The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn (39 page)

Uzziel had been listening.
Now able to speak again, he nearly shouted, “And the sign is at
hand! It will be given
tonight!
”

* * *

Hours later, Pekah heard a chatter like the
buzzing of bees hanging over the entire city of Ramathaim. News had
traveled like a tidal wave. Every edifice in the city that had
roof-top access was now filled to capacity with families and their
friends. Other homes with patios or gardens were no less crowded.
Mothers and fathers and children of every age, the old and infirm,
the infants born on that very day, and every other soul, it seemed,
had been gathered in by loved ones. All looked to the heavens,
eagerly watching the sister suns as they dipped closer and closer
to the horizon. A few wispy clouds provided an exquisite show of
blues, purples, reds, and pinks as the last crescent edges of Azure
and Aqua fell below the mountain tops of the east.

Then, just as the last beams disappeared
over the lowest point, Pekah expected the light to wane, but the
sky actually began to get brighter. Turning toward the west with
all the other anxious observers in Ramathaim, he watched as a
suns-rise took place, similar to every suns-rising he had ever
witnessed, except for one significant difference. There was not a
burning celestial orb present. Nothing was there. It appeared as if
a great, invisible glow-stone grew in the west, getting brighter
and brighter until the entire sky was filled with a light equal to
the sister suns at mid-day.

With an arm around his dear wife, Pekah
continued to watch with awe and wonder. Jade, Ebony, and Sienna,
the three moons of Gan, all rose close together, three days short
of a full cycle when the three of them would actually cross and the
expected characteristic face would then appear. Even the moons
appeared different. They seemed to absorb the glowing light in the
sky, and yet, at the same time, reflect that light, their coloring
a brilliant green-gray, a superb reflective coal, and a deep,
shiny, scarlet-brown. And the sky all around the moons was
blue—bluer than Pekah had ever seen before.

Then, from the southwest, Pekah heard a very
faint noise—almost like the slow ripping of paper or the hiss of
sizzling bacon. A small celestial object coursed through the sky
like a lazy meteor. Trailing a cloudy tail of light, the comet
spewed hundreds of falling particles, each of them burning fire-red
lines across the sky. It disappeared in the direction of the sister
suns.

Gasps, cheers, and shouts echoed all around.
Uzziel clapped his hands together and held them fast, as if he had
just seen a fantastic production at the city amphitheater. Jonathan
and Rachel kissed, holding each other tight. Abigail put her arm
through Pekah’s and pulled him close. He kissed her gently on the
forehead and told her that he loved her dearly.

As he gazed upward at the
celestial display unfolding
before his
eyes, Pekah suddenly wondered why nobody was afraid. The comet had
been eerily close. The source of the heavenly glow was invisible to
his eyes. Yet there was not a single cry of fear, nor a comment of
worry by anyone around him.

And then it all made sense. He heard the
most sublime sounds of music . . . music and trumpets! He hadn’t
noticed it until that moment. It came from the heavens above him,
filling him like water into a vase until it overflowed. Unique and
pleasant, the music and singing felt familiar, reminding Pekah of a
field of flowers or a mountain stream.

And then . . . Pekah saw them. Angels.
Angels descending from the heavens, all declaring the tidings that
worlds away, the Holy One had been born.

###

Sneak Preview

Heaven’s Garden

Book Two: The Chronicles of Gan

* * * * *

Chapter 1

Fugitives

W
ho
are you?” Rezon demanded, so
close to the man that a drop of his spittle landed on the
prisoner’s cheek.

“My name is Balak.” He let out a grunt,
straining against the oak staff that held his arms uncomfortably
behind him. Gad and Jael jerked the staff higher, lifting Balak’s
upper arms to the point that he cried out in pain, his voice low
and croaking. “Please! I have a message for you.”

Rezon stepped back, studying the Danielite
man. He nodded to his captains. They let go of the staff, allowing
it to fall into a crusty drift of snow at the edge of the cave.
Balak leaned forward to rest against the smooth trunk of a dead
pine, breathing heavily.

