“Age never stopped marriages between royal families before.”
Kadesh put his hands to my face, leaning into me, his lips a breath from mine. “The Queen of Sheba has her king, a prince of Ethiopia. They have children. The wealthiest royal couple in the known world. Long ago, King Hammurabi tried to woo her, but she refused, although he would never admit it.”
“I see.” My voice sounded small and foolish. “I’m sorry. The queen has just given us disconcerting news, and I’m acting like a jealous child.”
He wrapped me in his cloak and pressed his lips into my hair. “There was never a question of her and me. She married while I was a young boy. You are my love, and will remain so for the rest of my life. I only wish we were already married. I’m sorry you misinterpreted tonight’s meeting. If we were already married so many things would be easier. I just want to get home and show you my world. But . . . the queen gave us sound advice. My aunt Naomi will help us prepare a royal wedding fit for a king and his bride and leaving no doubt as to my loyalties and alliances.”
Just when I thought I understood what was going on, more rose up to confuse and confound me. Foreign alliances, Assyrians, magical goddesses. I’d been flung off a cliff with no way to keep myself from dashing against the treacherous rocks below.
“I have a gift for you, my future wife,” Kadesh added, brushing his lips against my forehead.
“A gift?”
“Call it an early wedding present.” Kadesh slipped his hand into the folds of his cloak. A heartbeat later, he produced a resplendent sword in a casing of finely tooled leather with brass trim.
I could hardly speak. My own sword. “It’s—it’s simply gorgeous.”
“Unsheathe it,” he said, just like an excited child on the best morning of spring.
I pulled out the weapon from its leather sheath. The bronze-colored alloy gleamed under the starlight. Most remarkably, the handle was engraved with the same etchings of the Sariba homeland as Kadesh’s sword.
“It’s just like yours,” I whispered. “Oh, Kadesh!”
I stared in wonder at the beauty lying between my open palms. A year ago I could barely lift Kadesh’s sword, but this was shorter, lighter, just my size. And I was stronger now, practicing every evening until I dropped into bed.
“I had it specially crafted for you—and ordered a silversmith to engrave the Land of Sariba’s stamp for you.”
“You must have planned this long ago. To order it specially.”
“The sword was tooled right here in Sheba. It’s been waiting for us the last few months.”
“But up until recently you were arguing against me having a sword.”
“I don’t want Horeb to ever see your face again, but I know it’s foolish not to have you prepared in every way possible.”
I ran a finger along the gleaming bronze, testing the sharpness of the edge with my thumb. “This sword will forever bring your face and strength to my mind.” I moved closer, giving him a teasing smile. “Shall we spar right now, Prince of Sariba?”
He gave a low chuckle. “We’ll work on foot moves tomorrow—maybe more than that—my beautiful Jayden.”
His fingers lingered on my cheek, but a weight remained on my chest.
“I’m bringing danger to your people. I want your family to love me, but how can they look upon me with any degree of welcome when we’re about to be ravaged by Horeb’s army?”
“Try not to think of things that may never come to pass.”
We stood under the stars and I savored his hands on my waist, the touch that set my nerves on fire. I slipped my hands inside his cloak and wrapped myself tight against him. A wind howled across the edge of the Empty Sands that bordered the land of Sa’ba. This refined country boasted running water and every comfort, but it still lay under the watchful eye of a deadly desert.
“I’ll try to banish my fears to those Empty Sands and imagine Horeb’s army carried away by the deadly winds. Never to be seen again.”
“Jayden,” Kadesh whispered, pulling me closer as his lips touched mine. I’d forgotten how miraculous his mouth was. My hands gripped the back of his head and his warm lips softened as they tasted mine. An ache of yearning filled me.
I knew this would be the last moment of comfort before we left Ma’rib and embarked on the final leg of the journey. I tried to forget all the danger waiting for us and bask in this moment. A moment that would have to last until our wedding night.
At night I practiced using my new beautifully etched sword. Tying rock weights to it, Asher forced me to swing the sword a hundred times over, again and again. The muscles in my arms burned so fiercely I could barely lift my satchel the next day.
