Queen of Sheba (31 page)

There was a slight stir as Hadad stepped up to the altar’s edge, dipped
his finger in the blood, and wiped it on the four edges of the altar. Then in a loud, militant voice he cried, “O mighty Dusares of Seir and Ra of Egypt, by this blood I pledge to free your fortress of Edom from Israelite bondage. I’ll bring Solomon down to defeat. See that his eyes are put out, his sons slain, his wives desecrated, his house become an abode for vultures, and his temple ashes.” He paused, and then in a lower, more controlled voice he pled, “Grant me success, grant Edom success, and grant Egypt success. May our enemies be as dung.”

Bilqis cringed. If Dusares and Ra were really as strong and as powerful as Hadad thought, then there was no hope. She stood transfixed by the horror of it all until suddenly, like a great tidal wave, there was first a rough, gutteral sound and then bursting upon the morning air the militant shout of men waving their arms, stomping their feet, and shouting “Edom, Edom” over and over again.

Quickly the solemnity of the past hour changed to jubilation. Men rushed past Bilqis shouting and laughing in a hurry to get down to the valley, where the festivities were to take place. She edged to the side of the cliff and turned her face to the wall lest they see that she was a woman and almost faint with loathing. When all but the priests had gone, she turned to find her way back down the worn steps. She hugged the rough cliff side and tried not to look at the altar that now was flooded with bright sunlight that glinted and flashed from the golden platform. Though she didn’t look at the altar, she couldn’t ignore the sight of great ugly vultures that were swooping in and landing, ready to tear apart the sacrifice.

With averted eyes and trembling lips she made her way down the steps to the oleander grove where she had left her retainers and her palanquin. Without a word she stepped in and let them pull the curtains while she leaned back exhausted and terrified. “This Hadad would stop at nothing to accomplish his goal,” she thought. “Even if Rydan can get to Solomon and gives him the message, there seems very little hope that anything can be done.”

Hadad was waiting for her as she dismounted near the guest rooms.

“The vow has been recorded, the sacrifice made, and tomorrow we will have the wedding.” His smile was smug and calculating.

“I’ll need more time. Queens can’t be married like common women.” She tried not to let her anger show.

Hadad laughed. “It’s the same everywhere. Women are always reluctant to marry, always finding excuses. They have no idea of what’s best for them.”

Bilqis started to leave but was quickly stopped as Hadad reached out and grasped her arm and swung her around to face him. “You’ll find me to be a tireless lover. I’m a passionate man.” His eyes glinted with lust and Bilqis shrank from him.

“I’m afraid you’ll find me quite cool to your ardor. I am a queen, not a simple village maid.” She pulled away from him and joined her maidens as they mounted the steps to the guest house. Behind her she could hear Hadad’s laughter. He hadn’t taken anything she said seriously. He had no doubt but that his plan would work.

Bilqis spent a sleepless night. She paced up and down, restlessly looking out at the moon and wondering if there was a moon god named Ilumquh. If there was, did he care that his queen was hopelessly trapped in this small rockbound city? She thought briefly of Il Hamd and realized that he could say nothing to comfort her. She no longer believed he knew any more about the mystery of the gods than she did.

The next morning there was still no news from Rydan and the wedding was to take place at sundown. She stalled for time, but it was useless. Each hour was now bringing her closer to her fearful fate. She stormed and raged and threatened but knew that without some miracle, Hadad would have his way.

Just as she had given up all hope, there was a stirring among the maidens. They looked startled and whispered among themselves. Half of them disappeared and later reappeared looking nervous and frightened. Then to everyone’s surprise a young man plunged through the doorway and shouted, “The queen. Our king, Hadad, is calling for the queen.”

Bilqis stood up and summoned her maidens, then, with head held high and a defiant look in her eye, she followed the young man out into the open courtyard. She had gone hoping to confront Hadad and demand her release. She had her threats prepared and her bargaining organized. But she was taken aback by the sight that met her.

Hadad wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Instead, her own cousin Rydan
stood in the midst of the courtyard with what seemed an army of light. Their helmets were of leather trimmed with glistening metal, the breastplates of highly polished brass, and their greaves of brass laced with leather thongs. Their shields were of pure beaten gold that sparkled and glistened in the sun. Over and around them, rippling in the breeze, were brightly colored banners embroidered with lions rearing to attack. It was obvious that these valiant warriors were Solomon’s men and they had come to rescue her.

“How did you get through the Siq without being detected?” she asked.

