by Summer Lee
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, I know where it is.”
“Will we be able to go get it?”
“Not at this time.”
“Why is that?”
“The Bedouins own it.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Look at it.”
Sam laughed. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“I can’t Soul Merge,” she said, “because I used all my energy to get you out of the cave.”
Sam frowned. “Where is it? How are we going?”
“It is north of Jerusalem,” she said. “And we are going to use a taxi.”
“Okay. I approve.”
Achava pointed. “See that street down there?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“We are going to walk down there and I’ll use my cell phone and call a cab to pick us up by the street sign.”
Sam appeared a little suspicious, but said, “That’s fine.”
Achava slipped her hand in his and led the way down the hill. “The kidnapping drained all my strength, so we take the taxi.”
She looked into his eyes and smiled. He smiled back, but they did not say anything. Once they reached the street, they walked to the corner and she took out her cell phone and called a cab.
“Have you already seen it?” asked Sam.
“No, but I was there. I tried to be really nice to the little shepherd boy and the old man. Zelda was gone, but she is supposed to be home by now. I think she trusts us enough to let us see their treasures.”
“Are they all complacent?”
“Who?”
“Bedouins.”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” she said, laughing. “The prestigious Bedouin are the camel nomads, who occupy huge territories and are organized into large tribes in the Syrian and Arabian deserts. They are the richest. Beneath them in rank are the sheep and goat nomads, who stay mainly near the cultivated part of Jordan. That is who we are going to see. There are cattle nomads found chiefly in South Arabia. Syrian Cattle nomads are found mostly in Sudan. They are called Baqqārah.”
“Interesting.”
“You have no need to fear them.”
“Look over there,” Sam said, pointing. “That is one of their camps. Is that the one you want?”
“No,” she said. “We’re not there yet.”
“All right,” he said nervously. “Do you have time to tell me more about Gideon?”
“Sure,” she said. “When Gideon was first mentioned in the Bible, Israel was experiencing great adversity. The pagan nation called Midian had overthrown Israel. The Midianites were a nomadic people who would sweep into an area just like locusts. They ravaged the land and inhabitants. After seven years of oppression, Israel cried out to God to give them a leader. At that time, Gideon was hiding wheat from the enemy in the wine press. He was surprised by the angel of the Lord, who approached him and called him, ‘A mighty warrior.’ Gideon pretty much said, ‘You’ve got the wrong man.’ What he said was, ‘My clan is the weakest of all the clans in Israel. I am the weakest in my family.’ He was from the tribe of Manasseh—not a strong tribe.
“God pronounced him a mighty warrior before he became a warrior. The nation and tribes were backsliding. He was told by the Lord to tear down the heathen idols, and he did it.”
“Really.”
“He did it at night, because he was scared.”
Sam laughed. “Those Midianites were kind of like the Bedouin, since they were nomads.”
“Not exactly. In order to understand the Bedouin, a person has to get to know some of the villagers, which is almost impossible. They cling together, and are content to keep it that way. The Midianites were vicious.”
They passed another Bedouin camp before Achava said, “That’s it over there.”
The cab stopped and Sam handed the driver a large amount of money that would equal fifty dollars. “Please keep the meter running and wait for us,” Sam said.
The guy looked at the money in the light. He nodded. “Sure.”
Achava led the way, and they walked down a narrow path, through a pasture, up to the first large tent. They were greeted by Zelda and her father. “My father brought the treasures inside for you to see,” Zelda said. “He does not want anyone to know where he keeps them.”
Achava was concerned. “How can he keep them safe out here?”
“This is a good place.” Zelda laughed and said, “He moves them around.”
“Good.”
“What was it that you wanted to see?” asked Zelda.
“The ephod of Gideon.”
The old man looked surprised. “Most people do not know about it. Let alone care to see it.”
He went to the back of the tent and came back carrying an old sheepskin folded in half. Reaching inside, he removed the plaque. There were no straps on it. So it was never made to be worn. Instead the carvings on it seemed to identify the military unit which fought the battle and won. The name, Gideon, was carved in the middle. There were carvings of pitchers with lights inside. There were carvings of trumpets. It looked quite old.
Sam said, “It looks like a coat of arms. I’ve seen similar designs posted on buildings containing official documents.”
“Do you think it is legitimate?” Achava asked Sam.
“Yes, I do.” He turned to Zelda’s father and asked, “Why have you not sold it?”
“We like to look at it. It is good to keep it until the grandchildren are grown.”
Sam looked at Zelda. “It could bring you millions.”
“We know,” the two locals said at the same time. “We won’t sell. Not yet.”
“I understand,” said Achava. “You are honorable people.”
“Thank you.”
“Have you heard of the horn of Jericho?” Sam asked.
“I have seen it, but I don’t have it,” said the old man.
Zelda said, “Father found some trumpets and chunks of clay. He put some together to form jars that we believe were used in that war.”
“Do you think that they held the lights?”
“Yes, we do.”
“I want to ask you another question,” Achava said to the old man.
“Certainly.”
