The Thorn tcog-1

by Daron Fraley

  Jonathan noticed fear in the eyes of some of the younger soldiers around him, the implications of being so close to their goal finally settling in. A few of them, mostly Danielites, expressed their misgivings about going into battle, causing conversations to center on the gruesome work of death that would soon be required in order to subdue General Rezon and protect the inhabitants of the Holy City. Dread settled over the entire company like a pall, the sudden change in mood felt by everyone.

  The thought of participating in the impending battle soured Jonathan’s stomach. Grateful as he was for Amon’s leadership, and for the great change wrought upon Jasher’s army, Jonathan found it difficult to soften the bitter anger he felt in his heart. As long as the war continued, he doubted he would find peace in his soul. Even though he wanted nothing more to do with the war, he had no choice. Rezon had to be stopped.

  Jonathan pushed his own need for peace out of his mind. Standing near Rachel while their horses took water, he reached for her hand. “Do you need anything?”

  “I’m fine. Tired of riding, but fine,” Rachel said, her response anxious.

  Jonathan wasn’t convinced. Although she did not complain, he could tell she was not only weary, but perhaps even afraid. He stayed close to her until Amon suggested that they be on their way.

  Amon’s eagerness to catch up to Mehida’s army caused them to ride harder than they had all morning, but the determined pace helped ease some of the heavy burden on their hearts. When they stopped for their mid-day meal-or mid-day snack, as Eli had termed it-they ate standing up. Again they rode with the speed of a falcon to its prey.

  Just as predicted, they caught up to Mehida’s thousands on the edge of the foothills, the sharp peaks of the Hara Range looming before them. As they rode into the ranks, a cheer went up from Mehida’s men. Many of the soldiers wished health and prosperity upon the heir of Daniel as he passed by them. Somewhat embarrassed by being singled out, Jonathan managed to greet them politely, wishing them the same.

  “Welcome, General Amon,” Mehida said with a salute as the company approached the head of the column.

  “Thank you, Mehida. You have done very well in your march. Are the men still strong?”

  “Yes, sir. We rested for several hours this morning, and they seem to be as fresh as they were yesterday. What are your orders, sir?”

  “No specific orders at this time, Captain. We are here to march with you. I’m grateful for your strength. My men feel the weight of the coming battle, but we will march to Ramathaim with our proud banners declaring the unity of this Army of Brothers.”

  Soldiers from Gideon, Daniel, and Uzzah, who were close enough to hear the general name the army, all shouted, “Hosanna!” Others added their voices as the expression was repeated again, followed by the entire host joining in yet a third time, their shout loud enough to reach the heavens. The rumble of their declaration seemed to shake the very ground upon which they stood. The heaviness of fear lifted, replaced by a thrilling feeling of purpose. For a moment, Jonathan felt nothing in the universe could prevent them from accomplishing their goal.

  With great excitement, the men holding the green and white banners of Gideon, the purple and white of Daniel, and the blue and white of Uzzah, waved them back and forth in front of the Army of Brothers. At Amon’s command, they marched onward together, toward glory or defeat, according to the mercy of the Holy One in whom they trusted.

  Chapter 30

  Vengeance

  "General Rezon!” the messenger shouted as he ran toward the observation hut.

  Rezon and Jael both turned and watched as the messenger stumbled up the hill, clearly exhausted by his efforts in the hot afternoon suns. The messenger saluted in a sloppy manner before bending over to catch his breath. Impatient, Rezon ordered the man to speak. With some difficulty, he spat out the information he had just learned from scouts on the southern patrols.

  “An army is approaching. It is as we were told… an army of Gideon, Daniel, and Uzzah! They are less than an hour away!”

  Cursing angrily, Rezon looked at Jael.

  “I will kill every one of them myself!” Jael spewed, his voice filled with venom.

  Rezon turned back to study the outer wall of Ramathaim. The protective arches of the front entrance had just fallen, fully exposing the main gates. Most of the rubble had fallen to one side, leaving plenty of room to get a ram near the reinforced doors. Glaring out the hut window, he could see two covered battering rams that had been pushed up near the central catapult. Housed within A-frames on wheels, the capped rams were protected by steep, sloping roofs covered with wet furs, soaked overnight to make them more fire resistant. Teams of soldiers waited alongside rope handles intended for swinging the suspended ram.

