The Sounds of War (The Genesis Series Book 2) (19 page)

Confused by the drumming noise the lion slowed for a second giving Nimrod the opportunity he looked for. Ready for the exact second, Nimrod released three arrows. Two arrows hit and the third went beyond the speeding lion. The two that hit unfortunately did not stop the advancing lion, one grazed a shoulder and the other stuck in a flank. Writhing in agony the lion twisted and snapped to stop the pain, but he nonetheless kept running. The lion’s momentum slowed and that gave Nimrod the needed second to implement another plan.

With only one arrow left in his quiver, Nimrod removed it and as he did, he shouted for the spear throwers to move forward.
Positioned between the lion and the spear throwers, Nimrod motioned for the youths to move in closer. As they came closer, the lion moved toward him.

The lion crouched, prepared for a lunging attack, but as the young men crept forward and their movements distracted the lion, Nimrod
gathered the few seconds he needed. Keeping his eyes on the lion, Nimrod waited and then when he saw the slight tuck of the lion’s head, Nimrod signaled. The spears all released simultaneously missed their mark. While no spear hit the lion, Nimrod’s plan hit its mark. In that one brief moment that it had taken for the spears to fall, Nimrod prepared for the rush. His bow ready he went down on one knee, and at the precise second the lion lunged, he released the arrow in his bow. Upon release of the arrow he tossed the bow aside and rolled and reached for the knife he held in his teeth. However, Nimrod did not need to prepare for combat because his arrow penetrated the lion’s heart. In mid-air, the lion released his fury and his breath as he fell beside Nimrod, dead.

“Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering, with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of Gods holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. Revelation 17:1-6 NIV

And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month Terah would bring his meat offering and drink offerings to his gods; thus did Terah all the days. Book of Jasher 9:8

N
imrod ordered the lions to be stripped of their skins, and their headless bodies burned. Once the task was complete, the hunting party packed up their camp and returned to the village. They arrived at sunset the following day. Too late in the day for a victory celebration but not too late for a private dinner with Shushan.

Harmon and Abedah, Shushan’s brother and eldest son
joined Nimrod as the guests of this small dinner party. After the removal of food and dishes, the small group lingered sipping wine and listening with great amusement as the guest of honor animatedly recounted the hunt and kill, but then without warning Nimrod abruptly changed the subject.

He began speaking of his visit with
Enki and then spoke of Ba’el. Nimrod told his audience of the plans for a great city named Babylon. That it would be the gateway of the gods. “And in the city we’ll build a tower and it will reach to the stars,” Nimrod leaned forward and tapped the table. “While I was with Enki, Ba’el appeared. He showed me the layout of the city. The temple of course will be built to honor him…”

“Uh,” irritated Shushan interrupted. Placing his wine glass on the table, he leaned forward
. “You want to build a city? And who is to do the work?” Drawing an imaginary circle around the room with his index finger, he asked, “Us?”

“Yes, and I’ll need to build ships and form an army as well.” Nimrod nodded and stood, not realizing the arrogance of his words
. “I must travel to the west into the territories of Shem to find needed craftsmen. While I’m gone the people in the village must begin to prepare the land for wheat and other such grain for we’ll need to feed an army of builders.”

“Do you think those of my father’s house will return with you?” The elder man shrugged his shoulders
, “I cannot see a member of Shem’s family agreeing to build a city for one of Ham’s family.” The more he thought of this the more incredulous the concept became; he was struggling not to show the ire he felt. “Who are you that you can command them, or me, for that matter? You should keep in mind the land is not yours, it’s mine!”

“Of course you’re right th
e land is your territory.” Nimrod walked the short distance between them. “That’s why I need for you to travel with me. The city will be yours to govern…for Ba’el…not for me.” Laying a hand on Shushan’s shoulder he continued, “Look I’m the messenger. These plans aren’t mine. We all need to work together to make this happen.” Patting Shushan’s shoulder, he turned away, “I know nothing will happen without you, but I alone have seen the plans. I alone, however, cannot make this happen. We must band together to put Ba’el’s plan into action. If you wish, I’ll go look for Enki and bring him to you. Maybe you’ll believe me if he confirms what I say to you, nonetheless, it’s my assignment to build an army of warriors, and it’s yours to build an army of artisans.”

