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Book: The Sons Of God - Page 7

A young man appeared at the corner of the dwelling and answered fearfully, "Yes Old One."
"Go quickly, tell everyone to meet in the square."
Jorham was looking at the strange being with a shiny black hairless head and one big dark eye, "But Old One..."
The blind one growled, "Be quick, go now!" and Jorham disappeared.
"Now Old One, tell me how to get to the square."
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The people came as in any village, young, old, parents, and children. One thing Onam was pleased to see was the number of young females, but he didn't dwell long on that idea. He took a deep breath and when he spoke his voice echoed from the nearest dwellings. "I am the God of Thunder. You are to move to a new land I have chosen for you."
"This has been our father's home since time began. We will not leave this land!"
Someone had led the Old One to the square. If Onam didn't act now he could lose control of this village. He couldn't be seen for even a moment as anything but serious. He knew he had to be all-powerful and needed to act quickly. He hadn't come here to kill anyone, so he raised his hand weapon and pointed it at the old man's dog. An intense blue beam of light burned through the dog and he dropped without even a whimper. A hush fell over the whole village. Jorham stood next to the Old One touching his arm to guide him. He leaned down and spoke in the Old Ones ear, then as the people made way, he guided him closer. When the Old One was almost close enough to touch Onam with his cane Jorham stopped him, and he began to speak, holding his cane in the center and waving it for emphasis.
"We have a god that rules the earth and the sky. Who are you to make noises in the night scaring the countryside, then come with your noise in the day claiming to be a god? You scare the people. You killed my dog! Get out! Get away from us! We don't want a new god!"
Onam knew this was the moment he had feared. He had wanted this to be peaceful. Now the Old One was forcing him to do something drastic. He had to keep these people going the way he wanted instead of letting this blind, old man turn them against him. He could already hear grumbling, so again he pointed his weapon, this time at the Old One. The intense blue light touched the Old One and as he fell on his face the rest of the village fell with him. There was total silence. No one moved. Onam was left standing all by himself. He could hear the rotorbird at the edge of the village. Somewhere across the countryside a raven cawed, but not one human moved or made a sound.
As he stood looking at the effects of the fear and power he had forced on these people he thought, Complete and total power with absolute control just like my father! No wonder he acted like a god. I should finish this. And aloud he said, "You will remain with your face to the ground until the thunder stops. You will bow with your face to the ground whenever you hear my thunder. I am your God." He signaled Habtamu with his head shield counselor to fly low over the area, and as the thunder rolled he walked proudly through the village wondering at his new-found power. He was still amazed with himself when he climbed back in the rotor bird and flew home.
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Habtamu was excited, "Lijalem you should have seen them. Onam had a whole village on it's face when I was making low flights with the firebird. I'll wager he could bring them here right now if he wanted to."
But Lijalem replied, "We'll need more time to prepare before he does. We haven't finished enclosing the bird storage yet."
Later Onam entered the bird storage with Yetbarek grinning from ear to ear, "I have about three thousand people ready to come here any time you"re ready."
Lijalem was surprised. "How did you do it so quickly? We tried many different ideas for years and you did it in days. How did you do it?"
"I"m hungry. Let's get something to eat, then I'll explain."
Onam dumped his head shield and flight raiments in a chair, then sat in his usual place. He was beginning to feel important, even powerful, in this new role.
As the four men sat down, Tigist joined them with wine in one hand and a big container of stew in the other. Onam was excited. "Remember the night you found me? I"ll never forget the noise and the lights in the sky. I was so scared I couldn't move. I even had a hard time breathing. I created the same fear of the unknown and used a little force. It was actually easy. For four nights I made passes with the firebird, a little closer each night, then we flew the rotor bird in and paid them a visit in daylight with my head shield and flight raiments on. I told them I was The God of Thunder. One old man gave me some trouble so I burned a hole in his dog. When he still wouldn't shut up, I sent him looking for his dog. After that it was easy. When do you want them?"

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Lijalem was thinking of the things that had to be done. "We should be ready for them in about seven days. How long will it take to get them here?"
Onam counted days, "One day to pack their belongings, three days travel and they could be here in four days."
"Put them down at the south end of the valley by the river. They'll have everything they need there and there's plenty of grass in the hills for the animals."
Onam asked, "Do you have any rules for them?"
"Only two. They will work six days. On the seventh day they will rest, and they are not to come near this mountain. The rest of the rules are up to you.
