by Tim Chaffey
Noah glanced at Adah. “She’s Kal’s daughter.”
Adah leaned forward. “Kal? Where is she?”
Elam took a deep breath and shook his head. “My wife—” He swallowed hard and fell silent.
“Kal died before we left Iri Geshem.” Noah put a hand on Elam’s shoulder and sighed. “I’m sorry, Adah.”
Adah’s mouth curved downward and she slumped. After momentary silence, she considered Rayneh and smiled through misty eyes. “I’m glad I can meet her daughter, my granddaughter.”
Emzara pursed her lips, pleased to see the hurting people she cared about finding comfort together. She noted Noah’s wisdom in not sharing the details of Kal’s death. Adah did not need to learn that Lamech had killed another one of her children.
“And I guess that makes me your nephew.” Purlek stepped toward Jabal. “Tubal-Cain was my father, but he, too, is no longer with us.”
Jabal lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry to hear about Tubal-Cain. I only knew him while I was a boy, but he was always very kind to us. You look very much like what I remember of him.” He grasped Purlek’s forearm. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Nephew.”
Garun cleared his throat and gestured to Jabal. “So you and Adah escaped here?”
“We did. We’ve picked up many people along the way, others who wish to be free of the growing violence in the cities. We focus on our herds and staying out of everyone’s way. We’re able to pick up and move whenever the need arises.”
Emzara gestured at the large room. “And your knowledge of building created something so cozy and warm, yet strong, protective, and mobile. It’s impressive.”
“Yes.” Evet added. “But I’m surprised that you, as the leader, have a tent that looks no bigger than any of the others.”
“No, my son doesn’t look like a chief or a king. And that’s how he wants it. We’ve had quite enough of palaces and powerful people. I think my son’s humble lodging suits him quite well.”
Jabal lowered his head briefly, acknowledging the comments, before looking over at Noah. “So tell me about you and your group.”
“Well, your father and sister haven’t changed their ways. They recently took over Iri Geshem, which is why we fled. She wants to kill me — has for quite some time now. This time I barely escaped.” Noah stood and paced across the floor. “We plan to travel through Eden to the northwestern lands. That should be far enough away from her reach.”
“Eden?”
Jabal’s face held an odd expression, and Emzara was unable to categorize what it meant.
“One moment.” He turned his full attention to the pregnant animal. Still lying on her side, the beast grunted and bleated loudly.
Emzara watched in fascination as this former prince gently encouraged the creature with soothing words.
Jabal kept his eyes on the bleater. “Noah, you may want to rethink Eden.”
“Why?” Noah asked, but the loud grunts from the struggling creature nearly drowned his question.
Jabal clenched his jaw as he deftly worked with the bleater. “Garun. Hand me that towel and water basin over there.” His focus locked in on the struggle for life in front of him.
“Is the baby in the wrong position?” Evet looked at Adah.
“I believe so. My son’s had to deal with this plenty of times before. One of the shoulders is likely caught. He’ll have to reposition it before the baby can come.”
“There.” Jabal scooted back as the spindly, wet newborn suddenly slid out and onto the ground.
Jabal looked pleased as he turned back to the group. “What were we saying? Oh, Eden.” He dipped the towel in the basin and washed his hands and arms. “Strange things happen there. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors.”
“Yes, but they are rumors,” Emzara said.
“That’s what we thought, too.” He scratched his head. “It’s a couple weeks’ journey to the west. We settled close to that land at one point many years ago, but we suffered for it. We lost nearly an entire herd and a couple of our herdsmen.”
“How?” Noah asked.
“The men spoke of a beast so large and terrifying that it could swallow an entire bleater in one bite. It wasn’t worth risking any more lives. We decided to stay away from that area forever.”
“Sounds like a grendec.”
Jabal nodded. “That’s what one of the men called it.”
Noah sighed. “Well, I certainly don’t want to be foolhardy, but we think that the rumors about Eden will keep unwanted people from coming too close to us.”
