Just after sunrise, Pekah’s sleep was interrupted by the clanging of a bell somewhere in the distance. He sat up to yawn and stretch, even though he didn’t feel like moving. The stone beneath his feet sent an ice-cold shiver up his legs. Wasting no time, he pulled on his stockings, then yanked on his boots. He stomped each of his heels in turn until both feet were comfortable. Still having little motivation to stand, he remained on the cot and watched his friend.
A scowl on his face, Eli grunted several times as he pulled his boots close to his own bed and then fought to put them on. Normally, Pekah would have wanted to laugh, but he only let out a heavy breath, remembering what would soon take place. Having never met the emperor before, Pekah wondered what Manasseh’s temperament would be. He could only hope it would be good.
Light streamed into the tent when the Gideonite escort from the night before stepped inside, bearing a morning meal of eggs, sausages, rolls, and fresh milk. Without a word, the soldier left them with the bounty.
It was obvious to Pekah where the army had gotten their supplies. He felt certain the Danielite prisoners did not have any say in the matter when it came to the spoils of their defeat. The Gideonite army ate well, thanks to their captives.
Knowing Eli would want a blessing said over their meal, Pekah volunteered to offer it. Eli appeared to be somewhat surprised, but encouraged him to do so. It had been a long time since Pekah had prayed out loud. He thought for a moment about praying at his mother’s knee. Those prayers had only been the heartfelt pleas of a child, but they had been sincere. Afraid to attempt more than a simple expression, he gave thanks for their meal and asked merely for help in their conversation with Manasseh that day.
The two of them relished the hot meal. After they were done, they took a brief moment to tidy their tent and retrieve all their belongings. Now with nothing left to do, anxiety once again scratched at the door of Pekah’s mind. He fought off the feeling by pacing in the tent.
“Do you think we should venture out the door?” Eli asked.
“I suppose so, but are the guards still posted?”
“There’s one way to find out!”
Eli lunged forward and ducked through the tent flaps. Unwilling to be left alone, Pekah hastened out behind him, and when he stepped into the morning light of the suns, he was instantly met by armed guards.
“You may wait here, but you cannot leave the area,” one of them said.
Pekah acknowledged him, and backed up to lean against the stone wall of a building that bordered the plaza. Right above him was a shuttered window and a railing being used to hang wet clothing. He moved to the side to avoid the dripping, and Eli joined him. This gave them both a view past the Gideonite tents and into the plaza, where the fountain they had admired the previous evening still swelled and splashed. Many more Gideonite soldiers were present, and some of them escorted prisoners to and from various locations in the city. Pekah didn’t know why they were moving prisoners about, but he suspected they were being used to provide the army with manual labor.
After watching one particular group disappear down a narrow street, Pekah’s gaze fell on a pile of weapons far against the opposite side of the plaza, heavily guarded. Those must be weapons confiscated from the defending Danielites, he guessed. Images of the battle at Hasor once again started to creep into his thoughts. He fought them off and stared at the fountain.
Their escort returned with a uniformed man who stood as tall as Eli. He wore markings of rank, indicating he was a general. Pekah gave a respectful salute, and the general gave a single nod. The escort then dismissed himself.
“I have been with the emperor this morning, and I told him of your arrival. He awaits your news,” the general stated in a most official manner. The confidence and stature of the Gideonite leader made Pekah uncomfortable.
The general motioned them to follow, departing toward the wood-paneled building. As they arrived at the north entrance of the portable stateroom, the guards that had accompanied them took positions by the door, and the general opened it. He demanded that they remove all weapons, which were put in the care of the guards outside. The general then led the way. Pekah and Eli exchanged anxious glances, but followed him inside. Pekah’s heart pounded. The general secured the door, then led them around a hanging tapestry and into a well-lit chamber.
In the closest corner of the room stood a desk for writing, supplied with various types of papers and parchments, and an inkwell. Several wooden chairs, each paired with a small table, lined the two opposite walls of the chamber. A branched candlestick rested upon every table. Pekah was surprised to see large, wax candles atop each branch, instead of glow-stones. The scent of the candles reminded him of pine sap.
The main furnishing of the room was a high-back throne with engraved posts, large armrests, and solid sides. The gilded headboard sported a border of gold leaf and bore the symbol of the Tribe of Gideon at its center. The raven was exquisite, with etching so detailed that the multi-colored stained woods that made up its feathers appeared real enough to fly away. The raven’s eye had been inlaid with a single ruby, and its shiny beak was of beaten gold. It did not take any serious thought for Pekah to determine who would sit there.
The general pulled two of the chairs from the wall and set them at a distance, facing the portable throne. “Sit here until I return,” the general directed. He then stepped behind the throne, around another hanging tapestry, and through an unseen door that Pekah heard click when the general closed it.
Pekah stared at the curious tapestry that depicted a raven with a serpent in its beak and coiled under its claws. Gideon typically depicted the raven with a sprig of berries in its beak-it bothered him to see the serpent there. He frowned at the blatant political statement. Looking away, he saw that Eli, too, had noticed.
“No offense, Pekah,” Eli whispered, “but perhaps the emperor could become acquainted with an alternate tapestry scene.”
Pekah was curious. “Like what?”
“Like a raven being crushed under the hoof of an ox,” Eli whispered with a smirk.
Pekah bit his lip to restrain a laugh. He knew Eli meant no harm.
They did not wait long. Two soldiers entered the chamber from behind the throne. One was the tall general from before, and the other man a stout, uncharacteristically short Gideonite-quite heavy, with a bulging belly and almost stubby arms. He wore the insignia of a captain.
Both of them advanced and took seats next to each other against a wall. With sounds of a door closing behind the tapestry, the two soldiers rose to their feet, and motioned Pekah and Eli to do the same.
Pekah felt the blood rush to his face as Manasseh rounded the curtain to stand before the throne. The emperor did not motion them to sit, but rather left them all standing while he tipped a goblet to drain it.
Just as in Pekah’s dream, Manasseh was dressed in green silk vestments hanging loosely on his shoulders, his neck overburdened by a significant amount of varied jewelry and precious chains. Taller than Pekah, Manasseh was still not quite as tall as the general. The silver robe he wore around his neck was kept in place with a heavy, silver chain, and fabric trailed behind him on the floor. Before the emperor took his seat, he set the goblet down on a pedestal, then unclasped the robe and laid it across an armrest of the throne.
Pekah could see that Manasseh closely resembled the image on Gideonite solars, complete with long nose and cleft chin. He wondered why the emperor appeared to be so perturbed.
Manasseh wagged his finger at the general, motioning for him to address the two travelers. The general stood tall and spoke directly to Pekah.
“We understand you have news from Captain Sachar and the battle at Hasor. Tell us your name, and how it is that you are now here, traveling with this man of Uzzah. You are permitted to speak.”
In a blatant show of intimidation, the chubby soldier opposite the general drew his sword and placed the tip on the wood floor so he could rest his hands upon the pommel as he stood.
Pekah felt an adrenaline rush that sickened him. He coughed once, then cleared his throat.
“My name is Pekah,” he began, his voice quivering. “I traveled in the captain’s company on the march to Hasor four days ago. We arrived in the afternoon, the sound of our approach muffled by the rain, and then stood without the walls.”
Manasseh sat forward in his seat. Pekah wondered at the emperor’s sudden interest.
“The order was given to attack the village. We struck swiftly, and many surrendered. Captain Sachar led our
