though he wanted nothing more to do with the war, he had no choice. Rezon had to be stopped.
Jonathan pushed his own need for peace out of his mind. Standing near Rachel while their horses took water, he reached for her hand. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine. Tired of riding, but fine,” Rachel said, her response anxious.
Jonathan wasn’t convinced. Although she did not complain, he could tell she was not only weary, but perhaps even afraid. He stayed close to her until Amon suggested that they be on their way.
Amon’s eagerness to catch up to Mehida’s army caused them to ride harder than they had all morning, but the determined pace helped ease some of the heavy burden on their hearts. When they stopped for their mid-day meal-or mid-day snack, as Eli had termed it-they ate standing up. Again they rode with the speed of a falcon to its prey.
Just as predicted, they caught up to Mehida’s thousands on the edge of the foothills, the sharp peaks of the Hara Range looming before them. As they rode into the ranks, a cheer went up from Mehida’s men. Many of the soldiers wished health and prosperity upon the heir of Daniel as he passed by them. Somewhat embarrassed by being singled out, Jonathan managed to greet them politely, wishing them the same.
“Welcome, General Amon,” Mehida said with a salute as the company approached the head of the column.
“Thank you, Mehida. You have done very well in your march. Are the men still strong?”
“Yes, sir. We rested for several hours this morning, and they seem to be as fresh as they were yesterday. What are your orders, sir?”
“No specific orders at this time, Captain. We are here to march with you. I’m grateful for your strength. My men feel the weight of the coming battle, but we will march to Ramathaim with our proud banners declaring the unity of this Army of Brothers.”
Soldiers from Gideon, Daniel, and Uzzah, who were close enough to hear the general name the army, all shouted, “Hosanna!” Others added their voices as the expression was repeated again, followed by the entire host joining in yet a third time, their shout loud enough to reach the heavens. The rumble of their declaration seemed to shake the very ground upon which they stood. The heaviness of fear lifted, replaced by a thrilling feeling of purpose. For a moment, Jonathan felt nothing in the universe could prevent them from accomplishing their goal.
With great excitement, the men holding the green and white banners of Gideon, the purple and white of Daniel, and the blue and white of Uzzah, waved them back and forth in front of the Army of Brothers. At Amon’s command, they marched onward together, toward glory or defeat, according to the mercy of the Holy One in whom they trusted.
Chapter 30
'General Rezon!” the messenger shouted as he ran toward the observation hut.
Rezon and Jael both turned and watched as the messenger stumbled up the hill, clearly exhausted by his efforts in the hot afternoon suns. The messenger saluted in a sloppy manner before bending over to catch his breath. Impatient, Rezon ordered the man to speak. With some difficulty, he spat out the information he had just learned from scouts on the southern patrols.
“An army is approaching. It is as we were told… an army of Gideon, Daniel, and Uzzah! They are less than an hour away!”
Cursing angrily, Rezon looked at Jael.
“I will kill every one of them myself!” Jael spewed, his voice filled with venom.
Rezon turned back to study the outer wall of Ramathaim. The protective arches of the front entrance had just fallen, fully exposing the main gates. Most of the rubble had fallen to one side, leaving plenty of room to get a ram near the reinforced doors. Glaring out the hut window, he could see two covered battering rams that had been pushed up near the central catapult. Housed within A-frames on wheels, the capped rams were protected by steep, sloping roofs covered with wet furs, soaked overnight to make them more fire resistant. Teams of soldiers waited alongside rope handles intended for swinging the suspended ram.
“Are there only two rams?” Rezon asked Jael.
“Yes. More are being constructed, but these are the only two ready.”
“Well, we cannot wait for others to be built. Keep them rolling.”
Now twitching with anger as he thought of the approaching united army, Rezon turned back to the messenger who had not been dismissed. His ire boiled over.
“Get out of my sight or be flogged!”
Looking confused, the messenger ran off without saluting.
Rezon stepped out of the hut to kick a helmet lying on the ground near him, sending it into a nearby trench that stretched up to the front lines.
Gad approached the hut, and Jael passed on the orders.
“Get those rams ready to advance!” Gad shouted to the front line.
Puffs of white smoke rose from the Rock of Sacrifice as the remains of an offering finally surrendered to the flames below. Boaz and Uzziel both knelt before the altar, heads bowed in reverent prayer. They had been there for quite some time, but their knees were not uncomfortable as they rested upon white cushions. Other priests serving at the temple went about their duties, but none of them disturbed the two aged men praying before the altar.
As if they sensed the sacrifice was complete, Boaz and Uzziel opened their eyes at the same time.
“What do you feel?” asked the High Priest of Uzzah.
“Uzziel, I had the strangest thought,” Boaz answered “I had the distinct impression that Jeremy needs to assemble the Host of Uzzah in the streets of the city. They need to be ready right now. I think something is going to happen soon that will make the enemy more vulnerable to us. I don’t know how it will be done, but we need to be ready.”
Uzziel thought for a minute, recognizing that his own feelings were similar-to muster the army right away. “I will send the message to Captain Jeremy at once,” Uzziel said as he stood up from his prayer and brushed his white robe free of wrinkles.
“The temple priests will be armed, and then we’ll join you.” Boaz retrieved the cushions, handing them to another priest who came to assist.
“Meet me at the inner gates. I think we should be assembled within the hour.”
“I agree.”
With that, the High Priest of Uzzah trotted off toward the archway that led to the markets of Ramathaim.
“What do you see?” Amon whispered as he stood behind Captain Mehida and Jonathan, who were using their spyglasses to observe the enemy assembled on the hills of Ramathaim.
“There are about four thousand men with Rezon,” Jonathan replied.
“It may even be nearer to five thousand, and they have several siege weapons in position,” Captain Mehida added.
Amon shook his head with a sigh. His heart felt like a heavy stone in his chest. “We are outnumbered almost two to one.”
Arms crossed in a defiant manner, Eli loudly cleared his throat to get Amon’s attention. “No disrespect, General, but Uzzah is behind those walls. Our numbers are at least equal, and we have an advantage-our people defend their homes. Rezon will not stand.”
Amon didn’t take offense at the comment. “I apologize. You’re right, Eli-Uzzah will fight as no other warriors can. This is your home. My only worry… I’m not sure how to let your people know we’re here. We will need their help.”
Eli and Tavor both regarded each other, and then laughed.
