by Fiona Tarr
Ever since the old prophet Samuel had visited, he had known. The seer had anointed the boy, not his other sons, only David. After that night, he had prayed over the visit and been blessed with a vision from God. He saw David bathed in golden light and soldiers kneeling before him. He had also seen disturbing images of conflict, dark caves and fear. Even so, he trusted that if David was to grow into the man God intended him to be, then he would be able to endure whatever he was destined to do. A painful thing for a father to accept, however a man needed a sense of purpose otherwise he was nothing more than a puppet, working from dawn to dusk without passion and direction. He had seen this in his son Jerim, a man without purpose except to serve himself. He had made mistakes with his first born which he did not intend to repeat with his youngest. David would have every opportunity to grow into the man he was destined to be. There had always been something about David which spoke of wisdom, passion and purpose and it was time to let him discover what that purpose would be.
Chapter 4
King Saul stood over the tall ornate table with his officers going over possible strategies which would crush his enemy. Laid out before them was a battlefield, right down to wooden soldiers representing different regiments on the battlefield. This technique in strategy was something Saul had learnt while he was a young man. He served in the Imperial army as a mercenary and took to the military and strategy training with vigour. At the time the Empire and Israel were allies and he had left home to see the world and seek fame and fortune. Saul had been an excellent strategist and had overtaken all his peers in this area of training. Ultimately it was this training that saw him become King, that and the old seer Samuel who said he had been chosen by God to lead the people. As the first King of Israel he gained the role by divine appointment, not breeding or influence. As a child of a lowly herdsman, he would never have come to Kingship as other nations do by bloodline or strength. Now his ability to blend what he had learnt with what he already knew of his own cultural warfare, meant he was able to protect his nation and utilise strategy never before seen by the Israeli people.
Deep in thought, he was reflecting on the cause of this war. The tyranny of the Philistines had been the bane of his people for generations. First the Israeli people had escaped slavery in Egypt, only to be oppressed by the Philistines who had raided neighbouring lands in order to strengthen their hold on his nation by cutting off supplies. They were a nation of heathens who worshiped a multitude of false gods and golden idols. He would restore the land to his own people and make his enemy kneel to the One True God.
It had been a long time since he had enjoyed the splendour of his soft bed and the refinements of his status, including his beautiful palace. Just as his mind was drifting to beauty, Jezebel walked into the tent and radiated her usual elegance and astonishing beauty for all to see. Seasoned soldiers would blush in her presence, a response shared by the King himself. She had been his mistress for only a matter of months, but there was nothing he would not do to please her. He had begged her to marry him however she had refused, saying she would not be one of many. As his mistress she would not be lost in his tribe of wives which numbered in the hundreds now. Even though she had only been his lover for such a short time, without her constant presence he would slip into terrible dark moods. It made no sense at all as an anointed leader of his nation. He did not expect to experience such depressing moments. He often meditated to try and overcome the moods and to reach out in communion with his God, but lately he felt God had abandoned him. The mad old seer had visited only a month ago, tracking Saul down on his way to meet the Philistine army on this very battlefield. He had raved on crazily, saying Saul had offended God by not obeying his commands. He had recently returned from a successful campaign against the Amorites and had taken their King and some choice livestock. What had he done wrong? He had killed every man, woman and child as the prophet had requested, all except their King. Martinez had asked him to spare the women and children, claiming God could not possibly wish them dead, however Samuel had been very clear. The King he had taken as a prisoner was to be a reminder to everyone just how great the power of his reign was. He had commissioned a statue of himself to be erected in honour of the victory in the main gathering area just outside his palace. Saul had even set aside some of the best livestock to be a holy sacrifice to the Lord for the great victory.
The old man had been indignant, 'The Lord does not want your sacrifices He wants your obedience. You were told to kill every living thing, including the livestock. The Lord has chosen another to take your place as we speak. If you cannot lead the people as God intended, then you will not lead them at all.'
