Chapter 5

Ashur’s eyes grew wide. “The king is in Iri Geshem? Now? And he wants to stay here?”

“Yes, he’ll be here very soon,” Noah said.

“How many people were with him?”

“About a dozen, including several guards and a few women.”

“That’s wonderful. Imagine, the king staying at my inn.” As if realizing what he’d just said, Ashur frowned. “I mean, that’s terrible. I’m not ready for such an important guest.”

“What can we do to help?” Emzara asked. “We don’t have much time.”

Ashur’s gaze darted around the dining hall. Several customers were scattered about the room, savoring their meals and enjoying one another’s company. “Noah, can you clean the empty tables and straighten the chairs?”

“Of course.”

Ashur pointed down the hallway to his left. “Emzara, would you mind preparing a couple of the guest rooms?”

“I can do that,” she said. “Which ones?”

“I’ll show you in a moment. I’ll be right back.” He hurried through a door in the back.

“He seems rather excited about it.” Emzara bit her lip. “Almost too excited.”

Noah kept his voice low. “I think he really enjoyed himself in Havil. I’m not sure he agrees with the rest of the council on this matter.”

Emzara crossed her arms and leaned back slightly. “Certainly that can’t be true. How could anyone from Iri Geshem want anything to do with Havil after seeing that ceremony?”

Noah shrugged one shoulder. “What if that someone didn’t really follow the Creator?”

“You think Ashur doesn’t . . .”

“I’m just thinking out loud, but sometimes he seems too interested in wealth and pleasure. Havil has plenty of both. I think your father suspects as much too.”

Emzara opened her mouth to speak just as Ashur re-entered the room.

Ashur tossed two cloths to Noah and set a bucket of water on the table beside him. “These are for tidying up out here. Emzara, come with me, and I’ll show you which guest rooms you can prepare.”

Noah plunged a rag into the water and wrung it out while Emzara followed Ashur up the stairs to the second floor. The establishment boasted four guest rooms on the second floor and four on the ground level. Widely considered the best place to eat in town, the spacious dining hall often filled to capacity in the evening. Noah turned his attention to the nearest unoccupied table and wiped it down, all the while keeping an eye and ear out for the group from Havil.

Before long, Ashur led a couple down the stairs and then to the last room on the right. “I’m sorry about the inconvenience. You can stay for half price tonight.”

Noah finished cleaning the tables and set the bucket near the door to the kitchen. He planned to ask Ashur what else needed to be done, but decided to check outside for the Havilites first. Looking out the front door, Noah saw a large crowd of people across the town square with Ara and Lamech at the front. He moved quickly to the landing and called to the second floor. “They’re almost here.”

A door slammed shut. “Coming.” Ashur hurried down the steps, his sandaled feet slapping against the wooden boards. “Thank you, Noah. I owe you one.”

“You’re welcome. They’re still on the other side of the fountain, but I thought you’d want to greet them outside.”

Ashur nodded. “Thanks again.”

“Do you mind if Em and I use the back exit? I’d rather not be here for this meeting.”

Ashur shrugged. “I suppose if you want to. I need to go.” He took a deep breath and darted out the front door.

“He sure was in a hurry.”

Noah spun around at the sound of Emzara’s voice. He crossed the floor and took her hand. “I am too. Let’s get out of here.”

He picked up the bucket and set it inside the kitchen. Ashur’s kitchen hand was busily kneaded a pile of dough while, to his right, a large iron soup pot simmered above coals, giving the room its pleasant aroma. “Smells great, Enika. Ashur said we can use the back door.”

“Oh, I didn’t even see you. Be sure to stop in again sometime.”

As they stepped into the narrow alley behind the inn, Emzara’s hand flew to her stomach and then to her mouth. “Whew, I don’t feel well all of a sudden. I hope I’m not going to be ill.”

Noah gently rubbed her back. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think so.” She inhaled slowly and leaned against the building. “What do we do now?”

“After they arrive, we’ll join the crowd from behind and observe.” Noah wiped sweat from his forehead. He cast about and spotted a large wooden box under a nearby tree. “Do you want to rest over there for a while?”

“That sounds good.” She took his hand and followed him to the shade.

Noah sighed as he sat down. “This is much better.”

