“Dara, I do not like this.”
“Do not fret, child. She is most likely giving some of these women a difficult time for sending her away as they had.”
Abigail’s cheeks burned. She recalled Jesse’s anger over Bilhah’s treatment, but she knew Bilhah would do no such thing. Not now.
Abigail ducked through the tent flaps. Standing on her toes, she scanned the area for Bilhah or Micah.
Micah ran toward her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Abigail?”
She looked down upon him with great affection. “What is it, Micah?”
“I cannot find Bilhah, nor Jonathan and Nathan.”
Abigail hugged her middle as fear replaced her early relief.
“Go find Jesse, and ask him to come quickly, please.”
The child took off running in the direction Jesse had gone earlier. Abigail ducked inside the tent. Urgency vibrated through her muscles. “Dara, Micah can’t find Bilhah.” She laid the cub down next to the old woman and began grabbing a few items. She tucked her cloak over her shoulder and then snatched up a small dagger one of the twins had left on her window ledge several years earlier. She dug for the cedar box, opened the lid and pulled out the gem that belonged to Jesse. She slipped the repaired cord over her neck, tucking the stone beneath her tunic.
Abigail bent and kissed the old woman on the cheek. “I will return.”
“Abigail, you cannot think to go on your own.”
“What is it, Abigail?” Jesse ducked his head in between the flaps. Ragged breaths puffed out his cheeks.
Although her heart weighed like a stone in her chest, the sight of Jesse eased the tension. “No, Dara. I do not intend on going alone.
“I will be right out, Jesse.”
He slipped from the tent, his shadow large and imposing. She rose from beside Dara. “Stay with the camp and Micah. Where they go, you go, Dara. Do you hear? Jesse and I will find Bilhah and your boys.”
Even though Abigail was certain the boys were not hers, but rather Shema’s, the old woman cared deeply for them. It was evident whenever she spoke of them. “Micah will care for the cub.”
She slipped between the flaps and saw Jesse pacing, wearing a path through the valley dirt beneath him. “Micah, help Dara.”
Jesse grabbed hold of her shoulders and stared into her eyes.
“Abigail, what is it? The child would tell me naught, only saying it was urgent.”
“It’s Bilhah—” Before she could say another word, Jesse began to storm away.
“Wait!”
He spun around.
“Dara sent Bilhah for the twins just after we left to watch the sunrise. She has yet to return. Something tells me Suph has her.”
“Lord Almighty, what are we to do?”
“Jesse, we have prayed, do we not need to trust God will see things to the way they should be?”
He stared at her as if she’d grown a tail and sharp talons.
“You are right, Abigail.” He speared his fingers through his hair. “It does not mean I like the possibility that Suph has infiltrated our camp. It is one thing to use me to gain what he wants, another thing altogether to use a woman.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “Jesse, all will be well. Perhaps Bilhah only searches for the twins.”
“I am not so certain, Abigail.”
The hints of anger twitching at the corner of his eye worried her a little. She’d only known him for a few days, had come to care for him during that time. Still, she did not know what he was capable of, especially when his body was on the mend.
“The swelling around your eyes has disappeared.”
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “Stay with Dara while I search the camp.”
She shook her head. “No. I am coming with you.”
“It will take less time if I go alone.”
“Two sets of eyes are better than one, Jesse.”
“If there is—”
“No! Everyone I’ve cared for has disappeared, except for Dara and Micah, and I refuse to believe they will be the only ones left.”
Light danced in his dark eyes. He took a step closer to her and she thought for a moment he might embrace her, but he clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. “Very well, Abigail. You will go with me. You will obey every word I say, do you understand?”
“I will obey as long as your orders are within reason.”
“Abigail.” His growl sent shivers racing down her spine but she pretended not to hear.
“If you ask me to be quiet, I will. But if you ask me to do something that goes against my newfound faith, I will disobey.”
He gave in and took that step forward. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he leaned toward her. His mouth hovered above hers. Something palpable snapped between them. His chest expanded as if he held his breath as she did her own.
Waiting, hoping, needing to know he cared for her, she dared not move lest the moment slip from them. Her lashes fluttered shut, waiting for the touch of his lips against hers.
“I do not expect anything less of you, Abigail.”
She pushed aside her disappointment when he pulled away. “Come, let us find my brothers and Ianatos.” Jesse took hold of her hand, the strength and warmth against her palm gave her confidence that he would find Bilhah and the twins.
They rounded one tent, turned left and rounded another. She’d been surprised when he hadn’t slept outside her tent the night before and a little disappointed, although she knew he needed his rest in order to heal. If his stride was any indication, he had gotten his rest and then some.
“Jesse, what if we do not find them?”
“We will, Abigail. Isa is one of the best trackers in all of Judea. And I am the second best.” He glanced down at her and gave her a teasing grin. “Besides, we have God on our side. We will pray for guidance and, as you said, trust He will help us.”
“My thanks, Jesse.”
He stopped, his hands gripped her arms. “For what, Abigail?”
