The Invisible War Book for Children

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The Invisible War

author unknown

Prologue

* TROTH means a promise to stay together. When we love

and follow our King, He will care for us and keep us close

to Him forever.

Chris and Mandy lived in a little whitehouse in the Kingdom of Troth. No place could bemore wonderful, for it was ruled by the greatestKing ever! Nothing was impossible for Him.

Who but their King was wise and powerfulenough to make great mountains, trees full ofcherries, and funny little kittens? Who else couldfeed all the animals in the forest? Who else hadthe power to send rain to water the grass andsunshine to make flowers bloom? Chris andMandy didn't know of anyone.

Only their King--and none other--could

have created people. People were special to the

King. He wanted them to be his very own friends.And if they would only stay close to him, he wouldalways keep them safe. That's what the Kinghimself said, so it had to be true. Chris andMandy were glad the King took care of them, butsince they didn't see any dangers, they didn't

think much about it. They just had fun climbingtrees in the King's garden, racing down hisnatural water slides and splashing around in theroyal lake. The Kingdom of Troth was full of fun

things to do.

In school, they learned about a time whenthere were wars and fighting in Troth. Butnobody that Chris and Mandy knew--not even

their parents or grandparents--had lived that longago. They had all heard that in those bad years,people were afraid all the time. Now thateverything was peaceful, people didn't worryabout war. They couldn't see any enemies. Somehad even forgotten how the King had saved hispeople long ago.

The King didn't want people to forget. So heinvited them for breakfast each morning in thepalace garden. There He read to them from hiswonderful Book of Truth. Of course, almosteveryone in the royal city came.

After the special reading, everyone would

sit down at the lovely tables in the King's gardenand eat the scrumptious food his servants hadprepared. Some, like Chris and his friends, likedto sit on the palace steps or lie down in the softgrass. Mandy's favorite breakfast was a big waffleshaped like a face with whipped cream hair,blueberry eyes and a red raspberry mouth.

When Chris and Mandy looked beyond theroyal forest, they could see a range of mountains.

On the other side lay a mysterious land--a darkand dismal place, where thick clouds hung like aleaky ceiling above the ground and madeeverything damp and dull, even in the middle ofsummer. People called it Gahenna, as if it was abright and happy place. They should have called itThe Land of Gloom.

An evil Deceiver ruled that horrible land. Allthe children of Troth knew that he had attackedthe King and started a war long ago, but the King

had defeated him. Now the mean Deceiver could
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only hurt his own people--and he did that all thetime. The poor people of Gahenna couldn't trustanyone, because everyone there lied, stole and

cheated--and the Deceiver was the worst of all.Chris and Mandy were glad the Deceiver stayedfar away from the Kingdom of Troth.

One thing about Gahenna had been kept asecret. The two children had no idea how muchthe evil Deceiver hated their King. People justdidn't talk about that. But it was true. Day and

night the Deceiver schemed how he might cheatthe King, steal his land and capture the peopleagain. Of course, the Deceiver didn't dare declarewar and fight openly. He knew that the King wasfar too powerful for him. And the King's peoplewere much stronger than his own weak, fearful

subjects. No, this time the Deceiver had to win bytrickery. But how?

One night the evil Deceiver lay awake in hisbed plotting the King's defeat as usual. Suddenlyhis mouth twisted into a sly grin. He had thoughtof a devious plan. "Wake up, everybody!" heyelled. "Come right now, or you'll be dead! I wantyou to hear my plan to conquer the Kingdom!"One by one, his servants crept into the dark

chamber of the castle. Shaking with fear, theybowed down before their terrible tyrant. "My planis foolproof," shouted the Deceiver. "I know howwe can conquer Troth and turn the people intoslaves. Listen..." Shivering in the cold, theservants and soldiers waited. "We'll dress like hispeople," continued the Deceiver. "We'll infiltrate

his Kingdom! We'll sneak into their towns andlearn their language."

"It won't work," shouted one of his

generals. "They know the King's mysteries. They

can tell the difference.""Many can't," argued a young spy. "Some

children no longer listen to the King. They don't

know what is written in the Book of Truth. They'reeasy to fool."

"It's true!" yelled the Deceiver. "This is anew age--and it's ours! We'll distract them,deceive them and destroy them!" His eyessparkled with sinister glee. "They will never guesswhat happened until we've taken control from the

inside. This will be our Invisible War!"His cruel laughter echoed through the halls

of the gloomy castle.


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Chapter 1: THEMYSTERIOUS DOG

Chris awoke with the sun. He jumpedout of bed and pounced on his friend Luke still

snoozing on the other side of the room. "Wakeup, Sleepyhead!" he shouted. He couldn't wait to

go fishing in the King's river and build a treehouse and look for wild animals. So what was hewaiting for? He jumped out of bed and pouncedon his friend. "Hurry up! Can't waste our day inbed!"

"Okay, okay. I'm getting up." Lukerubbed his eyes. "What do we need to take?"

"Fishing line, hooks, compass,

snacks...""And chocolate cream cookies." Luke

grabbed the bag his mom had fixed for themlast night.

Chris and Luke were stuffing it all into theirbackpacks, when they heard a dog barking in theyard. They ran outside just in time to see a

frightened squirrel scurry up a tree. A little whitedog was bouncing like a jumping jack around the

foot of the tree."Come here, you funny pup," called Chris.The dog came running so fast that it almost did asomersault trying to stop at Chris's feet. Chrisknelt to pet it. "I wonder where it came from. Do

you think it may be a stray looking for a home?""Maybe it belongs to one of the new

families in town," answered Luke. "It doesn't looklost or starving."

Chris felt around the dog's collar for some

kind of identification. All he found was a round

hard disc with a strange symbol on it. "Look atthis, Luke! What does it mean?" Puzzled, theystared at the symbol. It had two circles. The inner

circle framed the shape of a bear. From thiscenter, four lines divided the rest of the symbolinto four equal parts. Suddenly a shrill whistlepierced the air. The dog perked its ears, then shotoff in the direction of the sound. Chris and Lukeran after it. Moments later, they stood face toface with a boy about their own age. He smiled

and greeted them with a friendly, "Hi, I'm Con.""I'm Chris and this is my friend Luke,"said Chris. "Is this your dog?""Sort of," answered Con. "I found her on

the mountain last week when we passed an oldcabin. I whistled and she came running."

"You found her on the mountain? What wereyou doing up there?" Chris looked toward themysterious mountain that reached high into theclouds behind the King's palace.

"We were moving to Troth," answeredCon."Where from?" asked Luke."Gahenna," answered Con."You mean the evil Deceiver's land?" Chris

felt excited--and a bit afraid. He had never metanyone from that mysterious land on the otherside of the mountain.

Con frowned. "What do you mean--evil?Gahenna is a good place," he answered. Chriswanted to ask why Con's family had left Gahennaif it were such a good place, but he didn't. Maybe

he'd ask later."Anyway, she's been following me eversince," continued Con.

"Then she probably belongs to someone


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up there on the mountain," said Luke."She's mine now," said Con. "She really

likes me. Don't you, Sasha?" The little dog

wagged her fluffy tail until her whole body shook."We looked for some kind of identification

on her," said Chris, "and we found this strangesymbol. Do you know what it means?" Chris liftedthe little dog in his arms and held the disc up forCon to see.

"Sure. That's a quartered circle. It's a great

magic sign. Circles are sacred. The four linespoint to the spirits of the North, East, South andWest. The bear in the middle stands forsomebody's special animal power."

"That's weird," said Chris. He quicklydropped the disc.

"Let's take the dog back to that cabin whereyou found her," said Luke. "I want to see what itlooks like on the mountain."

"We're not supposed to go up there." saidChris. He remembered one of Dad's warningsabout the mountain--something about strangerituals in the forest. But he wasn't sure. It can'tbe too dangerous, he thought to himself. Con gothere safely.

"We already have food for the trip," saidLuke, as if he hadn't heard Chris.

"If we climb to the top, we can see mycountry," said Con.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Luke's eyessparkled. "Let's go..."

"Wait!" interrupted Chris. "You're forgetting

something. We have to go to the King's readingfirst."

"Reading? Yuck! That sounds boring!" said

Con.

"It's not boring at all," said Chris. "The Kingreads to us from the Book of Truth. It's great!Then we eat a yummy breakfast afterward. Hey,

why don't you come along?""No way!" Con backed away."We can climb the mountain afterward,

right?" Luke sounded impatient."Well... I guess," said Chris."All right! Where do we meet?""How about right outside the palace gates?"

"Sounds good. See you guys then." Conturned and walked away. "C'mon Sasha!" Thelittle dog bounded after him.

Chris was still thinking about Gahenna as heand Luke walked toward the King's garden. "Luke,did you see the symbol Con was wearing? It had

an animal on it too--just like Sasha's sign. OnlyCon's animal was a snake. What do you think itmeans?"

"I don't know. Maybe the snake is Con'spower animal. Maybe it has some kind of magic."

"I didn't like it," said Chris. "It lookedspooky!"

Luke shrugged. "Don't be so picky."


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Chapter 2: THE NEW GIRL

Mandy heard the doorbell ring evenbefore she had dressed. Who'd be here so early inthe morning? she wondered. "Mandy, someone ishere to see you," called her dad. Mandy pulled onher clothes, fastened her sandals, and brushedher brown hair into a pony tail. Then she ran tothe door. A girl her own age stood at thedoorstep. Mandy recognized her at once. Just a

few days ago she and Chris had watched herfamily move into the green house down the road.

