Vengeance
G eneral Rezon!” the messenger shouted as he ran toward the observation hut.
Rezon and Jael both turned and watched as the messenger stumbled up the hill, clearly exhausted by his efforts in the hot afternoon suns. The messenger saluted in a sloppy manner before bending over to catch his breath. Impatient, Rezon ordered the man to speak. With some difficulty, he spat out the information he had just learned from scouts on the southern patrols.
“An army is approaching. It is as we were told… an army of Gideon, Daniel, and Uzzah! They are less than an hour away!”
Cursing angrily, Rezon looked at Jael.
“I will kill every one of them myself!” Jael spewed, his voice filled with venom.
Rezon turned back to study the outer wall of Ramathaim. The protective arches of the front entrance had just fallen, fully exposing the main gates. Most of the rubble had fallen to one side, leaving plenty of room to get a ram near the reinforced doors. Glaring out the hut window, he could see two covered battering rams that had been pushed up near the central catapult. Housed within A-frames on wheels, the capped rams were protected by steep, sloping roofs covered with wet furs, soaked overnight to make them more fire resistant. Teams of soldiers waited alongside rope handles intended for swinging the suspended ram.
“Are there only two rams?” Rezon asked Jael.
“Yes. More are being constructed, but these are the only two ready.”
“Well, we cannot wait for others to be built. Keep them rolling.”
Now twitching with anger as he thought of the approaching united army, Rezon turned back to the messenger who had not been dismissed. His ire boiled over.
“Get out of my sight or be flogged!”
Looking confused, the messenger ran off without saluting.
Rezon stepped out of the hut to kick a helmet lying on the ground near him, sending it into a nearby trench that stretched up to the front lines.
Gad approached the hut, and Jael passed on the orders.
“Get those rams ready to advance!” Gad shouted to the front line.
Puffs of white smoke rose from the Rock of Sacrifice as the remains of an offering finally surrendered to the flames below. Boaz and Uzziel both knelt before the altar, heads bowed in reverent prayer. They had been there for quite some time, but their knees were not uncomfortable as they rested upon white cushions. Other priests serving at the temple went about their duties, but none of them disturbed the two aged men praying before the altar.
As if they sensed the sacrifice was complete, Boaz and Uzziel opened their eyes at the same time.
“What do you feel?” asked the High Priest of Uzzah.
“Uzziel, I had the strangest thought,” Boaz answered “I had the distinct impression that Jeremy needs to assemble the Host of Uzzah in the streets of the city. They need to be ready right now. I think something is going to happen soon that will make the enemy more vulnerable to us. I don’t know how it will be done, but we need to be ready.”
Uzziel thought for a minute, recognizing that his own feelings were similar-to muster the army right away. “I will send the message to Captain Jeremy at once,” Uzziel said as he stood up from his prayer and brushed his white robe free of wrinkles.
“The temple priests will be armed, and then we’ll join you.” Boaz retrieved the cushions, handing them to another priest who came to assist.
“Meet me at the inner gates. I think we should be assembled within the hour.”
“I agree.”
With that, the High Priest of Uzzah trotted off toward the archway that led to the markets of Ramathaim.
“What do you see?” Amon whispered as he stood behind Captain Mehida and Jonathan, who were using their spyglasses to observe the enemy assembled on the hills of Ramathaim.
“There are about four thousand men with Rezon,” Jonathan replied.
“It may even be nearer to five thousand, and they have several siege weapons in position,” Captain Mehida added.
Amon shook his head with a sigh. His heart felt like a heavy stone in his chest. “We are outnumbered almost two to one.”
Arms crossed in a defiant manner, Eli loudly cleared his throat to get Amon’s attention. “No disrespect, General, but Uzzah is behind those walls. Our numbers are at least equal, and we have an advantage-our people defend their homes. Rezon will not stand.”
Amon didn’t take offense at the comment. “I apologize. You’re right, Eli-Uzzah will fight as no other warriors can. This is your home. My only worry… I’m not sure how to let your people know we’re here. We will need their help.”
Eli and Tavor both regarded each other, and then laughed.