  “Are there only two rams?” Rezon asked Jael.

  “Yes. More are being constructed, but these are the only two ready.”

  “Well, we cannot wait for others to be built. Keep them rolling.”

  Now twitching with anger as he thought of the approaching united army, Rezon turned back to the messenger who had not been dismissed. His ire boiled over.

  “Get out of my sight or be flogged!”

  Looking confused, the messenger ran off without saluting.

  Rezon stepped out of the hut to kick a helmet lying on the ground near him, sending it into a nearby trench that stretched up to the front lines.

  Gad approached the hut, and Jael passed on the orders.

  “Get those rams ready to advance!” Gad shouted to the front line.

  Puffs of white smoke rose from the Rock of Sacrifice as the remains of an offering finally surrendered to the flames below. Boaz and Uzziel both knelt before the altar, heads bowed in reverent prayer. They had been there for quite some time, but their knees were not uncomfortable as they rested upon white cushions. Other priests serving at the temple went about their duties, but none of them disturbed the two aged men praying before the altar.

  As if they sensed the sacrifice was complete, Boaz and Uzziel opened their eyes at the same time.

  “What do you feel?” asked the High Priest of Uzzah.

  “Uzziel, I had the strangest thought,” Boaz answered “I had the distinct impression that Jeremy needs to assemble the Host of Uzzah in the streets of the city. They need to be ready right now. I think something is going to happen soon that will make the enemy more vulnerable to us. I don’t know how it will be done, but we need to be ready.”

  Uzziel thought for a minute, recognizing that his own feelings were similar-to muster the army right away. “I will send the message to Captain Jeremy at once,” Uzziel said as he stood up from his prayer and brushed his white robe free of wrinkles.

  “The temple priests will be armed, and then we’ll join you.” Boaz retrieved the cushions, handing them to another priest who came to assist.

  “Meet me at the inner gates. I think we should be assembled within the hour.”

  “I agree.”

  With that, the High Priest of Uzzah trotted off toward the archway that led to the markets of Ramathaim.

  “What do you see?” Amon whispered as he stood behind Captain Mehida and Jonathan, who were using their spyglasses to observe the enemy assembled on the hills of Ramathaim.

  “There are about four thousand men with Rezon,” Jonathan replied.

  “It may even be nearer to five thousand, and they have several siege weapons in position,” Captain Mehida added.

  Amon shook his head with a sigh. His heart felt like a heavy stone in his chest. “We are outnumbered almost two to one.”

  Arms crossed in a defiant manner, Eli loudly cleared his throat to get Amon’s attention. “No disrespect, General, but Uzzah is behind those walls. Our numbers are at least equal, and we have an advantage-our people defend their homes. Rezon will not stand.”

  Amon didn’t take offense at the comment. “I apologize. You’re right, Eli-Uzzah will fight as no other warriors can. This is your home. My only worry… I’m not sure
how to let your people know we’re here. We will need their help.”

  Eli and Tavor both regarded each other, and then laughed.

  “Oh, they’ll know,” Tavor said. “Eli’s father is the High Priest of Uzzah. He will be ready to help.”

  Amon wasn’t sure how the priests of Uzzah would know, but he thanked the men for their confidence. Motioning the captains to gather closer, he bent on one knee and used a thin rock to draw in the dirt. He started with marks for the enemy.

  “Rezon’s army is here. We need to give the appearance of numbers. Place your men along a line from here to here. This will also give us more room to fight. Ezra?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Take a rear-guard position and keep the women with you. I would like the balance of your horsemen to act as messengers. If the front line falters, send groups of ten and fifty as required to strengthen it.”

  “And if the battle goes poorly?”

  Amon paused. “Take the women to safety, back to Hasor or Saron.”

  “I will keep them safe.”

