Forbidden

  The stone facing of the inner courtyard looked as though somebody had etched patterns into the red sandstone. Cracks and swirls decorated the smooth surface. On both sides of the high wall there were small, dark openings, as if another series of caves lay above.

  “Why don’t we find out?” Kadesh suggested.

  I jumped upright, shaking my head. “Aren’t you still healing?”

  “It’s been nearly two weeks; I’m doing much better,” he answered, holding out his hand to help me navigate the rocks.

  He had touched me several times over the course of the journey when I needed help. Perhaps that’s all Kadesh was offering now, but I brushed past, my head reeling, unsure of myself. He followed me across the courtyard, and I was excruciatingly aware of his presence as we climbed in silence to the top of the rock gateway. Miraculously, there was a series of rough steps cut into the rock, which made the ascent easier.

  I slowed down as we reached another area high along the stone facing. The space wasn’t very large—just another long, narrow passageway—but it was cool and dark and mysterious under the overhang of rock. My skin rose with an eerie chill.

  I peered down at the large, open courtyard below, and it appeared small and insignificant from this height. Intimidating and thrilling. I took a step backward, fighting a strange urge to throw myself off and see if I could fly.

  “Do people live up here?” I asked, thinking out loud. “The Edomite nation or those awful men? Do they actually have families?”

  Kadesh nodded. “It appears as though this place is in the beginning stages of a new city. This is the face of what will probably be a temple or the palace of their king. Some of the caves could easily become comfortable dwellings. Or burial spots. I noticed there are roads being excavated in the outlying areas, as well as a main thoroughfare.”

  “You must know what to look for,” I said, adding, “This is all being done by those two dozen men we just encountered?”

  Kadesh shook his head yes and smiled, attempting to wrap his cream-colored scarf more securely around his neck, but failing as the ends of it fell loosely across the richness of his cloak.

  I clenched my fists together, tempted to reach out and fix the scarf for him.

  “Those thieves were a motley bunch of rebels, probably just passing through, and we happened to get unlucky today. On the other side of these fortress cliffs and rocks are village settlements. Sheep and goat herders that tend this large valley. I’m sure if we were to keep exploring we’d run into a temporary camp town, with families and children, merchants and a marketplace. And many stonemasons and craftsmen brought here to build this place into a city.”

  “You seem to know so much about it,” I told him.

  “I’ve been here before. We sell frankincense everywhere.”

  “How much of the world you know,” I said with wonder. “How very much of it you’ve seen and traveled. Have you been to the Great Sea, or the kingdom of Egypt? I’ve heard that nobody is as rich as Pharaoh or lives in such vast wealth.”

  “Except, perhaps, for the king of Babylonia,” Kadesh mused.

  “You mean King Hammurabi?”

  “The same. He has extended his reach from Ur on the tip of the Persian Gulf as far north as Nineveh, I’ve heard. He would like to rule Damascus and spread his dominion west to the Great Sea as well.”

  “That would mean he would infringe on Egypt’s shores!”

  Kadesh nodded solemnly. “King Hammurabi is a visionary man. None of his predecessors has spread the world rule of Babylon like he has succeeded at doing.”

  “How do you sell frankincense to the far eastern shores of the Mesopotamian world?” I asked him. “Wouldn’t your caravans be forced to spend weeks in the middle of the Empty Sands to reach it?”

  “You are very astute, Jayden, daughter of Pharez,” Kadesh said, his eyes on my face.

  “Nobody survives the Empty Sands, I’ve heard,” I said.

  He laughed. “We wouldn’t survive either. We don’t use camel caravans for the Babylonian trade routes; we use ships that go up the gulf of the eastern seaboard.”

  “Do you know how to sail a ship, too?”

  His lips quirked up into a smile. “Not yet. We hire sailors and keep a fleet of ships docked at the seaports.”

  I shook my head in disbelief at all he was telling me. “Your business is large and complicated.”

  “It is, but my uncle has many businessmen to help him. I’m still learning so many aspects and getting to know our foremen for each branch. That’s why I need to return as soon as possible. I’m healing quickly after your care, so I know it will need to be soon.”

  When he said that, my breath caught and I jerked my chin up. He would be leaving soon—and I’d never see him. I’d only known him a few weeks, but already he was a steady, comforting spirit in my life, a boy who thrilled me deep inside my soul, and I couldn’t imagine never seeing him again. His eyes searched my face, but we didn’t speak. Finally, I lowered my head, my mind racing to think of something to break the intensity between us.