“Suit yourself.” Jabal shrugged and stood up. The mother bleater sniffed her baby as it nosed around her looking for nourishment. “Please be careful.”
“We will.”
Jabal adjusted his wrap and tightened his belt. “So tell me about the food and supplies you need.”
“Well, since we’re not sure how much longer we’ll be traveling, we’d like to restock our wagons with food and purchase some bleaters from you.” Noah looked around the expansive tent. “And I wonder if you might have some of these tents to sell.”
Jabal smiled. “I’ll see what I can do. How many tents would you like?”
“Let’s see.” Noah stared at the ceiling as he counted on his fingers and mouthed the names of people in their group. “Six, I think.”
“Make it five,” Purlek said as he stood.
“Who else is sharing one?” Noah asked.
Purlek grinned and pulled Evet to his side.
Embarrassed, Evet stepped back. “But we’re not—”
Purlek smiled at her. “I was hoping we could take care of that while we’re here.”
Emzara beamed, and Noah caught her eye, chuckling.
Evet gasped. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
Taking a deep breath, Purlek looked around the room and then focused on Evet. He took her hand and kissed it. “I’m not good with words, but I know that everything is good when you’re near me. Evet, I love you and would do anything to be your husband. Will you marry me?”
She buried her head against his chest and squeezed him tight. “Of course I will. I love you, too.”
Purlek kissed her cheek.
Jabal laughed. “It’s not every day you get to watch your nephew stumble through a proposal. Let’s prepare for a wedding celebration. But first” — Jabal patted Rayneh’s head — “I have something I think you might like to help me with. He walked over to a large clay oven and withdrew a fluffy baby bleater from one of the side doors. It blinked its eyes and gave a timid call. “This little one has been left alone by her mother. But we’ve been able to care for her. We keep her warm in there, but now she needs to be fed. Would you like to help?”
Rayneh hid behind her father. “Uh-huh.”
“Wonderful.” Cradling the animal with one arm, Jabal grabbed a leather pouch and slipped off the cap. He placed the young one in Elam’s lap before sitting down next to him. Then he set Rayneh on his knee and helped her hold the pouch in her chubby toddler hands.
Rayneh giggled as the tiny creature squirmed against her.
“When she’s finished, we’ll see if the new mother will adopt this one.” Jabal pointed to the newborn and mother bleaters in the small pen. “I’ll rub some of that afterbirth on this one and hope that the mother will treat her as one of her own.”
“Can I help with that?” Emzara asked.
“Of course.” Jabal smiled at Rayneh and then looked at her father. “Sometimes, the bleaters who’ve lost their mothers and are given extra care by those who love them are the ones who turn out the strongest.”
Elam put a hand over his heart and nodded at Jabal. “I’m very thankful for our close group here.”
Jabal stood and brushed his hands on his wrap. “I suppose we’ll need to make some plans for this wedding. The whole community will want to be involved in the celebration.”
Chapter 16
“I already miss the vast prairie,” Emzara looked at Noah as she vigorous
ly scratched the neck of the tusker hitched on the right, causing it to blast a playful honk through its short trunk. She giggled and patted the creature’s thick, rough skin. “It doesn’t seem like we’re getting anywhere. And to make it worse, there are hardly any animals to study, and the sunlight rarely makes its way through.”
Noah stared back behind the caravan, searching for a glimpse of the enormous grassland they had traveled for more than two whole moons. But it was long gone now, having given way to the thick forest they had been laboring through for over a week, with no end in sight. Large twisted tree trunks reached nearly 50 cubits high before shooting into a canopy of branches and broad leaves. Smaller plants filled up nearly every open space on the forest floor and thick, thorny vines wrapped themselves around just about everything that stood still. To make things even more difficult, the land had risen on a gentle slope for most of the past three days. Despite all the vegetation, stones marking the edges of an ancient trail occasionally peeked through to guide them.
“Come on, I’ll help you up.” Noah took her hand as she climbed onto the front of the wagon.
She slowly lowered herself into her seat with one hand on her lower back. “This cushion isn’t really helping anymore.”
