by Fiona Tarr
Chapter 10
David awoke to the early streams of light through the open flap of his tent. He stopped at the end of his makeshift bed to offer up a prayer as the sun peaked over the high ridge above the battlefield. Today he would fulfil his destiny, a destiny he had always sensed, but not known. He left the tent with his spear and sack of flat throwing stones to meet with his brothers and break his fast.
Jerim was just finishing tending some wounded soldiers when he caught up with him. 'Come and eat with me brother. It is fine to see you enjoying your work.' David remarked as he noticed the creases in Jerim’s forehead were much reduced. His eyes twinkled in a way he had not seen since they were both much younger.
'That sounds like a fine idea little brother. You are all dressed up; where is it you head today?' said Jerim, with just a hint of curiosity.
'You will know soon enough Jerim. Let us join our brothers. Have you heard from Nate at all since he returned home?'
'Yes, he wrote a letter explaining that our uncle insisted that this war would last forever and that Nate must take Amelia as his wife to avoid any blood feud between our families.' David studied Jerim’s face as he spoke these words.
'And this does not seem to bother you at all, or are you just good at keeping your feelings close these days?' David was genuinely concerned; he knew how hard Jerim had worked to court Amelia. He also knew how persistently Amelia would have pursued Nate as the only fit male of his father’s household left, as he himself had once been.
'I have found a different calling David. I never realised how self-centred I was before this war. These men have sacrificed much for their King. Lives, limbs, brothers, friends, who am I to complain about Amelia finding another husband? I will stay with the chief surgeon after this battle is over and follow any future battles. I am needed here David, really needed, and for the first time in many, many years I feel I can do something to make a difference.'
David smiled, 'I am so pleased to see you happy brother. You have worked tirelessly in this role. When did you decide you liked the work? Last time I saw you, it appeared the bloodshed and death was draining your spirit.'
'I am not exactly sure I like the work, there is no joy in it, yet many lives have been saved here and I have spent time talking with the soldiers who have made it through some terrible wounds. Some have lost legs or eyes while others have talked of near death experiences and how important life is to them. I had no idea that serving others and listening to their stories could be so fulfilling.' Jerim trailed off as he saw David’s expression change. The King was coming out of his meeting tent dressed in ceremonial garments, accompanied by his first officer.
David took Jerim by the arm and led him to meet his brothers to break his fast. He would not be eating very much this morning as the coming battle would require his concentration and he did not wish to be over full. He may yet have his stomach opened up by the giant and the thought of all that food being let on to the ground at his death was not appealing.
David shared time with his brothers, talking of old times, making jests about each other and catching up on news from home. David felt at ease as he bid good morning to all his brothers. He pulled Jerim to the side.
'I have to do something which may mean I do not live to see you all again. I want you to give Nina a message for me, if I do not get the chance.’ Jerim nodded his agreement. ‘Tell Nina her dreams will be fulfilled, however she might be called upon to put them aside temporarily one day. She will know the dreams I speak of. Can you pass this message on? It is very important.' Jerim looked confused.
'I am not sure when I will see her myself, however I will pass the message on when I do, should something happen to you. What is it you do today which will risk your life?'
'You will see brother; better to wait and see than for me to try and justify my actions to you now.' With that David took Jerim’s hand and clasped his shoulder in the now familiar warrior grip Martinez used and turned toward the King’s pavilion.
****
The King had dined ceremoniously outside his tent in full armour, raising speculation about what was happening. The encampment was abuzz with ideas and conversation. The morale of the soldiers had lifted remarkably. They all knew something was happening. Their positive manner also raised the interests of the opposing Philistine army who were trying to peer into the encampment to see what all the fuss was about. David walked toward the King and bowed deeply before his table.
'David, are you sure you wish to proceed with your plans today?' asked the King with genuine concern, knowing that the situation was unlikely to change.
'I am sure Sir. It is as it should be.’
'Then go with my blessing.'
Martinez nodded slightly with his head as David made to leave. Their eyes made contact for a split second and understanding passed between them. Martinez understood why David was doing what he was doing, while others may question it.
David walked slowly to the front of the assembled army lines. Soldiers parted to make way, even though they had no idea what was going on. Some had heard the King’s blessing and parted, creating a wave with everyone following the lead. David paused some ten paces clear of the front line and called to the giant.
'Does your challenge still stand giant of Philistine?' His voice was remarkably steady and it boomed unnaturally across the field.
'Indeed little man, it does. You cannot tell me your King sends a boy of your size to such an enormous task?' Ripples of laughter accompanied the Giant as he pushed forward of the enemy line. His chest pushed out, to exaggerate his point.
'Indeed, your size does not concern me. I am here merely to show you that the strength of the Israeli nation is not to be underestimated.' David’s voice was steady and clear and the conviction he felt in his heart was obvious to all. The giant creased his forehead and immediately wiped the look of concern from his face to be replaced by defiance and a snarl.
