by Lynn Austin
“Were those her exact words? He would destroy?”
“I don’t know . . . maybe she said he would try to destroy, I can’t remember. But she said he wasn’t my friend. He was my enemy.”
“Is that everything?”
“I think so . . . no, wait. She also said that the power belonged to me but that Joshua would be more powerful.” Manasseh thought about that for a moment. “How can that be, Zerah? I remember wondering at the time how that could be true. I’m the king. I’m the royal heir of King David, not Joshua. I wish I had gotten rid of him that day when I still had the chance. I wish he had died from his cursed breathing attack.”
A crowd started to gather, curious to see what business the king had in the Kidron Valley. Zerah glanced around nervously. “Let’s go back.”
Manasseh knew Zerah hated to be seen in public. He usually left the palace only to attend the religious ceremonies at the Temple, and then only at night, when he would be well hidden by the cover of darkness. As they walked up the ramp, Manasseh planted his hand on Zerah’s shoulder. “When are you going to tell me what the omens say about killing Joshua?”
“As soon as I figure out what they mean. They’re unclear, Your Majesty.”
“How can they be unclear? Either my enemy is destroyed or he isn’t. Either I win or he does.”
“The omens promise you the victory, but it will be only a partial one.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, Your Majesty.”
The months of planning and waiting had seemed endless to Manasseh, filled with the strain of anxiety. He wanted to defeat Joshua so badly it made him ill at times to think of failing. He knew that he would never feel safe again until his enemy was dead. Manasseh had entreated all the gods, offered countless sacrifices to win their favor, proffered innumerable petitions, sought multitudes of omens. But Zerah hedged, just as he was doing now, whenever Manasseh asked what the omens foretold.
When they reached the palace, General Benjamin was waiting for them in the council chamber. Manasseh would trust only his most experienced commander for this ambush mission, and he had called General Benjamin out of retirement to make certain that their plans were well laid and executed. The imposing general had served under King Hezekiah, taking charge of the defense of Jerusalem in General Jonadab’s place during the Assyrian invasion. In peacetime, Hezekiah and Eliakim had entrusted Benjamin with the task of supervising their sons’ military training.
Now nearing sixty, the general had maintained his powerful physique. Manasseh glanced at Zerah, aware that his administrator was frightened of the general. The king admitted only to himself that he had never fully outgrown his childhood awe of the man. Benjamin bowed low, then stood regarding Manasseh with eyes as cold and gray as stones, his weathered face as inscrutable as it had always been, revealing neither approval nor criticism of the task he had been assigned.
“Have you worked out all the details?” Manasseh asked him.
“I have everything under control, Your Majesty.”
Manasseh relaxed slightly, knowing that the general was a man of his word. “Tell us the plan.”
“Hadad chose an ideal location for the ambush, Your Majesty. I’ve handpicked the men who will escort your procession, and they are all highly skilled warriors. I am sending one hundred additional men into the area ahead of time, dressed in laborers’ clothes. They will work in fields and vineyards during the day and hide in barns and storehouses at night so your enemies won’t become alert to their presence. The day of the attack, the soldiers will leave their cover and begin to close the circle, completely surrounding the hill. By the time the procession approaches they’ll be in position to cut off all avenues of retreat.”
Manasseh sat forward abruptly. “Only one hundred men? That’s not enough.”
“Hadad assured us he would keep the attack force small.”
“I want your guarantee that Joshua won’t escape, General.”
“He’ll be completely surrounded. The roads will be blocked in every direction. The only way he could escape would be to jump off the cliff, and I assure you, I’ve examined the site and the fall would kill him if he tried it.”
“Twice he has slipped from our grasp. Twice! I want your guarantee that it won’t happen a third time!”
The general bristled slightly, reminding Manasseh of a guard dog with his hackles raised. “Very well, Your Majesty. I will station additional soldiers in each of the nearby towns, dressed in civilian clothes. They can cover every road leading out of the area. Believe me; no one will escape.”
