Seth returned to Adam, as Jathan was now answering questions about the event. Mica was nearby listening intently as he would later record details for Adam’s consideration.
As Seth drew close, Jathan blurted out as he saw his brother. “I froze – I was so afraid. I’m ashamed, Chieftain...”
Seth shook his head.
Jathan suddenly spoke again. “But you could have killed one of them - you let him go. He tried to take her...”
Adam grabbed Jathan by the chin. “Quiet, Son. Listen. Learn!”
Adam looked over Jathan for injuries. Jathan stopped speaking but was trembling with a mixture of fear, confusion, and anger. After Adam was convinced Jathan’s wounds were minor, he spoke to his youngest son.
“It uses fear as a weapon to paralyze you. Some Fallen project it from their mind,” Adam spoke as he looked Jathan in the eyes. He continued, “Have you ever been that scared?”
Jathan shook his head no.
“You can overcome that fear,” Adam said. “I can teach you. Will you learn?”
Jathan shook his head affirmatively.
“Where did the Fallen strike you?” Adam asked.
Seth braced himself for what he knew was soon coming.
Jathan pointed to his stomach then to the left side of his face. “Here and then here,” He said. No sooner had Jathan’s hand touched his face than Adam’s open left hand struck Jathan’s head near his right temple. The blow stunned the young man, and he stumbled back a step. Jathan’s right hand covered the new source of pain as he dropped to one knee.
“Where was the other guard? You know the rules! Never alone, always in pairs!” Adam thundered. “Answer me!”
“I sent him into the city, so I could talk with Lyssa alone,” Jathan stated simply. His posture dropped slightly. He knew his mistake and made no pretense otherwise. “I’m sorry, Father. We were just going to walk back together. She wanted to gather watercress, I acquiesced. It was my fault alone...” He dropped his head.
Adam held out his hand. Jathan took it. Adam drew him to his feet, wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly.
“I’m proud of you, Son, I saw you beating the Fallen with your fists. Seth said you purchased time for him to intercede,” Adam spoke now in a calm, hushed tone. Jathan did not weep, but his body shook slightly as he returned his father’s embrace.
“We almost lost a daughter today. Mistakes cannot be repeated. Our enemy will exploit every error, no matter how small!” Adam spoke quietly but urgently into Jathan’s ear. “I know you will learn from this.”
“I will, Father,” Jathan replied. Relieved at the sudden turn of his father’s heart.
“I wanted to kill it, Little Brother,” Seth said to Jathan as his younger sibling left Adam’s embrace.
Adam spoke directly to Jathan before Seth spoke again.
“Trust Seth. He let it go by design. It now bleeds. We track it. We kill it, and every kindred Fallen it resides with. They nest in groups. If their unclean Nephilim offspring are with them, we will kill them, too!” Adam explained.
“And you will go with us,” Seth said to Jathan. The young man nodded in assent, bravely trying to cover the uncertainty that was brewing within him as he considered the implications of Seth’s words.
Adam looked at Seth, searching for words of protest. Seth returned his gaze, insistent. Adam and Seth were father and son but also co-laborers, fellow warriors, friends, and brothers in a sense. They rarely disagreed. And when they did, Seth would usually defer in honor to his father. If Seth did argue against Adam, he never did so in front of others. Seth was ever supportive of Adam publicly. Hundreds of years of interactions created a bond that conveyed many thoughts without words. Adam knew Seth would insist. And he also knew Seth was right about the matter.
“Jathan, go to the waters. We’ll join you in a moment,” Adam said. Jathan walked towards the river’s edge upstream from the blood and battle site. Seepha rushed to Jathan, tail astir, and was deliriously happy to see her young friend. She was momentarily diverted from sniffing the ground and licked his face as he dropped to sit near the water’s edge. The dog’s affection towards his youngest son softened Adam’s face as he looked on.
“You’re right, Seth. I won’t argue. He’s just my youngest...” Adam said, now looking towards the city.