"Hi, I am Lacey. Can you play with me?""Let me ask." Mandy ran to the kitchen and

told Mom and Dad about the visitor."Mandy, you can go with Lacey as long as

you promise to be at the palace for the reading ateight o'clock," said Dad. "I don't want you to missthe King's message."

"I know, Dad. I'll see you there. MaybeLacey and I can go together." The two girls ran to

Lacey's house. "My mom is making pancakes.Do you want to eat with us?" asked Lacey.

"I can't. I have to go to the palace and hear

the reading. Then we'll all eat breakfast with theKing. Do you want to come..."

"Do you have to be there every day?"interrupted Lacey with a frown.

"Yes," answered Mandy. She was beginningto feel uncomfortable.

"Does your King make you go?"

"I don't think so," answered Mandy. "We

just always go.""It won't matter if you miss just once. Your

parents won't care. Wouldn't they want you to

spend time with a new friend?" Lacey sounded sosincere--and the pancakes smelled delicious. Theymade Mandy feel very hungry. Suddenly shefound herself sitting at the table and eatingbreakfast with her new friend. She had completelyforgotten about the King--and her father'swarning. When Mandy walked home later that

morning, she didn't feel so good. She had had funwith Lacey, but... why did her stomach feelfunny--as if she was afraid? She thought abouther Dad. Did he know that she had skipped thereading? "Probably not," she told herself. But theunhappy feeling didn't go away. Suddenly she

heard the bells on the King's coach. She ran tothe side of the road and hid behind a big tree.

"Why am I hiding?" said Mandy out loud toherself. "I always love to see His beautiful horses.And my King and I always wave to each other...But today I don't feel like waving." Mandy felt sosad and lonely that she began to cry. She wantedto wave to the King but didn't dare. She justpeeked out from behind the tree. There He was,

looking right at her. Her kind and wonderful King!He waved to her, but today He didn't smile. Helooked sad. Almost as if He too were crying. ThenHe was gone.


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Chapter 3: THE INVISIBLE ARMOR

When Mandy walked into herhouse, she knew something was different. HerMom and Dad weren't as cheerful as usual. They

looked serious. Have they been talking about me?wondered Mandy. Do they know that I skippedthe reading this morning? Her heart beat so hardshe was sure they would hear it. "Mandy, are youwearing your armor?" Dad's voice sounded

concerned, not angry. Mandy relaxed. He didn'tknow.

"What armor, Dad?"

"The armor the King gave us this morning.Remember, He told us to wear it all the timebecause of the war."

"The war? What do you mean, Dad?" Mandydidn't dare look at him. She wanted to hide--justas when the King passed her on the road.

"Didn't you hear the King's reading this

morning?" Dad looked surprised."No." Mandy could barely whisper the word."Why not?" He sounded sad."I stayed at Lacey's house," she whispered.

Then she ran over to her father and threw herarms around him. "I'm sorry," she cried.

Dad picked her up and held her close. He

didn't say anything for a long time. The onlysound in the room was Mandy's sniffles. Finally he

began to explain. "Mandy, the Deceiver's people

are invading our Kingdom.""The Deceiver's people?" Mandy's brown

eyes grew big with wonder.

"Remember, the evil Deceiver hates theKing. He has always been trying to win the King'speople over to his side. But he was afraid toattack us openly. Now his people are sneaking insecretly."

"How can they do that?" Sensing danger,Mandy looked first at Dad, then at Mom.

"They have disguised themselves as theKing's people, so that we can hardly tell themapart," answered Dad. "He is sending them hereto separate us from our King."

"And from each other," added Mom."How could they separate us from our King,

when He always takes care of us?" asked Mandy."I don't understand."

"What kept you from coming to hear theKing's message this morning?" Dad's voicesounded sadder than she'd ever heard it.

"Lacey wanted me to have breakfast withher. Her mom had made pancakes. And... and.. Iwanted the pancakes."

Mom took Mandy's hand. "The only way we

can be separated from the King is when we wantsomething else more than Him," she said quietly.

Mandy stared at the cracks in the floor untiltears blurred her vision. "I'm so sorry," she cried.Her voice shook with her sobs. "Will the King everforgive me?"

Mom's gentle hand stroked her hair. "He

always forgives when we are sorry and tell himwe were wrong," she said softly. "But I'm sorryyou missed one of the most important messages

the King has ever given us. We can explain it to


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you, but it won't be the same as hearing itstraight from Him."

"Please tell me," said Mandy, wiping her

tears as she straightened her back. "I do want tohear it."

"From now on, we'll not only go to hear theKing's reading each morning," said Mom. "We'llalso help each other put on His armor. It will keepus safe."

"You mean, if we don't wear it, we'll be in

danger?""That's right," said Mom."But what's the armor?" Mandy was

confused."The armor is invisible..." began Dad."But it's just as real as the air we breathe,"

added Mom."It has six parts," continued Dad. "The first

is the Belt of Truth. We put it on by rememberingwhat is written in the Book of Truth. Only whenwe know the King's special Truths, can we tell ifsomething is true or not."

"Oh!" Mandy's brown eyes lit up withexcitement. "When Lacey said it didn't matter if Imissed the reading this morning, I didn't know

how to answer her. Would the Belt of Truth havehelped me know what to say?

"It would," said Dad, "It would also help youunderstand how much the King loves you."

Just then the someone knocked on the doorand Mom went to open it. Moments later Mandyheard her ask in a frightened voice, "But where is

Chris?" Once more Mandy's stomach became tightlike a drum inside. What could have happened toher brother.

Chapter 4:A DANGEROUS

PLAN

Chris and Luke hurried through theKing's garden and sat down on the grass in frontof the palace. He didn't see his parents or all hisother friends, but he knew they would all there.No one wanted to miss the King's special

message. At the top of the steps, stood the King.His snowy white hair glimmered in the sunlight,and He had the kindest face Chris had ever seen.Chris felt a happy glow inside when the Kinglooked right at him. He's so great! thought Chris.But why does He look so serious this morning?The King opened the Book of Truth and began toread about a war. Chris was surprised to hear that

his wonderful King had enemies.

"Who would want to fight against Him?" hewhispered to Luke."I don't know," whispered Luke back. "But if

the King said that there's a war, it must be true.""... therefore you need the armor every

day," said the King.The armor? Chris decided he'd better listen

more carefully. He really tried. He wanted to knowabout this war and how to put on the armor--whatever it was. But he missed most of the

message. For just as the King began to talk about


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twinge of fear. Maybe they should turn around.But he didn't want to say it. Con didn't answer, sothey just kept climbing. Their path became

steeper and steeper--and the blueberries werelong gone. Now only Sasha seemed to enjoy theclimb. The more tired Chris felt, the more hethought about home. "It's getting awfully late," hesaid.

"Yeah. Maybe we'd better turn back," saidLuke.

"I agree," said Chris. "I don't think we'regoing to find Sasha's cabin."

"Come on. It's just a little bit further to thetop," said Con. "There we can see the other side.And the path ahead is smoother and easier toclimb."

Silently, they continued upward. But eachtime they thought they were almost at the top,they saw another part of the mountain up ahead.Finally even Con agreed to turn around.

The boys scampered and slid down thestony area. But when they came to the end of thesmooth slope, they couldn't find the trail.Everything seemed different now that they werelooking down instead of up. Besides, the sun was

quickly disappearing behind the mountain."Come on, you guys," shouted Con, trying

to sound brave. "We'll just make our own way.Follow me!" Sasha scampered ahead. Theboys followed as fast as they could. They didn'tknow what else to do. But the fun had faded andthey had no more food.

"My stomach is growling," said Luke."We should have saved some of our

snacks," answered Chris. He thought about the

dinner he had missed.

"I didn't know we'd be gone all day," saidLuke. "I sure wish we were home!"

"But since we're not, we'd better try to put

on that armor the King talked about," said Chris."Then at least we'll be safe, even if we have tostay on the mountain all night."

Chapter 5.5: THE MYSTERIOUS CABIN

Hey, I see lights ahead," shouted Con."Someone lives up here.""Is this the cabin we were looking for?" askedChris."No, but that doesn't matter. Maybe they can

give us some food." Con's voice soundedconfident."And show us the way home," added Luke.

The boys started running again. Theyjumped over bushes and rocks that they couldbarely see in the dim shadows of the setting sun.When they came to the cabin they stopped tocatch their breath. Chris looked at Con. "Why

don't you knock on the door?" he suggested.

Something about the place made him feel creepy."Sure," said Con. "Wait here." Chris washappy to wait. He didn't want to get any closer.

About five minutes later, when Conreturned, the sun had disappeared. The moon wasup and lit his face enough to show a big smile.

"They want us to come inside," he

announced."Who are they?" asked Chris."Two men and a girl. They're from my

country, and they can help us find the way


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home.""How?" asked Chris. He wasn't sure he

wanted their help. This whole place seemed

spooky."They are spiritists," answered Con."What are spiritists?" asked Luke."Channels, mediums or shamans.""What do they do?" Luke sounded curious."They talk with spirits and do a bunch of

rituals.

"What kind of spirits?""The spirits of the mountain or the trees. Or

some wise spirit person or animal.""How do they talk to them?""They chant special words and meditate

until they feel super relaxed. Sometimes they use

drums and drugs. When they get into a trance,the spirits come and talk to them."

"What do they talk about?" Luke wasfascinated.