“Except Hadad,” Zerah quickly added. “Remember, he promised to deliver Prince Amariah’s body to us when this is over.”
“Zerah’s right, General. I don’t want Hadad killed because someone screws up. Tell your men to watch for him. He’ll be the only one who is clean-shaven. He looks Egyptian.”
“I know what Hadad looks like,” Benjamin said stiffly. “I trained Lord Shebna’s grandson, just as I trained you and Joshua ben Eliakim.”
“Have you chosen someone to act as my decoy, General?”
“I’ll be inside the sedan chair myself, Your Majesty, dressed in your robes.”
Manasseh pounded his fist on the arm of his chair and cursed. “I wish I could be there! I’d like to see Joshua’s face when he realizes that I’ve defeated him!”
There was an immediate flurry of concern among Manasseh’s bodyguards. “No, Your Majesty! It’s much too dangerous! Anything could go wrong!”
Zerah rested his hand on Manasseh’s. “If only the omens were clearer, my lord, but they’re not.”
“I know, I know,” Manasseh sighed, shaking him off. “I’m just wishing, that’s all. But if you can capture him alive, General, you’ll be generously rewarded. I want to watch him die at my feet, begging for mercy.”
Joshua stood on the ship’s swaying deck, watching as the city of On came into view on the distant shore. It looked much like all the other Egyptian cities they’d passed—tightly clustered mud-brick homes, interspersed with palm trees and permeated with the stench of mildew and rotting fish. All of Egypt smelled the same to Joshua, and he could barely wait to inhale the clean mountain air of Jerusalem once again. The first leg of their long journey—the ten-day trip up the Nile to the delta—was almost over, his goal that much closer.
The day when their training had come to an end and they’d left Elephantine Island for this mission arrived too soon for Joshua. He had watched as Hadad drilled the men every day and had even joined with them to hone his own skills with bow and sword and spear, but none of the men seemed ready. His archers still weren’t accurate enough at great distances. The swordsmen’s reflexes were disappointingly slow. All of his volunteers were too green, their skills untried in real combat. He knew they needed more time, another month at least, before they’d be ready to face Manasseh’s skilled soldiers, but they had run out of time. Their final squadron consisted of thirty-two men. Joshua wished for twice that number.
A spontaneous cheer went up from everyone on board when the ship docked in the city of On at last. The journey had been exhausting, the men unused to boat travel and the Nile rough sailing in flood stage. Joshua worried constantly about Dinah, who had been violently ill throughout the journey. He suspected that she was pregnant as well as seasick, but he was afraid to ask for fear of igniting Prince Amariah’s anger. Joshua didn’t know what they would have done without Miriam to take care of her.
He was as grateful as everyone else seemed to be to stand on dry land again. Hadad’s soldiers milled nervously around the docks as the workers carefully unloaded bales of Jerimoth’s cloth. All their weapons had been cleverly hidden inside the bolts of Egyptian cotton. But as Joshua stood watching beside his brother, he couldn’t help worrying about the next stage of their journey. “Are you sure two days is enough time to hire a caravan and drivers?” he asked.
“How many times are you going to ask me that question?” J
erimoth answered irritably. “I’ve already told you it’s a routine matter for me to hire animals and drivers.”
Joshua knew that his brother’s uncharacteristic anger was a symptom of his fear. He regretted involving him in such a dangerous plot, but he knew of no better way to smuggle men and weapons into the country.
“Listen, Jerimoth, everything depends on perfect timing. My men have to be in position before Manasseh’s procession reaches the pass or else—”
Jerimoth’s gaze was scorching. “Go see to your men and leave me alone to do my job.”
A day and a half later, Jerimoth had loaded the caravan and was ready to leave as he’d promised. But the overland route north soon proved more exhausting than the river journey. Joshua didn’t dare slow their pace even though the heat of full summer quickly drained their energy as well as their water supplies. They traveled together as far as Ashdod in Philistine territory, then split into three smaller caravans to cross the border into Judah using three different roads. Joshua didn’t want to arouse suspicion by arriving in a large caravan.