  “I heard a story once about the frankincense lands,” I said, my voice wobbly. “And I’ve always been curious if it’s true.”

  “What is that?” He moved toward me, and the hair on my neck rose, all my senses jumpy and alert.

  I stepped backward, inching open the space between us. “I’ve heard there are mystical snakes that guard the frankincense trees, not letting anyone near, so the resin cannot be stolen.”

  “These mythical creatures sound interesting,” Kadesh said as he leaned against one of the stone outcroppings to watch me. “What do they look like?”

  “The snakes are said to be red and fierce and leap into the air to inflict a deadly bite on any intruder who gets too close to the trees.”

  “Ahh, not only interesting but dangerous. Assassin snakes.”

  I tried to suppress a smile, but it came out as a laugh. “So you’re telling me it’s only a story?”

  “Perhaps you should come to the frankincense lands and see for yourself.”

  “I would probably die before I reached the halfway point.”

  “No, you wouldn’t die,” Kadesh said, shaking his head. “I would protect you.”

  “You talk of impossible things,” I murmured. “I’m sure you have a family waiting for you.”

  “Only a large, noisy, meddling family of aunts and uncles and cousins and sisters. Plus an array of nephews and nieces.”

  “What is your uncle’s name? Does he have a title?” I spoke flippantly, not expecting the answer I received.

  “His name is Ephrem,” Kadesh answered, his head inclining. “Uncle to me, but King Ephrem to our city and all the lands between the Queen of Sheba and the Irreantum shores.”

  My hand went to my mouth as I tried to cover up my astonishment. “The Queen of Sheba! You live near that kingdom!” I was awestruck. “They say she is the richest woman that walks the earth. And the most beautiful.”

  “I might debate your last point,” he said, with a glance at me. “Our caravans pass through her kingdom on the way to my home,” he added, his feet crunching on the stone gravel as he closed the gap between us once again.

  “What does Irreantum mean?” I said, trying to change the subject.

  “The name means ‘many waters.’ A sea that rolls beyond the horizon, farther than a person can sail. An ocean that takes a person past any land known to man.”

  “It sounds mysterious and magnificent.” I paused, trying to imagine his life, his land, this wild sea.

  “See, you’ve saved the life of a potential prince,” Kadesh went on, his eyes never leaving my face.

  “Surely, someone like you—” I broke off, embarrassed, wavering on my feet, wanting to run down the stone steps but wanting to know more about him, too.

  “I’d expect no less from a girl who is in line to become a princess herself, as your father tells me.”

  I shook my head vehemently, and then realized I s
houldn’t be potentially betraying my dislike toward Horeb. Although Kadesh had said nothing about Horeb. Perhaps he didn’t know about my betrothal.

  Abruptly, I turned to pace the stone walkway, my heart racing.

  “What were you going to say a moment ago?” Kadesh asked, pressing forward.

  “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.” I stared up at the blue sky, so deep and clear above the red, lofty cliffs, and wished I could crawl into one of the caves and start my life all over again. I was fairly certain that Kadesh didn’t know I was betrothed to the prince of my tribe, or he probably would have said so outright, despite his saying I was in line for the role of princess. My father would not confide the details to a stranger. Only that our families were connected to the ruler of Nephish, to show our tribal standing.

  “It matters to me. Don’t be afraid, Jayden. You can tell me, I promise.”

  He hovered close, and I knew he wouldn’t let me run back down the stone staircase until I finished my sentence. “I was only going to say that surely someone like you, in line to inherit the frankincense and business of your uncle, is—is already married—or betrothed to the most beautiful girl in your kingdom. I’m sure that’s why you’re so eager to get back home.”

  Kadesh looked startled. Then his face clouded over as he snapped his cloak, striding away. He stopped at the edge of the stone precipice, and then turned to me with such an expression of dismay and frustration, it caught me off guard.

  “Don’t speak of things you know nothing about,” he said quietly.

  “I’ve said something wrong,” I quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry. I’ll go now.”

  No sooner did I move to head for the stairs than Kadesh darted forward into my path. We bumped into each other and I wobbled, not expecting him to be there.

