Chapter 10—Celestial Sex-Trafficker
Hannah nestled into her one-and-only comfy chair and reveled in the luxury of having something to read once more. Ever since her abduction by the Nephilim, non-religious books had been denied her. Reading Fallen texts was an occupation meant only for scholars, archwardens and the Diviner. No doubt, Father Abraham feared that exposure to unorthodox ideas might cause people to start thinking for themselves. The girl chuckled grimly—little chance of that happening here.
Shortly after her incarceration, Hannah had grown fretful and fidgety with nothing to occupy her mind. She begged Daniel to bring her a book. It didn’t matter what the topic was, so long as it wasn’t a sermon. She assumed he would smuggle her a single title but instead he brought her an ebook reader loaded with over two hundred volumes. The Scion had gotten a list of her school subjects from Zachary and, with the help of his librarian friend Chris, had improvised a reading list for her. He’d also included a hefty fiction selection for fun. Even though the ebook reader had internet capability, Daniel warned her not to use the connection since the device might be traceable. No matter, there were enough books already downloaded to last her six months. With any luck, she’d be freed from the compound long before she ran out of subjects to explore.
Her eventual liberty now seemed assured. Daniel told her of the meeting between the Nephilim and the Arkana. Wonder of wonders, Father Abraham had agreed to let his enemies take her back temporarily as a hostage in exchange for the artifact they were all chasing. She smiled at the word “temporarily.” Once she was back in the outer world, the Diviner would never catch her again.
Now that the Scion was in contact with her friends outside, she asked him to bring her news about Granny Faye and Zach. She was relieved to learn that Zach had escaped unharmed but devastated that Granny Faye was in a coma. At least her guardian was still alive and there was hope she might recover once the swelling from her head injury had subsided.
A knock on the door interrupted the girl’s reverie.
“Sister Hannah.”
She jumped to her feet and hurriedly stuffed the ebook reader behind a spare blanket in her closet.
Another knock. “I’m coming in.” The voice brooked no refusal. A key turned, the door opened, and Mother Rachel entered.
Hannah tensed. The Diviner’s principal wife was nearly as daunting as Father Abraham himself. She was very tall and generally used her height advantage to look down her nose, both physically and morally, at everybody else.
The matron closed the door behind her and wheeled around to scrutinize Hannah. “Hello, Sister Hannah. You appear quite fit for a sick person.”
The girl made no reply. Instead, she assumed a blank facial expression.
Mother Rachel circled her, noting every aspect of her appearance. While Hannah had been forced to don the gray smock and white apron of a Consecrated Bride, her hair was too short to braid and wrap around her head in the prescribed manner. She still looked like one of the Fallen. In contrast, Mother Rachel’s braided hair formed a towering iron-gray beehive. She’d probably never cut it during her entire lifetime. The Diviner’s principal wife paused after she’d completed her circuit around the girl’s person. She tried looking down her nose but Hannah was tall and nearly matched the matron in height. This required a new tactic to assert her dominance.
“Sit down,” Mother Rachel commanded.
Hannah knew the woman’s reputation for intimidating others. The rest of the Consecrated Brides fluttered out of her range like a flock of doves after a hawk lands in their midst. The girl wasn’t about to obey just because Mother Rachel felt like giving orders. Hannah marveled at her newfound bravery. Her exposure to the outside world had certainly changed her perspective. Even as a hostage, she refused to be cowed. She mentally enumerated her advantages: she had books to occupy her mind, friends outside who planned to rescue her, and the conviction that Abraham Metcalf must protect her so long as she remained his prime bargaining chip. The girl took her time walking back to her seat, showing no trace of nervousness. Instead of offering the comfortable armchair to her guest, she reclaimed it for herself, forcing Mother Rachel to find her own seating arrangement.
The Diviner’s principal wife blinked in surprise at this tacit act of insubordination. She hesitated briefly before dragging one of the hard-bottomed dinette chairs across the room. Positioning it to face Hannah, she settled herself and peered at the girl. “Do you know why I’m here?”
