Glorious Companions

by Summer Lee

  And then, there was Asher, her king, whose deep and abiding love for her was demonstrated as a means of protection, of compassion, and of security, and when he was not so busy being king, he was a comfort and the person she trusted the most in her entire life.

  However, she thought, there is still one who gives me attention the way I need it. But he is married to my friend. She admonished herself silently, I cannot make love with Tall. It would be adultery. We could be punished with death if we were caught.

  Perhaps that very last thought was the only thing that kept her from making herself available to Tall. She knew she should not even try to entice him. To do so would risk her life, and if she was executed for adultery, it would break Asher’s heart and disgrace their daughter. Perhaps even Mesopotamia would fall into ruin. Kenana tried not to be so fearful, but to let Tall touch her body would be to risk everything she had in the entire world.

  That Tall desired her was another thing altogether. She relished in the delicious feeling of his gaze and his soft words. If she still felt beautiful—and she did—it was because of Tall.

  By now, her blond hair had not only turned light brown, but had streaks of gray. It had stayed blond into her late twenties, and then started turning darker. It now had the telltale threads of silver woven through it. Approaching forty, the Mesopotamian sun had added to her face some lines as well.

  Behind her, the door opened. The new cook stuck her head in and said, “Dinner is ready. Would you like to be served now?”

  “No, I’ll wait for the king.”

  “What about your daughter?”

  “She is being punished and will take her food in her bedchamber. Would you make a tray for her and take it upstairs?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Kenana smiled. “In this palace, it’s ‘Yes, my Queen,’ or ‘Yes, Your Highness.’”

  “Forgive me, Your Highness.”

  “Of course.”

  “Your Highness, after I serve her, may I go outside for some fresh air until the king arrives? The kitchen is very hot.”

  “Certainly, Bilhah,” said the queen. “Take some fresh air. As long as you get all of your work done, you don’t need to ask for relief to excuse yourself when you have a necessity. Just stay close by, in case I call for you or ring the bell.”

  “Yes, Your Highness. I’ll watch for the king and when he arrives, I will serve the food right away,” Bilhah replied.

  “Thank you. The food has been so delicious since you came to be with us.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Just as Bilhah walked out the back door, beaming with happiness, the bell on the front door gonged.

  After a while, it gonged again. “Please answer the door,” she called out, irritated.

  The bell sounded again. No servants appeared.

  No one seemed to be around, so Kenana got up from her chair and went to the door and opened it. She had no idea who the man was.

  Shocked, she frowned. “Who are you?”

  “Your Highness?” he said, shocked.

  “Yes, I don’t usually answer my own door, but everyone else is outside. The palace is hot from much cooking.”

  He bowed his head. “Queen Kenana of Mesopotamia, I am Samuel, from the home of the high elder in Alalakh. I am a magistrate charged with upholding the law in the area near Babylon.”

  “How can I help you, Samuel?”

  “I need to know about one of your servants. If you would allow me to come in and speak with you briefly, I would appreciate it.”

  “Of course. Which servant do you need to discuss?”

  “I understand you have a new cook.”

  “Yes. My son hired her.”

  “Is her name Bilhah?”

  “Yes.” Kenana was startled.

  “Does she have a young son?”

  Kenana nodded. “Yes,” she said more slowly, fear prickling her arms.

  “Does she come from south of here?” he asked. “Down near Babylon?”

  “Possibly,” said Kenana, feeling edgy. “I never asked. She cooks, he takes care of chickens. That was all I needed to know.”

  “Of course. Did she happen to tell you anything about her previous mistress?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Her former mistress, Lady Rita, was found dead.”

  “Dead!” Kenana gasped.

  “I want to have a talk with both Bilhah and her son.” He pushed his leather and brass helmet away from his face, revealing a strong forehead. “Are they here?”

  “Yes. Yes. Please sit down.” Kenana pointed to a bench. “I’ll try to find them.”

  Kenana left the room and went out the kitchen door. She found Bilhah and whispered, “Was Lady Rita, your former mistress, alive when you left her estate?”

  Bilhah’s eyes bugged out. “Yes. Of course! She was very much alive when she let us go.”

  “Let you go? So, that is why you left?”

  “Yes. She said that Joel was just too expensive to feed. He is a hungry, growing boy. But I am a good cook and Lady Rita gave us small provisions for the road. I secured this new position right away, as we met Prince Tyro on the road and he sent us here.”

  “I see. Bilhah, one of the elders, a magistrate, is in the courtyard, asking to speak with you about her. He says she is dead. Are you willing to tell him how you left her when you last saw her?”

  “Yes. I’ll talk to him. I have nothing to hide.”

  Bilhah brushed her hands on her apron and removed it. She followed Samuel to the courtyard. Kenana followed.

  Her new cook approached Samuel and bowed. “I am Bilhah, the cook.”

  “Bilhah.” He nodded politely. “How are you faring here?”

  “I am well, thank you. This is a good house, with plenty of food and honest work.”

  “Of course. Was your previous mistress, the Lady Rita of Babylon?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Your previous mistress was found dead in her home. What do you know about it?”