  “Very well. We still need to get a little closer before we can plan our attack. I want to see if I can figure out how Rezon plans to protect the siege engines. Are each of you in agreement?”

  All captains present supported the decision. They quickly dispersed to retrieve their horses and gather their men. Amon gave orders to advance. Vigorously waving the banners of the Three Brothers, the army lurched forward, dust and the rumble of thousands of feet floating skyward.

  As they closed on Rezon’s position, Amon gave the order for the bowmen to be at the ready for a volley into the enemy’s ranks if they charged. Spotters at the perimeters of the advance signaled that the way remained clear before them. The march slowed, but they pressed on until they came to a halt just outside of bow range for Rezon’s army. Companies of fifties and hundreds stood in their ranks and waited for Amon’s command to rush the enemy. Jonathan and Mehida dismounted and again stood at the front to observe the enemy Gideonites. Amon took the time to retrieve his own spyglass. Pekah saw it and commented on the workmanship.

  “My field-scope and Jasher’s were made at the same time, by the same craftsman,” Amon noted. “They were presented to us by the emp.. I mean, Manasseh, when we embarked on this…”

  Amon could not find the word he wished to use. “Adventure,” came to mind, which had been used by Manasseh himself. But the idea that this unwarranted aggression was an adventure now seemed a poorly chosen description.

  He did not finish his sentence. Instead, he peered earnestly through his field telescope, hoping to discover some apparent weakness in Rezon’s organized ranks. Seeing nothing obvious at first, his gaze finally settled on one area of the battlefield. Trenches had been dug all around the hills, but the siege weapons themselves were stationed in a wide, central pathway between the trenches.

  “Do you see where the siege weapons are?” the general asked.

  “Yes,” Mehida answered. “They have prevented themselves from moving the engines in any direction but north and south.”

  “I think we may be able to use those machines to prevent the army from assembling in a large body. Their own machines and trenches block the way.”

  Jonathan tapped the general on the shoulder and pointed to a spot just past a wooden hut. “General, look-Rezon is pushing battering rams into position near the front gates, and sustaining considerable losses from the bowmen of Uzzah.”

  Amon looked again and saw the advancing rams. Gideonite captains shouted, shields were lifted, and most arrows were deflected, but some were not. Amon’s gaze fell on the hut. He recognized Rezon and Jael standing with the others. Rezon continued to watch the rams, even though many of his men turned to look back at Amon’s army. Amon was surprised.

  “Rezon seems to be ignoring us! Does he think we will not attack? ”

  Disdain in his voice, Mehida said, “Rezon is arrogant. He knows we’re here. Perhaps he feels you’ll wait until he makes the first move. Or maybe he’s trying to cause us concern, making us wonder what he’s doing.”

  “Perhaps you’re right. I’d wager he has other weapons we haven’t seen,” Amon replied.

  Rezon did seem overly calm for being caught between a united army and the city walls. If Amon were in that position, he would turn and attack immediately. Rezon’s behavior made no sense. Amon shook his head.

  “We should rush the location of the siege weapons before they can formulate a counter-attack,” Mehida suggested. “Then we’ll have a way to defend a central location from Rezon’s army-the machines and trenches can provide cover for our men.”

  “That’s a good plan,” Amon readily agreed. “Pass the word among your men. Then let’s ride!”

  Amon returned to his horse and watched as his captains immediately rode from company to company with specific orders for each group. When they returned to their places, Amon gave the signal. The Army of Brothers charged forward with swords glinting in the suns-light. Their unified shout turned to thunder, causing the Army of Rezon, many of whom had pretended to ignore them, to turn completely about to meet the charge.

  “Bowmen at the ready!” Amon bellowed as he rose in his stirrups, his steed in a slow trot behind running foot soldiers.

  The front line of footmen closed the distance by half.

  Amon yelled for the bowmen behind the rushing soldiers to release, and a volley of arrows arced over the charging men toward their intended targets. Just as the arrows began their hurtling descent, the front line of Rezon’s men jumped into the trenches and pulled large shields above their heads. Very few arrows met their mark, but instead, bounced off the protective covers that had been deployed. Rezon’s soldiers then clamored out of the trenches again. They too charged with weapons swinging.