Hannah shook her head, hoping she appeared suitably puzzled.
“I am here because our husband wishes it.”
The girl noted the words “our husband.” It seemed absurd that a woman in her seventies and a teenager should be sharing the same spouse, or any spouse for that matter.
Mother Rachel continued. “Father Abraham has sent me to provide comfort during your time of affliction.”
This time Hannah didn’t need to mimic an expression of bafflement. She was genuinely flummoxed.
Interpreting the girl’s reaction correctly, the old woman gave a thin smile. “Our husband believes you will regain your voice more quickly in a peaceful environment with a female companion to provide emotional support.”
Hannah found herself wondering why the Diviner thought his principal wife was the ideal candidate for the job.
Mother Rachel crossed her arms truculently. “While our husband is the wisest of men he has one weakness. We both know what that is, don’t we?”
The girl squinted at her, waiting for an explanation.
“Don’t pretend to be ignorant,” Mother Rachel countered. “Father Abraham has a blind spot when it comes to you.”
Hannah’s head jerked back in surprise. This conclusion was unexpected.
Perceiving her response, the matron pressed on. “I am astonished that this is news to you. All the faithful can see how he dotes on you. He allows you far too much leeway, in my opinion. I thank the Lord that He has shown me the truth of the situation and guided me to what must be done.” Mother Rachel paused and swiveled around in her seat, apparently looking for something. “Where is your Bible?” she demanded.
Hannah pointed to her nightstand. Every bed chamber in the compound was stocked with a copy of the Bible and the Nephilim Revelations of Jedediah Proctor.
Mother Rachel rose and retrieved the volume from the nightstand drawer. “We’ll begin with this,” she announced, resuming her seat.
For a fleeting moment, Hannah suspected the old woman was going to hit her with the book. Instead, she rested it on her lap and pursed her lips. “My husband’s fondness for you has clouded his judgment. He wishes me to indulge you, to cajole you out of your ailment with sympathy. I hardly think that is the proper method to employ. You need a firm hand to shake you back to reality and make you a useful member of this community once more. Above all, you need the word of God to remind you of your place in the grand design!”
The matron reached into her apron pocket for her reading glasses. She perched them on her nose and leafed through the Bible’s pages, muttering to herself until she found the passage she was looking for. “Here.” She tapped the open page for emphasis. “Right here in black and white. We are told that there is no evil in the world that compares to the evil of the female sex. From Ecclesiastes 25:19: ‘All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman: let the portion of a sinner fall upon her.’ And again in Ecclesiastes 42:13: ‘For from garments cometh a moth, and from women wickedness.’ And lastly in Ecclesiastes 7:26: ‘And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.’”
Mother Rachel eyed Hannah over the rim of her spectacles. “And why has the Lord condemned us so harshly?”
She paused for emphasis, not really expecting a reply. “Because we lead good men astray, that’s why. When the serpent planned the fall of man, he didn’t tempt Adam directly. He chose Eve instead�
��a far easier target. Sadly, the pleasing shape of the weaker vessel gave her great power over her husband. While Adam might easily have resisted the blandishments of the serpent, he couldn’t resist the temptation of his own wife. Woman’s innate corruptibility and man’s vulnerability to her charms gave birth to the world of woe we all inhabit.”
Mother Rachel scowled at the girl. “As it was since the beginning of time, so it is now. My own husband, the prophet of the Blessed Nephilim, has sadly shown himself to be no stronger than any other man in this regard. The Diviner’s weakness for you has made him putty in your hands. Now you seek to subvert the natural order of things and rule over him.”
Hannah was tempted to break her silence and point out that while Mother Rachel was busy lecturing her on the virtue of wifely obedience she herself was rebelling against Father Abraham’s express orders to treat Hannah kindly.