She reclined against him as he wrapped both arms around her. Grinning, she locked her dark brown eyes onto his. “No, this is much better.” She closed her eyes, a contented smile etched across her tender lips.

As she rested, Noah caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes moved beneath her eyelids and her nostrils flared ever so slightly with each breath. Leaning in, Noah kissed her forehead, taking in the spicy sweet fragrance of the oil she used in her hair. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Creator, thank You for Emzara. What have I ever done to deserve her? The sound of the approaching crowd turned Noah’s thoughts away from his wife. Most High, please give our council members wisdom regarding this unexpected visit. May we always seek to serve You.

Emzara sighed. “Did they have to get here so soon?” She sat up. “We’d better go.”

Before leaving the alley, they peeked around the corner and saw roughly 40 people gathered between the fountain and Ashur’s inn. Ashur stood before Ara and the king, exchanging pleasantries, while the people fanned out in a semi-circle beyond them.

“Are we trying to hide?” Emzara asked.

Noah furrowed his brows. “No, but I got the impression that your father wants us to be cautious, and I agree. Let’s just observe from the back. If we get a chance, I’d like to talk to Garun too.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize he was with them.”

“Makes sense. He’s been here before, so he could teach them about our city and practices.” Noah took her hand and stepped out into the street. “I’m glad Nivlac isn’t here.”

She wrinkled her nose and frowned. “Me too.”

Noah looked down the road toward the sea. No sign of Zain yet.

Noah and Emzara slipped into the crowd, maneuvering themselves just close enough that they could hear what was being said at the front.

“It’s an honor to host you and your group during your stay,” Ashur said. “Would you like to see the rooms now?”

The king put up a hand. “Thank you. My daughter spoke highly of your inn, and I am looking forward to a fresh meal. But first, I would like to address the citizens of Iri Geshem.” He paused and his gaze shifted from Ashur to Ara and back again. “May I?”

“Of course.” Ashur held out his hands and raised his voice. “Brothers and sisters, King Lamech of Havil would like to speak to you.”

The crowd quieted, and Lamech turned to face them, taking a step back as his gaze swept from left to right across the group. With shoulders back and chin up, the king’s posture matched his regal position, the dark brown scar stretching from his right cheekbone to ear only adding to the aura of fierce strength he exuded. “Men and women of Iri Geshem, thank you for kindly welcoming me and some of my people to your city. We have traveled a long way to visit you and to thank you for the marvelous ship made by my new friend, Ara.”

Without a smile, Ara nodded once in acknowledgment.

“Just as you have learned about metalworking from my son, Tubal-Cain, we would like to learn all we can from you.” The king looked directly at Noah, whose height caused him to stand out behind the three rows of people in front of him. “Noah may have told you that we’ve constructed a place of learning, what I call the House of Knowledge. I’ve dispatched scribes to cities throughout our region to record any of the wisdom and discoveries they find. Just imagine what we might accomplish for the good of all people if we could learn from each other.”

Lamech smiled broadly and opened his arms wide. “With your blessing, of course, I’d like to learn what we can from you.” He tipped his head toward one of his subjects, a man dressed in a fine silken wrap, much like the one Noah had worn in Havil. “To show our appreciation for your cooperation in this endeavor, I have prepared a bit of a gift and a brief demonstration of a fraction of what Havil could share with you.”

The man opened a small chest and pulled out a handful of golden piks. Excitement grew as he handed out a small gold ball to each person in the crowd.

“I understand that you may not be familiar with gold in Iri Geshem,” the king said, “but Havilah has the finest gold in the world. A beautiful metal and so easy to shape, I am sure you will find endless uses for it.”

The townsfolk chatted excitedly as each received his or her gold. “It is beautiful,” a woman next to Noah said as she stared at her gift. Meanwhile, Ara spoke to the king, but the commotion prevented Noah from being able to hear him.

After a few moments, Lamech held up his hands and the crowd quieted. “I hope you are pleased with that gift. Ara has informed me that I’ll need to speak to the town council before any official arrangements are made. But, in the meantime, I’d like you to enjoy a small demonstration of Havil’s beauty and talent.”

The three Havilite women stepped forward. Joining them were three men dressed in matching blue wraps. One held a stringed instrument, another a wooden flute, and the third carried a drum. In perfect harmony, the women allowed their overwraps to drop to the ground. Two wore light blue silken gowns and the third’s was a royal blue. The dresses were much more modest than the ones worn by the dancers in Havil, but still accentuated their attractive bodies.

