Dark Cloud of Promise

Dark Cloud of Promise



By Stephen Patrick



Approx 5000 words









"Death comes to us beneath a dark cloud." Keret, metalsmith and friend to the king, looked out from the top of the parapet at the swirling shadow of dust forming on the eastern horizon."









"It is not death that walks with them, but their god," answered the king.











For three days, the two men had stood watch on the top of the highest platform on the eastern wall of the city of Jericho. For 72 hours, the Israelite army had stood at the doorstep of the largest citadel in Canaan. But instead of laying seige with ladders and weapons, the army of Joshua, heirs to Moses and the Promise of God, had simply marched around the city. At the head of the procession, seven priests, each carrying a trumpet made of a ram's horn, led the way, followed by the soldiers. After that impressive display, the mighty ark of the covenant travelled behind them. THe entire procession moved in lockstep around the city.











Archers from inside the city kept close watch on each step of the Israelite army, their arms quivering under the strain of maintaining the draw of their bow in anticipation of combat. FRom the menacing height of Jericho's walls, they were beyond the range of enemy archers and their arrows wiould rain down from the sky with the added force of gravity. At the gates and along the parapet, the king's sword-wielding warriors prepared for bloodshed, each breathing deeply to control the adrenaline rushing through their veins.











Keret, as always, stood to the right of the king and the commander of that army stood at the king's left. The king turned to the commander of his troops.









"It has been been three days. Have there been any changes? Any demands?"









"None, my king. They are simply... marching."











"Hah. They take us for fools, thinking we will open our gates to confront them in open warfare. Let them march, and wear out their men in foolish demonstrations. Commander, tell your men to keep close watch. Take heart from this display. Even with their golden god among them, they stil cannot breach Jericho.









The king's metalsmith kept his eyes locked on the procession. As he contemplated the future that marched in front of him, his thoughts turned back to the events that led up to this moment.









***











The night was still young, but he had suffered enough. He had planned for a night of love, not work, but his simple white tunic still bore black and brown stains of char from the smelting process. He was not properly dressed for meeting the king, but their friendship meant that some stadards could be relaxed.











"That whore will pay for this!" Keret had screamed, standing in from of a statue of Anath, the Canaanite god of love and war.









"Of course she will, friend Keret. But most whores take money, rather than give it." The King did not wield humor lightly, but the opportunity to jest with one of his oldest friends was not to missed.









"My King. This cannot stand. Once a week, for months, she had been mine and mine alone. Yet, tonight, she rebuffs me, turning me out like a common peasant. You cannot let her turn a blind eye to your most humble and obedient servant."









"Keret, my trusted metalsmith, please calm yourself. This is no way for the King's armorer to act. You are a member of my inner sanctum and a trusted companion."









"You must punish her!"









"Rahab? How many times have you enjoyed her? Or the both of us? She pays such regular tributes, I cannot deprive our coffers of her offerings. She does her business as she pleases."









"Her business? How can the business of a common whore override the will of your trusted smith? Does she have the right to refuse me for another?"









"Let your mind leave this. Simply take another. Any of them. At my expense. Perhaps two. Then your mind shall be free from this business and return to the business of my weapons."









"Yes, my King, of course."









Keret bowed and turned toward the door. As he left, The King nodded to his left and his servants came closer, each bearing the choicest meat and most succulent fruits. Two young boys moved to massage his back and legs while two caramel-skinned dancers began undulating in front of him, hoping to attract his sexual appetite.









***





"Should we just stand and do nothing, my king?" Keret was accustomed to having the king's ear, but now, with so much at stake, he felt more reverent and reluctant in addressig his friend.









After four days of waiting, they still stood and watched as their enemies moved around them again.











"They will make their move soon," said the king. "They will overextend from their formation and our archers will cut them down. THen our warriors will flood out onto the plain and kill them all."















***











With the king's dismissal of his claim against the woman still stinging in his ears, Keret stomped out of the main chamber and out onto the dusty street. He felt a curse rising in his chest as he stormed toward the outer wall, scouring the shops and vendors, navigating past bodies glistening with sweat, alcohol and other fluids. Sex and sin permeated the air, but he was looking for a different sort of satisfaction.











In a town where secrets are plentiful, but ones sins are worn out in the open, a locked door is a rare thing. Keret pulled at the brass handle to Rahab's apartment, but it was locked from the inside. He pounded his fists against the weathered wood.









