“But—”
“I think there have been enough hurt feelings to go around for one evening, don’t you?”
Ariel bit her lip, but didn’t speak.
“Besides.” He put his arm around Ham. “In a couple more years, we’ll have an extra pair of hands and another strong back to help us. Right, son?”
“Right, Father,” Ham said with a wide grin.
Movement caught his attention, and he pointed to an insect crawling along the floor against the far wall. “Look, a locust.”
Growing up, he’d played with all sorts of insects, including these brown grasshoppers, but from where Noah sat this one didn’t resemble any locust he’d seen.
Ham scurried over and bent to pick up the insect.
“No, son!” Miryam screamed.
With Ham’s fingers less than a handbreadth away, Japheth’s huge foot came crashing down on the insect, crushing the scorpion under his sandal.
The child squealed in disappointment.
“Not that one, little brother,” Japheth said. “Bad bug.”
As Japheth reached to pick up the insect, Noah leaned back and allowed a smile to cross his lips, thankful his doubts had proven unfounded.
When Miryam first announced their third child, his second thought, after elation, was concern over Shem and Japheth’s reaction to having a younger brother. A girl wouldn’t have presented a problem, and he trusted his sons to be the first to want to spoil her. But he worried the arrival of another boy, one so distant in age from his brothers, might stir jealousy among them.
Japheth hoisted Ham onto his shoulders and the two ducked going through the doorway to dispose of the scorpion outside. What a great father he will make someday.
Chapter 15
Three and a half years following his first military victory, Shechem led his army into a large rundown village located far to the east of Eden. What struck him most wasn’t the village’s state of disrepair, but how little attention his army received marching in.
The villagers continued about their business, displaying indifference and ignoring them. Residents walked the streets, worked their fields, tended flocks, and drew water from a central well. Although most of them looked apprehensive, they did not panic. He had a theory why: these people had seen troops before.
The second thing he noticed was the quiet. None of the people engaged in conversation, only hand gestures. Even some children playing in front of a nearby house chased each other in total silence.
Bohar turned to him. “What is this? A village of mutes?”
A woman in tattered clothing carrying a basket walked up the street toward them. Shechem motioned to her. “Woman, come here.”
She stopped and drew the basket to her chest. Her gaze darted left and right.
He dismounted. “Please. We’re not going to hurt you.”
The woman slowly approached him, bowing her head when she got within a few cubits.
“What’s the name of this place?”
She raised her arm, sweeping it around the village, but uttered not a sound.
“Do you understand?”
The woman nodded.
“Can you speak?”
She shook her head.
“Is there anyone who can speak?”
Again, she shook her head.
“I was right,” Bohar said. “It’s a village of mutes.”
Shechem knew it was more than that. Even mutes are capable of making sounds. This woman didn’t even make an attempt.
He looked up to the sound of an old man cursing at the far end of the village. He was being dragged toward them by two of Eden’s soldiers. “Well, here comes someone who isn’t.”
The soldiers brought the man to him. Burned skin surrounded the hollows of his eyes, the eyelids sinking in overtop empty sockets. The man struggled against the soldiers’ grip. “Get your hands off me you lousy Enoch scum.”
“We’re not from Enoch,” Shechem said.
The man stopped struggling. “You’re not? Where are you from then?”
“Eden.”
“What brings you this far east?”
“We were trying to obtain some information from this woman here, but she can’t seem to speak.”
“Nobody in this village can speak but me.”
“What happened?”
“Bring the woman to me.”
Another soldier guided the woman to the blind man, who reached for her arm. “It’s all right,” he said. “Show them.”
The woman opened her mouth, revealing a severed stump where her tongue should be. Shechem grunted.
“Following a raid by Enoch’s soldiers seven years ago, the head of the village called Ramalech a worthless dog,” the blind man said. “So he had his soldiers cut out the tongues of everyone in the village, including the children.”
“And you?”
“He wanted to leave one person who could tell what happened. So he put out my eyes instead.”
“You mean none of the women in the village can talk?” Bohar said.
Shechem shot Bohar his disgust, knowing why he’d asked the question.
“No woman, no man, no child,” the blind man said.
“Let him go,” Shechem said.
While the woman led the blind man away, he climbed back on his horse and addressed the four captains nearest him. “Pass the word. We’re leaving.”
“Without taking any spoils or men?” Bohar said.
“Look at this place. The people. Their clothes. You’d be lucky to get a handful of coins from the lot of them.”
“Surely the men are worth something. They may not be able to talk, but they can work, can’t they?”
“We’re not taking a bunch of mutes. There are plenty of other villages and cities where we can find able-bodied men.”
Bohar watched two young women walking away from them on the opposite side of the road. “And the women?”
“What about them?”
“You’re kidding, right? A city where the women can’t scream. It’s paradise.”
Shechem shook his head. “Is there no low to which you won’t sink? Like I said, we’re leaving.”
“What about leaving me behind for a couple of hours? I’ll catch up.”
