No Woman So Fair

by Gilbert, Morris

  The muscles of Abraham’s face twitched, and he nodded. “You’re right. Did you notice how he changed after he killed that man?”

  “Yes. He’s only a boy in years, but it wasn’t a boy’s face…it wasn’t the eyes of a boy I saw that day—I saw a murderous pleasure in his face. He watched that man squirming on the ground dying, and he actually took pleasure in it.”

  Abraham sighed. “There’s something wrong with him.”

  Sarah did not argue. She had seen the innate hardness grow in Ishmael. He could be cruel, although at other times he did not show it. “He’s not going to be a gentle man, husband.”

  “Life is difficult, and sometimes a man must be hard,” Abraham said, struggling to find a justification for the change in Ishmael.

  Sarah just squeezed his hand and said, “Try to eat more. I’ll get you some more milk.”

  ****

  Zephir felt a sense of satisfaction as he disappeared behind one of the rolling hills. He was pleased with himself. He had found it almost ridiculously easy to walk into Abraham’s camp and pretend to be a sick traveler. As he and Agag had anticipated, the Hebrews stuck to the code of hospitality fervently. Abraham had greeted him and, when Zephir had put on an excellent act of being weak and starving, had commanded that food be brought.

  Now as Zephir followed the track of an ancient bone-dry waterway, he smirked, thinking, No one could have done a better job. I’ve fooled them all!

  He had made himself at home in the camp for the best part of a week, during which time he had kept Zara under close surveillance. He knew her ways now and had left the camp for his rendezvous with Zoltar. A movement ahead caught his eye, and he lifted his hand and called out. At his cry, Zoltar and Agag appeared along with four other men. Reinforcements, Zephir thought.

  Zephir greeted Zoltar. “Well, master, good news!”

  Zoltar had chosen four of his best warriors, who now gathered around Zephir while Zoltar asked, “You’re sure they didn’t smoke you out?”

  “They’re fools. Or perhaps I’m just a good actor.” Zephir smirked.

  “What about the woman?” Zoltar demanded.

  “It’ll be easy. She leaves camp every morning and goes to a water hole to get water.”

  “And guards?” Zoltar said.

  “Another woman and just one man go with her.”

  “Only one man?” Agag grinned. “It should be easy.”

  “He’s nothing but a pup,” Zephir said with a shrug.

  “All right,” Zoltar said. “What time does she go?”

  “Early in the morning, just after dawn.”

  “We’ll do it in the morning, then. You follow her. We’ll be waiting.”

  A sickly pleasure touched the flat surfaces of Zoltar’s eyes. “We’ll see, Zara, who’s your master now.”

  ****

  As Zara exited from her tent, she looked up and saw that, although there was a milky breaking of light in the east, the stars were cold and brilliant in the sky. She watched the faint pulses of light diluting the cold blackness of the earth. She loved the stars. They were like glittering gems against the blackness, and she often wondered at the mystery and magnitude of the heavens above her.

  “Good morning, Zara.”

  “Good morning, Miriam.” She turned to meet the woman who approached from the east tents. Miriam had become a close friend over the past year, and now Zara said, “You look tired. You stayed up late last night.”

  Miriam shrugged. “I did at that. You went to bed early.”

  “Yes. The days have been so hot. It’s good to get to enjoy the coolness of the night.”

  The two women spoke together softly, each of them lifting a large clay pot as they headed out of the camp. They were met by a figure stepping out of the shadows. “Who are these beautiful young women?”

  Miriam laughed. “Don’t you come making up to me, Benjamin.”

  The young man walked beside Miriam and, reaching over, took her jar. “Why shouldn’t I make up to you? You’re the prettiest woman around—” He suddenly remembered Zara and said, “Except for you, Zara.”

  “So Zara’s prettier than I am,” Miriam said. “That’s not what you told me last night.”

  The women were amused at Benjamin, who was barely into early manhood. It seemed he was smitten with a different woman each week, and this past week it had been Miriam’s turn. “I’m disappointed in you, Benjamin,” Zara teased. “You told me not a month ago you would never look at another woman besides me.”

