Noah Primeval (Chronicles of the Nephilim) (21 page)

It seemed like conspiratorial myth to Ham. Worse, it was treason to the gods. It was the one thing Ham
worried deeply about regarding his dear mother. He wondered what inspired her to be so fanatically devoted to such delusionary rambling. What made her satisfied with slavery and poverty over the rich pleasures and glories of the Kingdom of Anu? And her commitment to a dead man who, she kept reminding Ham in secret, was his real father. The only father that Ham knew was his adopted father Lugalanu, who loved him and took care of him.
That
man was his father, and that man stood with Ham right now in the presence of deity, supporting his rite of passage into the secrets of the gods.

Anu brought Ham out of his thoughts
. “Elohim is the true creator of heaven and earth.”

The words jolted Ham out of the blue. He did not see it coming. Was Anu telling him right now that his mother was right? How could that possibly be?
His entire view of the world was just turned inside out.

“But Elohim is an evil god,” continued Anu. “He is a jealous and bitter old spirit.” Anu paced around the room and launched upon a diatribe against the deity. “This so-called ‘creator of heaven and earth’ has hidden from mankind the secrets which you see before you this day. He has sought to keep humankind in bondage to ignorance, jealous of allowing them to become enlightened like himself. He has sought to keep everyone and everything separate. He separated light from dark, he separated heaven from earth, human from animal, male from female,
man from god
.” Anu was histrionic in his delivery, but it served to underline his righteous indignation with such injustice.

“That is a rather selfish deity, would you not agree?” asked Anu.

“Yes, my lord,” said Ham without thinking.

Anu stopped his pacing near the doorway. He sniffed the air. After a quizzical look, he returned to his pacing.

He had just missed discovering Neela, who hid on the other side of the open door. Anu had been close enough for her to reach around and touch him. She had managed to escape detection.

Anu concluded his tirade
, explaining his plan. “But I bring new hope and change. I want to undo the separation, to erase the distinctions between creatures. I want to make all things into One.” Anu bent down and looked into one of the jars of fetuses on the shelf. “By combining my seed with human seed, I will fundamentally transform humankind. I will create man in my image rather than in Elohim’s image. I will give man his proper destiny. I will make man into a god.”

All of Emzara’s words came flooding into Ham’s mind
, causing doubts and fears. The prophecy of the Chosen Seed ending the rule of the gods and bringing the judgment of Elohim down upon their heads
.

Anu drew Ham’s attention to the jars of fetuses. “The Nephilim are the offspring of our union with the daughters of men. But I have been working on another way of combining our flesh with human flesh
, in a way that may not be so obvious as our giant progeny.” Anu could not describe in detail the molecular genetics to which he was referring. Mankind’s knowledge and technology were not advanced enough yet for Ham to understand this. He would have to simplify the language. “Our goal is to breed a Naphil that would look like a normal human being. It would not be a giant, it would have ten fingers and ten toes, but it would have the heart and soul of a Naphil. It would be a demigod. It would carry in its blood the ability to breed a race of Nephilim that would spread across the land
.”

“Are these demigods among us?” asked Ham.

“Not yet,” said Anu.

Ham
cautiously ventured out, “And what of the Chosen Seed? Is the Revelation true? How can we fight it?”

For the first time in his sermon, Anu became visibly perturbed. It was not a secret that the
Revelation was spreading about by word of mouth, first in the temple and palace and then within the city walls. It would soon be unavoidably known by every single soul.

“That is why the gods are seeking to create an alliance between all the
cities,” he answered, “to overcome our differences in a coalition of common purpose. Together, we will create an army of legions for war against the Seed of Havah.”

Lugalanu saw
these disclosures overwhelming Ham. He put his arm around him in support. “This is why we need leaders of your will to power,” he said.

Anu continued, “If we cannot breed out this coming king, we will find the Chosen Seed by killing every last remnant of the nomadic tribes of humanity who do not worship the pantheon.”

The seriousness of it all settled upon Ham.

Anu
had moved near the door again. But this time, he spun like a coiled snake and reached around the doorway, pulling out a choking Neela by the neck.

