by Tim Chaffey
Tears filled Emzara’s eyes as she stared at the battered frame of a young man to whom she had been like a second mother. The memory of teaching Purlek to bake bread rushed through her head. Just then a small movement caught her eye. Her imagination must be playing tricks on her. How can I tell Adira?
“Is he dead?” Laleel asked.
Garun bent low and gently placed his fingers on the front of Purlek’s neck. He bit his lip and looked at his wife. Suddenly, his eyes went wide. He leaned in close to Purlek’s face while repositioning his fingers on the man’s neck. Garun’s jaw dropped. “He’s alive.”
Chapter 35
A swarm of humanity converged in the staging area under the arena. With no cover of darkness to hide them, Noah pulled his wrap over the top of his head in an effort to prevent anyone from recognizing him. He followed Elam and Rayneh as they fled the arena floor. They passed a woman screaming a man’s name as she watched the people stream past her.
Making their way through designated routes, they marched slowly up the large ramp along the outside of the building. Keeping his head down, he listened to the hurried conversations around him. Several people spoke about the grendec, marveling at the creature’s strength and ferocity; a few even laughed about the man it devoured. A pair of women wondered if the giant would survive his injuries. Another man made a crude comment about Naamah’s appearance.
Finally, the crowd emptied onto the main street. The late afternoon shadows provided slight relief from the heat. Noah pointed ahead and to their left. “This way.”
Far behind them, the massive metal plate rang out in a pattern, alerting the guards to prevent anyone from leaving the city.
Elam switched Rayneh to his other arm, and they jogged for several blocks toward the old city square. The tiny girl clung to him, her face buried. Her curly locks displayed a hint of almost gold in some places, if the light caught them just right. “They’ll close the gates. What’s your plan to get out of here?”
“We need to reach the old docks,” Noah said. “If everything went as planned, I’ll have a boat waiting there.”
Just before the old square, they turned left on a road that led straight to the Hiddekel. Now separated from the arena’s crowd, they slowed to a brisk walk. The shock of everything that had just occurred wore off as they walked. Rayneh squirmed and cried for her mother while Elam tried unsuccessfully to calm her. With tears in his eyes, he looked at Noah. “What do I tell her? I don’t even know how I’m going to get through this.”
Noah shook his head. “I don’t have the words to say to bring you any comfort. I’m so sorry about Kal.” He stared at the ground and his own eyes welled up. “And Tubal-Cain and Adira.” His heart ached and his midsection tightened, threatening to bring him to his knees. Kicking at a stone on the ground, he longed to scream, but the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to his little group. That final thought helped him refocus on the danger at hand. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, but right now we need to get out of the city or we’ll be right back in that arena.”
Elam nodded. “I know.”
They passed the old rundown bakery. Children played a game in the street, paying little attention to Noah, Elam, and Rayneh. Noah cast a look at the shipyard down the road to his right. I’ll likely never see it again. “Come on. We’re almost there.”
Jogging again, they moved quickly toward the river. Noah’s concern increased with each step because the boat was nowhere in sight. As they neared the docks, his mind raced to consider other possibilities, but the familiar hull of his ship soon became visible beneath a tree branch on the left side of the road. “There it is. We should hurry.”
Elam rushed ahead and jumped onto the deck. He set his daughter down and grabbed a pushpole.
Noah loosed the mooring and threw the rope into the boat before hurrying aboard. “Push. I’ll get the sail up.”
Elam shoved his pole against the shore and grunted as he forced the boat away from the bank.
Noah untied the knot around the sail and hoisted it into place. He tied it off, and a steady breeze soon drove them farther into the river. After pointing the boat in the right direction, he grabbed a pushpole and assisted Elam, but before long the river grew too deep and the poles were of no use.
“Stop!” A commanding voice rang out from the shore.
Noah put his pole down and spotted a group of guards, roughly a hundred cubits away. “Take her below.” He glanced at the sail as Elam grabbed his daughter and rushed to the hatch. “Come on, we need more wind.”
