“The boy healed me,” Evelyn said.

“Impossible!”

“I told you,” Stephen announced from where he stood, grinning. “He can do magic.”

“The devil’s work!” Rose snapped, glaring at Eli. But he offered her a gentle smile, and I watched as her glare softened. Even she knew that something greater than the devil’s work was happening, surely. Hope surged through me.

More people had gathered and were watching with some amazement, all looking from the softly sobbing girl to the boy who had just taken away her disease. Most of Haven Valley was here now, and I caught a glimpse of Jamie standing on the fringe of onlookers, his face darkened with anger.

All of them were bound in cords of fear, but no one more so than my brother, who looked to be choking in a cloak of writhing darkness. If they could see what I saw, they would be running for the hills. But it wasn’t my place to speak.

Eli looked at the gathered crowd and started pacing. “There’s a story about a boat caught in a terrible storm. All the passengers were terrified except one, who slept in peace even as the waves pounded the boat, threatening the lives of all on board. They called that one Yeshua. The others rushed to him and begged him to save them. He stood and asked them one question. ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’”

Eli looked at Rose, who appeared dumbstruck. “Why would this teacher not be afraid in the face of such a terrible threat? Unless what he saw and what the others saw were two different realities. Where they saw a threat, he slept in peace. This was perhaps his greatest miracle, much greater than the healing of a rash.”

Not a soul moved. His words held them in perfect stillness.

“Today Haven Valley faces a terrible storm of fear. But you too can see truth. You too can be freed from the blindness of fear and see with new eyes. In that new sight, you will see light instead of darkness. When you see the light, you will know love instead of fear because in love, there is no fear. In love, there is no record of wrong. Unless you know that love, everything you believe is worthless and gains you nothing, Christian or not. I come as a way-shower. But it’s up to you to follow the way.”

Peace settled over me. Emotion clogged my throat. They were listening! Eli really had come to save Haven Valley, and they were listening. How foolish of me to doubt.

As quickly as the peace had come, the atmosphere around me changed. I heard the clicking of his shoes on the pavement behind me, walking toward us from the south. Dread filled my chest and I was terrified to look.