The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn (6 page)

“It’s good to see you. But you can’t seem to
stay out of trouble, can you?”

Eli returned the grin. “It’s my lot in life.
Yours is to get me out of the trouble I’m in.”

Jonathan nodded and laughed. Eli frequently
seemed to be into some kind of mischief when they were together as
young boys. Jonathan had often shouldered the blame for some of the
pranks so Eli would not be the one always in trouble.

“I’m sorry,” Pekah said.

Jonathan studied the Gideonite. Pekah
appeared as if he wanted to say something more, but instead blew
out a sigh. Jonathan followed the soldier’s eyes down to Eli’s
shackles.

“Let me get the keys,” Pekah suggested as he
ran to the fallen captain’s body. Jonathan remained alert, and was
relieved to see that Pekah only retrieved keys from a pouch on the
belt of the captain. When Pekah returned, he knelt before Eli,
unlocked the fetters, and untied the ropes.

Now free from his bonds, Eli stepped to the
side and gently kicked Pekah to make him lose his balance and fall.
Jonathan snickered.

“That’s for yanking on the rope around my
neck!” Eli said with a forced growl as he pulled the loop over his
head, dropping it to the ground.

At first, Pekah appeared worried about
retaliation from Eli, but when he saw the boyish grin on Eli’s
face, he stood and returned a sheepish smile.

“We should find some shelter for the night,”
Jonathan said in a serious tone, trying not to laugh.

“What about the—?”

Jonathan cut him off with a wave of his
hand, pretending to cough. He didn’t want Pekah to know of the
cave. “I think we should make our way a mile to the west. The trees
there are very dense. Perhaps we can find a good spot off the main
trail where we won’t be noticed.”

Eli agreed, and Pekah shrugged his
shoulders.

Jonathan started to speak,
but hesitated.
Do I trust him? Yes. I must
show him that I do.

“Pekah, get yourself a new weapon. We also
need to hide the bodies before we leave, or we will surely be
followed.”

Before they worked together to drag the
bodies into the trees, Jonathan helped Eli retrieve his weapons,
which had been bundled and tied to a large shoulder sack belonging
to one of the archers. They found that Eli’s sword, belt dagger,
and boot knife were all together.

Eli strapped them on, stretched his aching
and cramped muscles, then rubbed the marks left by his bonds.

“Is that all of it?” Jonathan asked.

“All but my walking staff. Unfortunately the
soldiers left it behind when I was captured,” Eli said as he
brushed the dust from his coarsely-woven white tunic. “I’ll get a
new stick tomorrow. Plenty of trees around.”

Jonathan led the way, and the three of them
started the unpleasant task of disposing of the dead Gideonites. As
they placed the bodies together, Eli suggested they reclaim any
usable items from the soldiers, such as provisions and weapons,
rather than leave the supplies for marching Gideonite troops to
find. Jonathan consented. He helped Eli cut branches to cover the
men while he watched Pekah gather supplies in eager haste. Jonathan
could see that Pekah felt no grief for the dead soldiers,
especially the captain. He watched with interest as Pekah removed a
dagger from the captain’s leather belt, took a sword from one of
the archers, and then strapped both weapons to his waist.

Jonathan cut a final branch, then motioned
to Eli. They turned to assist Pekah in his search and found quite a
few other useful things. Their pile of treasures included a few
glow-stones, two glow-stone lanterns, a flint for fire making, two
quivers of very fine arrows, two bows, and enough provisions to
last for three days.

In addition to the supplies, Pekah also
found a small bag of gold and silver coins on the captain’s belt.
Each coin bore the image of Manasseh, Emperor of the Gideonites, on
one side, and an image of the twin suns on the other. Jonathan
estimated that there were about forty Gideonite solars total. Pekah
returned them to the leather bag and presented it to Jonathan,
respectfully asking him to take them.

Jonathan declined. “Pekah, keep them for us.
Should we not need the money in Ain, the coins are yours.”

Pekah shrugged and tied the bag around his
belt. They returned to their task of hiding the bodies of the
fallen soldiers, using the cut limbs and some large pieces of bark
from downed rotting timber. As they finished, they noticed the
darkness fast approaching.

