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It had been a rare moment when she stood up to Suph. She’d never spoken with such boldness in her life, but something about the beaten man called to her sense of compassion. She would not allow Suph to kill him.
And how was she to stop him? She glanced down and dug the toe of her sandal into the ground. Her mother’s beauty had commanded respect when she walked into a room. People near fell at her feet and begged to do her bidding, especially Suph. And though he’d shown her some tolerance since their flight from the palace, Abigail was certain it was a ruse. He held no great affection for her.
She was not so naive to believe she’d rule Suph, with or without great beauty, which meant she’d have to take care around him lest she found herself in a worse position than being locked in her chambers.
* * *
Cold water splashed against Jesse’s face. His muscles refused to move away from the offensive attack. His arms were wrapped over a yoke, bound with leather straps. It seemed, by the grace of God, his captors intended to keep him alive. The least he could do was open his eyes and face the traitors.
His uncle Elam hovered before him. “Aye, nephew, you would do well to end your torment and join the captain’s pursuit to recapture the throne.”
“I am not a coward, Uncle. Nor will I betray God as you have done.” Jesse still had difficulty believing his uncle had betrayed his family. If he’d not witnessed his uncle’s insanity, he would not have believed it.
Elam let out a low, harsh laugh. “You cannot think that the child you and your brother helped Jehoiada place on the throne is the rightful heir to the throne?”
“How can you believe otherwise, Uncle?” There were no doubts in Jesse’s mind. Joash was the son of Ahaziah, descendant of King David. Grandchild to the deceased wicked Queen Athaliah. The queen, in a jealous rage, had killed all her husband’s descendants seven years before. All except the infant Joash, who had been rescued by his aunt.
“It is like Jehoiada to deceive the people to gain their cooperation. He’s hungry for power.”
Jesse drew in a breath and clenched his teeth against the pain throbbing in his head. “Is that what you believe? Jehoiada is a man of God, chosen to be God’s high priest to intercede on behalf of God’s people. He does not need to deceive the people, Uncle. He has the approval of God, unlike you and that queen you were loyal to.”
A low growl emanated from his right. The captain shoved Elam aside and pressed the tip of a dagger beneath Jesse’s chin. Eyes, red from too much wine and hatred, glared at him. “It is with great providence our future queen has a soft heart, else I’d leave little of you for the birds.”
Queen?
Certainly the young woman with the pointy chin and high forehead wasn’t a product of Athaliah. Although pretty with her waist-length chestnut hair and her strange green eyes, she wasn’t the stunning beauty her mother had been; nor did she seem to carry the same abhorrent character. Her pale complexion at the sight of him said as much. No, the captain toyed with him. But if Suph thought to play games with the people of Judah, at least he could have chosen a more prominent woman, not one frightened of her own shadow.
Jesse straightened his shoulders, removing his flesh from the man’s blade. “I killed your queen. And I’ll kill her, too, if need be.”
The captain’s fist slammed into Jesse’s jaw. A flash of white light exploded in his head a moment before his feet were swept from beneath him. He landed on his back. Air stole from his lungs as the wooden yoke jammed against his shoulders.
The sun captured and glinted off the dagger held above his attacker’s head. The captain’s chest heaved with each breath. He meant to kill him.
Just as well. Although he did not relish passing from this earth, he hated being a pawn even more. With his eyes set on the captain, Jesse arched his neck. “Go on.”
The captain inhaled as his blade rose higher.
“Enough!”
Jesse pressed his lips together at the sound of his uncle’s voice. The old man’s sanity returned at the oddest times. If Elam hadn’t kidnapped Mira, Jesse’s brother’s betrothed, Jesse wouldn’t have been taking him back to Jerusalem to face the elders, and he certainly wouldn’t be facing death at the hands of a coward. Who killed a man when he was half-beaten and bound?
“Killing him will not achieve our goal, Suph.”
The captain rolled his shoulders, leaned over Jesse and cut the leather strap holding the carbuncle from his neck before sheathing his dagger. “Stretch him out near the altar, but keep him alive.”
Suph kicked Jesse before stalking away, his helmet tucked beneath his arm and Jesse’s tribal identity loose in his fingers. Jesse narrowed his eyes. When he was free from his bindings, he wouldn’t show such mercy. When he was done with the traitor, the captain would beg for the sun’s hottest kiss.