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After Onam's rotor bird lesson next morning he asked Yetbarek to fly with him to the village. "Yetbarek can you touch earth in the clearing at the center of the village?" Yetbarek nodded that he could. "Hover just above the tree tops for a few moments." Onam reached for the voice enlarger control and turned it up. His voice was heard all over the country side, "I am The God of Thunder. All who hear me will come to be instructed."
People from all over the village stopped what they were doing and started toward the center. Onam waited until most were in the square then motioned Yetbarek down. As they descended Onam spoke again, "Every person among you will fall on your knees and bow your heads to the ground when I come into your presence." Six thousand knees touched the ground and every head bowed and touched the earth. When the rotor bird came to earth, Yetbarek looked out at all the bowed heads and turned his own from side to side in disbelief.
Onam smiled, his feeling of power growing again. "Tomorrow you will start to pack all your belongings on your animals, in wagons, or on your back. You have one day to get ready for your journey. Prepare food and fill your water jars and skins. On the morning of the second day you will march south. Jorham rise and stand that you may face your God. Who is your leader?"
"O God of Thunder, you killed our leader."
Onam hadn't expected this. That old fool was their leader? No wonder they are so easily led. "Jorham you will be the new leader. See that the village is ready to travel by the morning of the second day." As Onam watched, Jorham's shoulders were raised and pulled back and his chin raised. He could see that Jorham liked the decision. He turned a thumb up and the rotor bird rose into the air.
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On the morning of the second day Onam and Yetbarek lowered the rotor bird into the center of the village to find every man, woman, and child, with their faces to the ground awaiting their God. The streets were filled with animals and carts loaded with the peoples most precious possessions. "I am The God of Thunder. Where is my servant Jorham?"
The young man arose and stood in the crowd. "Here I am Lord."
"Come forward for instruction. Leave this place with the rising sun on your left shoulder. A half days march from here you will leave these low hills and enter a valley that you will follow until the end of the day. There you will find water and grass for your animal herds. I will come to you each day at sunrise to show you the way to your new home and watch over you as you travel. I am The God of Thunder."
Onam nodded to Yetbarek. The rotor bird rose straight up above the tree tops, the tail kicked smartly around and they were on their way home.
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Onam drew lines on the earth showing the route he had instructed Jorham to follow, and asked Yetbarek and Habtamu to fly over the people once in the morning, and again when the sun was high. Two flights from them each day, and his sunset visit should be enough to make sure they stayed on the right track. While Yetbarek and Habtamu were out flying over the people Onam decided there should be a celebration when his captive village came down out of the hills. Yes, that was a good idea. They could have roast lamb or goat and lots of young bull. He loved young bull, roasted over a fire, and he hadn't eaten any since he left his home. There could be dancing by the bonfires and Lijalem has lots of Egyptian wine. The more he thought about a celebration the more he liked the idea. There will be maidens, his maidens. He could have one or all since he was their God. Funny that thought hadn't crossed his mind before. He was now in a similar position of power that his father had been and it felt good, except.... He just realized his plan presented a problem. If he took a maiden from the village and had relations with her, she would see him as a mortal man, and the word would be out. He could still hold a rulers position because he held the weapons, but the unquestioned leadership of a god would be gone forever. That wouldn't do. He would have to think of something.

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Yetbarek and Habtamu reported everything was going well when they returned from their flights. Later Onam found his marching people spreading out to make camp with a long line of stragglers still coming. He turned the firebird slightly to make larger and larger circles around his travelers. He wanted to be sure nothing was in the area that would harm them in the night. As the sun touched the hills he stopped turning and made one last flight directly over the camp.

The first arrivals were camped along the edge of a small stream. As the people kept coming, they too wanted to be close to the water, so the camp became long and narrow along both sides of the stream. The herdsmen took the animals downstream to drink, which stretched the camp out even further. Everything looked peaceful. Cooking fires were burning now, and he could see people moving about in the fire-light. He turned toward home, and in the boring darkness his mind drifted. He was beginning to think more and more about his puzzling little problem. How was he going to handle his desire for a female consort, and not be seen by the people as only a man?
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The fourth day when Habtamu came in from his flight he went looking for Onam as soon as he came to earth. "Onam they're almost here."
"When they enter the valley, direct Jorham to the place we decided on, and tell him to make camp. Tell him I want them to bathe and wash their raiments. I want them clean when they meet their god."