  The two armies met, and the clash was deafening. Yells of anger, pain, and exertion shot up from the crowd amidst the clangs, pops, thuds, and booms caused by colliding weapons. Like the explosive spray from a high wave slamming into a sea cliff, the front lines furiously collided, the severity of the sudden encounter rippling outward into the ranks of both armies until all were engulfed.

  Amon’s men pushed forward, trying to gain access to the war machines of Rezon, but were repulsed. They fell back momentarily, only to push forward again. Their second surge was even less successful than the first. Rezon’s men strongly leaned into Amon’s army, causing the line to break against a wall of resistance. The Brothers fell back once again, and Rezon’s troops rushed forward with their might. It was then that General Amon realized he had made a critical error in his planning.

  The Gideonites of Rezon tumbled into the host of The Brothers like the boulders of a rock slide, and when they came to a standstill, only a careful observer could still distinguish them from the similarly armored Gideonites in Amon’s army. Chaos ensued. The battle slowed considerably as the soldiers hesitated at each confrontation to determine if the potential opponent was friend or foe. Captains on both sides continued to shout their commands, and in some cases, the differentiation between Rezon and Amon was determined solely by which command each man would obey.

  It was at this point of great confusion that Captain Mehida lifted his sword skyward and yelled with all his vocal strength, “For Daniel and Uzzah!”

  “FOR DANIEL AND UZZAH! ” came the thunderous echo from Amon’s army. They again charged forward, pushing Rezon’s troops back with such fury that the Gideonites who had been pledged to the service of Rezon and the late emperor began to melt before them.

  Amon raised himself high in the stirrups so he could better see the battering rams near the walls of Ramathaim. He realized that all the Gideonites who had been moving the siege weapons toward their intended goal had abandoned their posts-now running down the slopes to join the raging battle below. To Amon’s great surprise, the unsuspecting soldiers of Rezon were being followed. Both the front gates of the outer wall and the sally port on the western end of the stone curtain gaped open, coughing
up hundreds of Uzzahite warriors who gathered into tight groups. Amon sat back down in the saddle and called some horseback messengers to his side.

  “Tell the captains to prepare a charge!”

  The messengers rushed on their errand while Amon scanned the slopes. Wanting to be sure he kept track of Rezon’s whereabouts, he again scrutinized the center of the field. There he found the target of his own indignation.

  His back to the hut placed there for his protection, Rezon stood next to the catapults, Captain Jael at his side. Both shouted commands at the rate of a flash flood. Rezon’s captains turned their troops from flank to point as if they were the spiked iron ball swinging from the end of the general’s long-chained flail. This change in direction caused Amon’s men to fall out of ranks.

  Amon anxiously searched for the messengers and found one of them who had navigated his way through the sea of soldiers toward Captain Pekah. When the messenger arrived, he shook a signal flag in the air. This initiated another battle cry, echoed by the entire host.

  “For Daniel and Uzzah! ”

  To the obvious surprise of Rezon’s army came the roar of fifty silvered horns. The blast of sound bounced back and forth between the shouldering mountains of the city and rolled down the hillsides to the ears of everyone below. All heads turned to see the gates of Ramathaim open. A united voice of over two thousand Uzzahites then punctuated their sudden arrival with, “ For UZZAH and DANIEL and GIDEON! ”

  Amon’s heart swelled with joy as he witnessed the brave men of Uzzah charge into the fray. He pulled his spyglass up to his eye in time to see a third of the Gideonites of Rezon turn back to protect their leaders. They clashed with Uzzah just as both parties reached the war machines. Amon trained his sight on the war hut.

  At the center of the battle, Captain Jael seethed with hatred. In great sweeping arcs, Jael swung his large sword back and forth, clearing the ground before him as if he were cutting wheat with a scythe. Rezon remained protected from the battle, his most trusted and deadly servants bringing a sudden, painful end to the lives of all who opposed them. The fury that was visible in their faces caused Amon to catch his breath and look to his own men.