of them.
As they rounded one particularly large bend, they were surprised to see that the horse-drawn wagon they had been following had been abandoned in the middle of the lane, loaded with food supplies and numerous casks marked as wine. No one was nearby. Ahead of the wagon they could see another bend in the road. Pekah and Jonathan drew their swords, and Eli held his staff defensively with both his large hands.
They crept forward, straining to pick up sounds around them. The two bridled horses were somewhat skittish, stomping nervously as the men approached. Eli hushed them with a gentle pat as he walked by.
As they rounded the bend in the road, they found the body of a Gideonite soldier lying in the dirt to one side. Pekah looked to his companions for their reactions, but they were intent on continuing. At the start of the next turn, they found another dead soldier dressed in green, wearing the Mark of the Raven. Blood near the body had not yet congealed. The smell of it offended Pekah’s nostrils, making his nose twitch. Jonathan motioned for them all to hasten.
Almost jogging, they made their way to where the road skirted a large pine. On the other side they found two dead Danielites, over which crouched a Gideonite, very much alive.
Startled by their sudden presence, the soldier jumped up, nocking an arrow into his bow. His sword lay on the ground at his feet, and he nudged it to the side with a gentle kick.
Holding his hands and sword up in alarm, Pekah yelled at the man, “Do not shoot!”
Both Pekah and Eli stepped ahead of Jonathan, but Jonathan moved next to them, completing the line.
“You there! Why do you travel with a Danielite?” the soldier hollered at Pekah.
Pekah glanced at Jonathan, then back at the soldier. “We are traveling to Ain,” he said, his tone curt. So as to not provoke the soldier, he instinctively lowered his weapon, Eli and Jonathan following suit.
With obvious irritation, the soldier pulled the bowstring back a few inches, pointing the arrow tip at Eli’s feet. He appeared to recognize the coarse weave of Eli’s white tunic, and the general features of Eli’s face, which all but shouted “Uzzahite.”
“It’s very uncommon for the three tribes to walk together,” the soldier snarled. He nodded at the fallen Danielites. “These two surprised us from the trees and killed my men. But they did not kill me, as you can see.”
The Gideonite spat on the ground. He kicked dust into it as if daring them to start the fight.
With almost fatherly sternness in his voice, Jonathan broke his silence. “Soldier, we have no quarrel with you. Lay down your weapons.”
The soldier changed his stance, targeting Jonathan’s feet. Eli took another step forward, raising his staff to his chest, and with insistence said, “You had better listen to the man. A peaceful surrender is far better than the alternative.”
The soldier ground his teeth like a horse chewing on its bridle, but did not stand down. He pulled the bowstring fully back, now pointing at Jonathan’s legs.
“If he decides to fire,” Eli whispered, “we will not reach him in time.”
The tension in the air was palpable. None of the four men moved.
Pekah decided to try negotiating with the Gideonite soldier. “I don’t know your name,” Pekah stated with an outstretched arm, “But I do know that you would probably like to know mine. If you drop your weapon, I will tell you who we are, and why we are traveling together.”
Very briefly, the situation seemed to improve. The soldier relaxed his pull and let the arrow-point fall farther toward his own feet. But then one of the fallen Danielites, whom Pekah had assumed to be dead, let out a groan of pain. The Gideonite started to aim for the wounded man.
His face full of anger, Jonathan advanced, his crystal sword sparkling in the daylight. Just as quick as a lightning flash, the Gideonite swung his aim back around and up at Jonathan’s chest. Pekah reacted out of pure instinct and jumped in front of Jonathan just as the arrow was let loose. It struck Pekah squarely in the breastplate, knocking him off his feet. Eli had already charged, and with all his strength, he connected his swinging staff with the side of the Gideonite’s head, producing a splitting sound like a melon falling off a farmer’s cart. The soldier dropped like a rock into a heap upon the ground.
Jonathan knelt at Pekah’s side and lifted his head from the ground. The arrow lay in the dirt beside him.
Pekah wheezed. “I can’t breathe,” he said, nearly choking on the words.
Jonathan yanked the breastplate straps loose, and Eli helped Pekah sit up. Jonathan pressed his finger against the small wound to stop the bleeding. “Pekah?”
Pekah gasped, still fighting for air. He groaned. “Ohhh… that hurt!”
“Not as much as it hurt him,” Eli added gravely as he pointed to the fallen Gideonite.
Once he could breathe without gasping, Pekah inspected his armor to find that the arrow had not completely pierced the hardened leather. Only the very tip of the arrow-point had made it through. The wind had been knocked out of him, but he was alive, and grateful for it.
“Can you stand?” Jonathan asked.
“Yes. Help me up, please.” He leaned on them for assistance. “Much better.”
Jonathan patted him on the shoulder, then motioned to the Danielite soldier. “He is still alive.” Jonathan led the way to the soldier’s side.
As they approached, Pekah knew the Danielite would not live. He had been cut through the belly, and the amount of blood loss indicated that his time was short.
“Can you hear me?” Jonathan asked as he knelt on one knee beside the man’s head.
The man groaned but did not answer right away. His head tilted toward the voice, and then upon opening his eyes, there came a moment of recognition as if he knew who Jonathan was.
“Do you know him?” Pekah asked Jonathan.
“No.”
The soldier tried to lift his head, but fell back to the ground. Eli retrieved a wineskin, and Pekah assisted in holding the man’s head up while Eli dripped some of the liquid into the man’s mouth.
“Thank you,” the soldier said with difficulty. He coughed, wincing at the pain. With wide eyes and the force of a driven purpose, he choked, “The emperor… is in Ain.”
The Danielite then lost all of his strength, groaning as his last breath left him.
Jonathan laid him to the ground with care, and arose from his kneeling position. Emotions welled in Jonathan’s eyes and dripped down onto his beard, and Pekah’s own eyes misted. Eli was no less somber.
The companions stood there together in respectful silence for almost a minute until Eli suggested they take a closer look at Pekah’s wound. It had stopped bleeding, but still needed attention. Eli pulled a small bandaging cloth from Pekah’s supplies, and Pekah tucked it into his shirt and pressed it to the wound, wincing at the pain. Eli grabbed up the breastplate and examined the small hole, pressing the indentation back out the best he could. Pekah strapped it back to hold the bandage in place.
“Did you see where the arrow hit your armor?” Jonathan asked.
Pekah peered down to see the arrow mark, precisely at the raven’s eye, and right over his heart. His knees suddenly felt weak as he realized that without the armor, he would be dead, just like the Danielite soldier.
“Are you sure you are well enough to travel?” Eli asked, concerned.
Distracted by what the dying Danielite had told them, Pekah only nodded.
Eli studied Pekah, but Pekah averted his eyes elsewhere.
“What’s bothering you?” Jonathan prodded.
Pekah sighed, but still did not answer.
“Did you know the emperor was going to be in Ain?” Eli asked.
“Yes.”
Jonathan stepped into Pekah’s line of sight. “When did you learn he was there?”
Pekah touched his leather breastplate, right at the tender spot on his chest, before looking up again at his companions. “In the dream I had last night, I didn’t know where I was, but Eli stood with me, and we talked to Emperor Manasseh. I don’t remember what we said.”
Jonathan grabbed his beard and twisted it in his fingers before tucking his hands under his belt.
Recognizing Jonathan’s pensive reaction, Pekah felt it best to tell what he was doing in his dream, and so with soberness he added, “I had the scepter with me. Eli told me to show it to the emperor.”
“I wasn’t with you?”
