by Tim Chaffey
The earth continued its trembling, and a group of guards arrived and studied the ruins. “Find the man who spoke against the king,” the leader said to the others.
“We don’t know what he looks like,” another one said.
“Just find someone in this mess who looks like they could’ve done it. The king ordered us to capture him, and I don’t want to come back empty-handed.”
Understanding the risk, Noah refrained from calling out the blacksmith’s name. Afraid of being identified or caught up in the ever-expanding cloud emerging from the distant hill, Noah turned to Emzara. “We need to get out of here.”
“But. . . .”
“I don’t think we can help him now.”
Defeated, they retraced their steps and, after some initial slow-going, made it to a thinner section of crowd for a while, which allowed them to dodge around the people more easily. After nearing the spot they had occupied throughout the ceremony, they moved quickly toward the western gate. As before, they kept their heads down and did their best to avoid the guards stationed at various points in the square.
Destruction surrounded them. Massive sections of the wall on the north and west sides now rested in ruins. People wailed as they picked through the carnage, and Noah passed two bodies bent awkwardly, lying motionless on the ground. He assumed they had been trampled by the terrified crowd.
As they neared the exit, the motion of the earth finally settled. Noah aimed for the middle of the cluster of people to avoid being spotted by guards. Keeping his hands on Emzara’s shoulders to ensure they stayed together in the chaos, he shuffled into the horde trying to leave the square. As their advance slowed, the gravity of the situation engulfed his whole being. He glanced up at the massive arch above the exit. What if that collapses while we’re under it? He fought the urge to turn back and assist some of the wounded people. What can I really do for them? I’m not trained as a healer. Besides, getting Emzara back to safety remained his priority.
They finally passed under the gate, and their pace immediately increased a little, although they dodged several large pieces of debris. Moving in lockstep with the masses, they passed Tubal-Cain’s shop and the other forges, one of which had collapsed while another was ablaze. With each intersection they crossed, the crowd dispersed slightly and their speed increased even more. At the outskirts of town, Noah breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the abandoned guard checkpoint.
Once they reached the western road outside of the city, Emzara touched his arm. “I need to stop for a moment.”
Noah led her a few steps off the trail to avoid the trickle of passersby. He gently rubbed her back as she bent over to catch her breath. “You alright?”
She turned her face toward him and the moonlight glistened off her teary eyes. “Tubal-Cain is . . .” She sniffed and shook her head.
“You don’t know that.”
“That whole area of the palace collapsed. How could anyone survive that?”
Noah bit his lip, looked away, and took a deep breath as he struggled to ward off tears and display confidence.
“Do you think Naamah is right, that Nachash did that?”
Noah scowled. “Why would you even think that?”
“I don’t know.” She wiped her face. “Maybe because the one person brave enough to take a public stand against the wickedness seems to have been targeted in the destruction.”
Gazing back on the city, Noah swallowed hard, trying to push away the sorrow of losing another close friend. The stars above the city, so bright and sparkling earlier in the evening, now disappeared one by one behind the thick blanket of smoke spreading across the sky. As another celestial body vanished, so did his hope that Tubal-Cain had survived. Each moment he spent thinking about it, the more distressed he became. He closed his eyes hard and clenched his jaw. Just get out of here. Trying to block the desperate thoughts from his mind, he touched Emzara’s cheek. “We need to keep moving.”
She nodded and followed him back onto the road. “I’m sorry.”
Noah reached an arm around her. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. If he didn’t make it” — he pulled her against him tight — “at least he did what’s right. I’m proud of him.”
The bright whole moon hovered over the road ahead, spilling its light on the earth. Won’t be long before that smoke blocks out the moon, too. An eerie silence hung over their trail, with only the sounds of his breathing and the soft crunching of dirt beneath their footsteps.
Eager to break the stillness and force his thoughts elsewhere, Noah pointed to an upcoming road on their left. “That’s the way to Garun’s house.”