“What is this eavesdropper slithering in the dark? A slender conspirator?!” shouted Anu, his voice booming with supernatural reverberation.

Neela stared mesmerized into Anu’s penetrating cold blue eyes. He saw into her very soul. He sniffed her with relish and satisfaction, justified that he had caught her scent earlier. He released his grip around her neck.

Ham
fell to his knees before Anu.

“My god, forgive me! She is my wife. I did not know she followed me.”

Anu looked down on Ham, groveling at his feet.

“My god, she has not a conspiratorial bone in her body. She is
recklessly curious. That is all. I beg of you, if you must punish, punish me instead.”

This surprised Anu. Such love for such puny worth.

“Her curiosity brought her into your service many years ago. You honored her for it. Please remember your goodness in your name.”

Anu tilted his head with interest. He had a vague recollection. He inhaled her scent deeply this time. A smile spread across his face. “The White Temple. I do remember. This is now the second time this little titmouse has managed to scurry her way under the eye of the cobra.”

Neela quivered. Immediate death no longer hovered over her. But it did not matter. She was a disobedient child caught with her hand in the fig jar.

Anu slowly smiled, and his warm lightheartedness returned. Neela could feel it in her own body relaxing.

“A curious wife you have, my priest. She is a willing subject. She will serve us both well.”

Ham breathed a sigh of relief. But then a chill went through him when Anu took yet another intoxicating inhale of her scent into his nostrils.

Noah and Uriel rode their horses at a canter into the Zagros Mountains about seventy leagues northeast of Erech. When they had escaped Sheol, the other archangels stayed behind to finish their task of binding the Rephaim. Uriel had explained to Noah that the archangels would get reinforcements and seek out the last of the human tribes in the West. A war was coming, a war of gods and men. The fallen Watchers had been planning it for a long while. They had seduced most of the people of the land into their sorceries and idolatries and were now determined to exterminate the rest. The only chance humanity had was for the angels to organize them to defend themselves. But getting the last of the human tribes to agree on anything was a nearly impossible project. Nevertheless, they had to try. It might take months to accomplish this goal, but other angels were sent out as well.

The one advantage of a war for the archangels was that if they could get all the Watchers together in an allied effort, it would enhance the angels’ opportunity to bind the fallen into the heart of the earth as Elohim had commanded. Noah and Uriel discussed the
possibilities of such an impossible task for a goodly portion of their trek through the plains and into the mountains. There were two hundred of the gods and they were not all mustered at Erech. Nevertheless, the most important leaders were and those were the priority for the archangels.

“Where is this Hidden Valley
you keep speaking of?” Noah asked.

“If I told you, it would not be hidden,” Uriel chortled.

Uriel had often reminisced about the old days when he, Methuselah, and Noah’s mother and father had ended up in the Hidden Valley, hemmed in on all sides by natural formations making it virtually invisible to explorers. He would speak of their adventures being hunted by the cursed Cain’s wolf tribe, and how they had triumphed over that man of wrath to live another day. There would be no lineage of demon dogs left in the Hidden Valley. He assured Noah they were all taken care of.

After days of riding
, they sought one of the few secret passageways into the valley.

Noah
said, “Strange that we are so close to the cities of the plain, yet they are unaware. Right under their filthy noses.”

“I am sure the entrance is near here, as far as my memory serves me,” said Uriel.

A deep bellowing roar interrupted them. It shook the very trees around them to the roots. Noah gaped at Uriel. This was a beast very large and very near.

“Did I forget to tell you, this is the realm of Behemoth?” quipped Uriel. “
Do not worry, he is much too big to get through the pass.”

“Well, that is comforting,” shot back Noah snidely. “Have you ever seen Behemoth?” he asked.

Uriel said, “He is like Leviathan, but on land.”

“Well
, I hope you are happy,” said Noah. “You succeeded in ruining my day.”

“It is not that bad,” added Uriel. “Behemoth only has one head.”

“Oh, that makes it all better,” said Noah.