"All kinds of things. Spirit beings are veryintelligent and know all kinds of things we don'tknow. Sometimes they even tell us about thefuture."

"Are they always right?" asked Chris. This

spiritism stuff didn't make a lot of sense. And itsure didn't fit what he knew about the King.

"Sometimes. But not always. I think theyknow more than we do. So we better listen tothem!" Con was heading back to the front door.

"The King once said that if a prophecydoesn't come true, that proves the person is a

false prophet," said Chris. He felt pleased that hehad remembered something important from theBook of Truth.

"A guy can't always be perfect," shouted

Con."But the King can!" shouted Chris back.

"When my King says something, He's always

right!" He hurried away from the cabin, pullingLuke with him. "We need to talk, Luke. This isserious."

"Okay, okay. What's the matter?""I remember something else the King said.

This morning, he mentioned people who talk withthose strange spirits."

"Yeah. I remember that, too. They talk withspirits and do magic."

"Those are evil spirits. They hate the King.""They do? You mean they're part of this

war?""They are! And if they hate the King, they'll

probably hate us too. Luke, we've got to get outof here!"

The door to the cabin opened and a mancame out. "Hi, boys," he shouted. "Come on in.Do you need something to eat?"

"Chris, I'm really hungry," said Luke. "Sowhat if they're spiritists? They can at least keepus from starving--and maybe even help us gethome."

"No. Don't go near them," whispered Chris,grabbing Luke's arm. "I think they want to trickus. They are not on the King's side, remember?"

"Well, I'm not afraid," said Luke. "I'm goingin. You can stay out here by yourself."

"Wait, Luke. You can't go in. You're noteven wearing the King's armor. Remember what

the King said this morning?"Luke stopped. "No, what?" he said

impatiently.

"Since we belong to the King, we're holy


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and special. He told us not to have anything to dowith the evil Deceiver or his spooky spirits." Lukehesitated.

"Please don't go in, Luke." Chris waspleading with his friend. "Let's try to put on thearmor. The King's Spirit is good and His Spirit is inus. He'll help us remember."

Both stood quietly for a moment. SuddenlyChris burst out, "I think I know what to do! Weput on the belt of Truth by remembering what the

Book of Truth tells us.""I know lots of stuff from the Book of Truth.

What should we remember right now?""I just thought of something. It says, 'You

who belong to the King have already won,because the King is far greater than any other

power.' He'll keep us safe. The Deceiver's peoplewill only get us into more trouble."

"Let's get out of here then," whisperedLuke. "I think I see a path." He grabbed Chris'shand and the two ran as fast as they could in themoonlight.

"Hey! Wait for me," cried Con. "I'm coming,too."

Chapter 6: ALONEIt felt good to be running on a trail again --

even though they could barely see it. When theyfinally ran out of breath, they all flopped toground. Chris turned on his back and stared up atthe big round moon. It reminded him of the Kingwho made it. "Thank you, King, for helping us,"he whispered.

Luke interrupted his thoughts. "You guys, I

don't think this path leads back to the valley." He

sounded worried."Right," said Con. "It takes us around to the

back of the mountain. Toward my country."

"How do we get home then?" asked Chris. "Idon't want to go by that cabin again."

"I guess we have to sleep here on themountain tonight." Luke's voice shook.

"Let's try to think about the armor again,"said Chris. He felt cold and scared.

This time Luke was ready. "Okay. What do

we do?""I just remembered something else from

the King's Book," answered Chris. "Maybe we canuse it to put on the breastplate of righteousness.The King once said it Himself to me: 'I am withyou always, even to the ends of the earth.'"

"Are you sure he's with us?" said Luke. "Thepalace is a long way from here."

Chris thought for a moment. "When wetrust Him, he'll be with us--no matter where wego. He said so!"

"Even when we do bad things?""I'm not sure. I guess we don't really

deserve his help. We just took off on this tripwithout asking him about it."

"You mean, when we do our own thing, the

King doesn't help us?" Luke sounded worried."I'm not sure." Chris was quiet for a

moment. Then he smiled. "I just told him I wassorry, and I'm sure he heard me. He can heareverything, no matter how far away. The Book ofTruth says...."

"Forget your Book of Truth," interruptedCon. "You don't have to listen to that old stuff. Doyour own thing! You own your life. Why should

you listen to the King--or your parents? Decide


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yourself!""The King knows a lot of things we don't

know," answered Chris. "And he has power to

make things come out right....""So do lots of other gods and spirits. They'll

help us. I know a chant....""I don't want to hear your chant,"

interrupted Chris."Stop arguing," shouted Luke. "We've got to

do something. We need a place to sleep." He

followed the path past a huge boulder anddisappeared in the dark. Chris and Con followedand found themselves at the edge of a steepincline. From below came a strange throbbingsound.

"It sounds like drums," said Luke.

"Who's down there?" asked Chris."Just some witches," answered Con. "And

they're doing what I started to tell you--drumming and chanting to raise power."

"Does it work?" asked Luke."Of course!" said Con. "Go and try it

yourself.""Are you kidding?" said Chris. "They're

using the Deceiver's power. We've got to get out

of here! C'mon, Luke."

"Go and hide, if you're scared of a littlepower," teased Con. "I'm heading down there.They'll offer cake and wine to the gods--butthe people get to eat some of it. Wanna come,Pete?"

Luke hesitated. "I'm starving! But I don't

want to go down there.""I'm off, then. See you wimps later." Con

headed down the hill will Shasta at his heals.

"Now what do we do?" whispered Luke.

"Con's gone. This mountain is full of theDeceiver's people. We're completely lost. And I'mreally scared."

"Me too," whispered Chris. "But I found aplace to sleep. Right behind this rock."

Chapter 7: SENT BY THE KING

"where's Chris?" cried Mandy. She andDad had hurried to the front to see who wasthere. The messenger turned out to be Luke'solder sister, Tammy.

"He and Luke and a new boy went up themountain to return a dog," answered Tammy."They left a note at my house. It didn't say howfar they planned to go. Just 'See you tonight!'"

"They went up the mountain? They know

they're not supposed to go there. It's toodangerous!" Dad looked surprised and concerned.

"They know the Deceiver's people are hidingall over the mountain," said Mom.

"And there are mountain lions, rattlesnakes...." added Tammy.

"They can't get far up the mountain andback again by this evening," said Dad. "I bettergo and look for them."

"My Dad would want to go with you," saidTammy, "but he left yesterday on a special errand


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for the King.""Can I go with you, Dad?" begged Mandy.

"Please?"

"Wouldn't it be best to talk with the Kingfirst?" said Mom.

"Yes, it would," said Dad. "He'll show uswhat to do! Meanwhile Mandy and I will get readyfor whatever He tells us."

Mandy, too, felt better after rememberingthe King. Nothing is impossible for him, she

thought. He'll help us find Chris.As soon as Tammy left, Dad and Mandy

began to pack sleeping bags and warm clothes.Mom packed them enough food for a couple ofdays. Then, after a hurried lunch, they all startedout for the palace.

A royal escort greeted them at the gate."Peace be with you, friends of the King," he saidwith a bow. "The King sent me to meet you."

"He did?" Dad sounded surprised. "Pleasetake us to him, then."

"How did the King know we were coming?"whispered Mandy.

"He knows everything," whispered Mom.The escort motioned for them to follow.

They went up the wide marble steps, through

some big golden doors, through a large entry hall,through another set of huge doors, and finallyinto the largest and most beautiful room Mandyhad ever seen.

Large crystal chandeliers hung from theceiling and bathed the room in a soft light. They

shone on beautiful golden furniture, spectacularplants, and high walls covered with paintings ofmen, women and children doing all sorts of

exciting and dangerous things.

"Those are scenes from the King's greatbattles," whispered Dad. "You've heard aboutsome of the King's special heroes--like David over

there." Dad pointed across the room at a paintingshowing a shepherd boy saving a frightened littlelamb from a lion.

"He really loved the King, didn't he?" Mandywhispered back.

Dad nodded. "Some of the other heroesaren't famous at all," he continued. "But they

trusted the King to give them victory in themiddle of all kinds of difficulties." Mandy glancedat a painting of a girl climbing down a cliff to savea little child. She wished she could be one ofthose secret friends of the King. One that Hewould remember always....but right now they

must find Chris. Suddenly Mandy saw the Kingsitting on a magnificent golden throne at theother end of the room. He motioned for them tocome closer. As they walked toward the King,Mandy couldn't take her eyes off him. Here, Heseemed more wonderful than ever. So majestic,so great--yet so kind. His hair was as snowy whiteas the coat he was wearing. Yet, his skin was firmand smooth, without a wrinkle. His brown eyes

sparkled with love. How could he be both old and

young at the same time? she wondered. And howcould such an important King be so good to them?When they reached the throne, all three fell downon their knees before Him. The King's greatnessmade them feel both small and special at thesame time. All kinds of feelings flowed together

into one big happy one."Dear King, I love you!" whispered Mandy

over and over. She couldn't think of anything else

to say. He was so wonderful!


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"Welcome, dear friends." The King smiled tothem. "Please stand up and tell me whatimportant matter brings you here today."

Suddenly Mandy remembered how sad Helooked when He passed her a few hours earlier."Dear King," she whispered, "I'm so sorry I madeyou sad this morning. Thank you for forgiving me.I don't ever want to make you sad again."