“You should ask Elam if he can make you a larger and softer one.”
“That’s a great idea.” She adjusted her wrap as she tried to get comfortable on the bench. “Do you think we’ll get there before the baby is born?”
Noah circled around the tuskers and pulled himself into his spot next to Emzara. He patted her midsection and flashed a half-smile. “I hope so.” His curt command set the tuskers in motion. Leaning over, Noah massaged his right foot, digging his thumb deep into his arch. “Just a little rest, then it’s back to cutting through more of that stuff.”
She tilted her head and stared at him, her eyebrows slightly raised.
Noah knew that look. She sensed his frustration and patiently waited for him to speak it. He sat up and kept his voice quiet. “It’s Purlek. I think this slow pace is making him regret his decision to join us. He was excited when we were on the move, but now he’s grumbling again about wishing he and Evet had stayed with Adah’s people. It was hard enough to persuade them to leave after those two weeks. Now I fear they may turn around and go back.”
Emzara sighed. “I saw you talking to him when he gave you a break. I wondered if it was about that again. Do you want me to speak to them?”
“I think he’s more likely to listen to Ma-Zara.”
A brief smile crossed her face before she shifted into a more comfortable position by reclining and putting her hands on the bench behind her for support. “Do you think it’s coming more from him or Evet?”
“It’s hard to say, but if I had to guess, I think most of it’s from him. She seems pretty content to be part of this group.” Noah shrugged. “He grew up in a large city and spent the last two decades in a busy river town.” Noah stretched an arm toward their little caravan. “Pushing slowly through this forest can’t be the most exciting thing for a young man and his new bride.”
“That’s what I was thinking. I’ll look for the right moment to talk to him.” She pushed herself upright and adjusted her cushion again. “Don’t get too worried about it. You know that the Most High will make sure we have the right people to do all that He has commanded you.”
“I know.” Noah looked at the canopy above them and let out a breath. “But that’s part of my concern. We have a huge task ahead of us, and I hope I won’t have to do all the woodworking and metalworking. It would be great to have a blacksmith — and not just to take some of my workload — I love having Tubal-Cain’s son around.”
She slipped her hand into his. “I do, too.”
They rode slowly until it was time for evenfeast; having to hack their way through the undergrowth made for little progress. As he had done for much of the journey, Lamech helped Laleel prepare the cold meal in the large wagon. Since they had left Adah and Jabal, Evet had taken charge of a small herd of bleaters and a couple of bovar, and she worked tirelessly to keep them moving along with the caravan.
Emzara turned around and called to Laleel. “How long until it’s ready?”
“We’re almost finished.”
Without warning, Garun stopped the first wagon and jumped to the ground. Noah halted his animals and called for Methuselah to do the same. Wielding thick blades to help them carry out their path-clearing duties, Purlek and Elam spoke excitedly with Garun.
“What’s that all about?” Emzara asked.
“I don’t know,” Noah said as he stepped down from the wagon. “Be right back.”
“Why did we stop?” Lamech asked as Noah walked away.
Noah heard Emzara say something to his father, but his attention remained on Garun, Purlek, and Elam. He joined their small cluster. “Is something wrong?”
Elam shook his head. “You need to see this.”
Purlek handed his blade to Garun and then hurried back toward the second wagon. Noah and Garun followed Elam and as they passed the lead animals, Noah noticed the vegetation on both sides, especially the vines, thinned out a little. The trees grew straighter, and there seemed to be an increase of birds chirping and singing.
Elam pointed ahead and to their right. “Look closely.”
Noah peered through the foliage, tilting his head and squinting. Finally, in the distance he detected the corner of two stone walls. “Is that a building?”
“Or what’s left of it,” Elam said. “But look over there.” He shifted his finger to the left a little. “Notice anything different?”
Noah scanned the area and his eyes grew wide. “It’s a clearing.”
“Maybe we’re finally getting past the thick part of the forest,” Garun said.
“Well, at the very least, we can check out that building.” Noah took the blade from Elam and hacked at a low-lying branch hanging across the path. “Come on. Let’s get to that clearing so that we can look around after evenfeast.”