Uriel had seen Behemoth. Uriel was there at the creation and was privileged to be a part of the morning stars who sang praises to Elohim when he laid the foundation of the earth, struck its line, determined the measurements and sunk its bases. He had gloried when Elohim created a firmament in the midst of the waters to separate the waters above from the waters below. He watched with awe as Elohim made the waters swarm with great sea monsters like Rahab and Leviathan, and let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind, creeping things and beasts of the earth, including Behemoth.
The irony was not lost on him that creation was both wonderful and fearsome.

Uriel yelled, “Run for your life!” and kicked his horse.

Noah wondered if he was jesting again.

T
he colossal beast broke out of the forest near them. The hair on Noah’s neck stood up and a shiver of terror surged down his spine. The creature was the size of a tall building, and it ran after them at full speed, the ground shaking beneath its trampling feet.

Noah
only got a glimpse of its monstrous ugliness. In a flash, he galloped for his life after Uriel. All he saw was its huge trampling legs, its tail like a cedar tree, an ugly hump, and its bull-like head. Uriel was right. It was as terrible as a sea dragon on land.

The gargantuan
gained on them.

Noah could see Uriel
bearing straight for a vine covered wall of the rock bluff. He wondered what the angel was doing, placing them between a rock wall and a hard place.

Uriel yelled
to him, “Trust me!”

Noah saw Uriel disappear into the wall vines without smashing to pieces. It was a hidden entrance.
He glanced back to see Behemoth was almost upon him as he split the vines with his horse. The monstrosity hit the narrow opening and it felt like the entire mountain around them rattled. Uriel was right again. The beast was much too huge to fit through the pass. Thank Elohim.

Noah
stared back at the raging creature. He could see one of its eyes was destroyed and laid over with scars.

Noah had learned of Behemoth from Methuselah. He
never forgot the story his grandfather told him of the day he lost his precious wife Edna to this hideous monster. The creature protected its territory with ferocity. When Methuselah, Edna, and Noah’s parents had first discovered this location, they did not know about Behemoth. It had attacked and killed Edna. Its size and strength were so overwhelming that Methuselah had only had the chance to blind it in one eye with a javelin before escaping into the pass. Nothing could pay back the devastation this monster wrought upon Methuselah. The event broke him. He was never the same again. At least Methuselah had been able to leave a permanent scar to remind the monster of the man who planned to one day return and kill it.

But Behemoth was still alive.

Noah wondered if that meant that Methuselah had not made it back here as they had agreed. It did not bode well for Noah’s plans. Had Methuselah been killed by this land dragon?

T
hey arrived at the end of the pass, where it opened up to the Hidden Valley. They both gasped, looking out onto a world seemingly lost in time. A lush valley of plants, trees, and animals spread before them, a place that could only be described as a jungle paradise.

“It reminds me of Eden,” said Uriel.

“If it was,” said Noah, “I would be dead by the sword of the Cherubim.” He chuckled to himself, and they entered a pathway through the foliage.

Uriel knew it was coming, but
did not anticipate such hostility.

A young warrior swung out of hiding on a vine
. He knocked Noah off his horse to the ground, pushing Noah face down to the earth.

Uriel was off his horse in an instant.
He stopped still when he saw the warrior with a dagger to Noah’s throat. Beyond that first one, three others stood with bows drawn on Noah and Uriel. These warriors were good. They were trained well in stealth. They obviously had heard Behemoth’s announcement of approaching intruders. They wore animal skins and they were all young, only about a hundred years old or so.

Lying o
n the ground, Noah stopped struggling when he felt the edge of the blade against his throat in a tight hold.

The warrior was strong. He belted out to his comrades, “They seem human enough!”

The lead archer spit through his aim, “Of course they do, Shem. Clever disguise for clever abominations.”

Noah’s eyes went wide. Those words were familiar; the name, the voice. He tried to get a better glimpse of his captor. “Shem? Shem ben Noah?”

It confused the young warrior with the dagger. The archer’s surprise gave way to recognition.

Noah looked
up at the young man with arrow aimed at his heart. “Japheth?” he pleaded.

Japheth, ever the impulsive one, responded first. “Father! I did not recognize you!”

Shem lowered his dagger, and turned Noah around. They looked into each other’s eyes. No further doubt remained that they were father and son.

“It has been so long.” Shem wrapped Noah in a big bear hug.