  “That is what the queen told me, that you wanted to know if I had last seen her alive,” Bilhah said sadly. “She seemed healthy enough when I last saw her.”

  “Where is your son?” asked Samuel. “I need to speak with him as well. Will you please fetch him?”

  “My young boy? Of course.” Bilhah looked puzzled as she left the room. When she was gone, Kenana asked, “How did Lady Rita die? Was the she murdered?”

  “I really don’t know. My master has told me that the elders of Babylon have asked to see if there could be a connection between her death and these two servants leaving so quickly.”

  “Did the elders know why she left?” Kenana asked.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “She was let go because her son, Joel, was getting a bigger appetite. He is a growing boy and really not old enough to earn his keep yet.”

  “Surely, he works.”

  “He cares for the chickens and brings in the eggs and washes them. He helps in the kitchen. He takes the kitchen peelings to the chickens. In winter, he shall chop wood.”

  Bilhah returned with Joel. “Here is my son. But I will tell you this much. He has been with me ever since I was asked to leave Lady Rita’s home.”

  “That is true,” said Joel.

  “Were either of you aware that your former mistress had died?”

  “I did not know until today,” said Bilhah.

  Samuel turned his attention to Joel. “What about you, son? What do you know about Lady Rita’s death?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe she died of pure meanness.”

  Bilhah glared at Joel. “Do not speak of the dead in such a manner, Joel. This is serious. Be respectful to the magistrate.”

  Joel rubbed his face. “I don’t know anything except that she sent me out the door for wanting more food at the evening meal one night.”

  “Perhaps you hit her over the head so hard that she died,” said the man.

  Clearly both
ered by his statement, Bilhah said, “I am sorry, sir, but we do not know how she may have died. I send my deepest sympathies to her loved ones. I know her family will miss her. But my son is fourteen years old and has never struck another person.”

  “Is that true, Joel?”

  “Yes.”

  Samuel shook his head. “I was hoping you knew something more than that. The woman’s head was injured before she died.”

  “She looked fine when we left.” Bilhah was adamant and protective of her son.

  “Well, she is not fine now. She is dead.”

  “Sir, she was pretty unreasonable the last day we were there. Actually, she was pretty mad at my son for being hungry. Maybe she was getting ill and could not get think straight. Maybe her heart stopped because she was so upset. Maybe she had a fall?”

  “Probably so.” Joel said, “She always got mad at me for no reason.”

  “Did you perhaps take food that was not yours to take? And she caught you, Joel?”

  He and his mother exchanged glances and she nodded for him to talk. “It was only a honeyed sweet that she left on her own plate, sir. I gobbled it on the way to the kitchen when I cleared the plates. There was a bite out of it. She didn’t even want it. It was a morsel. A morsel!”

  Kenana noticed that Joel had gone pale. Yet, he truly was convincing that he was telling the truth.

  “You two make sense,” said Samuel. “I will inform the elders in Babylon that you know nothing about the lady’s death. Leavings on a plate always belong to the kitchen boy. It is good not to waste food in these dire times.” He scratched his head. “Someone claimed that a young person hit her on the head.” He turned to Joel. “Can you think of anyone who hated her enough to want her dead?”

  “Almost everyone who knew her.”

  “Why do you say that, Joel?”

  “People liked her when she was nice, but she could be very cruel and make people angry. Though she whipped me and the other kitchen boys, I do not believe that anyone wanted her dead.”

  “Other kitchen boys?”

  “Yes. There were three of us.”

  “I will go there and ask after their thoughts on who might have hit her in the head and killed her.”

  The man turned to Bilhah. “If you think of anything, I will need to know.”

  “You have my word.”

  Bilhah saw him to the door and he walked out.

  Kenana excused Bilhah from the room. Before dismissing Joel, she got close to his face. “You had better not be lying. If I find out that you are, I’ll string you up by your heels. Now, get out of here.”

  Joel ran out of the room, and Kenana returned to the table and sat down. She continued to wait for Asher to join her. Neither of them saw Rachael around the corner, her face horrified.

  *

  Kenana was so lonely. Asher was often late for meals. She had a void in her heart, and had never found anyone who could fill it. She had once thought it was Asher, but he was not the romantic she’d imagined. They had never shared the type of true intimacy for which she longed endlessly. She knew she should not look outside her marriage for sexual satisfaction, and she had tried not to. She chose to spend more time with her husband instead. Maybe that would work in time.

  Now, she sat alone in the dining hall nibbling on fruit. The table before her was laden with plates of honeyed grapes, figs stuffed with goat cheese and slices of ripe melon.

  A maid came in and said, “The king has returned.” She placed the plate of smoked fish and cooked vegetables on the table just as Asher entered the room.

  As usual, the king lifted Kenana’s hand to his lips, and kissed it. He sat in the armed chair across the table from her, as befitted a king.

  “This looks delicious!” Asher stated as he began to fill his plate. “How did you fare today?” he asked.

  Kenana dropped her head. “My mind is racing with many thoughts.”

  “What is the problem, my dear?” Concerned, Asher drew a deep breath and frowned.

