Daron Fraley: The Thorn

Pekah relaxed with the blade tip now off his chest.

“Although you and your fallen friends attempted to kill me, I don’t wish to shed your blood,” Jonathan said. “I won’t permit you, however, to continue your war against my people. If you covenant with me that you will lay down your weapons of war and return to your home in peace, I will spare your life.”

Pekah did not answer. Jonathan sensed a renewed fear in the soldier.

“Again, I swear to you, as I am granted breath by our God and Creator, that I will spare your life and release you, if you will but heed my request and give me your promise upon your very honor.”

Jonathan stepped back a few paces to give Pekah some room, and took opportunity to check him over. He saw that Pekah was strong and fit, slightly shorter than himself and Eli. The Gideonite’s rough hands betrayed the life of one accustomed to the hard work of a laborer, and seemed out of place when contrasted with the almost-new uniform he wore. Dressed in the typical manner of Gideonite soldiers, he wore a tightly-woven green wool tunic under his breastplate, which reached to just above the knees, held to his waist by a wide leather belt. His pants were black, and his brown boots wore the evidence of many long marches in recent days. In particular, Jonathan noticed that the paint on Pekah’s hardened leather breastplate shone in the evening light, an indication he had not been serving in the army of the Gideonite emperor for very long.

As Jonathan surveyed the soldier’s appearance, Pekah gaped at the sword in Jonathan’s hand as if surprised not to have been struck down by it. Jonathan looked again at Eli, and felt annoyed when Pekah cleared his throat to get his full attention.

“I seem to have a problem.”

Jonathan’s eyebrows lifted as he scrutinized the young Gideonite. “What kind of problem?”

Pekah swallowed hard. “If I consent, and give the oath which you have requested, my life will be in danger of forfeit. Desertion from the emperor’s army is punishable by death. From what I have heard, death for deserters is not a pleasant experience. The emperor is fond of torture to induce submission among the people.”

“I see.”

“And,” Pekah continued, “returning home will take me nowhere. My mother passed away a few years ago. I never knew my father. I only have one other choice.”

Jonathan waited. Pekah’s dramatic pause irritated him.

“My only choice is to follow you.”

Jonathan frowned, and he felt his brow furrow. He stepped closer to the Gideonite and glared at him. “What will you do for me?” he asked in a firm voice.

Pekah did not hesitate. “I will serve you. Yes, Nate-I will serve you until you release me, and even unto the end of my life, if you desire. Will you take me as your servant?” He stood unflinching and motionless.

Jonathan did not relish the thought of having a servant join him in battle, and yet something intrigued him about the idea of keeping Pekah close. This young man may be of use, he thought. “Swear it. Swear it by your honor.”

“I swear it by my life and my honor.”

Now satisfied, Jonathan switched his weapon to his left, then stepped forward, offering the palm of his free hand in acceptance, which Pekah instantly covered with his own right hand. Jonathan held Pekah’s gaze momentarily, then both men withdrew. An oath of honor such as this would be broken only by death, even by a Gideonite. Jonathan relaxed with a deep breath.

Seeing that his own sword was still in hand, Jonathan drove it deep into the soft grassy turf, all the way to the hilt, to clean it. He pulled it from the ground and flashed the perfect, sharp edges above him. Through the blade, he could see the eastern sunset sky where the small dots of Azure and Aqua rested on the horizon. He sheathed the sword, feigned a glare at Eli, then grinned.

“It’s good to see you. But you can’t seem to stay out of trouble, can you?”

Eli returned the grin. “It’s my lot in life. Yours is to get me out of the trouble I’m in.”

Jonathan nodded and laughed. Eli frequently seemed to be into some kind of mischief when they were together as young boys. Jonathan had often shouldered the blame for some of the pranks so Eli would not be the one always in trouble.

“I’m sorry,” Pekah said.

Jonathan studied the Gideonite. Pekah appeared as if he wanted to say something more, but instead blew out a sigh. Jonathan followed the soldier’s eyes down to Eli’s shackles.

“Let me get the keys,” Pekah suggested as he ran to the fallen captain’s body. Jonathan remained alert, and was relieved to see that Pekah only retrieved keys from a pouch on the belt of the captain. When Pekah returned, he knelt before Eli, unlocked the fetters, and untied the ropes.

Now free from his bonds, Eli stepped to the side and gently kicked Pekah to make him lose his balance and fall. Jonathan snickered.

“That’s for yanking on the rope around my neck!” Eli said with a forced growl as he pulled the loop over his head, dropping it to the ground.

At first, Pekah appeared worried about retaliation from Eli, but when he saw the boyish grin on Eli’s face, he stood and returned a sheepish smile.

“We should find some shelter for the night,” Jonathan said in a serious tone, trying not to laugh.

“What about the-?”

Jonathan cut him off with a wave of his hand, pretending to cough. He didn’t want Pekah to know of the cave. “I think we should make our way a mile to the west. The trees there are very dense. Perhaps we can find a good spot off the main trail where we won’t be noticed.”

Eli agreed, and Pekah shrugged his shoulders.

Jonathan started to speak, but hesitated. Do I trust him? Yes. I must show him that I do.

“Pekah, get yourself a new weapon. We also need to hide the bodies before we leave, or we will surely be followed.”

Before they worked together to drag the bodies into the trees, Jonathan helped Eli retrieve his weapons, which had been bundled and tied to a large shoulder sack belonging to one of the archers. They found that Eli’s sword, belt dagger, and boot knife were all together.

Eli strapped them on, stretched his aching and cramped muscles, then rubbed the marks left by his bonds.

“Is that all of it?” Jonathan asked.

“All but my walking staff. Unfortunately the soldiers left it behind when I was captured,” Eli said as he brushed the dust from his coarsely-woven white tunic. “I’ll get a new stick tomorrow. Plenty of trees around.”

Jonathan led the way, and the three of them started the unpleasant task of disposing of the dead Gideonites. As they placed the bodies together, Eli suggested they reclaim any usable items from the soldiers, such as provisions and weapons, rather than leave the supplies for marching Gideonite troops to find. Jonathan consented. He helped Eli cut branches to cover the men while he watched Pekah gather supplies in eager haste. Jonathan could see that Pekah felt no grief for the dead soldiers, especially the captain. He watched with interest as Pekah removed a dagger from the captain’s leather belt, took a sword from one of the archers, and then strapped both weapons to his waist.

Jonathan cut a final branch, then motioned to Eli. They turned to assist Pekah in his search and found quite a few other useful things. Their pile of treasures included a few glow-stones, two glow-stone lanterns, a flint for fire making, two quivers of very fine arrows, two bows, and enough provisions to last for three days.

In addition to the supplies, Pekah also found a small bag of gold and silver coins on the captain’s belt. Each coin bore the image of Manasseh, Emperor of the Gideonites, on one side, and an image of the twin suns on the other. Jonathan estimated that there were about forty Gideonite solars total. Pekah returned them to the leather bag and presented it to Jonathan, respectfully asking him to take them.