Free The Children of Eternity by Kenneth Zeigler Page B

this way, my friend,” said Jonathon, looking the demon straight in the eye. “Your master spoke directly and frankly to the Father. The Father knew well his intentions, for He saw into your master’s heart, as He sees into all hearts. He granted him permission to negotiate with Michael and Gabriel, to come here and wage war with them if it came to that. So, clearly, all that has happened is within the will of the Father. If it is in the will of the Father, who am I to debate it? Who am I to presume to counsel the Father? So, as I step back and watch these events unfold, I see the will of the Father, do I not?”
    “Well spoken,” said the demon leader. “Would that more humans felt as you do. Thousands of years ago during the first war in Heaven, we made a terrible mistake. Yes, I openly admit it. We sought to oppose the Father’s decision to create humankind, and in doing so we opposed the Father’s will. We sought to do it by force. It was a war that we couldn’t possibly win. Even our master has confessed this very thing to the Father. Now we simply wish to reinstate Lucifer to his rightful place in Heaven as leader of the angels. We are willing to serve the children of the Father; we will do it gladly. I only wish there were more such as you.”
    This day was full of surprises. Christopher could hardly imagine a demon, a minion of Satan, making such an admission.
    “I hope that we shall have the opportunity to meet again,” said Jonathon, extending his hand in friendship.
    The demon gladly accepted it. “As do we. It will be our pleasure and honor to serve you, son of God.”
    The demon’s compatriots nodded in agreement. The three boys continued on. They were relieved to see that the road was clear all the way to the Holy Place. It was over a minute before anyone spoke.
    “Jonathon, how did you do that?” asked Jerry.
    “That was pretty neat, wasn’t it?” replied Jonathon.
    “Jedi mind trick,” said Christopher.
    “What’s a Jedi?” asked Jonathon.
    “It’s a long story,” said Christopher. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
    “I’ll be looking forward to it,” said Jonathon.
    “What I think he means is: How did you get those demons to become so agreeable with you?” asked Jerry. “I thought for sure that they were about to seriously question us…maybe send us away.”
    “Simple,” assured Jonathon. “I told them exactly what they wanted to hear. In doing so, I left them open to a suggestion of my own. They will feel kindly disposed to me the next time we meet. They will trust me, and I will be able to use that trust to our advantage.”
    “You read their minds,” deduced Jerry.
    “Yes,” confirmed Jonathon. “Believe me, they are very pliable. That is unusual. Demons were once angels, and angels are usually hard to read, not to mention influence. My great-grandparents are easy to read but nearly impossible to influence, especially my great-grandfather. Once he has made up his mind, good luck trying to get him to change it.”
    “The weak-willed are easily influenced,” said Christopher.
    “Exactly,” replied Jonathon. “Let me tell you your next question: How do I read minds? The answer is that I don’t know. Everyone in Heaven can discern the name of everyone else. I can simply discern most everything else that is there. I’ve been able to do it for a long time. However, the influencing part…well, that has only come in the past year or so…and I’m getting better at it all the time.”
    “Like I was saying, Jedi mind trick,” repeated Christopher. “You gotta love it.”
    Jonathon hesitated. “Obi-Wan Kenobi…yes,
Star Wars Episode Four
.”
    “How did you know that?” asked Christopher.
    “I didn’t, you did,” said Jonathon, smiling slightly.
    Jerry didn’t respond, although he did smile.
    All the while the sound of praise grew. Before them were a series of great marble columns, spaced out about every 20 yards around the perimeter of the Holy Place, a