THE FALL (Rapha Chronicles #1) (The Rapha Chronicles) (8 page)

“Adonai wishes to secure the proper substance with which to knit her form.”

“But, is she not to be like me? I was fashioned from earth. I see no shortage of that particular substance, so what else is needed?”

“She will be formed of something nearer to you than the earth.” Rapha began leading the way with the confused manchild following.

“What could possibly be nearer? Will she be formed of the air I breathe, the water I drink? Neither seems a hardy enough substance.”

“Yes, she will contain those substances, just as you do, but her seed, the core of her existence, will be unique from any other creature on earth.”

Wondering why Adam’s footfalls had ceased, Rapha called over his shoulder, “Come! Adonai expects us.” When the boy remained unmoving, locked in a fog of misery, the angel retraced his steps.

Adam’s voice broke with grief. “I thought Adonai understood. I desire someone like me, more similar to me than any other creature He’s ever created, someone who sleeps when I sleep and hungers and dreams and longs to feel my touch more than any other. I sometimes feel this longing will reach up to swallow me like, like the gaping jaws of that creature trapped in the rocks.”

Rapha reached to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Adam, think. Who is the most unique creature in the garden?”

“I am the only one without another like me.”

“Now place your hand here,” Rapha guided Adam’s palm to lay it flat on the boy’s chest. “Do you feel that?”

As the rhythmic throb of his own heart pounded against his hand, Adam gave a slow nod.

“The seed of your mate can feel the life flowing through you as well. Adonai will use
you
to create her.”

Adam struggled with this mystery. “But the seeds you showed me, the ones that grew from the ground and began to flower, when I dug down to see what had happened to them, they had burst. Will Adonai put me in the ground until I burst so she may live?”

Rapha smiled and spoke gently. “Adam, does that sound like Adonai? No, you will not be destroyed so she may live.”

Again Adam followed in Rapha’s long strides. Curiosity still permeated the air but for the moment the boy seemed content to know she would be a part of him and that he would not have to burst to accomplish this. However, with the desperation Adam had exhibited, Rapha felt certain the boy would gladly sacrifice an arm and a leg if it meant he would gain his mate.

That evening, once again in the valley of his making, Adam approached his Maker with emotions overflowing in every direction. Rapha was used to sensing the boy’s moods; in fact it was solely for Adam’s understanding that words were ever required. But the moment Adonai appeared and beckoned the manchild forth, the intensity of feeling flowing through Adam’s frame was so strong even Rapha’s knees felt weak in empathy. He wondered how the human was able to remain upright as his emotions surged from excitement to fear, anticipation, dread, and an overriding determination to hold these feelings in check in order to not make a fool of himself. Though Rapha sensed a gnawing uncertainty, his respect for the boy soared, knowing he was getting a glimpse of the kingliness inherent in Adam.

When the Maker asked the manchild once more to state his heart’s desire, Adam’s voice was firm as he requested a helpmeet in his likeness.

“Are you prepared to lay down your life so she may live?”

His voice shook only slightly as he answered, “You gave me life. It is Yours, O Adonai, to take as You will.”

Adonai’s answer was a whispered,
“Well spoken, my son.”

The boy’s eyes never left those of his Maker as a thick, sparkling mist rose from the ground at Adam’s feet. The love and trust between them brought a lump to Rapha’s throat. Although Adam remained unsure of his fate, he had placed himself in Adonai’s hands. Rapha had beheld countless glorious beginnings in creation but the beauty of that moment eclipsed them all. As Adam’s eyes closed in slumber and he swooned to the ground, the Maker’s hand was there to cushion his fall.

In spontaneous praise, celestial voices sang of Adonai’s glories, His triumphs, His faithfulness, His goodness and His unfathomable love. All creation joined the song, caught up in irresistible joy, straining with one mind to see Adonai’s desire fulfilled. The voices blended as one, piercing and harmonious, gentle and cacophonous, soaring to the heavens, swirling the thick mist surrounding Creator and created. Then a new melody rose, similar but more undulating than man’s creation song with its booms and triumphant crescendo. This was a gentler movement, more subtle and varied with a relentless, steady rhythm that supported and carried the original melody. Mysterious and ephemeral, it seemed to echo the diamond glow of the stars that slowly appeared one by one as if summoned to sparkle in syncronous resonance.

