Forbidden (11 page)

“You’ve struck a fine bargain, Pharez, son of Nephish,” the leader said. “The well is one mile from here, just off the main road. Use what you need, but be gone at dawn.”

The riders climbed onto their horses and galloped off, dust creating a red haze as they disappeared into the canyons, our two mare camels tied to the rear horses. The loss was bitter indeed. Runa and Pela were more than riding animals, and more than pets. Our camels were life itself.

“Ride Meela, Jayden,” my father told me quietly as he and Kadesh heaved some of the baggage off the younger camels and rearranged the loads. “And Leila, you ride Tazr.”

We were down from ten camels to eight now. Barely enough to get us to the oasis—if nothing else happened along the trail. I climbed onto the skittish young camel, and my vengeful desires were soon replaced by another as I held a hand to my mouth and tried to swallow past my parched mouth.
One mile until water
.

Leila had begun to cough, choking on the dust left by the departing riders, but now our camels picked up their pace. Whether they sensed that water was near or wanted to be rid
of the uneasy spirits in the canyons, I didn’t know, but before long the well was within sight.

I let out a cry and slid down the back of Meela’s haunches without waiting for her to lower her neck. Racing to the hole in the ground, I began to scrabble in the dirt, pulling off the big, flat rocks that covered the well, and trying to heave them aside. Now that it was so near, right underneath me, thirst was making me crazy.

“Easy, easy,” Kadesh murmured, lifting my hands away so he could pull off the heavy stones.

Sweat poured along the inside of my dress. My arms were covered in a layer of reddish dirt, the soles of my feet hard and black. Perhaps that’s why the horsemen had finally left Leila and me alone. We weren’t very appealing after so long on the trail.

But now I could
smell
the water, it was so close.

Sand crusted the surface and Kadesh went to work scooping out the dirt and rocks. He moved with a speed that surprised me.

“Maybe you
are
of the desert,” I told him. “You know exactly what to do.”

Kadesh gave me a grin, making me dizzy. “Now that’s a compliment I’ll gladly accept. With all my travels, I’ve probably uncovered a few hundred wells in my lifetime.”

Quickly, I fetched the waterskins, and for the next two hours, my father and Kadesh took turns pulling up water to fill the buckets for the camels to drink.

It was fresh water, clear, clean, and cool. I could have
jumped right into the well itself and not grown tired of drinking and swimming and bathing for hours. Sitting back on my heels, I wondered if my thirst could ever be quenched, but by the time I was finished, my stomach was so swollen I wasn’t sure I’d ever eat again.

One by one the camels gorged on the sweet water and then wandered off, bellies distended. They picked at the ground, nibbling on roots or a bit of grass. Scrub brush and grass were beginning to bloom. A good sign that the bounteous northern lands were getting very close.

I pulled up one last bucket and dipped my hands into the exquisite liquid, splashing my face to erase the days of dust and heat. It was so marvelous I started laughing with the pleasure of it. After I finished washing my hands, I poured the rest of the bucket over my head to wash my hair and dress, then poured a second just to be sure I was completely clean again.

I hauled a third bucket of water for Leila to wash as she lay in the shade at the canyon wall. Leila was becoming frightfully thin. It would be wise to rest next to her, but after drinking and bathing I became restless and started wandering the trail, my mind turning toward the relief of seeing Aunt Judith and Grandmother Seraiah soon, as well as Hakak and her younger sister Falail. But I also dreaded giving them the bitter news about my mother and Isaac and Sahmril.

Soon, I found that I had wandered far from the well. I was alone in a narrow alleyway of stone, so long I couldn’t see the end of it. Only twists and turns of red cliff walls everywhere I looked, the sky a sliver of blue canopy overhead.

I touched the pink and violet colors embedded in the flat rock corridor, running my fingers along the cracks. The rocks were cool. Hardly any heat seeped into these tightly enclosed spaces. At one point, the two walls of rock were so tight and narrow, sunlight barely managed to worm its way through. It was dizzying and wonderful.

Near the end of the passage, the path opened up into a large space, like the courtyard of a palace. In fact, the solid wall in front of me looked just like a gate to an ancient world.

