Before the Fall Read Online Free

come with me.”
    “What is it?” Rachel asked.
    “The soldiers. They are coming for us. You and Raphael need to leave.”
    Rachel looked at Raphael with a question in her eyes that he didn’t want to answer. If the men were here to destroy the tent community and the people that lived within it, there was nothing they could do. To be more accurate, there were not allowed to do anything beyond what they were assigned to do. They could not interfere. Rachel wanted to stop the unimaginable.
    When he shook his head, her eyes darted to the tent where Ethan hid and then to Obadiah. Blood drained from her face.
    “No,” she mouthed.
    There was a loud grunt and a weathered hand reached out, seeking Rachel’s attention.
    “Rachel, hand me my staff,” Obadiah said.
    “What are you doing?” She gasped as he shifted his weight, getting ready to stand. She rushed to the tent opening and grabbed a long dark stick. She hurried back to him, placing it in his hand.
    Muscles protruded through his bony arms as he pulled himself up, his legs wobbling when he stood. “I will meet the soldiers. Take Ethan and the others away from here.”
    Rachel’s jaw dropped as she watched Obadiah shuffle away from her.
    “No, please don’t,” she said, going after him.
    Obadiah kept on walking, his feet stirring up dust as they brushed over the dirt. “Make haste, woman. I can only distract them for a short time.”
    “I will go with you,” Rachel insisted.
    Obadiah stopped. He looked back at Raphael, then turned to her. His hand shook as he reached out to touch her cheek. “I have lived a great many years. I have served The Almighty faithfully even when I was cast out from my own home . . . even when my daughter was slain. Now, on my last day of life, He has sent you and your companion. I never thought that with my last breath I would touch an angel, a daughter of The Most High.”
    Rachel gasped and blinked. “I . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    Obadiah gave her a knowing smile. “Go help the others, Rachel. Perhaps we shall meet again someday.”

4
    “R achel,” Raphael called out to her. “Help me find Miriam.”
    Rachel looked from Raphael to Obadiah, who shuffled toward the soldiers. Confusion marred her delicate features. Should she stand with Obadiah who was determined to meet the soldiers head on or obey her orders?
    Sad brown eyes met Raphael’s when she finally went to him. “Is there not anything we can do?”
    He gazed deep into her eyes. How could he tell her that even if they tried, there was no guarantee the soldiers would listen to reason? Even though they had the power of mind manipulation and could use it against the soldiers, it was not for them to influence the free will of men. That is the creed that all archangels live by. Admittedly, it was something difficult to do, especially in a time like this. To have power to save others’ lives and not be allowed to use it. He only had to make the suggestion and the humans would follow his directive. Rachel knew about this gift, but her soul was so pure, the thought did not even occur to her that it would be an option.
    “The best we can do is to help the others to flee,” he said.
    Rachel’s lip quivered as she watched Obadiah continue his trek.
    With each wobbling step Obadiah took, Raphael’s awe grew for the old man. Obadiah, fragile in body, was so strong in spirit that his only thought was to protect the others, not to avoid the danger that he was placing himself in as he approached the soldiers. He must have known that the end for him was near, yet still he walked on. It was that kind of courage that made Raphael love humans even more. If only Lucifer could see what he was seeing.
    Raphael placed a hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Come. I will get Ethan and you can go find—”
    A sweet voice floated through the air above the growls of the angry mob and the marching of the soldiers. It was so soft, Raphael wondered if he had imagined