  “But—”

  “And you told me the same thing last night,” Miriam jibed. “You’re not a man to be trusted.”

  Benjamin argued vehemently that he was indeed reliable as the three ambled out of the camp, following an old streambed. Zara enjoyed the warmth of the earth under her feet as the sun began to heat the ground. The morning hours were the best for her, and she threw her head back and savored the touch of the air on her face.

  “The water is low,” Zara said as they came to the edge of the water hole in the middle of the streambed. “I hope it doesn’t dry up completely.”

  “So do I,” Miriam said. “I like this spot. I’d hate to have to move.”

  Zara leaned over and allowed the pot she carried to sink. The gurgling of the water made a pleasant sound, and her mind was on the task when she heard the pounding of running feet. Surprised, she turned, expecting to see someone from the camp, but by the milky light that illuminated the plain, she saw a group of men coming. She could not see their faces at first, but fear shot through her as she recognized one of them. “It’s Zoltar!” she screamed. “Run, Miriam!”

  Both young women dropped their pots and made a dash at right angles to the riverbed. Benjamin uttered a cry of surprise and drew his sword. He was immediately surrounded, and Zara risked one glance to see one of the men drive his sword all the way through Benjamin’s chest. Terror flooded her then, and she put every ounce of her strength into making an escape.

  The pursuers had cut them off, however, and Zara felt a hand grab at her. She twisted away only to fall into the hands of another. “Run, Miriam!” she screamed.

  Miriam ducked under the outreached arms of one of the attackers. She smelled the sweat and stench of his body as she brushed against him. Then she dashed away back toward the camp. Two men started after her, but Zara saw they were hopelessly left behind.

  “Let her go,” Zoltar called out. “We’ll get away from here.” He reached out and grabbed Zara by the hair. “Now you see I’ve come back for you.”

  Zara did not speak. She knew the cruelty of this man, and as he dragged her toward the waiting donkeys that two of the other men were holding, she said good-bye to her life. She well knew what Zoltar had planned for her and wished that she had been killed instead of captured.

  ****

  Eliezer heard the first scream and turned quickly. He had just prepared himself to go out and check the herds when he saw Miriam running frantically. A coldness seized him, and he dashed toward her.

  “Miriam, what is it?”

  “It’s Zara! They killed Benjamin, and they took Zara prisoner!”

  “Was it the men who were in camp last week?”

  Miriam’s face was stretched taut, and she had lost all her color. “Yes, the one called Zoltar. Oh, Eliezer—they killed Benjamin!” she sobbed, dropping to her knees with her head in her hands.

  Eliezer straightened up and shouted, “Every man to his animal!”

  He turned back and ran to his tent to get his weapons, and when he came out, Abraham was approaching. “What is it, Eliezer?”

  “It’s Zoltar. He’s taken Zara and killed Benjamin.”

  Abraham’s knees buckled and Eliezer ran to hold him.

  “I must go now,” Eliezer said, “before he kills Zara as well.”

  Abraham looked up into the face of this man he loved like his own son and saw the hardness in his eyes. “Yes, you must go now. May God be with you. I’ll pray that you bring Zara bac
k.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Eliezer nodded and then ran off, shouting, “Get the swiftest beasts we’ve got! Every man arm himself.”

  Abraham stood watching as Eliezer gathered his men and rode out furiously, raising a cloud of dust. “O Eternal One, be with Eliezer. Give his heart wisdom and his arms strength that he may prevail.”

  Chapter 32

  A brilliant flash of sunlight caused Eliezer to narrow his eyes. He stared eastward, toward a high line of hills that stood like an armed fortress. He studied the peaks and valleys, considering how best to ferret out the enemy lurking in the inhospitable terrain. Sunlight caught brittle flashes of mica particles in the dry, scratchy soil, and heat dropped down from the sky, pressing on Eliezer like a giant weight as he stood pondering his next move. Sweat streamed from his forehead, rolling over his cheeks, and he deliberately threw a brake on his spirit. What he desired more than anything else was to drive his animal straight ahead until he dropped, but caution ruled him as he weighed his options. With his brow drawn taut, fugitive shadows chased themselves in and out of the corners of his mouth, his lips twitching with the strain of what he faced.