Through tears of joy, Rapha was aware of Adonai bending over the human. With the flash of a piercing point of light, a line of bright red appeared in Adam’s side. Through the flesh, a slender bone was withdrawn. Again the piercing light flashed and the flesh mended.

An overriding rhythm began to pulse at Rapha’s feet, a swoosh and throb that grew stronger and nearer with creation’s every breath, so compelling every living being aligned with the magnetic force drawing this power from the earth’s womb. With one smooth movement, Adonai scooped a hand into soft, fertile soil. As if drawing forth a tiny germ of a living star, His hand now cradled a pulsing brilliance smaller than Adam’s fist.

For a brief moment, the Maker held the light close to His chest as if unwilling to let it go. Then he brought the light to His mouth for a gentle kiss and whispered words none present could overhear. As His hands moved to place the light within the curve of Adam’s bone, a shining tear fell from His eye. As that tear joined with the light, it became shrouded in deep red flesh, shading its light and buffering its pulse.

The Creator laid flesh and bone in a hollow depression before him and bent low, covering life’s seed and calling forth Earth’s elements to converge. A thunderous clap echoed through earth and sky and a blinding glow engulfed the very spot where the seed lay while a sparkling flow bubbled up to fill the hallowed depression. To Rapha, the swell appeared infused with liquid gold that swirled in the glimmering fluid like living starlight, diving to entwine and flow, leaving bits behind every time it embraced the brighter glow in its center. From the earth’s pores, various hues arose, from vibrant and daring to muted pastels, providing pigment for the Master Craftsman’s canvas. The glory of Adonai filled the valley.

As an indiscernible shape took form in the liquid light, all creation shifted forward, straining to behold the work of Adonai’s fingers. The melody grew soothing and peaceful although the air seemed ready to explode with anticipation. In the midst of the lullaby, a surprising duet began. The sweet trill of a nightingale rose, calling forth peaceful repose even as the lament of a she-wolf sounded a restless summons to the heavens, stirring the blood with an untamed fierceness.

The two voices continued, dancing in a fragrant breeze that shushed the night. All paused to breathe deep. The passing perfume was a draught of exotic nectars of the sweetest fruit and most alluring blossoms coupled with an earthy, nut-flavored spice. It was a heady, healing, stirring yet simple scent of which Rapha felt he could never tire. It seemed woven of such varied and subtle bouquets that, if he were given unlimited time to peel back its composition, he could never plumb the depths of its mysteries.

Then a strange wonder occurred. Rapha was accustomed to the distinct characteristics of the temporal and the eternal, since daily he passed through the veil between them, but in that one shining instant, the two converged. Time was suspended as eternity sealed and sanctified the moment. It was a joining of opposite realms, knit together and destined to strain at the fabric of their confinement, and that very struggle was a key ingredient in the Master’s plan.

Again all was hushed. The glow at Adonai’s feet grew dim, and restfulness descended on Earth’s witnesses. The fullness of that silence was profound. Rapha felt oddly detached yet acutely aware of every detail as he was lost in the importance of that moment, woven into the flow of eternity.

As if waking from a dream, animals and celestial beings began to stir. A lion roared. Adam stretched before gazing with a dazed expression to ponder the surrounding spectators. His eyes widened with remembrance of the occasion and his head snapped to aim a questioning look toward Adonai.

The Maker laughed and again all creation responded with joy.
“Patience, son,”
the soothing voice said.
“All is well.”

Sensing the summons, Rapha stepped forward to lead Adam to a quiet place to recover. The boy was reluctant to depart, curious to delve into the new mystery at Adonai’s feet, but he obeyed Rapha’s prompting, even as the assembled crowd began to disperse.

