Daughter of Deliverance Read Free Page A

“Drink this,” she whispered. His hands were hot in hers as she held the cup and he drank thirstily.
    â€œThat was good, Aunt.”
    â€œYou lie still now and try to sleep.”
    Oman nodded, but his body was hot as a furnace and he kicked off his cover. She picked him up and carried him into the living area, where she laid him on a pallet, then filled a pan with water. Dipping a cloth in it and wringing it out, she began applying it to his thin limbs and body.
    â€œThat feels so good!”
    â€œI’m glad. Just be still now.”
    â€œTell me a story.”
    â€œNo, you need to sleep.”
    â€œBut I’ll go to sleep if you tell me a story.”
    Rahab whispered, “All right, I’ll tell you a story about a little bear and a little deer that became friends out in the forest….”
    Somewhere in the middle of the story, Rahab turned at a noise and saw Romar coming out of the sleeping room. “How is he?” she asked, dark circles under her eyes.
    â€œHe had a fever,” Rahab said, “but I think it’s finally going down.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you wake me?” Romar said.
    â€œI knew you needed your sleep,” Rahab replied with a smile.
    â€œBut what about you? You’re the one who’s been up with him, and now it’s almost time for you to go to work again. Oh, how I wish you didn’t have to go work for that awful man!”
    â€œIt’s not that bad.”
    â€œYes it is. Couldn’t you find something else to do?”
    Rahab shook her head. There was no point even discussing it because work was scarce. She had been working for the weaver for three years and had become quite an expert. There were other weavers in town, but despite his roaming hands, Gadiah did pay a little more than the others. “It doesn’t matter,” Rahab said, shaking her head.
    Romar reached for her son. “Here, let me hold him while you eat a good breakfast.”
    Rahab fixed a simple meal of rice cakes and dried fish. The larder was almost empty, so she did not eat as much as she wanted.
    â€œI’ve got to go now,” she said. “I’ll stop by the market and see if I can get something that will be good for him to eat.”
    â€œDon’t let Father see it,” Romar said bitterly. “He’d take food out of a starving child’s mouth.”
    Rahab did not have an answer for that. She knew that the words were literally true. Things had been a little easier when their mother was alive. To be sure, Makon had abused both her sisters, but Rahab had had enough strength of character to resist him and had been able, at times, to keep him from the worst excesses. No one, however, had been able to keep him from gambling. It was a wild sickness in him, and he lost every bit of money that came into his hands to other gamblers.
    â€œI’ll try to be back early, Romar,” she said. She leaned over and kissed Oman and saw that he was asleep. “I’ll stop by the temple and leave a gift and pray for his healing.”
    â€œLittle good that will do,” Romar said bitterly. She had no confidence in the gods. Rahab herself had little, but what else was there to do?
    Leaving the house, she turned and headed toward the weaver’s shop. By the time she got to Gadiah’s dwelling, the sun had turned a brilliant red and was lighting up the city. Outside the shop she paused for a minute, dreading to go inside. She knew that her employer had been a womanizer for a long time. He had slept with almost all the women who worked for him. The few who refused to give in to him did not last long in his employ, and Rahab knew that sooner or later she would have to face up to this.
    She entered the house through a small room and then stepped through a door that led into the work area. Three of the other women were already there, and Gadiah was with them. He was laughing and had his hand on the neck of one of them.