After Jorham talked to Habtamu, he set the people at their tasks and walked the camp to see they were following his instructions. He saw that the temporary shelters were in place and each family's belongings were inside or neatly placed under cover. Then he walked the open areas between the shelters making sure nothing was left to stumble on or walk around. As he progressed through the camp, he told everyone he saw to pass the word about the meeting at the river. Then, in the late afternoon of the fourth day, Jorham stood on a high place by the river to speak to Onam's followers.
"You have done well. We arrived in God's valley before we were commanded, and we have set up camp. Our next instruction is to wash in the river and be clean for our God's appearance. Before we do this, does anyone want to say anything or ask any questions? Yes, you there, you have a question?"
A young man with his family stood. "Jorham do you know why we"re here? Why did our God move us to this valley?"
Jorham paused before he answered with care, " No, I don't know, but I do know what I see. Wild animals for food are plentiful. We are in a valley that would take you two days to walk across. We can't see the other end, and it is deep with grass for the animal herds. We are standing at the edge of a beautiful river, so water is plentiful. This is a better place than we had, and we have our God to protect us. Does anyone else have a question?"
A bearded shepherd leaning on his staff asked, "The God of Thunder killed The Old One. Aren't you afraid?"
Jorham shook his head, "No. God killed The Old One because he disagreed. Our God flies and makes thunder. He kills instantly with the wave of his hand, but I will not fear him as long as I walk in the way he shows me. Now, all women and children go upstream to bathe. The men are to go downstream."
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Onam had puzzled over the problems a woman could cause, and decided to plant a garden in a deep wash behind the bird storage. It had steep rock walls, too high to climb, but was big enough to let in plenty of direct sunlight. He would construct living quarters between the garden and the bird storage where the women he took would spend the rest of their lives. Not one would ever leave his compound to tell the outside world he was just a man. With the problem of his desire for a female companion taken care of, his mind turned to other things. He had to tell the people what he expected from them. He would tell them who should hunt meat, who should tend the flocks and herds, and which of the men should break ground and grow the grains for the cooked fruit of the field he loved. There were so many things he wanted them to know, like the great city they were to build, and how he wanted them to increase their numbers. But the most important thing for them to learn is to stay away from the mountain, so they would not see any of the fliers as mere men.
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Onam, with Yetbarek and Habtamu two steps behind, walked through the camp toward the waiting people. The neatness of the camp did not miss his attention. He was impressed with Jorham's ability to lead and organize his people. He wondered at the random choice he had made when he picked him to lead. As they approached, the people moved aside and made a pathway, then bowed with every face to the ground. Three beings with head shields, gloves, and darkened eye shields glistening in the sun, walked to higher ground, then turned back to face the people.

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"Rise Jorham and tell the people to rise. When all the people were standing, Onam began to speak. "I am The God of Thunder. I have brought you here for a purpose. Today I will reveal to you the things I want you to know. When thunder comes from the mountain you are to bow with your face to the ground until the thunder fades away. Neither you nor your children are to approach the mountain of thunder. If anyone touches the mountain he will die.
"You are but the first of many that will be brought here. A city will rise here with houses and wide streets. There will be gardens with trees, temples, and commons, with running fountains, parks, open air markets, and a coliseum for games. Men that tended flocks and herds will still do so. Men that hunted will still hunt, and the men who tended the crops will sow and reap the fruit of the field. Most of the rest of you will work at building the city. All children over twelve summers, male and female, will help with the building."
As Onam spoke he noticed that every face was turned toward him. Even the children were quietly listening.
"When a maiden has passed her sixteenth summer, she will stop work on the buildings, and marry, so that she may bear children. All women sixteen summers or older will be with child. Men may have as many wives as are needed to assure that all women deliver a child each year. The more you increase your population, the less outsiders we will have to bring in."
As he spoke, Onam was watching the women to see what the reaction to his new law would be. The older women didn't display any reaction, but he noticed the young maidens look up at their parents in surprise.
"The old women will tend the children, so that the young women with children may keep the workers supplied with food, raiments, and a clean dwelling. The oldest men will oversee the young workers. There will be work for everyone from sun to setting sun, six days. On the seventh day you will rest.