'I will end this war with your head on a pike you Israeli infant. Let us get about our duty. What are the terms of our battle? Do you have any requests?'
'Not at all, no rules are good rules in battle. To the death suits my King and me just fine.' David began to move forward.
To the giant’s amazement, the boy did not bring his spear to bear. He could not believe the stupidity of the lad.
****
Jezebel was sulking at her perceived cruelty of the God’s of Egypt, so cruel to deny her the pleasures and sacrifice of Bartholomew. She had been on her way to mention to the King she would be absent and was planning on luring the young soldier afterward. As she approached the King’s tent, she realised that Martinez was escorting Bartholomew to some sort of gathering and that she would have to settle for second best. The young soldier she had chosen was nowhere near as physically attractive, however he had made up for his pockmarked face and lack of experience with more vigour than she had experienced since she had started sharing her body with the young slave boys in her household back home. She had gained nearly as much pleasure from the sharing of her body with the young soldier as she had when she gently cut his throat while he slept. He had opened his eyes and tried to speak, rising momentarily from the sand and reaching for her in disbelief. The lifeblood passed from him quickly and his eyes glazed over, their glint faded. The power of the arts had come upon her then. The erotic explosion of power threatened to engulf her and she fought to compose herself.
She had work to do and needed her wits about her. She drew her consciousness back to the present and floated free of her body, making the journey to the battlefield. David was standing clear of the front line of soldiers talking with the giant Philistine champion. Jezebel hesitated a moment; did she really wish to plunge the Israelis into slavery and service of the Philistines? If the Israelis lost this battle, they would have to concede their loss and accept the terms of settlement as set by the Philistine King. This would most certainly mean full submission to their rule and the total loss of the Israeli army and nation. A
future of slavery and servitude would await them. While this was appealing, it would set back her plans to bring justice to her people and humble the Israelis before her uncle the Egyptian Pharaoh. She had no choice; to allow them to win, would allow David and Saul to gain more power and prestige and would certainly make the overthrow from within more difficult to orchestrate. If the Israelis lose they will be vulnerable and she will be better able to sway the King to see things her way. She could have the whole nation marching back to Egypt and the enslavement of her people once again.
****
Francesca had finished the purification rituals and looked into the futures. Seeking out what needed to be done. Walking the futures could be complex. Each person could have multiple paths, yet usually only one destiny. This should mean only one future, but there were forces of good and evil in the world. These forces could appear to change and influence a person’s destiny, at least for a time. There were even some who said there were different dimensions, where the world and its entire people were mirrored. Francesca did not believe in this concept. It defied the existence of her One True God, for if her world was mirrored elsewhere, then was her God their God, mirrored as well? Sometimes as she freed her spirit, she could feel the presence of others at the edges of her vision, yet she believed these were simply the spirits of others close to the one she would seek in her walk. They had to be; it was the only explanation that made sense when considered with her belief in God.
Now as she finalised plans, she realised that the timing would be difficult; however she had to try and ensure David’s safety. She began her meditation which would allow her spirit free of her body. The sense of self was replaced by the sense of the stars and spirits at work in the universe. She floated toward the battlefield. As she expected David was preparing to fight the giant. He was making his way toward the front lines. Francesca had thought this through and there was no point in trying to attack Jezebel directly. If she managed to merge with David at the crucial time, there would be no chance for Francesca to stop her quickly enough. That split second could mean David’s death and defeat. She had decided instead to threaten Jezebel’s earthly body and hoped to distract her spirit entirely from her objective. She would have no choice but to return to her physical self for protection. It was a huge risk, for if Jezebel had already merged with David, she would not sense what was happening with her own body quickly enough. She would fulfil her mission before returning. If she attacked too early, she risked being killed, which would allow enough time for Jezebel to return to David.
'Have faith,' she whispered to her spirit self. Francesca then merged into Jezebel’s body. Through Jezebel’s eyes she could see she was covered in blood, lying next to a dead soldier. She felt an overwhelming sense of disgust. How could this woman possibly think what she was doing was right?
****
Jezebel was poised, ready to merge with David; she simply had to wait for the right time. David needed to attack the giant in close combat. Jezebel watched in utter amazement as David reached into his tunic, pulled clear a flat stone and proceeded to pop it into his sling and cast it at the giant. As David started to swing the giant laughed and taunted.
'Throwing stones will not save you boy! Has no one ever taught you to fight like a man!'
'I fight for the freedom of the Israeli people! My duty is clear and my path is set.' With this response David loosed the stone from the sling which hit the giant cleanly between the eyes. He staggered forward. At first Jezebel thought that he was coming in for a killing blow and made to move towards David. She quickly realised he was too stunned to stand up straight. David drew his spear from his back and swayed past the giant. As he lunged forward the giant’s hands were outstretched as if he intended to throttle David. Once the giant stumbled past, David turned to plunge the spearhead deep into his neck at the base of the skull. The blow was audible.