“It’s all right with me. Just be careful you don’t run into any more irate husbands or fathers.”
Shechem gave the order to march.
Bohar led the way out of the village.
Chapter 16
In the 515th year of Noah . . .
Shechem doubted whether this day would ever come. Even with three thousand slaves, the wall had taken longer to complete—fifteen years—than he envisioned. But the city was finally secure.
Malluch had called for a late morning gathering of the people at the south gate to mark the occasion and to honor his commander. In a rare public appearance, Claudia, dressed in a scarlet silk chiton, stood beside him on the right, opposite Channah and Naomi to his left. With the last arriving citizens packing the square, Claudia leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Look at him. I might as well be turning on a spit.”
Shechem followed his wife’s eyes. Bohar leaned against a wall a few cubits away, staring at her while picking his teeth with a long, dirty fingernail. It took all Shechem’s willpower to contain his disgust in front of the crowd, biting the inside of his lip hard enough to taste blood.
Malluch addressed the gathering. “Citizens. Today, the future of your children, and your children’s children, has been secured.” Cheers rose from the crowd. “These stones represent more than a wall to protect the city. They stand as a symbol of the ingenuity and engineering greatness of the people of Eden.” The cheering intensified.
Shechem took a moment to admire his handiwork, scanning along the top of the great structure while his friend continued to speak. Forty courses of limestone, rising twenty cubits above ground, stretched four hundred furlongs around the city. Two fifteen-cubit high bronze-plated iron gates, one at the north, and t
he other at the south end of the city, controlled access. Watchtowers flanked either side of the gates, and at every thousand cubits along the wall’s perimeter, making an undetected approach impossible.
Malluch’s touch upon his back and the sound of his name followed by cheers from the crowd brought him back from distraction.
“People of Eden, I present to you Shechem. Friend. Confidant. Commander of the Guard and overseer of the building of this magnificent wall.”
Soldiers in attendance waved swords in support of their commander, who blushed at the adulation. He drew and raised his sword in response, which provoked an even louder display. Malluch lifted his hand—revealing the palm scarred with burnt flesh—to quiet the crowd. “This wall shall make us impervious to attack. Soon, we shall rival even the greatness of Enoch.” The crowd roared. Malluch grabbed his elbow. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”
Shechem and Claudia followed the governor and Bohar the twenty-five cubits from the south gate to where a cart and several horses awaited them. Shechem helped his wife into the cart, while the other two men mounted horses for the ride to the center of the city. One of Eden’s finest soldiers manned the cart, and the sound of leather slapping horseback rose through the square upon their departure.
Nearing their destination, the majestic marble walls of the palace that had replaced Malluch’s previous lodgings rose high into the air. The horses stopped and discharged the passengers, who exited and proceeded up the twenty-four steps leading into the palace. Once inside, Shechem expected they’d be taken to the great hall for a toast, but instead they were led to the rear and onto a terrace. Below them and to the right stood a large, two-story house of considerable opulence. He’d been unaware of its construction. “What’s this?”
“This, my friend, is for you.” The governor bowed to Claudia. “Forgive my manners. What I should have said is, this is for you and your wife.”
Claudia nodded.
Shechem’s jaw slacked, a reaction both to the magnitude of the gift, and the fact Malluch had thought him worthy of it. Yes, he’d worked hard and had spent countless nights away from home on expeditions to secure slaves for the building of the wall. Worse was putting up with Bohar’s incessant lusts. But he never expected this. “For the first time in my life, words fail me.”
“Thank you, Malluch.” Claudia’s eyes sparkled. “It is a most extravagant gift.”
“Yes, thank you,” Shechem said.
Malluch raised a finger. “Nobly earned. Indeed, some might think it a small reward for one who has shown such loyalty to Eden—and to me.” He walked to the edge of the terrace and looked down on the house, then turned back to Shechem. “Besides, I can’t have my second in command and his beautiful wife living in such, shall we say, modest accommodations.”
“Again, thank—”
Two guards interrupted them. “Lord, the former governor and a large group of elders are at the front door demanding to see you,” one of them said.
“Want me to get rid of them?” Bohar said.
“No,” Malluch said. “They would only be back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Better to pull this weed now before it has time to grow.”
“I meant for good.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? The patriarchs are father to a great multitude who serve Eden. Do you think I want to destroy a third of the population putting down a revolt because we had some old men killed?”
“They could just disappear, like the Preacher.”
Malluch addressed the guards. “Show them into the great hall. I will join them momentarily.”
“Yes, my lord,” the guards said in unison.
Malluch suggested to Claudia she take a look at their new home while he, Shechem, and Bohar met with the elders of Eden. He directed her to a nearby staircase leading to the back courtyard and the house. As she disappeared down the stairs, the three men proceeded to the great hall.
“Most honored fathers,” he said with a broad smile, leading his two lieutenants through the door to address the thirty or so men gathered there. Well advanced in years, nearly all the men had graying or white hair and flowing beards. A few, including Methuselah, leaned against staffs. “To what do I owe the honor of a visit from the patriarchs of Eden? May I offer you some refreshment?” He gestured to a nearby servant. “Wine for our guests.”
