by Tim Chaffey
Tsek gripped the veil on the man’s head and yanked it off.
The abductee slowly lifted his head and looked directly at the queen.
Naamah’s hand flew to her mouth to cover her gasp. Could it be? Tu come back to life? She blinked rapidly, trying to understand the sight before her.
Tsek lifted his sword toward the captives. “State your name and lineage before Queen Naamah.”
The woman lowered her gaze to the floor. “I’m Evet, daughter of Bekel, son of Toman.”
The man dropped his eyes momentarily but then studied Naamah and spoke calmly. “And I’m Purlek, son of Tubal-Cain, son of Lamech.”
Naamah leaned forward. “You’re my brother’s son?” She kept her tone calm, but her hands gripped the chair tightly. “You bear a strong resemblance to him.”
“Thank you.”
“And is Evet your wife?” Naamah asked.
He hesitated before nodding. “She is.”
“Oh, what a delightful surprise! Commander Tsek, unbind them. After all, this man is my nephew.” She smiled at the couple before beckoning a servant with a snap of her fingers. “Fetch them some food and drink. They’ve come a long way. And bring them some cushions. When you return, I want you to clean them up a little so they can be in my presence.”
Before long, Purlek and Evet sat on the pillows. As they nibbled on the choice food, Naamah opened with small talk, telling them about the new palace and the extent of her empire. She asked Purlek about his career and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was also a blacksmith. Thinking about Tubal-Cain sparked a tinge of nostalgia within her, but as the conversation extended, she decided to get to the true reason her nephew’s life had been spared.
Naamah handed her drink to a servant and stared at Purlek. “So Commander Tsek said that you spoke of something I need to hear.”
Purlek chewed a few times and swallowed before shrugging. “I’m not sure what he means.”
“My dear nephew, do not hide things from me. Not that I’d do this since we’re family, but you know that with a snap of my fingers, I could have your wife killed, right? Slowly, painfully, and I could make you watch all of it.” She chuckled but included enough of an edge to make it sound sinister.
He put a hand on Evet and narrowed his gaze at Naamah. “I’m sure you could, but I really don’t know what the commander is talking about.”
“Commander, perhaps you can remind him what your men overheard.”
Tsek nodded and nudged Purlek with his sword. “Before you were detained, you told your wife not to speak about a certain place.”
“What place would that be, Nephew?”
Purlek bit his lip and glanced at Evet, who shook her head in return. “I don’t remember.”
“Very well.” Naamah yawned and feigned disinterest. “Tsek, bite off one of her fingers, and then take her to Cele-Nach the priest. She can live out her remaining days serving Nachash as a temple prostitute.”
“No!” Purlek jumped up and positioned himself between Tsek and Evet. “I’ll tell you.”
“Then let’s hear it,” Naamah said. “And your wife can keep her finger and remain by your side.”
Purlek breathed deeply a couple of times with his head down. “I told her to make sure she doesn’t mention anything about the garden.”
Naamah rose to her feet and lifted Purlek’s chin. “And what garden would that be?”
“I don’t know its name.”
“Well, where is it?”
He pulled away from her and faced Evet. “It’s in the land of Eden.”
Naamah stared at Nivlac, stroking her chin. “Eden? The haunted land?”
“Yes.”
“And what’s so important about this garden that you didn’t want my soldiers to know?”
“I’m not sure. I—” Purlek rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve never even gone to it.”
“And yet you know where it is. How?”
“We lived very close to it for a while.”
She returned to her throne. “But you never went there. Why?”
Purlek held her gaze. “Because it’s forbidden and guarded by . . . by—” He shrugged. “By creatures or beings that aren’t human.”
She cast a sideways glance at him. “And how would you know that if you never went there?”
“Because someone from our group did go there, and he warned us about it.”
Naamah drummed her fingers on the throne’s armrest. “Commander, were you in Eden when you found him?”
“No, my queen. We did not enter that land.”
