The Thorn tcog-1

by Daron Fraley

  Pekah did not hesitate to voice his wish.

  At first uncomfortable with the request because of his lingering grief, Jonathan inwardly acknowledged that he was beginning to feel a bond with the Gideonite. “I would be honored,” he said.

  The three of them again left the trail and went to the river in search of a suitable pool of water. Finding no part of the river to be deep enough, they decided to follow it downstream, in the direction of their journey toward Ain. They hiked along the riverbank for a while, and it became apparent that unless they could find a large boulder in the current, or another joining stream, there would just not be enough water. They continued. The river followed the general course of the trail, and although their progress slowed somewhat on account of brush, rocks, and the occasional fallen tree, they still enjoyed the journey and felt no reason to rush.

  Their patience soon paid off, and they found another stream joining the river, coming from the north hills and dumping into the river at a ninety-degree angle. Here, the water deepened considerably, and as luck would have it, there were also some sizable boulders to be found near the juncture. Near one particular rock, the water swirled, creating a pool which appeared at least mid-thigh deep. They decided to give it a try. They removed their weapons, sacks, and other items they did not wish to get wet, then gingerly stepped into the cold water, shivering as they did. The water soon became bearable as they adjusted, and just as suspected, the pool was a perfect depth.

  As they stood in the rolling river, Jonathan asked if he could pray. He then implored the Great Creator to accept the covenant Pekah was about to make, and asked that the Holy Spirit would be present.

  He finished the prayer, took a deep breath, and placed his left arm on his new friend’s shoulder.

  “Pekah,” Jonathan said with authority, after raising his right arm. “Do you covenant to serve the Great King of Heaven the remainder of your days upon Gan, and to keep His commandments, that He might bless you with the Holy Spirit?”

  “Yes, I will, and I do,” Pekah answered.

  “Then, having authority from the Almighty God of all the Heavens, and in accordance with the covenant which you have made, I baptize you by water so that your sins may be forgiven, and so you may eventually be granted eternal life, through the redemptive power of the Great Sacrifice of the Great King who will come, who was prepared for that purpose before the foundation of this world.”

  Jonathan took Pekah by the hand, then lowered him into the clear, cold pool of the river, bringing him up again, wet from head to toe. Pekah sputtered from the shock of the water, but glowed with joy. Tears joined the water streaming from the black hair on his forehead. Eli grabbed him up, squeezing him nearly to death and causing him to gasp. They laughed together.

  The three of them stumbled back to the bank of the river amid the rocks and currents, Eli providing much of the strength to keep the others from slipping. Pekah shivered almost uncontrollably, yet grinned all the time with excitement. “You have made me very happy,” he said. “I cannot recall the last time I felt this wonderful!” His teeth chattered as he spoke.

  All three men removed their wet shirts and pants and wrung out as much excess water as they could. Using large rocks found along the bank, they laid the clothing out to dry in the suns-light. Rays from Aqua and Azure chased away the cold prickles on their skin and helped to dry their undergarments while they took time to eat their mid-day meal.

  “I hope we’ll arrive in Ain before our food supply runs out,” Jonathan mentioned as they ate. “It would be best to be there by tomorrow evening.”

  “I don’t mind walking a little faster,” Eli said.

  “And we have to find Rachel,” Jonathan said. “Perhaps along the way we’ll find some game to replenish our provisions. There are also farms all around the city. Surely we’ll find someone who can share a meal.”

  Pekah’s blank expression made Jonathan realize they had never mentioned Rachel in his presence. Choosing now to share their true purpose for going to Ain, Jonathan explained that Rachel was his betrothed wife and Eli’s sister, and that they intended to find her.

  “How do you think we can locate her, without being captured?” Pekah asked, concerned.

  “We have to try,” Jonathan replied. He glanced over to see Eli looking off into the sky. Eli’s gaze lowered when he noticed Jonathan staring.

  “Just thinking about Uzzah,” he replied to Jonathan’s questioning look. “Father and Mother will both be crushed if anything happens to Rachel.”