The matron transferred her attention back to the text. Hannah tried to keep from rolling her eyes as Mother Rachel spouted more choice passages condemning female insubordination. The girl allowed her mind to drift to other topics instead. She found herself wondering how many lives had been damaged by Mother Rachel’s toxic influence. She must certainly have passed this same doctrine on to her children and to her children’s children.
Of course, the matron had received a great deal of scriptural help in forming her destructive conclusions. It was clear that the biblical god didn’t like women much. He seemed to blame the entire female sex for ruining his perfectly obedient man. Hannah thought back to her childhood when the story of Eve and the apple had first been taught to her. At the time she’d believed it and felt guilty for things she couldn’t even understand. Then she’d escaped to the so-called Fallen World and the scales fell from her eyes. She went to school and learned about all sorts of other religions—some that even worshipped a female deity. This pagan goddess, as she was called, supposedly created the universe out of her own being and she lived in every atom of it. That must mean she loved the world she’d made and all its creatures, including women. Hannah liked that notion. Deep down, she felt sure that this goddess, whoever she was, wouldn’t stand apart and curse her own creation like some tantrum-prone toddler wrecking a finger painting that had gone wrong.
The girl focused back on Mother Rachel. By now the matron had stopped for breath, having worked herself up into quite a froth. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the girl’s face for some reaction. What did she hope to find there. Fear? Remorse? Hannah’s mask of insipid blankness never varied.
Mother Rachel shook her head. “I see the Fallen world has corrupted your soul. That you could remain unmoved by the Lord’s own words is proof of how shameless you have become. If these messages of divine rebuke can’t stir you, then let me give you something else to think about.” The matron leafed through several pages searching for a particular text. She raised her head and repeated the words from memory. ‘Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die.’”
She jabbed an arthritic index finger in the air to make her point. “There is more at stake here than your own soul.”
Hannah tilted her head to the side, exhibiting a tinge of curiosity. She wondered what Mother Rachel could possibly mean.
The old woman closed the book and removed her glasses. “I couldn’t care less if you wish to damn yourself but I won’t allow you to drag us all down with you.”
Hannah registered surprise.
Mother Rachel elaborated. “Father Abraham is the head of our family and we are all tied to his destiny. When he rises to a glorious rank in the celestial kingdoms, his Consecrated Brides and their children will rise with him. I’ve never doubted I would enter paradise at the end of my days. Until now. Until you...” She trailed off.
Hannah sat forward slightly in her armchair and stared at her visitor, trying to fathom the logic behind her last statement.
“Before you were brought here, Abraham was a robust, vital man. He was decisive and he led the congregation with a sure hand. We were bound for glory under his guidance. But now look at him.”
The question was rhetorical but Hannah began to understand Mother Rachel’s drift. The girl herself was aware of the shocking deterioration in the Diviner’s physical appearance since her escape.
“When you abandoned our husband, he began to change. His health suffered. He could no longer sleep at night. He has resorted to taking strong medicines which leave him vague and uncertain the following day. There are whispers that he has made secret plans which will lead the Nephilim away from the path of righteousness. If this is true, God’s judgment will fall heavily upon him. He will suffer eternal punishment and we will share that horrible fate. Every one of his wives and children will be damned because of you!”
So there it was. Hannah finally understood Mother Rachel’s vested interest in bringing the girl back in line. It wasn’t simple jealousy of a rival as Hannah had initially suspected. The matron obviously believed that if Abraham’s favorite wife was restored to him in a state of docile submission, all would be well. Mother Rachel would be guaranteed a prime seat in the afterlife if she pandered to her husband’s lust for Hannah. The girl kept her face from exhibiting the disgust she felt. Instead, she turned her head aside.
The matron rose and laid the Bible on her empty chair. She slipped her glasses back into her apron pocket, signaling that she had labored long enough in the Lord’s vineyard for one day. “Think about all I’ve told you, Sister Hannah. Read what the Lord says about disobedient wives and take his words to heart. I will visit you every few days and pray that God will open your eyes to the truth.”
