“Yes.”
“Have you noticed Larissa in the presence of other males while in the care of your family?”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“My son attends many meetings. He tells me that he trusts his wife in your family’s care when he cannot chaperone her. Has there ever been males, aside from your two sons, present during those times?”
“We have many visitors. I could not be sure. As you know, I, too, attend the same meetings as Silus.”
“Perhaps we should call your other daughter Grace in for questioning. Or perhaps Abilene.”
Jonas growled and bared his teeth. “There will be no reason to call in my wife or daughter. I would see it as a personal insult if they were bothered with such questioning. It’s under Family Law that such business remains that of a wife and her husband. I suggest you take such a private matter up with your son.”
“True. However, it becomes a council matter if a mated female is placed in jeopardy when under the protection of other relatives.”
“That’s enough,” Ezekiel interrupted calmly. “I will remind you, Brother Damascus, that Larissa and your son are not called mates. Simply husband and wife. Furthermore, I will not tolerate the moral fiber of my kin being called into question. Perhaps you would prefer to call your son up for questioning to obtain the personal information you seek.”
Damascus did not seem pleased by Jonas’s father’s suggestion but relented nonetheless. “Is it true that your daughter-in-law Annalise, wife of Adam, can communicate with Cain through dreams?”
A wash of whispers flowed from the males sitting in the pews. It was common knowledge only true mates shared dreams. “That is correct.”
“Yet she also shared dreams with her husband, Adam.”
“True, though I’m unsure if that’s changed since the mating.”
“Is Annalise aware of Cain’s whereabouts?”
“I don’t know.” A splitting headache produced a steady pounding in Jonas’s head, and he wanted nothing more than to shut his eyes.
Damascus looked at Adam, “Would you be able to speak on your wife’s behalf?”
Adam stood. “I will speak on my mate’s behalf.” He enunciated the title so there would be no confusion about Annalise’s position in his life. “When Anna dreams of Cain, it’s often set in a location they both know. It must be a familiar place they can each imagine. She tells me she mostly sees him in her dreams right here on the farm, more specifically on the western side of our family’s barn where the sun sets. Cain tells her he is spending his time away exploring. He moves around often, and his sole purpose in maintaining a link with my mate is to keep informed of the family.”
“And you find this acceptable?”
“That is not your concern,” Adam growled. “While you may be my elder, she is my mate, and you will not question our private affairs.”
The elder’s thin lips twitched at Adam’s arrogance, but Adam was correct. No male, elder or not, had any right to interfere with Family Law as decided by the head of each household. Marriages were navigated privately. As long as they were not breaking any higher laws, it was forbidden for others to interfere or question a husband’s rule over his wife.
Ezekiel cleared his throat. “While I can understand your desire to locate my granddaughter, I cannot see the purpose in questioning my family to this degree. This line of questioning has run its course, and I move to close the issue for today.”
As the other members of The Council seconded Ezekiel’s movement, Damascus hesitantly agreed. There was no mistaking the displeasure on the elder’s face.
Abraham stood. “I excuse Jonas and call Silus Hostetler, son of Council Elder Damascus Hostetler, to the bench.”
Jonas was never fond of his son-in-law, and any remaining respect had withered faster than the decaying autumn leaves trespassing at every door. He wished there was a fast solution to sweep this trouble away. Silus stood, his paunch pressing hard against his suspenders, his arched spine a result of him puffing up his chest with nothing but wind. His beady eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his specs as he walked to The Council bench without once acknowledging Jonas or Adam.
“Brother Silus, you may speak your issue.”
“Thank you, Brother Abraham.” Silus faced both The Elders on The Council bench and the males of The Order filling the pews. “It has been nine weeks since my wife’s disappearance. Bishop King wasted eight of those weeks claiming to be searching for her while he attended other private matters. I have always been a male to honor the laws of The Order, but I grow weary waiting for news. My wife is weak. She is uneducated in the ways of the English.”
Jonas’s jaw clenched at the attack on his daughter’s intelligence, but he knew better than to object. Arguing would only escalate the controversy today, and he wanted the issue of his runaway daughter put to rest, at least for a while. If Larissa was in danger, he trusted his son, Cain, would find and protect her.