“He’s a fighter, he just proved that. He needs to redeem his mistake. I’ll keep him close to me. He can bear my shield,” Seth stated.
A shield-bearer would enter a fight attending a champion, keeping his master’s variety of weapons ready. While dangerous, he was technically not expected to fight as a warrior. His job was to serve the warrior he was assigned to. The task was often given as a final stage of apprenticeship before warrior status was conveyed. Adam clearly understood the danger of the assignment but was somewhat reassured, knowing Jathan would be close to Seth.
“He has been trained for guard duties but not for open battle. He will learn faster this way,” Seth stated.
“Agreed, but you can tell his mother he’s going,” Adam said as he walked upstream towards Jathan and Seepha. The statement brought a smile to Adam’s face. Seth breathed deeply, but not saying a word as Adam was now pleased with himself. Seth did not look forward to telling Eve her youngest was going on a hunt.
A tall, grave man of noble bearing stood uphill from the group, accompanied by two attendants. A modest gold and silver circlet adorned his brow. He was Kenan, first son of Enosh, and Seth’s grandson. He looked every bit a king, but in truth, he was something more. Kenan was the Melchizedek of God’s people. Both ruler and priest, the Melchizedek was the final authority over their people.
Kenan stood at a distance to avoid direct contact with anyone who had touched the Fallen. He had been directing the men who came down the hill. He held his place a few feet away from Adam, Seth, Enosh, and the young ones. His keen mind was assessing needs and countering that need with the direction of resources. Protocols had been devised for events such as this. Kenan knew Adam and Seth would be leaving soon. He was determined to free them from every constraint so they could focus on the hunt ahead of them. This was the foremost of his many gifts, the ability to manage resources and talents to serve the greater good of Adam’s people. His son Mica shared his attention to detail and passion for serving others.
“Fathers,” Kenan called Seth and Adam. As they turned to him, he continued. “Enosh will return with the supplies for purification. Perimeter fires will be doubled tonight. Nightguards will be doubled. War status will now override the labor schedules until you return. Sacrifice and offerings will take place in the main courtyard in three hours. I trust you will convene a war council afterward?” he asked.
“Yes, inform Eve the council will gather at the meeting room in my home. I will pick the hunting party when I return to the city. Seth needs time to recover before sacrifice tonight,” Adam replied in return.
“How else may I serve you, Fathers?” Kenan asked.
Though a king, Kenan was ever a servant. Adam smiled as he shook his head no. Kenan bowed slightly and trekked uphill at a brisk pace. Occasionally directing men with a shout or a point. Nearly as soon as he disappeared, young men were arriving at the river with timber and fire. Some also carried cloth for washing and drying as well as replacement clothes for Seth, Jathan, and the other men who would undergo purification by the river.
Ordinarily, Seth would pick the hunting party. Adam knew the struggle just beneath the surface of Seth’s emotion because it was his own burden once too. Adam had come to terms with it. Seth needed time to center himself in prayer. He also wanted Seth to have some time with his wife before sacrifices. Aside from himself and God’s Spirit, his wife Ahavva was the only one who could restore his soul after the rage of war took hold in him.
Seth had bristled slightly when Adam told Kenan he would select the hunters. Now it was
Adam’s turn to insist. Adam had seen Seth’s reaction to his decision. Adam looked at Seth, and with the slightest shake of his head, caused Seth to reconsider. Seth deferred to Adam and kept quiet. Seth watched as Adam joined Jathan and Seepha by the river. Adam played with Seepha briefly, agitating her to whoops and barks as Jathan finally smiled in response. Seth turned his gaze back across the river, plotting the early course they would take before daylight. He also grimly thought of what he would do to the Fallen when he found them. Hot anger was fading in him, now replaced by a cold hatred. Lost in his thoughts, Seth did not notice when Adam had returned to his side.