"Jorham is a good leader. He will take you far, but he needs your help. I expect him to pick overseers for hunting, gathering, and harvesting, to see that no one goes hungry. He will keep records of the children, and the young female workers, to make sure they are married, and with child at the proper age. He will need help locating, hauling and piling materials to build with. There will be a man in charge of building. He will have planners, earth leveling, stone, and wood workers under him. The mountain stream to the north will be turned to bring fresh water to the city fountains. Everyone will work except the children under twelve. Follow the leaders Jorham chooses. I am The God of Thunder. These are my laws.
"Today marks the sixth day since you arrived in this valley. In celebration of your new home you will have a festival and feast tonight and tomorrow. You will sacrifice oxen, sheep and goats, enough to feed the community, and roast them over open fires. You will not sacrifice one that has any defect. If you bake cereal grain in an oven it will be in the form of cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil. If it is fried on a griddle it has to be of fine flour mixed with oil. These cereals will be broken in pieces and oil poured over it. If the cereal is prepared in a pot, it will be of fine flour, deep fried in oil. I will supply wine.
"Tomorrow before the feast, all maidens sixteen to twenty summers who have not known a man will bathe again using sweet smelling oils, put on clean clothing, and braid wild flowers in their hair. They will display themselves to me, and the people, one at a time, from this high place. When the feast starts, they will be treated as guests of the people. After mid-day they will again form a line across this high place to be seen. Four will be picked. They will be sacrificed to be taken up with your god."
Onam stood with his arms outstretched listening to his powerful voice echo from a low wall of stone behind the crowd. Not a sound was heard from the people until Jorham dismissed them. The people stood silent for a few moments, then a few began quietly talking among themselves. Others joined in, and almost immediately they were all talking at once.
A mother, and her daughter who had tears in her eyes, turned and walked away from the crowd and back to their tent. As the daughter ran through the opening she yelled, "I don't want to be sacrificed. I"m going to run away from this place!"
Her mother entered behind her and pleaded, "Be quiet! Do you want your god to hear you?" When she had calmed her daughter, she spoke again, "You can't run away, you have no place to go. And if you did leave, Jorham would have to find you. Losing a virgin would make him look bad to our new God."
When the maiden's father entered and saw the tears he asked gruffly, "What's the meaning of this?"
"I don't want to be sacrificed. I don't want to die!"
"You are seventeen summers so you will be with the rest to be offered to our new God. Jorham says it is a great honor to our family if you are chosen. I will see that you are on the high place myself!"
"But father..."
"Enough! You will be there!"
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As they were walking back to the bird storage Habtamu turned to Onam, " What are you going to do with four maidens?"
Onam laughed, "I'm not doing anything with four. You're going to take one."
"Not me, I'm too old."
"Look Habtamu, there"ll be one for each of us. If you want someone to keep you warm on a cold night go see her, if not, sleep by yourself. She won't be able to leave the enclosure to follow you around and bother you. What are you worried about?"
Habtamu conceded , "I guess its worth a try, as long as I can get away any time I want."
Lijalem was more enthusiastic about having young women in the compound in an arrangement that left him free to come and go as he pleased. He had only one concern. "Onam, what will we do if one of them ever escapes?"

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"We'll have to kill any woman that escapes as soon as she's found and make an example of her to anyone that would defy their God." Onam fell silent when he realized he had heard his father use almost the same words to instruct his warriors. The conversation continued without him, and his mind was still in another time and place when they reached the bird storage.
When they went their separate ways, he said to himself, "I have become just like my father." The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. He was powerful, greedy, and controlling, just like the man he still hated. Onam finally realized he had a decision to make. He could make his apologies to his new friends, and pedal his little bird back to the life he lived before. Or he could stay here and fly a firebird, eat like he never had before, have a woman when he wanted, and be looked upon as a god.
In the end Onam's greed and love of excitement pushed his conscience aside forever.
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On the morning of the seventh day, Onam, Lijalem, Yetbarek, and Habtamu walked through the door of their compound and out into the bright sunlight. Their light-weight flight clothing was for appearance only. It's only purpose was to completely cover them so their human skin could not be seen.
The people's new God and his friends walked quickly, enjoying the cool morning air. There was excitement and a feeling of expectation as they came in sight of the camp. When the people saw them a hush come over the gathered throng. Three of the four gods were the color of the sky. Where hands and feet should be was black, and the head was a shiny sky blue with one big eye. A narrow stripe, the color of the clouds at sunset, ran down their arms and the legs. Their heads also had a stripe that stopped at the big grey eye. One god had a white body and head, and the same stripe on his arms, legs, and head. The music had stopped, and people began to bow until every forehead was touching the ground.