“We didn’t come to drink,” Lamech said. Noah’s father appeared less feeble than the others. His bleached hair and beard were neatly trimmed, and he moved about easily without a staff.
Malluch gestured with a wave, belaying his last command. “Lamech, Lamech. Such a somber tone. And on such a perfect day. A day of celebration.”
“Celebration. The city should be in mourning.”
“After fifteen years of construction and the successful completion of a wall that will ensure the people’s safety for generations to come? Why should they mourn?”
“Innocence lost. Fifteen years ago, Eden had no need of walls. Its people were simple farmers who wanted nothing more than to sow their crops, tend their herds, and raise their families. Today you make Eden a fortress.”
“The world has become a dangerous place.”
“It would seem more so for those outside of Eden. Would such safeguards be necessary were it not for the years of aggression Eden has waged against its neighbors? You fear retaliation, so the walls go up.”
Malluch’s eyelids narrowed. “What do you want, Lamech?”
“The slaves.”
Malluch looked at Shechem, then Bohar. “What about them?”
“I appeal to you in the name of our fathers to set them free.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Beyond a gesture of mercy—you simply don’t need them any more. As you pointed out, the walls of Eden are complete.” Lamech lifted his chin to the hall’s high ceiling, raising his arm above his head. “So, too, this palace.”
“Set the slaves free—so they can organize revolt against me?”
“Against the army of Eden? I doubt even you believe them capable of that, Malluch. Let them return to their villages and towns, to their families. Have they not suffered long enough in bondage?”
“My dear former governor. Could it be age has shortened your eyesight? You look at these walls, this palace, and see an ending. But I tell you they are just the beginning.”
Murmurs rose from among the elders.
“The beginning?” Lamech stiffened.
“If you would accompany me onto the portico.” He and Shechem led the patriarchs from the great hall back out onto the palace’s columned front porch. Bohar and several soldiers followed a few paces behind the elders, dogs watching for the sheep to stray from the herd. “Elders of Eden,” Malluch said, “except for these walls, you see a city much as it was twenty years ago. A city built by farmers.”
“And content to be so.” Methuselah said.
“But so stunted.” The governor extended his arm along the northern skyline. “Imagine for a moment the construction of ten, or even twenty additional winepresses, each with its own tower and vat.”
The patriarchs continued to speak in whispers among themselves. Malluch pointed to the south. “A garrison to house and train Eden’s army, with a prison to hold its enemies. And an arena to serve as a venue for sport.”
Lamech crossed his arms in front of him. “Built on the backs of our neighbors, I suppose.”
“Walls cannot rise without slaves to build them.”
“God did not make men to be slaves to other men,” Methuselah said.
“Oh, didn’t He?” Malluch said. “You think nothing of bridling a donkey or yoking an ox to do your bidding. Why not a man, who is more intelligent and far easier to train?”
“Because man was made in the image of God,” Lamech said.
Malluch laughed.
“You mock God, Malluch!” Methuselah raised his staff and shook it in his face.
“Proudly.” He lifted a brow.
Some of the elders gasped.
“I’ll mock anybody or anything that stands in the way of Eden becoming the greatest city on earth,” he said. Several elders placed hands over their ears and shook their heads while walking away. “But I’ll tell you what. As an alternative to freeing the slaves, how about I—”
“What?” Lamech said.
“How about I just have them all put to death?”
“Malluch, in the name of YAH.”
“Today, the lives of the slaves are forfeit. On the day you trouble me again about them, I will surely have them all executed. Such is the vow I make to the patriarchs of Eden.”
The elders left in silence. Trailing the group, Lamech whirled after two steps to confront him. “Winepresses? An arena? Soon there will be no need for you to travel to Enoch, will there?”
Malluch didn’t speak, letting ivory teeth behind grinning lips serve as his answer.
* * *
The celebration in the palace had gone on long into the evening, reminding Shechem of one of their visits to Enoch. Food, wine, and music flowed freely throughout the night to the delight of the more than three hundred celebrants. Malluch had used the opportunity to lavish praise on his army commander, drawing repeated cheers from the dozens of soldiers in attendance.
Now back in the home the governor had built for them, he and his wife shared a last chalice of wine before preparing to retire. She’d even managed to show affection, touching his hand and arm several times while they spoke. Then without saying a word, she placed her cup on a table and headed for the bedroom, turning to give him a last alluring look. It was an expression he recognized from years past, one that said she wanted him. She disappeared around the corner.
After a day like today, he questioned whether his suspicions about her had been unfounded. She’d been the perfect wife: attentive, supportive, rarely straying from his side throughout the day as the accolades were heaped upon him. Though he’d long suspected, there had never been any proof of her unfaithfulness. More than once he’d chosen to come home unexpectedly. Each time she’d been there. And although their coming together had decreased in frequency, she’d been careful not to spurn him completely.
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