I was slowly walking, taking in the beauty of my surroundings, when the sound of a male voice made me gasp. “It’s stunning, isn’t it?”

I turned to find Kadesh standing behind me. I placed a hand against the stone wall as it sloped upward to a series of caves, trying to keep my balance on the uneven path. Kadesh reached out to help me cross the broken stones. I shook my head, an unearthly pounding taking place inside my chest at the sight of his sun-browned fingers, the way the rich weaving of his cloak fell in folds along his arm. “Will you never get tired of frightening me?”

“Actually,
you
startled
me
,” he said. “I’ve been sitting here admiring the rock formations when I heard you coming.”

“Then I’ve interrupted your solitude.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’m ready for some company,” he said, gesturing for me to sit.

I shook my head, acutely aware of how close he was. His hands were on his knees, dark hair falling in waves along his
shoulders. I wondered how soft his hair would be if I were to touch it, and I shivered in the shade of all that stone, my own hair still damp from its washing.

“How can I enjoy the magnificence of this spot while you stand there like an awkward gazelle?” he asked.

“So I look like a gazelle?”

“That’s a good thing,” he added with a teasing smile.

“I’ll sit, but only for a moment.” I sank to the rock, inching as close to the edge as I could manage, but I could still sense each one of his breaths next to me. Still smell the spicy fragrance of his skin. I pointed up at the gate-like cliffs. “Do you think it’s possible to climb up there?”

The stone facing of the inner courtyard looked as though somebody had etched patterns into the red sandstone. Cracks and swirls decorated the smooth surface. On both sides of the high wall there were small, dark openings, as if another series of caves lay above.

“Why don’t we find out?” Kadesh suggested.

I jumped upright, shaking my head. “Aren’t you still healing?”

“It’s been nearly two weeks; I’m doing much better,” he answered, holding out his hand to help me navigate the rocks.

He had touched me several times over the course of the journey when I needed help. Perhaps that’s all Kadesh was offering now, but I brushed past, my head reeling, unsure of myself. He followed me across the courtyard, and I was excruciatingly aware of his presence as we climbed in silence to the
top of the rock gateway. Miraculously, there was a series of rough steps cut into the rock, which made the ascent easier.

I slowed down as we reached another area high along the stone facing. The space wasn’t very large—just another long, narrow passageway—but it was cool and dark and mysterious under the overhang of rock. My skin rose with an eerie chill.

I peered down at the large, open courtyard below, and it appeared small and insignificant from this height. Intimidating and thrilling. I took a step backward, fighting a strange urge to throw myself off and see if I could fly.

“Do people live up here?” I asked, thinking out loud. “The Edomite nation or those awful men? Do they actually have families?”

Kadesh nodded. “It appears as though this place is in the beginning stages of a new city. This is the face of what will probably be a temple or the palace of their king. Some of the caves could easily become comfortable dwellings. Or burial spots. I noticed there are roads being excavated in the outlying areas, as well as a main thoroughfare.”

“You must know what to look for,” I said, adding, “This is all being done by those two dozen men we just encountered?”

Kadesh shook his head yes and smiled, attempting to wrap his cream-colored scarf more securely around his neck, but failing as the ends of it fell loosely across the richness of his cloak.

I clenched my fists together, tempted to reach out and fix the scarf for him.

“Those thieves were a motley bunch of rebels, probably
just passing through, and we happened to get unlucky today. On the other side of these fortress cliffs and rocks are village settlements. Sheep and goat herders that tend this large valley. I’m sure if we were to keep exploring we’d run into a temporary camp town, with families and children, merchants and a marketplace. And many stonemasons and craftsmen brought here to build this place into a city.”

“You seem to know so much about it,” I told him.

“I’ve been here before. We sell frankincense everywhere.”

“How much of the world you know,” I said with wonder. “How very much of it you’ve seen and traveled. Have you been to the Great Sea, or the kingdom of Egypt? I’ve heard that nobody is as rich as Pharaoh or lives in such vast wealth.”

“Except, perhaps, for the king of Babylonia,” Kadesh mused.

“You mean King Hammurabi?”

“The same. He has extended his reach from Ur on the tip of the Persian Gulf as far north as Nineveh, I’ve heard. He would like to rule Damascus and spread his dominion west to the Great Sea as well.”