Lijalem whispered, "I'm impressed. Onam we could do anything with these people!"
Onam murmured, "I know. That's what I've been trying to tell you." then spoke louder, "Where is my servant Jorham?"
Jorham quickly stood, "Here I am Lord. What do you wish?"
"Have the people rise. Are the maidens ready for display?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Then have them brought up to the high place for everyone to see."
"Yes, Lord"
Jorham disappeared into the crowd, and Onam led the way to the base of the small rise that would serve as a stage. In a tent, away from the people, a table of food and wine had been prepared. The seats had been covered with soft animal skins that felt comfortable when Onam sat down. He sampled dried fruit while Lijalem poured wine from an Egyptian goat skin into some goblets that had been placed on the table. When Lijalem was through, Onam was the first to reach for his wine. But when he lifted one of the goblets, it almost slipped through his fingers. It was heavy! He looked at it, and holding it with both hands turned it slowly, noticing for the first time it was the color of the sunrise. When he turned to look at Lijalem, he knew Lijalem had made the same discovery. They both quietly said the same word at the same time, "Gold!" The four goblets were solid gold!
Neither Yetbarek or Habtamu had lifted their goblet, so Onam looked at Lijalem and touched his finger to his lips. He and Lijalem remained quiet, waiting for one of the other goblets to be picked up. Yetbarek and Habtamu were enjoying all the activity, but Yetbarek finally turned his attention back to the table and idly reached for a goblet. Onam and Lijalem watched with amusement as Yetbarek, with his attention somewhere else, slipped his fingers around the goblet to pick it up. When it didn't come easily, his full attention focused on the goblet, and he made a stronger effort. This time the goblet came off the table sloshing and spilling wine. This movement caught Habtamu's eye. He looked at Yetbarek in time to see a look of embarrassment turn to interest as Yetbarek turned the goblet in his hands. It was then that he heard Onam and Lijalem laughing at him.
Yetbarek said in a matter of fact voice, "This is gold."
Habtamu used both hands and carefully picked up his goblet. They all looked at each other, and Habtamu wondered aloud, "Where did so much gold come from?"
The four were deep in speculation when they realized Jorham was standing on the high place saying in a powerful voice, "We have assembled twenty-seven maidens to be displayed before you, oh Lord. We pray that their beauty pleases you. Jorham motioned to the maidens, and although some were more hesitant than others, they all walked forward to stand in a line at the edge of the high place.
The four men closed their eye shields and came out to see what was being offered to them. They looked at each maid, missing nothing. Each female's hair color and length, the tilt of her head, the sparkle in the eye, the length of the leg, and curve of the thigh, were all stored in memory.
Lijalem spoke first, "There are some beauties among them. Three are worthy of any man. Onam, how did you say our four get picked?"
"The maidens know each other best. They will do the choosing. Jorham will explain it to the people before they start."
"You mean we have nothing to say? We have no choice at all in the decision?"

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Onam patiently answered, "I am curious about what these people think is beautiful. If you don't like what they pick, women are plentiful and not worth much in these peoples eyes. We just get rid of her and get one you like."
This satisfied Lijalem, so he turned his attention back to something that interested him more than maidens, and he continued to examine the goblet he carried. "We have to find where this gold came from, Onam. These goblets are worthy of an Egyptian king's table."
When he had looked at each young female carefully, Onam got Jorham's attention and waved the maidens away. He was hungry. He went back to the tent, walked past two guards that were keeping everyone else out, and took off his head shield. There was roast meat, fruit of the field, wine, and something he had never tasted before. Jorham had supplied delicious pieces of ground wheat baked into golden loaves. Onam ate, put his head shield back on, closed the eye shield, and walked out through the crowd. He enjoyed watching the dancing, and listening to the music and the noise of the happy people. Suddenly a roar went up from a large group, so Onam came closer to see why there was so much noise. A group of men were rolling stones to see who could get closest to a stake driven in the ground. He joined another large group standing in a circle, and for a few moments joined in cheering two young men that were trying to wrestle each other to the ground.