Emzara squeezed his hand but kept her face down.
Noah straightened. “What if all that destruction came from the Creator as a judgment against the Havilites for following Nachash?”
She turned her face to him and shook her head ever so slightly. “Then why would He let Tubal-Cain die?”
A large figure stepped out from behind a tree on their left and strode toward them. “He didn’t.”
“Tu . . .” Emzara released Noah’s hand and hugged the man. “You’re alive!”
He chuckled. “It appears that way.”
Noah waited impatiently for his wife to step to the side before embracing his friend. “It’s so great to see you.” Noah released him and they continued down the path together. “How did you survive that fall?”
“I didn’t.”
“Um?” Noah gestured from his friend’s feet up to his head. “Clearly, you’re alive.”
“I mean I didn’t fall.” Tubal-Cain stroked his beard. “When everything started shaking, I jumped through the window into Jubal’s room. The whole wall and some of the floor instantly collapsed behind me. So I sprinted down the hallway and snuck out the side door. Then I came here to wait for you.”
“Praise the Most High, you’re safe.” She sighed and lifted her eyes up to the sky.
Noah grinned at his wife. “Well said, Em.”
Abruptly, her arm shot out and she pointed up. “The moon.”
Noah drew back as he beheld the evening light. “It’s red.”
“That’s strange,” Tubal-Cain said. “Have you ever seen anything like that?”
“Farna told me that there are times during certain whole moons, when the earth moves between the moon and the sun, that it turns a brownish color. But I think this is different.” He searched the heavens. “I think that cloud of smoke is causing it to look red.”
“When the earth moves?” Tubal-Cain asked. “Don’t you mean, ‘when the sun and moon move into the right position’?”
“No, it looks that way, but I said it correctly.” Noah thought about describing how Farna taught him to use the stars to track the planet’s movement and to chart their progress during a voyage, but they needed more space between them and Havil. “I’ll explain on the boat. We should go.”
“What’s that?” Emzara brushed something off her arm.
Noah held out his hand and watched as tiny gray pebbles struck him.
“Is it rain?” Emzara asked. “It doesn’t feel wet.”
“Amazing.” Noah turned back toward the city. “I think it’s from that hill that burst into the sky.”
“Is that what happened?” Tubal-Cain asked. “I was wondering where all the smoke came from and why the air is like a blast from one of the furnaces in my shop. I guess I was too busy trying to escape the palace.”
More small pellets bounced off Noah’s arm. “We really do need to move.”
Noah described what he had seen as they started for the beach home. Tubal-Cain reminded them of Kenter’s statement about the smoking hill causing the earth to rumble, sparking a lively discussion of how a hill could cause quakes and then burst open. As they reached the halfway point, the substantial amount of dust in the air sparked a coughing attack in Tubal-Cain.
“It reminds me of ashes from a fire.” Emzara slid the end of her wrap over her nose and mouth to filter the air. She
encouraged Noah and Tubal-Cain to do the same.
With their makeshift masks in place, the gray dust no longer hindered their breathing, but it irritated their eyes. Before long, they left footprints in the accumulating, obnoxious gray flakes. Noah urged them to move quickly, motivated by thoughts of sailing away.
After a long stretch of silence, Tubal-Cain pointed to a dim light ahead. “There it is.”
With safety from Havil in sight and longing to breathe clear air again, Noah encouraged the others to run the rest of the way. Reaching the front door, he pulled it open and allowed Emzara to enter first. They shook out their clothes and hurried inside. Garun’s wife and the three girls sat in the main room.
“Tubal-Cain, I’m sorry about the house,” Laleel said. “The ground shook so hard that part of the roof caved in over the bedrooms.” She pointed to the kitchen. “And those shelves collapsed.”
Noah quickly recounted a few of the events of their evening. Feeling a sense of gratitude for his friend, Noah especially enjoyed telling about Tubal-Cain’s boldness in accusing the king of his crimes.
