Free The Fugitive Son by Adell Harvey, Mari Serebrov Page A

my sin on the cross? Or do I have to shed my own blood for my sins?
    Major Crawford had written yet another reference in the margin, so Andy searched through the Old Testament until he found Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all,” he read.
    “So this is where you’ve been hiding out?” a rough voice broke into Andy’s thoughts. At the same time, a booted foot kicked the Bible out of his hands.
    “Preparing for the hereafter by reading the Good Book?” the voice continued.
    Andy looked up into the sneering face of Brother Hickman, one of the most notorious Danites and one of the officers of the renewed Nauvoo Legion. Hickman was surrounded by his men.
    Andy quickly rose to his feet and saluted. “Yes, sir,” he stammered. “I was captured by a bunch of Bannock warriors, managed to get away, and was laying low in case they were still looking for me.” Another lie, his conscience prodded him. His sins just kept continuing to pile up!
    Hickman stroked his beard. “Looks like you’re pretty good at going it alone and taking care of yourself. Well now, this is mighty lucky for us. I need somebody strong, smart, and able to take a very important message to the prophet. Think you’re up to it? Can you make it over to Great Salt Lake City without getting captured again?”
    Andy straightened up, standing military erect. He saluted Hickman again. “Yes, sir. I know these parts around here like the back of my hand. I’m sure I can get through with your message.”
    Hickman bent down and picked up the Bible. “Here, better take this. Where you’re going, you might need it! Not many fellas would tackle these mountains alone. Better load up with more ammo, too.”
    Andy breathed deeply, inwardly thanking Heavenly Father that Hickman hadn’t opened the Bible and realized it belonged to a U.S. soldier. He put the Bible in his saddle pack and prepared to leave. “I’m guessing you want this delivered with haste?”
    “The sooner the better. But don’t ruin your horse or break your neck to get there. The army is starting to send the first troops out of Kansas. They’re moving slower than molasses across the prairie. But it’s important that we get these missives to the prophet so he’ll know when to expect an attack and have plenty of time to prepare for it.”
    Andy accepted the packet Hickman handed him and placed it in his saddlebag alongside the Bible. “I’ll do my best, sir.”
    Hickman shook his hand. “Figured I could count on you. At this point, I don’t have too many reliable men I could send. Mount up and head out. We’re on our way to do a little scorch and burn so the cavalry horses won’t have anything to eat along the trail.”
    Leaving the Green River to head west over the rugged Wasatch Mountains, Andy couldn’t believe his good fortune. When he’d seen Hickman and his men, he was sure he was headed for a blood atonement for desertion. Facing Pa and the prophet in Salt Lake might not be pleasant, but at least for the moment he still had an intact throat.
    Andy wended his way over old Indian trails, up and around mountains, finding the pass and avoiding with great caution the Cherokee Trail, the busy byway hundreds of people were using to travel between the Santa Fe Trail to the south and the Oregon Trail in the north. He was careful not to run into any more Nauvoo Legion units, and he especially didn’t want to come across Army scouts or Indians. He’d been lucky so far in his encounters with both groups, but how long could that kind of luck hold out?
    But was it simply luck? A verse that Major Crawford had marked in the Bible popped into his thoughts. How did that verse go? “I know the plans I have for you, to give you a future.” And then something about “plans for good and not evil.” Could that be true? Could Heavenly Father really have a good plan for his life?
    Andy stopped