The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn (11 page)

“This covenant can be made by any man or
woman . . . or a Gideonite soldier who wishes to repair wrongs,”
Jonathan said.

Pekah’s eyes went wide. “How did you know
what . . . ?” he stammered. He could not even finish the
question.

“Sometimes I get ideas, especially when I
pray. The Great King teaches me what to say and do. He loves you,
Pekah. I have no explanation other than that.”

Tears filled the Gideonite’s eyes. He turned
away to wipe them.

Jonathan stepped back to stand by Eli, who
seemed pleased. He waited for Pekah to compose himself.

“Thank you,” Pekah said as he faced
them.

Jonathan wondered if he wanted to talk more,
but Pekah began walking again. Jonathan patted Eli on the shoulder,
and the two of them followed.

The morning passed with very little
conversation, each man lost in his own thoughts as they went along.
Jonathan tried not to dwell on memories of his family, but couldn’t
help it. Even the simplest of things—the sound of a bee, a green
sapling leaning next to a fallen log, a round rock displaced from
the stream—reconnected him to nearly forgotten experiences of long
ago. Some of the memories brought back the loneliness he had felt
at the passing of his mother. Others, like the memory of felling
trees with his father for their winter store, strengthened him.

When they finally left the trail for a rest,
it was mid-day. Jonathan was starting to get hungry. He attempted
to suggest that they eat, but stopped short when he noticed the
strange look on Pekah’s face. Before Jonathan could ask him what he
was thinking, he spoke.

“I feel as if my eyes have been shut all of
my life, and have just opened . . . it’s as though I’m seeing the
light of day for the very first time. I think my mother tried to
explain all of this to me, but just didn’t know how.” He looked at
Jonathan, then at Eli, and then back again, his grin widening.
“What must I do?”

“I believe you have been well taught by your
mother. She sounds like a very special woman. Have you thought
about what we discussed?”

Pekah nodded. “I have. When I remember the
things I learned as a child, everything you have told me makes
perfect sense. I want to make things right. But I need help. I need
His mercy.”

Jonathan searched Pekah and found his
expression earnest, sincere. “You may make this covenant. It’s your
choice.”

Eli leaned to peer around Pekah, his red
beard stretched into a grin. “There’s some water!”

Pekah acknowledged the unspoken suggestion
with an eager nod. “May I?” he said.

“If you desire,” Jonathan confirmed.

“I do. Can Eli do this for me, as a priest
of the temple? I assume these things must be done properly.”

“I can, Pekah.” Eli answered. “But so can
Jonathan. He too is a priest, and on the day he is made king, he
will become the High Priest of Daniel.”

Pekah did not hesitate to voice his
wish.

At first uncomfortable with the request
because of his lingering grief, Jonathan inwardly acknowledged that
he was beginning to feel a bond with the Gideonite. “I would be
honored,” he said.

The three of them again left the trail and
went to the river in search of a suitable pool of water. Finding no
part of the river to be deep enough, they decided to follow it
downstream, in the direction of their journey toward Ain. They
hiked along the riverbank for a while, and it became apparent that
unless they could find a large boulder in the current, or another
joining stream, there would just not be enough water. They
continued. The river followed the general course of the trail, and
although their progress slowed somewhat on account of brush, rocks,
and the occasional fallen tree, they still enjoyed the journey and
felt no reason to rush.

Their patience soon paid off, and they found
another stream joining the river, coming from the north hills and
dumping into the river at a ninety-degree angle. Here, the water
deepened considerably, and as luck would have it, there were also
some sizable boulders to be found near the juncture. Near one
particular rock, the water swirled, creating a pool which appeared
at least mid-thigh deep. They decided to give it a try. They
removed their weapons, sacks, and other items they did not wish to
get wet, then gingerly stepped into the cold water, shivering as
they did. The water soon became bearable as they adjusted, and just
as suspected, the pool was a perfect depth.

As they stood in the rolling river, Jonathan
asked if he could pray. He then implored the Great Creator to
accept the covenant Pekah was about to make, and asked that the
Holy Spirit would be present.

He finished the prayer, took a deep breath,
and placed his left arm on his new friend’s shoulder.

