Yehoshua did not know how long he was unconscious, but from the dryness in his mouth, he could assume it was a while. He opened his eyes to the sight of his former pupil, J’tan, staring down at him. He tried to right, but found himself bound and gagged.
“Calm yourself, Yashu.” said J’tan. “I will remove the gag only if you can promise not to start yelling. I do not need to injure you more than you already are.”
Yehoshua continued to struggle and suddenly felt the wound on his side. Pain shot through him and his focus descended on the area. Somewhere in the back of his mind was a thought about being stabbed, but he could not be certain. He stopped wriggling, accepting he was in no state to fight. He would wait to hear what this traitor said.
J’tan watched as the wriggling ceased and caught the look of acceptance crossing Yashu’s face. In a quick motion, he reached down and plucked the gag from his mouth.
“What is the purpose of this?” asked Yehoshua, through gritted teeth.
“Your master is gone, Yashu.”
“Gone! Where to? And my name is Yehoshua.”
“I do not care what your new name is. I only wish to know what Akhenaten did here. One moment he was stood in front of the Ark and the next he vanished.”
“You killed him! I saw the arrow hit him in the back. It is all I remember.”
“If I had killed him, his body would still be here. Do you know what he was doing?”
Yehoshua glared at J’tan. He would not be saying anything further.
“He knows nothing.” said Samali. “Leave him, we still have the priest.”
J’tan went over to the unnamed man sitting by his former master’s side.
The priest smiled, as J’tan removed his gag. “I do not know anything either. My name is Michaenas and I am my master’s scribe.”
“We are taking the Ark and the artefacts with us. You can do as you wish.” said J’tan, as he turned and began to help an old man remove the blue stones that lined the base of the temple.
“You will leave us here for the ravens to feed off?” asked Yehoshua.
“No we will not, not if we do not need to. If you accept my plan, then you will be free to go.”
“What makes you believe I will not simply return to our people, track you down, and kill you like the dogs you are.”
“Because I know you. You are proud, and have longed for power and prestige ever since you were a student. Well, now you have it. If you leave to find your people and tell them what happened here, then maybe some would help you, but many would not. However, if you go and tell them Israel has put you in charge of Akhenaten’s army, to complete his tasks, then you will not just be the General of an Army, you will be the leader of an entire nation. So, that is why you will not follow us, because this is your chance to have stories written about you, rather than simply being included in another’s.”
Yehoshua did not respond. He thought hard as his three captors continued to work. He knew J’tan was right about his people. They were a strange and stiff-necked group, who would not hesitate to rebel again. He also knew if he could keep them together as a cohesive force, they would be a strong and powerful army. As J’tan’s group began to strap the objects to the side of their horses in readiness for departure, he looked over at Michaenas. If the man could be convinced to keep his mouth shut about what happened here, the plan could work.
“So what have you decided?” asked J’tan, his toils completed. “Are we to set you free to lead your people to whatever lies ahead or do we leave you here as carrion for the crows?”
Michaenas looked at Yehoshua and gracefully tilted his head, giving his new master all the authority he needed.
“We have a deal, my wily old student.”
They stood after their bonds were cut, Yehoshua especially gingerly, as Michaenas offered him a shoulder to lean on. They watched, as J’tan and his contingent spurred their horses, heading away from the temple and back toward their homeland.
“We are on our own.” said Yehoshua, as soon as the group was out of sight. “Are you willing to follow me?”
“I am willing to do anything my master commands.” said Michaenas.
Yehoshua smiled, his first ally found. “Then come.” he said, boldly. “Lead me back to our people so we might tell them what happened this day, and how our master was taken by his God.”
Michaenas struggled under the weight of Yehoshua as they left the temple area; the walk back to camp would be a long and arduous one.
“Tell me, Michaenas, what happened to the great, walled city of Jericho?” said Yehoshua, staring across the valley to the crumbling ruins dotted on the distant hillside.
“Nobody knows for sure. Some say it was invaded, others say its well ran dry. It has been so many generations, there is little truth remaining in the stories that abound.”
“We may have to change that.” said Yehoshua, trying to think of a suitably embellished story to add to their book. “We must also test the loyalty of our troops, they are from many races.”
“It is a fact I know too well. We two are the last that remain of our great exodus from Egypt. Thirty score thousand have perished on our travels. It will be difficult to keep our followers in line now they bear no bond to our origins.”
“I have learnt many tricks on our journey.” said Yehoshua, as recollection formed a plan. “We shall ask all the men to undergo the passage of circumcision, just as Akhenaten did. Those who refuse, we can assume will not be loyal.”
“You are strong and wise, my lord.” said Michaenas, bowing his head.
An internally held grin, so wide it encompassed his entire soul, spread throughout Yehoshua. J’tan was right; it was his turn to write history.
Chapter 52