“Well? What is it?” Rezon said, his breath
sending puffs of vapor into the frigid morning air.

Balak straightened and faced the former
general of Gideon. “I bring a message from my captain—a captain of
Daniel. He wishes to help your cause.”

Rezon looked sidelong at Balak, suspicious.
“What do you mean, ‘help my cause’?”

“There are those in Daniel who are not
pleased with Jonathan as our king. When the son of Samuel was
anointed, he placed Gideonites on his council. I lost my seat, and
the little bit of income that came with it.”

“You don’t like Gideonites?” Rezon
sneered.

“I prefer things the way they were.”

“What of your captain? Why does he wish to
help?”

“He has his own reasons.”

“So, are you angry about losing the income,
or losing what little feeling of power you had?” Rezon asked.

“Both,” Balak said, his voice deep.

Rezon watched the tall Danielite for a
moment, then looked at Gad. “Where did you find him?”

“Making his way through the trees on the
back slope. He was alone.”

Rezon took a step toward the Danielite. “You
came alone?”

“Yes, but—”

“He has a pack horse,” Gad interrupted.

“I brought supplies,” Balak quickly
added.

“To purchase my favor?” Rezon asked.

“To assist your cause. There are still three
months of winter. What have you been eating?”

It started to snow once more, and a large
flake landed on Rezon’s face. He brushed it off. “There’s plenty of
game, and we are men of Gideon. Did you think we would perish in
the mountains?”

“You don’t have bread, do you?” Balak spat,
challenging Rezon.

Rezon let out a laugh. “No. We do not have
bread.” He put a hand up to stay Jael, who stepped forward as if to
harm the man, already fingering the pommel of his sword. “Bravely
spoken, Balak.”

“I have flour. I also have oil, fruits, and
nuts. Compliments of my captain.”

“I don’t recall that you said his name—who
is your captain, and what does he want?”

Balak smiled. “He will continue to send
supplies when he can. He will also warn you when Amon’s army, now
loyal to the Danielite king, comes searching for you. His only
request is this: When you come back into power, with Daniel in
subjection, he wishes to be remembered. But for now, he chooses to
hide his identity.”

“What if I simply take your gifts and then
kill you if you don’t tell me his name?”

“Do as you wish,” Balak said, head high.

Rezon grinned. “I like you, Balak. We have a
deal. Tell your captain he will be remembered.”

Balak bowed respectfully, snow now sticking
to his brown hair.

“Gad,” Rezon said, pointing to the trail,
“Bring up his horse.”

Saluting, Gad left.

“How long will you be staying with us?”
Rezon asked.

“I won’t be,” Balak said. “I left Ramathaim
for Karmel two days ago, on an errand for the king. If I don’t
return to Hasor by tomorrow night, it will look suspicious. And I
would rather not get caught up here in the coming storm.” Balak
turned slightly, gesturing in the direction of the northern plains.
“While I gathered the supplies in the markets, I heard that several
farms surrounding Karmel had recently been raided.”

Jael cleared his throat, catching Balak’s
attention. Once again, Jael appeared to be irritated. Rezon stepped
between them.

“I have to admit,” Rezon said, “we do get
tired of eating meat. And farms have other needed items.”

Balak didn’t comment.

Rezon twisted his facial hair, bringing his
beard to a point. It made his chin itch. He brushed it out and
pointed at Balak. “You said Jonathan put Gideonites on his council.
Who are they?”

“One is a blind goatherd from around Gilad,
I think. His name is Eder. A doddering fool, in my opinion. The
other three you know.”

Rezon crossed his arms to ward off a shiver.
Even with the furs he wore, he was chilled by the breeze that had
picked up.

“The other three,” Balak continued, “are
Captain Amon, now General of the Host of Gideon, Captain Mehida,
and Captain Pekah.”

Rezon startled. “What did you say?”

“Amon, Mehida, and Pekah.”

“You lie,” Rezon snapped, his heart beating
fast.

“Lie? About what?” Balak asked. After a
tense moment, his brow lifted. “Ah! You have not heard, have you.
Pekah lives.”