“Oh, they’ll know,” Tavor said. “Eli’s father is the High Priest of Uzzah. He will be ready to help.”
Amon wasn’t sure how the priests of Uzzah would know, but he thanked the men for their confidence. Motioning the captains to gather closer, he bent on one knee and used a thin rock to draw in the dirt. He started with marks for the enemy.
“Rezon’s army is here. We need to give the appearance of numbers. Place your men along a line from here to here. This will also give us more room to fight. Ezra?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Take a rear-guard position and keep the women with you. I would like the balance of your horsemen to act as messengers. If the front line falters, send groups of ten and fifty as required to strengthen it.”
“And if the battle goes poorly?”
Amon paused. “Take the women to safety, back to Hasor or Saron.”
“I will keep them safe.”
“Very well. We still need to get a little closer before we can plan our attack. I want to see if I can figure out how Rezon plans to protect the siege engines. Are each of you in agreement?”
All captains present supported the decision. They quickly dispersed to retrieve their horses and gather their men. Amon gave orders to advance. Vigorously waving the banners of the Three Brothers, the army lurched forward, dust and the rumble of thousands of feet floating skyward.
As they closed on Rezon’s position, Amon gave the order for the bowmen to be at the ready for a volley into the enemy’s ranks if they charged. Spotters at the perimeters of the advance signaled that the way remained clear before them. The march slowed, but they pressed on until they came to a halt just outside of bow range for Rezon’s army. Companies of fifties and hundreds stood in their ranks and waited for Amon’s command to rush the enemy. Jonathan and Mehida dismounted and again stood at the front to observe the enemy Gideonites. Amon took the time to retrieve his own spyglass. Pekah saw it and commented on the workmanship.
“My field-scope and Jasher’s were made at the same time, by the same craftsman,” Amon noted. “They were presented to us by the emp.. . I mean, Manasseh, when we embarked on this…”
Amon could not find the word he wished to use. “Adventure,” came to mind, which had been used by Manasseh himself. But the idea that this unwarranted aggression was an adventure now seemed a poorly chosen description.
He did not finish his sentence. Instead, he peered earnestly through his field telescope, hoping to discover some apparent weakness in Rezon’s organized ranks. Seeing nothing obvious at first, his gaze finally settled on one area of the battlefield. Trenches had been dug all around the hills, but the siege weapons themselves were stationed in a wide, central pathway between the trenches.
“Do you see where the siege weapons are?” the general asked.
“Yes,” Mehida answered. “They have prevented themselves from moving the engines in any direction but north and south.”
“I think we may be able to use those machines to prevent the army from assembling in a large body. Their own machines and trenches block the way.”
Jonathan tapped the general on the shoulder and pointed to a spot just past a wooden hut. “General, look-Rezon is pushing battering rams into position near the front gates, and sustaining considerable losses from the bowmen of Uzzah.”
Amon looked again and saw the advancing rams. Gideonite captains shouted, shields were lifted, and most arrows were deflected, but some were not. Amon’s gaze fell on the hut. He recognized Rezon and Jael standing with the others. Rezon continued to watch the rams, even though many of his men turned to look back at Amon’s army. Amon was surprised.
“Rezon seems to be ignoring us! Does he think we will not attack? ”
Disdain in his voice, Mehida said, “Rezon is arrogant. He knows we’re here. Perhaps he feels you’ll wait until he makes the first move. Or maybe he’s trying to cause us concern, making us wonder what he’s doing.”
“Perhaps you’re right. I’d wager he has other weapons we haven’t seen,” Amon replied.
Rezon did seem overly calm for being caught between a united army and the city walls. If Amon were in that position, he would turn and attack immediately. Rezon’s behavior made no sense. Amon shook his head.
“We should rush the location of the siege weapons before they can formulate a counter-attack,” Mehida suggested. “Then we’ll have a way to defend a central location from Rezon’s army-the machines and trenches can provide cover for our men.”
“That’s a good plan,” Amon readily agreed. “Pass the word among your men. Then let’s ride!”
