Joshua Valiant (Chronicles of the Nephilim) (18 page)

She said,
“I think the best thing you could learn from him is that he does not treat me like a child.”

Caleb raised his eyebrows.
“Indeed. And has he ever shown interest in you…”

She looked at him trying to figure out what he meant.

“You know, for marriage?”

Like a spy, he wanted to gather intelligence, but
he did not want to encourage her to actually consider such thoughts.

“
Ewww! No. We are best of friends. Why would you say that?”

Caleb knew what was occurring. Othniel had always been in the shadow of
his older brother’s notoriety and achievements. All his life, Othniel fought to make a name for himself that had nothing to do with being “the brother of the famous Caleb,” right hand of Joshua, Karabu giant slayer, and possessor of Yahweh’s special promise of entering the land.

Othniel had actually become quite a warrior and leader
in his own right, as he had recently secured the position of a commander of thousands in the army. There wasn’t anyone else Caleb would rather have had protecting his little Achsah.

But he also k
new that Othniel struggled with self-confidence in two areas: women and Caleb. Slaying a giant is easy compared to understanding the mysteries of the female sex. Failure was assured in that battle. And comparison with his older brother always ended in Othniel losing. How much more intimidating would it be if Othniel was interested in Caleb’s own daughter? Caleb considered that Othniel would probably take years before he could gather the courage to reveal to Achsah his intentions for her, let alone ask for Achsah’s hand from Caleb.

Good
, thought Caleb, the jealous father.
The longer he takes, the better.

Sheshai’s wife Izabel was eight feet tall, very athletic and very flexible. She was exercising that flexibility at this very moment with her legs pulled split behind her head. Her long slender neck writhed with erotic serpentine movements as she let out a groan of pleasure.

She
exploded in a deep orgasm that released her animal spirit.

Her platinum blonde hair fell over her breasts
inspiring a ravenous desire from Talmai as he lifted his face from below the bed sheets.

He grabbed her
while she was still delirious and weak. Anakim are violent in their sexual rituals, which fit Talmai’s temperament just fine. He slapped her and choked her. Asserted his dominance over her by throwing her to the ground on her stomach. He pulled her arms back into a painful contortion and pleased himself unnaturally.

She whimpered with pain. It excited him more. He
pulled her head back by her hair until he could see her face straining up at him. He was careful not to bite her, because they did not want Sheshai to discover their betrayal.

And then it was over for him.

Too quickly.

As usual.

He could never last long because he was as impatient in his sexuality as he was with his temper. At least this time he made it inside of her.

He flopped on the bed, breathing heavily.

She lay next to him.

Talmai said, “Just be thankful
I am not Ahiman.”

“Why?” said Izabel. “Because
he is too big?”

“No, because
he is impotent.”

She looked at him for confirmation. It was true. She could
not believe it.

He said, “He is so pumped up on sorcery he
cannot get it up.”

They giggled together.
The sorcery he was referring to was the use of drugs that would enhance muscle strength and the drive for violence.

“He once killed four cult prostitutes trying to excite himself.”

She said, “Are you sure he is not a secret boy lover?”

Without warning, Talmai moved like a cobra and grabbed her neck. But this time, the choking was not erotic.

Izabel’s eyes strained with confusion. She could not breathe. She felt her windpipe being crushed.

He leaned in a
nd whispered to her with finality, “He is my brother. And he is not a boy lover.”

H
e released his iron grip on her.

She rubbed her throat in fear. “
I am sorry, Talmai. I was just having fun with you.”

Talmai looked away from her and said, “I
do not appreciate my family being made fun of.”

“
I am sorry,” she said. “It will not happen again.”

A hard knock on the outer home door, jerked Izabel into fear. She looked to Talmai for direction.

“Do not worry,” he said. “Sheshai rarely visits my quarters personally. Stay here.”

Talmai got out of the bed and moved over to the
house door. He was stark naked. But he picked up his sword just in case.

Anyone would be a complete foo
l to attack Talmai in his home, even if Talmai
was
naked.
Especially
if he was naked. He would feel even more primal and was likely to act with more excess than he normally did.

He opened the door and peeked out.

It was a messenger from the king.

•
• • • •

The palace of King Hoham was built upon the ruins of King Arba’s original palace
in Kiriath-arba. It had been cursed and abandoned for a generation after King Arba and his queen Naqiya were slaughtered by Abraham and his Amorite allies.

When their sole surviving son, Anak
, grew strong and built a formidable force of warriors, he reclaimed the city and rebuilt it from its ashes.

The city was on a large hillside above the valley, with a deep cliff protecting its backside.
They had added a wall around the original town and extended some of its acreage.

The king’s palace was on the top of the hill overlooking the city.
It was made of red stone and brick. The Arba brothers all resided there, but it was large enough to maintain their privacy.

Talmai raced across the palace courtyard to his destination.

Sheshai, Ahiman, and King Hoham
were inside the king’s war room with several other captains of the army when Talmai finally arrived out of breath.

Sheshai said, “
It is about time, little brother. You are as slow to obey as my wife sometimes.”

Talmai responded, “
Big brother, I am confident that Izabel is faster and more obedient than you let on.”