“Wait!” The guard’s voice lost its edge. The blue shoulder cover on his uniform identified him as a low-level officer. “Is that you, Noah?” He leaned forward. “It is! Noah, the shipbuilder, there’s no reason to flee. King Lamech enjoyed your actions in the arena so much that he wishes to formally pardon you. Come back with us and you can return to your life at the shipyard.”
Noah shook his head in disbelief as they steadily drifted away. “Do you think I’d ever trust that lying murderer to keep his word?”
“Very well. Have it your way.” The officer signaled to his men. Each guard pulled a curved bow from his back.
“Stay below,” Noah shouted to Elam. “They’re preparing to fire at us.” As the distance between them and their would-be captors increased, so did Noah’s sense of security. He kept the boat aimed across the river as he watched the officer and his men. Typically, the vessel should be driven at a sharper angle, particularly in this wide area with its slow-moving current, but the pressing concern at the moment was to move out of the archers’ range before heading north.
Each guard fastened a string to his bow and nocked an arrow. They raised their weapons and directed them at Noah. “This is your last warning. Turn back, or we’ll fire.”
As the officer dropped his hand, Noah dove behind a shipping crate. One arrow whistled overhead while two struck the hull. A third collided into the opposite side of the crate while a light splash indicated that another had fallen short of its target.
Now nearly halfway across the river, Noah peeked around the box just in time to see two guards move along the row of archers, lighting the tip of each new arrow already nocked. Ducking down, Noah prepared for another volley. He hoped they were beyond reach after two fizzled in the water, but the splintering of wood to his left dispelled that notion as a flaming arrow lodged itself in the hull. Noah peeked around the corner just as two more buzzed past the boat. With a thump, a third one hit its target.
As the guards reloaded their bows, Noah assessed the damage. He peered over the side and noticed a burning substance covered the area around the arrow. He dipped his hand into the water and splashed some onto the flames, causing them to spread. Confused, Noah watched as the liquid seemed to feed the fire. Before dropping behind the crate again, Noah checked their trajectory. They were drifting too far down the river and straight toward the eastern part of the city. It would soon be too late to sail beyond the gate and past the city wall.
Another round of arrows launched, but only one found its mark, igniting a small crate. Noah emptied it and tossed the box overboard. The blaze danced on the river’s surface without extinguishing. Shaking his head, Noah hurried to the steering mechanism and angled the craft to the northeast. Looking back, he watched a few fiery missiles drop harmlessly in the water, but one flew directly over his head and ripped through the sail. The tiny hole would have been of little consequence, but the gooey material from the arrow stuck to the canvas and burned wildly.
Making some quick calculations, Noah spun the boat to allow the current to carry them to the eastern bank. The wind momentarily pushed the sail and they picked up speed until the fire damage tore the material apart. They would have to take their chances in the city. He looked back toward the distant shore as the final few arrows fell short.
The guards hurried down the river road toward the bridge.
“Elam! Come up here.”
“Are we out of range?” Elam
asked as he poked his head above deck. He glanced at the sail. “Oh no. What do we do?”
“There’s no time for me to raise the spare. We need to reach the shore as soon as possible and then run.” He pointed to the guards. “But we’ll have to hurry. Grab a pushpole and get ready. How’s Rayneh?”
“She’s scared, with good reason. She doesn’t really understand what’s going on.” Elam grabbed the pole and stood near the edge of the deck.
Smoke poured from the back and side of the craft as the flames continued to chew away at the hull. The boat coasted ever closer to the bank. While no guards waited on the eastern shore yet, the archers had arrived at the bridge and started across.
“We should be shallow enough by now,” Noah said.
Elam shoved his pole deep into the water. He grunted and the vessel veered slightly to the left. “Just barely.” He repeated the process multiple times as the guards closed in.
Noah grabbed the other pole and together they drove the boat toward the beach. “Get your daughter.”
