by Summer Lee
Chapter the Third
ACHAVA WOULD FEEL REFRESHED after her time of reflection and prayer.
She prayed, “I need your help, Lord. I lost control when I performed the Soul Merge for the first time. I would not have done this had I been able to refortify my faith to face the world in Your power. I know that as an adult, Jesus fortified his faith and strength, before he appeared before people and preached Your words. I would never be so callous as to compare myself to the Savior. I just know that I will not allow Samuel Godfrey to distract me from the path. You have put me on. So again, I say, I need your help. I ask this in your Son’s name.”
She stretched and performed several breathing exercises, before she made a decision about Sam. He was a wonderful man and she cared deeply for him. She even would say that she loved him, but saying those words always left a bitter taste in her mouth.
No matter how she felt about Sam, she couldn’t abandon Israel when the evil one would attack. Her country needed her, even if they did not understand it. She knew that she would eventually have to face Sam about his proposal. Even though she rejected him, she felt bad about the way she did it. She couldn’t stay with him any longer once he asked her to marry him. Me? Married? No!
It was a ridiculous idea. She thought about wearing an apron and making dinner for her husband, while their children got into mischief. She thought about having children several times, but realized that her obligations came first. She asked herself repeatedly if Sam would or could be the one she should settle down with, in spite of her feelings for him.
She had more important things to concern herself with than thinking about the proposal. For one thing, her sister was still alive. Anthea was the daughter of her father, but not her mother.
Achava knew that once she found out Anthea was among the living, it was only a matter of time before she would make an appearance to her. Anthea wasn’t at all like Achava. She had her own agenda and the sisters had been compared to Abel and Cain. One followed the righteous path, while the other was corrupt and devious, like Lucifer himself.
Achava remembered many years ago, when she was on a mission with Anthea to find Goliath’s remains. There were rumors that he was buried at the site of his demise, but Anthea found out otherwise.
Goliath was, more likely, buried on the grounds of Solomon’s temple. Word was out that many gold items were buried there as well.
Once Anthea found out that she could be finding an incredible treasure worth billions in today’s market, she left the partnership with her sister and struck out on her own. Since they had worked together only once before that time, they shared connections. They were mostly Achava’s connections that Anthea took as her own. She even persuaded some of the team members to help only her.
While inside Solomon’s temple, Anthea made it clear to Achava that she would use the treasure to fund her own army. With a heavy heart, Achava knew what damage Anthea could cause and made a decision to stop her before she started.
Achava activated one of the many traps in the temple and thought she buried Anthea. She wasn’t heard from again until she was spotted working with Itai Malka.
Achava analyzed the possibility of her sister surviving the trap. She should have been dead. She did know that Anthea had several powerful and magical tattoos all over her body that gave her an unfair advantage in any fight. Although, she didn’t think that her sister had any tattoos that could protect her from a cave in, or bring her back to life. Anthea was ruthless and cared nothing for humans. She looked upon them as toys for her to play with and puppets to get what she wanted.
Either way, Achava had to be prepared if and when Anthea reappeared.
Achava walked out of the garden and down along the edge of the highway toward town. She saw a vendor selling water, so she stopped and bought a bottle of cold water. “How do you keep this bottle cold on a hot day?” she asked the young Arab.
“It’s magic,” she said heartily.
Both laughed.
A half hour later they were still talking. Achava learned that the lady was a member of a Bedouin clan that lived two miles out of town. She learned her name was Zelda, and she was in possession of a treasured relic with the name of Gideon inscribed on it. “It’s an ephod. It looks like a vest,” said Zelda, “but it is made of pure gold.”
“I’d love to see it.”
“It belongs to my father. He found it in a cave when he was young, caring for the sheep. You would have to ask him.”
“If I may, I’d like to ask if he is willing to show it to me.” Achava felt the excitement. “How will I find your settlement?”
Zelda took a piece of paper out of her purse and began to draw a map for Achava. She raised her head and pointed ahead of her. “Follow that road out of the city.”
She then proceeded to tell Achava about her family history. “The Bedouins have never been given a chance to better themselves. Some were driven from their homes decades ago. After World War I, my ancestors had to submit to the control of the governments of the countries who took over where they lived. The practice was repeated after World War II. They did their best with the patriarchal order and the character of their tribe.”
“They sound like wonderful people.”
“They were a suffering people.”
Chapter the Fourth
ALONE IN HIS TEXAS HOME, SAM COULD NOT BELIEVE that the Antiquarians actually had a website. It didn’t mention them specifically, but when he found a site called Museum of the Antiquities, he saw that the site was based in Israel. Achava’s stomping grounds.
The site also mentioned several of the same artifacts that he and Achava saw in Itai’s underground museum. They had pictures of the artifacts as well. Sam stopped with his eyes widened, when he saw a picture under the heading, The Fleece of Gideon.
It looked to be an ancient piece of wool with blackened edges. He wondered how they could have gotten a picture of it, if it supposedly was not found yet. He knew he wasn’t going to get any more information from the website, so he emailed them, informing them that he wanted to know more about the fleece.