"Come to me," said the King gently,reaching out for Mandy's hand. Before she knew

it, He had lifted her up onto His lap and held herclose. "Oh King, thank you," whispered Mandy,feeling so safe in His arms.

Gently, the King put her back on the floor.Then He looked at Dad and said quietly, "Youwant to know what has happened to Chris."

"That's right," said Dad. "You see right intoour hearts, don't you?"

"My Father and I see everything thathappens to our people," said the King. His voicesounded more serious now. "This is a difficult timefor all of you. Until this week, you have onlyknown the peace and safety of our Kingdom." Helooked at Mandy. "It is hard, especially for thechildren, to understand what this war is all

about."

Mandy nodded. He could even read herheart and mind.

"Dear King, what should we do aboutChris?" asked Dad.

"Go find him. He will need your help.""How will we know the way?"

"I will lead you.""Are you going with us, dear King?" Mandy

was surprised and excited.

"Mandy, even though I stay here, my Spirit

always goes with you. I watch you all the time.""But, how can we hear you when you'll be

far away?"

"I will remind you of what I have alreadytold you--the things written in the Book of Truth.I will speak to you in a gentle, silent voice in yourthoughts. Sometimes there won't even be words--just a sense of rightness that tells you that youare following my way."

"What if we don't hear? What if we choose

in the wrong direction?""Then you will feel uneasy--as if you are

separated from me, just as you felt this morning,Mandy."

"O thank you, King!" Mandy was sure theywould find Chris soon.

"Is there anything else we need to knowbefore we start out?" asked Dad.

"Don't forget to put on the armor each day,"said the King. "Let it remind you of all the truthsyou need to know each day."

"We will remember," said Dad."Come here so I can bless you." The King

laid one hand on Dad's dark hair and the other onMandy's brown curls. Then He promised to protect

them on their journey. The escort, who had been

waiting until now, came forward. Dad, Mom andMandy thanked the King again, then followed theescort outside. When they reached the gate, Momkissed them good-bye and went home to pray forthem all. Dad and Mandy headed north towardthe mountain.


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Chapter 8: THE SEARCH BEGINS

Warmed by the early afternoon sun,Mandy skipped and ran along the path. She felt so

strong and excited after their visit to the King.Sharing this adventure with Dad was exciting."I'm so glad the King promised to help us!" she

shouted.The first part of the climb was easy. Dad

had slowed his pace, and Mandy's excitementgave her extra energy to keep up. But after anhour, her legs began to feel like jello.

"Let's rest for a while," said Dad. They saton a large smooth boulder next to the path and

looked down at the royal city and the Kings palace

below. After some cookies and juice, Dad wasready to go.

"Wait Dad. I'm too tired," mumbled Mandy.

"The King didn't promise it would be easy,"said Dad gently. "He just promised to be with usand give us everything we needed for this trip.Let's ask him for strength."

When he had prayed, Mandy smiled."Thanks. I'll make it!"

A little later, Dad stopped by a large flat

rock. "Time to eat," he said. "You've been a realtrooper, and this is a perfect place to eat."

They devoured the dinner Mom hadprepared--turkey, carrots, cherries and juice...Then Mandy stretched out on the rock. "Isn't thisthe best dinner you ever ate, Dad?"

"Sure is!" said Dad."I'm ready to go again.""Let's put on the armor first," said Dad. "We

didn't finish this morning.""You were just beginning to tell about the

belt of truth," said Mandy. "How do I put it on?""By remembering the King's truths. The

most important part is what the Book says aboutthe King. Let's remember how strong and wise

and kind he is. Since he always cares for you, you

never need to be afraid.""Is that all? That seems too easy.""There is a lot more we need to know about

our King and what He promises us. But this agood beginning."

Mandy clasped her hands and smiled up

toward Heaven. "Thank you, dear King, for beingso strong and kind, and for always taking care ofus," she prayed.

"Thank you for being our Helper and Guide,"


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continued Dad.When Dad and Mandy started climbing

again, the sun was already setting. Soon they

came to the place where the path divided."Which way should we take?" asked Mandy."We can trust the King to lead us,"

answered Dad confidently. "If we take the wrong

way, he will tell us. Let's try the path to theright." They did, then both became very quiet.They were listening for the King's silent voice.

"I don't hear anything," said Mandy. Shefelt disappointed, because she really lookedforward to hearing his voice way up here on themountain.

"I sense we're on the right track," said Dad.

Mandy stood silent for a moment. Then hereyes lit up. "I hear him, too. He just reminded meof something from the Book of Truth. He said, 'Iwill lead you in the way you should go.' Dad, I'm

sure this is the way to go. Thank you, King!" Shefelt so happy she wanted to skip and run. But thepath was a little to steep for that.

After they had walked for a while, Dad said,"Let's stop and rest again. Then we can talk aboutthe next part of the armor--the Breastplate of

Righteousness.""The what?"

"The breastplate of righteousness.""What does that mean?""Righteousness means being good,"

explained Dad. "We all know a little bit aboutwhat's good, but to really understand it, we haveto learn what the King says about goodness."

"Is that why it's so important to hear the

reading each morning?""Yes. We can only be good--or righteous--

by listening to the King and trusting Him to makeus right on the inside. Sometimes we feel sostrong and good about ourselves that we forget to

trust the King. Then we get into trouble.""I know." Mandy thought about what

happened early this morning. It seemed like sucha long time ago.

"Only our King is perfectly good," continuedDad, "and He wants to share everything He is andhas with us--even His own life. That's why he

gave us His Spirit to be in us. It's His Holy Spiritthat makes us good."

"I don't understand. How do I get thisrighteousness?"

"By thanking Him for giving you His HolySpirit to live in you and make you good from the

inside out.""Will you pray first, Dad?""Okay. Thank you, dear King, for showing

us that we can't be good by ourselves. Thank youfor giving us your Holy Spirit to help us be good."

Mandy wasn't sure she understood, but sheprayed anyway. "Thank you, King, for showing methat I need you all the time. Help me to do whatyou want me to do."

Dad looked around. "Let's camp here for the

night. Soon it'll be too dark to see well." They setup the little tent, rolled out their sleeping bags,and crept inside.

"I wonder where Chris and Luke aresleeping tonight," said Mandy.

"So do I, Mandy. Let's ask the King to keep

them safe."


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Chapter 9: COLD, WET AND HUNGRY

Plunk, plunk, plunk....Chris squirmed. That sound. What was it?

No, it couldn't be rain. The sky was so clear whenthey fell asleep on the trail last night. Sureenough! Big raindrops were hitting his face, hishair, his hands... Streams of water trickled down

his neck and under the collar of his shirt. Chris

didn't want to move. His clothes felt too soggy

and sticky. So he lay absolutely still for a fewmore minutes, trying to ignore all the wetness.Maybe it was just a bad dream. Suddenly he

heard a scream. Luke was hopping aroundswinging his arms like a jumping-jack. "It'sraining! Everything is wet! I'm soaked."

"Just be quiet," yelled Con. "I'm dripping

too.""Con! What are you doing here? I thought

you left..." Chris was both surprised and relieved.

"Well, I came back.""What was the ritual like?" asked Luke."It was okay," answered Con. "But I don't

want to talk about it right now.""So what are we going to do?" asked Luke.

"We don't have food, our clothes are wet..."

"Look for some more blueberries," mumbledChris.

"I've heard there are caves around here,"said Con. "Maybe we could find one. Then wecould start a fire and get warm."

"How could we start a fire? Do you have anymatches? Dry ones?" Luke sounded doubtful.Chris ignored the question. "No point stayinghere anyway. Come on, let's see what we can

find."

Slowly and painfully, he turned over. Whenhe tried to stand up, his hands and knees madelittle craters in the wet ground. "Yuck," he said.Then he started to run. "Hurry you guys," heshouted over his shoulder. "Let's get out of thisplace."

Luke and Con followed. Sasha, looking like adirty mop, scampered behind the boys down thepath, splashing through the rain and puddles. We

must be almost to the bottom of the mountain,


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thought Chris after a while. Anyway, running feelswarmer than just standing in one place--or lyingin the mud. Suddenly Sasha, who had been

leading, took off to the right, barking furiously.The boys stopped. "She must be chasing asquirrel," said Luke."There's a path going off here," said Con.

"Sasha has disappeared," yelled Chris. "I saw hera moment ago, and now she's gone." He rushedto the place he last saw her. "I can hear her,"

he shouted, "but I can't figure out where she is!"Now all three heard her. Her barking seemed tocome from deep down in the earth."She must have fallen into a hole. C'mon. Wehave to find her.""Here's the hole!" Suddenly they were all staring

into a strange rectangular hole in the earth. Acouple of large branches had been pulled

over the opening as if someone wanted to hide it."Do you think it is a trap to catch wild animals?"asked Luke."We'll find out," answered Chris. He and Conwere already pulling the branches away. "Look,there's a ladder!"announced Con. "Guess it isn't atrap. I'm going down to get the dog." He eased

himself backwards down the ladder into the hole.

After a quick wave, he disappeared."Where are you?" shouted Luke. He started

down the ladder. Chris followed.

Chapter 10: THE SECRET TUNNEL

when he reached the bottom, Chrisstopped to look around. The hole was about aswide as his bed and covered with soggy leaves.They may have saved Sasha's life when she fell,

he thought. His wet feet shuffled through the

leaves, pushing some aside. This couldn't havebeen dug too long ago, he thought, looking at theshovel marks. Then he walked through an

opening on one side of the hole. It was just a littleshorter than an ordinary doorway. Now he stoodin a tunnel. Along the rugged ceiling hung smallround lamps. He heard footsteps come up behind

him, so he turned and asked, "Why are theselights here? Who puts oil in them?"

