Of Fire and Lions

by Mesu Andrews

  “Well, Yahweh won’t mind if I hold him.” I sounded more certain than I felt, but surely if He didn’t strike me dead in His Temple, He’d let me comfort my friend.

  The others moved away, but I cradled Daniel’s head in my lap. His breathing grew erratic. Huffing, then panting, and then nearly stopped. I shook his shoulders to wake him but to no avail. Terrified, I began rocking and singing a psalm of David my ima had taught me. The others joined me, eyes closed, lost in the soothing words and rhythmic tune.

  Daniel stirred, and I looked down to see a sweet smile curve his lips, though his eyes remained closed. His breathing calmed. We continued singing. He lingered between two worlds, and I wondered if he would be changed when he came back to us. Dawn peeked through the single slender window, and my Daniel yawned—a yawn as if he’d enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest. He blinked a few times, looking left and right, and he bolted upright. Red splotches appeared on his neck, as though he was embarrassed about lying in my lap. I wanted to hug him and ask a million questions, but Shadrach was quicker at both.

  “Are you all right?” the older boy asked, pounding Daniel’s back in a ferocious hug.

  “I saw myself in a sheep pen; the shepherd’s song kept the wolves away all night.” Daniel nudged Shadrach away and looked at all of us. “Yahweh showed me Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Not just the interpretation—He showed me the dream! I must find Arioch!” He rushed out the door, his voice echoing in the cavernous courtyard. “Praise be to Yahweh, my God and my Deliverer! He showed me the king’s dream!”

  “We’re saved,” Shadrach whispered and then looked at the rest of us in wonder. “Has any Chaldean ever revealed the dream and its interpretation?”

  “Yahweh has done it!” The twins jumped up and hugged their big brother.

  Mert looked longingly at her master, and I pulled her into my arms, wishing she were Daniel. “You see, my friend. Nothing is impossible with Yahweh,” I whispered. “Perhaps someday, we’ll hug the ones we love.” It was the first time I’d revealed my knowledge of her secret.

  She pulled away, startled and about to protest, when Shadrach announced, “Hurry! We must make sure we’re dressed and in class when Belteshazzar shares Yahweh’s revelation with the king.”

  As it turned out, our masters had plenty of time to prepare. When Daniel told Arioch he was ready to present the dream and its interpretation, Ashpenaz sent him back to the villa to prepare for his first official audience.

  We laid out our masters’ tunics and robes, then waited on the balcony while they dressed. “You can come in,” my master called from within our chamber. I opened the door, catching my breath at first glance. Shoulders back, chin high, and dressed in his finest linen robe, Daniel wore a wool cloak to protect against winter’s chill and a confident air to deliver Yahweh’s message.

  “You are beautiful.” The words escaped on a breath without my permission. Feeling heat rise to my cheeks, I covered them with both hands. “I mean…What I meant to say was…Aren’t you afraid?”

  With a devastating grin, he drew me with his gaze. “Yahweh is faithful. I have nothing to fear.”

  “But aren’t you nervous about meeting the king?” I wanted to straighten his beaded collar but didn’t trust my shaking hands. Perhaps I was nervous enough for us both. Why was he looking at me that way?

  Those dark brown eyes held mischief, yes, but something more. As if he held a secret that begged to be told. I had the strangest feeling he wanted to kiss me—or was it my own desire I felt? Eleven now, I was old enough to be betrothed had we still lived in Jerusalem. Had he ever considered such a thing? Or was he practical enough to know that in Jerusalem, our circumstances would never have allowed it?

  “I am a little nervous, yes,” he said, finally. “It’s hard to remember that King Nebuchadnezzar is only six years older than Hananiah and me. Our teachers say his youth is what makes him so fickle.”

  Fickle? Shadrach said he’d threatened to cut his wise men into pieces and demolish their houses if they couldn’t reveal the dream. “I think he’s more dangerous than—”

  “Good morning, Arioch.” Fear shadowed Daniel’s glance over my shoulder. “My maid speaks of the king’s prowess in battle and how dangerous he is.”