As if hypnotized, Adam’s third son had been staring across the river for several minutes, tightly gripping his war club in his right hand. Seth, unknown to himself, had been running two fingers of his left hand back and forth along the smooth curve of his war club. Without his recognition, Seth was also talking to himself under his breath.
“You almost left us didn’t you,” Adam spoke, commanding Seth’s attention, his tone both stern and grave. It was not a question.
Seth dropped his head. He was now quivering with intense emotion as his father spoke to him, breaking his apparent trance. Adam took Seth by the arm and walked them both a few feet further away from Jathan and the men who were preparing for purification.
“I heard your cry of rage, Son,” Adam continued. “All heard your cry of war. But I’m your father, Seth - I hear the pain that echoes in it.”
Seth still looked across the river, unable to look at Adam.
Nothing escapes my father.
“Yes, I almost left. I could have caught them before nightfall,” Seth finally stated.
“You were right to stay, Seth. It was best, it was wise,” Adam replied. “There could have been a dozen Fallen in their nest. Seth, I can’t lose you to a foolish impulse.”
“I would go into Sheol itself to end this,” Seth finally looked at Adam as he spoke, his words punctuated with anger and frustration. “I would leave my people and wage war for a hundred years to end this. When, Father? God spoke long ago – your offspring would crush their head? When shall this end? I will rage against them, and I will end this, just tell me what else must I do?”
Adam said nothing as Seth’s body trembled with anger and frustration. After a few moments, Adam spoke.
“It is hard to return home and hold your little ones after you have shed blood. And yet, that is why we break bone and skull, is it not?” Adam pondered aloud.
Seth froze.
“I fear I would become something dark as I face their darkness,” Seth said distantly, his demeanor softening. “I fear that my rage would change me, that I would become terrible to those I fight for. I fear even as I destroy the Fallen, they stain me.”
Adam was pleased to hear Seth speak from deep within himself. There were times to say nothing and labor onward. But Adam knew Seth carried a deep wound in his soul from their many conflicts with men and angels and their monstrous offspring. There was a time to disclose matters of the heart with a friend, Adam knew some things must be dragged into the light.
“I did not feel this way when I was younger,” Seth stated with a deep sigh of frustration. “I grow weary of killing...”
“There is a burden a shepherd carries,” Adam said in agreement. “Time does not diminish the weight - it only adds to it.”
Adam placed his hand on his son’s shoulder.
“Have I failed you, Father? Have I failed the One God?” Seth’s head dropped as he continued. “It seems the seed of the Serpent has many more skulls to crush. No matter how many I kill, they continue to vex us.”
“No Son - you have not failed me!” Adam stated firmly as he grabbed Seth by both shoulders to look him squarely in the face. “But you cannot carry this burden alone, Seth. He will fulfill what He has spoken. What God decreed to the Serpent will surely happen. You must be still and listen for His voice. Listen and obey what He speaks, beyond this, we simply trust Him. His zeal will accomplish this.”
Adam looked away, eastward. Then after a deep sigh, he spoke again to Seth.
“Oh, Son. There is so much I’ve yet to tell you. I began to live again when you born; you have never failed me. You have no idea how hard it was before you came to us...” Adam’s hands left his son’s shoulders as he spoke. Now it was Adam who could not look into his son’s face.
Seth had heard Adam make that statement at least a thousand times in their five centuries together. He knew of Cain and Abel and the bitter times when they left a walled garden on a mountain called Eden and settled in these plains. Seth knew nothing of Adam’s parents or people. Father was not ready to tell him more, and he accepted that. Their lives were complicated enough. Seth only occasionally wondered what else there was to be said.
“Enosh is back for purification,” Adam observed aloud, his mind returning to matters at hand. “When we get to the city, Son, go home. I’ll name the hunting party. Embrace your daughters and find rest in Ahavva’s arms. Gather yourself before sacrifice tonight.”