Once again, sleep was elusive for Adam. Late into the night he lay awake, staring at the stars, asking Rapha to repeat all that had occurred, then gazing toward the place where Adonai’s glory continued to hover. Just before dawn, the exhausted manchild slept. His final words before drifting into slumber were, “Just think. Hereafter, she will keep me company at night.”

Rapha supposed he should have felt insulted to be so quickly discarded, but this was as it should be.

One thing Rapha knew with certainty. Everything was about to change.

Chapter Seven

She

Adam sat bolt upright as the first shaft of light filtered through the trees to illumine the hallowed spot where Adonai had hovered, but no trace of his Maker or the new creation lingered. With a cry of dismay the boy leapt to his feet. “Where are they?”

Rapha stretched, a pleasant habit he had acquired from the human. “All is well. But come, refresh yourself. There is much to do.”

Adam took little notice of the beautiful breakfast of fruit and nutmeats Rapha had prepared complete with his favorite drink of coconut milk straight from the shell.

“Did you see her? Where did they go? When will I meet her?” The questions were peppered throughout their meal and continued as the sun marched high into the sky, but Rapha’s response was guarded. In truth, Rapha had glimpsed the dainty human when his Master had at last drawn her from the earth’s womb, but Adonai had hidden her in His shadow and taken her to a secret place. Rapha could only guess that her experience at present would be similar to his reawakening—surrounded by light and love, immersed in Adonai’s wholeness and unaware of anything but bliss. Soon enough Adam’s curiosity would be satisfied, but at present the angel appealed to the boy to calm himself and concentrate on making the first impression of her new home as tranquil and beautiful as possible.

In all honesty, the only element threatening to spoil the picture was Adam’s impatience. Thus Rapha kept his young charge busy fetching rare fruits from obscure locales—from succulent melons that thrived in the tallest trees on the highest summit, to the delicate roots and berries only accessible by braving a path down a rugged cliff. After accomplishing these quests, Adam was grateful for another bath and polish, submitting like a lamb to Rapha’s massage of his sore muscles and another raking of his hair.

“Take note, Adam. Your mate will appreciate the ability to coax muscles to relaxation.”

“My mate. That sounds so strange.” The boy fell silent a moment. “I’m not ready, am I,” he said with unexpected humility. “There’s so much I don’t know, so much I need to learn about how to care for her.” His eyes widened. “What if she doesn’t like me? I saw the she-lion box her mate yesterday and they tumbled about growling and biting.”

Rapha smiled. He too had been aware of the lions’ amour. In fact, the entire valley had heard them. They were nothing if not enthusiastic. “Actually, it is precisely because she likes him a great deal that she enjoys vexing him into a wrestling match. It is all part of their game of seduction.”

Then, of course, Rapha had to describe that concept.

“That sounds fun,” Adam finally said, his expression bemused. “I’m glad they enjoyed it.” His cheek took on a slight flush as he glanced down, suddenly shy, “Will my mate want to, um, wrestle?”

Rapha had been awaiting just such an opportunity. “Understand, I have never had a mate, but I have observed that, as each cares for the needs of the other, the wrestling is a natural outgrowth of their affection….”

“And I hope she loves to climb and run and swim,” Adam cut in with his unbroken thread of thought. “Do she-men enjoy those things? Will she think me foolish to play duck-and-throw with the monkeys?” Adam recalled the shrieking protest when a well-aimed kumquat had caught one of his opponents unawares, and he laughed aloud at the memory. “Who wouldn’t enjoy that? I’ll just have to make sure they don’t resort to coconuts….”

The angel sighed. Very soon the boy’s attention would be so captured by the thought of mating he would find it difficult to think of anything else. Already Adam’s voice was beginning to deepen and the coltishness of his body was fading. This conversation could not be put off any longer. Adam’s destiny dictated that the act of joining would signify far more than a mere coupling to produce offspring. Since sexual corruption had been the enemy’s weapon of choice in ages past, the purity of Adonai’s chosen would provide a tempting target.