“There may be other patrolling soldiers
about,” Eli said.

“True,” Jonathan agreed. “We should move
on.”

The three men crossed the grassy glade and
chose the western fork of the dividing path. Eli suggested they
travel single file on the side of the trail once they entered the
trees. This minimized the traces of their passing, even though
occasional underbrush and branches slowed their progress. As they
hiked through the forest, the waning light of dusk was replaced by
light from the two smaller rising moons. The heavens peeked in upon
them between the treetops, showing a beautiful spray of stars. As
was common at this time of year, a dim green aurora danced over the
southern sky, and Eli hummed a simple child’s lullaby about the
lights in the heavens.

Jonathan’s troubled heart warmed upon
hearing the deep, soothing melody. “Thank you, Eli,” he said.

“You’re welcome. Music lifts the spirit,
does it not?”

“It certainly does help.”

Pekah did not comment.

Eli continued to hum, and Jonathan was glad
for it. Curious about the Gideonite who had joined him, he peered
over at Pekah. He could just make out the soldier’s face in the dim
light provided by holes in the leafy canopy above. Whether aware of
Jonathan’s curiosity or not, Pekah’s gaze did not leave the ground.
He seemed tired and distant, so Jonathan did not attempt to engage
him in conversation.

Now larger and much closer together, the
trees bordering the shadowed path completely obstructed the lights
of the moons and made it difficult for them to see where to step.
Eli and Pekah rubbed two glow-stones to charge them, and then
placed each crystal in a reflective lantern, the light of which
allowed them to quicken their pace.

The men hadn’t eaten in some time, so the
search for a place to rest for the night intensified. Their careful
observation was rewarded as they turned from the path to follow the
faint sound of trickling water.

About one hundred paces from the trail near
a wide bend in a rocky stream, they found a thick growth of thorny,
gnarled brush and vines overrunning a tight group of trees. The
trees and bushes together made a natural barrier shaped like a cup
turned on its side, the hollow facing the water. Because of
location and a gentle southerly breeze, this made a perfect place
to stay the night. Travelers on the forest path would probably not
notice them as long as they were quiet, even with a campfire.

After unburdening themselves of all the
supplies they carried, each of them helped to gather wood, piling
it within a fire-circle of large rocks. Jonathan used flint to
spark some tinder, and soon the fire burned bright and warm. They
arranged logs for seating, then took the opportunity to wash at the
stream’s edge before returning to camp to eat.

“I still have some dried meat, fruit, and
half a cheese in my sack,” Jonathan offered. Eli growled like a
hungry animal, rubbing his stomach for emphasis. Pekah grabbed his
own provisions sack and produced a large round of leavened bread,
some strips of salted meat, and a wineskin. Jonathan decided to
save his own provisions, especially the fruit, for breakfast. Pekah
grabbed his round of bread and started to break it into large
pieces, but Jonathan held out his hand to stop him.

“Do you mind if we pray before we eat?” he
asked.

Pekah appeared puzzled at first, but then
shrugged his shoulders. “That would be fine.”

Both Eli and Jonathan knelt on the ground
and bowed their heads. Jonathan glanced at Pekah, who mimicked them
like an awkward youth.

“Our Father, our God, we come to Thee in
humility and with broken hearts . . .” Jonathan paused as his voice
began to quaver. He composed himself and continued. “We thank Thee
for all which Thou dost provide; for life, for bread, for strength
and wisdom and love. We thank Thee for the Son whom Thou wilt send.
May Thy blessings be upon us, and upon our peoples. We thank Thee
for the protection we have been granted this day. May the souls of
those who have gone home to Thee find rest, forgiveness, and
healing. Let peace reign, and the hearts of all men be softened by
truth and love. Bless us to this end and prepare us for Thy will to
be done. Amen and amen.”

Jonathan opened his eyes and found Pekah
staring at him.

“You seem troubled. Did I say something that
bothered you?”

Pekah shook his head. “No.” His gaze fell,
and he gave no other explanation.

Jonathan did not press the issue. He took an
offered piece of dried meat from Eli. Pekah still held the bread
motionless in his hands, and Eli had to get his attention in order
to ask him to share. Pekah apologized.