  Jonathan nodded sympathetically. Pekah appeared to be confused once again, and asked who Uzzah was. Eli cleared his throat, his eyes moist.

  “Uzzah is my little brother. When I was thirteen, he was almost twelve. We were in the Hara Mountains with my father looking for some sheep that had strayed from the flock. We split up. I never saw my brother again.” Eli could say no more.

  “Hundreds from the city helped the family search for him,” Jonathan added. “They never found his body. To this day, the family doesn’t know what happened to him. They assume he fell into a ravine, or was taken by wolves.”

  “I am very sorry to hear it,” Pekah said.

  Eli wiped his eyes, but offered no further comment. With nothing more to say, Jonathan broke off another chunk of bread. They ate in silence.

  After they had eaten, they found their clothing to be mostly dry. They each dressed, and then retrieved supplies and weapons. The only one with armor, Pekah also strapped on his leather breastplate. Before they left, Jonathan walked toward a dead oak tree where he had spied a sturdy branch sagging within easy reach, just thick enough for him to get his large hands comfortably around it. He pushed with all his weight. The trunk shivered as the branch split away, making a deep, booming crack that echoed through the trees. Although Eli was skilled enough with a bow, a thick walking staff would suit him better if they were to get into a fight. Jonathan handed the broken limb to Eli, who accepted it eagerly.

  “Thank you!”

  “My pleasure. It ought to keep you busy.”

  Eli winked at Jonathan. He took the dagger from his belt and used it to lop off the remaining twigs, producing a rough, but usable “stick,” as he called it. “I can finish it as we walk,” he said.

  The men then left the river and returned to the trail winding through the trees. They marched at a good pace for several hours and talked about various things, none of which were very important, but it helped to pass the time. While they traveled, Jonathan watched with interest as Eli used a smaller boot knife to whittle down the sharp ends of his stick. Eli also removed the bark and rough knots on the limb, making it smooth. By the time Jonathan noticed the long shadows of late afternoon around them, Eli’s walking staff was a work of art. Although the rounded surface had a slight natural curve to it, the now-carved branch proved to be very strong and sturdy.

  Eli claimed he could not have found a better specimen if he had tried. As they traveled, he occasionally tested its strength by hitting dead branches upon the trees lining the trail, easily shattering them. After a few finishing touches to the surface of the staff, Eli sheathed his knife.

  The heat of mid-afternoon was now well upon them, causing their pace to slow considerably as the trees thinned along the trail. The sound of the river, all but lost to them now, made Jonathan suspect it had taken a turn to the north. They discussed theories as to where the waterway had gone, but were not overly concerned, knowing the river would eventually meet up with them again.

  About half an hour later, as they had predicted, the river came close enough to smell and hear, and just ahead of them, the simple forest trail drastically changed. They could see the path widen, being joined by a cart-road from the south which rose over a hill covered in wild flowers and grasses.

  Pekah stopped walking. “Not far from here is a pass to the city of Gilad. Being this close to Gideon makes me a little nervous. I didn’t know we would find this particular road-I thought we were farther north than
this.”

  Jonathan pointed to the road in the distance. “This road goes to Ain?”

  “Yes. I have traveled it before, although not all the way into the city.”

  Jonathan’s brow furrowed, and he sighed with some frustration. “I’m not sure how to proceed, Pekah. If we take this road, there are sure to be Gideonite soldiers on it, and we’ll be found.”

  Eli cleared his throat and motioned in the direction of the river. “What if we cross the water and continue west from there?”

  The three of them debated their ability to re-cross later if the river deepened, but in the end, they all agreed it was a prudent thing to do. They left the trail before the road joined it and waded into the river at the shallowest part they could see. It took them some time to cross because of the current, but they did so safely.

