Caleb Vigilant (Chronicles of the Nephilim) (8 page)

He reached the doorway and smiled.

But instead of cutting Rahab’s throat, he gritted his teeth in pain, released Rahab, and dropped his sword, trying to reach behind his back.

Behind him was the small and stealthy young Yasha, Rahab’s sister. Jebir had completely forgotten about her. She had picked up Rahab’s dagger and slipped behind Jebir to the doorway, so that when he got there, she jammed the blade into his rib cage, puncturing his lung from behind.

Jebir fell to his knees.

Yasha cried in horror at what she had done.

Salmon and Caleb ran to help Rahab.

But Rahab was fast enough. She pulled the dagger out of his back and heard a gush of wind collapse his lung. He gasped for air.

She pulled his head back by his hair so he could see her face.

She said, “
I should have known you would try, you Canaanite piece of filth,” and cut through his throat.

But she had surprised herself. She had
called him a Canaanite, as if she were not one. She had already begun to see herself as one of these Habiru.

Salmon reached her and they hugged with desperation for her safety.

Yasha was frozen in horror at what she had done. She did not believe she could do such a thing. But when her beloved sister was in danger, she just reacted without thinking.

Caleb
held Yasha. She burst out in tears into his shoulder. She shook like another earthquake was hitting her, but Caleb held her tight until she calmed in his strong arms.

He
led her gently outside.

They could see that the battle was already over. The Israelites had captured the city and were going throughout the streets finishing off the stragglers and fighters who refused to give up.

The commander’s palace was already in flames. They would burn the entire place to the ground.

Salmon held Rahab. “Fear not, Rahab. Your family is safe outside the walls.”

“Thank you,” she said to Caleb. “Thank you so much for keeping your promise.”

Caleb just nodded silently.
He envied Salmon for his close attendance to Rahab.

He saw Rahab look up at Salmon with a tenderness that disclosed their intimacy
, and he knew he could never have her.

“Salmon,” said Rahab, “I
bear your child.”

Jericho was a smoldering pile of ashes and ruins. The Israelite soldiers were celebrating
the victory of Yahweh throughout the camp. Much wine and beer was being consumed. The spoils of war were taken back to Gilgal where they would be purified and given to the treasury.

Salmon and Caleb led Rahab and her family toward the Commander’s tent to meet Joshua.

Rahab was trembling with anxiety. She knew he would hold her fate in his hands. And she knew he was the one who communed with the god Yahweh. What would he say? Would he see through her and into her damaged soul so full of evil? She prayed silently to Yahweh to be merciful to her family if not to her.

But on the way, they passed a small group of refugees herded into their own area.

She said, “Salmon, wait.”

Caleb and Salmon stopped to watch Rahab walk over to the group.

Caleb said, “We best not keep the Commander waiting.”

Salmon went to see what Rahab was doing.

He noticed a young girl about thirteen years old standing out from the crowd staring at Rahab. She was dressed in rags from traveling and was unkempt. Salmon thought of a little wild jackrabbit at her sight.

Rahab said, “Donatiya?
Donatiya, is that you?”

The girl was crying and nodding her head.

Rahab ran and embraced her. They hugged desperately and Rahab crouched down to her height.

“
I am so happy to see you again,” said Rahab. “How did you arrive here?”

A lot of traveling around Canaan,” she replied.

Salmon stepped up to them.

Rahab said, “Salmon, this is Donatiya. I met her months ago after Israel had taken the Transjordan.
She was with a group of refugees who passed through Jericho.”

Of course, Rahab would never mention the other part of that experience: the sorceress who recognized her and
recalled the prophecy about her—before being killed by Rahab.

“Hello, Donatiya,” said Salmon.

She looked away without response.

Salmon smiled. “Shy, are you?”

Rahab said, “I want to take her with me. I want her to be my maidservant. Would you like that, Donatiya? Would you like to live with me?”

Donatiya’s eyes lit up.

“I do not know,” said Salmon. “We cannot just assimilate foreigners beyond your family.”

“I will adopt her.”

Salmon sighed.

Donatiya said, “I
heard the sorceress that night.”

Salmon’s ears perked up.

Donatiya continued, “The night you visited us outside the city walls.”

Rahab tried to avoid what was coming, “That was a long time ago, dear.”

“What did the sorceress say?” said Salmon, jumping in.

Rahab said, “Just some babbling craziness.”

Donatiya would not stop. “She said that your womb would birth a great and mighty warrior, whose kingdom would overthrow all kingdoms.”

“
That is not right, Donatiya,” said Rahab. “You misheard her.”

Donatiya would not fight
back. She hung her head in submission. “I am sorry.”

Salmon however was intrigued. “You said she was a sorceress?”

Rahab said in a hushed tone to Donatiya, “Do not speak of this again.”

Salmon said, “
Was it a prophecy?”

She stood up and pulled Salmon out of her earshot. “Salmon,
think about it. I am a common prostitute. I am a vile and corrupted vessel. Do you really think Yahweh would choose my womb to birth anything noble? I do not want to speak any more of this nonsense.”