Amon returned to his horse and watched as his captains immediately rode from company to company with specific orders for each group. When they returned to their places, Amon gave the signal. The Army of Brothers charged forward with swords glinting in the suns-light. Their unified shout turned to thunder, causing the Army of Rezon, many of whom had pretended to ignore them, to turn completely about to meet the charge.
“Bowmen at the ready!” Amon bellowed as he rose in his stirrups, his steed in a slow trot behind running foot soldiers.
The front line of footmen closed the distance by half.
Amon yelled for the bowmen behind the rushing soldiers to release, and a volley of arrows arced over the charging men toward their intended targets. Just as the arrows began their hurtling descent, the front line of Rezon’s men jumped into the trenches and pulled large shields above their heads. Very few arrows met their mark, but instead, bounced off the protective covers that had been deployed. Rezon’s soldiers then clamored out of the trenches again. They too charged with weapons swinging.
The two armies met, and the clash was deafening. Yells of anger, pain, and exertion shot up from the crowd amidst the clangs, pops, thuds, and booms caused by colliding weapons. Like the explosive spray from a high wave slamming into a sea cliff, the front lines furiously collided, the severity of the sudden encounter rippling outward into the ranks of both armies until all were engulfed.
Amon’s men pushed forward, trying to gain access to the war machines of Rezon, but were repulsed. They fell back momentarily, only to push forward again. Their second surge was even less successful than the first. Rezon’s men strongly leaned into Amon’s army, causing the line to break against a wall of resistance. The Brothers fell back once again, and Rezon’s troops rushed forward with their might. It was then that General Amon realized he had made a critical error in his planning.
The Gideonites of Rezon tumbled into the host of The Brothers like the boulders of a rock slide, and when they came to a standstill, only a careful observer could still distinguish them from the similarly armored Gideonites in Amon’s army. Chaos ensued. The battle slowed considerably as the soldiers hesitated at each confrontation to determine if the potential opponent was friend or foe. Captains on both sides continued to shout their commands, and in some cases, the differentiation between Rezon and Amon was determined solely by which command each man would obey.
It was at this point of great confusion that Captain Mehida lifted his sword skyward and yelled with all his vocal strength, “For Daniel and Uzzah!”
“FOR DANIEL AND UZZAH! ” came the thunderous echo from Amon’s army. They again charged forward, pushing Rezon’s troops back with such fury that the Gideonites who had been pledged to the service of Rezon and the late emperor began to melt before them.
Amon raised himself high in the stirrups so he could better see the battering rams near the walls of Ramathaim. He realized that all the Gideonites who had been moving the siege weapons toward their intended goal had abandoned their posts-now running down the slopes to join the raging battle below. To Amon’s great surprise, the unsuspecting soldiers of Rezon were being followed. Both the front gates of the outer wall and the sally port on the western end of the stone curtain gaped open, coughing up hundreds of Uzzahite warriors who gathered into tight groups. Amon sat back down in the saddle and called some horseback messengers to his side.
“Tell the captains to prepare a charge!”
The messengers rushed on their errand while Amon scanned the slopes. Wanting to be sure he kept track of Rezon’s whereabouts, he again scrutinized the center of the field. There he found the target of his own indignation.
His back to the hut placed there for his protection, Rezon stood next to the catapults, Captain Jael at his side. Both shouted commands at the rate of a flash flood. Rezon’s captains turned their troops from flank to point as if they were the spiked iron ball swinging from the end of the general’s long-chained flail. This change in direction caused Amon’s men to fall out of ranks.
Amon anxiously searched for the messengers and found one of them who had navigated his way through the sea of soldiers toward Captain Pekah. When the messenger arrived, he shook a signal flag in the air. This initiated another battle cry, echoed by the entire host.