  Once on the other side, they found the area north of the river to be a bit more forested, yet still passable, even though there were no trails. Progress was slow at first, but their pace improved as they got used to navigating the thick timber. After many hours of strenuous hiking, they were rewarded with a good camping site for the night, just as the suns fell below the eastern horizon. The grassy glade before them proved to be even more secluded than the site they had used the night before, and far enough from the road on the other side of the river that they were certain any travelers from Gilad to Ain would neither hear them nor see them.

  They made their camp as comfortable as possible with cut pine boughs for bedding, and then took time to eat a peaceful end-of-Sabbath meal, after a prayer together. Dusk turned into night while they ate. Before retiring, they stoked the fire high to keep any animals in the area from disturbing them.

  Pekah was the last one still awake. He reflected on the day, immensely grateful for the peace he now felt. Staring into the night sky, he enjoyed seeing the three sister moons rise and begin to cross the sky in typical grandeur. The beauty of the procession and the face which they made went unnoticed by the sleepers. The sight of the moons made him smile.

  In contrast to the previous night, and with his soul no longer aching, Pekah drifted off. During the early morning hours when the fire had dwindled to nothing more than low embers, he began to dream.

  Chapter 10

  Prophecy

  Pekah wandered alone down a dark, moons-lit road bordered by many tall pines. Pungent scents of pitch and green needles mixed in his nostrils with the dust being kicked up from his boots. Each step he took sent pebbles skittering before him, bouncing and banging so loudly as they went that the sound reminded him of a rock-slide in the high wilderness areas of Gideon’s mountain ranges. Silence hung like a pall over the landscape, a stark contrast to the cacophony produced by the little rocks. Endless trees on an endless road blurred into what seemed like walls of a tunnel deep underground.

  He trudged on for hours. The scene around him did not change. More trees, dark walls of them. No sound except his thunderous steps and the pebbles jumping before his toes. Despair slithered across his heart. He stopped.

  At that moment his attention was drawn to a leather bag hanging from a strap around his neck. Pekah pulled the drawstring open. Inside, he found a cloth-wrapped cylindrical object, which he lifted from the bag. As he studied the roll of purple cloth, he recognized the head of a serpent embroidered upon it. Taking great care, he unfolded it to reveal a clear glass rod. Engraved white gold knobs capped each end of it, and the glass held a thin, gray object embedded at the very center.

  Curious, he brought the rod closer for inspection. The scene around him instantly changed, startling him. No longer on the pine-bordered road, Pekah found himself in a well-lit chamber, with wood-paneled walls and candles burning atop multi-stemmed candlesticks in all corners of the room. To Pekah’s surprise, Eli stood next to him, smiling.

  Pekah lowered the glass rod in order to take in his surroundings, and saw an ornately carved wooden chair at one end of the room, empty, but flanked by two armed Gideonite soldiers. They glared at him crossly, and pointed to the object in his hand as if they wanted him to explain it. Pekah could not identify what he held. He looked to Eli for help, but before Eli could speak, another man entered the room from a door behind the chair. He recognized the man at once.

  Dressed in the finest green silk vestments Pekah had ever seen, the man reeked of luxury. An almost gaudy amount of white gold and other finery trimmed the silk, catching every candle-flame flicker. A thick silver chain stretched across his chest to clasp a shimmering gray robe, which flowed from his shoulders like a mist.

  His short brown hair was intensely dark, though not quite black. A cleft chin and a sharp, long nose dominated his clean-shaven face. His lips were pursed, his demeanor very unhappy.

  As Emperor Manasseh took his seat in the wooden chair, Eli nudged Pekah and told him to show the object in his hands to the Gideonite. Eli added three words to his request, in a most serious tone: “Holiness, Honor, Humility.”

  Pekah reluctantly did as Eli asked by extending his arm forward, the glass rod resting atop the cloth in his outstretched palm.

  The very action of moving his arm forward sparked a fire of warmth under his shoulder which traveled through his arm, across his chest, down his back, and deep within his heart. Every part of his body erupted into feeling, as if the hot blast from a smelting furnace bubbled up molten iron within him, causing the hair of his head to react with motion as if from an unseen wind. At that instant of intensity, a flash of blinding light emanated from the glass rod. The invisible power sent shock waves through the room.