It did not matter. The old man was past his days of prophecy. The Lord would be pleased with his victories and the lack of his presence was simply due to the workload and the stress of his reign. Besides, the absence of God’s presence was tolerable with Jezebel at his side. When she was with him, everything else faded into oblivion. He realised he was, at that very moment, lost in the wonder of her body. He needed to tear his eyes from her curves and back to his officers. He scolded himself for allowing the distraction. It was difficult to return to the matters at hand, her ample bosom and cleavage beckoned to him. He was a mature man, why she warmed his groin so much left him puzzled. He decided that later he would take her to his bed and the puzzlement would matter not, it would cease to exist.
****
Martinez felt the familiar chill down his spine which always accompanied Jezebel. The rest of the officers had that usual lap dog look on their faces which she invariably inspired. The King had lost all sense of time once again. Ever since she had arrived at the palace accompanied by merchants and visiting officials of Egypt, Martinez had felt uneasy. She never covered her womanly shape as was customary in Israeli culture. Instead she flaunted her body, wearing costumes which left very little to the imagination. It was common among the Egyptian people to paint the bodies of royal women with ornate patterns so that it could be seen if anyone had touched them. At the same time, they wore no other garments except tight-fitting, or sheer see-through clothing. This seemed bizarre to Martinez. To display a woman almost naked except for paint and then kill any man who touches her. It was a pointless exercise. It was only a matter of time before some poor fool died. It was human nature for men to lust after a woman’s body. Jezebel was related to Egyptian royalty and so probably believed that what she wore was more than enough covering. Thankfully she never wandered out amongst the men. If she did Martinez would have had a rebellion on his hands. Most of his men had not had the pleasure of a woman for months.
There was an ancient story of the first Israeli man and woman which had been handed down through the years. The man and woman had everything they could ever want, however their God had one rule which, if broken, would unleash curses of the harshest kind. The man went on blissfully, while the woman decided she wanted more. In order to get more she discovered she had the power to persuade the man to do whatever she wanted. She persuaded the man to disobey the rule which lead to the punishment of them both, but ultimately the man was held responsible. This story always confused Martinez, for if God had created both the man and the woman, then why did he create the woman to be such a temptresses, while the man was such a mindless fool lead by his lust? Like the paint of the Egyptians, it was inevitable men would fail to use their heads where women were concerned. Other areas of the body would always rule in such situations.
The King had taken Jezebel to his bed and everything had changed. He had become distracted and no longer undertook his holy rituals of prayer, fasting and worship. He spent every spare moment with Jezebel and Martinez could not understand why. Yes, she was beautiful but she left him feeling cold and drained whenever she was close. The King was generally a man of strong convictions and to allow something to distract him from his position, well, Martinez just could not come to terms with this obscure behaviour. If he did not know better he could have sworn she was a witch or sorceress and t
he King was deeply under her spell. Since he was the only one who appeared to share this view, he dismissed his feelings once more. Bringing his mind back to the battle plans for war, a war which once started needed to be finished.
****
Jezebel loved tempting men. The overwhelming feeling of power was addictive and somehow even arousing. She felt no attraction to King Saul in the usual sense, however to have control over such a powerful man, now that was exciting. Not for the first time she wondered why Martinez had not yet succumbed to her persuasive beauty. Now, he was an attractive man and her interest in him had nothing to do with power. He had a strong and muscular body, yet he was slim of hip with the fitness of a lion. He would have more stamina in her bed than any man she had ever had, of this she was sure. His face bore a small, but deep scar on his left cheek, a battle scar no doubt. There were no scars on the back of his legs or anywhere else to indicate he had ever turned his back on an enemy. He possessed a powerful presence and would have made an excellent mate had Jezebel intended to settle with one man. However her cravings for power were too strong and falling in love was never going to be on her agenda. She had sacrificed much to be where she was, in the presence of rich and powerful men whom she could easily persuade to carry out her every bidding.