“For Daniel and Uzzah! ”
To the obvious surprise of Rezon’s army came the roar of fifty silvered horns. The blast of sound bounced back and forth between the shouldering mountains of the city and rolled down the hillsides to the ears of everyone below. All heads turned to see the gates of Ramathaim open. A united voice of over two thousand Uzzahites then punctuated their sudden arrival with, “ For UZZAH and DANIEL and GIDEON! ”
Amon’s heart swelled with joy as he witnessed the brave men of Uzzah charge into the fray. He pulled his spyglass up to his eye in time to see a third of the Gideonites of Rezon turn back to protect their leaders. They clashed with Uzzah just as both parties reached the war machines. Amon trained his sight on the war hut.
At the center of the battle, Captain Jael seethed with hatred. In great sweeping arcs, Jael swung his large sword back and forth, clearing the ground before him as if he were cutting wheat with a scythe. Rezon remained protected from the battle, his most trusted and deadly servants bringing a sudden, painful end to the lives of all who opposed them. The fury that was visible in their faces caused Amon to catch his breath and look to his own men.
The Brothers fought like a lioness protecting her cubs, while the warriors of Ramathaim ignited a scene of terror for the minions of the emperor as they fell upon them with swift vengeance. Working together to press the enemy, Amon’s thousands surged toward the Uzzahites on the eastern flank in an attempt to hem the Gideonites in on three sides. When they finally met, they cheered for each other as the two armies merged to become one. Now vastly outnumbered, Rezon’s soldiers began to surrender in masses.
Seeing weapons dropping to the ground like hail, Amon ordered an immediate halt to the bloodshed. The Uzzahites of Ramathaim and the Army of The Brothers both fell back, allowing the nearly surrounded Gideonites to retreat to the base of Bald Mountain that rose out of the west slope of the plain. The united front then pushed forward with weapons brandishing, trapping Rezon and his faithful against the mountain backdrop. Hundreds of others surrendered. These were quickly separated from the enemy and deprived of all weapons.
Amon surveyed the carnage, sorrow filling his breast. The dead and wounded lay all around him, the smell of blood overpowering. With so many cries for help assaulting his ears, he called for Ezra’s company to assist with their care. To the other captains he yelled, “Tighten the line, and keep Rezon where he is!”
Watching their progress for only a moment, Amon then called his advisors to his side. Accompanied by Jonathan and Eli, they gathered and pressed forward to join him. Like a boat parting water before its bow, their horses cut through the ranks until they found a place on the edge of the semi-circle of soldiers surrounding Rezon’s men. Every man among The Brothers saluted them as they advanced. Once at the edge, they all dismounted and stood in a group to face Rezon and Jael, both near the front of the captured Gideonites. The hatred in their faces seemed to be chiseled into their features.
Amon grunted. He could not keep himself from imagining the difficulty that a man as arrogant as Rezon would be having at a time like this. The irony of it all struck him as being humorous. Rezon had been captured by an army comprised of his enemies and his onetime friends.
With the shouting of orders and the sound of battle now drifting away in the breeze, only the moans of the dying and the discomfort of the wounded reached Amon’s ears. Some of the women from Ezra’s company and many Uzzahites from the city hovered over the fallen wounded, tending to their needs, protected as they went by soldiers from every tribe. He looked around at the ranks of an army standing in silence, who waited for him to speak to the conquered. Fierce determination shone on their faces. He turned back to Rezon, intent on declaring an end to the war, but Rezon took a few steps forward, away from the protection of his men. He spoke first.
“Captain Amon, I should be pleased to see you,” Rezon nearly shouted, his voice stinging Amon like a wasp. “But I am not. You have sold yourself to the enemy.”
Amon did not flinch. He watched as Rezon stroked the clean blade of his sword as if he were testing the sharpness of the edge.
“Sold myself? I have no idea what you mean. I received no money for what I have done.”
Rezon’s eyes closed to mere slits, and he spat upon the ground. “Surely you are not accusing me of something, my brother?”
Amon’s thoughts shifted to the demise of Manasseh. Powerful memories of the incredible experience caused him to speak with boldness. “I was, at one time, part of those who would have accused the innocent. That much I do admit. But I never have taken money in exchange for the life of another.”
Amon paused, then clarified his statement with burning vitriol in his voice, “You are filth, Rezon. I have learned of your treachery. Jasher of Bezek now lies in his grave because of your lust for power.”