Elam dashed down the short flight of stairs and reemerged with Rayneh in his arms.
“Brace yourself.” Noah grabbed a large box to avoid losing his balance as the boat slid to a grinding halt. They all pitched forward with the landing. “Come on.”
Noah grabbed a sack of food and two small bags of gold piks and pikkas before splashing down into the knee-deep water. He turned around and took the little girl from his friend, allowing Elam to jump off the boat.
“Where are we going?” Elam asked as they hurried to the shore.
The soldiers were about halfway across the bridge now and Noah picked up his pace. “You’ll see.”
A middle-aged fisherman stood on the beach and looked quizzically at them. He set one end of his pole on the ground and placed his hand above his eyes, squinting as the fading sunlight reflected off the water.
Noah looked away and sprinted up the road. After reaching an intersection, they turned right and headed into an older section of the city down a street lined with fruit trees. Thankful for the deepening shadows, Noah led them toward one of the few farms that still stood within the city wall. An old, tattered shed occupied a small piece of land near the side of a large white stone house. A few cattle grazed in the small pasture. Sneaking around to the right, Noah and Elam ducked under a fence. Noah led them behind the outbuilding, where they pulled back one of the wood panels and slipped inside. Fumbling in the dim interior, Noah found a ladder and climbed up to the second floor. He reached down and lifted Rayneh up and waited for Elam to join them.
Noah directed them to the large piles of hay stashed around the room. “We can hide in those until late tonight.”
“Where are we?” Elam asked.
“It’s Cada’s farm. Aterre used to work here.” Although it was now too dark for her to see it, Noah smiled at Rayneh, wishing for all the world that she could have met her uncle.
Chapter 36
A pair of guards searched the entire lower level of Cada’s old shed. One of them tipped over a shovel just before declaring it all clear, and Noah held his breath, fearing the noise would wake the sleeping Rayneh. But the little girl continued her slumber. For some reason, the guards never checked the hay loft. Perhaps they were unaware of it. Noah let his breath out in a silent sigh of relief as he remembered Elam’s decision to pull the ladder up to the second floor.
Noah waited a long while after the guards departed. “They’re gone.” He peeked over the edge and carefully lowered the ladder. “We’d better get moving to where we can get out of the city while we still have the cover of night.”
Elam nodded and cradled his daughter close as Noah made his way down the rungs. Noah hoped that her dreams provided some peaceful respite from the pain and confusion of the day’s events.
The two men took turns carrying the sleeping child as they darted through alleys, hid behind trees, and snuck around buildings. Rayneh stirred occasionally but never fully awoke.
After arriving at the familiar home just before the deepest dark, Elam quietly slid the key into its slot and gently opened the door. Noah handed Rayneh to him before stealing one last glance down both directions of the street. He slipped inside the house behind Elam, closed the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Kmani.” Elam spoke just above a whisper as he moved through the sitting room. “Kmani, it’s Elam. Are you still awake?” He paused and tilted his head as he listened for a response. He moved to the hallway and stopped. The door at the end cracked open and faint light seeped through the gap. “Kmani, it’s Elam.”
The elderly woman froze and stared down the hall, her eyes searching the darkness. She pulled a lantern around her rotund frame and held it up, illuminating her smile as she spotted her unexpected guests. “Elam. Noah. What are you doing here?” She increased the lamp’s brightness. “Putting that key we gave you to good use, I see.”
“Sorry for waking you, but we need to get out of the city.” Elam pulled the key from his pocket and handed it to her. He hugged her with his free arm. “I don’t think I’ll need this again.”
“Guards stopped by earlier looking for you and they searched the house. Here, let me take her.” Kmani held out her short arms and took Rayneh, who jostled a little before nestling up against her. With a tip of her head, she gestured back down the hall. “Downstairs.”
Noah stepped to the side, allowing Elam to move past him and open the entry between the sitting room and dining area. After Kmani walked by, Noah followed them to the stairway and closed the door behind him.