The masses that had been silently watching the unfolding battle, totally mesmerised by the proceedings, now gasped with a mixture of horror at the sound of the blow and then disbelief and relief. Jezebel could not believe it, all the planning and stressing! The whole process had been totally outside her control. There was nothing she could have done; no way she could have expected David would battle in this manner. She suddenly experienced a tingling within her spirit. Her body was at great risk; she fled the field of battle, her spirit frantically seeking out her flesh, knowing now that there was nothing she could do to change the events. To merge with David now would have meant she could have caused his death but this would make no difference to the future of the Israeli people. Their King had won the battle. David was just the pawn in the process. Her own existence was far too important to allow anything to happen to her earthly body. Panic was welling within her as she sped back to the oasis where her body had been carefully concealed in a grotto. How had anyone found it? As she returned, she sensed the Priestess Francesca. Now as she hovered, she could see that Francesca had her earthly body poised for a killing blow on the soldier’s sword.
'You attack me Jezebel and your beautiful body will be run through! You must leave the boy David to finish what he must do,' ordered Francesca.
'You stupid woman, leave my body now or you will suffer the pain of the ancient arts. You are in over your head. The boy has outwitted us all. He did not attack as I expected. Not coming close enough to the giant to allow me to merge and cause him to stagger or freeze at the appropriate time. You have risked yourself for nothing. It seems your faith is not so strong. Is not your arrogance a sin against your God?' laughed Jezebel.
Francesca felt a burning sensation in her chest. It was as if talons were clawing at her soul. The pain was spreading deep into her spirit. She had been arrogant, Jezebel was right. All this planning and seeking the futures and now here she was, in the body of a whore trying to change a destiny which had already been ordained, set before she was even born. Despair was seeping into the depths of her very existence.
'It is the dark arts Francesca, fight back. You are not forsaken and we all make mistakes of arrogance and vanity. You are already forgiven. Flee for your life, I will distract her.’ The voice of Samuel was distant but clear and brought Francesca back to reality. She could not move the position of Jezebel’s body; she could not thrust her onto the sword. Jezebel’s magic was too strong, aided by her earlier sacrifice. She was holding her own body in place now, preventing the sword from penetrating. It would only be a few more heartbeats before she was able to launch an attack on Francesca’s spirit. Francesca took flight, heading back towards the relative safety of her own body hidden deep in a cave. Samuel did not need to distract Jezebel as she was more interested in saving her beautiful body than chasing Francesca’s spirit. As her eyes opened in the cave, Francesca was greeted by the warm smile of her friend and mentor.
'Samuel, I am so sorry,' was all she said. She studied the surroundings. The fire was well alight again and Samuel had covered her body in preparation for her return.
'You do not need to apologise to me my dear. I have made many a similar mistake in my own long life. However I think you need to spend some time in meditation on why you chose the path you did. As you can see, the boy David was well cared for. His future was set, just as yours and mine are. Our role is to prophesy, to tell the people what we hear, not to force people to act or to take action ourselves. I told Saul he would have a choice to allow David to fight. He set the terms for if and when he would allow it. Those terms played out as they were supposed to and Saul gambled an entire nation on one young man. Did you really think that the One True God would allow him to fail? Even if he had failed, there would have been a reason beyond our understanding, a purpose unknown to us.
You have learnt a valuable lesson and you may need to learn it many times over. However the purpose of your path has been fulfilled today along with many other paths. Now be at peace child and rest your mind, body and soul. I will watch over you and have some food ready for when you awake. Ensure you do not travel the
futures or loosen your spirit as Jezebel will be on the war path now that her body is safe.' With a smile Samuel stretched out next to the fire, sipping from a skin of water and snacking on some dried fruit and nuts.
Francesca could not believe the wisdom and patience of the old man. He breathed truth into everything. His words had not fully erased the shame she felt, yet she realised the truth of them and lay back down to indeed reflect on the last months.
She had stressed, planned and journeyed far to see her plans fulfilled. Her plans! There was the problem. She was not saved from brigands for her plans. She was not spared today for her plans either. As she asked for and accepted her forgiveness, she slowly drifted off to a deep and untroubled long awaited sleep.
****
Martinez stared at the scene before him. He had always known that David was an extraordinary young man. The events of the day had unfolded at such a pace he had not believed it was really happening. He had felt like he was observing from outside his body altogether. As David had walked confidently to the battlefield, Martinez had not been able to conceal his fear. He liked David and respected the young shepherd boy he had been grooming into a man. To sit idly by and watch him go to what could be his death had unnerved Martinez. He had closed his eyes momentarily to send up a prayer for David, purely on a personal level. Nothing to do with what the victory would mean for the Israeli people.