But miraculously, even after just a week, the sword felt so much lighter my moves instantly became quicker. When I sparred with Kadesh or Asher we used wooden practice swords to prevent injuries, although one evening I caught Asher when he wasn’t paying close attention, snatching at the hem of his cloak.
“Ha!” I cried. The Edomites who were watching applauded my success and I grinned with the praise.
The men finally broke apart and went off to bed. I sighed with contentment, feeling stronger, closer to being able to hold my ground in a real fight.
I’d barely headed to my own sleeping spot when unexpected shouts broke the quiet night.
Two Edomite scouts rode hard into camp, kicking up dust, their horses white with lather under the light of the fire. The men circled, yelling for Chemish and Kadesh.
I stood stock-still, staring at them. The cries of alarm portended bad news. My heart lodged like a stone in my chest while sweat trickled along the inside of my dress.
Edomite soldiers, half-dressed and ready for bed, surged toward the scouts. Chemish and Kadesh rose from the fire, their dinner half-eaten.
“My lord!” the first scout cried to Kadesh.
“Let’s speak around the fire,” he told them. “Get some food.”
“There’s no time.” A wild look was in the man’s eyes. “Horeb’s army left Ma’rib a week ago. They’ve caught up. They’re right behind us.”
Chemish instinctively pulled his sword from its sheath.
I bit down so hard on my bottom lip I tasted blood.
“How close?” Kadesh asked quickly. “How soon?”
“They’re fast on our heels,” the first scout replied. “A day at most. We rode as fast as we could. Our horses are nearly dead.”
“How many?”
“An army bigger than our eyes could fathom stretched clear across the desert.”
My legs couldn’t hold me. I sank to the ground, my sword falling next to me. “Dear God in heaven. We’re dead.”
“Take care of your horses,” Kadesh ordered. “Let them breathe while we pack. Stay at the rear of the company so they have a little more time to recover. If you’re our rearguard you can alert us if we need to stop and organize ourselves for a fight.” Turning to the Edomites, he shouted, “We pack and leave immediately!”
Voices raised in questions and alarm. Underneath it all fear laced the words. We thought we’d had time to get to Sariba safely.
Laban stepped forward. “How can we fight if we travel all night and all day tomorrow?”
“That’s the point,” Kadesh said, his face filled with distress. “I don’t plan to fight at all. I won’t sit here waiting to be ambushed by three organized armies. With our small numbers and no reinforcements, we’ll be slaughtered in an hour.”
Chemish spoke up, agreeing with Kadesh. “Our best chance is to stay ahead of them. I’d rather die in Sariba than out here.”
“Organize your animals and companies,” Kadesh shouted again. “We leave within the hour. Seth and Jabal, your job is to destroy the well. Leave no water for Horeb.”
“That’s cruel to his animals,” Laban muttered under his breath.
I watched Kadesh try to hold his anger in check. “Your words are madness. We’re talking about one of Horeb’s camels—or our lives.”<
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Laban waved his sword in the air, pacing before the fire. “I won’t be a coward. I’ll take my chances here. All we have to do is talk to them. Sign a truce of peace.”
Chemish stared at the man as if he’d gone insane. “You swore allegiance to Prince Kadesh. You’re an Edomite, which means you’re my citizen, a member of my army.”
I found myself walking forward, my sword heavy in my hand. The words of the Queen of Sheba pounded in my head. “None of you know Horeb like Kadesh and I do. He hasn’t come all this way to sign a truce for peace. He’ll take me and then kill you all in the most brutal fashion.”
Kadesh moved closer to Laban. “Why would you want to face thousands of Assyrians and Maachathites in the desert? There won’t be time for talks. They’ll march right over us before we have a chance to utter a single word.”
Chemish gave a grunt, brushing off Laban’s words. “You’re a crazy thief, Laban, but you’re not suicidal. You know what we’re up against. The whole purpose for our expedition is to get Kadesh and Jayden to safety in Sariba.”