“Remember,” Joshua told his men before they separated, “if anything goes wrong, make your way to the village of Nahshon, two miles west of the ambush site. Jerimoth has hired a caravan of Ishmaelite spice traders for the return trip. Look for them.”
Hadad and twenty of the men departed first to cross into Judah. They would deliver their load to Timnah, then make their way to the ambush site after dark to prepare the roadblock and dig entrenchments. Prince Amariah and the two women left in the second caravan to deliver their goods to Aijalon. Joshua had insisted that two soldiers accompany them to stand guard at the cave where they would hide. Once he’d killed King Manasseh, Joshua would send for the prince. His own caravan departed last to deliver the final load of Jerimoth’s cloth to Beth Shemesh. Joshua would command their ten best archers from positions on top of the ridge overlooking the ambush site.
Crossing into Judah proved easy, but the sight of so many roadside shrines and high places shocked Joshua. He vowed that as soon as God granted them victory, the purification of his homeland would begin. The closer he got to the ambush site, the quieter the countryside seemed, the roads strangely deserted. He wondered why all the workers in the fields and vineyards appeared to be milling about, doing little work. Was it the heat?
When they arrived in Beth Shemesh the city was unusually crowded. All these men had probably come to watch Manasseh’s dedication ceremony tomorrow. Joshua delivered his shipment of cloth to the marketplace without incident, then removed the weapons from their hiding places to wait until dark.
Late that night, Joshua and his men finally arrived at the ambush site. Hadad and his men were already there, working hard to create a natural-looking rockslide to block the road. They had already dug trenches along the road, covered with brush, to hide the men from view.
Joshua led his men up a narrow footpath to the crest of the ridge and worked by starlight to build earthworks. These would provide protective cover for his archers, while affording a clear shot of the procession. The men finished well before dawn.
“You may as well get a few hours of sleep,” he told them. “I’m going to confer with Hadad one last time.” He stumbled down the path in the dark, wondering if Prince Amariah and Dinah had made it safely to the cave.
Hadad’s men had finished the roadblock and were also catching a few hours of sleep. “Where’s Colonel Hadad?” Joshua asked the lone soldier standing watch. The guard led him to the trench Hadad had dug. It was empty.
“He was here a minute ago,” the guard said. “He can’t be far.”
Joshua waited nearly half an hour, pacing restlessly in the deserted road, but Hadad never returned. “I need to get back up the hill,” Joshua told the guard at last. “Tell Hadad I was just checking to see if everything is ready.” Even in the darkness, Joshua could read the excitement in the young soldier’s eyes.
“I assure you, my lord. We’re prepared for battle.”
But are you prepared to die? Joshua wanted to ask. “Be careful,” he said instead. “And may God be with you.”
9
Long after Dinah and Amariah had fallen asleep, Miriam lay awake in the darkness, tossing restlessly, wondering if the long night would ever end. The low-ceilinged cave was cold and damp, and it reeked of rotting vegetation and wild animals. The chill seemed to penetrate her heart. Tomorrow the battle would take place, tomorrow Joshua would assassinate King Manasseh—and fear for Joshua’s safety lay in Miriam’s stomach like a bitter tonic, preventing sleep. When they had parted ways in Philistine territory, she had wondered if she would ever see him again.
A rustling sound near the cave entrance startled her, and Miriam rolled over, straining to see in the darkness. Someone was rousing the sleeping guard; the last watch of the night must have begun. She lay listening to the murmur of voices outside the cave, waiting for the second guard to take his turn sleeping, but when she looked again she saw three figures silhouetted in the doorway. Was one of them Joshua? Miriam tossed the covers aside to hurry outside, wrapping her robe around her shoulders. The two soldiers were talking to Hadad.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him. “Is something wrong?” It seemed odd that Hadad pulled her aside, away from the guards, before answering her question.
