Lars Sveen - Children of God

“I’m not here to fight,” he shouted to them, before turning back to the crowd. His voice struck us like iron. He spoke of how the Temple was no longer a place for prayer, no longer a place for stories about good. It had become a den of thieves for the rich and powerful, a haven for those collaborating with foreign powers.

“Do not concern yourselves with priests and men of riches,” Nadab shouted. “Do not concern yourselves with those who’ve run and hidden. They know everything that’s been written down but nothing about the Word of God. They work for the infidels.”

Two of the guards tried to seize Nadab from each side, but Nadab saw them both. He struck out at one of them with the sword, then turned quickly and raised the dagger at the other one.

“Don’t,” he said. “Keep back, don’t try your luck. If the Lord will stand by me, I’m here to tell everybody that the light hasn’t been extinguished, it’s still lit, the Lord is here with us. Listen to the prophet Jesus. Don’t listen to the ones with all the power. Don’t listen either to the young ones who thirst for justice, but who would lead us all into war. It’s Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, you should follow, that’s who.”

And then he was cut off. Several of the guards went for him at the same time. But when one of them was in range of Nadab’s sword, Nadab hesitated. He didn’t stab him with the dagger. I heard Jehoram groan as Nadab lowered both his weapons and lifted up his face.

The guards were on top of him at once. One of them struck Nadab on the head with a club, and when he fell to the ground, they kicked him in the face and chest and arms and stomach. The crowd began to shout: “Hang him, hang him.” More guards arrived and told people to stay back. Jehoram was on his way up to where Nadab lay, bloody and curled up. I took hold of him, pulled him away, pushed him out and down the stairs.

“They’re going to kill him,” Jehoram said.

“Shut up,” I said. “Shut up, Jehoram, just go, don’t look back.” But Jehoram didn’t want to listen and tried to stop me. I got hold of one of his hands and pulled him close to me.

“Do you want to die?” I snarled at him. “There’s nothing we can do now. We’ve got to find Reuben.”

Jehoram nodded in agreement.

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, it’s true, there’s nothing we can do, nothing.”

He started to tear off the fabric he had wrapped around him. He scratched at his sores and spoke to himself, and I knew I had to get him out of there. I dragged him across the square toward the colonnades. There were some children gathered in the shadows. They looked like a gang, and I recognized the boy who’d barked at us.

Before I could say anything, Jehoram ran at the children, the loose fabric from his bandages flapping around him. It was a while since I’d last seen him like this. He was about to fall apart. Jehoram bellowed at the children, striking those who couldn’t get away, knocking them over, and grabbing the boy, lifting him up, and shaking him.

“Do I look like a dog?” Jehoram said.

Some of the children stood there, staring at him, while others screamed and fled. The boy hanging in the air punched and kicked. Jehoram just grinned and asked him again if he looked like a dog. I told him to stop.

“Stop,” I said. “Let go of that boy and pull yourself together.”

Jehoram looked at me. His eyes were red, and he was drooling. He let go of the boy, and the boy fell to the ground. The other children, those who were still there, stared at us. One of them, a tall lad, asked who we were to lay hands on one of his people.

“One of your people?” said Jehoram, starting to snigger.

I grabbed him. “Let it go, Jehoram, calm down.” Jehoram shook off my hand, spat, and snarled.

“You have no business here,” said the tall boy. “He’s possessed, isn’t he?”

“No,” I said. “He’s not possessed, he’s my brother. Keep your distance from him if you still want to see the light of day.”

Jehoram smiled at my threat and nodded. “Yeah, Jehoash, that’s right. Come on, tell them who I am.”

“Who are you?” I asked the tall one while I looked around. Nobody seemed to care about what was happening here. There were no guards or soldiers heading in our direction.

“I’m the new Saul, King of the Temple Dogs,” said the boy.

I nodded and tried to understand what he was talking about.

“So,” I said, “you and those kids, your gang, you have control of everything that goes on here, do you?”

Saul nodded.

“All right, Saul,” I said. “Listen here. I need some help. There’s money to be had if you help me.”

Saul stood there looking at me. He was quiet and the children around him were standing still.

“What’ll happen to the man they caught in the Temple just now?” I asked.

“There’ll be a crucifixion,” Saul said.

I asked him when and where. Saul moved and pointed at some of the other children, who came over and whispered to him.

“It’s happening now, right away,” he said. “They’re taking him to Golgotha.”

“Can you show us the way?” I asked.

Saul said we’d have to pay, and once we’d paid, he’d let two of the children take us there. I took out some coins. Jehoram said it would be cheaper just to make them do it.

The two children walked down from the Temple Mount and into the city. We followed them through the crowds, through the streets and around corners.

I didn’t think we’d be able to stop it. I wasn’t planning to step forward and declare that Nadab was insane, or that there was a raging fever inside him. I just wanted to see what they’d do with him. And if he’d stay alive until nightfall.

After walking a short way, the two children stopped, pointed ahead, and started running back. We stared at where they’d pointed and saw a procession heading out through an opening in the city walls. The soldiers went out in front, and in between them was Nadab. He was carrying a wooden cross. People were shouting, and some young men threw stones and spat at Nadab. The soldiers didn’t seem to care as they dragged Nadab and pushed him forward.

We followed behind, right at the back of the procession, out of the city and up toward a hill. There were a number of crosses still bearing the remains of the dead. I felt empty as my legs climbed up, my hands cold. The soldiers chased away the children and told people to stay back. They held Nadab down while they nailed him to the cross. He screamed and wailed, and they had trouble keeping him still. One of the soldiers, the one holding his feet, yelled to the others, and another one went up with a staff and hit Nadab on the head to keep him still.

They finished their task, and Nadab was raised up. His clothes were torn off, his whole body broken. I’d never seen any of my men in this way before. If one of us was injured, we tended to him. If one of us was killed, we put him where wild animals couldn’t reach. I’d taken Nadab in, and he’d seemed ready for this life. But seeing him like this …

“We shouldn’t have come here,” I said.

Jehoram didn’t move. He stood there, facing Nadab.

“We’ve got to find Reuben,” I said. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

Jehoram said something, but I wasn’t listening.

“Come on,” I said. “We’ve finished here.”

“No,” said Jehoram. “He’s not dead yet.”

I turned to my brother. Blood ran from some of the sores on his forehead.

“Jehoram, we’ve got to go.”

“No,” said Jehoram. “Listen, he’s still alive.”

I turned to where Nadab was hanging. He was making a sound, a weak, whining lament.

We met up with Reuben when it had grown dark. The stars were hidden behind black clouds. A chill wind was blowing in, and Jehoram had undressed. He’d begun to scratch and claw at all his sores. He shouted to Reuben and told him to hurry up. Reuben asked what was wrong, staring at Jehoram, who was sitting there, almost naked, and bleeding.