  I stood like a stone, my heart in my throat. The king’s bodyguard had slipped up behind me as silent as the wind. No wonder he was the king’s chosen protector.

  “Your maid would do well to keep her opinions to herself.” Arioch’s voice was the middle tone of a eunuch. I turned to face his abdomen and let my eyes drift up to see the giant glaring down at me. He smiled, which looked more like a snarl, and sent me to my knees.

  “Forgive me, Lord Arioch. As you care for your king’s safety and would give your life in his stead, so I am fiercely devoted to my master, Lord Belteshazzar. I meant no disrespect to our lord, King Nebuchadnezzar.”

  Before my next breath, two meaty hands grasped my throat and lifted me off the floor, pulling me close to his face. “You think you are as loyal to this child as I am to my king?”

  “To my death,” I choked out, no hesitation.

  Our eyes battled while the pressure in my head mounted. His snort preceded my release, and he laughed as I crumpled to the floor, rubbing my neck. “She would have made a fine eunuch,” he said to Daniel. “The king is waiting.”

  Daniel followed Arioch from our chamber without a backward glance.

  The other princes left for their classes soon after, and the morning crept by. The other maids and I completed our tasks with bittersweet anticipation. I’d returned to our chamber to read a scroll, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything but Daniel. Yes, Yahweh had been faithful. He’d displayed His presence in Babylon, and we’d witnessed a powerful answer to our prayers. But would Daniel’s revelation of the dream and its interpretation sufficiently impress Babylon’s king?

  Yahweh, forgive my fear and doubt. You’ve shown Your great power, but can I really trust You?

  The words had barely crossed my mind when I heard footfalls on the bricked walkway outside the villa. Sandals hurrying across the courtyard tiles. Now up the stairs. I huddled in the corner of our chamber, terrified that Arioch had come to kill Daniel’s impudent maid. Had King Nebuchadnezzar rejected Daniel’s revelation?

  After all our prayers, Yahweh, have You removed Your protection? I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my head, making myself as small as possible.

  “Abigail?”

  I looked up to find my friend standing in the doorway. At least, the face was Daniel’s, but the clothes and sandals were those of a nobleman. I left my hiding place in the corner. “What happened?”

  He looked into the hall before closing the door behind him. Still, he kept his voice low. “See these clothes? Fickle. Yesterday I was to be executed. Today, the king dresses me as a noble and says I rule the whole province of Babylon.”

  I thought surely he was teasing, but his eyes held a glint of fear, and he began to pace.

  “Daniel, how can you rule Babylon when you haven’t yet finished your training?”

  He took two giant steps back to where I stood, stopping barely a handbreadth from me. “Nebuchadnezzar honored me, Abigail. Me. Even though I told him repeatedly only Yahweh could reveal and interpret his dream. I tried to reflect all the praise to Yahweh, but he wouldn’t listen. When I began describing the statue revealed in the king’s dream, everyone in the throne room acted as if I were a god. It was terrifying!”

  Curiosity distracted me from my friend’s distress. I wanted to know what the dream was, but the fear in his eyes sobered me. “Daniel, you were faithful to point others to the true God, but you can’t make them believe. Perhaps revealing the dream and interpreting its meaning is the first step, but it may be a long process.”

  He stared at me for a long moment and then brushed my cheek. “Thank you.”

&nb
sp; My cheek burned like fire where he touched it. Heart pounding, I needed a distraction. “What was the dream?”

  “It was about a strange statue. It had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and baked clay. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a rock was cut out—but not by human hands—and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, smashing them, and then a great wind blew them away,” he said, his arms flailing. “And the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain that filled the whole earth.”

  He shrugged and waited, as if I was supposed to comment, but I was dumbfounded. He’d seen all that while we prayed for him? “And Yahweh revealed its meaning as well?”

  “Yes, Yahweh was showing King Nebuchadnezzar the future world empires. Each piece of the statue represented a new conqueror. The gold head is Babylon; the silver, bronze, and iron portions are three more kingdoms that will someday rule the earth. The feet of iron and baked clay is a divided kingdom that will be crushed by a divinely created Deliverer who will rule forever.”