Turning to Abedah, Nimrod asked, “Do you know how to build an agricultural system that’s capable of feeding an army?”

Abedah stood and nodded his assent, “Yes, but only if my father agrees. What do you mean you will build an army of warriors? Where will you find warriors? With whom will you war?”

“The plan is this
, Shushan and I will travel to the tribes of Shem. Once we are in the villages of Shem’s tribes, we must persuade them to join us. Some will come to build and some will come because they’re willing to fight against the growing numbers of Canaan’s sons. That’s where the wars must begin, with Canaan’s sons. They will serve our purposes, and once I’ve trained the tribes of Shem, and once we control Canaan, I’ll go into the territories of my brothers, and we’ll make war with them.

”We’ll eventually travel north to Japheth’s territories. We
also need those from Egypt and Libya, and Crete and the lands beyond. It is not their lands we want, it is the people. Those who will perform the menial tasks necessary to build the city. The gods will aid us. These things shall take many years to complete but together we’ll build a great city. We shall govern the world from a great tower, the tower dedicated to Ba’el. The tower will protect us should there be another flood, and even more we shall make a name, a sound for ourselves. That sound will take us beyond our earth and into the heavens; it will give us the possessions and power of the gods.

“I killed five lions and in the same way, I will conquer the world. I possess the Golden Fleece and have the
plans from Ba’el for the city. The fields, the wars, and ultimately the tower have all been shown to me. I entreat you to do as I say and within seventy years, we’ll have prosperity beyond measure. We’ll possess the wealth of the world. All trade will come to us and all will come to our city at least once a year for the festivals of Ba’el, and of course, to worship him.”

Picking up his wine glass, Nimrod drank the last of its contents and added, “Your alliance with me and my alliance with the gods guarantee
us these rewards. I tell you I’ve seen the future, and it will be so. There will come a day when we shall not only control the world, but the heavens as well. The god of this village is Enki. He is the god of water. He’ll begin to choose servants from your village for the service of Ba’el.” Nimrod moved to stand before Shushan again. “It was he who gave you the well. It’s his assignment from Ba’el to train servants in the ways of Ba’el. You’ll soon see for yourself the shiny chariot of Ba’el. The night I marry Semiramis, Ba’el shall visit the village to celebrate the union between the houses of Ham and Shem, which I am told will unite us all in a common purpose.” Nimrod folded his arms, rocked for a moment and then sat down and waited for someone to say something.

Looking at each other, the
men sat in silence. Finally, Shushan scratching his beard shook his head and said, “Some of what you say is not news to me. But I must have time to meditate. Tomorrow I will order a feast to celebrate the killing of the lions. I suggest the day after the feast, we gather to have a full explanation of what you claim Ba’el has said. I’ll seek for greater understanding. I too have my gods, and I must consult with them. In the meantime, I’ll make sure to have the marriage contract prepared. After I introduce Semiramis to you tomorrow evening, you shall decide, since your father is not here, when you shall take her for your wife.” Shushan waved and in so doing dismissed Nimrod and the others as he stood. “Being an old man, I need the comfort of my bed and to meditate on these things.”

  
                  
 
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The people gathered at the edge of the village
. Everyone wanted to touch and examine the lion skins. Stretched and hung to tan in the sun, the skins with the heads attached fascinated the children and adults alike. Children poked the animals’ heads with sticks and tested their bravery by touching the long sharp teeth with the tips of their fingers. As the admiring adults scrutinized the massive paws, claws, and teeth, they repeated the circulating stories. The progressive tales only served to establish the evolving belief that Nimrod possessed god-like qualities. Unquestionably, his capabilities superseded any mere man of their village.

The ten young men
also garnered attention, each youth possessing at least one story, gave an account of how Nimrod tracked and killed the lions. By evening the exploits of Nimrod and his golden fleece had reached mythical proportions, even Raham had become a ‘flying’ horse, outrunning lions and communicating telepathically with his rider.