Sam then turned his attention toward the mention of the fleece in the Bible. He googled the words, “Gideon’s fleece,” and read about how Gideon lacked the one thing that most of God’s followers had in those times... faith. The piece recounted the fact that Gideon kept asking God to prove to him that he was supposed to lead an attack on the Midianites. He asked God to make a fleece wet, while making the surrounding ground dry. God performed the task requested of him. Next, he asked the reverse and God complied. It had happened as Gideon had requested. He then was confident that he had heard from God.
Next, God kept cutting the size of his army until only three hundred men of faith were left. Now God was ready to get the glory.
After Gideon proved that he was chosen by God to lead an attack on the Midianites, he gave each of his three hundred men in the Israelite army, a horn and a clay jar with a torch hidden inside.
Sam became fascinated with finding out more about the war between Gideon and the Midianites, so he dug deeper.
The Midianites were known to inhabit the Arabian desert. Most scholars believed some of them to be ancestors of modern day Arabs. He thought about Saeem, the taxi driver that helped them find Peter’s sword. Saeem was Arabic and knew the desert well. Even though Sam tried, he could not connect Saeem to the fleece. It wouldn’t have mattered since Saeem was dead and Sam wouldn’t dare try to interrogate the man’s family.
Gideon giving his troops a horn and clay jar reminded him of when he and Achava were in Herod’s treasure chamber inside of Mt. Nebo. The Horn of Jericho was in the chamber. He remembered that Joshua was associated with that horn, who also happened to be around at the same time that Achava’s ancestor, Achsah, was there.
Every time Sam connected anything he had researched to Achava, he thought it was more than a coincidence. But what could she want from him? Achava was a woman with unusual inherited powers. Sam may
never know how she received her power or why she needed help.
Rams horns used as shofars were common in the history of Israel. The horns that the Israelites were equipped with in the early days could be linked to the Horn of Jericho. Sam knew that would be a stretch to tie it to the fleece, but it was a clue, and he was willing to follow up on it. He looked over the information again where it stated that Gideon gave his army the horns and the clay jars. He also split his armies into three groups, right before the attack on the Midianites.
What if the number three was significant?
One, being the horns; two, being jars of clay; three being a torch inside each one. The three would be bound together to produce where to find the magical fleece itself. What if this was the answer and he had just unraveled the mystery of how to find the elusive Fleece of Gideon?
***
Sam would not look for the fleece alone. As soon as Achava located her Bedouin woman, he would go see the gold garb. Perhaps the fleece would be close by. Just maybe the golden emblem is what made the fleece a mystery.
Sam sat with the old family Bible open on the coffee table. The story about Gideon was in Judges. He opened to chapter eight and read it over again. Basically, it said that when Israel sinned, God told Gideon to tear down the idols and build an altar to God on top of the mound.
He was to then offer two bulls to God, using the broken down idols as firewood. Gideon was so scared and wanted to make sure it worked, so he did it at night.
When the people in town got up early the next morning, they found that the altar to Baal had been replaced, and a bull had been sacrificed to God on a new altar. They found out that Gideon did it, and they wanted to kill him. But his father defended him. If Baal was a god, he could defend himself. It was his altar that was torn down anyhow.
The desert tribes assembled, crossed the Jordan River, and camped in Jezreel Valley. God’s spirit took control of Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to call the men to action. Two hundred thousand men showed up, but Gideon was still scared.
God worked miracles. He had Gideon cut the size of the army twice, until only 300 were left to win the battle. God gave the victory. The men wanted to give Gideon something, so he asked for earrings.
“They answered, ‘We’ll be glad to give them.’ So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown.” So the vest was called an ephod.
Sam ran all the information through his brain. Suddenly, the room seemed to spin. Why am I so dizzy? Sam asked himself. And then he got a quiet answer. A voice said, “Find the horn of Jericho. It will lead you to the trumpets of Gideon and the clay jars that held the lights. That is when the fleece will make sense.”
He looked around and no one was there. Either God or an angel had spoken. He knew he must obey.
Sam paused, praying silently before he read more. “All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.”
He went online and found another small book called Bitle Study Notes. Bitle, he noted, not Bible. In it he read, “The ephod was held together by being attached to a girdle. It had two shoulder pieces that crossed the shoulders, and were attached to the ephod in front. In dressing, the shoulder pieces were joined in the back to the two ends of the ephod. Next, the shoulder pieces were joined together in the front above the girdle, by two golden rings to which the breastplate was attached. It had originated with the priest of Israel.”
So the vest was called an ephod by the Jews. “I can handle that,” he said to himself. He thought it was possibly a coat of arms.
Once put in place, either plan should be a breeze. It was so simple, in fact, that it did make sense. So much so, that he had to get the information to Achava as soon as possible, to see what she thought.
He was about to go back to the Museum of the Antiquities website, when he heard a gentle, yet firm, knock on his door.
Sam rushed to the door, thinking it was Achava. He opened it to reveal an older man with a long, white beard, which matched the little bit of hair that he had left on his head. He was dressed in a beige robe that had blue stripes on the cuffs. He wore sandals and had a pleasant smile. That man had to be the oldest person Sam had ever seen.