"Beats me," answered Con. "They look like

the ones we use in my country, but I sure don'tknow what they're doing here."

"Where are we?" Chris started walkingagain. "Did you know about this tunnel?"

"No, but I wish I knew where it ends up.""So do I," said Chris. "At least it's dry in

here."The tunnel suddenly opened up into a wide

room. In spite of the dark brown clay walls, itseemed bright with light. Shelves lined the wallsand they were piled high with boxes. Luke wasalready checking them out. Sasha came bouncingtoward him, joyfully wagging her tail.

"Hi there, funny pup!" Chris laughed as sheleaped up to lick his face.

"Come here, you guys! Look what I found. A

box of crackers." Luke's words were muffled by allhe had stuffed into his mouth. "And here's abig bag of peanuts!"

"What's in these cans? Something to drink?"Chris 's pocketknife had a an opener, and it didn'ttake long to make a hole big enough for drinking.

"It's grape juice," he shouted. "It's great! Havesome." The juice and snacks tasted so good theboys forgot about their wet clothes and being lost.

Actually, their clothes were beginning to dry, for


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the tunnel was nice and warm."Those lamps give off heat," explained Con."This box is filled with books," shouted

Luke. "Strange books, I'd say, with wizards, trollsand monsters on the covers."

"This box has books and charts onastrology," shouted Con. "Medicine wheel

astrology, Babylonian astrology, Azteccalendars..."

"These shelves are loaded with toys and

games," said Con. "I've seen these dolls before.This one with the Crystals on her head and amagic wand has special power. And these otherschange into all kinds of animals. We call themshape-shifters. This big beautiful one tellsfortunes." Con lifted up a big box. "It comes with

crystal balls, Tarot cards, charts for astrology andnumerology...."

"Numer what?""Numerology. It uses numbers to tell who

you are and what is going to happen to you. Justlike astrology."

"This thing looks like a spider webdecorated with feathers. What is it, Con?"

"Oh, that's dreamcatcher. It has magic

power to stop bad dreams. It only lets good

dreams and spirits speak to you.""What's this word, Con? The one that starts

with Oui...?" Luke pointed to a big flat box."Wow, that's just what we need! A Ouija

Board!"

Chapter 11: A MYSTERIOUS GAME

"what's a Ouija Board?" asked Chris."A fun game," answered Con. "We can ask it

questions, and it will answer and tell us what to

do. Look! It's easy." He set the box in the middleof the floor and opened it. Then he pulled out ashiny glass object the size of half a peach. The

bottom was smooth and flat, the top rounded."This is a great pointer."

"Pointer? How can a circle be a pointer?""You'll see. Some Ouija boards just have a

triangle-shaped piece of wood with a hole in thecenter. I like this round one better." He handed itto Chris.

"It feels good," said Chris, letting therounded side fill his hand. "But it sure is heavy."

Chris put the little glass piece on thewooden board. "It slides so easily," he said,moving the smooth flatness of the glass slowlyacross the shiny polish of the board. He admired

the colorful numbers and letters that circled thecenter of the large surface.

"It's beautiful," he whispered."We have one just like this at home," said

Con proudly. "I play it all the time.""How does it work?" asked Luke."I'll show you. What question do you want

to ask it?""If your board is so smart, ask it how we

can get home," said Luke.

"It's better to start with a yes or noquestion," explained Con. "Like 'Should wecontinue through this tunnel?'"

"Okay, that's a good one. Ask it," said Luke."Come on. Give me a break," said Chris.

This beautiful game must be just another one of

the Deceiver's tricks. "A game is going to tell ushow to get home? It doesn't have a brain".

"I'll show you how it works. Here we go,"

said Con, ignoring Chris's remark. "First we


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meditate together and ask the spirits to speak tous."

"The spirits?" Chris was sure the King

wouldn't like this game--or those spirits. At thesame time, he was curious. Maybe the boardcould help them find the way.

"Are you getting all wimpy again?" teased

Con. "This game is okay. I know it is. Remember,I've played it a lot. It has magical power! You'llsee." He crossed his legs under him, lifted up his

hands, pressed his palms together and closedhiseyes.

Chris felt even more uncomfortable whenCon began to speak words that sounded like aprayer. Who was he praying to? Surely not just tothe Ouija Board. It couldn't hear anything. Con

stopped his spooky meditation. "When I ask thequestion, we'll all put our fingertips on the glass.Don't press on it or push it. It will move by itsown power. Then it'll stop on top of the lettersthat spell the answer. Ready?"

"Cool!" said Luke as he rested his fingertipson the pointer. Chris hesitated, then he slowlytouched the pointer with his fingers.

"Okay, here's the question. Should we

continue through this tunnel?" For a moment

nothing happened. Then Chris felt a strangesensation. The crystal moved. Was it alive? Chrisdidn't think anyone was pushing it. In fact, he hadtried to stop it--just to see what would happen,but he couldn't even slow it down. It obviouslyhad a force of its own.

"See it stopped on Y. I know what theanswer is," shouted Con. "Keep your fingers on it.It'll move again." Sure enough. the pointer kept

moving. It stopped by the E, then went on to the

S."See? It works!" Con sounded triumphant.

"What do you want to ask next?"

Chris felt a growing sense of danger. "Put itaway," he started. "This force is not the power ofthe Kingdom. I'm getting out of here."

Luke frowned. "Aw, come on, Chris. Don't

be a bad sport. There's nothing wrong with thisgame."Con agreed. "Yea, there's nothing dangerous

here, Chris. Don't quit.""Two against one, Chris," said Luke. "We're

asking some more questions.""Here's one," said Con. "Where will this

tunnel end?""But that's not a 'yes' or 'no' question."

"That's all right. It could be a short answer."Chris didn't want to know the pointer's

answer. He turned and walked back outside to theladder and sat down on the lowest rung. It wasn'tvery comfortable, but it was better than beinginside with that crazy game. Sasha seemed to likeit better outside too. She licked his hand. At leasthe still had one friend left. Chris looked up at thesky. It had stopped raining, and the sun was

coming out. The patches of blue sky reminded

him of the King. He wished he could talk withHim. Just to know what to do. He began to reviewthe parts of the King's armor that heremembered-- the Belt of Truth and theBreastplate of Righteousness, then somethingabout Peace... That was all he could remember.

But he felt better already. Almost like when theKing smiled to him.

"Thank you, King," he whispered.

When Chris walked back inside, Con was


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loudly as they dared.Seconds later the "thing" passed.

"Wow, it would have smashed us!"

whispered Luke."Hurry. Get off me!" shouted Con in a

muffled voice. "Your leg is killing me!""You're crushing me!" cried Luke as Chris

slid backwards out of the box. "And watch yourelbow. It's poking me in the ribs."

Chapter 13: TRAPPED

"Wow! What was it? Luke, did you see it?"

asked Chris. Since he went into the box upside-down, he hadn't seen anything."I sure did," said Luke. "It looked like a

train, but it ran on big, fat tires instead of a track.The engine was pulling six little box carts. Onewas covered; the others were open and loadedwith stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Lots of crates and boxes--like the ones wesaw this morning. One had a picture of a weird

creature with a long tongue....""That reminds me," interrupted Con, "I left

the Ouija Board.""Forget it. We've got to get out of here. The

train may be coming back!""Yea, after it unloads all that weird stuff.

Hurry!"They ran deeper into the tunnel. Then, out

of breath, they collapsed on the rocky floor. "I

have a headache," said Con."Me too," said Luke. "The air is terrible in

here.""And the floor's all wet and slippery from

the dripping ceiling."

"I still think we should turn back," saidChris. He didn't want to get any closer toGahenna.

"I can't move," mumbled Luke. "It's too

hard to breathe in here.""Yeah," agreed Con. "Besides, the train is

back there. If they find us, I have a feeling they

aren't going to like us--especially since we foundtheir secret storage place."

Chris had been wondering about all theboxes back in the storage place. "Con, do youthink those boxes had something to do with thewar?" He stopped to catch his breath.

"What war?" asked Con."The King talked about people fromGahenna invading our land. Could those gamesand toys be part of the invasion?"

"Yeah... you came from Gahenna," addedLuke. "You must know something about it?"

Con squirmed. "I don't know anything aboutthis tunnel or the toys. All I know is that theDeceiver told us to move to Troth and get to

know the people."

"But why did he send you to the Kingdom?There must be a reason."

"We were supposed to tell you what webelieved and share our things with you."

"You mean the games and toys in all thoseboxes?"

"I guess." Con sounded defensive. "Anyway,they're all good things. There's nothing bad aboutthem. You saw how the Ouija Board helped us this

morning."


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"Yea, great help!" moaned Chris. "Lookwhere we are now!"

"I believe you, Con," said Luke. "Everything

looked pretty good to me."A terrible thought struck Chris. "Where's

Sasha?""I haven't seen her since that train passed

us." Con looked around."She would have been in front of it. Do you

think they saw her?" Chris didn't want to think

about that happy little dog being hit."Hey, I hear something. It's coming back!""What?""The train! What should we do?""Run!""I can't. I'm too dizzy."

