Arisha stood among the fallen in the center of Arad. Safe now, she began to absorb the extent of the destruction around them. In the king’s chambers, concerned only with avoiding his revenge, she had been oblivious to all else. The new morning’s sun shined a brutal light on the demolished city.
Not a Canaanite soul remained standing. Broken pottery and smashed fruit lined the streets. Doors hung haphazardly on houses. Outside the walls, cattle called to be milked—to farmers who would never come.
“Are you all right?” Zadok held her close. “Seeing all this?”
She nodded. “It’s not my city anymore. It no longer frightens me. I’ll go anywhere you want.” She raised her face to him. "I love you."
The corners of his mouth tipped up in his heart-melting smile. "I know." He lowered his head and kissed her.
When he broke the kiss, she lay her head on his chest to hear his heart beat. The familiar feeling of peace and strength enveloped her. She loved it, but now she didn't need it. She had found her own peace and strength.
Joshua approached Zadok. “I’m sending you and about a quarter of the others—the youngest, probably—back to camp now. The rest I’ll keep to gather weapons and armor, maybe some food. But you, go. Tend to the sheep. Take your wife home.” He grinned. “We won’t be too far behind.”
Relief settled on Arisha like a warm blanket.
Home. The word had never sounded so good.
My deepest thanks to:
The people who give my life meaning: my husband John, and my children, Emma, Mira, Dara, and Johnny. Thank you for putting up with hours on end of Mom in her office, or in her favorite chair in her bedroom, with the laptop and the kitty.
Kathy Donovan, of Checkmate Farms in Bluemont, Virginia, who spent the better part of a chilly day with me to teach me about the amazing, beautiful, fat-tailed sheep. Any misinformation in this novel is mine.
Prof. William M. Schniedewind, Kershaw Chair of Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Studies and Professor of Biblical Studies & Northwest Semitic Languages, UCLA, for his expertise. Again, any errors in this novel are mine.
My faithful beta readers—Lynn Rose, who read this more than once, Carrol Mercurio, Dr. Sue Pankratz, and Ceenu Jebaraj.
My fabulous critique partners and fellow authors Jennifer Slattery, Marji Laine and Tanya Eavenson.
Roseanna White Designs for bringing Zadok and Arisha to life on the gorgeous cover.
Jeannette Windle for editing the manuscript and pushing me to “pump it up.”
And you, dear reader, for your time. I know it’s valuable and I thank you for spending some of it with my characters.
Learn even more about these characters and their world, as well as the stories to come, at www.caroletowriss.com.
The Walls of Arad Page 26