“Pekah,” Jonathan said with authority, after
raising his right arm. “Do you covenant to serve the Great King of
Heaven the remainder of your days upon Gan, and to keep His
commandments, that He might bless you with the Holy Spirit?”

“Yes, I will, and I do,” Pekah answered.

“Then, having authority from the Almighty
God of all the Heavens, and in accordance with the covenant which
you have made, I baptize you by water so that your sins may be
forgiven, and so you may eventually be granted eternal life,
through the redemptive power of the Great Sacrifice of the Great
King who will come, who was prepared for that purpose before the
foundation of this world.”

Jonathan took Pekah by the hand, then
lowered him into the clear, cold pool of the river, bringing him up
again, wet from head to toe. Pekah sputtered from the shock of the
water, but glowed with joy. Tears joined the water streaming from
the black hair on his forehead. Eli grabbed him up, squeezing him
nearly to death and causing him to gasp. They laughed together.

The three of them stumbled back to the bank
of the river amid the rocks and currents, Eli providing much of the
strength to keep the others from slipping. Pekah shivered almost
uncontrollably, yet grinned all the time with excitement. “You have
made me very happy,” he said. “I cannot recall the last time I felt
this wonderful!” His teeth chattered as he spoke.

All three men removed their wet shirts and
pants and wrung out as much excess water as they could. Using large
rocks found along the bank, they laid the clothing out to dry in
the suns-light. Rays from Aqua and Azure chased away the cold
prickles on their skin and helped to dry their undergarments while
they took time to eat their mid-day meal.

“I hope we’ll arrive in Ain before our food
supply runs out,” Jonathan mentioned as they ate. “It would be best
to be there by tomorrow evening.”

“I don’t mind walking a little faster,” Eli
said.

“And we have to find Rachel,” Jonathan said.
“Perhaps along the way we’ll find some game to replenish our
provisions. There are also farms all around the city. Surely we’ll
find someone who can share a meal.”

Pekah’s blank expression made Jonathan
realize they had never mentioned Rachel in his presence. Choosing
now to share their true purpose for going to Ain, Jonathan
explained that Rachel was his betrothed wife and Eli’s sister, and
that they intended to find her.

“How do you think we can locate her, without
being captured?” Pekah asked, concerned.

“We have to try,” Jonathan replied. He
glanced over to see Eli looking off into the sky. Eli’s gaze
lowered when he noticed Jonathan staring.

“Just thinking about Uzzah,” he replied to
Jonathan’s questioning look. “Father and Mother will both be
crushed if anything happens to Rachel.”

Jonathan nodded sympathetically. Pekah
appeared to be confused once again, and asked who Uzzah was. Eli
cleared his throat, his eyes moist.

“Uzzah is my little brother. When I was
thirteen, he was almost twelve. We were in the Hara Mountains with
my father looking for some sheep that had strayed from the flock.
We split up. I never saw my brother again.” Eli could say no
more.

“Hundreds from the city helped the family
search for him,” Jonathan added. “They never found his body. To
this day, the family doesn’t know what happened to him. They assume
he fell into a ravine, or was taken by wolves.”

“I am very sorry to hear it,” Pekah
said.

Eli wiped his eyes, but offered no further
comment. With nothing more to say, Jonathan broke off another chunk
of bread. They ate in silence.

After they had eaten, they found their
clothing to be mostly dry. They each dressed, and then retrieved
supplies and weapons. The only one with armor, Pekah also strapped
on his leather breastplate. Before they left, Jonathan walked
toward a dead oak tree where he had spied a sturdy branch sagging
within easy reach, just thick enough for him to get his large hands
comfortably around it. He pushed with all his weight. The trunk
shivered as the branch split away, making a deep, booming crack
that echoed through the trees. Although Eli was skilled enough with
a bow, a thick walking staff would suit him better if they were to
get into a fight. Jonathan handed the broken limb to Eli, who
accepted it eagerly.

“Thank you!”

“My pleasure. It ought to keep you
busy.”

Eli winked at Jonathan. He took the dagger
from his belt and used it to lop off the remaining twigs, producing
a rough, but usable “stick,” as he called it. “I can finish it as
we walk,” he said.