"Look for a hole or cave or something.""There isn't any. We're trapped!"At the last minute, they tried running, but

the train caught up fast. Finally they justsqueezed their bodies against the wall. Chrispulled his stomach tight to make himself evensmaller. Maybe the train had enough room topass. And just maybe the driver wouldn't seethem. But he did. The brakes shrieked as the train

slid to a stop. A bright lantern focused straight on

the boys. Then Chris heard a deep angry voiceshout words he couldn't understand. Two menjumped out of the engine and grabbed the boys.Pressing their way through the narrow passagebetween the wall and the side of the train, theypulled the boys to the door of the second car,

shoved them into the darkness, and locked thedoor behind them. Then the train started movingagain.

Chapter 14: CAPTIVE

As the train chugged toward Gahenna,Chris lay dazed on the shaking floor of the car.The steady noise of the engine muffled all other

sounds. Slowly, the strange events of the last twodays began to flow through his mind. He and Lukehad walked right into enemy territory--in spite ofthe King's warnings. Now they were caught. How

did it happen? It began so simply. He found thedog--or did the dog find him? Sasha led them toCon, and Con led them in search of Sasha'sowner. They hadn't asked their parents, and theydidn't listen to the King's warnings. If only he hadheard...What did the King say that morning?Something

about the enemy pretending to be good--pretending that all could live together in peace...Trying to trick people away from the King tofollow the Deceiver."I'm so sorry, dear King," Chris whispered.

But the King is stronger than the Deceiver.He has forgiven me--and He is here with me!

Suddenly Chris felt a wonderful peace inside.

"That's it!" he shouted. "That's the sandals ofpeace. I just put them on. Thank you, King, forhelping me remember." Was someone moaning?Chris could barely hear the new sounds over thenoise of the train. He turned his head to the right,but all he could see was black darkness. He crept

toward the sound until he felt a foot with a worn-out sneaker.

"Luke, is that you? Are you hurt?" he yelled."Ow, ow," cried Luke. "I think my hand is

broken!"


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"How did it happen?""I fell on it when that mean guy pushed us

in here."

"Just lie still, Luke. We'll get help soon."Chris didn't feel nearly as confident as he tried tosound. Would anyone in Gahenna care aboutLuke's broken hand?"

"Con, are you here?" he shouted as loud ashe could.

"Yes!" yelled Con from another corner of the

car."Where are they taking us?""I don't know. But I'm sure we're in deep

trouble!"It seemed like hours before the train

stopped. Chris heard voices and footsteps outside,

then somebody yanked the door open. "Get out!"yelled the man who had pushed them into thecar.

"My friend is hurt," began Chris, but theman interrupted impatiently, "Hurry!"

Chris jumped out quickly, then reached upto help Luke. Con crawled out last. "Where's thedog?" yelled the man. The dog? Was Sasha here?Chris climbed back up and looked inside. There

she was! Now he could see a little white bundle of

fur lying still by the back wall. He rushed over,picked up the limp shape, and held the black noseclose to his own. Yes, she was still breathing."Thank you, King," he whispered as he huggedthe soft little body.

A big man shaped like a wrestler led them

toward a large stone building. He wore a purplescarf around his neck. As the icy wind blew thescarf straight out to the side, Chris noticed a

symbol he had seen on one of those boxes in the

tunnel. It was a pyramid with a big eye inside.The man walked so fast that Chris barely had timeto look around. He just noticed a few bare trees

and the freezing wind that blasted their faces withicy sleet. Not like the soft snow that falls in theKingdom, thought Chris. The little troupe marchedsolemnly down a steep stairway inside the

building."Wait here," said the man. He left them in a coldbasement room and locked the door behind him.

Chris laid Sasha on a bench and stroked hergently. Her eyes opened and she tried to lick him.

"I bet the train hit her," said Con. The othersdidn't answer. Luke's face looked pale and hishand was red and swollen.

"You'd better sit down," said Chris. Luke sat onthe stone floor, leaned against the wall and closedhis eyes. Con sat next to him. About an hourpassed in silence. What could anyone say? Chris

thought about the King, but he felt toodiscouraged to try to remember the armor.Suddenly a door opened and a pretty womandressed in a long purple gown came in. Shesmiled. "I'm Sooth, and I've come to help you."

Chris breathed a sigh of relief. At least there

was one friendly person in this country. "Thor toldme that someone was hurt. Which one?" Chris

and Con both pointed to Luke. Sooth looked at hishand and covered it with some ointment. Thenshe made a sling from a bright colored cloth."Come with me. I'll take you to a morecomfortable room." Up the stairs they went--andhalfway down a long hallway. Once again, Chriswas carrying Sasha, but this time he felt more

hopeful. Sooth led them into a room with a sofa,cushioned chairs, dreamy paintings on the walls--


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and eerie, hypnotic music. The boys leaned backin their chairs, while Sooth talked to them. Hergentle words seemed to float on the mystical

sounds of the music. She talked about universallove and global oneness, about working together,and about peace between Gahenna and theKingdom. She led them on an imaginary trip into

a beautiful meadow where they could talk withanimals and experience harmony with nature.There, they imagined meeting a wise woman in

shining robes who talked to them about livingtogether in peace and love. Chris liked what thewoman said. She talked about peace and unitybetween the two lands... Why not? She seemedso sincere and kind. And some of what she saidsounded just like the King's messages. Chris

yawned. He tried to remember the King'swarning, but his mind was getting too sleepy tothink or remember anything. It felt so good torelax and listen to Sooth's soothing voice -- andto let her paint lovely pictures in his mind. Hiseyes wouldn't stay open anymore. It felt so goodto sleep.

Chapter 15: THE KING'S ARMOR

Could that be rain pounding on the tent?Mandy woke up in a flash and peeked outside. Itwas! "Dad, it's pouring!" she cried.

"I'm afraid you're right," answered Dad."Let's ask the King to show us what to do." Theydid. Then they ate some cheese and crackers,rolled up the tent and sleeping bags, and startedout in the rain.

"I'm glad we brought these waterproofjackets," said Dad.

"And I'm glad we're going downhill insteadof up," said Mandy.

"Let's talk about the armor again," saidDad. "We'll need it!"

"Will it protect us against the rain, Dad?""Probably not. But it will protect us against

getting discouraged or upset about the rain.""How will it do that?"

"It helps us remember that our King is in

control. No matter what happens to those whotrust Him, He will use it for good."

"All right, tell me more about the armor.We've talked about the Belt of Truth and theBreastplate of Righteousness. What comesnext?"

"The Shoes of Peace," answered Dad. Wehave peace inside wherever we go, when weremember that the King loves us, forgives us andhelps us. Nothing is impossible for Him. Therefore

we never need to be afraid."


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voice calling from behind, "Wait! Please wait forme!" Mandy turned to look. The young girl shehad seen in the cabin was running down the trail

toward them."Can I come with you? Please let me come!"

She looked so wet, cold and sad in her thin, shortsleeved dress that Mandy longed to help her.

"Here, put this on," she said, taking off herwarm jacket and putting it around the shiveringgirl.

"But you need it," protested the girl."I'm warm enough," said Mandy."You can wear Chris's poncho." Dad pulled a

yellow hooded plastic covering from his backpackand handed it to Mandy. Then he turned back tothe unhappy girl. "What is your name?"

"Crystal.""Where are you from?""Gahenna. But I hate it! If you let me come,

I can help you.""You can? How?" Dad sounded skeptical."You're looking for your son. His name is

Chris. I can help you find him.""Do you know where he is?""I think he's in a tunnel under the river."

"How do you know?"

"Demos -- the mean man you met earlier --saw it in his crystal ball."

"Oh." Dad stiffened. "Crystal, I know youmean well, but we don't want help from a crystalball. We don't want to trust the evil powers of theDeceiver. Sometimes they seem to work, but they

always draw their victims deeper into thedarkness." He started to turn away.

"Please take me along," Crystal begged.

Mandy could see big tears rolling down her

cheeks. "I don't trust the Deceiver either. I'mafraid of him.."

"Where are your parents?" asked Dad.

"I don't know. Somewhere in Troth, I think.They left me with Demos, and I'm afraid of him,too.

"You can come along, then, but only if

you're willing to stop using the Deceiver's powers.It's far too dangerous."

"If I give up my power, how can I help you

find Chris?""Crystal, our King will show us the way.

He'll show you the way too, if you will trust Him.""How do I do that?"Dad's voice softened. "By yourself you can't

get away from the Deceiver, Crystal. He holds on

tight to his slaves. But we can ask the King to freeyou--if you promise never to use the Deceiver'stools again. Will you agree to that?"

Crystal didn't hesitate. "I agree!" she said."And I want to get rid of this goddess. She can'thelp anyone!" She loosened a chain with a littlegoddess-shaped amulet from around her neck andthrew it as far as she could. It landed in a pile ofrocks and disappeared. Then she looked at Dad

again. "Now would you please ask your King to

help me.""Crystal, our King has provided a way for

everyone to become part of His Kingdom. I don'tmean crossing the river and moving into His landsecretly. His way to the Kingdom is much better.You find it by trusting His goodness, rather than

your own.""That part should be easy. I already know I

can't trust myself."

"There's more. Long ago, the King did


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something very special. He died for us. He tookthe punishment we deserve, and made it possiblefor all to be His children. Now, if you are willing to

trust Him and do what He says, He'll make youpart of His family forever and ever." Dad lookedright into Crystal's eyes. They were no longer fullof tears.

