Awakening: The Deep Sleep (The Deep Sleep Trilogy Book 1) by Victoria Boyson Page A

Throwing off the night like ancient grave clothes, it banished the storm, bringing deliverance to her captive heart.
    Sudden realization struck Beloved like a sea and she wondered at the sight of what was about to occur. “Can it be God’s will to destroy them?”
    She heard the warrior speak in answer to the question of her heart, “I have been given authority to execute the judgments of the Lord.”
    Raising his arms, the warrior raised his sword and thrust it into the wolves.
    Beloved cringed and braced herself. She couldn’t watch.
    The warrior knew Beloved’s thoughts and spoke to her again, “This sword is the sword of Truth and will dispel the lies of darkness that have taken over their souls.”
    She looked at the sword and saw that in its radiance, it seemed to be alive and was pulsating. As its large blade rested in them, the Light it held began to fill them; like melting gold, the Light seeped into their chest and penetrated their hearts.
    At first, they lay motionless as if the sword had destroyed them, but she then saw them cringe as if in pain. Watching their faces contort, she sensed brokenness entering them. As they were filled with the heavenly fire, grief invaded their souls as truth penetrated their hearts.
    Beloved stood watching the heavenly warrior when she was reminded of the angelic still with her. Calling her back to herself with a reassuring embrace, the angelic urged her emphatically, “Run now, Beloved!”
    She had been so wrapped up in what was taking place, she had not considered herself. Recalling her dilemma, she knew that now was her moment to escape and find her path once again.
    As Beloved ran, she was still plagued by the disparaging lies implanted in her soul from the deceiving couple who’d held her captive.
    At times, it so overwhelmed her that it seemed to consume her thoughts as she rushed blindly through the woods. She searched endlessly for the fields of grace, compelled almost completely by the need in her own heart. With each step, she knew she was getting closer to the grace she longed for and the healing she desperately needed.
    With a measured distance between her captives and herself, she wrestled with the fear that clawed at her heart. She wanted to trust again and find that easy repose she once had with the angelic who were trying to lead her.
    Beloved had escaped the ambush of the wolves, but a propensity to fearfulness clung to her soul.

Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky.
    —Zechariah 5:9 NLT
    BELOVED REALIZED her battle was now inside her. The wolves had done their work. They had planted seeds of rotten fruit that tried to take control of her soul and destroy her destiny. It was too late to regret her decision to leave the fields of grace. She had to focus on survival if she was to champion her thoughts.
    The wolves had caused fear to root deeply in her soul and it was an unnerving force. The slightest hint of danger would send her reeling. The angelic fought continually to guide her, redirecting her focus, but were limited by her greatly diminished faith. Again and again, fear overwhelmed her emotions as she heedlessly ran from the help she desperately needed.
    Suddenly, a thick menacing mist invaded the woods, surrounding Beloved with an oppressive heaviness that terrified her. Feeding her terror and overwhelming her emotions, she fled from it, sending her charging heedlessly through the woods to escape its dreaded tyranny.
    Not knowing how long she had been running, she suddenly stopped when she was startled by the sensation that something unearthly had brushed by her in the fog. As she listened to the deafening silence of the woods, she was sure she had heard the sound of running feet all around her. Around and around she whirled, full of fright, trying to see into the mist.
    The threatening sounds of labored breathing and rapid grunting