Rezon winced. Amon felt sure it was feigned.
“What of Jasher’s lust for power? Did he not murder the emperor? And what of yourself, Amon of Gilad? Is that not why you are here, to take control of the whole Host of Gideon yourself?”
Amon watched Jael, who twisted his long sword in his hands, clearly agitated.
These two disgust me, Amon thought. Looking to his right and to his left, he witnessed many of those same feelings written in plain language all over the faces of his captains and friends. This filled him with hope. An eager desire welled up in him to shout out the tale of Manasseh’s death as far as he could spread the news. But Amon felt this particular telling was not for him to do. The opportunity belonged to the other men who had been present on that occasion. The men of Gideon need to hear it from the two Brothers who have united us all.
“Rezon, this is Eli of Uzzah, and this is Pekah of Gideon. They are here to correct any lies you have been telling your men about what happened to the emperor. You were not there, but I was-along with Jasher and these two men. Let the truth be told by those who saw it with their own eyes.”
Rezon’s teeth clenched. The fire burning in his eyes gave the man the appearance of red-hot metal doused in cold water. But he did not argue, and neither did any of the nearly four hundred faithful men who stood behind him, although they still appeared to be ready to carry out any command the Gideonite general might wish to demand of them.
Amon took a half-step back when Rezon’s countenance suddenly softened. He wondered if Rezon was actually ready to hear what he had to say.
“Eli,” Amon asked kindly, “Would you please tell this misguided Gideonite the true story of the fate of Manasseh?”
Eli looked like a famished brown bear that had been thrown a salmon for dinner. The priest of Uzzah took a step forward, cleared his throat, and then told the entire story of the War of Gideon from his own point of view, including Pekah’s decision to join the cause of peace, and details of their harrowing journey to Ain.
This drew many derogatory comments from the captured men of Rezon and his captains, but Rezon still did not react. Amon wondered why his face remained expressionless, almost as if he did not hear what had been said, or he simply did not care. Rezon did make eye contact with Jonathan at that point-however, the exchange carried no emotion. Amon could see that Jonathan’s face held nothing but pity for the Gideonite general.
Eli continued and explained that The Thorn had been freely given to Pekah by Jonathan. With a great flourish, he told of the scene of light and power he witnessed and insisted that Manasseh’s death was punishment from God. This caused a great stir among the ranks. Those of Gideon who had previously surrendered gaped at each other in awe. They craned their necks to get a glimpse of the man called Pekah, who stood next to General Amon.
To Amon, Rezon remained completely unreadable. Not a soul moved. Amon spoke. “Now that you know I did not participate in the death of the Gideonite called Manasseh… your emperor, ” Amon intentionally stressed, “I wish to inform you that I have joined with Uzzah and Daniel. I have committed to their peoples, and to my own, that I will end this war. I now offer you safe passage back to the land of Gideon if you will fully renounce your intentions of continued warfare and covenant with me that you never again will wage war with Daniel and Uzzah. What do you desire? Life or death? The choice is clearly yours.”
Amon waited. Searching glances bounced back and forth between many of the hesitant Gideonites, but then many of the soldiers who had once sworn themselves to Rezon formed into lines. They threw their weapons into a pile. Rezon seemed completely accepting of their surrender. In the end, even Jael took a step to toss his own sword a few paces short of the heap of steel and wood.
Rezon was the last man to move toward the pile. He still gripped his sword tightly as he strolled forward. Once he was next to Jael’s sword, he dropped his own in the same place. The two Gideonite leaders stood together.
“If my men are willing to make such a covenant,” said Rezon, “Then so must I. How can I fight against so great an army?”
Still suspicious of Rezon, Amon motioned toward them. Two Uzzahite archers stepped out of the crowd and pulled their bowstrings back until they creaked, both arrows directed at Rezon’s heart.
“Why are you aiming at me?” Rezon protested as if deeply hurt by the distrust.
Amon did not answer, but he again signaled to the archers. Their bowstrings went slack, although both men held their missiles firmly to the nock point. He took a deep breath.
