The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn (30 page)

“We were in the temple before dawn this
morning,” Pekah said. “I prayed that you would feel the love of the
Holy One in your broken heart, that it might be made whole, and
that you would be comforted. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Touched by the evident emotion in his voice,
Abigail believed he was sincere. She bowed her head, but could not
find the words to respond. Her husband’s request of the night
before, for her to “marry this good man,” again played out in her
mind, leaving her speechless. She did not know Pekah. Although
probably her age, he seemed younger, a stark contrast to Jasher,
who was older, wiser.

Abigail barely managed an expression of
gratitude for his kindness. Pekah nodded, stepped back, and seemed
to melt into Eli’s shadow.

Abigail’s eyes lifted once again to the
central spire of the exquisite building. Trying to be strong, she
stated, “There’s a peace here. Something about these grounds makes
me feel bright and warm, like the color of the stone. It’s the most
beautiful building I have ever seen.”

Eli stepped a bit closer to the women and
pointed to the spire. “The capstone on that spire was placed by
Jonathan’s grandfather and my grandfather together. It’s not an old
structure like the Temple of Sacrifice in Ramathaim. That temple
was built several hundred years ago. Have you ever been there?”

“I haven’t,” Abigail said. “If it’s as
beautiful as this temple, I would like to see it someday.”

“You may get your wish soon,” Eli said with
enthusiasm. “You’re riding with us today, are you not?”

“Yes, I am.”Abigail hesitated, and then
added, “Rachel has been so good to me. I have nowhere else to go,
but with her.”

Rachel smiled and hooked her arm through
Abigail’s.

Memories of the previous evening suddenly
made Abigail feel like a burden. In addition to Rachel, many others
had gone out of their way to try to comfort her. She remembered
their concern as they all stood around Jasher’s grave. That concern
again showed in the eyes of all those present, making her feel
conspicuous.

“Is it all right if I come with you?”

Rachel seemed somewhat shocked by the
question. “Of course it is! I wouldn’t want to go without you!”

This warmed Abigail’s heart, causing her to
fight back tears. Rachel threw an arm around her shoulder.

“Would you ladies please excuse us?”
Jonathan asked as if he were intruding.

Rachel reached for Jonathan’s hand. She held
it for a moment, and released him with a very stern, motherly,
“Yes, you are excused.”

The men chuckled at her playfulness and took
their leave toward the western courtyard, where the army made
preparations to travel. Abigail hugged Rachel, then together they
walked toward the temple, arm-in-arm.

Chapter 28

Traitors

S
till very solemn, Pekah stole a glance over his shoulder to
see Abigail as he left. She was hugging Rachel. Picking up his
pace, he followed close behind Eli and Jonathan. As he thought of
Abigail’s hand in his, a yearning to talk to his friends in private
welled up within him. What did they think of Jasher’s last wishes?
Were they upset? Did they think it was improper?

The general’s request felt out of place to
Pekah, even awkward. What man would give his wife away? Pekah felt
certain there were some present in the tent who were not happy
about what had happened, but no one had said anything to him. And
that was precisely the issue—the fact that Jonathan and Eli had not
mentioned the experience at all made him even more uncomfortable
with it. It seemed as if he had breached the rules of
propriety.

He groaned.
But I didn’t do it! Jasher did. I was just as
surprised as anyone else.

Pekah couldn’t wait. He walked a little
faster and tapped Jonathan on the shoulder, and they all
stopped.

“Jonathan,” Pekah said, mustering courage,
“I feel terrible about last night. Why did Jasher do that?”

“Do you mean, his words to Abigail?”
Jonathan asked.

“Yes.”

“I certainly don’t know all his reasons,
Pekah. I can guess, however, that Jasher saw something in you he
hadn’t seen in others. How well did you know him?”

“We had never met before I arrived in
Ain.”

Jonathan frowned thoughtfully. “Pekah,” he
said, “Think on the events of the past week. Nothing we have
experienced has been anything less than a miracle. Perhaps this
event is also part of our Creator’s plan.”

