Malachi helped Joshua replace his wooden leg while the soldiers disappeared from view, then they both glanced around for us. I felt wary at first of stepping out, and checked several times that the soldiers were completely gone. When I finally did, the children ran to their fathers with tears streaming down their faces. Hepsati rushed straight to Joshua and threw her arms around him. “Joshua! They were too cruel!”
I couldn’t reach Malachi past all the children, so grasped for his hand. “Did Itani and Nathaniel get away safely?”
He nodded. “The Commander found us in the fields and informed us of the situation before taking Nathaniel with him.”
“I hope they will be safe,” I said nervously.
He squeezed my hand. “They will be. If there’s one thing I can give him credit for, it is how well he protects the crown, and its heart.”
“How did you get them to leave?” I asked. “They found the ostrich meat and knew Tut had visited here.”
“I told them she’d married and had been moved under Samuel’s migration scheme.” He shook his head. “They will keep looking for her. Nahktmin seemed determined to have her.”
“My poor Itani!” I sighed. “I hope she isn’t gone for too long.”
He pushed through the children clinging to him and touched my cheek. “Let’s not dwell on that. Tut and the Commander will take care of her.” He glanced over at the food storage and sighed. “Come; let’s see how bad the damage is.”
It took us several days to clean up all the mess and repair what had been broken, then many weeks to build our food back up again.
Tut came with Horemheb, during that time, with a message from Itani, whom they had concealed in Abydos. They also offered to help replace what had been taken, but Malachi refused. So instead, Tut went hunting again and brought us another ostrich. I didn’t keep any of it, but traded it for other, more essential supplies.
I quickly grew to miss Itani terribly, having never spent more than a few days away from her. But, as the soldiers continued to perform sweeps through the city, and more especially the homes of my family, I felt grateful she was gone, and free from the fate of being forced to marry the son of Ay, the man who would have me dead if he discovered I lived.
Malachi awoke with a sickness in his stomach, so he and Joshua decided to stay and work around the farm. They worked with us to tend to the garden, repair the roof on both houses, and maintain Itani’s vacant house. By midafternoon, I could tell Malachi’s sickness was getting the better of him, so I had him sit and rest while I brought him some soup. We then sat and rested, while the children played nearby.
We heard Zakkai’s dog barking. We looked over to see him running frantically toward us. “Hurry! There were lions! They tried to attack us but the dogs helped chase them off, but Uncle Liam has been hurt!”
I jumped to my feet. “Rena!” She would be frantic at her husband being injured. I had to get to her.
“Go, Naomi,” Malachi told me. “We will bring the children along; you get to your sister.”
I looked at Hepsati and noticed she had turned quite pale and rubbed her scarred arm.
“Mama, I think I’ll stay behind,” she muttered. “Leave the children with me.”
I nodded, knowing she couldn’t look at what she escaped years earlier. So we helped Joshua onto the mule and rushed through the city after Zakkai to Rena’s house.
When we arrived, we saw all their children in the street, trying to peek in the windows. Adina and Dana were trying to coax them into their homes, but the older children were determined to stay, so only the younger four were taken away.
The three of us rushed into the house where all the men of the family gathered.
“Rena!” I pushed through the crowd.
“Naomi!” Her voice rang out. It sounded full of emotion and she was on the verge of tears.
Tobiah stepped aside to let me pass. Rena sat leaning over her mutilated husband. Covered head to toe in blood, his clothes were torn to tatters, and his face barely recognizable. I gasped. Rena looked up at me and grabbed my hand. “Naomi, is Malachi here?”
“He is, yes.”
“Good. He can help the others bless him.” A tear fell down her cheek. “So that he may pass in peace.”
Malachi pushed up beside me and took a sharp breath. “I should have been out there―”
“It was the biggest pride I have ever seen,” Tobiah said. “We all fought them and we lost most of the dogs. There was nothing you could have done to prevent this.”