“What did the ephod look like when you found it?”
“It was in this rotten old sheepskin.” He picked up the folded fleece.
Achava raised her eyebrows. “I see.”
“Really?” Sam spoke without emotion. “Does the fleece have value?”
“Maybe.” The old man shrugged his shoulders and nodded. “We’ve never had it evaluated. We don’t need to evaluate the gold.”
“You are right about that one.”
Zelda clasped Achava’s hands. “My father trusted you, based on my word. Can I trust you to treat this secret of ours as sacred and not tell anyone about it?”
“Yes. Cross my heart.” She drew an “x” on her chest with her finger. “How about you, Sam?”
“Oh yes. I keep secrets really well.”
“We have a cab waiting, so we must go,” said Achava.
To her surprise, Zelda put her hands on Achava’s shoulders and kissed her cheek to cheek. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, my dear.”
Sam and Achava climbed back into the cab. “Take us back to where you found us,” said Sam.
They visited like old friends as they traveled along.
“You know, you are right. That ephod looked like a coat of arms from Europe, but it looked Jewish,” said Achava. “Maybe that is the one that Gideon made.”
“I would like to think so,” Sam said, “but I doubt if many are made anymore, because it would be hard to get one registered today.”
“Do you have a family crest?” asked Achava.
“No,” said Sam.
“What happens if you live in a country that wants emblems on the uniforms of their army?”
“Maybe they would find one in a history book.” Sam seemed certain.
“They are most likely to be used as souvenirs or special effects,” said Achava. “I think that flags have replaced them today.”
Sam nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“Flags are used not only for countries, but churches.”
“Do you know what else I think?”
“What?” She frowned.
He propped his head up with his fist. “I think that we just saw the real Fleece of Gideon that so many have been looking for.”
“You’re possibly right,” said Achava, laughing.
“And we promised to never tell anyone.” Sam joined in the laughter.
“You know what, Sam. I don’t really want to go back to Mt. Nebo,” said Achava. “Gideon’s fleece is not there.”
“It was emphasized because it was used to wrap the ephod in.” Sam shrugged his shoulders. “That’s all.”
“It may be more than that,” she said. “I really believe that we just saw it and it is safely out of the public’s eye. End of story.”
“I know, but some kind of fleece has some important words on it. I’d like to be there when it’s found.” Sam tightened his lips. “Will you come with me?”
“Okay. We’ll go.”
“Achava.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about your shoulder. How did you get that foreign object out?” Sam looked curious.
“Do you remember meeting my mother several years go?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I went to her and she took it out.”
“Smart girl.”
When they reached the bus bench where they had boarded the taxi, the driver stopped.
“How much?” asked Sam.
The driver gave him the price and Sam paid with a second tip.
“Thank you so much,” said Sam.
Walking down the street, holding hands, Achava said, “I am curious. What kind of secret do you keep?”
“I possess the Staff of Moses.”
“Of course.” Achava laughed.
***
They returned together. Anthea was waiting for them, and she was fighting mad. She slugged Achava right on the jaw. “Stay away from my man,” she said.
Achava was more ready for this fight than she was the last one with her sister. She backed up about five feet from Anthea. She knew her sister had an extra reach, because of her height advantage. She also knew that there would be no Soul Merging, so they would both have to rely on their skills and abilities. No tricks.
Achava learned a long time ago to taunt any larger attacker into rushing into the fight. That was exactly what she planned on doing now. “Hey Anthea. You don’t think I know about the trick you pulled on Sam.”
Anthea was grinning like she had something up her sleeve. “Tricks are for mortals, sis. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She lunged forward with a right cross, only to be blocked by Achava, who countered with an elbow to the gut. Anthea held her stomach as she backed away.
Achava had her own smile. “I know how you operate using your tattoos as weapons. You did something to Dr. Samuel Godfrey.” She dropped to the ground and did a foot sweep on Anthea.
Anthea jumped up and away from the foot sweep just in time. When she landed, she placed the ball of her foot squarely on Achava’s ankle. There was a small cracking sound. “Silly little girl. You always assume the wrong thing. I never did anything... to Sam.”
Achava’s eyes widened. Of course. It had to have happened, when they embraced at the Garden of Gethsemane. Achava knew all about Anthea’s tattoos and what they did. She searched her mind for what her sister could have done to her.
“Give up, Achava?” Anthea asked, coldly. She pushed her left elbow out so that Achava could see, as she pointed to a certain tattoo. The tattoo she pointed to was of a man holding a fleece. “That’s my Gideon tattoo, sis. Do you want to know what it does?”
Achava said nothing.
“Glad you asked. When I press on it with just one finger, while touching someone else, good ole Gideon transfers his lack of faith to my target. So, those internal issues you had of battling with yourself, were because of me.”
Achava glanced over at Sam and saw he was helping Aharon look for a special fleece. She then turned and glared at Anthea. “I knew you were up to something in your last fight! You had put a spell on me. It was because of you, that I said horrible things to Sam!”