“I feel guilty about it.
He pressed his
wife’s
hand into mine. I felt like . . . like I had
sinned.”

“I understand how you might feel that way,
but we don’t judge you in that manner, Pekah. We were there.
Jasher’s whole intent was for Abigail’s welfare.”

“And I agree with it,” Eli added. “Jasher
did the right thing.”

Pekah was stunned. This
was not the reaction he had expected. “You
agree
with what he did? How can that
be?”

Jonathan put a hand on the
young Gideonite’s shoulder and gave him a quick pat of reassurance.
“What Jasher did showed incredible love and respect for Abigail.
Even as his life ebbed away, he was concerned for her—not his pain,
not his life—
her
.
Personally, I think that was one of the most compassionate things I
have ever witnessed.”

The blast of a horn sounded from the other
side of the Council Hall.

“Pekah, remind me later to tell you
something else pertaining to Jasher. This is not the right place,
but I think you should know what I have to say.”

“Thank you. Thank you both. I do feel a
little better knowing you don’t think less of me for what happened,
but I will need some time to think this through.”

“We’re here to help,” Jonathan said.

As they walked toward the assembling army,
Pekah felt grateful for their understanding and support. These were
the best friends he’d ever had.

* * *

When they arrived in the western courtyard,
Pekah saw that all the tents had been packed, and most of the
company of Amon stood together. Others arrived about that same
time, including Tavor and Ezra, captains of Uzzah and Daniel.
Jonathan and Eli moved to stand next to Amon, and Pekah took his
place with his fifty of Gideon. All present greeted the newly
appointed general.

Amon acknowledged their salute and then
spoke to the entire crowd.

“My brethren, you are gathered as part of an
army that never has been assembled before. The Brothers march
together . . .”

His deep voice trailed off, almost with an
echo. Amon looked all around at the eager faces, each soldier
waiting for orders. Standing tall, he spoke with a powerful,
drum-like inflection.

“A terrible thing happened
outside these walls last night as the sister suns sank below the
horizon. I made a promise to my general . . .” Amon paused. “ . . .
my friend. I promised him I would find all others who might be of
Rezon’s covenant. Before we travel together today, I
must
be certain that I
am among friends. For that reason, I am asking every one of you to
remove your weapons where you stand. Lay them on the ground.
That
is
an
order!”

Pekah saw that a few soldiers present
hesitated at first, but in the end they all did as commanded—even
the captains.

“Ezra, Tavor, Pekah, my friends Jonathan and
Eli . . . retrieve your weapons and stand with me.”

The five men did as requested, and moved to
stand next to Amon.

Amon then raised his voice again. “Earlier
today, I made a covenant with these five men, a vow that will not
be broken. They have placed their hands under mine. And now I wish
you to do the same.” Amon’s expression was one of determination.
“Are there any here who are part of Rezon’s covenant?” he
bellowed.

Not a soldier moved. None responded.

Like the other leaders, Pekah searched to
and fro, watching every face for signs of distress. Nothing seemed
out of the ordinary.

“Come forward then. I want to see your
hands!”

A line started to form in front of the
general. In an orderly fashion, soldiers presented themselves and
offered their right hands, palms upward. The first man stepped
forward, and the captains examined his palm, looking for the
tell-tale scars. Passing the test, the man then placed his hand
over Amon’s.

“Do you swear by your honor that you will
serve your tribe, renounce Rezon’s war, and join with all Three
Brothers in peace?” Amon asked.

“Yes,” the soldier said.

Amon then committed each man present,
whether of Gideon, or Daniel, or Uzzah, to the same oath, each one
in turn. Every Danielite and Uzzahite swore it, and nearly all of
the Gideonite soldiers did the same. But then Amon came to a
soldier of mixed descent whose features reminded Pekah of Eli. He
appeared to be very nervous.

At first, the man did not approach. But all
those who had passed through the line previously were now armed,
and Amon’s entourage stood there with swords glinting in the
morning suns-light. After a short hesitation, the soldier cleared
his throat and stepped up to Amon, pride in his countenance.