Seth watched as Enosh rejoined them. His firstborn son served as High Council to the Melchizedek, Enosh’s own firstborn Kenan. Enosh was wise and learned, his brilliant mind tutored by Adam from an early age. Like most of Adam’s people, Enosh was tall and well-formed. His impressive intellect was matched by his compassionate disposition. Seth believed him to be the kindest soul he had ever known. Enosh smiled warmly as he made eye contact with Seth.
Enosh, Mica, Jathan, as well as Adam and Seth, required purification. A fire was stoked near the river’s edge, other lights began glowing upstream then more appearing westward into the distance as they faced north. Every distant flame marked a boundary of livestock, orchards, and farm fields. As each day began to fade, a ring of fires would mark the perimeter of Adam’s city.
The daylight was dimming, and not being within close view of the city, the men threw their clothes into the fire and walked into the river to bathe. Seepha splashed in the water as well, visibly enjoying herself. The mood was not somber or dour. Purification was a task of joy, not a duty. They washed with soaps that had been prepared for purification.
Even before Enosh began assisting in the priestly role over Adam’s people, he started refining substances specifically for practical and ceremonial uses. Adam’s people were not superstitious. Indeed, none of their religious life was burdensome. They regarded the purification process as a simple act of obedience that honored a critical truth.
The purification ritual served as a reminder that they were a people set apart to their God. The line of Cain served many gods. But they served the One God, the God of Adam, Seth, and Enosh. The Fallen were unclean and would never regain God’s favor. As such, contact with them must not be brought among those set apart.
Long ago, Adam had told his people, “We seek an eternal city. Nothing unclean can reside there. God will dwell with His people in that day.”
Mica returned with a bag that contained Adam’s healing supplies and instruments. Seth sat on a stone near one of the fires while Adam cleaned his knife wound. Satisfied the blade was not poisoned, Adam closed the skin with sutures. Seth had endured many injuries and winced only slightly as his father methodically closed the skin. Seth silently stared into the east, retracing the path of the Fallen in his mind. A final splash of grain alcohol on the closed laceration brought Seth’s attention back into the present.
The river waters were refreshing to both body and soul. Adam and his sons laughed at Seepha as she bounded about in the water. The men joked light-heartedly among themselves. Adam observed with gratefulness that even Seth had joined in the jesting, knowing only an hour before he was fighting for his life against a vicious enemy. Seepha was also washed by Adam and Jathan. After bathing and enjoying the water for a few minutes, the men clothed themselves with new clothing and tunics. They gathered in a circle and prayed together. Finally, Eno
sh pronounced them clean and anointed them with oil of purification. The oil was composed of pressed olive oil and scented with cinnamon and other aromatics. The oil was applied to their right ear, right thumb, right foot, and forehead.
“It was good to hear my sons laughing together,” Adam observed. “Our enemy has no joy and no honor. We will need joy in the grim work ahead.”
“I must go to Lyssa and pronounce purification over her,” Enosh said as he looked towards the city.
“I know Enosh, but hold a moment,” Adam implored. “I would, for just a moment, forget that I am a warrior or a leader or a farmer...”
“Or a prophet, inventor, architect, healer, animal-husband...I could continue,” Mica interjected with a smile as the men laughed and nodded in agreement.
“I would just be a father for a moment,” Adam said as he gathered the men close to him. “My Son, and the sons of my sons...I am proud of you - all of you. You are all much better men than I. May the One God, my Father, be our strength and shield these next few days.” Adam’s warm embrace was returned. The men, in turn, embraced each other. Then their minds quickly returned to the tasks ahead.
Seth went to retrieve his war club. He watched as Mica trotted up the hill. Enosh left quickly too. Beyond the view of the low field, Lyssa had been attended by her mother and sister. All three had undergone purification at the fountain and would need his pronouncement to re-enter the city. As Seth regathered his freshly cleaned weapon, he looked again at the blood on the ground, then to the river and the plains beyond. His father and brother joined him for the walk uphill.
Chapter Seven
Enmity Page 4