Elam knelt beside him and smoothed a cool cloth to Jesse’s lips. “You should not provoke his anger.”
Jesse narrowed his eyes. “You should have let him kill me.”
A nervous laugh rumbled through Elam’s chest, trembling his fingers. “Your father would have my head if anything happened to you.”
“Your loyalties confuse me, Uncle.”
Elam tilted his head, his brows furrowed. “I’ve always been loyal to my family. Have done what I thought best.”
“And God?”
“Has abandoned us in our greatest time of need.” Elam braced his arms beneath Jesse’s shoulders and helped him to sit. “We must fend for ourselves, stand with those who are strong and bound to rule like Suph’s pawn, Queen Athaliah’s disgraceful daughter. Whether we agree with their beliefs or not.”
Elam motioned for two soldiers to approach. “Stretch him between the postings erected, and then have a servant clean his wounds and feed him. My nephew needs his strength for what he is about to endure.”
The soldiers lifted Jesse to his feet. He looked at his uncle. “I do not know how, or when, but God will reign. He did not restore Joash to the throne only to fail, of that I have no doubt.”
They began to move forward, but Elam’s hand held him still. He leaned close and whispered, “You’ve great potential, nephew. You are strong and with a bit of discipline you could be self-controlled. If you would only see to reason, you could become what your brother Ari rejected. You’d make a much better captain of the guard than Suph. A much better husband to Judah’s rightful queen. If you would only choose, I could make it happen. You could be King of Judah and I the high priest.”
An image of unique green eyes, the color of olive leaves, flickered through his mind.
“So be it, Uncle, but I would not serve a god imagined in the mind of a fallible man. And you can be sure I would never marry a spawn of Athaliah.”
Chapter Two
Heat infused Abigail’s cheeks as she slipped between the folds of her tent and stepped in front of Suph. His jaw hardened. His chest rose and fell in harsh, rapid movements. She laid a hand on his shoulder. A gesture she’d often spied her mother do from the balcony outside her chamber.
His gaze flicked to her hand before settling on her. He shifted his stance, dislodging her hand, and propped a fist on his hip. “What is it I can do for you, Abigail?”
She straightened her shoulders, standing a few inches above him, and tilted her head. “My apologies if I wounded your pride, Suph. However, I believe you can see the wisdom of keeping the prisoner alive.”
He firmed his lips. “Alive, yes. Being left capable of killing what few men we have to protect you, no.”
Her gaze sought out the man carried by her soldiers. His wide shoulders sagged, his arms limp. He couldn’t even walk on his own.
“Do not allow his condition to fool you, Abigail.”
“Even hale I doubt he could do as much harm.”
A harsh chuckle burst from Suph. His eyes bore a mocking yet dangerous glint. “Do not think to underestimate him, dearest. He’s an elite soldier trained in ways I can only imagine, as much as it wounds me to admit. Given the chance, he’ll kill me, kill my men.” He gripped her chin, the scent of blood heavy on his hands. “And he’ll kill you if only to save that child he claims is your brother’s. The child he helped set on the throne. Are you willing to risk as much?”
She thought of the child and the varied stories that had whispered off the palace walls. She’d seen only twelve summers that awful year when word of her brother’s death reached them. At first, she’d heard her mother had gone mad and had had all of Abigail’s male cousins and nephews killed, but then her mother told her otherwise. It had been that priest Jehoiada who had infiltrated the princes’ chambers and annihilated them all.
But then, only weeks ago, rumors of a surviving child began anew. Many said he had the look of her brother. Could it be he’d been spared Jehoiada’s wrath? Why would the priest spare him when he’d killed all the others? To instill the beliefs of their so-called god? Certainly the boy was not her nephew. “Of course not, Suph. However, my stance remains, do not cause the prisoner further harm.”
His lips twitched as if he were about to defy her. “As you wish, but I will do nothing to ease his wounds.” Suph spit at the ground. “His wounds can fester until he dies. I care not. There will be other ways to remove the child from the throne.”