“Well, I’m glad you’re safe. But how terrible about the people who were hurt or killed. I wonder if I knew any of them.” Laleel glanced at Noah. “Are we still planning to leave in the morning?”
Noah shook his head. “I think we need to leave immediately. We don’t know if the king or others will come here to get out of the city. Plus, we have no idea how long that gray dust will be falling. The sooner we leave the better.”
“I agree. We’ve already loaded our belongings on the boat like you asked.” Laleel stood and wrung her hands. “There’s just one problem. A huge wave hit after the shaking, and it pushed the boat onto the shore.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “How far up on the shore?”
“Not far,” Zedakal said. “A little bit of it is still in the water.”
“Let’s go check it out.” Noah cuffed Tubal-Cain on the shoulder and turned to Emzara. “Make sure all our things are packed.”
As he followed the blacksmith toward the water, Noah said, “So the smoking hill bursts and scatters all this ash” — Noah looked around at the falling debris — “the moon turns red, the ground shakes, and there’s a huge wave? I don’t understand. What could cause all of that?”
“I don’t know, but right now I’m not concerned about that. I only want to know that we can get out of here.” Tubal-Cain stepped onto the beach. “I think we can push that back in the water.”
Noah squinted in the low light. “I hope the hull isn’t broken, or else it’ll be a short trip.” He put his hands on the hull and Tubal-Cain joined him on the opposite side of the bow. “Ready, push.”
Noah shoved with all of his strength, and the boat shifted a little in the sand. He adjusted his grip and dug in his feet. “Push!” The ship slid a couple of cubits before moving it became easier, and before long, Noah found himself standing in the shallows with the vessel floating next to him in the lagoon. “I’ll get things ready here if you’ll go get the women.”
Tubal-Cain turned and called over his shoulder as he ran. “Be right back.”
Noah climbed aboard and checked all of the equipment. After pulling up the anchor, he found two pushpoles and shook the ash off of them. “This stuff is everywhere.” Satisfied that everything was secure, Noah closed his eyes and offered the Creator a brief prayer for safety.
Emzara reached the boat first. She handed Noah the large basket of goods and then climbed onto the deck.
Tubal-Cain assisted Laleel and her daughters up after tossing some of Noah’s supplies onto the ship. He reached out, forming a foothold with his hands for Zedakal to step in. “Here Kal, or should I call you little sister?” He shrugged. “Not that I want to take your brother’s place, but we are sort of family.”
She gingerly put her foot in his hands. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a big brother.”
Tubal-Cain pushed her up and over the side and then scrambled aboard. “Let’s go.”
Noah handed him a pushpole, keeping one for himself. He stepped to the bow and shoved one end into the sand, pushing them deeper into the water.
“Hurry,” Emzara said quietly as she pointed to the house. “Someone’s in the house.”
Noah spotted the faint light moving around in the home. “Push harder.”
They drifted away from the shore, and soon the pushpoles no longer reached the seafloor. Noah ran to the sail and opened it, tying it into place. As the powerful warm wind drove them toward the open sea, a person carrying a torch walked to the shore and peered toward them. “Is someone there?”
Noah tapped Tubal-Cain on the shoulder. “Who is that?”
“I’m not sure. Probably one of my father’s guards,” Tubal-Cain said.
“Do you think he saw us?” Emzara asked.
Noah shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He took hold of the rudder control. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 25
450 years later, Iri Sana — Noah’s 499th year
Farewell, big brother.” Jerah grinned as he locked his grip on Noah’s forearm and squeezed, his jaw tightening from the exertion.
“Peace to you, little brother.” Noah returned the favor, causing Jerah to wince.
Pivi folded her arms. “Still as competitive as ever.” She kissed Noah’s cheek. “Be sure to greet Emzara for us. We really missed her. What’s it been? Fourteen years?”
Noah nodded. “I think so. I know she’d love to see you again. As I mentioned before, you’re welcome to visit us any time.”
