Daughter of Deliverance by Gilbert Morris Read Free Book Online

winked at his wife and Rahab.
    â€œNo, you can’t sing as good as Aunt Rahab,” Oman said.
    â€œWell, I’ll sing one more, but that’s all,” Rahab conceded.
    Rahab had a beautiful singing voice, and she knew a great many songs. This one was a song she had learned as a child that told the story of two rabbits trying to get away from a hungry wolf. As always, the rabbits escaped and the wolf fell into dire difficulty.
    â€œI love that one. Sing it again!” Oman exclaimed, his eyes bright.
    â€œNo, that’s enough singing for one night,” Kadir said. “It’s time for you young ones to go to bed.”
    â€œThat’s right,” Romar agreed. “Come now.” She left with Oman and Zayna and came back soon. “They’re exhausted, but it’s been a good day for them,” she said.
    Kadir was feeling very happy, and it showed in the brightness of his eyes. He had found a job he could do sitting in a shop for a potter. It did not pay much, but it was steady work. “Let’s have some more of that wine,” he said, “to celebrate my new employment.”
    Romar went to get the wine, but before she could get to it, the door swung open. They all turned expectantly.
    Rahab’s heart sank as she saw her father. Tears were running down his face as he blubbered incoherently and stumbled into the room.
    â€œWhat is it, Father?” Romar cried, going to him without hesitation.
    â€œLost…lost…lost!”
    â€œWhat’s lost?” Kadir demanded. “What’s wrong, Makon?”
    Makon shook his head. Then he began weeping uncontrollably and flung himself into a chair. He put his arms down and buried his face in them.
    Rahab went and put her hand on his shoulder and waited until the paroxysm of weeping had stopped. “What is it?” she said, but somehow even before he spoke, a sense of doom touched her.
    At last Makon straightened up and stared about wildly. “We’re lost!” he wailed. “We’re all going to be slaves.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Romar whispered, fear showing in her eyes. “What do you mean we’ll be slaves?”
    â€œI had the game all won, but something went wrong. I bet all of us against Shalmanezer. If I’d won, we’d have enough money to do anything right now. But I lost!”
    â€œYou bet all of us, your own family?” Rahab cried. “How could you do such a thing?”
    Makon could not answer for a while. Then he cried out wildly, “It’s all my fault. Give me a knife. I’ll kill myself.”
    â€œNo need to talk like that,” Kadir snapped. “Now tell us what happened. Straighten up. We must know.”
    Rahab and the others listened as her father related the details of the game. He was such a foolish man he could not see how the other three had ganged up on him and cheated him. Now it was too late.
    â€œMaybe he’ll have mercy on us,” Romar whispered.
    â€œNo, he won’t.” Rahab’s face was pale. “He’ll make slaves out of us all. Especially me.”
    â€œHe’s sending his servants tomorrow,” Makon whispered. “We’ll all be his slaves forever.”
    ****
    Rahab approached the front door of Shalmanezer’s fine home. Her face was set, and her lips were drawn into a straight line. She knocked on the door, and Lamile greeted her. The woman stared at her and understood everything all at once. “I see he got you.” Disappointment tinged her voice. “I thought you might be the one to stand up against him. How did he do it?”
    â€œHe tricked my father in a game of chance into risking the whole family as security, so now we’ll all be his slaves.”
    Lamile was a hard woman, and there was little compassion or concern in her for anyone else. But something about the defenseless young woman before her touched a part of her she thought was long