Rezon swallowed
hard.
Not possible,
he thought.
My dagger pierced his
heart. He was dead before his face hit the ground.
He glanced at Jael, who had stepped closer,
wearing an expression of disbelief.

“Who told you Pekah is alive?” Jael
demanded.

“Nobody. I have seen him
in Hasor. He
is
alive, I assure you.”

“This has to be a trick,” Rezon said. “Does
he have a twin?”

Balak now appeared to be nervous. “No. It is
Pekah himself. I cannot explain it. But there is a rumor he was
raised from the dead.”

Angry, Rezon pulled a knife, brandishing it
near Balak’s chest. “Impossible. Did your captain tell you to
spread this falsehood? Tell me the truth, or I will slit your
throat.”

Balak straightened. “I am not lying. Pekah
lives. Kill me if you must, but I’m telling you the truth.”

Rezon let his arm drop.
Stepping back, he turned away from Balak, his mind racing.
Impossible
, he thought
again. He exhaled loudly.
But then again,
who is Pekah? A young soldier with no skill, and therefore of no
consequence
. He clenched his teeth hard
enough to make them hurt.

“I’ll kill him again,” Rezon swore,
defiant.

Balak nodded. “I agree—someone must. Pekah
has led all the expeditions to find you, but he has been looking in
the wrong places.”

Rezon caught onto his
statement. “How, exactly, did
you
find me?”

Balak smirked. “Early in the war, my captain
met and gained the confidence of one of your secret messengers.
Noah of Maharai passed through Hasor recently. He knew where to
find you.”

“I will have his head on a spit!” Jael said,
peppering his statement with profanity.

Rezon put a hand on Jael’s shoulder. “No,
Jael. Noah is trustworthy. He would not have revealed our location
unless this nameless Danielite captain joined the oath. I will
reward Noah for this. We have just been offered a very powerful
position in our little game—far more power than I could have
possibly hoped. Now we have an inside man.” Looking at Balak, Rezon
quickly corrected himself. “Inside men.”

“Sworn to your service,” Balak said. “I
should be going. I’ll help Gad unload the supplies. Until we meet
again?”

“Until then,” Rezon replied, his tone still
bitter.

Balak walked off, the falling snow quickly
hiding his footsteps.

* * *

Later that evening, the storm broke, and
clouds lifted until they scraped only the tips of the jagged peaks
of the Hara Range. Rezon sat upon a log that had been cut earlier
in the day by his men. Working together, the fifteen men had easily
filled the mouth of the cave with enough firewood to last a week.
He watched the narrow trail before him, and stood as soon as he
noticed movement in the trees.

Breathing hard as they came, Zev and Gideon
both strained against heavy burdens, canvas bags thrown over their
shoulders.

Rezon let out a short whistle like the chirp
of a sparrow, and several of his men hurried from the cave, weapons
in hand.

“Help them,” Rezon ordered, sitting back on
his log. He watched as Gideon dropped his bundle, glad to be rid of
it. When Zev refused to let them help, Rezon stood up again,
curious.

Zev tromped up the rest of the trail,
panting. “General Rezon . . . I brought . . . a gift.” Zev set his
bag on the ground, a whimper rising from its folds.

“What is this?”

“I found her tending sheep,” Zev gasped.
“She was alone. In the foothills. We won’t be followed.” Then, as
if quite pleased with his own humor, Zev said, “If anyone goes
looking for her, they’ll think she was taken by a wolf.”

Rezon smirked.

Zev untied the top of the bag, revealing the
blonde tresses of a young woman’s head, a bump rising just above
her ear.

Rezon pulled down the edge of the canvas to
reveal her face—beautiful and innocent, no more than seventeen
years of age. He bent and smelled her hair, inhaling deeply.
“Wonderful. She is clean.”

The young woman began to stir.

“Take her into the cave,” he said,
smiling.

Zev and Gideon pulled her from the bag,
supporting her under the arms. They walked her into the cave,
disappearing around a corner.

A piercing scream, quickly muffled, flowed
out of the dim cavern.

I won’t be cold
tonight,
Rezon thought, licking his
cracked lips.