Daughters of Thunder - Evangheline C Farcas (find a book to read .TXT) 📗

Daughters of Thunder
A Novel by
Evangheline C Farcas


PROLOGUE


He had lured them.
It was an easy task, they were so trusting. Yet he never thought they would be such a burden.
In the beginning it had been a thrilling challenge, he played them one against the other. He held enough mystery to captivate their attention, he was nothing like the others dueling for their attention. He spoke only when needed, yet his eyes contained mysteries, secrets, excitement. Danger.
Radiana was the first to fall for his charms, he planted a seed of hope in her all too sweet heart. But only a little hope, no more. Then he left her hanging and began on her sister, Rachel. She was posed more of a challenge, which he didn’t mind. It was not that much of a challenge, they all succumbed to him eventually. Soon she did. So the sisters loathed each other, but never in his presence. In his presence they were sweet, each trying to outshine the other. It was simply marvelous feeding on their raw emotions--for indeed, hell hath no furry like a woman’s furry.
It was not a hard task to suggest an outing- a mountain hike- they all loved nature.
They loaded the Silverado truck with enough gear to last them a few days. But there was no need.. Grandfather Mountain was breathtaking---literally.


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Caleb was a simple man, with simple faith. He was a blessed man. He had two daughters, who were often defiant but beautiful and full of zeal. He had a wife who love him and was the pillar of the family. Often troubles would barge in to shake the foundations of their home, but in these times Caleb simply did what he did best. One knee at a time he would kneel, turn his face to heaven, and ask. The odd thing was that what he asked for he received. Not once did he doubt, why would he?
Until today. Today was unquestionably different. Chaos was even now ripping through his life. Three days, it had been three full days with no word. They were gone. His daughters had vanished. His heart beat with the rage of a father.
They had said there were traces of a struggle, of course his daughters were fighters-always had been. Radiana’s necklace was found, blood was found, but they were gone.
His heart beat with fear, he could hear it in his ears. Thunder could be heard outside echoing his heart. He was not the only one filled with rage.