  The picture of Zara was never out of his mind for long. It lingered there like a fragrance coming from afar, and as he stood there in the full heat of the sun he remembered the last time he had seen her. It had been evening, and they had talked for a long time, walking under the stars. Finally she had given him a smile and touched his chest with the flat of her palm and then whispered good night. The memory came sharply into focus, piercing him with its clarity.

  A slight movement to his right caught Eliezer’s attention, and he turned his head to see Ishmael, who had come to stand beside him. Excitement glittered in the young man’s eyes, and he opened and closed his fists, revealing the tension that was building up in him. “We’re never going to catch them like this, Eliezer.”

  “We’ll catch them.”

  Ishmael shook his head stubbornly. Bright points of light danced in his eyes, and strangely he smiled. A deep wrinkle broke out at the corner of each eye. The glance he gave Eliezer was bright and wise and old, despite his youth. “We’re tied down to the slowest animals.”

  Eliezer moved his head impatiently. He knew this fact as well as Ishmael, but now his voice was harsh as he said, “We don’t know how many there are.”

  “Of course we do,” Ishmael said. “By their tracks. There are only half a dozen of them at most.”

  “You want to move ahead, then, and leave the slow ones behind?”

  “Yes, it’s what we should have done at first, don’t you think?”

  As a matter of fact, Eliezer had been thinking along those lines. And now that Ishmael had come to lend credence to his idea, he said, “All right. You and I will go ahead, but it’ll be dangerous.”

  “We’ll get them. Come on. Let’s go!”

  Eliezer gave orders to the others to proceed as quickly as they could. “Ishmael and I are going ahead,” he said, grim determination in every line of his body and a steely glint in his eyes.

  “I’m going with you too.” The speaker was a thin man, not tall, but with hardness in his voice and eyes. “They killed my brother. My beast is as fast as yours, so I’ll go with you.”

  Eliezer nodded. “All right, Eben. That is only right. Let’s go. The rest of you follow our tracks and come as fast as you can.”

  ****

  Eliezer glanced ahead where the land heaved away in an irregular monotony. Rocky hills rolled on and on under the strengthening sun. They had just crossed areas of strewn rock, and a powdery dust rose behind them in dotted clouds. Eliezer studied the land before him, moving more slowly now, for the signs were much fresher. His eyes darted from point to point, and he was aware that Ishmael and Eben were doing the same. He knew this country well. It was an area of extremes—bone-searing dryness, interspersed by sudden cloudbursts that would send violent torrents rushing down the narrow canyons. It was a raw, primitive place that scoured the softness out of a man.

  Eben pulled his animal up and broke the silence. “They’re very close. Perhaps behind that next set of hills.”

  “I think you’re right, Eben.” He studied the ground ahead of him and said, “One of us will have to go ahead and locate them, then come back and tell us where they are.”

  “Let me do that,” Ishmael said at once. His eyes glowed, making him look like a fast young animal.

  “All right. But don’t let yourself be seen.”

  “I’ll be back,” Ishmael said, grinning. Then sliding off his animal, he unfastened the water bottle and looped it around his shoulders by a thong and set off toward the nearby hills. He moved swiftly, almost like a running deer, and as he left, Eben shook his head. “He’s young, but I never saw a man quicker or crueler when the time for fighting comes.”

  “We’ll wait here for Ishmael to return, Eben. But I don’t think we can wait until the other men catch up to us.”

  “There’s no need. The three of us can do it!”

  ****

  The waiting was hard. Eliezer spoke little, lost in his thoughts, keeping his eyes on the hills ahead. He and Eben had taken shelter under a skinny scrub tree. It did not offer much shade, but it did provide some relief from the heat. Though the sun was approaching the horizon, the air was still fiercely hot. From time to time Eliezer stood up and walked. The anxiety and eagerness in him to come to grips with the raiders was more than he could stand.

  Eben watched him pace back and forth and said, “We’ll get her back, Eliezer.”