Samuel stepped up beside Liam and gently touched his head. Liam moaned, which drew a whimper from Rena. Samuel motioned for the men to gather, so Rena and I moved out of the way. As Bilhan stepped up, his whole body trembled at the sight of his cousin so badly injured and bloodied. As they blessed him, Liam’s breathing began to be strained and had a gurgling sound to it. When they finished, he wheezed for Rena. She pushed forward to his side and we all stepped back to give them space.
Malachi wiped his hand to remove the blood before he took mine. “This is terrible.”
I gazed up into his eyes, wrapping my arms around him. “It may be selfish of me, but I’m glad you weren’t out there.”
He stroked my back. “I’m glad Joshua wasn’t.”
I thought of Joshua with his disability and knew he wouldn’t have stood a chance against the lions, especially seeing what they had done to someone as strong and healthy as Liam. Malachi held me as slowly, Liam slipped away.
We gathered to bury Liam, and as I watched Rena, I saw her struggling to fight back her emotions. I felt proud of how strong she had been through it all. Almost a year had passed since she lost her most beloved sister, and now she had lost her husband. She never once let it get the better of her, and never did she let her children see her falter. I realized she had become the strong one of us all, stronger than I was. I loved her so much.
On our way home, Malachi and I discussed her, and how she would cope without a husband.
“She will rely heavily on her oldest son now,” Malachi said. “And Samuel has told me he is making arrangements for her oldest daughter to be married so she has one less mouth to feed.”
“Rena is so strong. But how can she survive? Even with her oldest daughter married, she still has eight children to care for. Her son can’t sustain that, and as beautifully as she weaves, she cannot make enough to match what Liam did to support them.”
We fell silent, lost in our own thoughts. I worried for Rena. I didn’t want her to struggle and suffer more than she already had. I tried to think of a resolution all afternoon.
We sat at the table for our evening meal, and I kept glancing at Malachi, wondering what I would do if I had lost him. I thought of his brother Enoch, and how devastated Nisa had been when she discovered her husband died in battle. Then Tobiah took her to wife, and with that thought, a resolution hit me. I waited until the children were in bed and Malachi and I had retired to our room before I brought it up. I turned to Malachi as he removed his robe and said in a gush, “You should take Rena to wife.”
He froze and stared at me. “What?”
“Take Rena as your wife. You do more than enough to sustain both our family and hers, and with Liam having no living brothers, it would be an appropriate match. Rena is the most like me of all my sisters, in appearance and personality, and she would be able to give you more children.”
He looked doubtful as he sat on the bed. “Naomi, I don’t know―”
“Please, Malachi. She needs someone to take care of her and her children, and you do a wonderful job at that. I would do anything for her.”
“I know you would.” He rubbed his beard. “Tut and Itani are testaments to that.”
I sat on the bed beside him as he sighed.
“I’ll think about it, Naomi, and will discuss it with Samuel tomorrow.”
Malachi left early in the morning. I spent the day thinking how we could fit Rena and her children into our home, and decided it would b
e a good opportunity to fill and maintain Itani’s home while she was gone.
Hepsati assisted me around the farm, and I told her quietly―so the children wouldn’t hear―what I had asked of Malachi. She froze with alarm and said, “He agreed?”
“He said he’d think about it and left early this morning to talk with Samuel.”
“Mama,” she said breathlessly. “He would struggle with such an arrangement. He loves you so completely that a second wife would bring him guilt.”
“Someone needs to care for Rena,” I responded stubbornly.
“But what about you? You love him too, surely you don’t―”
“I have shared a husband before,” I said, cutting her off.
“But this is different.”
“I love Rena, just like I loved your mother. Rena is my sister.”
Hepsati sighed. “But it’s Malachi, not my father.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I turned away so she wouldn’t see that her observation tugged at my heart painfully.
When Malachi returned, I couldn’t help feeling nervous. He came straight to me and kissed me. “You don’t have to worry anymore. Samuel and I have made arrangements for Rena to be taken care of.”