She pounded her fist on the armrest. “You told me that you lived in Eden. No more lies, or else.”
Purlek shook his head. “We did. That wasn’t a lie. We lived there for a while, and about a decade ago, we moved to the plains where your men captured us.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “And how far is Eden from where my men found you?”
“A few weeks journey to the west.” He dropped to his knees. “Please, I answered your questions. Please let us go.”
Naamah smiled at him. “Of course. Just a couple more. What were you doing in Eden?”
“Working.”
“Working? As a blacksmith? Who would need a blacksmith in that land? Does anyone even live there?”
“It was just a small group of people — not even a tiny village. We went there to help the leader build a boat. But we grew tired of the work and moved away.”
Naamah sat upright and her eyes drifted in the direction of the shipyard. “Last question. When exactly did you move there?”
Purlek scrunched his brow for a moment before his eyes shot open. “It was the year we were married — 99 years ago.”
Naamah leaned close to Nivlac and spoke softly. “Is that when we took control of this city?”
Her guard looked toward the ceiling as he seemed to be running the calculations in his head. “Yes, my queen.”
A smile spread wide on Naamah’s face. “Commander Tsek. Take these two to a guest room. Give them the best accommodations available, but post some guards to monitor them at all times. Then call every available soldier in the region to be ready to march by the end of the week.”
Tsek nodded. “Yes, my queen.” He ordered Purlek and Evet to stand and directed them toward the exit.
Naamah’s heartbeat quickened as she stood and took Nivlac’s arm, flashing him a seductive grin. “Would you escort me to my room?”
Nivlac’s face lit up. “Of course, my beautiful queen.” As they walked away from the throne, Nivlac asked, “Why are you gathering the army?”
“As soon as they are ready, we are marching on that garden, and I will eat from the tree of immortality.”
Nivlac’s smile faded and he scratched his head. “But what was all that about a man building a boat and the time when we took over Iri Geshem?”
Naamah rolled her eyes. “Sometimes you’re so foolish. After I eat from the tree, I’ll finally kill that shipbuilder.”
“Shipbuilder.” He spoke the word quietly to himself as he tried to put the pieces together. Suddenly, he stopped and his eyes danced as he beheld her. “Noah.”
“Noah couldn’t even enter the garden.” She lifted her chin. “But I will.”
Chapter 34
Land of Eden — Noah’s 600th year
“Finished already?” Ar’yel asked.
“I wish.” Using his arm, Shem wiped sweat from his forehead.
“How long do you think it’ll take?” Emzara asked.
Ham’s arm muscles rippled as he picked up two steaming buckets of pitch. “Well, the interior only took a few weeks.”
With Ar’yel’s assistance, Emzara slowly stirred the large tub of tree resin as it simmered over hot coals. “But your father said the outside will take a lot longer.”
“It will. It’s a larger surface, and we don’t have three decks to stand on like we did inside, so we’ll have to spend time moving the platforms around.” Ham directed
his thumb over his shoulder at Noah. “He thinks it’ll take six weeks, but I say we can do it in four if the weather stays nice.”
“And if you’d start working instead of talking.” Noah chuckled as he set four empty pails on the ground near Emzara.
“Well, maybe I’m just being optimistic,” Ar’yel said, “but I think Ham’s guess is probably closer to—” She squealed as Shem, from behind, spread some of the sticky substance on her cheek. She quickly slid her hand down the large stir stick, allowing it to collect some warm resin, and then spun and wiped it on his neck and beard.
He feigned outrage. “Do you know how long it’ll take to wash that out?”
She laughed and fell into his arms.
Ham rolled his eyes. “Probably six weeks if we have to depend on these two.”
“Aah!” Ar’yel giggled as Shem stuck more goo on her forehead while they kissed. “You sneak.” After grabbing a stirrer, she pointed it at him. She jabbed and he dodged, and then she gave chase.