“I came to check on you and Dinah,” he said in a low voice. “I wanted to make sure you were both safe.” A peculiar fire burned in his dark eyes, and his gaze darted among the shadows, not meeting hers. He seemed different from the Hadad she knew. Was it simply readiness for the approaching battle? Had the knowledge that he soon might die altered him this way? A thick canopy of trees and brush shielded the sky from view, and Miriam shivered in the gloomy darkness.
“Hadad, why—”
“Go back to bed, Miriam.” His voice and hands were rough as he pushed her toward the cave. “Stay inside until this is over.”
She did as she was told but lay awake listening to the murmur of voices outside the cave. Then all was quiet. Miriam waited, watching the entrance, but neither of the guards returned to the cave. When exhaustion finally won the battle with worry, Miriam slept.
The cave was lit by the approaching dawn when she awoke. Dinah was still asleep beside her, but Prince Amariah was up and moving carefully around the cave, stooping to keep from hitting his head on the low ceiling. When she saw that he was laying out food from one of their provision bags, Miriam scrambled off her pallet to help him.
“Let me fix breakfast for you, Your Majesty.”
“This is for Dinah. She’ll feel better if she eats something as soon as she wakes up.”
“I know, my lord, but I can do it.” She tried to take the bread and the knife from his hands, but he stopped her.
“I need something to do, Miriam. Waiting like this . . .” He exhaled. “Waiting is always the hardest part. I’ll be so glad when this is over.”
She let him finish his task, but even in the dim light she noticed the strain etched on his face and the tremor in his hands as he sliced the bread and cheese. In a few hours he might be the king of Judah, living in a palace again with servants to tend to his every need. Now he sought comfort in playing the role of a dutiful husband, tending his ill wife. Miriam couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be part of a plot to kill her own brother.
Amariah glanced up, and when he saw Miriam watching him he seemed embarrassed. “It was so good of you to come with us, Miriam. I don’t know how I can thank you for taking such good care of Dinah. I’ve been so worried about her. If I’d had my way, neither you nor Dinah ever would have come.”
His words surprised her. She repeated them to herself and found they didn’t fit with what she had been told. “Wait a minute, Your Majesty. I thought it was your idea to bring Dinah.”
“No! Never! I begged them to let her stay in Egypt, where it was safe, but Hadad insisted—”
“Hadad insisted? But he told me this was your idea.”
; “When did he tell you that?”
“Before we left Egypt. When he tried to talk me out of coming.”
Amariah stopped what he was doing and stared intently at her. “Tell me exactly what he said to you.”
The strength of his gaze flustered her. She struggled to remember Hadad’s words. “He said that Joshua was just using me. He warned me that the mission would be dangerous and said that I shouldn’t—”
Amariah shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Miriam, that doesn’t make any sense. Hadad was the one who insisted that Dinah come with us. If he was concerned for your safety, why wouldn’t he be even more concerned about hers?”
“But Hadad is concerned about her. He even came here early this morning to check on her.”
“What? Hadad was here?” Amariah gripped her shoulders so tightly she winced.
“Yes, he was here just a little while ago. He talked to the two guards and—”
All the blood drained from Amariah’s face as if someone had removed a stopper. “Stay here with Dinah.” He pushed Miriam aside and hurried from the cave.
Miriam stared at the entrance in a daze. The fear in Amariah’s eyes had frightened her, but she was unsure what it was she should fear. As she tried to untangle her thoughts, Dinah began to stir. Miriam quickly brought her the bread and cheese, grateful for the distraction of a familiar task. “Your husband thought you might like something to eat right away.”
“Where is he?”
“Outside talking with the guards.”
But Miriam heard no voices from outside the cave. Ever since they’d arrived, the guards had stayed close to the entrance, where they’d be hidden from view yet able to keep watch over the prince. Where had they gone? Hours seemed to pass before Amariah finally returned. When Miriam saw his bloodless face, she sprang to her feet. “What’s wrong?”
“They’ve disappeared,” he said breathlessly. “The two guards—I’ve looked everywhere for them. They’re gone. So are all the weapons.”