All three men fell quiet,
lost in thought. Jonathan reflected on his father’s passing. He
felt guilty for leaving Samuel’s body in the Council Hall, and
wondered if he should have gone back.
Surely the Gideonite army did not leave him there,
Jonathan reassured himself. He imagined them
taking the body to a hill outside the village walls. He pictured
the familiar green hills and almost smelled the fresh dirt as
shovels turned over the sod. Jonathan’s guilt turned to sorrow as
he realized he would never till the soil at Samuel’s side
again.

Fighting back tears, his attention turned to
Eli, who chewed his last bite of jerky loudly enough to be heard.
Eli gazed at him expectantly, as if he wanted to talk.

“Pekah?” Jonathan asked. “Do you mind if Eli
and I excuse ourselves for a moment?”

Pekah shook his head and said, “No.”

Jonathan gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank
you. We’ll be back.”

Jonathan and Eli grabbed their sword belts
and left the fire. They found a suitable place to sit outside of
earshot, but still within sight of the fire-lit camp. The site they
chose was well-lit by the beaming three sister moons.

Before Jonathan could sit on the log they
found, Eli grabbed Jonathan to himself and embraced him. They
patted each other’s backs firmly, and then clasped forearms. Tears
of joy and sorrow welled in their eyes and dropped onto their
arms.

Eli released his friend, and both men used
their sleeves to dry their eyes. Then they sat down together under
the moons-light to talk.

Chapter
7

Promises

J
onathan broke the silence. “My father was slain.”

Eli exhaled. “I know. I saw him.”

“You were there? Tell me what you saw!”

Eli’s face filled with sorrow. Light from
the moons above glistened upon his wet cheeks as tears tumbled from
his green eyes and into his scruffy red beard. Jonathan’s own eyes
blurred as Eli rubbed his eyes dry.

“I am so sorry, Jonathan,” Eli said with
emotion. “This morning, after a speedy march with a group of eight
other Uzzahite warriors, Tavor and I arrived at Hasor just as the
suns were rising. I had hoped to assist you in your defense.
However, my fears of arriving too late were confirmed as we
approached the village walls. We came down from the north road, and
when the east gate came into view, we found the heavy doors
destroyed. The entire village had been deserted.”

“I think they were all taken prisoner,”
Jonathan interjected as he wiped his cheeks with the backs of his
hands.

“I think you’re right,” Eli confirmed. “We
had seen a very large contingent of soldiers escorting a group of
at least two hundred men, women, and children due west toward Saron
the previous evening. We believe they were going to use the Geber
Pass to get to Ain. Our scouts confirmed that Ain was taken just
four days ago.”

Eli paused and crossed his arms as if to
allow Jonathan time to absorb the new information.

“Father and I suspected Ain had already been
captured, but we did not know for sure.” Jonathan let out a deep
sigh, then pursed his lips. Confusion replaced his anger. “If you
found the village deserted, how did you get mixed up with the
Gideonite soldiers?”

“I sent most of my men to check the garden
gate while I took Tavor with me to check out the temple, palace,
and hall. The temple seemed to be undisturbed. Obviously the
Gideonites were not after gold candlesticks that day.”

Jonathan managed a thin smile at this
somewhat positive news.

“When I got to the hall, I found your father
in the Council Room.” Eli placed his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder.
“I sent Tavor to call the other men, and then the ten of us carried
him out the broken gates into the olive garden. We found some
shovels in the gardener’s hut. Jonathan, we laid him under your
favorite olive tree.”

Tears were visible in Eli’s eyes again, and
Jonathan’s own sorrow pulled his head low. He felt the strong
squeeze of Eli’s hand on his arm. He looked up, again wiping his
face with his hands. “Thank you, Eli. You did my father a great
service.”

“I loved him too, Jonathan.”

Eli paused, but then explained that after
their very emotional ceremony for Samuel, they split up to cover
the entire village to be sure there were no survivors within the
walls.

“When we met back at the hall, we thought it
peculiar that we did not find any other bodies in the entire
village. There were evidences everywhere of intense fighting when
the village was overrun, but we did not find a single soul, living
or dead. We decided to patrol the outside wall, and did so,
starting at the garden gate. We circled the southern wall heading
west.”