He was passing a roasting fire, when a head of red, waist-length hair caught his eye. He glanced back for a moment, then stopped completely to admire the back of a small female tending the roasting meat. She turned slightly to one side, then the other, but never turned enough for him to see her face. The longer he waited, the more his curiosity grew. He stood watching, wondering if she was ever going to show her face, until he realized his subjects were watching him, so he moved on. Onam looked back once more as he walked away to see if she had changed positions, but she still had her back to him. She was probably just an ordinary female like the ones all around him, yet not one head of hair he saw was combed to a shine like hers, nor was there a waist so small.
Several thoughts passed through his mind. Why had he started this silly game? It was just idle curiosity that made him wonder about her. He was her God. He could just go look, but he was taking four maidens today, so he didn't want anyone to know he was looking at a fifth female. Onam was some distance away when he looked back again. A line had formed to get the meat she had started passing out. Her attention to the growing line would keep her facing the same direction. He walked slowly back in her direction, then around the fire while she cut another piece of meat. When she turned to give it to the next person waiting, he finally saw her face, and he was not disappointed. The hair he had admired framed a happy, smiling face. Her green eyes sparkled above a sprinkle of freckles that crossed her turned-up nose. She had a small mouth, smooth skin, and graceful arms and hands. There were beauties in this crowd but nothing to compare to this.
He turned to walk away, then turned to look again. He would remember this one. Once more he turned and moved away through the crowd to find Lijalem, Yetbarek, and Habtamu surrounded by admiring people. "Jorham, where is my servant Jorham?" Onam spoke loudly to take the people's attention away from the three men. He didn't want them getting too familiar.
"Here I am, Lord."
"Jorham tell the people to gather at the high place. Habtamu, Yetbarek, it's time for you to leave. We'll see you later. Lijalem let's go back to the high place and see what the day brings.
The maidens were lined up across the high place, dressed and combed, and beautiful. Lijalem and Onam sat at the table with the gold goblets trying to guess which four females would be picked.
Jorham took his place in front of the maidens. "With my Lord's permission we will start the ceremony for the Sacrifice of the Maidens." Onam nodded and Jorham continued. "Each year we are to sacrifice four of the daughters of man to our God during the festival commemorating our arrival in this valley. The time for selection has come. Each maiden is carrying a pebble in a pouch of sheep skin. Each in her turn will look at all the others and choose the contestant she believes to be the most beautiful and give her the stone, then return to her place. When all the stones have been placed, any maiden without a stone will step down. I will then count the stones in each maiden's pouch. The one with the least stones will give her stones to the contestant she thinks most beautiful and step down. This will continue until there are four maidens left." Jorham turned back to the maidens with his last instructions. "Choose one at a time from left to right, each in your turn. Choose carefully. The parents of the four maidens chosen to go up to be with our God will be greatly honored by your decisions here today. It is a great honor to be a sacrificial maiden."
When he had finished, Jorham stepped to one side to watch. The first maiden stepped timidly forward to look down the line, then placed her pebble in the maiden's pouch next to her. The next maiden stepped forward, turned and walked half way down the line and stopped in front of one of the prettiest in the line to drop her pebbles. A stir of approval rippled through the assembled throng, and there was the light clapping of hands. Slowly the voting moved down the line until every maiden had made her choice. There was only quiet from the people now as the tension grew into almost complete silence. Jorham came back and thanked the maidens that had no pebble for participating, then asked them all to step down. When nineteen maidens stepped down, one ran to her mothers open arms laughing, paying no attention to her disappointed father.
There was a stir, and quiet speculation could be heard from the throng, as Jorham counted the pebbles in each pouch. He asked a pretty little dark haired beauty to give her pebbles to one of the remaining maidens. Her shoulders dropped as she looked at the ground for a long moment, then with tears in her eyes she dropped her pebbles in a waiting sheep skin bag. Onam took all this in, including the tears. He made another mental note to remember the face of the maiden so sad to step down, and bring her up later. The next two to give up their pebbles did so with a sad face but no tears. He was not surprised that the five maidens left were the prettiest of the twenty- seven starters. The people were hardly breathing as Jorham counted pebbles. Five, four, five, five and eight. The maiden with four pebbles will step down. The crowd roared and clapped hands in approval. The remaining maidens, just a few hours before, were obscure servants to their parents. Now they were the celebrated talk of a throng of people, and about to be taken up with their God. They smiled through their tears of happiness, and waved goodbye to their parents.