“We’ve been traveling at breakneck speed for months,” Asher said from behind his father. “That’s why we have our own small spy convoy so we know where Horeb is and how to avoid him.”
“Shut up, you fool!” Laban hissed.
Dead silence followed his outburst. Kadesh and Chemish stared between Laban and Asher, a terrible disquiet spreading like a disease among the Edomite soldiers. The men began to murmur again, gathering about, their faces darkened by sun and hardened after weeks of desert trekking.
Nothing made sense. Asher had assured me the letters he was writing for Laban were left in strategic locations for our scouts and spies. Correspondence home. Receipts for supplies.
But neither Kadesh nor Chemish had ever mentioned them.
My eyes bore into Laban’s face as the memory of furtive meetings came together in my mind. I looked at Asher, who appeared completely unsettled. “There’s something more going on here,” I said, stepping forward.
“Stay away from him, Jayden,” Asher said, cutting in front of me. “Laban is a madman. Don’t anger him.”
“Don’t patronize me!” I screamed. With both fists, I swept up my sword and swung it toward Asher, catching him under the chin.
Asher’s eyes widened. He held out his hands to show he was unarmed, but at the moment I didn’t care. When he tried to move backward, a trickle of red dribbled down the length of his throat.
“I could take you right now,” I told him evenly. “I could kill you.”
“Jayden!” Kadesh stepped between us. “Drop your sword! How could you threaten the prince of Edom? These are strong accusations.”
I flicked my eyes across Asher’s face, not lowering my sword one bit. “Haven’t you noticed how much faster Horeb has been traveling the last few weeks? In a land and on a trail he’s never seen before? Despite the fact we’ve been traveling hard and fast most of the way. It’s impossible to move three armies at our speed. To water hundreds of animals at each well.”
“Perhaps he hired guides,” Asher suggested.
“Perhaps he hired a mercenary thief and a traitor.” My words were soft, but in the horrible quiet everyone heard them. “Kadesh,” I ordered. “Search Laban’s pack, all of his belongings. He’s been leaving secret missives at each town and city. He’s been telling Horeb where we are, how to travel, where the wells are. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“No, Jayden, you’re mistaken. Laban has been sending information to our own spy envoy.” But Asher’s voice shook with apprehension.
“If Laban has nothing to hide, then Kadesh won’t find anything, will he?”
“Laban can’t read or write,” Asher said. “How could he have placed letters or notes to Horeb or anyone?”
“Because you’ve been helping him,” I said. “You’re a pawn in Laban’s treason, Asher.”
The eyes of the entire Edomite army were on me. The murmurs, the arguments, the talk all around me was making me dizzy. I was crazy to accuse the son of Chemish of being a traitor. But Asher and Laban had secrets that needed to be exposed. Especially with the news of Horeb so close. We could all be dead by morning.
“Not many people in camp can read or write,” I added. “Except a trained scribe.”
Chemish surged forward. “Are you accusing my son of conspiring with Laban to lead Horeb’s army to us?”
“Conspiring? I don’t know. Only Asher and Laban can explain themselves.”
Finally I lowered my sword, glancing toward Kadesh. I wanted his help; I wanted him to believe me. I’d just put myself on the outside of every man who had crossed the harsh desert to help me and my family. I’d just questioned every single one of their loyalty.
“The girl is dreaming up a tale of complete insanity!” Laban shouted. He plunged the tip of his sword into the sand with defiance. “Search her belongings! Horeb is her betrothed. Perhaps she’s leading them to us!”
His accusation took my breath away. I was accusing Asher of hurting his own father, his own people. Of exposing me, a girl he secretly loved. None of it made sense. Perhaps I was merely exhausted, my mind conjuring a mirage? I couldn’t think straight any longer. But I was in too deep with my accusations to back down now.
But as for Chemish and Kadesh, perhaps they’d been too trusting, too blind to see the strange relationship between Asher and Laban. Laban a man of forty with a history of rogue fights and thievery. And Asher, a young man barely past youth, the son of the Edomite leader, who should have very little to do with a man who was normally on the fringe of society.
