beforehis torch in one hand and Excalibur in the other Probably not the best idea to draw one&039;s weapon against soical sword Especially since I knew next to nothing about what I was doing

But I didn&039;t give a dah it see in his hand as if it sensed danger to its owner I continued holding hter than I re it on Arthur, but I was royally pissed off

"Ja me die If I am to be healed itNot the actions of someone else Especially not the violent actions of someone else"

"That doesn&039;t make sense, Marion Maybe God sent Arthur to heal you, and you are refusing - "

Marion was now breathing harder than ever, her every breath rattling in her lungs as if sory with God for a long, long ti this to happen to iving and loving again I still have inning to understand that Ito deal with that realization"