CHAPTER 1


Radiana giggled, then sighed in contentment as she lowered her camera. “That’s going to be a great picture.” she said. “We needed this Accalon, thanks.” she continued as Rachel nodded in agreement. Her aqua blue eyes shimmered with excitement and Radiana felt a pang of jealousy as she studied her sister’s eyes, which reminded her of the ocean off the shores of Hawaii. What deepened her jealousy was how Accalon gazed at Rachel, as if she were an angel sent from heaven- everyone looked at her like that.
“We should pack up. It’ll be dark soon, father will worry.” Radiana stated, shifting the attention back to her.
He looked at her with the same gaze he had bestowed on her sister only moments ago. “You’re a good daughter to be so obedient.”
Radiana wasn’t sure if he meant to mock her. Accalon studied her as if he could penetrate her mind. She shifted nervously under his gaze, she felt almost as though she should be ashamed of her devotion and love of her father. She felt childish. He continued gazing at her with his mysterious silence until she longed to hear what was on his mind.
“Nonetheless, lets stay a moment longer, lets not miss the sunset.” His tone left no room for argument, nor would the sisters have given an argument.
So they sat once more at the edge of the rocky cliff, overlooking the deep valley bellow. The sun in its descent splashed a rainbow of colors on the horizon. It was breathtaking and terrifying all at once. The sun seemed reluctant to fade below the horizon, it was like a guardian angel refusing to leave the world to the night.
“Here,” he said taking out a canister, “drink this, it’ll warm you up.”
Gratefully they each took satisfied gulps of the hot tea. It tasted of rosehips and strawberry and a minty flavor they couldn’t quite place. Though it warmed them it left a bitter aftertaste.
They just sat there for a few minutes in silence, just absorbing the beauty around them, breathing in the crisp air. Rachel’s eyes began to droop, as if she could barely hold them open and like a child she rested her auburn head on Accalon’s shoulders. Radiana thought she should be jealous and that she should say something witty, but she was too tired to think clearly. All she could do was look at her sister, wishing that was her with her head on his strong shoulders.
Accalon took out what looked like a thick rope, “How ’bout a little game?” he winked, his voice was milky. That sounded logical, perhaps it would even chase away this sudden drowsiness.
He wrapped the rope around Rachel’s hands and Radiana’s curiosity was piqued. What sort of childish game was this? But Accalon, though tough, was a child at heart, thought Radiana.
“Ouch!” she cried out in surprise, but he ignored her. Rachel squirmed and struggled to get the rope off her hands. “I don’t like this game, you’re hurting me!” each word though filled with desperation was spoken with tremendous effort, as if she couldn’t get enough air to speak.
“Shh, shhhh, my sweet. Trust me.”
But Rachel continued to struggle, while Radiana looked on with half-closed eyes. She began to think something was wrong, the fear in her sister’s face was too real.
“Let go!” Rachel cried, but it sounded like a whisper.
Roughly, he pulled her up, away from the edge, but Rachel kept pulling away--until he slapped her.
Radiana gasped. Holding her hands out for balance she rose, with unsteady feet she walked away from the edge, determined to reach her sister.
But he moved too fast, dragging the whimpering Rachel to the truck. He lifted her off the ground as if she weighed less than an infant. A sickening thud resounded as he threw her into the bed of the truck, at which her whimpering abruptly ceased. He climbed in and proceeded to tie her up. All the while Radiana tried to get her feet to move, to run, at least to walk. But she felt as if she was moving through an ocean of water with waves of nausea slamming her back. She had too keep moving!
Trying to focus on the black truck, she willed herself to place one foot in front of another, though before she knew it she stubbed her food on a jagged rock. The ground collided with her face, or was it the other way around? Electrifying pain shot through her. Dear God! She pleaded as her father had taught her, but that was as far as the prayer went, she felt someone pulling at her hair. She could feel chunks of them coming out as she was dragged backward. He wrapped his strong arms around her neck. She faught back trying to pull back at his pinkie fingers with all her might. This was a flashback. A memory, as though before death, of a maneuver she had learned from somewhere, but she couldn’t remember where. He yelped in pain and let out a string of curses she had never heard from his mouth before. Radiana faced him and attempted to lunge at him with as powerful a punch that she could muster, but again she felt as though she was moving through water. There was no strength behind the punch, her fist landed weakly on his chest.
She tried to pull back, tried to turn and run but he lunged for her neck. He grasped her star of David necklace with the cross in the center of it. It tore through her skin as it napped. Rage filled her as adrenaline attempted to pump through her. Her heart thundered. Opening the palm of her hand she slammed it into his nose with a force that was stronger then she thought she possessed. Taking advantage of the momentum she didn’t stop, she kicked his knee cap and he bent over in surprise. The rage continued to push her on as she formed a fist and slammed it into his temple as he toppled to the ground, stunned.
Not daring to pause for breath she turned to the truck, she had to get to Rachel. As she took a step forward his hands shot out from beneath him and took hold of her foot in an iron grip. When her head hit a jagged rock she could feel warm liquid beneath her, as though it was a puddle. The world she knew faded to a stormy black.


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Numerous times Caleb had placed calls to their cells, and numerous times he was greeted by their sing-song voices, prompting him to leave a message. He knew. He just knew that he must reach them. The night was passing fast, it was already three in the morning. So it was in those early hours, before he picked up the phone to call for help to find his daughters, that the father knew. But he couldn’t bend his knees to pray, for fear was chocking him.


-Chapter 2-


As the sisters awoke, coldness slithered through their bones. Their hands were painfully bound. Darkness shrouded them and silence choked them. Fear kept them just as bound as the ropes, but anger drove them. As their anger rose it seemed as though the thunder in the dark night responded, the ground shook with it. The electrifying light of the lightning seeped through the cracks of the roof above their heads.
Accalon would pay, the fool didn’t know what he had stolen. Oh but soon he would.
Their eyes gave a mesmerizing glow each time the lightning came, the thunder punctuating their rage.
“Rachel?” whispered Radiana in a voice that trembled.
A few heartbeats passed.
“Yes, sister.” she replied, her voice flat.
But Radiana didn’t know what to ask, didn’t know what to say, their predicament needed no explanation and to ask if she was okay was ludicrous. Of course neither was okay.
“Are you okay?” she found herself asking anyway, just to fill the petrifying silence.
“Just peachy, sister.”
“Don’t use that tone with me, this is your fault!” retorted Radiana just above a whisper. The ground trembled.
“Mine? How so?” her words came with an effort but clearly brimming with rage.
“You and your charm abasing yourself, flirting