"Damn you, harlot. Speak to me!"









He could hear hushed whispers from the other side of the door, then the soft shuffling of sandaled feet. With a tenderness born from years of seducing men with her body, the woman known only as Rahab answered the door. Her midnight black hair swirled around her head and over her shoulders like a shadow dancing in the flicker of moonlight. Twirling stands of gold and jewels hung from her neck and matched the curves of her body, barely hidden beneath her red dress.











"Keret?"









"Yes, you told me to come back. Now I am back!"









"I told you to come back tomorrow. I am busy tonight."









"Busy?" he screamed, beyond any semblance of dignity. "I am Keret, the king's armorer. Only the King himself has priviledge over me."









"I'm sorry, but I cannot." Despite her lithe frame, she shut the door quickly, taking Keret by surprise and leaving him stunned in the street outside her apartment. Keret slammed his fists against her door in protest, but there was no response.











Johat, a perimeter security guard, approached him. Keret tried to turn away, but Johat was on him too quickly.









"Problem with Rahab, Keret?" Despite their past relationship, Johat kept his hand suspiciously near his belt and the short sword sheathed there.











Keret swallowed his rage and his pride, hoping to avoid a prolonged interaction with on of the king's guards. Johat, a failure as a soldier, had found his calling as a perimeter guard and was a frequent customer of Keret's weapons, constantly seeking an upgrade in his weaponry. Keret had never seen him draw a sword or even shoulder a shield in defense of anything, but he paid whatever money Keret asked.











"Keret?" asked the guard. "Anything new from the kiln? Have you uncovered the secret of the green flame?"









"It's a matter of skill and timing rather than knowledge and muscle." Keret looked back at Rahab's door. "But, then again, I could use a friend."











"I haven't seen here much today. But we've been busy looking for spies."











"Spies?"









"The Israelites are headed this way and the commander has asked us to look out for spies and saboteurs."









"Then, I should leave you alone so you can do your job. Come visit me this week and I'll show you some of the new metal I've been working on."









Johat's eyes were turned by the large hips of a woman walking by, but he heard enough of Keret's speech to nod in acknowledgment of something. Regardless, it meant Keret could leave.











***



The fifth day of the seige dawned with Keret and the king standing watch from the top of the highest wall. of Jericho. The Israelite army marched again, but when their trip around the perimeter of Jericho was finished they disbanded and returned to their camp beyond the plain. The army of Jericho spent the day on edge, preparing for a battle that never came.









***















After being turned away by Rahab a second time that night, Keret had wandered atop the outer wall, staring out into the dark mountains beyond the city. Dawn lingered just beyond the horizon as he snuck past the naked bodies lining the floor of the king's chambers, each one sleeping through the fog of alcohol and fatigue induced slumber. He found the king and gently knelt beside his oldest friend.



A light tap on the shoulder of the king roused the ruler of Jericho.



"I know why she rebuffed me."



"Who?"



"That harlot, Rahab."



"You wake me for this? I told you to seek your pleasure elsewhere, to try something new for a change."



"She is hiding something. Making secrets from me. A liaison of the king with full access to the entire city."



"What secrets could she be hiding?"



Keret was not ready for the question, he was merely looking for permission to avenge his honor. He did not dare bare his fears of his inadequacies or the embarassments of their recent rendezvous. Instead, he latched on to the last conversation he had held with the king about the mounting threat of the Israelites.



"Spies."



"Spies?"



"Yes, the Israelites that the commander of the watch is seeking."



"Our town is impregnable, it is the finest citadel in Canaan. You think that the Israelites would waste their spies on the flesh of one of our whores, no matter how skilled, rather than steal information on our weapons or plans on our defenses."



"Perhaps she is giving them secrets of my weapons?"



"Does she have any of your secrets? Perhaps you talk too much when in the throes of passion or the vine?"







"Did you not hear me? There are spies. In the city. Staying with Rahab. She has betrayed us. And is making a fool of you, My Lord.”







“Guards!" Before the word finished echoing through the chamber, Keret's arms and legs were seized by four of the king's most loyal guards. A fifth held one of Keret's finest blades against the throat of its maker. The king leaned past the guards to whisper in Keret's ear. "How dare you speak to me so?"