Sheshai had no idea Talmai was referring to her infidelity with him. But that was the thrill of it after all.

Talmai bowed to the king. “I am sorry, my lord, I could not leave my lady until she was satisfied.”

Hoham smiled. “Talmai, you rascal. I can only imagine the number of servants whose
gardens you have hoed.”

“If you
do not mind, my king, I like to keep it in the family.”

Everyone laughed
.

And Sheshai had no idea that Talmai was taunting him
right to his face.

Ahiman watched Talmai closely. He did
not care for his brother’s braggadocio or his impulsive ways. He could be the weak link in their secret plans for a coup if his lips were too loose to his many lovers.

Ahiman was also envious of his little brother’s sexual prowess and how easily he seduced women.
Because of his secret impotency, Ahiman had all but given up on sex and had tried to redirect that frustration into his battle training, but it was not working well. Even though he was the mightiest of all the Anakim and a terror to all their enemies, he still felt like he was not a whole giant, and was less than his brothers.

It made him angry. It made him want to become king more than anything.
He glared at Hoham with hungry eyes.

Hoham interrupted Ahiman’s brooding. “
My council, we have received word from our returning scouts.”

Hoham nodded to one of the captains who had
received the intelligence. He was a fat one. He said, “The hostile Habiru wandering in the wilderness of Zin and Paran are indeed the Children of Abraham.”

Ahiman
said, “The scourge of Arba.”

Sheshai said, “Who is their king?”

“His name is Moses,” said the fat one.

Talmai jumped up. “Let me hunt this Moses down
and skin him alive.”

“Pati
ence, brother,” said Sheshai.

“Sheshai is right,” said Hoham. “He is too old. He will surely die soon anyway. Our concern is to find out who will replace him.”

Ahiman said, “I will muster our forces.”

Hoham shook his head. “No. They are already
traveling south,
away
from Canaan.”

“That is strange,” said
Ahiman. “They were on the threshold, and had wiped out Arad, and now they would run away?”

Hoham
looked to the fat one again, who said, “We believe they are traveling around Edom to enter the Transjordan.”

Talmai
responded, “Then let us cross the Jordan and welcome them with ‘arms’ held open wide.”

They all knew he was making a pun of the word, “arms” as a reference to weapons.

“No,” said Sheshai. “I say we wait to see what their strategy is. They will be coming to us. Then let them come.” Hoham’s face brightened with realization of Sheshai’s point. “If it is the Transjordan they want, they will have to face Sihon and Og. And that will not be a pretty sight.”

“
But we cannot let Sihon and Og steal our glory,” said Talmai.

“True enough,” said
Sheshai. “Your passion speaks to the importance of justice. But let us not forget who our enemy is. They are greedy, conniving deceivers who use the blood of our children to bake their bread. We will get our vengeance. But we must do so wisely. If we do not need to be the first to jump into the fray, then why should we? We can learn their weaknesses by watching them battle with others.”

The king was smiling and thinking through Sheshai’s advice.

Then he said, “Let Sihon and Og have the first stab at these Habiru—and save us the casualties.”

Moses, Joshua, Caleb, and the commanders of thousands, including Othniel, stood on the bank of the Arnon River. Across that river lay the territory of Sihon, king of the Amorites. The Israelites had traveled the long way around Edom and had finally arrived at their destination months later in the Transjordan.

Joshua was looking out on the land with hungry eyes. “Give me the word, and I will send in our forces and kill every last one of these Amorites with
holy pleasure.”

Moses said, “You are too quick to kill, Joshua. You must learn that righteousness is not achieved through force, but through
persuasion.”

“But these Amorites stand in the way of Yahweh’s will.”

“Only if they do not allow us passage. We have no interest in the Transjordan. Yahweh does not promise it to us. Only the Cisjordan of Canaan is our goal. We will ask them for safe passage.”

•
• • • •

Heshbon
was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites. It lay on the King’s Highway just twenty five miles north of the Arnon River. South of that river was Moabite and Edomite territory. Sihon ruled the land between the rivers Arnon in the south and Jabbok fifty miles in the north. His western limit was the Jordan River, and his eastern limit, the desert of the Ammonites, whom he had pushed east in his territorial annexation.

Heshbon
was well fortified and on a plateau about two thousand feet high. Inside the king’s domain, Sihon sat on his throne carved from an ancient cedar tree. His advisors surrounded him as he read a dispatch brought by messenger from Jahaz, another one of his cities just ten miles closer to the border of his kingdom.

Jahaz was a smaller city
than Heshbon. Whereas Heshbon and its surrounding community contained as many as four thousand people, Jahaz only housed about two thousand. And Jahaz did not have fortification.

“Scribe!” barked Sihon. “Prepare a message for delivery to King Og.”

The scribe had been waiting and ready. But the urgency with which Sihon spoke made him tremble as he prepared his writing tools and clay tablet.

As Sihon dictated to the scribe, his advisors were appraised of the situation as well.