“Oh, Jayden, what are you doing?” my father said. He took a step toward me, shaking his head, telling me to stop. He thought I was putting us all in peril. But that was Horeb. Horeb who was within hours of us. Death was coming quickly. I could envision it. Taste my own bitter fear on my tongue.
Without another word, I dug the tip of my sword into the sand, leaving the handle upright at my waist. I turned to Kadesh, and our eyes met. Perhaps the imminent battle made me overly confident, but my gesture said I wasn’t backing down. Something wasn’t right, and it hadn’t been for many, many weeks.
All eyes were on us, but in the shadows of midnight I couldn’t fathom what Kadesh was thinking. I’d just challenged him in a very public setting, the Prince of Sariba, the man I loved, the man who was soon going to be my king and ruler.
I said, “If I’m wrong I will pay the consequences, my lord. But I won’t die at the hands of Horeb without knowing the truth.”
Kadesh unsheathed his own sword and punched it into the sand. “Unload your packs. Chemish and I will search their belongings.”
Asher turned pale. Laban spat on the ground. “This is an unjust search. I won’t be subject to the whims of a woman!”
Chemish advanced toward the man. Despair filled his countenance. “I am your king and you will obey my orders—or suffer the consequences.”
Asher was so pale in the firelight I thought he’d be sick. He wouldn’t look at me, turning his back while he spread his belongings on the ground for his father to inspect. Among his personal bedding and clothing were his scribe tools: several thin tablets, a cake of ink, and writing stencils. “Father, I never meant this to happen,” he said in a strained voice. “I never thought . . . I wanted to be useful. Laban promised the letters were for our scouts, our spies keeping check on Horeb’s army in each city.”
Chemish’s face twitched as he stared at his son. “Asher, are you a fool?”
“I wanted to help save Jayden—the girl I—I was helping us all get to Sariba more safely.”
His words punched me in the belly. “The letters you wrote weren’t for a phantom envoy of Edomite spies. Laban was delivering them to Horeb’s operatives. Horeb has known where we are every step of the way. That’s the only way he could have navigated foreign lands and roads to gain more than a week of time.”
“You were right all along, Jayden,” Kadesh sai
d. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Out of the corner of my eye I watched Laban back away from the fire, trying to slip through the companies of Edomites.
“Laban!” I cried, but the other men had already seen him and grabbed the man.
Kadesh shouted, “Bring Laban to me.”
Chemish’s face held a strange mix of rage and sorrow. He kicked Asher’s scribe tools and sand flew through the air. “Have you lost your mind?”
“I—I wanted to be useful. To prove I could help.”
“Did Laban promise you anything in return for sending us all to our deaths?” Chemish asked.
“He said he had a cache of gold and silver. That after the trip I would be well paid for my work to help our expedition.”
“He lied to you. He used you. And you were a fool to believe him. Never would I put a rogue Edomite to such an important task. Laban was only here as a fighter. And for that he was going to be paid well upon our return home.” He paced the campfire in agitation. “Away with all of you! You have your orders. Pack immediately. We travel all night!”
The night became surreal. My chest pounded with fear of unfathomable proportions.
The Edomites groaned, returning to their orders with tired bodies and unsettled hearts. The din surrounded me, the stir of dust and sand while the men packed bedrolls and prepared their animals. Grabbed their dinner. Smothered the fires.
It was as though I were watching the entire scene from a great distance. My chin jerked when a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.
Two men dragged Laban over and dropped him to the ground with his pack for inspection. For a moment I lost sight of him in the dark beyond the fire’s dying light. A whoosh of sparks blinded me as someone kicked sand into the flames.
Far across the clearing, Laban rose from the task of emptying his pack, moving so quickly in the shadows nobody noticed. At that same moment Kadesh turned toward Chemish who was about to snap the writing tablets in half. Kadesh bent to stop him, murmuring, “Don’t destroy the evidence.”
I swore I was swimming through sand, wading through a black tunnel when Laban sidestepped, grabbed his sword from the earth, and lunged at Kadesh. Silent as a specter of death. Purposely striking at Kadesh’s blinded left side.
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