"I would be safe then, wouldn't I?""Yes, you would! You would!" cried Mandy."Will you trust Him, Crystal? Will you follow

His way?""I want to! I believe He will help me!""Then tell Him that.""But He isn't here." Crystal looked confused."He is here," said Mandy. "We just can't see

Him. He hears everything you say!"

Crystal looked up at the sky with wonder."Dear King," she began. "I hope you can hear me.I want to follow you. Please forgive me for all thebad things I have done--especially for using theDeceiver's power. Thank you for dying for me, sothat I can be part of your Kingdom."

She looked at Dad. "Am I part of His familynow?"

Dad smiled and nodded. "One more thing.

The King didn't stay dead. He came back. Now He

shares His life with everyone who comes to Him.Do you want that life?"

Crystal looked up again and talked to herinvisible King. "I want your life, dear King. Thankyou for giving it to me. Please help me follow youevery day."

Mandy loved watching Crystal's shiningface. The King had washed away all the fear andsadness from her face, then covered it with a big,

happy smile. "Isn't our King great!" she said. "I

just love Him!""So do I," cried Crystal.Mandy looked up. The clouds were floating

away and the sun seemed to be smiling, too.

Chapter 17: Robin

"Do you hear horses?" asked Dad. Mandylooked back.

"Yes. And there they are!" Now they couldall see the man on horseback. He was leading two

saddled horses. When he reached Dad, Mandyand Crystal, he dismounted and greeted themwith a friendly smile.

"Hello. I'm Robin. Where are you going?""To the river," answered Dad cautiously."So am I. Would you like a ride? Your girls

look like they could use a lift." Dad looked at the

two girls."Please, Dad!" Mandy had always wanted to

ride a horse. Besides, this man looked so friendly.Dad hesitated a moment--then asked. "How

do you get across the river?"

"You take the ferry, of course. It'll be


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leaving soon. If you're going to catch it, you'dbetter ride with me."

"All right. We accept your kind offer." Dad

introduced his little group.Robin smiled. "The girls can ride this one

together," he said, pointing to a light brownhorse--the one Mandy liked best.

"Have you ridden a horse before?""No," answered Mandy."I haven't either," added Crystal.

"We don't have time for a lesson right now,so just hold on tight and let the horse lead you.Okay?" Robin lifted the two girls into the saddle--Crystal behind Mandy--and fastened the loosereigns to the saddle.

"This horse knows the way," he assured

them. Then he handed the reigns of the graymare to Dad, and the two men mounted theirhorses and continued down the trail.

Crystal put her arms around Mandy's waistand squeezed tight. When they started moving,Mandy clutched the saddle horn with both hands.Robin was right! The horse knew what to dowithout her help. It just followed the other two.Suddenly the forest cleared and they could see

the river. Crowds of people were lining the river

bank. The ferry must have just arrived, for men,women and children were still getting off. Werethey all headed for the Kingdom? Robin and Dadled their horses to a shed near the river bank anddismounted. They handed the reigns to a tall manwho seemed to be waiting. Mandy couldn't hear

what he was saying to Robin, but he seemedangry.Robin turned to Crystal and Mandy. "Let me help

you down," he said quietly.

As he lifted Mandy, she noticed a strangesymbol he wore on a chain around his neck. Ithad the head of a bear in the center, and four

lines divided the rest of the circle into fourquarters. What does it mean?she wondered.Robin couldn't be one of the Deceiver's people,could he? He's so nice! Later she would ask Dad.

Meanwhile, she could at least review the parts of

the armor. She rehearsed each one in her mind:* Truth: The King was stronger than anyone fromGahenna. He knew what to do.* Righteousness: His goodness was in her. Hewould help her follow His perfect plan.

* Peace: With the King on her side, she didn'tneed to be afraid.* Faith: She would trust the King no matterwhat!* Salvation: The King who had made her part of

His Kingdom would surely take care of hertoday.

* The Sword which is Truth: "Don't be afraid,

for I am with you always.""Well, I'll be heading back up the

mountain," said Robin. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"We appreciate your help," said Dad."Yes, thank you," said Mandy. She sensed

he was in some kind of trouble and wished she

could cheer him up.


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come here.""The King sent us," said Dad calmly. "You

can't stop us."

"You're not allowed to come ashore withoutan escort."

"What do you mean--an escort? We can findour way!"

"You're not allowed to. Robin will go withyou. Do whatever he tells you!" shouted theofficer. Robin walked toward them.

"Quick. Let's ask the King what to do," saidDad. He put his arms around the two freezinggirls. Huddled together against the wind, theystood quiet for a moment.

"Crystal, maybe He will use you to lead us.You've been here before. If the boys have been

captured, where do you think they might behidden?""There are some new buildings over there,

behind those trees..." began Crystal.Robin reached the three in time to hear

Crystal's answer. "You must go into town," heinterrupted. "This road will take us there."

Dad ignored him. "What do you think,Crystal?"

"I think we should try those buildings first.

I've heard that there's something mysterioushappening over there."

"All right. Let's go there first," said Dad."No, you can't go there," protested Robin.

"You'll get into serious trouble."Dad pretended he hadn't heard. "Here's the

path," he said, heading for a narrow road leadinginto the forest. Mandy looked at Robin. He lookedsad and scared. What was he afraid of?When

they came to a large open area, Dad stopped.

"There it is," said Crystal pointing to themain building. It was surrounded by a largegarage, several sheds, bulldozers and forklifts for

moving heavy things."Look at that funny miniature train," said

Mandy."I never saw that before," said Crystal.

They hurried up to the door of the mainhouse and knocked. The door opened. A tallwoman in a long purple gownstood smiling at

them. "I'm Sooth. How can I help you?" sheasked. She sounded friendly. Or was she? I don'tlike the look in her eyes, thought Mandy.

"We're looking for three boys. Have youseen them?"

"Yes, they stopped by this morning and

caught a ride into town. I'll find out where theyare staying. Come on in."They followed Sooth into a waiting room.

Mandy felt creepy. There was something strangeabout the pink crystal pendant Sooth waswearing. And the eerie music, which seemed tocome from far away, disturbed her. As soon asthey sat down, Sooth disappeared. A while later,she returned with a not-so-friendly man wearing a

long purple scarf.

"This is Thor. He'll help you find the boys.""Come with me," muttered Thor.Mandy looked at Dad. She would rather not

go with this stranger. She didn't trust Sooth, butshe liked Thor even less. Dad seemeduncomfortable, too. "Are you sure they went into

town?" he asked."Sure I'm sure. I drove them myself. Are

you coming or not?" Thor walked outside.

"We better go," said Robin, grabbing


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Mandy's arm. His hand was shaking.Dad hesitated, then he said, "Well, I guess

we'll come."

Thor hurried out to the barn. He returnedwith a beautiful black horse. Robin's eyes grewbig and he gave a long, loud whistle. "Wow!That's a great horse!" he said.

Thor hitched the horse to a fancy carriageand waved for them to get in. Dad glanced backtoward the main building. "I wonder if...." he

began. Then he shrugged and climbed into theback seat with Mandy and Crystal. Robin sat inthe front--next to Thor.

"These are great seats," said Mandy, sinkinginto the soft cushions. Thor flicked a switch andsuddenly the same soft, mysterious music they

had heard inside the house floated through thecarriage. Mandy yawned. Maybe she could getused to this music. As Thor whipped the horseinto action, she closed her eyes.

Chapter 19: SASHA'S OWNER

"Wait! That dog! Where did it comefrom?" Robin's shout pierced Mandy's sleepymind.

"Stop!" Robin was yelling. Without waitingfor Thor to slow the carriage, Robin jumped out.With a jolt, Mandy sat up. She watched Robin rollon the ground, then lay still -- but not for long. Alittle white dog, barking wildly, was trying to runtoward him but kept falling down. Robin got backon his feet and ran to the little dog, picked it up

and held it in his arms.Thor cursed as he yanked the reigns and

swung the horse around. Then he changed his

mind. Madly whipping the horse, he turned again

and sped out toward the main road.Dad was wide awake too. "Stop," he

shouted.

"Don't tell me what to do!" screamed Thor,madly whipping the poor horse.

"In the name of the King, I tell you to stop!"This time Thor began to slow down.

"Now turn around."Thor obeyed, but his body shook with rage.

Mandy moved closer to Dad. Thor drove the horse

back into the yard, threw the reigns over a post,and stormed into the house. Dad ran after him,and the girls followed close behind. They stoppedwhen they reached Robin.

"Who is that dog?" asked Dad. "It seems toknow you, Robin."

"It's my dog, Nana, who's been missing forweeks.""Could it be the same dog that Chris and

Luke tried to return? If it is, you're the personthey went looking for you."

"You mean, they came all this way lookingfor me?" Robin looked surprised.

"Well, I'm not sure that was the onlyreason..." started Dad.

Robin didn't seem to hear Dad's words.

"They got into all this trouble to help me find mydog," he said, as if thinking out loud. "That'sawesome!" He looked at Dad. "I want to help youfind those boys - even if it makes the Deceiverfurious." He put Nana back on the ground andspoke to her. "Nana, where's Chris? Go find

Chris." The little dog perked up her hears,whimpered and looked at Robin. "Go find, Chris,"Robin urged again. Nana limped a few steptoward the house and fell down. "She's hurt,"


34/39

cried Robin.""How did she get out here, then?" wondered

Mandy.

"She must have heard me whistle earlier,and she used her last bit of energy to find me."

"Can we ask the King to make her strongagain?"