“Do not take my mastery of the green flame for granted. It cannot be learned without a master. As for the spies, you know the truth. Even now, she slinks about like an insect, hiding the enemy beneath your very nose.”







“You are nothing if not devious. You know how much I want the weapons you promise, and they may earn your eternal place at my side.”I have known Rahab for some time.”







“Perhaps your intimacy has clouded your judgment.”







“And your arrogance has sealed your fate.”







"Guards, release him and summon your commander."











At the king's command, the four guards released Keret and raced out into the night in search of their leader. The king moved to Keret's side and wrapped his base arm over Keret's shoulder.











"As my smith, I have trusted you before. Let me trust you again. I’ll shall cast my net according to your sight. But let that be the wager for your revelations, and the cost if I find you have lied to me.”













“If Rahab’s treachery is true, I'd rather face the coming days in blindness.”













The guards returned with their commander. They took their places behind the commander as he knelt before the king.









"My king, we are making preparation for the Israelits that lay in camp beyond the river. But there has been a new development. The sons of Israel have come among us to search out the land."









"You see," Keret interrupted, "I told you the truth. And now, the spies lay in wait in the home of Rahab the harlot."









“My Lord, the smith speaks the truth. Word has come from the men guarding the perimeter. Two men dressed in faded robes emerged from the darkness carrying wares and speaking in a strange tongue.”







“Salesmen, perhaps? Or travelers?”







“We do not know. But we cannot find them. They were last seen talking to Rahab.”











"Then do not tarry long. Seek out the truth of my friend’s words.”









"Yes, my king."









The commander and the guards slipped off into the night. The king and KEret settled in to wait, each nervously awaiting the truth about Rahab.











Hours later, the commander and his men returned, with Rahab among them.











"We found no sign of any spies, but we brought Rahab the harlot to give her own account."









Keret burned with rage as he saw her. Even so, he devoured her with his eyes, feasting on her skin and the curves of her body, remembering the soft touch of her skin and the carnal passions of their weekly trysts. Lost in a mixture of loathing and lust, he could not turn away from her.









"Rahab", the king began, "What a wonderful surprise! I was told you were too busy this evening for an audience with the king or one of his trusted advisors."



Rahab bowed, bending at the waist and letting her wispy clothing pour across her body like water as she moved.



"My king. It is always a pleasure to be...in your company."



"It is true? Were there spies among us."



Rahab looked at Keret, letting her answer drip from her lips. "My king. Two men came to me, but I do not know where they were from.



Keret drew the dagger from his belt. "Shelies. She consorts with the enemy! Kill her!"



The king drew his sword and lashed out, the blade stopping inches from Keret's eyes. "Stay your hand...friend. Your thirst for blood shall not be quenched this day."



"She has betrayed us all, yet you stay my hand of justice?"



The king turned to RAhab? "Where are the men? I wish to speak to them to learn of their intentions."



"They have gone. At dark, when the gates were being sealed. I do not know where they have gone, but if your pursue them quickly, you may overtake them."



"Commander?"



"My king?" the commander answered.



"Pursue them, find them, chase them across the Jordon if necessary, but bring those spies to me."



"Yes, my king."



"Have the gates sealed behind your men. No one may enter or leave until your men have returned. Have your other men probe our defenses for weakness. Ensure that the Israelites have no more information than we possess. I want solutions to those weaknesses within two days.”









"Yes, my king.”





"Now do you believe?" asked Keret. "Now you must repay her disloyalty?"



"Keret," Rahab answered. "It is not justice you seek, but revenge. For your own failings that have exposed the king and all of us to defeat without the green flame."



"Shut your mouth, whore, or I will shut it for you!" Keret's blade clanged against the king's and Keret charged forward. He raised his arm to attack, , but suddenly his legs to turned to rubber and everything went black as the kilt of the king's sword slammed into the base of his skull.



The king stepped over Keret's limp body and move to Rahab. "Now, Rahab," he began, gently rubbing his fingers over the sharp blade of his sword, "tell me what you know of these Israelites."



"I know nothing of the men. They did not talk or discuss anything. There was no talk of conquest or wars or anything other than the conversations that normally grace my chambers."



"If you have no more answers, I can have no more questions. You may go."



"Thank you, my king."