She reached into her soul for courage. “Your grief over my mother credits you, but do not allow it to own you, Suph. You serve me now and will do as I bid. Even if it means cleaning the prisoner’s wounds.”
“You surprise me, Abigail. Your mother claimed you were weak. However, your commands reveal your mother’s courage. Although, she never would have begged for a prisoner’s life such as you have.”
“I do not beg, Suph. I demand his life be spared as I demand his wounds be treated.”
Hatred fired from his eyes, burning through her. His nostrils flared. She halted the shiver of fear snaking through her limbs. She reminded herself that he would not kill her. He needed her. She recognized the moment when he must have realized the truth of the matter, for he rolled his shoulders and began to move around her, but she stayed him with her hand. His gaze dropped to her upturned palm. “What is it you wish, Abigail?”
“The prisoner’s gem.” She arched her eyebrows, daring him to deny her request.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. Fear increased her pulse. One thing she had learned from her mother was that trust should be held tightly within one’s own breast. Her trust did not belong to Suph. His lack of respect for her position proved as much, but if not him, then who?
The sound of a hammer beating bronze caught her attention. She glanced to the temporary altar where workers had erected an image of her mother’s god. A soldier struck the back of the prisoner’s knees, forcing him to kneel before the statue. Another guard yanked his head back by his shoulder-length hair. Even from her position she could see the rebellion shining through white eyes. Working his throat and lips, he spit.
Red-tinged spittle splattered over the man-made idol. The guard holding on to his hair forced his head back farther and uttered a few words Abigail could not hear. The corners of the prisoner’s mouth tensed in obvious pain and then he smiled in satisfaction.
“Do you not see his actions?”
Abigail shifted her gaze to Suph’s, and then to her empty hand. “The gem, Suph.”
He held the jewel up to the light of the sun. It sparkled. The once dull brown caught fire before her eyes. She sucked in a sharp breath as Suph dropped it into her palm.
“Mind my words, Abigail, and tread with care. I see the way you watch the prisoner with curious eyes. He’s not to be trusted.”
Suph pushed past her, and her gaze followed his retreat. “Neither are you,” she whispered to his back.
She squeezed her fingers around the stone. It warmed the palm of her hand. Her gaze settled on the man being stretched out before the bronze idol. His life’s blood flowed freely from his many wounds. Strange how he seemed more alive in his beaten body than Suph did in his able one.
Even the bronze statue, meant to be worshipped and obeyed, held more life than Suph. Odd, it did not breathe. It did not move of its own accord. It was not like the wind to come and go at will, yet her people bowed at its feet. Was there something to what Bilhah had said? Was there a living, breathing God? Was the God of her forefathers real?
The stone heated further and she unclenched her fingers; orange fire glowed and ebbed, taking on a life of its own. Her lips parted; her eyes once again sought the prisoner. Could she trust him to tell her the truth about this God of his?
She took a step forward.
“Where are you going?”
Abigail glanced over her shoulder. Her cousin gripped one of the folds of the tent in her hand, but she remained hidden in the shadows. “To speak with the prisoner.”
“Do you think that wise?” Bilhah moved from the protection of their shelter and out into the sunlight, her arms wrapped around her midsection. Although the kohl had been wiped from her cheeks and repainted around her eyes, she still seemed shaken from their recent ordeal.
“I do not see why not. I have questions about his cause.”
Bilhah laid a hand on her arm. “The sun is waning. It is near time for the nightly worship. Trust me, Abigail, you do not wish to bear witness to such festivities.”
Abigail scanned the camp. She hadn’t noticed the leather tables laid out on the ground, overflowing with bread and wine. Her attention had been on the hammering of bronze, Suph’s words and the actions of the prisoner. She’d not realized couples strode toward the altar. Heat filled her cheeks.
“They cannot think to...to dance, not in front of the prisoner, Bilhah. He’s not used to our ways.” Not that Abigail was used to their ways, either. She’d been kept from the ceremonies. Not because her mother thought to protect her, rather because her mother was ashamed of her lack of curves and spindly arms and legs. Too ashamed of her pale complexion, and even more ashamed of Abigail’s green eyes.
Bilhah’s gaze flicked toward the beaten man tied between the posts. Her lips curved upward. “You’re not much like your mother, you know?”