Her father had chosen her to serve a great purpose. She was to seduce the King and bring about the downfall of the Israeli nation. Their faith in this one true God they spoke of was not shared by her nation. Egyptians worshipped many Gods, their King was considered to be a God himself and they called him Pharaoh. Her uncle was that King and he paid homage only to the gods who ruled over the sun and the afterlife. These gods they called Ra and Osiris. Her father who served as chief priest and magician to the Pharaoh had trained Jezebel in the magic arts. They both chose to worship Amun, the god of mysteries and magic. Jezebel believed he was truly the most powerful of the gods. Her father had trained her to use her magic to enlist the services of both women and men. However due to her beauty and natural manipulative powers, magic was rarely needed with men and for this she was thankful as the magic usually took its toll on her physically. Many rituals involved long hours of chanting and communing with Amun and some required sacrifices of small animals or the occasional human. One day she would use her arts to gain the devotion of Martinez. She would then discover just how well he performed in her bed.
The conversation was deep in matters of war. Jezebel, having no interest in such things, left the tent, ensuring her hips swayed seductively as she walked away. She could feel their eyes on her, and smiled to herself.
One of the guards outside the tent, Martinez thought his name was Bartholomew came in to announce a visitor for the King. The King waved for Martinez to attend to the matter. He walked out of the tent into the bright sunshine to discover a small herd of goats milling around the entrance. He recognized the shepherd boy from the eastern valley, where he had found that useless bunch of shepherds who had only been helpful in mopping up mess, not any real battles.
'David, what brings you to this battle field and away from your father’s work,' Martinez asked with genuine interest. He had often wondered after the boy and was pleased to see an intelligent young man in his midst as opposed to the useless bunch of beauty struck officers inside.
'My father wishes to discover word of my brothers and asked me to bring the King this offering from our herd in exchange for an opportunity for me to meet with my brothers and ask after them.' David added a reverent bow to the King’s envoy. 'How is it you know my name sir, when I am yet to discover yours?’ David asked boldly.
'I asked your name of your father when last we met. You showed wisdom beyond your years and I found that quite interesting. I always make it a habit to know the names of people who interest me. My name is Martinez, however I would ask that you refer to me as Sir when we are in the company of others. I would hate to see you flogged for insolent behaviour.’ Martinez was now smiling slightly as David gently raised an eyebrow at the very idea. He was surprised someone as official as the King’s envoy noticed him or recalled his name.
'I see no reason why you cannot attend your brothers young David. You will find they are safe and well. To be honest they have not served much as warriors, but have helped with cleaning up the battlefield, tending the wounded and feeding this hoard. For this reason they have all remained unharmed except for possibly their pride. You will find them in the surgeon’s tent about 200 paces down the hill, close to the rear of the assembled warriors. Leave the goats in that pen near the cook tent,' he indicated with his head as he spoke. ‘I look forward to seeing more of you David. If you see me around, do not hesitate to stop for a chat. I always enjoy an intelligent conversation, and they are difficult to find out here in the throes of war.’
David bowed, took his crook to the last goat in the small herd, and pushed them towards the pen Martinez had indicated.
Martinez returned to the battle tent and indicated to the King with a nod of his head that he had dealt with the matter and would discuss the nature of it later as it was not important to their discussions.
The King was now explaining that the battle had reached a stalemate with both sides holding equal numbers and neither willing to commit any more men to the field. They would have to do some scouting behind enemy lines for possible ways to breach them and attack from both sides.
For the past week now a giant Philistine warrior had been coming out to the front of the field, taunting the Israeli army. Flipping up his tunic and showing his buttocks to them while his comrades cheered him on. He was challenging any man to step forward and fight him in order to settle the battle on that one challenge. It was tempting to find a champion and send him into hand-to-hand combat, but for the King to put the fate of his nation in the hands of one man would be a risky prospect. The Philistine warrior was huge, literally more than a head taller than the tallest man Saul had ever seen. No it would be suicide and he did not know of any warrior who he would entrust this to. He knew Martinez would fight if he asked him. However he did not wish to see his general harmed. Martinez was a great warrior and Saul had faith in his abilities, he simply did not want to risk him at this time.