The men then left the river and returned to
the trail winding through the trees. They marched at a good pace
for several hours and talked about various things, none of which
were very important, but it helped to pass the time. While they
traveled, Jonathan watched with interest as Eli used a smaller boot
knife to whittle down the sharp ends of his stick. Eli also removed
the bark and rough knots on the limb, making it smooth. By the time
Jonathan noticed the long shadows of late afternoon around them,
Eli’s walking staff was a work of art. Although the rounded surface
had a slight natural curve to it, the now-carved branch proved to
be very strong and sturdy.

Eli claimed he could not have found a better
specimen if he had tried. As they traveled, he occasionally tested
its strength by hitting dead branches upon the trees lining the
trail, easily shattering them. After a few finishing touches to the
surface of the staff, Eli sheathed his knife.

The heat of mid-afternoon was now well upon
them, causing their pace to slow considerably as the trees thinned
along the trail. The sound of the river, all but lost to them now,
made Jonathan suspect it had taken a turn to the north. They
discussed theories as to where the waterway had gone, but were not
overly concerned, knowing the river would eventually meet up with
them again.

About half an hour later, as they had
predicted, the river came close enough to smell and hear, and just
ahead of them, the simple forest trail drastically changed. They
could see the path widen, being joined by a cart-road from the
south which rose over a hill covered in wild flowers and
grasses.

Pekah stopped walking. “Not far from here is
a pass to the city of Gilad. Being this close to Gideon makes me a
little nervous. I didn’t know we would find this particular road—I
thought we were farther north than this.”

Jonathan pointed to the road in the
distance. “This road goes to Ain?”

“Yes. I have traveled it before, although
not all the way into the city.”

Jonathan’s brow furrowed, and he sighed with
some frustration. “I’m not sure how to proceed, Pekah. If we take
this road, there are sure to be Gideonite soldiers on it, and we’ll
be found.”

Eli cleared his throat and motioned in the
direction of the river. “What if we cross the water and continue
west from there?”

The three of them debated their ability to
re-cross later if the river deepened, but in the end, they all
agreed it was a prudent thing to do. They left the trail before the
road joined it and waded into the river at the shallowest part they
could see. It took them some time to cross because of the current,
but they did so safely.

Once on the other side, they found the area
north of the river to be a bit more forested, yet still passable,
even though there were no trails. Progress was slow at first, but
their pace improved as they got used to navigating the thick
timber. After many hours of strenuous hiking, they were rewarded
with a good camping site for the night, just as the suns fell below
the eastern horizon. The grassy glade before them proved to be even
more secluded than the site they had used the night before, and far
enough from the road on the other side of the river that they were
certain any travelers from Gilad to Ain would neither hear them nor
see them.

They made their camp as comfortable as
possible with cut pine boughs for bedding, and then took time to
eat a peaceful end-of-Sabbath meal, after a prayer together. Dusk
turned into night while they ate. Before retiring, they stoked the
fire high to keep any animals in the area from disturbing them.

* * *

Pekah was the last one still awake. He
reflected on the day, immensely grateful for the peace he now felt.
Staring into the night sky, he enjoyed seeing the three sister
moons rise and begin to cross the sky in typical grandeur. The
beauty of the procession and the face which they made went
unnoticed by the sleepers. The sight of the moons made him
smile.

In contrast to the previous night, and with
his soul no longer aching, Pekah drifted off. During the early
morning hours when the fire had dwindled to nothing more than low
embers, he began to dream.

Chapter 10

Prophecy

P
ekah wandered alone down a dark, moons-lit road bordered by
many tall pines. Pungent scents of pitch and green needles mixed in
his nostrils with the dust being kicked up from his boots. Each
step he took sent pebbles skittering before him, bouncing and
banging so loudly as they went that the sound reminded him of a
rock-slide in the high wilderness areas of Gideon’s mountain
ranges. Silence hung like a pall over the landscape, a stark
contrast to the cacophony produced by the little rocks. Endless
trees on an endless road blurred into what seemed like walls of a
tunnel deep underground.