I need to make a strong statement, he thought. It would give him great pleasure to personally receive a covenant from Rezon, but in light of recent events, and the incredible tale Eli had just related to the soldiers, he felt a greater, lasting impression would be made upon those present if the man ultimately responsible for the miracles at Ain would do the honors.
“Pekah, would you and Eli retrieve the general’s weapon and receive his oath of honor?”
Pekah readily accepted the assignment. Looking to his large Uzzahite friend, he approached General Rezon and Captain Jael. They stopped a few paces short, warily watching the two Gideonites.
Rezon showed his hands, plainly empty, and then clasped them behind his back in a show of submission. Jael did the same. Pekah and Eli stepped around the pile of weapons, stopping over the two swords lying together in the grass.
Eli held his sword in his right hand and his long walking stick in his left, both in a defensive manner. He motioned for Pekah to place the two men under covenant. Pekah hesitated only briefly, but then with visible courage, he extended his right hand out as the recipient of the covenant, with his palm upward. Looking on, Amon was annoyed by Rezon’s expression of total indifference.
General Rezon sighed, almost pathetically. He then spoke loudly to the crowd. “I hereby covenant that I will not wage war with Daniel or Uzzah again.” Then with great show, he pulled his empty right hand from behind his back and placed it over Pekah’s. “Instead,” Rezon said with a long pause, “I will murder them!”
In a flash, the left-handed Gideonite viciously stabbed forward and drove his dagger deep into Pekah’s chest. The blade pierced him right at the spot in his breastplate where the Gideonite arrow had weakened the hardened leather. Pekah’s eyes glazed over, and he fell forward with a thud. In the distance, two distinct and recognizable screams hurtled into the air. Ezra’s men quickly rushed to protect the women.
Jael slammed into Eli, knocking him off balance and away from Rezon. As if planned all along, a hundred Gideonites scrambled past the general to gain access to the pile of weapons before them. The Uzzahite archers, whom Amon had called up, let their arrows fly. One struck Jael in the shoulder and the other ricocheted off Rezon’s breastplate as he bent to retrieve his sword. As the Gideonites swooped in to grab weapons, The Brothers were upon them in force.
One soldier next to Rezon retrieved Jael’s sword, and with Rezon nearly dragging the wounded captain, the three ran back into their own ranks. They made for the base of the mount and began to climb. Loyal soldiers used their own bodies as human shields, receiving the onslaught of arrows intended for the general. Man after man fell with arrows in their backs but the defense never faltered, other men immediately taking their place. Other Gideonites stayed behind and rushed the main group of horsemen. Most were trampled in the fighting, but enough of Rezon’s men were armed that they held up the riders, preventing them from chasing the escaping Gideonites. Rezon’s small group disappeared over the top of the small mount.
In the intense battle that raged, Amon, Jonathan, Eli, and Tavor fought side by side, each dealing death with almost every blow. After many minutes of fighting, those who had enabled the escape of Rezon had been annihilated. The dead lay all around The Brothers like piled logs.
Amon braced himself, his hands on his knees, his chest heaving. When he caught his breath, he looked up to see Tavor at Eli’s side, tending to the burly red-headed man. Eli glanced down at the blood streaming from a gash in his arm. He stumbled, but Tavor caught him and set him down on the ground. Next to Eli, Jonathan reached down to touch a superficial slice on the back of his leg. He winced. Of the small group of friends, only Tavor was unharmed.
The general searched for something to staunch Eli’s bleeding. An Uzzahite tending the wounded handed him a few strips of clean cloth. He rushed to Tavor and assisted in treating Eli’s wound. He held the cloth tight while Tavor wrapped and then tied the ends.
Distracted by Jonathan, he watched as the Danielite hobbled toward a still form on the turf. It was Pekah.
Amon left Tavor with the remaining cloth and followed him. When Jonathan reached Pekah’s lifeless body and collapsed in a heap, Amon stopped. He swallowed hard.
Clearly anguished, tears streamed down Jonathan’s cheeks as he pulled Pekah close and sobbed.
His head low, Amon turned away.