I waited at the altar, waiting for my bride . . . all the time praying that Judah did not wake and foil our plan.
Then Harmony appeared at the end of the aisle and all thoughts of Judah fled my mind . . . I had only one focus now. One reason to live . . . and she was walking toward me, flowers in her hair, looking like an angel sent from heaven.
Just . . . beautiful . . .
*****
The sound of people rushing around brought my thoughts back to the present. I crouched by a nearby tree and looked over the commune. The commune that should have been sedate.
The people were out in force. Tension thickened the atmosphere, and no face looked calm. I had no idea what was happening, but when I saw guards barking out commands, it hit me like a truck—they were preparing for the war.
I slinked back into the trees. My heart raced as fast as my feet as I ran through the thick foliage and over to the cellblock. Only a day had passed. The people should be in celebration, not preparing for the attack.
I burst through the entrance, only to see overturned chairs and tables on the floor. I searched each of the cells—they were all empty.
My stomach dropped to the floor.
No one was here.
Judah was gone.
They were all gone.
What the hell could have happened? I pushed my hands through my hair as I tried to think of what to do next. Then a noise came from behind the cellblock. As quietly as possible, I snuck around the building to see what it was. There was a small cell built into the wall; it looked like it had been meant for guard dogs. Somebody was putting a young girl inside. I sighed in relief when I saw it was Phebe.
I whipped my head around, scanning every possible inch of land—she was alone. I silently stepped toward them. Phebe jumped as she saw me, but I made it to her in time to slam my hand over her mouth. “Shh, Sister Phebe. It’s me. Cain . . . the real Cain. I am back.”
Phebe’s body was rigid in my arms. “I’m gonna let you go. Please don’t scream. Okay?” She nodded her head and I slipped my hand from her mouth.
She turned to face me, blocking the child in the tiny cell from my view. Phebe’s face was pale, and I could see how much weight she had lost. She was still sporting bruises on her face, neck and hands. “You did it,” Phebe said, staring at my clothes. Her eyes glistened. “You took her to them . . . Harmony. You got her out. She is safe?”
I nodded my head, and tension seeped from Phebe’s shoulders.
“Is… Is she well?” This time I knew she wasn’t talking about Bella.
Lilah. She was referring to her sister.
“Yes,” I said. “She is well and happy. She is married.” I didn’t tell her about her hair, the scar, the surgery. Phebe was already broken enough. If I got my shit together and pulled this off, she would see Lilah soon enough.
Phebe chased her tears away with her hand. I felt sympathy for her sadness, but I needed her to speak. I needed to know what had happened. “Phebe, where are they? Where’s my brother? What the hell happened?”
Phebe shook her head, devastation on her face. “He arrested them all. Brother Stephen, Ruth, Solomon and Samson.”
I started to panic. “How? What?”
“Brother Luke.”
I froze.
“He and the guards came for you at sunrise this morning.” She took a quick breath. “He knew you had repented and wanted to prepare you for the post-wedding Lord’s Sharing. He wanted to bring you to the mansion, feed and bathe you. He wanted the prophet to return to see his brother ready to stand by his side.”
“No,” I said, feeling my cheeks lose their color. “He found Judah?”
Phebe nodded her head. “He had been subdued by the medicine Brother Stephen was giving him. But it must have worn off, or been ineffective, because when Brother Luke came into the cell, Judah managed to tell him who he was. Then . . . then all hell broke loose. The defectors tried to fight Judah’s guards, but there were too many; Samson and Solomon could not take them all on. Brother Luke took Judah away, and Judah told them what had happened, what you had done. The guards searched the isolation house and discovered you had never even been in there . . . and that you had taken Harmony with you.”
I closed my eyes. My head swam as I tried to take it all in. A hand landed on my arm, and I opened my eyes. “Did you see this?” I asked her.
Phebe nodded her head. “The other women who had been caring for you were given the day off for the celebrations. I had been sent with your food when it happened. I managed to hide from sight.”
“I am so sorry,” I said and meant every word. My body felt weak with fear and hopelessness.
Phebe sniffed. “Cain, he has punished them—Ruth, Stephen, Solomon and Samson. He . . . he is preparing to kill them for their defiance. Your kidnapping of Harmony, taking her from the wedding, has thrust everyone into a frenzy. They believe this is God spiting us. Judah has told them God is testing us to see if we can truly beat the devil. The attack is scheduled for tomorrow. He brought it forward. He wants revenge.” She lifted her hand to her forehead. “It is a mess. Everything is a mess.”
The sound of soft crying came from the cell behind Phebe. Her eyes widened, and her hand dropped to her side in defeat. “Phebe?” I asked and moved her aside by her shoulders. I crouched down and saw a huge pair of blue eyes looking up at me from the tiny cell. A little girl with long blond hair.
I knew in an instant what she was. I straightened and met Phebe’s eyes. “She is called Delilah,” Phebe whispered. I stood still, fucking stunned. Phebe’s eyes closed tightly. When she opened them again, she said, “She is two months away from her eighth birthday.”
My blood turned ice cold.
“He has already declared her a Cursed . . . and . . . ” she cried. “He has decided to be the one to awaken her when the time comes.”
Judah. Motherfucking Judah!
Phebe’s eyes fell to the little girl, who was looking up at her like Phebe was her sun. Phebe bent down, and the little girl reached through the bars. Phebe kissed her hand. “She arrived not long before Harmony and the others did. I saw her being brought to him by his men. As soon as I saw the happiness in his eyes at her beauty, I told him I would care for her until it was her birthday . . . but, Cain, I always planned to get her out somehow before then.”
Phebe kissed the little girl’s hand once more, then stood to face me. “Sister Ruth was to take her if for some reason I could not get out too. I cannot see her hurt, Cain . . . not like I did my sister. She looks just like Rebekah did when she was her age. And . . . and then he named her Delilah. He named her that awful name too. I knew it was because he saw the resemblance. I have to protect her. I cannot see another child suffer. I cannot . . . I cannot take this life anymore. There is so much pain . . . ”