The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn (17 page)

The general repeated, “Pekah, you had a
dream?”

Affected by the general’s calm demeanor,
Pekah felt relieved. “Yes, two nights ago. I dreamed I stood here,
in the presence of the emperor, showing him the scepter. As I told
you, it was sent with me by the Danielite heir to purchase the
prisoners.”

The general scratched his clean-shaven chin
thoughtfully, and then waved the Gideonite captain over.

“Thank you, Pekah.” The
general touched the captain’s shoulder. “My name is Jasher, and
this is Captain Amon. Amon, tell this man about
your
dream.”

Amon stepped forward, crossing his arms
across his bulging belly. His heavy breathing sounded as though he
had just run a foot race. He answered in a deep, cavernous voice.
“Just two nights ago, I dreamed that I was here, and saw a man
bring the scepter of Daniel. But I did not see what I see now.” He
swept his hand over the area of destruction.

Light danced in Jasher’s eyes. He again put
a hand on the captain’s shoulder, but spoke to Pekah. “I, too, saw
this day. My dream and Amon’s were one and the same. I dreamed that
the war would end because of the man who would bring the scepter of
Daniel.”

Jasher let go of Amon. The general’s head
bobbed up and down, his eyes sparkling.

Pekah held his breath. The occurrence of the
same dream between the two Gideonites, and the similarity of their
dreams to his own, sent a shiver down his back. Feeling unnerved,
he gulped.

“My brethren,” Eli interrupted. “This cannot
be mere coincidence. The hand of the Great King of Heaven has been
made manifest here. Pekah came to bargain for the lives of the
Danielite and Uzzahite prisoners in the city. He offers peace under
the authority of Jonathan, son of Samuel, heir to the throne of
Daniel. Because this day was foreseen by all three of you, I am
convinced the dreams pertaining to this strange event have been
inspired by the Holy One.”

Eli paused as if to gauge the reaction of
his audience. Pekah looked at the general, who still appeared to be
excited, and then Eli added, “It is also apparent to me that
Manasseh’s refusal to comply with Jonathan’s sincere request,
delivered through his messenger, cost him his life.”

Pekah flinched at Eli’s blatant statement of
fact. He nervously watched Jasher and Amon, wondering if they were
offended by Eli’s claim, but to his surprise, the general stepped
forward and offered his hand in friendship. “I am Jasher of Bezek.
I regret the actions of our emperor, which were unjust. I pray your
forgiveness.”

Shocked by Jasher’s apology, Pekah
hesitated, but then frankly forgave the man. He turned to see
Amon’s mouth open as if he wanted to speak. All eyes fell on the
captain in anticipation.

“I believe,” Amon said, “we will need to
gather all those we can, and invite them to come and witness for
themselves what has happened. I can only hope they will see and
understand what we have seen. This truly is almost unbelievable.
Had I not seen it with mine own eyes . . .”

Shaking his head, Amon stepped off the
wooden platform and advanced to the closest group of onlooking
soldiers. He said a few words to them, and directed them toward the
platform. Pekah watched with interest as Amon continued around the
plaza, gathering all who were nearby.

By the time Amon finished, there were over
ninety Gideonite soldiers of various rank milling around the
platform, talking in hushed tones. Many stared at Pekah. Some
appeared to be afraid. Made uncomfortable by their gaze, Pekah
turned away to see Jasher pull a wooden chair to the front, then
climb upon it to address the crowd.

“Men of Gideon, you have witnessed a strange
thing this day,” the general shouted in a commanding voice. “I mean
to enlighten your minds with truth, that your hearts may be at
peace. Captain Amon of Gilad is also a witness of all that I have
seen and heard. The emperor is dead—not by the hand of any man, but
by power from above, which I have seen and cannot deny.”

The crowd murmured. Jasher put up his hand
to quiet them, then proceeded to tell the gathered troops all he
knew about the arrival of the two messengers. As he told of the
terrible and frightening force that leveled the building when light
stormed from the heavens, filling the room with power and
brilliance, many of the Gideonite soldiers sank to the ground with
heads bowed low. Others whispered amongst themselves.