“For not making me stay with Dara. For not teasing me about my fears. Not laughing when I have cried.”
“Why would I laugh at your tears?”
She dropped her gaze to her feet. “Is that not what people do? Laugh when others cry?”
“Abigail, tears should not be laughed at. Not unless they are tears of joy and laughter bubbles forth, but your tears, the kind that comes with sadness, are not meant for laughter.” His thumb drew lines along her cheekbone as if to wipe away her tears. “I will never laugh at your tears of sorrow.”
“I am trying to believe all will be well, Jesse. This is all new to me. Truth be told, I am frightened that something horrible has happened to Bilhah.”
He leaned his brow against hers. “I, as well, Abigail. However, the longer we tarry, the longer it will be before we discover her whereabouts.”
She had difficulty imagining this man being scared of anything, but the empty look in his eyes proved his words.
He resumed walking, holding her hand between them. “Isa,” he hollered as he came near a large tent. “Isa! Melchiah!”
His brothers released the cords from the stakes. Their wives released the poles they’d been holding and the side of the tent collapsed to the ground. “What is it, Jesse?” Isa stepped forward. Melchiah followed.
“Bilhah, Nathan and Jonathan are not to be found.”
The brothers straightened their shoulders, crossed their arms and looked at each other. The resemblance between the older two was like that of the twins. She glanced at Jesse and wondered if he looked just like them beneath the bruises and swelling.
“Are you certain they are not with the Philistines?”
Jesse looked down at her, and then back to his b
rothers. “No, but my instincts tell me they are not. Bilhah was sent just before sunrise to look for the twins.”
Isa shoved his fingers through his hair. Melchiah worried his beard. Abigail couldn’t help but think how similar all three of the brothers’ mannerisms were.
“You are wise to come to us, Abigail.” Melchiah tugged on his beard. “It is possible someone knows you are here and is seeking to draw you out of camp.”
Isa quirked an eyebrow. “Jesse, I am surprised you did not run off on your own to look for them.”
Jesse looked to his brother, at Abigail and back to Isa. “There is more than just me to consider. If what I fear has happened, then it would not do to leave Abigail alone without protection. Besides, I do not think I could have stopped her from following me if I chose to go alone. And then we’d both be at the mercy of Suph.”
Abigail’s hand involuntarily squeezed his. He smiled down at her.
“In this I believe you are correct, Jesse. Let us formulate a plan.” Isa faced Melchiah. “Would you keep Abigail with you while Jesse and I search the Philistine camp?”
“Of course.”
“How do you do their bidding so easily?” Abigail asked. “Are you not the eldest?”
Isa laughed as he nudged Melchiah with his elbow. “That he is, Abigail. However, he trusts my and Jesse’s abilities when it comes to warfare.”
Chapter Seventeen
“I do not like this.” Jesse jumped down from his horse and knelt. It was obvious the Philistines had been camped here, but now there was no sign of them. Even the charred wood, which should have remained warm, had been long ago cooled.
“What do you think has happened to them?” Isa asked.
Jesse shook his head, thankful Abigail had agreed to stay with Melchiah and his family while he and Isa scouted the Philistine camp. “There were ten Philistine warriors with Ianatos. As far as I could tell, even if Suph had thirty men, he did not have a large enough following to take down the Philistines.”
“You know as well as I do that we cannot underestimate our enemies.”
Jesse dropped the reins and walked around the camp. Slight indentations where the bedding had been left him scratching his head. Ianatos was supposed to have met them shortly after they broke camp. From the looks of it the Philistine camp had been broken long before sunrise.
He released air from his lungs. “There is no sign of a struggle, Isa.”
“The Philistines would not go without a fight.”
“Unless...” Jesse tugged on his beard and thought hard about all of the possibilities.
“Unless what, Jesse?” Isa prodded.
“Unless they were told to leave by their commander.”
“Jesse, I thought Ianatos was trustworthy.”
“He is. Which means something... Why did he not come and tell us?”
Isa dismounted and stood beside Jesse. They stared at the white ash in the fire ring. “Are you suggesting Ianatos knew of a threat, and instead of alerting us he skipped out?”
“No.” Jesse scanned the horizon toward Jerusalem. His eyes searched for anything that should not be there. “I am saying he is watching from a distance. He did not warn us because he could not without alerting those who watched him or us.”
“How do you know this, Jesse?”
He looked at his brother. “Did you spend time with the Philistines during your training?”
“Of course, we all did.”
“Do you see the indentations the bedroll left on the north side of the fire? It lies differently than the rest. Then there is another.” Jesse walked around the fire and toward the second marked indentation. “Here and a third, there.” He pointed.
“What does it mean?”
“It tells us that is the direction Ianatos went.”
Isa gazed toward that direction, then turned on his feet, looking in all directions. “Where are our enemies?”
“They are near, watching us.” Jesse walked back to the fire and kicked at the ashes. “We travel on toward Jerusalem and keep our eyes open.”