Rydan pointed to the cliffs above them, and for the first time she saw that there were men standing with drawn bows pointed at the king’s palace and the open courtyard where the wedding was to have taken place. “Solomon understands these scoundrels and knows how to handle them,” Rydan said. “When I got to Jerusalem, the king had already been told of Hadad’s treachery and was sending his men to rescue you. This isn’t the first time he has had to put Hadad in his place.”

By dusk the queen was back in her own camp with the familiar tent over her head and the whole episode of the last few days seeming like a bad dream. She had honored Rydan and elevated him to one of her chief counselors. He would be invaluable, she decided, in dealing with the Hebrews.

“We’re to go on to Jericho tomorrow,” he told her. “The king has a winter palace there. When it is cold in Jerusalem they say it is warm and pleasant in Jericho. He knows you will need to rest before you make the last part of your trip up to Jerusalem.”

“Then you actually saw Solomon?” she asked.

“No, it’s very difficult to see him. I saw one of his brothers. A young man named Nathan. He will also be the one to meet you in Jericho.”

“And Jerusalem. Did you go to Jerusalem?”

“Yes, my queen, I went to Jerusalem, and it is all they have said and more, much more.”

“Tell me, what was it like?”

Rydan struggled for words and finally said, “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. You’ll have to see it to understand. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

The queen was suddenly tired. She needed to rest if she was to make the long trip to Jericho on the next day. She decided to wait and see for herself.

Late that night Solomon was in the small quarters of his chief clerk looking over the lists of men that were to send supplies to the palace for the next month. He was holding the parchment and studying the lists when to his surprise it was snatched from his hands rather roughly. At the same time there was the familiar chattering exuberance of his little monkey. The agile creature bounded from the low floor-level writing desk to the window lattice and then to the lintel above the door.

The clerk was obviously frightened of the boisterous little animal, and he cringed in a corner while Solomon, losing all dignity, stood begging and coaxing the little fellow to come down. The monkey turned his head and ignored all pleading. Several pages heard the commotion and came to see what was happening. They also tried and couldn’t coax him down.

Finally some of the older counselors crowded into the small room to see what was happening. “He’s frightened now. We’ll never get him down like this.” Solomon was obviously enjoying the challenge. “We must find something the little creature likes more than the parchment. He’ll never give it up otherwise.”

The men looked at each other and shrugged. “Who would know what a strange creature like that would find more interesting?” one of them asked.

“Why, it’s quite simple. He loves a juicy coconut. Run, page, and crack one open for him. You’ll see, he’ll probably snatch it out of your hand.”

When the page brought the coconut and the men saw how quickly the monkey dropped the parchment and sprang down to claim his prize, they whispered among themselves, “See, it’s uncanny how he manages the animals.”

Solomon sent one of the pages to bring Nathan to him. There were delicate matters to be decided, and he needed his brother’s help. He had received word just a short time before the episode in the clerk’s quarters that his men had freed the queen of Sheba and she would be heading for
Jericho the next day. He wanted Nathan to go to Jericho and welcome her and then bring her to Jerusalem with all the pomp and splendor she would certainly expect.

When Nathan came to Solomon’s bedchamber he found him strangely morose.

“This queen from Sheba,” he said, “will be in Jericho within the next few days. I want you to go and make her welcome in my winter palace. Let her rest there for a few days. She probably needs it after the ordeal at Petra.”

“She may be beautiful,” Nathan said.

“What difference does that make?”

“I’ve never known you to avoid a beautiful woman.”

“But this one …”

“I know, I know. You told me about her feet. Of course I don’t believe it.”

“Then you’ll go?”

“You know you can depend on me but I have a better idea.”

“A better idea?”

“It’s quite important that the queen see Solomon at his best. I think you should go and meet her in Jericho without the crowds and curious members of the court. You need to get away and Jericho is such a pleasant change.”

“It won’t be pleasant with a queen to entertain. No, I’d rather you go. I’m not my usual self these days.”

With that Nathan was dismissed, but he went away feeling it would be much better for Solomon to ride down to the lovely winter palace and meet this queen there. She held their fate in her hands. If she sided with Solomon’s enemies, all would be lost. On the other hand … Nathan knew there was no use thinking about it once Solomon had made up his mind.

T
o Nathan’s surprise, Solomon finally decided to go down himself to his winter palace in Jericho to meet the queen. The brothers had stopped by the treasury after the early morning sacrifice and Nathan had reminded him, “This is going to be a very important visit. You need to go yourself. If it goes well, the queen of Sheba will stand with you against the coalition. With Jeroboam in Egypt just waiting for your overthrow, you’ll need all the support you can get.”