“Say to Mighty Og of Bashan: Thus, Sihon of Heshbon, king of the Amorites. For you, your Rephaim, and your realm, may all go well, and may the gods protect you. For me and my kingdom, my city of Heshbon, all goes well. I send you this urgent dispatch with my most humble gratefulness to be your ally. The dangerous time we have strategized for has arrived. Our territories are now in jeopardy, as the Habiru have been spotted preparing for war across the Arnon river facing my city of Jahaz. They are led by an old fool named Moses, a fanatical follower of this white-bearded geriatric deity Yahweh. He is fool enough to ask for unmolested passage to the plains of Moab, for entrance into the Cisjordan. But I think these ruffians have as their ultimate target to conquer your fertile land of Bashan. He has promised not to turn aside to take of my vineyards or water wells. Naturally, I refused his request and have already begun amassing my forces at the town of Jahaz in order to thwart these sons of pigs and monkeys. Per our agreement, I now request that you send me, with utmost of haste, the two hordes of Rephaim gibborim you promised to help defend your interests. Of course, even more Rephaim numbers would insure victory for your cause, but I leave that to your generosity and wisdom. I remain your ally in full, and may the gods protect us both with favor and justice.”

Sihon thought that
stressing Og’s own interests was politically clever. The fact of the matter was that without those Rephaim giant units of four or five hundred strong, he was not sure he could hold out for long.

The scribe hurriedly finished his tablet and prepared to bake it for delivery.

Sihon barked orders to his commanders, “Prepare our total forces for immediate removal to Jahaz. We will incorporate the Rephaim units when they arrive. And alert the priests of Molech. We have need of special sacrifice.”

The commanders moved to obey.

• • • • •

Joshua and Caleb
finished consulting with the commanders about their strategy for battle in Joshua’s war tent.

The commanders left the tent to muster their forces for
a ten-mile march to Jahaz across the Arnon.

Joshua and Caleb were startled by the sudden presence of four men in their tent.

“Where did you come from?” asked Caleb.

They had turned their backs for a second. Did they slip in unnoticed so quietly?

Mikael spoke first, “I told you that you would be seeing more of me.” He smiled.

Joshua saw the three others. “And who are these gibborim with you?”

“Let me introduce the archangels Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel.”

Caleb already knew Gabriel from his schooling in the way of the Karabu many years ago.

Caleb said to him, “Welcome, old friend.”

They hugged briskly.

Joshua was confused. “Why would we need the help of four archangels? Our spies have confirmed Jahaz will be an easy victory.”

“We are not here to help you,” said Mikael. “We have our own mission.
Linked to yours, but of separate concern.”

Caleb said, “It must be very important or very difficult to require all four of you.”

“Actually, it is both important
and
difficult.”

Joshua said, “Dare we ask what?”

Uriel interjected with his characteristic sarcasm. “Yes, you may dare. But we will not answer.”

Joshua and Caleb stared with blank faces, not knowing how to respond.

“I am only kidding,” said Uriel.

Mikael said, “We are here to take care of business
we have left unfinished for too long. We are going to capture the gods of this land and bind them in Tartarus.”

Tartarus was the
lowest place in the belly of Sheol. It was the place of imprisonment that was of uttermost distance from the presence of Yahweh. It was said that Tartarus was as far below Sheol as the earth was below the heavens.

“How do you bind them?” asked Caleb.

Gabriel pulled up his cloak to reveal a band made of white thin hair wrapped around his bicep.

“This is the indestructible hair of Cherubim from the very throne of Yahweh. We bind them with it
. It will hold them until judgment.”

Uriel added with a smirk, “
It is a special talent we have. Do you want us to teach you how to do it? It is fun.”

“No, thank you,” said Joshua. “Gods are above our pay wages. We will stick to men and giants.”

“Uriel is our resident jester, in case you
have not noticed,” said Gabriel. “He is just making up for his lack of size.”

Uriel
was
smaller in height than the others.

Uriel elbowed Gabriel.
“You will have to forgive him. He is just envious of my skill.”

He added as an afterthought, “And oration.”

Then another afterthought, “And brilliance.”

Gabriel angled for the last word,
“But
not
his bravado.”

Raphael, the silent one, just smiled with amusement.

Mikael, stepped in, “Okay, you two. Keep it up and they will not have
any
confidence in us.”

Joshua and Caleb gave each other a
side-glance.

Caleb could
not help it. “Is that how you capture them? Distract them with bickering? That is brilliant.”

“
That is what Enoch used to say to us,” said Uriel.

Joshua
changed the subject, “Why would it take four archangels to overcome a Watcher god?”

Mikael explained, “
The Watchers are the Sons of God that rebelled against Yahweh and came to earth. They were among the mightiest of the heavenly host. But they were also granted authority over the nations at Babel. That authority places them above archangels and is a form of power that grows with their evil. Ashtart and Ba’al are the strongest, and we are in their territory, which gives them a compounded advantage. I want to make sure they do not slip out of our grasp again.”

Caleb said, “I guess you have your hands as full as we do.”

Mikael said, “We will ride with your forces, but will depart when we reach the location of our intended targets.”

“Fair enough,” said Joshua.
“We set out in the morning.”

Then
Caleb added to Uriel, “Our soldiers could use some entertainment tonight if you are available. Maybe some comedic theater?”