Page 23 of Revelations

As soon as the door swung open, clean air filled her lungs. The garden was mercifully free of smoke and any other signs of the fire rampaging through the facility. Cool mist sprayed overhead to nurture the plants below, as if oblivious to the chaos outside the garden walls. A mixture of floral and fruity fragrances wafted through the air, a heady balm to her irritated nasal passages and lungs.

A firm hand grasped her shoulder, stopping her mid-step.

She craned her neck around to see both Jasper and Kael, brows furrowed with concern, covered in dust and soot.

It was Jasper who held her in place. “Honey, we have to go. Now is not the time to take up gardening.” His tone lacked the angry edge from moments earlier. Instead, it was filled with confusion and impatience.

Kael peered at her through dust-covered eyelashes, something akin to support reflected in the cognac orbs. His hand reached out, stopping short of touching her face as Jasper growled his displeasure. She could sense that he wanted to understand but could not fathom what she was doing or why.

“Greylyn, tell me what you need.”

Jasper erupted as his eyes iridescently glowed with renewed fury. “She needs to get the hell out of here…”

“I…I don’t know. Give me a minute and I’ll figure it out,” she stammered.

“We don’t have a minute, Grey.” Jasper’s tone was urgent.

Flashing herI’m not an idiotglare, she paced the rows of lavender, racking her brain. The voice guiding her had gone silent. She knew that they were in more danger the longer she stalled; butshe had been called here and she would be damned if she left without finding out why.

Closing her eyes, Greylyn cleared her mind, reaching out to the energy around her. All the fragrances and colors intermingled, drawing her farther into the garden. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, yearning to break free. It knew the way.

She stumbled over plants and flowers, and crashed through prickly shrubs.

Somehow, she was not surprised when she found herself standing before the shimmering Tree of Knowledge. The petals glowed and cast a white halo around the tree, even more magnificent than before. It seemed to comprehend something that she didn’t, but it wanted to tell her. Of that she was certain, but her ears no longer heard anything except a soft angelic humming.

Now what?She could not take the tree with her.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Tears blurred her vision.

From what seemed to be miles away, she heard Jasper and Kael yelling for her to hurry, but another voice suddenly drowned them out. There were no other sounds, just the voice.

“And out of the ground made God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

A warm wave of fragrance enveloped her, of comforting lavender and invigorating mint. The glow from the tree bloomed, radiating a blinding white light that flashed like the birthing a star, blinding Greylyn to all else.

“…ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die…”

Okay, no eating. No touching.

“Behold, the man is become as one with us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…”

In her mind’s eye, a sword of blue flame rose which turned every way.

“…to keep the way of the tree of life.”

Puzzle pieces danced in Greylyn’s mind. If this were the Tree of Knowledge, why was she receiving divine messages about the Tree of Life?

The light died out as quickly as it had taken on life, leaving the garden in utter darkness. Except there was a glint of something from the tree itself... The speck grew brighter, until it was nearly as blinding as the vision. She tried to ask the others if they saw it, but her lips could not form words, not even a simple syllable.

It was not a flower, like the iridescent clusters of petals that covered the rest of the tree. Greylyn stood on her tiptoes and stretched up as far as she could, barely managing to pluck it from the tree limb.

In her hand was a shiny silver pod. Its coating shimmered with a metallic sheen—a seed. It warmed the palm of her hand and seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

As it was in the beginning…

A boom from a not-too-distant area of the underground bunker they were in broke the spell of stillness and the silence that had settled over the trio.

Greylyn tucked the seed into her pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”

---