“When will you take her, then?” I asked, struggling to suppress my anxiety.
He grinned. “I won’t be. Bilhan will.”
I looked up at him, surprised; then I saw how obvious that was. Bilhan had struggled with the children since Eliora passed. Each of us women took turns with them during the day while he worked, but in the evenings, he struggled to keep on top of things. The younger children had begun to become wild and unruly, while he grew more and more desperate.
“He needs a wife and mother for his children, and she needs a husband to support her.” Malachi smiled. “After you told me last night to take her, I sat up half the night trying to think of an alternative, and then I thought of him. They could combine the households and sell the smaller apartment for some extra money, and Rena would be perfect at getting those children back under control. So I took the idea to Samuel. He instantly loved it, and told me he had been wondering what to do with Rena himself. We went to Rena and Bilhan and discussed it with them. They were both very agreeable, so once the appropriate grieving period has passed, Bilhan will take her as his wife.”
“That’s wonderful!” Hepsati clasped my hand. “I’m so glad an alternative was found.”
“As am I!” Malachi laughed. “Rena is far too much like Naomi. I don’t think I could handle two of them.” He pulled me up against him and kissed my forehead. “I didn’t want to do what you asked of me, but I would have done it for you if there was no other way. I’m glad Bilhan was agreeable. I could only ever be with you.”
I too secretly felt relieved that I would be able to keep Malachi as my own, and that two problems in our family had been solved so easily.
The next day, I went to visit Rena, who greeted me warmly and invited me in. As I entered, I found her in the process of rearranging the apartment to prepare for the extra six children, so I offered to help.
As we moved the beds around in the children’s bedroom, she said, “I know you told Malachi to take me as his wife.”
I looked up at her, wanting to see her reaction. “Did I offend you?”
She laughed lightly. “Oh no, not in the slightest, but it did upset me a little. I already feel like you have sacrificed so much for me, and the thought of you sharing Malachi with me is just too much. I see him as your reward for all the sacrifices you made, and if you were to sacrifice him as well, it would break my heart. I don’t think I could have accepted if he offered.
“I also know father would not have approved. He always saw Malachi as the perfect son, the man who saved his favorite child from the perverted ways of the Egyptians. Me, on the other hand, I don’t think he ever completely forgave for letting you take my place. It’s ironic, really, considering we are the most similar in appearance and personality, yet you were his favorite and I was his least. He would have frowned upon Malachi taking me, after what he did for you.
“I don’t blame you for any of it, Naomi. You never asked for things to be that way. I, in fact, always loved how much you have always wanted to protect me and look out for me.
“I’m glad that I can help our dear sister by caring for her family. Bilhan is not so different from Liam. They are about the same age, and are cousins after all. I’m sure Liam would approve.”
I touched her arm. “When did you grow so strong? The woman I see now would have handled the royal courts better than I ever did. I’m so proud of you.”
She blushed and looked away. “I don’t know. I do what I must, but you have always fought back.” She sighed sadly. “I don’t want my children to see it because they need me to be strong, but I miss Liam terribly.”
I touched her cheek. “I don’t doubt it for one second. He was very good to you.”
A few days after the mourning period passed, our family had a very modest marriage celebration for Rena and Bilhan. After the seven days passed, both families moved into Rena’s larger apartment, and to Bilhan’s delight, there was an almost instant and noticeable change in his children. We all breathed a sigh of relief.
alachi woke me in a cold sweat. “Naomi, get me some water.”
I rushed to bring him a cup and sat him up on the bed. “What’s wrong, Malachi?”
“I don’t know. The pain has been getting worse, slowly and gradually.”
“Malachi!” I gasped. “You’ve never said anything.”
He smiled at me through gritted teeth. “It will pass. Don’t you worry yourself.” He lifted the cup and sipped at it. “It’s just my joints. I’m starting to grow old.”