When at last Nimrod made his appearance at the evening feast, he was unprepared for the magnitude of accolades that greeted him. Given the seat of honor, he initially took no notice of anyone except Shushan who seemed to be ignoring him.

Settling into a comfortable couch at the place of prominence Nimrod felt someone adjust one of the large pillows behind his back. At first taking no notice, he waved his satisfaction and reached for the glass of wine that sat on the table before him. As he put the glass to his lips, his life took a swift change. A young woman took the small couch at his feet and as she did, she smiled and nodded a reserved but unquestionably friendly greeting.

W
hen Shushan leaned in and whispered into his ear the words, “Semiramis, my granddaughter, your betrothed,” Nimrod was overjoyed. Her beauty exceeded all of his expectations. Brown almond-shaped eyes glistened as she again smiled and nodded in his direction. And when she tilted her head and spoke, Nimrod knew he wanted this marriage, “My lord, I hope you’re pleased with the feast?”

Long lustrous black tresses mingled with irides
cent strands of scarlet material attached to a small golden crown at the top of her head. The hair and material draped softly across her shoulders and melded into a glistening stream flowing into a pool of loveliness in her lap. Speechless for a moment, he held his wine glass to his lips and stared. Spellbound by her graceful movements, he did not recover his senses until she picked up her wine glass and toasted him, “To your health, sir, it is an honor to meet you.”

Finding his voice, he said simply, “
The honor is all mine.” Having recovered his wits he tilted his wine glass and drank the entirety of its contents. Slowly removing the goblet from his mouth, he tipped it in her direction, “Had I realized your beauty, I would have insisted we meet sooner.”

“Thank you, my lord. You should know Lord Ba’el will not approve of our spending time together just yet.”

“Ba…Ba’el, you know Ba’el?”

“Yes, he visited me.”

He needed to know more, he stood and offered his hand, “What do you mean he visited you? How did he visit you? Come, we must speak.”

Semiramis, unable to read his thoughts directly, could however read the ones
written across his face. Accepting he needed answers, she too stood, and moving swiftly through the crowded courtyard, maneuvering a path to the outer wall, she turned and waited until Nimrod stood beside her. Together and in silence, they walked away from the noise of the celebration. Once comfortable they would not be overheard, she paused and responded in soft but clear tones, “He came to me in a dream when he first visited me.”

Tall and statuesque, even so Semiramis could in no way
attain to Nimrod’s height, as she spoke she raised herself to stand on tiptoes. “Maybe you don’t know... my grandfather has had many dreams for many years. He has spoken of them to me since I was a small girl. He has seen a great city very near here.” She pointed to the east, in the direction of the river, “He told me that when I was born he dreamed I was the queen of that city.”

Nimrod threw his head back and laughed, “That old goat, he’s known all th
is time.”

“Grandfather said he was fairly sure who you were the moment you first rode into our village. You’re the man
who is the builder of that city.”

Reaching out to put a hand on his arm she steadied herself as she flexed on her toes and continued, “He knew you would kill the lions. The night you left to hunt, he told me you would return with a white lion cub. He told me the lions were sent here by the gods to test you and prove that you are the one who would build the great city.” Pausing, she looked around, there were people coming in and going out of the courtyard and its surrounding brick fence
, occasionally someone would stop and look their way, but no one yet approached them. “Come, let’s walk. We’re being watched.”

Tucking a hand under one of his arms they walked as she continued revealing the inner workings of her grandfather
mind, “My grandfather and his father serve different gods. Grandfather, since he was a small boy has seen things. Most of the things he sees, he shares with no one, that is, until I was born. Ba’el is my grandfather’s god. Grandfather came to this valley because Ba’el told him to, and speaking of Ba’el, we must announce our betrothal on the day you take leave to travel west to the land of my forefathers.”

Stopping abruptly, she looked around
. When confident no one was listening she stated in a matter-of-fact tone, “But I’m not to let you touch me until I bring forth my first child who will be a son who I am to call Marduk.”

Nimrod looked at her in astonishment, “He told you this?”

She nodded.

“Remarkable, and is there anything else I should know?”