Japheth dropped his bow, ran and jumped onto the two of them, and they tumbled to the ground in a family wrestling match.

They rolled to a stop on the jungle floor.

“We thought you were dead!” shouted Japheth.

Noah looked them up and down with pride. “You have grown into such fine warriors.”

“Uh, Noah,” interrupted Uriel.

The three of them looked over at Uriel, still under the aim of the archers.

“May I request you share some of that familial love?” Uriel joked.

“Forgive me,” laughed Shem. “Men, put down your arms.”

The archers lowered their weapons with sighed relief.

“Father, where have you been?” asked Japheth.

“That is a long story,” said Noah. “And I am hungry.”

The warriors led Noah and Uriel to a large clearing in the center of the valley. As they broke through the jungle brush, Noah and Uriel stopped. The sight took their breath away. There were elaborate wooden homes, a couple hundred strong, scattered around in a small village, with families going about their business. A sight that amazed Noah towered behind the village. It was a huge wooden skeletal structure about three hundred cubits long by fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. A huge pile of cut, trimmed and cleaned trees, enough to build a small city sat within walking distance of the massive construction.

“
Tebah?” said Noah.

Methuselah, Tubal-cain and Jubal ran to them from the village, shouting greetings.

They exchanged long overdue embraces, grabbing each other’s wrists. Noah could not keep his eyes off of the structure.

“You are building the box?” he asked.

“Your sons and tribe are,” said Methuselah, “in your name.”

Methuselah pulled out a piece of leather with scratchings all over it
. He handed it ceremoniously to Noah.

“You gave me the directions before your little vacation in Sheol all those years ago. Must this old man shame your dullness of memory?”

Noah grinned widely and hugged Methuselah again. “Old man, I missed you terribly.” He looked at Tubal-cain. “I trust my cousin here has kept you in your place with his molten word and wit.”

Methuselah harrumphed. “My dirty loin cloth, he did.
I am too nimble for such a corpulent whale.”

“I fear our feeble senior has lost more than his reproductive organs,” retorted Tubal-cain
, circling his finger around his skull in a “crazy” gesture.

“I must say,” Methuselah changed the attack, “I am impressed to see that your guardian angel has actually done his job for once in protecting your obstinate rump.”

“It’s good to be back with family,” snorted Uriel, and they all laughed.

Uriel
said to Methuselah, “I believe it was you who told me many years ago, you would like to retire here.”

“Elohim has granted my wish,” said Methuselah.

Noah looked around at the village. “Do not tell me,” he said, “all these villagers are the remnant orphans of my tribe grown of age?
”

“You have been away for a hundred years,” Uriel reminded him.

Japheth added delightfully, “Elohim did say to be fruitful and multiply.”

Suddenly, a small tremor shook the valley. It made them solemn again.

Tubal-cain said, “I have been timing them. They are increasing. Fortunately the mountain range around us absorbs most of the rattle, but out on the plain is another story.”

“Birth pangs of Elohim’s wrath,” said Noah, repeating the words he had heard Uriel tell him in Erech.

Shem said, “We have been preparing the materials and waiting for you to return as Patriarch to finish your calling.”

Noah looked at Shem’s belt to see
the leather case holding the whip sword Rahab at his side. He saw Betenos’ bow on Japheth’s back. Noah said to his sons, “I did not fulfill my promise to train you in your grandparents’ weapons.”

“Considering the nature of your delay, father” said Japheth, “we forgive you.”

Methuselah interjected, “I did the best I could.”

Shem concluded, “We are trained, we are speedy, and we are ready.”

Noah looked at them with proud tears of joy. “Well, then, let me finish my calling.”

“First,” said Methuselah, “I want to show you something.”

Methuselah
took Noah alone to an ancient terebinth tree by a small brook in a dark corner of the forest. They stood before a pile of rocks placed by the tree long before. “Terebinth,” said Methuselah. “They are considered sacred objects of communication with the divine.

“This is where she sleeps,”
he continued. “Your grandmother Edna. My happiness. It has been good for me to be back. It has reminded me that one day, we shall be united again.”

Noah asked, “Why did you never remarry, Grandfather?”