  “I am having more trouble with our daughter,” she said, looking into his face. “She is sneaking around the palace to avoid me.”

  Asher stared at her in surprise. “What could she have possibly done wrong that she hides from you?”

  Kenana’s arms were crossed tightly across her chest. Her jaw squared. “She met a servant boy today and was flirting with him.”

  “That’s it? That’s what upsets you?” Asher uttered a short laugh. “Where is he from?”

  She held her lips tight. “He came from Babylon with a new cook that Tyro hired. The boy is her son.”

  He threw her an indulgent smile. “Get rid of the cook. That seems easy enough.”

  “I cannot do that. She’s proving to be a good worker,” said Kenana. “It’s Rachael’s fault. So, why punish the cook?”

  “Then punish Rachael for flirting with a servant. She knows better than that.”

  “How shall I punish her?” Kenana asked.

  A bewildered look formed on his face. “She is a good child. This is a minor problem. Why are you so upset and making a small thing into something so serious?”

  “I want to protect her from boys. I’d send her away if I had a place to send her.” Tears rushed to her eyes. “My father’s farm would not work, and Tall’s place is so far away. She has never been away from here.”

  “We can take her someplace to keep her away from the Nephilim, but not from boys,” said Asher. “Boys are everywhere. You have sheltered her far too much. She doesn’t know how to handle their attentions. Is he such a bad boy?”

  “The boy may be in trouble. One of the elder’s magistrates was here to see him today,” said the queen.

  “Trouble? Whatever for?”

  “Their former mistress, Lady Rita, was found dead and he came to question them both. They said that she was alive when they left her home, so he finished his questions and left.”

  “Oh, that is troubling. Do you feel they are innocent?”

  “I want to believe they are. There are other persons in the house who could have killed Lady Rita.”

  “Then do what you want. But this is not a good time for our beautiful princess to be wandering around mooning after any boy. Nephilim are everywhere. She could be snatched and…ruined.”

  “I, of all people, know this, my husband.”

  Color rose to Asher’s face. So, she had finally made him angry at her. It had taken years, but there it was between them. True dissent. “You could spend more time with her yourself. That is what good mothers do.”

  Kenana clenched her teeth, so as not to show her rage. “Good mothers? You dare? Should I never let her out of my sight? She would hate me for that.”

  “Wouldn’t you hate that?” Asher narrowed his eyes. “Do you want me to take her everywhere with me, like your father took you everywhere?”

  “No. You’re a king and you have business to attend to, business that does not concern a fourteen-year-old girl.”

  “Finally! The voice of reason spews from you. Let her be then. Let her learn how to reject an unsuitable boy. There could be a lesson here if you take the time to deal with her instead of sending her away or locking her in her room. That does not make the problem go away, Kenana. It only delays it. Teach her to handle unwanted attention from boys. It cannot be that hard.”

  “Raising children is so difficult.” Kenana groaned like the world was about to end. “I don’t know what to do with her.”

  “Nor do I.” Asher shook his head. “In the grand scheme of things, I must say, this is a minor thing for a king to worry about. I love Rachael and I have sympathy for your concern about her making eyes at a servant boy, but you tend to make things out to be more serious than they truly are.”

  “What?”

  “Open your eyes. The country is burning down, wife! Nephilim are on the loose, wreaking havoc in their wake. Get your house in order!” That last part, he shouted. It was the first time he had ever shouted at her.

&n
bsp; Kenana cringed in shame. “I know a punishment that will work. One of the maids taught her to knit and she hated it. I will make her knit for the afternoon.”

  “Knitting?” Asher said quietly.

  “Yes, knitting.” Kenana formed a smug look on her face that she hoped showed more confidence than she felt.

  The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.

  She had never been treated with such indignity by a man. Men had always been flirtatious with her, hand ad always bent over backward to please her. She was losing her appeal with the one man who should have treated her like the queen she was. And she mourned the loss of that, as well as the loss of everything else.

  For the first time in her marriage to Asher, thoughts of divorce swirled through Kenana’s head.

  Chapter Eight

  RACHAEL

  There was a cool morning breeze in the palatial yard.

  Rachael walked along the path to the flower garden with a ball of yarn and knitting needles in her hands. Crossing to the other side, Rachael stepped over pansies and daisies to get to her seat. She sat on the family’s favorite stone bench under the arbor.

  “Knitting will keep your mind off boys,” Rachael mocked her mother’s words in a singsong manner, but did it under her breath. “Stop braiding your hair and using so much pomegranate juice on your lips. You are going to keep your hands busy by knitting, young lady.”

  Rachael had only learned some basic stitches, so she spent time practicing them over and over. Soon, she was forming them into a shawl and it did look pretty.

  Rachael felt like crying. Kenana always got the last word. There was no use in trying to win an argument with the queen. The older Rachael got, the more her relationship with her mother fell into a bad path. So, there she sat, knitting and near tears. She knew her mother was mystical and enjoyed the presence of angels, especially her own personal angel. Maybe Rachael herself could wish for an angel to keep her company.