“That would mean he would infringe on Egypt’s shores!”

Kadesh nodded solemnly. “King Hammurabi is a visionary man. None of his predecessors has spread the world rule of Babylon like he has succeeded at doing.”

“How do you sell frankincense to the far eastern shores of the Mesopotamian world?” I asked him. “Wouldn’t your caravans be forced to spend weeks in the middle of the Empty Sands to reach it?”

“You are very astute, Jayden, daughter of Pharez,” Kadesh said, his eyes on my face.

“Nobody survives the Empty Sands, I’ve heard,” I said.

He laughed. “We wouldn’t survive either. We don’t use camel caravans for the Babylonian trade routes; we use ships that go up the gulf of the eastern seaboard.”

“Do you know how to sail a ship, too?”

His lips quirked up into a smile. “Not yet. We hire sailors and keep a fleet of ships docked at the seaports.”

I shook my head in disbelief at all he was telling me. “Your business is large and complicated.”

“It is, but my uncle has many businessmen to help him. I’m still learning so many aspects and getting to know our foremen for each branch. That’s why I need to return as soon as possible. I’m healing quickly after your care, so I know it will need to be soon.”

When he said that, my breath caught and I jerked my chin up. He would be leaving soon—and I’d never see him. I’d only known him a few weeks, but already he was a steady, comforting spirit in my life, a boy who thrilled me deep inside my soul, and I couldn’t imagine never seeing him again. His eyes searched my face, but we didn’t speak. Finally, I lowered my head, my mind racing to think of something to break the intensity between us.

“I heard a story once about the frankincense lands,” I said, my voice wobbly. “And I’ve always been curious if it’s true.”

“What is that?” He moved toward me, and the hair on my neck rose, all my senses jumpy and alert.

I stepped backward, inching open the space between us. “I’ve heard there are mystical snakes that guard the frankincense trees, not letting anyone near, so the resin cannot be stolen.”

“These mythical creatures sound interesting,” Kadesh said as he leaned against one of the stone outcroppings to watch me. “What do they look like?”

“The snakes are said to be red and fierce and leap into the air to inflict a deadly bite on any intruder who gets too close to the trees.”

“Ahh, not only interesting but dangerous. Assassin snakes.”

I tried to suppress a smile, but it came out as a laugh. “So you’re telling me it’s only a story?”

“Perhaps you should come to the frankincense lands and see for yourself.”

“I would probably die before I reached the halfway point.”

“No, you wouldn’t die,” Kadesh said, shaking his head. “I would protect you.”

“You talk of impossible things,” I murmured. “I’m sure you have a family waiting for you.”

“Only a large, noisy, meddling family of aunts and uncles and cousins and sisters. Plus an array of nephews and nieces.”

“What is your uncle’s name? Does he have a title?” I spoke flippantly, not expecting the answer I received.

“His name is Ephrem,” Kadesh answered, his head inclining. “Uncle to me, but King Ephrem to our city and all the lands between the Queen of Sheba and the Irreantum shores.”

My hand went to my mouth as I tried to cover up my astonishment. “The Queen of Sheba! You live near
that
kingdom!” I
was awestruck. “They say she is the richest woman that walks the earth. And the most beautiful.”

“I might debate your last point,” he said, with a glance at me. “Our caravans pass through her kingdom on the way to my home,” he added, his feet crunching on the stone gravel as he closed the gap between us once again.

“What does Irreantum mean?” I said, trying to change the subject.

“The name means ‘many waters.’ A sea that rolls beyond the horizon, farther than a person can sail. An ocean that takes a person past any land known to man.”

“It sounds mysterious and magnificent.” I paused, trying to imagine his life, his land, this wild sea.

“See, you’ve saved the life of a potential prince,” Kadesh went on, his eyes never leaving my face.

“Surely, someone like you—” I broke off, embarrassed, wavering on my feet, wanting to run down the stone steps but wanting to know more about him, too.

“I’d expect no less from a girl who is in line to become a princess herself, as your father tells me.”

I shook my head vehemently, and then realized I shouldn’t be potentially betraying my dislike toward Horeb. Although Kadesh had said nothing about Horeb. Perhaps he didn’t know about my betrothal.