Book Sons God - Page 7

Onam stood and raised both hands to the sky. Some of the people saw him rise with his arms out-stretched, but they didn't know what it meant. So, as they watched, they touched the person next to them and nodded in the direction of their God. The people slowly stopped talking and stared, wondering what their God was doing. They became very quiet, but as the moments passed, their God still did not move. Then without warning, there was a sharp cracking sound like wood splitting, followed by a high pitched scream that turned to an eruption of thunderous noise. Every human in sight touched both knees and face to the ground. Just moments passed before Onam heard the pop, pop, pop of a rotor bird coming in his direction. Habtamu had timed his arrival perfectly. Onam and Lijalem hurried to the high place. They met the rotor bird, and as soon as it touched down, they began to guide the four maidens into the opening. When Onam was safely in, he looked back at the people. Every head was bowed to the ground. None of the people had seen a thing. Habtamu rose with his load of people, and wasted no time starting back in the direction of the compound. When the roar stopped, the people raised their heads to find the four maidens and their God gone. The celebration continued, the wine flowed, and the maiden with the long red hair turned the meat over the hot fire.
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As soon as they touched earth, Onam and Lijalem took the maidens from the rotor bird to their new dwelling. Onam led the group through the cooking area, then through the sleeping area, and out through the hallway into the garden. Soil had been brought in, and fruit trees had been moved from the people's old village in time to bloom. Grass and flowers bordered a small stream, and a path found it's way through the trees to a vine-shaded glade where the stream fell from a ledge high above. Birds had found a home here, and their songs echoed from the high walls. Carved benches had been placed in the shade of several trees, and a table was set with fruit, wine, and bread. The maidens just stood in quiet disbelief. They had been picked to make their god happy. Then they had floated through the sky, high above the trees to this beautiful place where they would want for nothing.
Onam motioned Lijalem toward the hall, and they left the maidens to explore their new dwelling. Lijalem passed through the door first, then waited while Onam closed the entry to the sleeping area behind them, and dropped the heavy latch into place. Then he stood for a moment looking back on his day of successes. Lijalem was a few steps ahead when Onam said, "I"d call this a good day. The people are happy and ready to go to work. We took four young maidens from them, and they still think we"re Gods. We know that somewhere there is gold to be taken." He was quiet for a few steps, his mind dwelling again on the goblets, then asked, "Lijalem, have you ever seen that much gold in one place?"
Lijalem stopped, and turned to face Onam. "Yes. But it's taken me a lifetime to collect it. Where do you suppose the goblets came from? How are we going to find out without raising their suspicions?"
"I"m their God. I don't have to worry about their suspicions. I'll just ask."
"Onam if they have enough to display it like they did today, without fear of losing it, there must be a lot more. Why don't we just move slowly and act like we didn't notice. We might learn a lot more about their source."
"All right, we'll do it your way. Maybe your right. We'll worry about the gold later. We have something more important to be concerned with right now."
Onam and Lijalem had started walking the long hall as they talked, and were almost to the bird storage when Habtamu and Yetbarek came in.
Habtamu was excited. "What did you do with the maidens?"
"Lijalem and I took them to the garden. Why?"
Yetbarek started on down the hall. "We haven't even seen the chosen ones. We were flying to make the thunder when they were chosen."
Onam turned to speak, and saw Yetbarek already reaching for the heavy latch. "Wait, Yetbarek. We need to talk about how we"ll control these women."
The three men looked at each other, then at Onam. He could see by their expressions that he was the only one that had thought about control. "We have to have some rules to live by, or one of us will make the rest of us angry. I have some ideas we can start with. Then we can change things if they don't work."
Onam stopped talking for a moment, and looked at each of his friends in turn, but none of them looked like they wanted to say anything, so he continued. "First we need to spend time getting to know the character of each maiden. Since they are all so beautiful, their appearance will matter little in the choosing. Your choice will be yours for life, but her children will be everyone's responsibility. If a man dies, the rest of us will care for his family. I'll choose first. Then the order of choosing will be determined by age. Does anyone have any ideas or objections?"
Yetbarek wasn't happy with the delay that making rules caused, "I just want to see what they look like. We can worry about rules later."
Onam didn't see any reason for Yetbarek to be impatient. "If you don't like the rules, we"ll change them. But we need to have rules from the beginning."
Yetbarek just looked down at the floor, so Onam continued to speak. "Again, are there any objections to the temporary rules?"