She let herself out and locked the door.
Hannah picked up the Bible and stared at it for a long moment. So many words scribbled in its pages to tell her she was a lesser being than a man. Why waste all that ink and restate the obvious if female inferiority was an immutable law of creation? Nobody needed to forbid a bird to rule a country. Birds only knew how to fly. Nobody needed to prohibit a fish from leading an army. Fish only knew how to swim. Yet women were told repeatedly that they were incapable of ruling countries or leading armies. Was it really necessary to ban them from doing something that was beyond their ability to accomplish? Unless, of course, it wasn’t beyond them. What if all those scriptural admonitions were based on fear? Fear that women might realize their inborn power.
“For women, beauty is power.” Hannah flashed back to a conversation she’d had with Faye while picking out her prom dress. The old woman had told her that in civilizations where men made all the rules, women could wreak havoc simply by being desirable. At the time, Hannah had dismissed the idea but the girl was certainly living the truth of that statement now. Hannah had done nothing to encourage the Diviner’s obsession yet she was exerting an influence over his behavior just the same. Her sway was potent enough to threaten both Mother Rachel and Brother Joshua. How ironic. Hannah hadn’t spoken a word of defiance since her return yet her very presence among them seemed to destabilize the tightly-regimented world of the Blessed Nephilim.
She eyed the Bible in her hand with newfound understanding. For all their condemnation of the female sex, maybe the writers of this book felt the same as the Nephilim. In cultures where men craved absolute control, a female with a pretty face and a will of her own was the greatest threat of all. Hannah shrugged, dropped the Bible inside her nightstand, and decisively slammed the drawer on it. Then she retrieved her ebook reader and resumed her novel.
Chapter 11—Special Effects
A cloud of dust rose behind Daniel’s tires as he turned his rental car off the highway and onto a gravel access road. He’d decided, while in Australia, to conduct a private investigation of his own. Once he and his colleagues had returned from Injalak Hill and were preparing to depart for the States, he announced that he needed to fly to Melbourne because the Diviner wanted him to inspect the Nephilim compound there. His associates seemed mildly suspicious but he assured them that his business at the
compound bore no connection whatsoever to the relic quest. When the three parted ways at the airport. Cassie and Griffin returned to Chicago while Daniel embarked on a spurious inspection trip which the Diviner had never authorized him to make.
The Scion wanted to find out if the rumors back home were true. Had his father secretly armed all the satellite outposts? Admittedly, security had been tightened at the main compound but Daniel had no way of knowing if the same was true of the other locations. The rumored underground lab might be just that—a rumor. His friend Chris seemed to think the Diviner was covertly planning a war. A few weeks earlier when emotions were running high, Daniel had been swept up in the wake of the librarian’s suspicions. Now that he’d had time to consider the matter further, the Scion was prepared to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to his friend’s assumptions.
It was absurd to conclude that the Diviner was plotting to harm the entire Fallen world. There was no hard evidence to prove such a scheme existed. The Scion needed to separate fact from fantasy and his visit to the compound in the Yarra Valley ought to help him do just that. What he discovered there would settle the matter once and for all.
After bumping along a rutted gravel road for half a mile, Daniel came to a stop in front of an iron gate. That, in itself, wasn’t entirely surprising. The Nephilim liked to keep prying eyes out of their affairs. More troubling was the fact that a sentry armed with an assault rifle emerged from behind the fence to intercept him.
The Scion lowered his window.
In a monotone, the sentry said, “Please state your business here.”
With memories of his father’s blustery demeanor to inspire him, Daniel stared at the sentry in dour disapproval. “Do you know who I am?” he demanded.
The guard blinked in surprise. “No, sir.”
“I am the son of Abraham Metcalf, your Diviner. I am also the Scion of the Blessed Nephilim which makes me your future leader. Open these gates at once!”
The Sage Stone Prophecy (Arkana Archaeology Adventure Series Book 7) Page 7