Jasher’s voice trembled as he told the
gathered Gideonites of the dreams experienced by Pekah, Amon, and
himself. He emphasized that the entire event had been foreseen.
When Jasher stopped his narrative, a hush of profound silence came
over the listening group.

Almost a minute passed. Not a soul moved. As
if by coincidence, even the breezes of the summer morning stilled,
giving loud punctuation to the news that the emperor was indeed
dead. The silence was interrupted by the noise of several soldiers
who entered the plaza escorting a captured Danielite woman. Her
captors craned their heads over their shoulders at the strange
scene near the wooden platform, but continued on their errand and
disappeared down another narrow street. Pekah guessed the street
led to the quarantined sector of the city where the prisoners were
being corralled, similar to what he saw at Hasor before the
Danielites were herded away.

Captain Amon approached Jasher and whispered
in a tone just loud enough for Pekah to hear: “You will need to act
quickly if you wish to maintain control of the situation.
Otherwise, the army will disband.”

Amon’s quick assessment
impressed Pekah.
How will Jasher do
that?
Pekah wondered.

“Men of Gideon,” Jasher
thundered, “I remind you—you have sworn yourselves to the service
of Gideon and his people. The emperor is now dead, but his desire
for war against Daniel and Uzzah will continue to be carried out
until the armies of the Gideonite people have been led to different
paths.
You
must
choose the path you will take,” he emphasized. “Will you help me to
end this war? Will you follow me on a path to stop bloodshed? Will
you assist me in restoring peace to the land?”

Pekah felt hope well up in his breast as the
idea was accepted by the troops. Where he had seen distrust and
caution in the faces of those who listened, Pekah watched as a
yearning for peace bloomed in their eyes. Many who had fallen to
the ground rose to stand again before the general. A few of them
offered their verbal pledges to Jasher. Several more put their
right hand forward, and Jasher walked among them. He went from man
to man, touching his outstretched palm to theirs in token. This
covenant was eventually accepted by all but one soldier who stood
apart from the rest.

Calling the man forward, the general placed
a hand on the soldier’s arm and led him to the edge of the
platform. “Do you see the dagger in Manasseh’s hand?” Jasher
asked.

“Yes.”

“Manasseh tried to kill this man,” Jasher
said, pointing to Pekah. “In fact, the emperor ordered me to kill
him, but Pekah had done nothing worthy of death. I swear to you by
the heavens that everything you have heard today is true. Will you
not accept the signs you see before you as proof that my desire to
end this war is just?”

The soldier looked at the emperor, then at
Amon, and then again at the general. He nodded. “Yes. I will follow
you.”

Jasher smiled and received the man’s pledge.
Then he took his makeshift stand again, lifted his hands in the
air, and addressed the group with excitement. “I can see you have
come to the same conclusion I have. The war between the tribes must
be stopped. I intend to end this war. All captains of ten, or
captains of fifty, please stand forward!”

Eight men stepped closer to the platform,
waiting to receive their orders. From his perch on the chair,
Jasher gazed down at Amon with a smile, and then at Eli and Pekah
standing nearby. He waved to them, as if to say that all would be
well, then turned to the soldiers again.

“Men of Gideon,” he began
again, “Rezon marches upon the northern cities of Uzzah, searching
for the heir of Daniel. He has sworn an oath to Manasseh that he
will not rest until the Heir has been killed, and the scepter of
the tribe has been captured. Rezon is on a mission that he cannot
be permitted to finish, else we as a people will incur the hot
displeasure of the Great Creator, who has sent this man of Uzzah
with one of our own brethren to plead for the end of this conflict.
Rezon will not find the Danielite in the lands of Uzzah, for he is
here, near the city of Ain, in hiding. Rezon also will not find the
scepter of the Danielite kings that he seeks
,
for I have also seen the
scepter,
this very day!”

A rumble of noise went through the crowd as
the news was assimilated. After the chatter died down, Jasher
finished his plea.