Her shoulders sagged. No, Abigail was weak like her father had been. She’d heard that often enough.
“Do not fret, Abigail. That is not such a bad thing.” Bilhah grasped Abigail’s fingers. “Come, let us go rescue your prisoner.”
“And how do you propose we do that? Suph would not be happy.”
Bilhah laughed. “You are a princess, his future queen, are you not?”
The corners of Abigail’s lips curved upward even as she choked on the knot forming in her throat. She nodded.
“Then behave as such. Come, I’ll walk beside you. Your people will not deny your request, not with a shrine priestess at your side.”
“If you will give me but a moment.” Abigail ducked into the tent and placed the prisoner’s gem and the leather strap tied around it into an ornately carved wooden box. She wiped her palms down the front of her tunic, straightened her spine and then stepped beside Bilhah. “I am ready.”
They wove through the throngs of people preparing for worship. This time they dropped to a bow as Bilhah glided past them in her purple robes. Her earlier sullenness was gone. “I see your rest has done you well,” Abigail whispered.
Bilhah inclined her head. “Very much so. However, for reasons even I do not understand.” She halted her steps, bringing Abigail beside her. “When this—” she waved her hand about them “—is done, when you are on the throne, I intend to leave my position.”
Air caught in Abigail’s lungs. The thought of losing the last of her family, her only real friend in this uncertain world, churned her stomach.
“Head high, Abigail. You are being watched. We will discuss this matter later, but be certain I weary of performing for the masses. I weary of worshipping false gods made of bronze.”
Abigail glanced at the bronze statue and then back to her cousin. “I do understand.” Abigail had often witnessed the sadness in Bilhah’s eyes when she sought refuge in Abigail’s chambers.
“Princess,” Micah’s voice sounded ragged, as if he’d run a great distance. His eyes downcast, he shifted from one foot to the other. “You should not be here.”
She smiled and patted him on the head. No more than ten summers, his concern warmed her. Would he remain faithful to her no matter what fate directed for her future? “I am well, Micah. Please fetch Dara the Healer and bring her to my tent.”
His eyes shifted to hers, his mouth agape. “Abigail—”
“Go, Micah.”
The child dipped his chin and left to do her bidding.
“Nicely done.” Bilhah’s purple tunic swirled around her feet. She clapped her hands above her head. “What is this?” she screeched, like the commanding priestess Abigail knew her to be. “You dare risk our god’s wrath with the presence of this heathen?”
Bilhah spit toward the man, missing his stomach by inches. The people swarmed around, begging apologies, even the soldiers tying the knots at the prisoner’s hands and feet. Her beauty had nothing to do with their fear of her. No, they feared her because they believed she held sway with their bronze statue and if they angered her they’d be cursed.
“Untie him.” Abigail motioned at the soldiers. “Take him to my tent.”
They glanced at Bilhah. “Go on. Do as your princess commands.”
Their fingers fumbled over the knots as they worked to loosen them. The prisoner’s body seemed to relax. His hard eyes settled on her. A sneer curled his bloodied, swollen lip. The desert wind pushed against her, forcing her to take a step back.
Perhaps she should have listened to Suph.
* * *
Jesse’s muscles tensed when the soldiers jerked him from the ground. A groan rumbled from his chest. The woman who would call herself queen tossed a look over her shoulder. Her waist-length hair danced at her hips. The slip of concern in her eyes soured his stomach.
What game was this woman about? The princess’s cohort was no more than a prostitute, even if she was considered a shrine goddess and held in high regard by those who worshipped the bronze statue. Jesse had no doubt she wouldn’t have considered his presence a defilement to her dead god. He was quite certain the priestess would have relished forcing their rituals upon him. So why would the princess and her priestess move him when their captain demanded otherwise? The tops of his toes dragged over the pebbled desert, biting into his already raw flesh. He’d seen what happened to men pulled behind a horse, but he never imagined the incessant burning of his nerves or the way his bones seemed to detach from his muscles.
His eyes caught hold of the gentle, purposeful sway of the princess’s slender hips. Although she lacked the voluptuous curves of the former queen, she had a regal bearing about her. Of course, that alone did not prove she was royalty. Certainly he would have heard if Athaliah had a daughter.