“How are you doing, Kmani?” Noah and Emzara had stopped over to comfort the grieving widow the day before Emzara left town, and he had been stunned at how calmly she seemed to be handling Zain’s murder. She told him that although it was painful, she was not surprised by it, given the city’s descent into all sorts of evil activities and the fact that her husband had long been at the forefront of the resistance against them.
“Each day is difficult,” she said as she reached the bottom of the stairs and handed him the lamp. Noah used the flame to light a second lantern near him on the wall. The cellar instantly seemed larger as the glow illuminated the space. The room served as a storehouse for their textile supplies as well as a cool environment in which to keep food preserved longer. He turned his attention back to Kmani.
“We’d been together for more than 700 years,” she said. “I’m grateful for the time the Creator gave us, but at the same time — and I don’t know how else to describe it — it seems like half of me is missing.” She tilted her head and frowned toward Elam, who sat on the floor against the wall, his head buried between his knees as he wept quietly. She covered Rayneh’s ear and looked up at Noah. Grimacing, her voice came out just above a whisper. “Kal?”
Noah pursed his lips. “Kal, Adira, and Tubal-Cain were all killed in the arena.” He closed his eyes before the tears escaped. “Tubal-Cain was gone before they brought me out, so I don’t know how it happened.”
“The king stabbed him for refusing to worship Nachash, but he didn’t die right away.” Elam wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. “He killed a wild beast that was meant for Adira before succumbing to his wound. We were forced to watch it all through one of the gates.”
A knot formed in Noah’s midsection as the terrors of the arena flooded his mind again. His bottom lip quivered as he thought about Tubal-Cain being killed by his own father. “That’s the second time he’s taken the life of my best friend.” Self-pity nearly engulfed him, but, glancing at Rayneh, he suppressed it. Yes, another dear friend was lost to him, but the little girl would grow up without her mother, and Elam would never see his wife again — at least not in this world. How would I feel if that happened to Em? He cast a sympathetic look at Elam.
“Come now.” Kmani tapped Elam. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later, and you’re right to do it. But not now. Those guards may return at any moment, and you need to get your little girl out of here.” S
he caught Noah’s attention and gestured to a large shelf unit holding all sorts and colors of fabric. “Behind that.”
Noah nodded. “Do we need to move the whole unit?”
Kmani shook her head. “No, the bottom half of the middle section pulls out, but it’s heavy. Just pull some of the material out first. I can repack it later.”
“You aren’t coming with us?” Noah hung the lantern on a hook near the shelves. “Aren’t you in danger here?”
She smiled. “I think Ashur prefers to let me suffer in my grief for Zain. Besides, if he wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead.” She adjusted her hold on Rayneh. “Don’t you worry about me. Zain made arrangements in case something like this ever happened. I’ll head to my son’s place in a month or so.”
“I’m sorry it’s all come to this.”
Her eyes glistened in the low light. “So am I.”
Noah grabbed a pile of folded linens from the large bin before him and set them on a table to his side. He repeated the action two more times before Elam joined in the work. With half the container emptied, the two men pulled it away from the wall.
Elam snatched the lantern and held it in the recently vacated space, revealing a dark drape hanging from the back of the shelving unit. “It’s behind this?”
“Yes,” Kmani said. “Just push it to the side.”
Elam slid the curtain to the side and then ran his hand along the wall, searching for the small hollow that served as a handle. Once he found it, he slipped a finger behind the little opening and pulled back. A door, lower than Noah’s waist, swung open, exposing a couple of steps down to a hidden tunnel that Zain had dug out shortly after building the house nearly a century earlier.
“And this will take us under the wall?” Noah asked.
Kmani nodded. “Yes, take the lantern with you. There’s an abandoned shack up against the woods about 200 cubits past the wall. When you reach the end of the tunnel, just look for the door above your head. It’s built into the floor of the shed and hidden behind some debris in the corner. Before you open it, listen to make sure all is still.”