Noah snorted while dipping the fill bucket into the tub before dumping it into a pail on the ground. “Why do you think I said six weeks in the first place?” He repeated the process to top off his first bucket. “Have you seen Grandfather yet?”
“No,” Emzara said. “Do you want me to wake him?”
Noah shook his head. “We stayed up pretty late around the fire last night. Let him sleep.”
Tapping his foot as he waited for Shem to fill his buckets instead of goofing around with his bride, Noah marveled at the size of the nearly completed ark looming above them. A sense of satisfaction filled him as he considered the massive labor of love. After finishing the multi-layered hull during the last whole moon, they decided to cover the inside with pitch first to allow it time to air out while they coated the outside.
Gopherwood trees made the perfect timbers for shipbuilding. Straight and strong, yet relatively easy to cut, the trees had also provided them with vast amounts of the resin used to make the pitch. Many years of chopping down trees and preparing the lumber yielded a mound of the viscous substance roughly the size of one of the tents. Heating the resin allowed them to separate impurities and to apply it. Based on how much they had used on the ark’s interior, Noah estimated they had more than enough remaining to waterproof the exterior.
Tired of waiting for his brother, Ham filled Shem’s buckets and set them at his feet with an exaggerated grunt. “We have work to do.”
Shem laughed and whispered something to Ar’yel before backing away. “I’m ready. I was just waiting for you two.”
The men walked a short distance to the lift and set their loads on the platform. Through an ingenious system of pulleys and ropes attached to the top of the ark, the mechanism allowed them to move the platform to any point along the side of the ship. A small clay stove loaded with hot coals in its lower half rested on the lift to keep individual buckets of pitch warm enough for application.
“You boys go ahead,” Noah said. “I just thought of something at the door I need to check.”
Ham shook his head with a half-smile. “You really are determined to make this last six weeks, aren’t you?”
Noah chuckled. “I should be ready to help on the next load.”
Shem grabbed the rope to lift them off the ground. “At least this will be lighter.” Winking, he tugged on the line and the platform slowly rose.
The ark’s door posed a slight problem. The door itself could be coated with pitch, but once it closed with everyone inside, the small gaps between it and the rest of the hull would remain uncoated. Making sure the door fit snugly reduced the problem, and they could waterproof the interior. That might be enough. At least it’ll be above the waterline.
“Father!”
Noah turned to see Japheth running under the ark toward him.
“Where’s Mother?”
“She should be at the pitch pot. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, but she needs to see something. Come with me.”
Noah and Japheth strode back to where Emzara and Ar’yel transferred hardened clumps of resin from a cart into the smoldering pot.
“Mother, you need to come with me.”
Emzara glanced up from her work. “Why?”
“It’s a surprise. Can you leave for a little while?”
“Go. I’ll take care of it,” Ar’yel said.
Emzara briefly stretched her back and then walked with Noah as they followed Japheth back toward the fields. “Where are we going?”
“To the root bulb field. We were harvesting them when something amazing happened.”
“What is it?” Emzara asked.
Japheth smiled. “I told you, it’s a surprise.”
They walked down a narrow trail separating various crops. As they moved beyond the last row of tall pebble fruit plants, Noah spotted Rayneh holding a furry gray animal while kneeling beside another one.
Emzara grabbed Noah’s arm and looked at him with wide eyes. “I’ve never—” She glanced at Japheth. “Where did they come from?”
“They just crawled out of the forest and came right up to us.”
Rayneh glanced up, a broad smile across her face. “I don’t remember seeing these in your drawings. They’re really furry.”
“And adorable,” Emzara said as she walked quickly toward Rayneh.
Noah followed and looked closely at the creatures. Roughly the size of a chubby toddler, they sported large fuzzy ears, a wide face with a black nose, and relatively long arms. A gray coat covered much of their bodies, with the exception of white fur around their mouths, inside their ears, and over their bellies.
Emzara cooed as she bent down near Rayneh. “Can I hold him?”