He waited, but no one else said anything, so he continued; "The next thing everyone has to do is keep the entry to the living quarters latched at all times to do away with the temptation for them to run. The maidens will be warned not to leave. Then they will be told the price they will pay if they try. If any one of us finds a female outside the compound she is to die where she stands, no matter who she belongs to. If she is allowed to tell those on the outside what she's seen here, we won't be seen as gods, just as common men with powerful weapons."
With all this said, Onam turned his attention to Yetbarek. "All right Yetbarek, go look. I"m weary, so I"m going to get some rest. We start building Lijalem's city tomorrow."

Book Sons God The Bible Revealed - Page 7

The morning was cool. It was early, and Lijalem was happy. His plan for the city was laid out for all to see. Men had been sent in search of wood to cut, and stones to build with. Hunters were gone before first light, and farmers were marking off their new fields. Jorham was choosing a group of men to begin leveling areas for the new dwellings. Everyone had a job to do except Onam, so he wandered aimlessly through the camp. Women were cleaning around their tents while they tended cooking fires, and watched their children play. Excitement had been with him long enough that it had become like a drug to him. He needed something more than building a city. Getting these people here had been exciting, so he decided to tell Lijalem he was going out to look for the next group to bring to the valley. As he was walking back toward Lijalem, he saw Jorham with another group of men.
"Pile the stones you found there. I'll be back as soon as I examine the leveling." He turned to go and was surprised to be face to face with his God. He went to his knees, his forehead touching the ground.
"Rise Jorham, and walk with your God."
Jorham rose, "Yes, Lord. What do you wish?"
"I don't wish for anything Jorham. I was just enjoying the cool of the morning. How is everything with you?"
"I am pleased, My Lord. Preparations for the building is going well. We"ll have a beautiful place to dwell in when it's completed. My Lord Lijalem mentioned that we will need some gold for decoration in your temple. We have some but not nearly enough."
"The goblets we used at the Sacrifice of the Virgins ceremony were heavy with gold. Why can't you use them?"
"That gold doesn't belong to the people."
Onam was surprised. "Who does it belong to?"
"The goblets belonged to The Old One, Lord."
"Where did that old man get so much gold?"
"The Old One brought the goblets from a far place. He never told us the name of the land he came from, only that it was a long journey, too far to go back at his age. We didn't want to use the goblets because they're so heavy, so we didn't ask him again for answers he wouldn't give."
"Jorham I"ve never seen goblets such as those. I would like to see them again."
"The Old One's daughter, Maya keeps them. They are hers now that he is dead."
"The Old One had a daughter?"
"Yes, Lord. Her tent is just a short walk. We could ask her about the goblets now if it would please you."
As they walked together between the tents to see the goblets, Onam looked ahead and saw the beauty with the long red hair. She was sitting in front of a tent mending a sandal. Jorham was a step ahead of him, so when he stopped for a moment to admire her from a distance, Jorham didn't notice, and kept walking. Onam was so taken by her beauty that he could see nothing else. He didn't notice that a group of women had stopped to bow to their God. But the bowing did catch the attention of the beauty with the sandal, and she quickly dropped her work and bowed like all the other women. This caught Onam by surprise, so he quickly caught up with Jorham.
Jorham spoke to the woman still holding the sandal, "Maya, Our Lord would like to see the goblets again. Rise and bring one out for him."
"Yes, Lord." She rose with her head still bowed, turned, and disappeared into her tent.
Onam was surprised, and whispered to Jorham, "She is the daughter of The Old One?"
"Yes, Lord."
Onam realized the group of women were still bowing, and he didn't want them there. "You women, rise and be on your way." When they were gone he turned back to Jorham, and asked quietly, "Has she known man?"
"No, My Lord."
Although Jorham couldn't see it, a look of pure delight brightened his God's face, and he asked, "Why was she not in the line with the other maidens at the sacrifice ceremony?"
"I thought you wanted young maidens. You said to show all maidens sixteen to twenty summers. She is twenty-two summers."
While Onam was still thinking about how young she looked, Maya came out of her tent. She did not smile, nor did she look fearful. When she was close enough, she dropped to her knees, looked straight at his eye shield, and presented him with a goblet. Onam took it by the stem and realized that the sparkle he saw in her eyes before had been replaced by a look of concern. Onam turned the goblet in his hand watching the sunlight play on its many surfaces. "I"ve never seen anything like this. Where did it come from?"
Maya looked at her god for several moments without speaking. Jorham was about to repeat the question when Maya, with her back still straight, bowed her head and asked softly, "May I speak with My Lord alone?"