After Rahab left his chambers, the king sat upon his throne waiting patiently for news from his soldiers. He left Keret's unconscious body on the cold stone floor for nearly seven hours, but kept a constant vigil from his own throne, lest anything happen to his friend. With a groan, Keret awoke. He rolled to one side and slowly rose to his knees. He ran his hands over his neck and shoulders.



"Keret," said the King as he stepped from his throne and knelt to help Keret to his feet. "Tell me what you know of the Israelites."



***

The end of the fifth day brought new challenge to the king of Jericho. The commander of his ary briefed him on the state of his soldiers.



"Five days and still nothing," the king began. "They continue to try and draw us out, but their efforts will fail."



"My king, the men on the wall grow weary. They hunger for the combat to come, but their limbs grow tired of drawing bows and shouldering spears for hours without consequence."



"Stand them down in shifts. A third to rest each day. Let the men gather their wits in the company of women and with the finest of our food stores. But do not send them far from their duties for the call may be sounded at any minute."



***



Despite Rahab's claim that the men could be overtaken, three days of searching in the hills found no trace of the spies. The chase had led them down the road to the Jordan and even beyond, but there was no evidence of any Israelites having entered or escaped from Jericho. However, as the pursuers neared Shittim, their hearts froze. The Israelite army was indeed within marching distance of Jericho. The size of their army was intimidating enough, but as they watched from the safety of the hillside, they saw seven preists making reparations around a special tent in the center of the camp. They tried to see inside, but it was too far away. Even so, they knew that the Israelites' most powerful weapon was inside. As their courage sank, they broke into a headlong sprint toward Jericho, not stopping to cover their own tracks. They slammed into the gate, smashing their fists into as the gatekeepers slowly tuend the winches that opened the doors.



They quickly briefed the commander who brought them directly to the king. Keret was summoned as well.



The commander began. "They have come out of Egypt to conquer their Promised Land. They camp at the edge of Canaan, looking to reclaim what their god has promised them."



"Yet our gods have never failed us. We are still in our Promised Land." The king stepped back and gestured toward the walls and the relief carvings of Anath, Baal, Dagon and the other Cananite gods. "They have never failed us. They give us everything we need."



"They have bring us only the pleasures of the flesh," said Keret. "Even Mot himself is not powerful enough to stop an army that brings their god with them into battle."



"The ark?" asked the king.



"Yes, it is true. The ark of legend is with them."



"Now do you believe? While our gods look out from their stone statues and golden images, their god fights with them."









"I believe our gods have served us well, Keret. You would do well to remember that, for your sake and mine. And the green flame? Is it within our control."



"I can recreate it for you, my king. The age of bronze is upon us and soon our weapons will rival those of the Israelites. But I need more tin to strengthen the casts. My supplies have run low and tehre are no caravans due from the north."



"Then send out my personal caravan to the north. Speed them along to find the tin and other supplies you need. Then set out creating swords and blades for my army. Our arrows shall pierce their shields and skins. I shall drive my sword into the heart of their ark and show them how weak their god-box really is."



***



The seventh day broke onto a cloudless sun-filled sky. The king, his sexual energies spent from a night of debauchery, rose late, trusting his commanders and Keret to brief him on any changes. Keret watched as the Israelites gathered their forces once more. The Israelites marched over the same steps they had marched over for six days.





But instead of returning to their tents, the soldiers and priests, circled the city again. After the second revolution, they continued around and around, five more times. Keret kept watch as the commander raced to alert the king. He thought about the woman who had met the spies and what role she had taken in the coming battle.



***



"What of Rahab?" Keret asked the king. "Will she be punished."



"She knows nothing more. I cannot have my weaponsmith wasting any more time on this folly of revenge."



"She betrayed your court and her king. She let spies sleep unwatched under your nose, then let them slip back into the night with whatever knowledge they required to launch an attack against our city."



"We have more pressing matters. Like perfecting your metalworking process."



"Then send a single man to kill her. As an example to anyone else who harbors sympathy or favor for these men. Heed my words, soon enough we will have enough of them braying at the gates. We do not need any more inside waiting for a chance to plunge a dagger in your heart.”



"I will send one of my guards to watch over her, searching for the first hint of betrayal."



"How many more hints do you need?"



"How many new weapons do I acquire while taking your counsel on matters of treason and women?"