“Samuel Godfrey?” The man’s voice cracked on just about every word.
“That depends,” Sam said, hesitantly. With everything Sam had been through the past couple of years, he wasn’t going to just volunteer information.
“We got your email,” the man replied, as he tried to look past Sam and into the house. “May I come in?”
Sam blocked the entrance to his house. “You know me, but I don’t know who you are.”
“Oh, forgive me!” The old man chuckled. “I am Aharon Malka. I believe you killed my brother.”
Oh my goodness! Sam’s mouth dropped in shock, as he saw that the man still had a smile on his face. He would have figured that the brother of Itai, would have been at least a little angry. “Look, I didn’t kill Itai, he...”
“I’m not here for revenge,” the man replied as he interrupted Sam. “Heavens, no! Itai had it coming. He went rogue a while ago and I’m just satisfied that the whole matter is behind us. May I come in now, or must I be in for further questioning? I will answer all of your questions if I am allowed to rest my legs. In case you haven’t guessed, I am quite old.”
Sam peered behind the man, to make sure he was alone. There didn’t appear to be anyone with him. Almost immediately regretting his decision, Sam opened the door all the way and stepped aside to let the man in his house.
Aharon made his way to Sam’s large, comfortable chair and proceeded to sit. He moved slowly as he bent his knees and spread his legs, just a little to allow his old frame some movement other than walking. “Ah! Thank you Mr. Godfrey. Do you perhaps have a beverage to warm my insides? Any type of tea would be most refreshing.”
Sam closed and locked the front door as he stared at the old man, getting too comfortable in his house. “Sure. I’ll put a pot of water on to heat for tea. Is Earl Grey alright?”
Aharon smiled. “As long as it is tea, then I am a happy man.”
Sam went into the kitchen and filled the teapot with water and placed it on the stove to heat. After placing tea bags in two cups, he returned to the living room and said, “So, you say you’re from the Antiquarians.” Sam tried to trip Aharon up, so he would reveal something more than just his name.
Aharon laughed until more coughing came out than laughter. “Nice try, Mr. Godfrey, but I am not here to trick you, or kill you. I am simply here in response to your email. Actually, I am not well versed in computers and the ilk, but the message came to me.”
“Why you, specifically?” Sam asked, while giving Aharon a napkin and a coaster for the nearby end table.
“Thank you,” Aharon said, as he took the napkin and placed it under his chin. “I came, because you already have familiarity with my brother. We thought that perhaps, it would be best if you didn’t have a total distaste of the Malka name.”
The whistle of the kettle brought Sam back to the kitchen. He grabbed a pot holder and lifted the handle of the kettle. Pouring hot water over the tea bags, he carried the cups for both of them to the living room. “Do you take it with lemon, or sugar, Mr. Malka?” He wanted to show his guest that he could be as polite as he was.
“A sprinkling of both, please,” Aharon answered, as he clapped his hands at the thought.
Sam brought Aharon his tea and took a seat on the sofa, which almost faced the old man.
Aharon slowly sipped the tea and closed his eyes. Sighing, he said, “I do so love my warm beverages, you know.”
Sam did not know, but grinned as if he did. “I agree
.”
After a couple of minutes, Aharon sat his cup down. “Let us please dispense with the formalities. You may call me Aharon. I would like to call you Samuel, if that is alright with you.”
“You can call me Sam,” he said, becoming more comfortable around the old man.
Aharon looked at Sam and sighed. “Why are you so interested in the Fleece of Gideon, Sam?”
“Well, it must be important, or you wouldn’t have come in person,” Sam replied, trying to stay one step ahead of the conversation. “I read the small name plaque and saw the empty space for it, when we... I confronted your brother.” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to say anything about Achava, even though Aharon probably already knew about her.
Aharon lifted his cup to his lips and took another sip. “Curiosity can be a blessing as well as a curse, young Sam. In this case, it happens to be neither.”
Sam almost spit out the tea in his mouth. “That makes absolutely no sense! I’m sorry, but I would prefer that we get right to the point—not circle it.”
Aharon studied Sam’s face for a moment and then put his cup down on the coaster. He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “Good then! To the point it is! You are interested in the Fleece of Gideon, I would like to hinder your attempts at finding it! What do you say about that?”
Sam felt confused. Why would Aharon have come all that way to tell Sam not to find the fleece? He was right about Aharon knowing Achava. He just hoped that his new friend didn’t have his own agenda.
Chapter the Fifth
ACHAVA KNEW SHE WAS NOT ALONE.
She felt as if someone else was in the garden—an enemy. Before taking action, she prayed, “I’m not like the average woman. I feel that I have lived longer than others, because I feel my ancestors gifting in my soul and mind. I have seen the digression of the human race. Still, I keep my faith in You. I have not taken enough time away from humanity to reestablish my strength in You, because of Samuel Godfrey. He has become invaluable on these expeditions and single-handedly defeated Itai Malka just by using his brain. He is a smart man and did it through sheer intelligence. I now face a new enemy. So give me Your strength. Amen.”