  I stood in awe of this boy, who had become a man before my eyes. Belteshazzar, Yahweh’s revealer of dreams. I lifted the pendant around his neck. Gold mixed with silver and copper, a stunning masculine piece. “And the king rewarded you—as he should.”

  “No, Abigail!” He slipped off the heavy necklace and tossed it on his mattress as if it were a dirty rag. “I deserve none of it. I thought you, of all people, would understand that. Only Yahweh could have done this great thing. After I gave Yahweh’s revelation and interpretation of the dream, the king paused for an excruciating moment, and I wondered if he would order my execution after all. Then he descended the dais and fell prostrate in front of me.”

  Daniel’s face filled with wonder. “Finally, Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Earth, acknowledged Yahweh before his whole court as God of gods, Lord of kings, and a Revealer of mysteries. And then he ruined it by making me ruler of the whole province of Babylon.”

  I instinctively laughed but covered the outburst when Daniel looked hurt.

  “You must celebrate, Daniel. The king of Babylon praised our God and made you ruler. Why are you so upset? It seems like a—” But his arched brow and solemn features silenced me.

  “When I complete my last year of training and pass his personal examination,” Daniel explained, “I’ll become chief of his wise men, governor of Chaldeans.”

  The gravity of it finally landed in my gut. I stepped back, felt dread rising, and bowed to hide it. “Congratulations. Yahweh be praised.” Nausea gripped me, and my arms instinctively wrapped my waist. The governor of Chaldeans would need a household of servants and have no use for me.

  “Abigail.”

  “I need to do laundry.” It was a lie.

  “Abigail.” He seemed hesitant, almost fearful to speak. “Abigail, you’ve been very dear to me.”

  Was he dismissing me?

  He swallowed, and I heard the crackle of a dry mouth. “At the end of my training, you will be of an age to marry. Would you consider being…I mean, since you don’t have an abba in Babylon to arrange our betrothal…”

  I stepped back, covering my mouth and shaking my head at the impossibility of this moment. Had the obsession of my heart asked me to marry him?

  Daniel looked as if I’d slapped him. “I understand. We need never discuss it aga—”

  I realized I’d been shaking my head and nearly leapt into his arms. “No! I mean, yes! Yes!” I willed my feet to stay rooted, though I desperately wanted to kiss him. “Yes, Daniel ben Johanan, I will marry you.”

  “Lord Belteshazzar.” Ashpenaz filled the doorway, disapproval darkening his brow. “Lord Laqip has invited you to join him, his wife, and his daughter, Princess Rubati, for the evening meal.” Ashpenaz watched me, knowing what his revelation had done. The two names I hated most dug into my chest like dull blades.

  Tears scalded my throat, but I swallowed them back and confirmed the awful truth. “Lord Laqip, the nobleman who…at the Esagila…he’s Rubati’s abba?”

  Confusion veiled Daniel’s face, glancing first at Ashpenaz and then at me. I’d never told him what happened in Marduk’s temple. But he was a wise man, now chief among them. “I’m sure this is a misunderstanding,” he said. “Rubati lauds her father’s good deeds among the poor. He’s a decorated soldier.” Daniel reached for my hand, but I recoiled. “Abigail, whatever happened to you at the Esagila, Rubati’s father couldn’t have been the man responsible.” He turned to Ashpenaz again as if pleading.

  “Belili doesn’t know anything about Marduk, his rituals, or the noblemen who worship him, Lord Belteshazzar. Marduk’s followers don’t use his temple like a brothel as do the Medes in their worship of Mithra. Lord Laqip is a respected member of the council, the king’s chief astrologer, and he would never attack a young girl.” He pinned me with a stare. “Belili appears a bit weary. She can accompany me to the palace tonight for her meal while you join Lord Laqip and his family.” He offered his hand to me, a polite but commanding invitation.

  I bowed my head, mind whirring. What fate awaited me at the palace?

  Daniel stepped between us. “Belili will remain in my chamber this evening.”