  “Yes, we will.”

  “But I can never get my brother back. He was such a fine young man. He had great promise.”

  Compassion flooded Eliezer at the realization of his friend’s loss. He had loved the young man himself, and now he said quietly, “It’s hard to lose those we love.”

  A depression had fallen on Eben, and he said, “We lose everything we love sooner or later.”

  “But all the more reason to treasure everything that’s dear to us every day, every moment.”

  “That’s true. I think now of so many good things I might have done for Benjamin.”

  “No point thinking thoughts like that. You were good to your brother. Everyone saw it.”

  “I wish I had been better. I wish I had spent more time with him. I wish it had been me who died instead of him. He was so young and full of life.”

  The two fell silent then, enduring the desert heat and conserving their strength for the battle ahead. Finally a slight movement caught Eliezer’s eyes. “I think he’s coming.”

  The two men stood up, and Eben put a hand over his eyes to shade them. “Yes. That’s good. He wouldn’t have come back unless he knew something.”

  Moments later Ishmael came to a halt in front of them. Sweat made a sheen on his tanned face, and excitement stirred his features. He smiled, his teeth making a white slash against the darkness of his skin. “I found them.”

  “Did they see you?”

  Ishmael cast a disdainful glance at Eben for asking such a foolish question. “Of course not.” He pointed back toward the close range of hills. “They’re down in a gully. There’s some water there, a little pool in the riverbed.”

  “Do they have any guards out?”

  “Just one. We’ll have to get him first.” He spoke quickly, and both of his companions saw the pleasure that the idea of a fight gave him. “We take him out silently and that will leave five more. We sneak in until we’re close, and then we take them all.”

  Eliezer nodded. “It should be dark enough soon.”

  “Yes,” Ishmael agreed, nodding. “The darkness will make it easier for us to sneak up on the guard. Or they may have more out by now.”

  “All right. Let’s move out. They’ll be having a meal soon and will be off guard. Prepare to attack!”

  ****

  The cords cut into Zara’s hands. They were tied in front of her so tightly that her hands were white. The other end of the cor
d was fastened firmly to a stake driven into the ground. She had been out in the blistering sun since midday, with only a small portion of water given to her late in the afternoon. Now as darkness was falling, her lips were dry, and she sat on the hard ground, her eyes turned downward.

  Zoltar, who had gone out to check on the guard, now returned. Standing over her, he began to taunt her. “You’re a good-looking woman, Zara. I’ll sell you, but first I’ll enjoy your favors.”

  Zephir said, “Now is a good time, master.”

  Always a creature subject to his own desires, Zoltar looked down at the woman. She was wearing only a thin dress, and the sight of her suddenly inflamed his desires. “You’re right, Zephir. Come along, my pet.”

  Zara’s heart went cold as she watched Zoltar loose the rope from the stake. He pulled her to her feet and jerked the cord, bringing pain to her wrists. His eyes were bright, and his mouth was twisted in a gesture of lust. Reaching out, he caressed her, put his hand under her chin, and forced her face up. “Have you ever had a man?” he demanded.

  Zara did not answer. Hope was gone. She had been praying that the rescue would come in time, but now she knew what awaited her inside that tent toward which Zoltar was dragging her. She held back, and he jerked at the rope, bringing a cry of pain from her.

  “Come along, my little dove. I’ll show you what a real man is—” Zoltar did not finish his words. He heard Agag cry out and wheeled quickly to see the small man clawing at an arrow that had gone right through his stomach. Zoltar bellowed to his men, “Kill them! There! They’re coming!” He drew his sword and saw two of his men grab up their weapons and engage a figure that had emerged from the gathering darkness. But then he heard the hissing of an arrow, and another of his men fell to the ground, kicking and clawing at the arrow in his throat.

  At that same instant a dark shadow appeared before him. He struck out with his sword as he recognized his enemy—Eliezer. With a roar Zoltar began raining blow after blow. He had never encountered anyone who could stand up to him with a sword, and he drove his opponent backward. He was aware of shouting and screams and half expected an arrow to catch him, but he would kill this one before he died!