  Chapter 11

  Bodyguard

  Pekah jerked up from his makeshift pillow, his gaze flitting around him. The morning was yet early, the twin suns making their presence known with a tinge of color across the western sky. Eli and Jonathan still breathed deeply.

  Pekah’s heart raced. He rubbed his arms and ran his fingers through his hair as the remnants of feeling from his dream waned. He sat there amazed that it had felt so real, and wondered at the meaning of it. He replayed the scene in his mind, but could not make any sense of it. Unanswerable questions pounded in his head.

  Where was Jonathan? What was the glass object? Why did the emperor meet with me? Where did the light come from?

  Asking did not seem to help. Each supposition brought on harder questions, which left him even more bewildered. This went on for some time, and before he knew it, the suns announced their imminent rising by coloring the tops of the hills around the camp. Eli and Jonathan began to stir. Eli sat up first, and after a long, growly yawn, reached to hit Jonathan on the arm.

  “Jonathan!”

  Jonathan sat up and rubbed his eyes, glaring at Eli. “Ouch!”

  “Look at Pekah. He seems spooked.” Eli said.

  Pekah turned to meet Jonathan’s gaze.

  “What is it?” Jonathan asked.

  “I had a very strange dream.”

  Jonathan stood and stretched. He wandered over to Pekah’s side of the fire and plopped down onto a nearby log. “What did you dream?”

  Pekah took a few seconds to consider what he might say, and thought it best not to tell all he had seen. He started by describing his walk under the light of the moons, emphasizing the long dusty road and the endless trees that seemed to close in on him.

  “I noticed I was carrying a leather bag around my neck. When I opened it, I found a purple cloth with a serpent on it, and inside the cloth I found a glass rod, with white gold ends, both of them engraved with writing on them. There was also something embedded in the glass itself.” Pekah hesitated, not wanting to give up too much of the dream just yet, but he did add one other detail. “What do the words ‘Holiness, Honor, Humility’ signify?”

  Jonathan and Eli threw glances at each other, and Pekah noticed the exchange. He ignored it and continued.

  “One other thing that was quite peculiar-I’m not sure where I was when I pulled the rod from the bag. I stood in a room lit by candles. Eli was there with me.”


  “Did you know what you had in your bag?” Eli pried.

  “No, I have never seen anything like it. Do you know what it was?”

  Eli again looked at Jonathan, who bit his lip and frowned. Jonathan had an expression on his face as though he was busy trying to come up with an excuse not to discuss it.

  Pekah sensed something amiss. “You know something you’re not telling me.”

  Jonathan exhaled deeply and stood. He reached into his tunic and pulled out a bundle of purple linen. He stepped closer, then knelt down by Pekah and showed it to him, unfolding the cloth to expose a white circle and red serpent embroidered on it.

  Pekah was stunned. “That’s what I saw in my dream!”

  Jonathan smiled and unrolled the cloth the rest of the way. A glass rod lay in his hand. “This is The Thorn, the scepter of Daniel. It belonged to my father.”

  A shiver went through Pekah, making the hair stand on his neck. When he leaned over to see the scepter more closely, Jonathan motioned for him to take it. He picked it up, turning it to see the engravings at each knobbed end. Closer examination of the gray object embedded in the glass helped him discern what it was-a long, discolored thorn; sharp, and perfectly preserved. He turned the rod upward, exposing it to the first rays of morning light. The two blue suns sent their shafts through the glass, breaking into colors of a rainbow. Pekah could now clearly read the engravings on the knobbed ends, exquisitely carved letters spelling out the three words Eli had said in the dream.

  Pekah’s mind began to race as he realized that this was the object Sachar had been searching for in the Council Hall at Hasor. “I… I

  …” Pekah stammered as he gave The Thorn back to Jonathan. He could not finish his sentence.

  Eli pointed to The Thorn. “The scepter of Daniel will be passed down from father to son until the Great King comes to claim the throne.”