Journey's End - The Final Book of the Legacy Saga Book 3

Chapter 9

The of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Isaiah 13:9

Chapter 9

Despite what many think, all is not well in Zion.

Adagio St. John's Journal

The hike up the mountain path is long, and steep in some places, but we keep going, stopping only twice for a drink and a few minutes of rest. Blessedly, there has been a full moon to light our way through the darkness. We each have a pack strapped to our back along with a rolled sleeping bag and mat. I pull the suitcase and Adagio carries the large tent. Sometimes when the suitcase becomes a struggle, he takes it from me and pulls it himself. He is so strong, he is able to do it with no problem. We keep Dagio walking between us. He shoulders his gear without complaint, making me so proud of him.

By the time we crest the hill and emerge from the trees, it is just after six in the morning. My legs and shoulders ache like they never have before and Dagio is almost dead on his feet, but neither of us utter a word of complain because Adagio has shouldered most of the work. I chastise myself and make a vow to get stronger so I can be a help, not a burden. And judging from the vision the Lord showed me, I will have more than ample opportunity.

It is still dark, and there are lanterns lit in the distance amid several tents. As we make our way across the clearing, someone exits a tent and walks out to greet us.

"Welcome," the older man says. "We're so glad you're here, and that you heeded the prompting."

Ours had been far more than a prompting, but we will never tell, at least, not until God wants us to.

"Thank you," Adagio says. "We are the St. Johns. I am Adagio, this is my wife, Evangeline and our son, young Adagio, but we call him Dagio."

"It's good to meet you. I'm Eban Hunter. I was assigned to preside over this place of refuge."

"It is good to meet you too," Adagio says.

"Follow me and I'll show you where you can set up camp." As we walk, Eban says, "Let me guess, you're from Italy, right?"

"How did you know?" I ask teasingly and he chuckles softly.

"Definitely the accent."

"My husband was born and raised in Italy, but I am originally from Salt Lake. We married over seven years ago and Italy became my home for a while."

"What brought you back?"

Adagio smiles slightly. "We knew we needed to be here."

Eban smiles back. "I understand."

He takes us to a spot just beyond a set of massive tents next to a spacious pavilion.

"These are the food and medical supply tents." He points to a tent a few yards away. "That is mine and my wife's place. She will be up in an hour or so, but I'm guessing you folks are exhausted and could use some rest."

"That we could," Adagio says.

"I'll let you get set up then. You need any help?"

"No, we should be fine. The tent is pretty easy to set up."

"Well, I'll let you get to it and see you when you wake up. Oh, and there are a couple of portable bathrooms on the other side of the pavilion just through the trees if you need them. There is also a water tank with a spigot."

I nod. "See you later. And thank you."

"No problem at all."

Adagio pulls out the tent, the connecting rods making the setup fast and easy. We had spent quite a bit on the tough and sturdy shelter, but it was worth it. It sleeps eight to ten comfortably, so we will have plenty of room with just the three of us.

Once the tent is set up, we take everything inside, turn on a flashlight, and make our beds. Because it's cold, Dagio sleeps next to me, but our tent still holds the heat in much better than most. It also has a vent in the ceiling for cooking or a small wood stove. We have one stored with the food storage we left. It will be appreciated when it finally arrives.

We all make a quick bathroom run before settling into our sleeping backs. The three of us are cocooned together with Dagio in front of me and Adagio behind me. Adagio and I had zipped our bags together and he holds me snugly against him.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you too," he says back, kissing my cheek and tightening his embrace.

We immediately fall into an exhausted sleep.