"Yes, my king." Keret bowed and stepped out of the king's chambers.





***

After the seventh trip around the city, the Israelites came to a stop. They formed a ring around the city with the priests and the ark front a center before the main gate.



"What are they doing?" asked the king as he stared out from the parapet.



"I don't know," answered Keret, "but it may be the battle you have waited for."



"Commander," ordered the king, "have all men prepare for war. Have your Archers prepare for a volley, but keep several in reserve for the priests and those who walk with the ark."



***



The king's demand for new weapons was not unreasonable, but Keret's skills were barely up for the task. Despite his failure to condemn Rahab, He returned to his workshop and his hand-fired kiln. He pumped the bellows that forced air into the furnace, heating the copper ore until it became molten and easy to pour into the molds upon his bench. There was an array of molds: for broad swords, daggers, arrow heads and even strips of armor that could be stitched together with leather straps. He watched as the fire in the kiln roared to life. It burned bright orange, gleaming in the dark room. He pumped furiously forcing more air in, searching for the elusiv temperature where the flame would turn from a deep citrus orange to a light green as the impurities from the copper were burned away. The pure ore would create weapons that scould shatter the wooden weapons of the day, leaving the pure ore he needed for the weapons. The last bit of tin joined the mix, adding strength to the mixture. The process was new and tedious, and as he had instructed the king, tin was scarce. Regardless, the new metal he had fired hinted at the coming age of bronze when stronger metals meant harsher battles and swift victory on the battlefield. The flicker of green faded away as he pulled the cup of molten copper and poured it into the small cutout of an arrowhead mold.













***















"Let them come," the king proclaimed while watching the seven priests step forward. Each one of them raised a shofar and blew, filling the morning with a bellowing roar. In unison, the soldiers and attendants began to yell, shouting at the top of their lungs at the citadel.











"Shouting?" asked Keret.











The sound of the trumpets and the shouting blended together into a terrible noise. It swelled into a roar that rumbled beneath them, coming from the bowels of the earth itself. Keret leaned forward, searching for any sign of attack. The Israelites were no closer than 20 yards from the walls, yet the wall shuddered. Beneath his fingers, the stone wall was turning brittle. He leaned out from the wall, searching for some sign of the siege, a batering ram or another impact weapon. To the north, near Rahab's apartment, he saw a thin strand of cord hanging from a single window. He leaned forward to see it better.











And then the world exploded.









The wall beneath him cracked and buckled, each stone sliding free from it's neighbor. The stones slipped past one another like shuffling deck of cards, collapsing upon each lower level which then failed from the added weight. The floors accordioned down upon each other, crushing weapons, armor, soldiers and citizens. Keret scrambled over the rumbling stones, trying to find his footing as the world disappeared beneath him. He tumbled down a rough incline, slamming his head against a rough stone and tearing a gash in his right cheek. He tried to stand up, but the limp body of the commander rolled into him, knocking him down. To his left, a tower of single stones, untouched by the initial collapse, shifted and fell away. Beyond the fallen stones, Keret saw the unconscious body of the king, his face and chest covered in blood.











He scanned the rest of the citadel. Three of the walls lay in ruin, their stones torn apart and laying beside one another. It had all fallen apart, the stone ramparts swept away like pebbles beneath the hand of a curious child. Streaks of blood were the only reminders of the residents that had been hiding inside the walls. One small corner of one wall still stood, the column of stones near Rahab's apartment.











Keret rose to his feet. A thick mist of crushed stone and pulverized bone hung in the air. Through the haze, the Israelite army flooded through the broken walls of the city. Keret leaned down over the commander. He tugged at the sword on the commander's hip, but before he could draw it, he felt a coldness in the center of his back and his breath was stolen from his lungs. A blade jutted from his chest. He looked over his shoulder just as the blade was jerked free from his body. It glistened with his blood as it swung through the air again. Mercifully, it beheaded him in a single stroke.











The city walls lay in ruin as the Israelite sodliers stormed in, killing every living thing, sparing nothing save the residents of the one wall segment still standing. Despite the carnage within the boundaries of Jericho, two men dressed in simple tunics sought out the red cord hanging from one wall. Inside, they rescued the only survivors of Jericho and escorted them back to the Israelite camp, where their names will be etched as heroes in the fight to reclaim the Promised Land.