“Adam,” Rapha interrupted the boy’s rambling, “soon you will experience physical love with your mate, the joy of which will make other activities pale in comparison. This gift represents your spirit intertwined with Adonai,” the angel continued to speak, introducing Adam to this precious gift freely given from the Father’s hand.

For two interminable days Rapha endured Adam’s mounting excitement and impatience. In addition to teaching Adam some of the finer details of metalwork and refining of gems, he continued efforts to exhaust him so the boy could cease his questioning and feverish activity for a blessed few hours each night. To this end he decided to work on Adam’s diving skills. Diving would be just the ticket; the flowing, calming depths of blue soothed his young charge like nothing else.

At first Adam had resisted, far too distracted by the impending introduction to his mate and unwilling to sully his glossy tresses—due more to his disdain for Rapha’s raking than to vanity—but when Rapha had pointed out the male birds who strutted their bright plumage to capture female attention, the boy had cooperated.

“Besides,” Rapha instructed as they made their way to massive outcroppings of rock protruding over a crystalline pool, “a being who continues to strive for further accomplishment is far more interesting than one who merely sits and awaits desire’s fulfillment. Which will she prefer, a preening boy or a dazzling diver who takes her breath away?”

Adam’s acquiescence was half-hearted, “Alright! Let’s make this quick. I will still need to gather the fresh flowers you insist upon when we receive the summons.”

Ignoring the less than optimistic attitude, Rapha began with the basics of body control required to achieve the most graceful entry into the water. When the morning was still young, Adam had perfected a virtually splashless, arching swan dive. Not content with such tame accomplishments, he rushed to increase his repertoire.

Soon Rapha was concerned that his efforts had been
too
successful. From simple, graceful dives five feet above the water’s surface, Adam’s innate athleticism and penchant for thrills drove him higher to attempt twists, spirals, and flips that caused Rapha to stand at water’s edge, muscles taut for quick flight if the human’s head aimed for the rocks. How could he blame him? Rapha knew the thrill of plunging headlong into thin air.

Yes, his primary objective of exhausting the lad was accomplished as Adam flopped to Adonai’s side that evening, calm enough to receive the Master’s wisdom; but the other goal, the one uppermost in
Adam’s
mind, was also fulfilled: the manchild was beautiful in flight!

In fact, on the morning of the third day, a new set of wide eyes followed the laughing boy’s progress. Her hand never released its hold on her Creator’s. This was simply an invisible visit to view her future, but as shafts of golden morning light glimmered like liquid diamonds on the glistening body that leapt to slice the turquoise water, her heart also felt the thrill of flight. And when the young man jumped from the water to toss back dripping ribbons of black hair revealing long-lashed eyes in his handsome face, she gave Adonai’s hand an involuntary squeeze, signifying her agreement with the Creator’s assessment of His creation; it was good…
very
good.

Rapha did not turn to stare—this visit was hidden from Adam—but the tutor could not ignore the pleasure flowing from his Creator. He was glad this was the female’s first glimpse of her intended. The young man was unaware of the stunning picture he made climbing to the heights, then abandoning himself to the earth’s pull. Rapha had a sneaking suspicion, due to the excited squawks and myriad bright wings, the flocks of birds in attendance were more than mere coincidence. If they had gathered for a tutorial on the laws of attraction they were not disappointed. The male displayed himself to his best advantage and the female gasped each time he dove, eyes shining with admiration.

In the blink of an eye, the esteemed audience was gone and finally Rapha received the silent, anticipated call. In response to the shouted announcement of, “It’s time!” Adam, perched in a handstand on the highest ledge, lost focus and slipped, thwacking his head and tumbling with a splat!

The injury was trivial, a small lump on the head, but when Rapha divulged the news of their visitors, Adam panicked. “She saw that? Great! Already I play the fool!”