David locked the gate on the herd, explained to the cook what they were there for and headed to see his brothers. As he walked into the surgeon’s tent he saw Nate resting just inside the entrance. His father had been right, Nate looked as though he had lost considerable weight and his face seemed to have aged years in only a matter of months.
Jerim was leaning over a soldier assisting the surgeon. He wore a robe over his tunic which was drenched in blood. Some dried, brown, crusty and flaking, but predominantly fresh bright red blood which was yet to congeal. The warrior before him was screaming past the thick leather belt strap, he gripped between his teeth. His face was ashen with dark ringed eyes. The surgeon operated quickly, trying to stem the bleeding as the man mercifully lost consciousness. Even to David’s untrained eye he did not appear to have any chance of surviving.
Nate saw him and his face changed immediately, reducing his aged appearance markedly. He embraced David vigorously. 'What are you doing here little brother?'
'Father sent me to smuggle in some extra suppliers for you all,' David whispered just loud enough for Nate to hear.
'That will be wonderful. We have been very busy, and it has been tiring work. Lately the battles have lessened, with only the occasional skirmish breaking out. Nate looked relieved. 'We now have less work to do and can catch up on rest, ready for the next battle.'
'The forces look very evenly matched out there.' David remarked with a crease in his brow. 'I would be surprised if either side had the advantage by numbers.'
Nate looked at David with a quizzical expression, but decided he was too tired and hungry to bother with the remark which was on the tip of his tongue. Besides, David had come all this way with extra food, it would have been a little ungracious to have ridiculed him for his comment now, but what in God’s name did he
know of battles? Nate approached Jerim as he was removing his robe and cleaning his hands. He whispered in his ear that David was here and that he had extra provisions for them. Jerim smiled for the first time in weeks and asked the surgeon if they could take a break as their brother had come to join them and check on how they were going. The surgeon did not even look up, he simply grunted a reply which Jerim took as acknowledgement without protest and left the tent with both his brothers. He walked to a fire just a few paces from the tent where the remainder of his brothers were gathered in the late afternoon sun, resting. Just as David was about to speak, a roar came up from the Philistine army and Jerim rolled his eyes and sighed
'Not again!’
'What is going on?’ David questioned, prompting Jerim to explain about the giant warrior from the enemy who came out every day to taunt them all. David could not resist, he crept through the field of warriors until he was at the front. Just as David reached the front of the line, the warrior flipped up his tunic, revealing his bare buttocks, swaying back and forth leaving nothing to the imagination. He was accompanied by the cheers and cackles of laughter from his comrades and the jeers and shouts of the Israeli soldiers. David gauged the distance and decided he needed to teach this warrior a little humility. He collected up a nice flat skimming stone, pulled his sling from within his tunic and swung the stone with all his strength. He was not a strong lad, but he had a keen eye and his aim was without fault. A yelp rose from the warrior as the rock landed neatly between his legs. Not with enough force to cause any permanent damage, but certainly with enough to make him sore, and sorry for himself for a few days. The Israeli army responded with hoots and cries of laughter as the warrior swiftly dropped his tunic and clutched his crotch. David, satisfied he had given the giant warrior something to think about, slipped back into the crowd unnoticed. The ripple of laughter continued, prompting a few officers to come out and investigate. Among them was Martinez who saw David ducking his way carefully through the warriors back toward his brother’s campsite. Laughter was gradually replaced with mutterings and general conversation all through the ranks enquiring as to who had thrown the rock. No one really saw exactly, they only saw the general direction from which it had come. Martinez made eye contact with David who shrugged his shoulders, but betrayed his involvement with a slight smirk of his lips. Martinez raised an eyebrow in feigned disapproval and then turned in order to make sure David did not see the smile that was now working its way across his face. He had been right about the boy, there was something about him. He had strength of character which was growing by the day.