“This one is the female.” Rayneh carefully lifted the animal toward Emzara. “Look at her stomach. It has a pouch, like the leapers you told me about.”
“It does.” Emzara grinned at Noah and the tone of her voice went up along with her excitement. “Look at this. I’m sure she carries her babies in there.” She took the creature from her daughter-in-law and it soon wrapped its arms around hers, clinging to her much the same way a small child would. Emzara stroked the animal’s back. “It’s so soft.”
Noah cracked a smile. He loved seeing his wife’s happiness, but something else stirred his own delight. He had to admit it, these creatures were rather adorable.
“So you’ve never seen these before?” Rayneh asked.
“Not that I recall.” She gently scratched the back of its neck and spoke to it like she had spoken to their sons when they were babies. “And I’m sure I would’ve remembered something so cute.”
Rayneh nodded. “I was sure you would’ve had drawings of them, so I wonder if these are the first two animals the Creator is sending to the ark. Maybe since you haven’t studied them before, He’s giving us time to observe them now to figure out what they eat and how to care for them.”
Noah raised an eyebrow as he watched his wife. “Interesting. If that’s the case, then you’d better start studying them — He may send other animals you haven’t seen before.”
“Noah!”
He turned at the sound of Kezia’s voice and saw her running toward them. “What is it?”
As she approached them, she wiped tears from her cheeks. She glanced at each of them and then focused on Noah. She shook her head slowly. “I brought your grandfather some bean brew, but—” She looked away and blinked back a tear. “He’s gone.”
“Did you look for him?” Japheth asked.
Emzara stepped to Noah’s side and gently brushed his arm.
Noah had anticipated hearing this news before the onset of the flood, but the expectation did nothing to relieve the pit that instantly formed in his stomach. Putting a hand on Japheth’s shoulder, Noah took a deep breath to steady his thoughts and voice. “Son, she means that Grandfather is now resting forever.”
* * *
“I hope I never have to look at these again. Five weeks of being covered with pitc
h.” Shem stowed the cleaned-out buckets in their designated space on the ark’s first deck.
“That was just the outside.” Ham waited until his brother’s arm cleared the edge of the shelf before he lowered the wooden door and latched it. “How about we forget where we put these?”
“Put what?” Shem asked.
“The pitch buck — oh, right, what were we talking about?” Ham chuckled and scraped at some hardened pitch on the back of his hand with a fingernail.
“Watch out.” Noah pushed the low cart bearing the large pitch pot beneath the recently closed cabinet. “I’m going to put this big . . . I-don’t-remember-what-this-is . . . under whatever those things were that you just stored.” He winked at Shem as he secured the cart with a rope. Maybe I should wait to tell them that we’ll need to pitch the door once it’s shut.
Shem grabbed the oil lamp from the shelf behind them. “What’s next?”
“That’s just about everything,” Noah said. “Not counting the animals and some of the food.”
Ham leaned against one of the massive vertical timbers in the middle of the ark. “How about a break to enjoy some bean brew?”
“Oh, I like that idea.” Shem looked up the center gap that allowed light from the cubit-high opening along the ark’s roof to spill into the lower decks. Even with the illumination from above, the lowest deck remained fairly dark, necessitating the use of oil lamps. “Looks pretty bright out now.”
Noah yawned. “Yeah, I could use some. Let’s go.”
They walked the nearest route to the second deck. A sturdy ramp stood on each end of the ark between the first and second decks and another pair of inclines led from the second to the third deck. Footholds made of long wooden strips stretched horizontally across the ramps. Upon reaching the second floor, they headed for the large door.
A wide array of animal noises filled the air as they neared the opening. Noah paused at the top of the long exterior ramp and shook his head. The Creator’s faithfulness never ceased to amaze him. Shortly after the two furry gray animals had arrived, approximately two dozen pairs of beasts showed up. As Rayneh had guessed, they were all new to Emzara, and the two women spent plenty of time recording their habits and diets.