He had planned to prolong the boy’s agony but with the fatalism of youth Adam proclaimed he could “never” face her now. Rapha, pitying the mortified young man, explained the actual moment of her departure. Ah! Then! It was as if the sun rose again to honor the athletic hero. Insecurity fled, replaced by exuberance and a demand for Rapha to recall the girl’s every reaction. Luckily, since the tutor had not actually looked at her, there was not much to relate beyond the fact she had witnessed only his most dazzling dives. This brought satisfaction bordering on conceit. What was it about this human that kept him swinging between extremes?

However, though the young man continued the shift from incessant questioning to a dazed state requiring a firm shake to bring him into the here and now, they managed to gather a brilliant bouquet of flowers with the perfect message encoded in the choice of each bloom, to complete the daintily wrought crown (the gems would be added later for their marriage ceremony)
and
to make Adam gloriously presentable, even fragrant, by the appointed time.

At the final moment, when Adam was to step into the clearing in full view of the celestials and the magnificence of Adonai, the young man’s courage waned. In truth, Rapha could not blame him. The array of heaven’s court, though a fractional representation of the entire celestial realm, was daunting. Just like Rapha, their true glory was veiled, but there was no denying the undercurrent of immense power radiating among the glittering assembly.

Adam stopped, staring at the path he was to tread through these amazing beings. In a hoarse whisper he said, “Couldn’t we do this some other way, perhaps a private meeting by the lake?”

“This is what Adonai has decreed.”

“But it’s hard enough trying not to do anything foolish in front of her; now there’s a crowd of angels as well?”

“Maybe your fear of appearing foolish is the very reason Adonai laid this path at your feet.” Rapha plumbed the depths of his experience for the proper words. “To achieve your desire, you must first conquer your fear. To conquer fear, Adonai must be your only focus. Thus you are no longer a slave to fear; you achieve your desire,
and
gain freedom from your greatest weakness. This is why Adonai’s path leads through hardship. As you draw closer to your heavenly Father, the heart’s desire aligns with Him. It is when you try to circumvent the narrow path that aims for His heart that desire becomes destructive.” There. Rapha smiled, grateful for wisdom to share with his pupil in the hour of need.

Adam’s gaze was fixed on the brightest spot straight ahead, the flower-strewn expanse where Adonai awaited him. “So is she standing behind Him? I don’t see her.” The boy turned to Rapha, “Oh. Did you say something?”

Rapha had to chuckle. So much for imparting wisdom. But, since Adam was giving him a split second’s attention, Rapha added, “Just keep your eyes fixed on Adonai.”

Relief flooded Adam’s features. He turned toward the assembly, locked eyes with his Creator—and took on the countenance of a king.

When every eye turned to view the first ruler of Adonai’s new age, it seemed the boy grew in stature. Even to Rapha who was familiar with the many facets of the boy’s personality, a new serenity and purpose suffused Adam’s countenance. He was no longer simply the energetic, irrepressible manchild. A quiet strength flowed from him along with something more, something intangible but as real as the trees that leaned close, reaching toward him as if recognizing his destiny. Finally, when Rapha tore his eyes from the boy, he discovered the source of this elusive substance. Favor from the Most High flowed toward Adam, crowning the boy with majesty. Adam’s body was at all times encased with radiance but now that steady glow was lit from within as well, an answering glory fanned to dazzling brilliance that left no doubt—this was Adonai’s anointed. Through this joining of earth and heaven, age-old prophecies would come to pass.

With all eyes on the young man, Rapha almost missed it—a nagging hatred that clashed with the purity of the moment—but it was there, a veiled stench borne on the fragrant breeze. Lucifer, too, was in attendance. Rapha shoved the hateful thought aside. Nothing should tarnish this moment.

Adam continued down the long corridor, eyes fixed on his goal. In the young face, no trace of fear remained. In fact, the expression in his eyes spoke so clearly of absolute love and trust that Rapha felt an unexpected lump in his throat. Radiating with Adonai’s love, the boy was breathtaking. The angel felt a wave of awe to be chosen to influence such a remarkable being.

Then Adam stood before the throne. When he knelt and bowed his face to the ground, the glorious assembly followed suit.

“Rise, my son,”
the compassionate voice poured out like mighty waters,
“what is your desire?”