“That’s right, sis,” Anthea responded, confidently. “If you try to approach your lover boy and tell him that, I’ll just deny everything you say. He has a tendency not to believe you now, you know. All you’ll do is make the situation worse.”
Achava knew that Anthea was right. Anything she would say to Sam, wouldn’t do anything but cause more trouble. He was excited to see her, so she would have to come up with another plan to get Sam back in her life. She would also have to do it, without implicating Anthea in anything. If she attacked her sister, that would also give Sam a reason to distrust her.
She thought for a moment, as she glanced back and forth from Anthea to Sam.
Anthea’s grin had a wicked overtone. “You always chose the wrong side, sis. You should be working for yourself. I guarantee it pays better.” She then rushed her sister and punched her squarely in the ribs.
Achava was not going to allow her half-sister to pummel her, like she did earlier. She would defend herself by throwing a solid punch. Achava could see that her opponent was shocked when she failed to acknowledge her verbally. Achava took in a deep breath and held her hands out, with her open palms up. She then slowly closed her hands into fists and lowered her head. Her breathing slowed down considerably.
Anthea stared at her as if she had never seen that move before. She appeared unfamiliar with what Achava was about to do. She jumped up and hammered her fist down hard on Achava’s head.
Achava silently prayed for help, as she moved forward slowly, a snarl on her face. She had received new strength and could now win any fight.
Anthea stepped back and fell down hard. It was as if someone tripped her.
Achava stood over her, showing a side of her that she was sure Anthea was unaccustomed to. She felt the rage, but refused to act on it, because she knew that her punch in anger could knock anyone out cold or kill them. Anthea was already on the ground. Anything she would do now would have absolutely no effect on either lady.
Anthea said, “What the hell did you do? There are not supposed to be any special abilities down here in this cavern! That’s cheating!”
Clasping the front of her shirt, Achava slowly raised Anthea to her feet, so she could match her sister’s stare. She could feel more supernatural power coming on her body as she braced herself. She kept her body still and spoke slowly. “This is no trick, Anthea. Neither is it a special magic. It is the power of a holy God and nothing less. You have spent much of your life squandering the possibility to learn new things. Your ego has prevented you from embracing many things from the cultures all over the world. This world has grown and you have been sitting idle as it passed you by. While you were looking out for yourself, I was learning and training. It was accumulated knowledge from anyone that would share it. There are many things that you do not know about me. This is one of them. I learned the Breath Gate many years ago.”
“You lie!” Anthea scoffed. “I know of the Breath Gate and it doesn’t respond like that! That is... something else!”
“I combined the Tao breathing methods with the martial arts version of the Breath Gate. What you see is the result of many years of merging the two influences together.”
Achava stood straight and tall, as she stepped up to the wicked sister. While wiping away her tears, Achava trusted the power of the cross. “As long as I have my Lord and Savior with me, I can overcome all obstacles.”
Anthea lowered her head and grinned. “Let’s test that theory.” Without giving Achava a chance to react, Anthea hugged her tight, as she pressed on one of her tattoos. There was a slight gra
y glow around both women, so Achava pushed her away.
“What have you done to me?” Achava screamed as she pushed her away. “I just saw a dull glow!”
Anthea reared back her head and laughed a haunting sound...
Achava said, “It is impossible for you to use your tattoos down here in the cavern! They are a special ability for land use only.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, sis,” Anthea said, calmly. “My tattoos aren’t actually a special ability. They’re a creation.”
Achava was in shock as she coughed. “A creation? That means that you too have advanced abilities. You are a...”
“Creator?” Anthea interrupted. “Yes. Just like you, I choose to reveal the truth when I feel like it, but only when I feel like it. How does that strike you?”
Achava felt sick and weak. She looked down at her hands. They were frail and wrinkled. Liver spots started to appear. It was harder for her to breathe. “What have you done... to me?”
“I’m glad you asked,” Anthea said. “You know that some of my tattoos are Bible based. I decided to see how long you can survive if I turn you into the age of the oldest living man.”
“Methuselah,” Achava whispered, as she could no longer stand on the strength of her own legs. She fell to her knees, while wheezing. Her skin was now wrinkled and old. Her hair was stringy and white, while her arms and legs were bony and thin. Her eyes drooped and her vision was blurry.
Anthea looked at the rock pillars and then she smiled at Achava. “Oh, by the way! I believe that it’s time for a little payback. There’s one big question, of course. I was barely able to escape my underground prison at full strength. Will you be able to escape at far less than your full strength? I wish I could stay around and see what happens, but I have a date with a fleece.”
She knelt down to Achava and pointed to the open doorway. “Do you see that doorway? If you’re quick enough, you can probably get to the underground river and get out on your own. If I were you, I’d start now.”
She had a feeling that Anthea wouldn’t kill Sam. She was sure that she needed him for something. Hopefully Achava would see him again.
Chapter the Twentieth
SAM HAD TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE on Aharon. He heard shouting from Anthea and Achava every once in a while, but the last time he looked, he saw Achava holding her own against a physical barrage from her evil half-sister. He knew everything was under control.