Suddenly, a blow to the back of my head ripped me from sleep. My eyes stung with the pain of the strike, and my vision blurred. I turned to fight off my attacker, when a sack was pulled over my head, plunging me into darkness. I fought to get free, but tight ties were wrapped around my arms and feet. I was picked up, many hands holding my arms and legs. And I was ripped from my home into the cold dawn air.
As a light breeze whipped through my tunic and pants, I heard the unlocking of a door, and the echo of feet pounding on stone floors.
I tried again to get free, I tried to loosen my ties, but they were too tightly bound. I breathed hard as the opening of another door sounded out. Then pain racked my body as I was tossed onto a hard floor, the impact causing my head to crack against a hard wall.
Shuffling sounds surrounded me, then the sack was roughly lifted from my head. I blinked against the hard bright light. As I focused, I saw four gray stone walls, the smell of damp and sweat filling my nose.
Then I looked up. Looked up to find Judah and Brother Luke, along with two other disciples dressed in black, all peering down at me.
Judah was staring down at me as though I were a stranger. “Release me, now!” I snapped. My head throbbed at the blows I had taken. When my twin did not react, I fought against the restraints, then snarled, “As your prophet, I demand that you release me!” Nobody moved, until suddenly, they turned to leave.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I thundered, “Judah!”
My twin stilled, and walking back into the cell to stand at my feet, he said, “You, Judah, brother of the prophet.” He pointed at my face and my eyes widened at his words. “You are charged with treason against The Order. You are to be incarcerated in this cell until I decide your punishment.”
He turned to leave, when I again screamed, “You can’t do this! JUDAH!!!”
Judah froze in his steps, and turning to me, he shook his head. “No, brother. You, are Judah.” He reached up and pulled his long brown hair from its band, the long brown strands falling down his back in the style I, as the prophet, always wore. “I am Prophet Cain. I am the destined Prophet of The Order. And I have a holy war to prepare for.”
With that Judah left, slamming the door shut, plunging the cell into darkness. Leaving me alone. Betraying his own twin. His brother. His only fucking family…
“JUDAH!”
Epilogue
Flame
A knock sounded on the door. Pulling it open, AK stood in front of our cabin. Without saying a word, he handed me two small boxes and a bigger one. My stomach rolled with nerves as I held them in my hands.
AK cleared his throat. “It’s all there, brother. Good luck, yeah?” He smirked, then flicked his hand in a wave as he walked back to his cabin.
Turning, I shut the door, just as Maddie walked out of the bathroom. And I fucking froze. My hands gripped on the boxes as I took in how she looked.
She wore a long white dress with no sleeves. Her long black hair was curled into waves that fell to the bottom of her back, and she had flowers pinning back two sections of her hair from the front of her face.
Maddie’s face blushed as I stared. “Maddie,” I rasped.
Running her hands along her dress, she asked, “Do I look okay?”
“You look fucking beautiful.”
Maddie dipped her eyes, then glanced up at me through her long black lashes. “It is silly, but I wanted to dress appropriately. I,” she swallowed, and fiddling with her hands, said, “I wanted you to think me beautiful tonight. When we did this. When we made this commitment.”
A groan left my throat, and I replied, “I always fucking think you’re beautiful.”
“As I do you,” she replied. I looked down at my leathers, boots and cut, and frowned. I looked the same as always.
Maddie moved toward me and smiled. Her fingers pointed to the boxes in my hand, and she asked, “You have everything we will need?” I nodded, and Maddie held out her hand. “Then shall we?”