Garun joined him, and the two enthusiastically chopped, slashed, and cut through branches, vines, weeds, and any other obstructions. Oddly enough, Noah’s fatigue waned and he felt invigorated. As they proceeded, the ancient trail came into view again, leading toward the stone structure before veering left.
“Should we stay on the path or head to the building?” Garun asked.
“Looks like the trail leads to the clearing,” Noah said. “Let’s go there first. It’ll be easier on the wagons.”
Sweat dripped down his face and his surge of adrenaline quickly faded. Slowing to catch his breath, Noah handed the blade back to Elam and put his hands on his knees while Garun and Elam continued on. The forest over the last hundred cubits before the clearing thinned out even more, allowing the men to move quickly.
Finally, Noah ducked under a branch covered with a fuzzy green plant and stepped into the spacious opening. Drawing a deep breath, he took in the scenery. The surprisingly flat, grassy glade stretched about 500 cubits wide and at least twice that in length, although it was difficult to be certain since the sunlight had nearly faded from the sky. The little herd of bleaters and bovar scampered into the open, snatching greedily at the fresh green grass. All around the meadow, the trees shot high and straight into the air. They looked vaguely familiar, but he could not quite remember where he had seen their kind before. To be fair, most tall trees looked similar in low light. Surprisingly, an orchard grew to their left, and many of the trees boasted ripe fruit.
Elam moved alongside Noah. “Looks like we’ll have some fresh fruit for evenfeast.”
“Unless somebody lives around here.” Noah stepped farther into the clearing and looked in all directions. “Hello!” He waited, but no answer came. Noah stared at the colorful fruit. “Let’s enjoy some tonight, but keep track of what we take, and I can pay the owner if there is one.”
Garun hacked through the final branch and walked toward Noah, breathing heavily and wiping sweat fr
om his brows with his forearm. “What is this place?”
Noah massaged his right shoulder with his left hand. “Not sure, but I think it seems like a perfect spot to camp for the evening.”
“Right here?” Elam asked. “Or would you like to get away from the trees a bit?”
Noah shook his head. “Right here is fine. I’d rather not be out in the open without first checking the place out.”
“I agree,” Garun said. “I’ll organize the camp.”
Noah rejoined Emzara at their wagon, and Garun directed them into place. As they had done every evening the trail allowed for it, they formed a triangle with the wagons and prepared to eat in the center of it.
Emzara climbed down from her perch with Noah’s assistance and gladly stretched out her legs and back. She turned around and reached for her cushion.
Noah put his hand on her arm. “I’ll get it. You just find a way to get comfortable.” He pulled the padded seat off the bench. “Is there anything else you would like?”
She nodded. “I’d like to deliver this child so I can be of more use to the group. Everyone wants to help me, and I can barely offer any help in return. I feel useless.”
“The Creator is giving you time to rest before our child is born. You won’t get much rest after that.” Noah gazed into her deep brown eyes and smiled. “I know you don’t believe me when I tell you this, but you are more beautiful now than the day we met.”
She snorted. “I feel like a lunker, and I probably look like one, too.”
“Not at all.” Noah measured her with his eyes and winked. “More like an earth shaker.”
She laughed and slapped his chest before falling into his embrace as they watched the others set up camp.
Purlek and Elam gathered twigs and branches to start a fire. Rayneh followed her father and carried two small twigs. As they set their loads into a pile between the wagons, Rayneh threw her sticks on top of her father’s and beamed with pride before chasing him to grab some more. Meanwhile, Laleel and Evet returned from the fruit trees with a basket full of ripe produce. By placing a board across two small crates, Lamech created a makeshift table. Then he pulled trays of prepared food from the large wagon and set them out. Garun worked on starting a fire using two sparking stones, dry leaves, and a handful of the small twigs. Methuselah sat on the ground and blew into Elam’s musical rod, but the shrill sounds it produced assaulted Noah’s ears. Despite Elam’s attempts to teach him, the old man had very little ability in that area.