The Forsaken (The Chosen Series Book 2), Patricia Bell [e textbook reader .txt] 📗

“Probably not far, if at all.”

“I think we would still need to cut the electricity. I mean, Malachi is a pretty big guy. We might have to dig for days to get him out. And speaking of, I don’t think he likes me.”

“Sure, he does. Who could not like you?”

Luna laughed. “I have a list. You wanna see?”

He bent down and kissed her forehead. “I’m not on it, and that’s all that matters. So, as you were saying, you think we should still figure out how to cut the electricity to the fence? That is going to be hard. Do you know anything about electricity?”

“No, but my good friend Google does.”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. She’d tried to show him some different things on her laptop, but the only thing that had interested him were YouTube videos.

“You know. The search engine.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Luna rolled her eyes. It was obvious he had no idea what she was talking about.

After hours of searching and plotting, they had come up with a plan. She could hardly wait to meet Malachi the next day to explain it to him. It would be imperative that he played a part in it. They could think of no way to pull it off without him.

Chapter 33 ― Daniel

Daniel sat at the table with his parents and ate his dinner. He wanted to be out with Abigail. He worried about her all the time. It was unusual for his father to eat dinner with them, but on rare occasions, the High Prophet would demand it. Usually, Daniel looked forward to those times. But lately, he could no longer stand to look at his father.

“I have an announcement,” his father said, making Daniel drop his fork.

“Yes, father?” Daniel asked.

His mother looked to the High Prophet.

“God spoke to me last night. He told me that you have not been chosen to be the next High Prophet. Your mother will conceive again.”

Daniel stared in stunned silence at his father. Something like this had never, ever, happened. God had ordained each High Prophet. From Daniel the first, all the way down to him. Each of them married, gave birth to one son, and that son became the next prophet. No girls had ever been born to a High Prophet, and no other children had been conceived. One prophet, one wife, one son. That was the standard. God’s standard. And now He was changing His mind?

“But High Prophet—” Daniel’s mother spoke but was cut off by his father.

“God has spoken. Would you challenge God?”

Daniel had the distinct idea that his father was speaking of himself again in the third person.

“No, High Prophet.” She bowed her head in silence.

Daniel wanted to scream at his father. It wasn’t that he wanted to be the next leader but more that his father had lost his mind. His stability. He was dangerous.

“You will no longer be called Daniel. God has now ordained you Achan.”

“Achan?” Daniel asked. The name was familiar from his Old Testament studies. But he was not sure of the man’s story. “Why Achan?”

“Dare you question God?” the man bellowed. “What is wrong with my family that they would so willingly question their Deity?”

Daniel had no words. He stared at his mother as her eyes glossed up. His mother had always been the kinder, gentler one. She’d never disrespected his father. Ever.

The silence was eerie as they went back to eating their dinners. Only Daniel was no longer hungry. Not willing to test his father any further, Daniel choked down the last of his pork chop.

AS DANIEL LAY IN BED deep in thought about his father, he’d made a decision. He would ask Malachi to allow him to go with them. He could no longer watch his father slip into craziness. Achan? He still hadn’t looked up the man. Who was he? Daniel got up and went to his desk. He opened his laptop and did a Google search of the name. He clicked on the first one in his feed and read.

Achan, the son of Karmi...

He continued to read. Appalled, he closed his laptop and stared out the window. His father had utterly cracked. Achan, an Israelite, had disobeyed God and pillaged from the spoils of battle after being explicitly told not to. He hid valuables under his tent, making God angry with Israel. When he was found out, he was stoned to death and burned. There was more, but Daniel had gotten the idea. His father was labeling him as a traitor of the worst kind.

“Are you well, son?” his mother’s voice came from behind.

Daniel closed his laptop and turned. “Yes, Mother.”

“Come. I want to speak to you.” She sat down on his bed and patted the space next to her.

Daniel went to her.

She placed an arm around him. “You must never tell a soul what I am about to tell you,” she whispered. “Do you understand?”

Daniel nodded.

“Your father is not well.”

That was the understatement of the year. Daniel nodded in agreement.

“You see, something has happened in the line of the Prophets. Your father, he was not the only child born to a High Prophet.”

“What do you mean?” His father was not an only child?

“This is not known by the community. I only know because the same has happened to you.”

“Mother, you are not making sense. I have no siblings.”

“You do.” She nodded, and a tear fell from her eyes. “You have three.”

Daniel stared at her. He could not make sense of what she was saying.

She wiped her eyes. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Three sisters. They are now, each of them in the Kingdom.”

Daniel’s face paled. Saliva rushed to his mouth. “You . . . he . . . They are dead?”

His mother nodded.

“But how? Why?”

“Your Great-Grandfather said that God had no longer counted us as His Chosen when your father was not the firstborn. Someone had fallen out of line, and God had forsaken them. That the curse would be passed onto the sons.”

“But, then