Salmon stared into her eyes. He was heartbroken. She really did feel that she was worthless.

“Rahab,” he said, “marry me.”

She kept starin
g into his bold courageous eyes. Her own filled with tears. She felt uncharacteristically weak. But Salmon held her.

Rahab whispered to him, “
I am unclean. You do not want me.”

“
I will be the judge of my desires, woman. And you can be made clean.”

She could not speak.

He added, “You carry my child, and according to Yahweh’s law, I am required to marry you, so try to get out of that one.”

He gave her a big loving smile.

She finally smiled back.

They kissed deeply.

Donatiya scrunched her face, closed tight her eyes, and muttered, “Ewwwwww.”

•
• • • •

Joshua
was consulting with his war counselors when Caleb’s voice brought him to attention.

He turned to see Caleb and Salmon in the tent. And between them was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It actually stirred within him something he had not felt in many years since the loss of his beloved Hasina.

Caleb said, “Commander Joshua ben Nun, I introduce you to Rahab of Jericho.”

Rahab blurted out, “No longer of Jericho.”

Joshua smiled at her anxiousness. “Indeed.”

He stepped closer to them, within a few feet. “I understand that it was you who hid my spies, and provided intelligence of the city.”

“Yes, my lord,” she said with shaking voice. She felt so unworthy.

“Well
then, I believe gratitude is in order.”

She would not look Joshua in the eye.

“Rahab,” said Joshua. “Look at me.”

She looked up, expecting wrath, but
found only peace and strength.

“I want to thank you on behalf of Israel and Israel’s god
, Yahweh. What you did was a righteous deed, and it will not be forgotten. I will send guards to accompany you and your family to any village you desire.”

“My lord,” said Salmon, “She
will not need to go anywhere. She wants to become an Israelite.”

Joshua was shocked. He
was not prepared for this. Few were prepared for this. It was a rarity.

Joshua
did not like the idea. He scowled.

“Is there a problem, sir?” asked Caleb. He knew Joshua’s sense of holiness was so overwrought, he could not conceive of such unclean persons becoming a part of the holy people of Yahweh.
But it was part of Yahweh’s word and his law to allow for repentance and forgiveness. Only the most self-righteous would not see their own faults when compared against the standard.

“Well,” said Joshua, “I am not sure what appreciation you may have of our ways, Rahab, but
—“ He paused. “There is no room for the traditions of the Canaanites. Yahweh detests them.”

“So do I,” she blurted out hastily. Then remembered whose presence she was in. “My lord
, Commander.”

Joshua sighed. It was too much for him to consider.
He said, “Prostitution is not allowed in Israel.”

Rahab was too humble, so Salmon said it for her, “She is no longer a harlot, sir. She has repented from that as well.”

Joshua appeared incredulous, “I am concerned about the morale and trust of the congregation. If we are entering into Canaanite cities and devoting all their inhabitants to destruction, it would create a disastrous contradiction if I allow this entire Canaanite family in our midst. I would not be upholding the holiness of Yahweh.”

Rahab wiped the tears that
lagged down her cheek. She was crushed.

Then Caleb spoke up, “Commander,
did Moses uphold the holiness of Yahweh by accepting repentant Midianites into your midst after the exodus? Did he uphold the holiness of Yahweh by accepting my Canaanite tribe into your midst? If not, then I should leave right now because I am no different than this woman.”

Joshua was cornered and he knew he was wrong. His pride would not let him admit it.

Salmon threw on the final sack that broke the camel’s back. “She carries my child. I will marry her according to Yahweh’s Law.”

Joshua looked at Salmon with more shock. But so did Caleb.

After an uncomfortable moment of thought, Joshua turned and said dismissively, “Very well. But not until after our next battle.”

“I can wait, my lord,”
said Salmon.

Joshua added, “
And she must shave her head and mourn for a month outside the camp. According to Yahweh’s Law.” He would stick that back in Salmon’s face.

Rahab and Salmon hugged each other with joy.

Caleb smiled. “Thank you, Commander. I knew you would affirm Yahweh’s gracious provision for converts. Faith is the beauty of holiness.”

A couple of Israelite spies entered the tent. One of them said, “Commander. We have reconnaissance on the city of Ai.”

Joshua became distracted again and barked, “Everyone is dismissed. My commanders, prepare for counsel.”

“The city of Ai is a couple miles into the hills,” said the captain of the spies. “As its name suggests, it is a
fortress of ruins that is being rebuilt by citizens of nearby Bethel. There are few inhabitants. We will not need but a couple company units of men to take it.”

Othniel
asked, “Then why bother? If it is already in ruins.”

Joshua and Caleb were surrounded by a dozen of their highest comma
nders of thousands and hundreds.

The three prophets of Israel were not with them as they usually were. Joshua h
ad not bothered to call on them because it seemed such a minor skirmish.

Caleb answered
Othniel first, “Ai is the northernmost fortress for the southern Canaanite city-state coalition. It is the bridgehead to our southern campaign.”