“Maybe we will. Now that Marneka is married we’ll have more time available.” She looked at Jerah and sighed. “Plus, I’d love to get to the sea again, if I can ever get my husband to leave the farm.” She leaned in close. “I think he’s just afraid of rumors about bandits on the river.”
Noah shrugged. “Well, you do need to be careful, but I’ve never heard of them attacking the larger boats — they’re well-guarded. If you visit, I’ll be sure to take you for a small venture on the sea in one of our new ships.”
“We’ll hold you to that.” Jerah helped Pivi into one of the seats on the wagon hitched to their lunker and then climbed into the spot next to her. “Farewell, Noah.”
Noah smiled. “May the Creator watch over you until we meet again.”
“Always great to see you,” Pivi said.
Noah slapped the beast’s rump and the animal lurched forward. He watched his brother as they pulled away on their short trip across a few fields to their own farm. Normally, they would walk, but this time a wagon had been needed to haul all the supplies for their daughter’s wedding. Shaking his head, Noah’s mind drifted back to the marriage ceremony the day before. Marneka, the 31st and youngest child of Jerah and Pivi, made a beautiful bride, but, though the celebration exhibited the traditions acknowledging the Creator, Noah had grieved the lack of sincerity. From his few brief discussions with Marneka’s new husband, he had gathered the man had very little interest in walking with the Most High.
The thought made him ache for his wife. His beautiful, godly Emzara, who followed the Creator in spite of all they had endured. He looked at the festive pattern woven into the edge of his fine celebration clothing. Thinking of his wife’s efforts in fashioning it made him miss her even more.
Emzara had decided to remain in Iri Geshem to manage the shipyard while he was away, but Noah knew another reason existed. Watching all her nephews and nieces get married broke her heart since she wanted nothing more than to have a family of her own. Four and a half centuries had passed since they lost their unborn child, and Emzara had never conceived again. Yet her faithfulness to her husband and their Creator never waned. God, would You watch over Emzara too? I know I’ve asked this countless times before, but please allow us to have a child. Have we not faithfully served You all these years?
Wisps of despair crept into his mind as he replayed the recent taunts from some of the younger citizens of Iri Ge
shem. What’s the point in serving the Creator if He never answers? Your God can’t even give you a child. Noah shook his head. “Don’t listen to their lies,” he said under his breath.
He turned and walked back to his parent’s house in the hues of early evening. So much had changed, but some things remained the same. His childhood home had been rebuilt and expanded three times to accommodate his many younger siblings. Yet, as he caught the tangy scent of the familiar springal trees, memories from his early years came rushing back. Even though the row of trees looked different, the thought of chasing Aterre through them remained etched in his mind.
Noah strolled along the stone front wall of the house and entered the large sitting room. On the bench along the far wall, his father sat reading a scroll.
“Son.” Nina pulled a slab of braided bread rounds from the oven and placed the hot flat stone on the large table in front of her. “Do you really need to leave so soon? I just baked these for you.”
Lamech rose and stood behind her. “You know she doesn’t like people leaving here empty handed.”
“Or empty bellied.” Noah patted his midsection. “Yes, I need to leave now. You know Valur’s boat is nearly always on time. Plus, I miss Emzara, and she’ll need a break from the shipyard.” Eager to hide his frustration with life and people and even with God, Noah stepped forward and embraced her, turning his head so she couldn’t read the despondency in his eyes. “I love you, Mother.”
After a long hug, she released him. “I love you too, Son.”
“It’s been great to see you again.” Noah smiled tiredly before turning to face his father. “Where’s Grandfather? I thought for sure he’d be in here once he smelled fresh bread.” Methuselah planned to stay one more evening before returning to his own place the next day.
Lamech rolled up the scroll and set it beside the bench. “Out back, waiting to send you off with his blessing, I suppose.” He stood and hugged Noah tightly. “God be with you on your journey.”