As the musicians played, the women danced and clapped along to the tune. Thankfully, this show was also more reserved than the performance that exuded sensuality during Noah’s first trip to Havil. After a few moments, the dancer in the darker outfit started to sing. Her strong voice perfectly accompanied the music.

She looks like one of the dancers Ashur spoke with at the king’s table. Noah glanced at Ashur, who was engrossed. Noah put an arm around Emzara and looked into her eyes. “I’d rather watch you.”

A strong hand gripped Noah’s arm, distracting him from Emzara’s answering smile. “Did you inform the councilmembers?” Ara asked.

Keeping his voice low, Noah said, “We told Zain and Ashur. Zain said he’d get the others immediately.”

“They’d better hurry,” Ara said. “I think our fellow citizens like what they see from Havil. We need to stop this before it goes on too long, but I don’t want to act alone.”

“What about Ashur?” Emzara asked. “He’s on the council.”

Noah snorted. “Look at him. Do you really think he wants any of this to stop?”

“He’s right, Emz. Ashur refuses to see Havil as a danger.”

The music came to a stop, and the entertainers returned to their former places. Two guards armed with black staffs stepped forward, each clad in Havil’s customary light brown leather tunics partially covered by metal armor. They moved about 15 paces in front of the crowd and roughly five cubits apart before turning to face each other. In unison, they looked at the king, who responded with a nod. Both men assumed a fighting pose similar to the one Aterre had shown Noah years earlier. Following a brief pause, they tapped the two staffs together between them.

Without warning, the guard to the right yelled and spun toward his opponent with blinding speed. His strike would likely have broken the other man’s leg, except that the second guard deftly blocked the blow with his own staff. A flurry of attacks, blocks, and dodges ensued. The men moved so quickly, effortlessly, and skillfully that the action soon mesmerized Noah. I wonder how Aterre would fare against these men. He glanced at Garun, who was positioned near the man who handed out the gold. Can Garun fight like that?

As the crowd grew, a few newcomers asked if anyone was going to stop the fight, but they were quickly shushed and informed that it was a demonstration.

The soldier who blocked the first attack intercepted an overhead swing and then ducked and swept the legs out from under the other man. In one continuous motion, he finished the sweeping stroke and spun completely around, swinging his staff high above and then down with reckless velocity at the other guard’s head. He hit the ground when the tripped soldier moved at the last possible instant and then kicked the attacker in the chest. Still on his back, he sprang to his feet in one sudden motion and raised his staff above his face just in time to thwart another blow. The two men squared off and slowly spun in a circle, studying each other’s movements.

Lamech clapped. “Excellent!”

The guards stood tall, nodded to the king, and then tapped their staffs together. As they moved back to their position near Garun, the assembly applauded.

“There he is,” Ara said, pointing to the road to the beach.

Zain ran to them. “What’s happening?”

Ara kept his voice down. “They are winning over the people. We need to do something.”

Zain nodded. “Right. Let’s talk to the king.”

Ara and Zain walked around the crowd and joined Ashur near Lamech.

“King Lamech, I’m surprised to see you again,” Zain said.

“Ah, Noah’s steadfast companion — Zain, I believe it is?”

“That’s right. I am one of the council members of Iri Geshem.” Zain swung his arm out, palm up. “As are Ashur and Ara.”

The king beamed and put his hand on Zain’s shoulder. “Perfect. We have much to talk about.”

“Indeed we do, but we cannot decide on these matters without the rest of the council,” Zain said. “I just spoke with two of the other members, and we will not be able to meet together until tomorrow evening.”

“Oh, believe me, I understand what that’s like.” Lamech looked around the town square. “That’s just fine with me. As I mentioned before you got here, I want to learn all I can from your people.”

Zain dipped his head and pointed to the town hall at the end of the square. “Our meeting will take place in that large building over there.”

“I look forward to it.” The king yawned. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to see just how comfortable one of Ashur’s rooms is.”

Ashur chuckled. “I’m sure it’ll seem just like your own room at the palace — when you close your eyes.”

The king laughed and cuffed Ashur’s shoulder. “I like it already. I hope the food is good too.” He turned and called his subjects over. “Come. Let’s see where we’ll be staying.”