Amon held the man’s palm open, and Pekah
could see marks on the soldier’s hand. The scars overlapped,
causing a wide, white, jagged trail across his palm, evidence that
he had been part of Rezon’s covenant for quite some time. A hush
came over the entire company.

“Please stand over here,” Amon ordered with
a gesture.

The man complied, and the remaining soldiers
were checked. To the surprise of all, one additional soldier with
dark, wavy hair presented a scarred palm. Amon made the two of them
stand together. They seemed to recognize each other, but Amon did
not ask their names.

Pekah watched the general with interest.
Amon stood in silence, grinding his teeth and breathing hard. The
expression on his face reminded Pekah of the pain caused by
betrayal. When Amon spoke again, his voice was harsh.

“Where did you get these scars?”

Neither of the men answered.

“Your presence here has
endangered the safety and peace of all around you. A very good man
died last evening because of the wicked acts of your associates.
The Brothers have banded together to end this war. You cannot stop
it. I suspect that your leader, General Rezon, will
not
wish to join us. Do
you agree
?
”

Both men again refused to answer. Each man’s
gaze was intently focused on the toes of his own boots.

With a deep, almost
mournful sigh, Amon said, “You will forfeit your lives for the
covenant you have made. That
is what you
swear
,
is it
not?
You swear by your throats? Well, that
time has now come.”

Four captains stepped up at the order of the
general to bind the hands of the two men. Amon’s entire contingent
then marched the traitors through the home-lined streets north of
the Council Hall, out of Hasor through the north gates, and around
the village to the western side, not far from Izri’s former camp.
Rezon’s men were placed up against the village wall. The rising
suns shone brightly upon their faces.

“Bowmen at the ready!” Amon ordered. “Take
your aim! Fire!”

Both of the traitors fell with three arrows
each.

Amon shook his head. He directed the
captains to have the men buried.

Pekah studied the crumpled
bodies before him.
What a
waste
, he thought.
If they had only spent some time among the Danielites, maybe
they wouldn’t have listened to Rezon’s lies. Instead, they would
have seen that Jonathan’s father had no intention of attacking
Gideon.
Pekah sighed, suddenly very
grateful he never had been given the opportunity to join with this
group of wicked men who had pledged their lives to Rezon’s
service.

“We ride within the hour!” Amon
thundered.

Chapter 29

United

A
s the company dispersed in order to prepare for their
departure, Jonathan, Eli, and Pekah stayed behind with those
digging the graves for the executed men. Jonathan watched in
silence for a few minutes before asking Eli and Pekah to come with
him. “Before we leave for Ramathaim, I want to visit the gardens of
Hasor.”

A lump in his throat, Jonathan squared his
shoulders and started around the village wall in the direction of
the gardens. The smooth flagstone path hugging the wall made their
way easy. Rounding the southwest corner of the stone wall, Jonathan
could now see the olive groves, vineyards, and vegetable gardens
nestled between the guard towers.

He glanced up at the southwest tower
platform above him as they entered the gardens, remembering his
escape in the dark. It seemed like a long time ago. His boots now
clicking on the cobblestone path, he fought to control his
emotions. When the olive grove came into view, he looked at Eli.
Eli’s nod confirmed the place. Walking the rest of the way into the
grove, Jonathan left the path and passed trees with numerous
grafts, many of their branches looking like the tail of a
porcupine. Ducking under one limb as he went, he touched the coarse
bark as he passed, remembering that he had worked with his father
on that very tree the previous fall.

Avoiding another branch, Jonathan noticed
that Eli and Pekah were no longer behind him.

He did not need to be led to the burial site
of his father, a spot intimately familiar to him. This had been his
and Samuel’s favorite olive tree—tall, full, grand. No other tree
in the garden was as impressive. Although olive trees were somewhat
rare for this part of Gan, trade winds from the East Ocean blew
sufficiently inland to moderate the climate around Hasor. This
transplanted tree had prospered. With nearly perfect symmetry, it
looked more like an aging oak displaced from the nearby forests
than an olive tree.