“In grave matters such as
these, I choose not to give commands which would be followed out of
blind duty. Rather, I ask you to stand by me in joining the tribes
of the Three Brothers once again together in peace. Will you march
with me
to find Rezon, that I may counsel
with him, in hopes that his heart may be turned, as mine and yours
have been?”

After a brief delay, a shout of commitment
went up from the body of soldiers, saying, “It shall be done!”

Pekah was thrilled upon hearing the words,
excitement filling him like the warmth of beams from Aqua and Azure
breaking through the clouds. Amon saluted the general with both
hands high in the air. Jasher stepped from his seat and motioned
the eight leaders to come closer for specific instructions. Orders
were given, but Pekah did not hear them on account of the commotion
now coming from the gathered crowd. Separating into groups of ten
and groups of fifty, the commissioned captains shouted out commands
to secure the prison area and prepare it for the general’s arrival.
Without another word, the crowd left in columns, down the same road
previously taken by the prisoner escort.

His lips curled as if amused, Captain Amon
patted Pekah on the shoulder. “You have delivered your message to
us. Now we will deliver it to Daniel and Uzzah.”

“Thank you,” Pekah said, humbled by the
acknowledgement.

“Please follow me,” Jasher invited,
smiling.

Walking to the end of the platform where
weapons had been stashed in a large wooden bin, Jasher stopped so
Pekah and Eli could retrieve their belongings. With Jasher and Amon
leading the way, the four of them then marched across the plaza,
past the beautiful central fountain, and down the confines of the
narrow city street where the soldiers had gone. Bordered by
multi-storied buildings with wrought iron railings on balconies,
the cobbled passage was the most colorful street Pekah had yet seen
in Ain. In addition to flower pots hanging from some balconies,
most of the stone walls had been painted bright colors—yellow,
blue, green, and orange. He was cheered, simply walking down the
street.

A few blocks later they turned onto a road
which opened up into a small park, another beautiful fountain at
its center. On the other side of the open area stood several of the
Gideonite soldiers who had left them at the plaza, their captain
yelling at prisoners cordoned off in the better part of an entire
neighborhood. All the Gideonites brandished their weapons, and
angry shouts rose from the crowd. A wounded prisoner sat on the
street, being tended by another. As Jasher and Amon approached, the
captain hollered for silence.

“What happened here?” Jasher demanded.

The captain stiffened. “When we explained
that you would soon arrive to free the prisoners, several of these
men called us liars. One of them rushed forward with a rock in his
hand. We did only what was necessary to control the crowd.”

Pekah looked at the Danielite who sat on the
cobbled street, holding up his wounded arm so it could be wrapped
with a strip of cloth. The injury appeared to be superficial. A
large stone lay nearby.

Jasher pointed to the captain. “Take the man
to the medical tent in the plaza so the wound can be properly
dressed. Then set him free.”

The wounded Danielite gaped, amazed.

“Help him up,” the Gideonite captain
ordered. A group of five soldiers broke away to assist in carrying
out the general’s request, and they all left.

Amon escorted Pekah and Eli to the front of
the holding area. Standing before Jasher’s group were two men, one
a captain from Daniel and one from Uzzah.

“Tavor!” Eli cried out as they met. Tavor
managed a meek smile, but did not say anything in return. Looking
around at the assembled crowd, comprised mostly of Gideonites,
Tavor’s expression soured. The Danielite captain next to Tavor
clenched his teeth, his lips curled almost into a snarl. Eli could
say no more before General Jasher introduced himself.

“I am Jasher of Bezek. I am a general of
Gideon, and I have received news delivered by these men,” he
paused, pointing to Pekah and Eli, “which has changed my entire
perception of this war, almost in an instant! I am here to speak
with the leaders of your peoples, so we might come to an agreement.
I desire a permanent treaty, so peace might be had once again in
the land.”

Tavor’s jaw dropped. The Danielite captain
mumbled something under his breath in surprise. Jasher gave them
both time to recover, and then proceeded to tell the two men all
that had befallen both Amon and himself earlier that morning,
including the fate of Manasseh and the covenant made by the men
under his command. He then said, “I wish to end this war. Will you
join me in doing so?”