“We should look there,” Eli said, pointing farther up the hillside. “I think Jonathan would have chosen a more secluded spot above us for his refuge.”
Pekah thought about it and agreed. Rachel remained behind, but he followed Eli a short distance to a spot between two rock outcroppings, both as large as wagons. Pekah leaned into the slope to continue climbing. A few pebbles tumbled down from above them, causing both men to look for the source.
A familiar face appeared around one of the massive piles of stone. Jonathan appeared to be nervous, holding his bow defensively while he watched the company of Gideonites waiting a bow-shot away.
“Everything’s fine!” Pekah assured him.
Jonathan looked at Pekah, at Eli, then at Tavor among the soldiers. He seemed to relax. Then his eyes fell on Rachel.
Pekah turned his head to see Rachel stumbling up behind him, her eyes wet. Jonathan returned his arrow to his quiver and hurried down to her. Before she could embrace him, he fell to his knees, grabbed her hand, and held her palm to his cheek as he closed his own tear-filled eyes. She stooped to wipe his wet cheeks with her other hand, then tugged at his shirt sleeve until he stood.
Jonathan did, and with a gentle pull, he brought her close and held her. With her head nestled near his, the two of them whispered several things unheard by the rest of the party. There were nods from Rachel, and even a slight giggle. He held her for a few more moments and then released her, but kept her hand tightly in his own as if not willing to let it go.
Pekah and Eli stepped closer to the pair, both grinning.
“Glad to see you,” Eli said. “I can hardly wait to tell you what has happened.”
Jonathan surveyed the faces in the group below, taking extra time with those who were Gideonite. He motioned for Pekah to come closer, and then in a hushed tone asked, “Why are they here, if you’re not a prisoner?”
Speaking in a manner and volume intended to address the entire group, Pekah told Jonathan they had all come as an escort to find him, and General Jasher of Bezek had declared an end to the conflict.
“Jonathan, the Three Brothers are once again at peace!”
“Tell me how,” came Jonathan’s incredulous reply.
“I assure you, it’s true. Eli will tell you everything while we ride back to Ain. Shall we go?”
Jonathan nodded, then proceeded to escort Rachel to her mount, an arm around her shoulder. Falling to one knee and steadying her hand, he provided a step and lifted her gently to her seat. Rachel did not protest as she had with Eli. Her eyes bright, she beamed at him, and he kissed her hand before releasing it.
Taking his place on a steed provided by Tavor, he begged them for a drink. “My water skin ran dry this morning. I was too far from the river and didn’t want to leave my lookout.”
Eli handed him a water skin as the group began their descent on the winding road toward Ain. He asked about Jonathan’s previous night under the stars.
“I used young pine boughs to make my bed comfortable, but I didn’t sleep well. Too worried, I suppose.”
As they rode, Pekah frequently glanced over to watch Jonathan, noticing that he would often reach out to touch Rachel’s hand whenever their eyes met. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he witnessed their tender exchanges. He let out a sigh, masked by the clomping of horses’ hooves.
Pekah’s mind wandered back to the conversations being carried on between the riders. He found Eli relating the tale of their arrival in Ain on the day previous. Eli told of the reception they received and everything else leading up to the final scene with Manasseh, taking special care to describe the emperor’s violent and angry reaction when Pekah refused to hand over The Thorn. Eli stopped his narration and motioned for Pekah to finish the story.
Pekah kept his gaze upon the horse’s ears before him, self-conscious about his part in the tale. Choosing his words with care so as not to bring attention to himself, Pekah tried to describe the manifestation of power from above. “A fierce wind blew in the building. It was like being in a storm, but it wasn’t dark. A light entered the room as if from heaven. Jonathan, I could feel it.”
“You could feel the light?”
“Yes. It felt like fire, but it did not burn me. And it was stronger than the wind. The light flashed through The Thorn and hit Manasseh. He immediately died, and the building shook and fell apart.”
“I saw it!” Jonathan said, startled. He leaned forward in his saddle with an intense look on his face.
“You saw what?” Eli asked.
“The light! Early this morning, I sat watching the city. The ground shook, and I saw a flash of light. I worried that something terrible had happened.”
“That’s when we were talking to Manasseh!” Pekah said.
All three men fell silent, the significance of the event sinking in.
Now thoughtful, Pekah touched the leather bag hanging from his neck. Realizing that Jonathan had never asked for the scepter to be returned, he mentioned it, but Rachel had Jonathan’s attention. Apparently confused by the story, she asked more questions, which Jonathan and Eli answered. Pekah listened. By the time they were within sight of the city gates, Pekah forgot his desire to give the scepter back.
In the distance, they could see the banners of Gideon flapping in the wind, now joined by the banners of both Uzzah and Daniel. A lump rose in Pekah’s throat when he saw the colors posted together. And in my lifetime, he thought. Reviewing the chain of events that had brought him from Hasor to Ain, he marveled.
When Jonathan asked about the flags, Eli filled in the rest of the story, including the dreams of General Jasher and Captain Amon. As Eli described the procession that flowed into the prison area, declaring the freedom of all with an end to the conflict, Jonathan grinned. He reached out and shook Pekah’s hand. “Thank you, my dear friend. I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. You have brought about an end to this war!”
Tavor spurred his horse closer. “Jonathan-this is actually just part of the army of Gideon. Much work remains to be done in order to truly end the war.”
Tavor is right, Pekah thought. General Jasher may have aligned with the other tribes, but Rezon has not. At least, not yet.
There wasn’t much talk after that. Pekah had other things he wanted to say, but noticed that Jonathan had a far-off look in his eyes, as if he were somewhere else, and chose not to disturb him. The last minutes of the journey passed by with only the gentle clomping of hooves reaching his ears.
They arrived at the gates to find them open, Danielite families gathered both outside the walls and in the courtyard, all assembled for their various journeys back to their homesteads around Ain. Avoiding the noisy crowd, the riders pressed on, past the tents and down the street that would lead them to the central courtyard.
The first time Pekah and Eli traveled this way, most of the neighboring buildings had either been abandoned or filled with Gideonite soldiers. They were now occupied by Danielite businessmen and families, spending their time tidying up their various properties. The laughter of children was a most welcome sound, but what touched Pekah most was seeing Gideonite soldiers working side-by-side with Danielites and Uzzahites in repairing broken doors, railings, and windows.
At one residence, two dark-haired soldiers had hung their armor over a post and were in the process of taking orders from an elderly Danielite woman as to where she wanted a large clay flowerpot moved on her flagstone porch. The woman had a gentle hand on the shoulder of the soldier next to her. The other one gazed up from where he knelt as if she were his dearest grandmother. This display of service by men who, just hours before, had been considered conquerors of the city, brought tears to Pekah’s eyes.
Arriving at the grand central fountain, they found themselves surrounded by a large host of Gideonite soldiers. The gathered crowd listened intently to General Jasher, who stood behind a makeshift podium set up on the exposed floor of the portable stateroom. Pekah rose in his saddle to see if the throne was still occupied, but it was empty. He pulled back on the reins so he could ask a man standing below him what had been done with the body of the emperor.
“They took Manasseh’s body out of the city and burned it in a funeral pyre,” came the reply.
Pekah thanked the man for the information and spurred his mount to catch up to the group.
The travelers arrived together near the northeast corner of the platform and dismounted. A loud cheer arose from the crowd as General Jasher announced he had released all prisoners, and some were already returning to their homes. Even with the clamor, Jasher noticed the arrival of Pekah’s group. He nodded with recognition as one of the escorting Gideonite soldiers raised his hand in greeting.