“You are not old.” I brushed my fingers over his forehead. “Maybe you should see a physician.”
“We can’t pay for a physician.”
I stroked his hair. “Yes, we can. I still have some money set aside from while I was a servant. It is for situations like this.” I ran my hand down his face. “Malachi, you’re burning up.”
I dashed into the next room and brought back a rag and a bowl of water to help cool him off.
“Thank you, Naomi.”
“You are going to a physician first thing in the morning. You may have an infection that needs to be seen to, or you could have picked up malaria.” I encouraged him to lie down before I curled up next to him and fell back asleep.
In the morning, he seemed to be his normal self, but I insisted on him going anyway. The Hebrew physician was baffled, and said he could see nothing wrong with Malachi.
“See? It’s just my old age,” Malachi said, taking my arm.
“You are not old.”
A few days later, Tut came to visit. He and Malachi wrestled and played as they normally would, but after a few minutes, Tut stopped and said, “Papa, your arm.”
I swung around to see a dark bruise had formed in the shape of Tut’s hand. I rushed over to Malachi, feeling a surge of panic. “Malachi, there is something wrong. We should take you to another physician.”
“Another one?” Tut gaped. “Papa, have you been sick?”
“Your mother is overreacting to a man growing older, boy,” Malachi answered.
“You are not old!” I pressed my hands against my hips.
“I have a very good physician on my staff,” Tut said. “He’s supposed to be the best in the land. He has fixed me up several times after I have fallen off my chariot.”
I scowled up at him for being so uncaring about his recklessness, but chose instead to say, “May we use him?”
“Of course.” Tut touched Malachi’s shoulder. “I will have him go to the Commander’s estate to see to you. I’ll tell him Horemheb’s best cook needs assistance with her husband.”
“But he has forbidden me to enter his estate,” Malachi said with a grunt.
“He will have to pretend you aren’t there, won’t he?” Tut responded.
That night when
Malachi removed his tunic, I noticed he was black and blue all over. I gasped and touched a larger bruise on his chest.
“Malachi! What’s happening to you?” He looked down at himself as I teared up. “Oh, Malachi, I’m afraid for you.”
“Please, Naomi, don’t be like that.” He clasped my face and kissed me. “I was just playing with Tut a bit rougher than usual.”
But as he made love to me, I couldn’t help looking up at him and wondering if maybe our time together was coming to an end.
A few days later, we received a summoning to Horemheb’s estate. Horemheb met us just inside the entryway and frowned at the sight of Malachi. “You look a little worse for wear, even by your low standards.”
Malachi glared at him, but didn’t respond as I guided him through to the laundry room. Horemheb followed us in silence, and stood by the door with his arms folded.
When the physician arrived, he looked Malachi over quickly, then ordered him to undress. As Malachi pulled off his tunic, I glanced at Horemheb and saw his eyebrow twitch. I rushed over to him while the physician examined Malachi.
“You’ve seen this before?” I asked in a hushed voice, so Malachi wouldn’t hear.
He grunted but didn’t answer.
“Tell me. You have, haven’t you?”
He locked eyes with me and leaned down closer. “Has he been getting into fights lately?”
“No!”
“Then I may have seen this before, yes.”
I grabbed his tunic. “Tell me, Horemheb; what’s going to happen to my husband?”
He gazed down at me, completely emotionless. “I’m no physician, so I am probably wrong.”
My anger flared up at him. “You tell me right now what you think―”
“Naomi.” Malachi’s voice cut through to my soul and I swiveled to face him. “Come here. I need you.”
I rushed over to him and clasped his hand tightly in mine. He smiled down at me while the physician finished looking him over and asked him questions.
Then he told Malachi to dress and he sat us both down. “I believe you have an issue of the blood,” he told Malachi. “This condition varies in severity from person to person, but you should start preparing for the worst.”
KIYA: Rise of a New Dynasty (Kiya Trilogy Book 3) Page 8