He would not tell Isa he was anxious to get back to Abigail. He had full confidence in Melchiah to keep her safe. However, some of his confidence in their plans had waned with the disappearance of the Philistines and he still had no idea where Nathan, Jonathan and Bilhah had gone. What few tracks they were able to detect had gone farther than Jesse was comfortable leaving camp to follow.
They mounted their horses. “I guess there is no sense in sending Seth to the hills with the horses,” Jesse said.
“It is just as well. He longs for the city. He does not say as much, but I hear it in his voice when he asks how it has fared over the last seven years.”
“He would have made a great priest,” Jesse mused.
“I agree, but he has served us well. Perhaps his tragic accident was not part of God’s will, but it has all turned out well enough.”
“I dislike he will never see another sunrise or sunset.”
Isa laughed. “Yes, but Seth has seen greater things without his eyes then we have with our own.”
Jesse pulled up on the reins. Isa did likewise. “Abigail said much the same earlier this morn.”
“Is that so?” Isa smiled. “She is a wise woman.”
Jesse burst out laughing. “Excepting she is willing to fight a griffon in order to save a lion cub.”
“You jest?”
“No,” Jesse said as he pressed his heel into Papyrus’s flanks. “I do not think I have ever been so scar—”
Fire shot across the sky in front of them. The line arced from their camp. Jesse looked toward the direction the firebrand had flown. Had their camp been attacked in their absence?
They urged their horses into a gallop and raced back to their family. Jesse’s mind whirled as another firebrand flew across the sky. “I pray all is well.”
“I pray you are right.” Isa urged his horse to run faster.
Jesse chased after him. It did not take them but a few moments to reach camp. Much to Jesse’s confusion and relief, their warriors had not sent the firebrands. Who had sent them? He would have time enough to discover that mystery, but first Jesse longed to lay his eyes on Abigail, to ensure she was well.
He was surprised to find no signs of his nieces and nephews running around or of his sister-in-law Isabel chasing after them. He dropped to his feet. Thorns pricked his nape as he reached for Melchiah’s tent. Afraid of what he’d find, he pulled back the flap. What he saw left his heart hollow, his veins cold.
Falling to his knees, he rent his tunic in two.
* * *
An ache settled deep in Abigail’s heart. She longed to return to Jesse, longed to sit and watch the sunset when nightfall came, but worst of all she longed to turn back the days before she had met him.
If she had chosen to seek refuge with the temple guards instead of allowing Suph to sweep her from the palace then perhaps Jesse never would have been captured. And if he had, she never would have known him, never would have placed his family in peril.
“You did not have to hurt Bilhah.”
The arm around her waist banded like steel. “You gave me no choice, Abigail.”
“There is always a choice, Suph.”
He jerked his arm around her waist, cutting off her air. She was certain if his other hand did not guide a horse he would have done much worse. However, at this moment she welcomed the pain he doled out. “If I did not need you, Abigail, you would have met a fate worse than your cousin.”
What could be worse than death? Suph had left her cousin gasping for breath, lying in a pool of blood. The thought of her possibly dying because Abigail had chosen to leave Suph sickened her. “What of Nathan and Jonathan?”
“They are well. For now, Abigail.�
� He pulled the reins, leading the horse away from where they had been camped. Fear clawed at her throat. “If you do not do as I say, they will meet the same fate as Bilhah.”
Abigail wasn’t certain what plans he had, but she knew they would not see fruition. “I have no power in Judah, Suph. You must know this.”
“That is where you are wrong, Abigail.”
“The people of Judah do not even know of my existence—and if they did, I am nothing but a woman. As a son, Joash is the rightful heir.”
“That may be true, Abigail. However, the prisoner will come for you and when he does he will do whatever it is I wish to see you unharmed. Even hand me the king, and then the child will be of no consequence.”
A bitter laugh rose up in her throat and passed her lips. “Jesse would never betray his king, Suph.”
“You underestimate your allure, Abigail.” He shifted his hold on her. “Do you think I did not see you and him? I watched him take hold of your hand.” He laid his hand atop hers and squeezed, causing fear to creep into Abigail’s gut. “A hand he has no right to touch, for you belong to me.”
“We are not betrothed, Suph.”
He laughed. Pricks like a kitten’s claws climbed up her spine. “Of course we are, Abigail. All of my men bear witness to our contract. Being that you have no male relatives, I had to call on Elam to agree to give you to me. Nevertheless, Abigail, you have no choice in the matter.”
She bit down on her lip to keep from spewing venom and making matters worse. There was always a choice and she’d stick a blade in his poisonous heart before he took her as his wife, of that she was certain.
Suph moved toward the base of the mountains and then rode between two rugged hills. Encompassed in their shadows, Abigail felt as if she were being locked in a box. She shivered and squeezed her eyes closed against the tears threatening to spill over her lashes as she recalled the words Shema had taught her to speak whenever she felt scared when she was but a child. “You are my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my strength—”
“What nonsense do you spew, Abigail?”
“—in whom I will trust, my buckler, the horn of my salvation and my high tower.”
The Warrior's Vow Page 16