  Ashpenaz was twice our age and stood two heads taller, but he would obey the new governor of Chaldea. “As you wish, Lord Belteshazzar, but might I have a word with your maid since she is under my care—a palace servant dispatched to a student of the Chaldeans?”

  Tension grew in the silence, my fate growing darker with each moment Daniel delayed. “You may speak with her, Ashpenaz.”

  I followed the chief eunuch into the hallway, and he closed the door behind us. Ashpenaz hooked his large finger under my chin, and I looked up into surprisingly caring eyes. “I cannot protect you, little Belili, if you stay in Daniel’s chamber tonight.”

  14

  Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

  —DANIEL 2:48–49

  I set about cleaning our chamber after watching my Daniel walk away as a nobleman, two steps in front of Ashpenaz instead of two steps behind. The revelation of his love and intent to marry me gave me wings, yet tonight he would dine with a Babylonian princess and the man who had tried to steal my soul. Did Babylonian women eat at the same table with their men? Surely if her father allowed her to attend classes with boys, she would dine with them. And why had Laqip invited Daniel tonight?

  As if my own insecurities weren’t enough, I remembered Ashpenaz’s final warning. “Keep watch at the door, little Belili, for any stranger lurking in your hallway.” He seemed utterly sincere, but why would I be in danger? Who in Babylon cared enough to harm a Hebrew chambermaid?

  When I asked, Ashpenaz refused to answer, claiming loyalty to other eunuchs superseded fondness for me. With a heavy sigh, I returned to straightening the mess Daniel had left. Dirty tunic on the floor. Ivory comb on the bed. Pots and jar lids strewn across the shelf where his lotions and perfumes were kept. I smiled. He required more maintenance than some of the priestesses I’d known.

  Dusk had fallen like a curtain over our latticed window, so I lit three lamps to finish my cleaning. My heart skipped at the sound of heavy footsteps on our side of the villa stairs. I hurried to open our door a crack and peeked through. A stranger, dressed as a royal messenger, approached. Quietly closing the door, I wished for the first time it had a lock. I pressed my back against it and closed my eyes, praying that Ashpenaz was only trying to frighten me.

  I heard a knock, but not at our chamber. Refusing to be tricked, I suppressed the urge to fling open my
door. I heard voices. Male voices. Then footsteps receding. Now I flung open the door and found Shadrach reading a small scrap of parchment.

  “Who was that, and what did he want?” I sounded far more demanding than intended and then realized my friend was dressed in robes similar to Daniel’s. “Are you a lord now too?”

  Shadrach raised his brows, the look of a true nobleman. “Which question would you like me to answer first, Lady Belili?” A grin punctuated his gentle reprimand.

  Since he was holding an actual message in his hand, I was no longer concerned about the messenger. “Did King Nebuchadnezzar make you a nobleman like Daniel?”

  The twins heard my voice and joined Shadrach, dressed in similar fine robes, gold necklaces, and jeweled belts. “Look, Abigail!” Meshach’s usual bashfulness was forgotten amid his splendor. “Daniel is friends with the king now, so he asked if we could be administrators.” He looked up at Shadrach. “What does an administrator do anyway?”

  I wondered the same thing. The oldest brother heaved a sigh. “An administrator is like an abba who cares for a whole family of people. When we finish our training, we’ll remain in the nation of Babylon, but we’ll each be assigned a city of our own to care for.” His forced joy failed. Had he forgotten his brothers, like him, were Judah’s brightest boys?

  Abednego blinked rapidly, sniffing back emotion. “Will we get to visit each other?”

  “Of course.” Shadrach held up the newly received message. “Tonight, we’ll attend a special dinner, where we’ll make important friends and create more reasons to return to Babylon and visit each other.”

  “A dinner?” I interrupted.

  Shadrach handed the invitation to me. “One of our instructors invited us to a celebration for his daughter. Rubati’s father has chosen a husband for her and is making the betrothal announcement tonight.”

  I covered a gasp, gaining the attention of all three. “Betrothal?” The word slipped out as my throat tightened. “Daniel left for Lord Laqip’s villa earlier this evening.”