Joshua
added, “Our goal is to capture the hill country. It is the spine of Canaan. If we control the hills and valleys, we control access to the entire region. But just as importantly, the Canaanites are masters of chariot warfare. They are made of iron and are too formidable to face on open fields and plains. But chariots and heavy armor cannot be used in the hills.”

Othniel
was smiling now. He was following completely.

Joshua finished
, “Because of our small numbers, light armor, and complete lack of chariot forces, our best strategy is to control the hill country to our advantage. We make the spine of the land our spine.”

The spy captain asked, “What are your orders, sir?”

“Take three companies and secure Ai. We can take Bethel from there.”

Caleb interrupted, “Excuse me, Commander, but
should we not be more cautious and send a larger force? Just to be sure.”

“Three
units should be plenty,” said Joshua. “That is seven hundred men for a barely inhabited city of ruins.”

“What say the prophets?”

Joshua answered, “They are in prayer. I did not want to bother them with such a trivial need.”

Caleb thought it was unwise to take the advice of spies who were only trained in gathering information, not in field tactics. But he could see Joshua had made up his mind. He prayed that his Commander had not become overconfident with pride.

• • • • •

Caleb led the forces
toward Ai. Othniel accompanied Caleb, and Salmon joined him as one of the commanders of hundreds.

When they arrived
in sight of the city, Caleb could see why the spies had reported Ai to be an easy target. The area of the city was several acres. Its walls were mostly reduced to rubble and the interior of the city was just as ruinous and in need of rebuilding.

But
the Bethelites from nearby were rebuilding it. Caleb could see the builders working on the stone wall of the exterior, and laying bricks and timber for the interior structures.

T
he armed force looked small. They would not populate the fortress until it would be restored to its former strength.

Caleb waited until night to attack. He led his men against the most open part of the wall so their entry would be the easiest.

They breached the low stone rubble easily and entered the city. But when they began the raid, the soldiers of Ai did not fight. They rather ran back into the city and hid amidst the
wreckage and ruins. Another sign that they were too few.

The Israelite warriors broke up into several units to chase down the f
leeing Bethelites. Othniel took one of them. This was turning into a troublesome search and destroy mission that Caleb did not relish.

Caleb was with Salmon as they led a unit of a hundred that chased some soldiers down a dark street
into a large square that appeared to house the governmental structures at one time. They were large stone edifices crumbling and vacant.

They had lost the band of soldiers. And then Caleb realized they were out in the open, surrounded by too many dark and unlit buildings. There was too little light in this city to see well.

Moments in advance, he discerned what had happened.

But it was moments too late. They had been tricked into an ambush.

They were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of warriors who came at them from everywhere. The Bethelites were using the ruins of the city as a cover to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics.

The Israelites instinctively withdrew into a circle of defense.
Caleb knew enough to have his hornsman blow the sound of retreat. If the other units had not been trapped yet, they might avoid a catastrophe of defeat.

Salmon drew his sword and stood near Caleb. His experience with
him as both spies and deliverers in Jericho had endeared him to his commanding officer. He saw himself as a bodyguard for Caleb.

“MOVE TOWARD THE EXIT!” yelled Caleb to his men.

The Bethelites were already upon them, slashing, hacking and thrusting.

But the Israelites were seasoned fighters. And they had learned to move as one. They began to defend themselves in their circle, but moved
back toward the way which they had entered.

They were being pounded on all sides. Shields were starting to weaken. They were outnumbered three to one. But they kept moving and pushing, until they fought their way back to the broken wall where they had entered.

Caleb saw Othniel’s unit under the same kind of fire. But they too were able to make it back to the wall to escape.

But as they were launching themselves over the rubble to break from their ambush,
an arrow struck Salmon through his back.

He had just stepped
behind Caleb. A second later or a second earlier, and it would have been Caleb now on the ground.

Caleb picked Salmon up with the help of another soldier and they made it out of the city walls to regroup with the other units.

Now, as one, they found more strength and were able to hold off the Bethelite forces long enough to make their retreat back down the hill.

The Bethelites stopped chasing them and the Israelite forces
paused to count their losses and gather their breath. It had been a frightful hour of the most heated battle they had seen since Edrei.

They had lost about
thirty-six men.

Salmon would be one of them. He
was dying in Caleb’s arms.

The arrow had pierced his back and lodged in his heart. Caleb could not pull it out. He could only try to make Salmon as comfortable as possible.

Salmon was sputtering, trying to get his words out to Caleb. “Commander – I am – honored – to serve – with you.”

“And I with you
—gibbor.”

It was a compliment of the highest order to call a man a
gibbor, as it meant they were a mighty man, the equal of a giant.

“Plea
se – please take care – of Rahab – for me.”

“She and her family will be safe. I will not allow them to be
cast out of Israel.”

“
Tell Rahab to call our child—Boaz.”

“I promise you, soldier
,” said Caleb.

Then he added, “Friend.”

And Salmon breathed his last.