She let the statement stand as speculation whispered through the sanctuary. My mother sat perfectly still beside me. We were perhaps the only two in that room who wondered if Rose could be wrong about Ben.

Rose lifted her hand for silence. “As you also know, a young boy unknown to us all accompanied Ben. He too was permitted to stay. But much has come to light since their arrival. Now we know the darkness took Ben’s life because his only role was to deliver the boy to us. And that boy is the darkness masquerading as light.”

Silence.

Colin was the first to ask the obvious question. “How can you be sure? He’s so young.”

“I’m certain!” Rose snapped with enough conviction to make any man cringe. She continued in a more measured tone. “I have it from the highest authority that the great deceiver who would test us in the end has come. And our time is short. He may have seemed young and innocent, but if his full power as a Fury is allowed to manifest, you will wish you had never been born!”

I held my breath, taken aback by her strong words. Voices of concern erupted, but Rose silenced them quickly with both hands raised.

“The boy escaped us, almost certainly with the help of someone here. He walks free to stalk us in his deceptive ways. For the sake of our salvation and inheritance, I implore you to understand the gravity of this situation. The wolf is at large and must be apprehended at all costs.”

A beat passed. To a man, woman, and child, we hung on her every word. She still hadn’t answered Colin’s simple question with any detail. How could she be so sure Eli was the wolf in sheep’s clothing? Eli had done nothing to show himself as a threat. Sylous had said this?

My heart was pounding so loudly that I wondered if my mother might hear. Or worse, Jamie, who was watching the prophet, drinking in her words. He wouldn’t hesitate to turn me in if he even suspected my involvement.

“Until the boy and any who might have assisted him are found, we are placing Haven Valley under high-alert protocols. All members of Haven Valley will be required to be in their homes by five p.m. sharp. All children will be kept at home during the day, watched and accounted for. No one is allowed outside alone. Groups of three must be maintained at all times. All able men over the age of sixteen will report to Harrison to participate in a search for the boy, which will now extend beyond the perimeter.”

“Outside the perimeter?” Colin said. “If the boy’s escaped our valley, then we’re safe.”