Mae wrapped her arms around herself, protectively, and said, “What are you to do with us now? What are you to do with my baby? Please let us go, Cain… please, if there is any good left within you, just let us go. Do not take my family from me… please…”
Anger built in my stomach as I stared at Mae. Anger that she should have been with me, but was not. Anger that Judah had lied to my face when I had asked him what punishment he inflicted on Delilah. And anger at myself, for not knowing every part of the commune’s day to day practices. For not knowing what Judah was permitting when holding the Lord’s Sharings. For not knowing he had taken children. For not knowing his consort was a fourteen-year-old child, one that he had planted in the Hangmen, without my permission. And his plan to bring the Cursed to me, knowing we were not strong enough yet to defend against the Hangmen if they attacked, as surely they now would.
Then I noticed something else… I noticed a purse near the wooden wall, and my stomach sank. Rushing forward, I picked up the purse that was laid next to where Delilah was sat and ripped open the zipper. I pushed in my hand, and in seconds felt her cell in my hand.
I blanched.
With my hands fisted at my side, I shouted, “Judah!”
Judah came running in, Sarai following behind. I pointed at her and ordered, “Get out! I did not call for you! You have no business answering my call!”
Sarai paled, but then ran back out of mill. Judah looked to me, and a proud smile began to spread on his lips. That just incensed me even more, and I stepped closer to him. “Get the van readied,” I ordered.
Judah looked down to the sisters and said, “And what about them?”
I went to push past Judah, when he grabbed my arm. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly, but I could hear the anger in his voice.
“I am letting them go,” I replied shortly.
“You are what?” Judah asked in exasperation, his hands running through his hair.
“I am letting them go. They no longer belong with us at New Zion. They are wed and having children with other men. If the Lord wanted them with us, he would have never made that possible.”
Judah grabbed onto my arm again. “Then the devil’s men win. If we cannot use them as wives, then we shall take them in revenge. They invaded our sacred land, they killed our uncle. They must pay. We are in a war!”
With a surge of fury in my blood, I pressed my palms to Judah’s chest and slammed him against the nearby wooden wall.
Judah’s eyes widened and I lifted the cell in my hand. “Do you know what this is, brother?”
Judah’s eyes narrowed on the cell. “It’s a phone.”
I pushed it further to his face and snapped, “It’s a cell phone. A cell phone with a GPS. A GPS that the Hangmen will one hundred percent be tracking. A GPS that will have shown the Hangmen exactly where we are, and if I’m right, they’ll be arriving here any fucking time.”
Judah’s face paled as I let him go. He looked to the sisters, and said, “So? Crush the cell and let’s take them home. We cannot simply give them back!”
I looked at my brother as though he was simple. “Do you not think they will come in for us? They know where we are, Judah! Surely you cannot be this na?ve!”
His face frosted over. “The Lord is on our side. If they come for us, we will prevail.”
At this point I realized how sheltered Judah truly was. He had no idea of what he had done. No fucking idea! Staring him straight in the face, I said, “I am the Prophet, Judah. Me. And I make the decisions. It was ill thought of you to go behind my back and plant your child whore in the Hangmen compound. It was ill thought out of you to ever believe that you know what is best for our people, above me.”
Hearing the sisters’ terrified whimpers getting louder behind us, I took hold of my brother’s arm and dragged him outside. I strode past Brother Luke who had Sarai by his side, and signaled with my chin for them to get in the van. Brother Luke frowned, but something in my face must have convinced him not to ask any questions.