"I don't see why not," said Dad. "Let's askHim together."

Mandy closed her eyes and prayed. "Dear

King, we know that nothing is impossible for you.Would you please make Nana well? And wouldyou let her help us find Chris? Thank you, King."

Sasha lay still for about five seconds, thenshe began to jump up on Robin trying to lick hisface. "Is she well?" asked Mandy.

"Wow! I think she is!" said Robin. Hewatched Nana race in a big circle around all ofthem. "Your King amazes me!" He looked at Dad."Does He always do what you ask? Does Healways heal?"

"No," answered Dad. "He always wants usto ask Him. But He knows better than we dowhat's best in the long run. Sometimes He usesour illnesses to train us to trust Him more."

"Maybe He made Nana well, so that she

could help you all get back safely," said Robin. Hewhistled again, and the little dog raced back tohim and flopped down at his feet. Her tail waggedecstatically. "Go find Chris," said Robin, pointingto the house. Nana raced up to the front door andstopped. Robin turned the latch, but the door was

locked. He knocked. No response. He pounded,and finally Sooth came to the door.

She looked angry. "Why are you still here?"she yelled. "I told you that the boys went into

town. They're not here!" She tried to slam thedoor, but Robin put his foot in the doorway.

"You're a dead man," she hissed at him.

"Just you wait!""I'm more alive than I've ever been,"

answered Robin. He seemed to be laughing. Thenhe called to his dog, "Nana, go find Chris!" The

little dog flew past him and raced down a longhallway. Dad pushed the door wide open and allfour ran after her.

Half way down the hall Nana stopped. Shestarted jumping up on the door, whining andbarking. "They must be in here," cried Dad, "butthe door is locked."

"Chris, are you in there?" shouted Dad. Noone answered.

Chapter 20: ESCAPE

While Mandy, Dad and Crystal werecrossing the river, Chris was dreaming. Sooth'ssoft voice, mystical music, and soothing words

had put him into a trance-like sleep. Too tired toresist, he had let his imagination flow with thehypnotic sounds and images. Her visualizations

had carried him through the skies to a beautifulimaginary forests. There, animals spoke in humanlanguage, a little elf offered to be his friendforever, and a beautiful woman started to tell him

what he should do with his life.A familiar noise interrupted his dreamy

sleep. From far away came the sound of someoneknocking. He sensed Sooth leaving the room, buthis mind was too foggy to think. Then he heardSasha stir and bark softly. From outside came the

sound of a long whistle. Sasha's ears stiffened


35/39

and she struggled to get on her feet. Chris couldhardly believe his eyes as she tottered to the doorand pushed it open. He could hear her start

running down the hall. How could her hurtinglittle body move so fast?A moment later, heheard Sooth rush toward the room. She slammedthe door and locked it. What was happening out

there?Chris's body wanted to sleep again, but to

his mind came another message--an urge to

resist. "Fight Chris," he whispered to himself."Don't give up. The King will help you." He wasfeeling more awake already. "The King is strongerthan the evil force in this room," he said aloud."The King is greater than the Deceiver. He willsave you." Wow! He had remembered the next

part of the armor--the helmet of salvation. Hismind was beginning to clear, so he reviewed theparts of the Armor again.

Truth: The King is far greater than the Deceiverand his evil forces.Righteousness: He, Chris couldn't make it on hisown. He had given in to the evil power again, butthe King had forgiven him.Peace: He wouldn't be afraid, for the King was

with him always.Faith: He would continue to trust the King--no

matter what.Salvation: The King would win over the Deceiverany day.

He tried to awaken his friends. First heshook Luke, then Con--but both slept as ifdrugged. Then he looked around for a way toescape. The window in their prison room had barson it. The door to the hall was locked, but another

door led to a small bathroom. There, on theopposite wall, was a cabinet door. Chris opened itand looked in. In spite of the darkness, he noticed

that it led to a large storage area--the kind youwould find under a stairway. He crawled throughthe dark passage, feeling his way to the otherside. A sliver of light told him there must be an

opening. Sure enough. Sliding his hands acrossthe wall panel at the end, he found a smallsection that moved. He pushed it out of the way

and crept into a large room on the other side.Brushing off dirt and cobwebs, Chris lookedaround. Little light bulbs like the ones in thetunnel lit the room. A Ouija board lay on a sidetable. But what was that large metal pyramid inthe far corner of the room? And what about all

those strange shields hanging on the wall to hisleft? Decorated with animal heads, feathers andother stuff, they reminded him of the mysterioussymbol Sasha was wearing.

Shelves full of crystals and little statuescovered another wall. Chris had just stopped toadmire a cluster of purple crystals, when the doorflew open. Chris jumped. There stood the angryman with the purple scarf--the one Sooth had

called Thor. His face twisted into a hateful grin.

Chris froze with fear."You.... I'm going to kill you!" thundered

Thor. He lunged toward Chris, grabbed him by theneck, and lifted him into the air.

For a moment, Chris fully expected to die.Then something strange happened inside him. It

began when he remembered the King again."King! Help me!" he shouted.

"Your King can't help you," screamed Thor."Yes, he can!" shouted Chris. "He's much


36/39

greater than you or the Deceiver!"Startled, the man stepped back, tripped

over a chair, and crashed to the floor. Chris was

free--for the moment. He ran into the hallway andlooked to the left. That way out was blocked byfour persons. He quickly turned to the right.

Chapter 21: FREE

That voice. It sounded like Dad! But itcouldn't be. Before Chris could turn around, Sashawas jumping all over him. A moment later, Chrissaw someone running down the hall toward him.Two strong arms caught him, lifted him up andhugged him. "Dad! You're here?" Chris could

hardly believe his eyes. "And Mandy!" His sisterthrew her arms around him. "How did you findus?"

"The King sent us some special helpers,"

answered Dad with a big smile. "Meet Robin andCrystal."

"Luke and Con are in there," said Chris,

pointing to the other door. "We have to get themout."

Just then, Thor came charging down thehall. Dad and Robin grabbed him. "You can't stop

us now, Thor," said Dad. "Open this door!"Thor glared at Chris with murder in his

eyes. Swearing loudly, he pulled the keys out of

his pocket. Nothing had changed since Chris leftthe room. Luke was still sleeping with his head onthe table. Con was still stretched out in his chair.Chris called their names, shook them, but neitherstirred. He looked up at Dad, puzzled. "Whathappened to them?" asked Dad.

Chris quickly told him about the events ofthe day: the tunnel, the train, the mystical music,Sooth's soft voice and visualizations....

"Sounds like hypnosis through guidedimagery," said Crystal. "That's one of the mainways people can connect with the Deceiver'sspirits."

"You mean talk with demons?" asked Dad."I guess that's what it means. We called

them spirit guides or wise persons--depending on

the shape they take.""Could they be any shape? I mean, could an

evil spirit pretend to be an animal or a person--oreven an imaginary creature?" asked Chris.

Crystal nodded. "Anything at all--good orscary."

"Did you talk with those spirits?" Mandycould hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, it's easy. I learned how to hypnotizepeople--and myself--when I lived here. As soon


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took a deep breath and spoke as confidently as hecould. "Our King has won over the Deceiver'sforces. In His name, we stand against this evil

power and proclaim the victory of the Kingdom.No evil spirits can block the plan of our King. Thisspirit that keeps Con from hearing the truth mustcome out of him--right now!"

Con's mouth opened in a big yawn--thenturned into a smile. "I feel different," he said."Like something dark and heavy just left me.

What did you do?""The King freed you from the Deceiver's

force--just as He did with me this morning,"explained Crystal.

"Getting rid of this evil spirit may seemsimple," said Dad, "but to stay free, you need toknow a lot more about the King and His ways. If

you use the Deceiver's forces again, you will allowhis spirits to come back and control you. The onlyway you can stay free is by following the King.What do you choose?"

"You mean no more Ouija boards or Tarotcards--or any of that stuff?"

"None of it!"Con stared at the floor. He didn't look very

happy.

"Please choose the King, Con," urged Chris."Then you'll see how great He is!"

Con hesitated. "I'm not sure yet. Let methink about it." He didn't look at Chris.

Meanwhile, Robin had made up his mind."I've been thinking about it already," he burst

out. "I want to live in the Kingdom and learn allabout the King!"

He suddenly remembered the symbol hehad been wearing. Pulling it off and throwing it

into a wastebasket, he said, "This magic signbrings bad spells--not good protection. I'mtrusting the King instead!"

"Grab Sasha," said Chris. "Her tag has to gonext!"

"You mean Nana!" said Robin, grabbing theround tag and tearing it off. Nana leaped up on

him and licked him in the face. "She's celebratingher freedom, too!" shouted Chris. Everybodylaughed - except Con. He still looked sad.

"Isn't our King wonderful!" said Mandy.

EPILOGUE

It was too late to cross the river thatevening, so Dad and Robin decided to sleepovernight in the house. With the sofa, blanketsand chair cushions, they turned the boys' prison

into a bedroom for seven."This sure beats sleeping on the wet ground

outside," said Luke.


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Thor and Sooth had disappeared. Even so,Dad asked the King to protect them against anyinterference from the Deceiver's forces.

Cozy under a warm blanket, Mandy thoughtabout a song the King's people often sang in themorning: "You prepare a table before me in thepresence of my enemies..." That's what the King

did for us tonight, she thought happily as shedrifted off to sleep.

The next morning, they headed for the

river. Robin knew just wh

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The Invisible War Book for Children

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