“Brothers and Sisters, welcome to the night we’ve long been waiting for,” he said.
With everyone’s attention riveted on their leader, Nate began to work at the ropes that bound his hands and feet.
“God has smiled on us,” Ethan went on. “He has provided the Vessel for which we’ve all prayed. Tonight we will join with her and become one.”
“We will be one!” the crowd shouted.
Bart stared over at Nate, as if to make sure he was taking it all in. Nate kept his feet still so his efforts wouldn’t be obvious, but he knew he was working against the clock and continued trying to free his hands, which were bound behind his back. When he let his head loll onto his shoulders, Bart finally returned his gaze to Ethan.
“Look at her!” Ethan was saying. “Is she not a goddess? Is she not fit for the seed of a prophet?”
Wild cheers showed the Covenanters’ enthusiasm and approval.
“She will bear us a child, my brothers and sisters, a child who will one day become prophet in my stead.”
There was a crescendo in the cheering as Ethan parted the filmy gauze and exposed Rachel to the crowd. She turned her head away, to hide at least her face, and Nate’s stomach twisted with agony. He couldn’t let this go on. Somehow, some way, he had to put a stop to it.
Already the men were lining up. The Brethren would go first, of course. There was a man at the head of the line telling the others to make room.
Ethan started talking again, about the sword of power embedding itself in the sheath of virtue. He lifted a golden phallus, but Nate couldn’t listen to what he said. Not anymore. Blood was rushing through his ears, blocking out the noise as his hands strained against the rope and his mind searched frantically for a solution. If only he could get free and grab a weapon…
He thought of the guns Ethan supposedly had. But even if he could find where they were hidden, they’d probably be locked up.
Maybe he could relieve some guard of his rifle—a guard more interested in watching the rape of a beautiful woman than in doing his job. But Nate couldn’t spot anyone on security patrol. Bart seemed to be concentrating all his forces along the perimeter of the compound. The Covenanters couldn’t risk letting someone from the outside see or hear what was going on….
And then it occurred to him. The guards’ station. This late, he couldn’t imagine they’d man it. Most likely, all the guards would be walking the fence. The gate was part of the fence, of course, and they’d be watching it carefully. But no one would expect a threat to come from inside the compound. If he could sneak into the guards’ shack, he might be able to find an extra weapon….
He checked to see what Bart was doing. Ethan’s right-hand man was up out of his seat, holding back the men waiting for their chance at Rachel. He was also organizing the Brethren in the line, as if order was important. For the moment, he seemed to have forgotten Nate. Maybe he was thinking about the fact that his lover would be the first to “spill his seed” into the Vessel “God had prepared.”
As the crowd pressed closer, some of the Covenanters moved in front of the chairs and, at that point, Nate couldn’t see Bart at all. But neither could he get free. He was too tired, too weak.
And then someone came up to him. “You’re a fool for losing a woman like that.”
Everyone looked the same in a hood, and Nate couldn’t place the voice. “Who’re you?”
“My name’s Todd.”
“Todd who?”
“Todd Wilson.”
Martha’s husband? New hope flowed through Nate. “I have to tell you something, Todd,” he said in a low voice.
“What’s that?”
“I know where your wife is.”
Todd had to fight the crowd just to remain stationary. “So do I. The Brethren called me in, told me she’s in Willcox. They want me to try and get in touch with her. I sent a letter to the post office there, hoping they’d deliver it. But there hasn’t been enough time to hear back.”
“Your letter won’t reach her. Bart took Sarah to Willcox yesterday and used her to gain Martha’s trust.”
Todd braced against two people who shoved past him. “So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying your wife’s in a pit under the Enlightenment Hall. And she’s dying.”
“That’s a lie!” The incredulity in his voice said he refused to believe it. Nate had to convince him.
“No, it’s not. Last night they raped her with everything imaginable. She’s been passed out on the floor of her cell ever since. We couldn’t get her to respond to us.”
“Raped her? No. She lost her testimony. The Guides were just…” His words fell off as if the excuse sounded lame even to his own ears.
Beads of sweat rolled down Nate’s back. “It’s murder,” he said. “And what’s happening here isn’t right, either. Untie me so I can protect my wife.”
The eyes showing through the slits in Todd’s hood darted between him and the altar. “It’s a privilege to be the Vessel. What we’ll be doing, it’s an—an act of love.”
“Ask her if she wants your love,” he spat. “She’s drugged out of her mind and yet she’d still refuse if she could.”
“Is your love any better?” Todd shot back. “You beat her. I saw the evidence.”
He didn’t have much time. They were about to start. “She did that, I didn’t. We’re both undercover agents. And if you don’t help us, you’ll be as guilty as Ethan and Bart.”
“Undercover agents?” he echoed.
Nate brushed off his surprise. “There’ll be plenty of others who’ll come looking for us. If you want to stay out of prison, I suggest you let me go before Rachel is raped. If you do, I’ll make sure you have a second chance at a good life, one that doesn’t include hard time, so you can raise your little boy.”
Todd wrung his hands but made no move to help. They hadn’t touched Rachel yet. Ethan was whipping the crowd into a frenzy of excitement.
“Todd!” Nate snapped. “Now!”
The chanting grew louder. “But…what if you’re lying? I’ll be kicked out, shunned.”
“You’re wearing a hood. No one’ll know it was you who set me free. If it comes to that, I’ll say I did it myself.” Had he possessed his usual strength, he probably could’ve freed himself.