  Without speaking, he gently steadied me, placing a hand on the stone parapet so I wouldn’t lose my balance and fall forward. The touch of his hand on my arm caused my stomach to rise into my throat, and yet it saddened me, too. His pensive, melancholy reaction spoke to the fact that there was someone else in his homeland. Someone his heart must be missing. Another girl, a princess meant just for him, and yet he didn’t confirm or deny it.

  Kadesh’s eyes were black as a well of water, with depths I couldn’t even begin to fathom. We stared at each other, mere inches away, not saying a word. I needed to move, to walk away, but I felt rooted to the ground, unable to compel myself.

  “Jayden—” he began, and the sound of his voice speaking my name seemed to engulf my soul with something peculiar and magical and wonderful.

  “No,” I said with a small shake of my head. Taking a shallow breath, I stepped toward the staircase, my thoughts careening in a thousand different directions.

  “Jayden, I only—”

  I shook my head. “Please don’t say my name like that.”

  He looked at me, confused. “And how am I speaking your name?” His voice was so tender, so gentle, so complicated.

  I trembled, dizzy from the intense focus he was directing at me. I wanted to sit down, but I was certain that sitting would be much too dangerous.

  “You mustn’t look at me like that,” I whispered, my eyes locking onto his.

  His gaze was like fire on my face. “I can’t tell you what’s in my heart?”

  I put up a hand to touch my hot cheek. “No, Kadesh.”

  “But,” he said. “I think you feel it, too.”

  My throat was thick with unspoken words, but I finally tore my eyes away and ran, jolting down the steps back to the courtyard below.

  “Jayden, please come back!” His voice made me ache all the way to my toes, but I hurried across the expanse of the earthen courtyard and slipped inside the tunnel crevice that would take me back to my family at the well.

  Overhead, black rain clouds concealed the sun where there used to be blue sky. There was a sudden white snap as lightning flashed. Thunder roared next, rumbling the earth under my feet.

  I put my hand up on the wall of stone and felt the vibrations deep inside the rock. It was the sound of a fury coming straight at us, but I had no idea if it was a storm or an earthquake. At the moment it didn’t even matter, I was so sensitive to the atmosphere that Kadesh created around me.

  My heart slammed into my ribs when I turned to see that Kadesh had followed me. He was right on my heels, and before my heart could beat again, his hand closed over mine, locking me to the wall. I turned my head away, aware that I couldn’t gaze into his face and not betray my fascination toward him. He mesmerized me, filled me with an intense longing I couldn’t even define.

  His hand was warm as it engulfed mine, his strong fingers grasping my own in his, entwining us together. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t breathe, every one of my senses shivering and vibrating like the rocks around us.

  Before I could say a word, Kadesh lifted my hand from the cold stone and turned me toward him. We stood inches apart and I gazed, enthralled, as he brought my open hand to his lips and gently kissed my palm. I knew I should pull away, yet I had an urge to lift up my other hand so that he could kiss it as well.

  “Jayden,” he said softly. “You’re trembling. Please know that I would never hurt you, or your heart.”

  “I think I know that, but—”

  He cut off my protests by quickly kissing my other hand, holding it to his mouth, his eyes closed. The touch of his lips made me want to burst out of my skin.

  “As a man who spends his life directing caravans for whole seasons at a time, you know I have great patience,” he said as he bent to whisper in my ear. He was so close; if I merely took a new breath, I would melt right into him.

  “Sometimes the seasons pass too quickly,” I whispered. Horeb and my impending marriage were in my mind, never far away. But Kadesh knew none of that, and I couldn’t bear to tell him. The words would break me apart. I didn’t want this moment to end. If only I could stop the sands of time from slipping through my fingers.

  Kadesh tightened his grip, and a strange joy stirred in my belly. “There’s plenty of time. Don’t worry, Jayden.”

  I didn’t answer, knowing there was so much to worry about. And I was running out of time. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face, his lips, and the wonder of his hands holding mine, the caress of his skin, his fingers, so exquisite, even as tears swam behind my gaze.

  The narrow tunnel suddenly fell into shadow as afternoon became evening. When the wind rose, fat splashes of rain fell through the narrow ceiling of sky overhead. Within seconds, a torrent of rain began to fall, dribbling down my face as though the clouds had split open.

  “Look,” Kadesh said, pointing to the ground. “The rain is coming down fast. This is going to be a big storm. Not a good sign.”

  Puddles were forming right where we stood—and growing larger by the second.

  He looked up, rain running in rivulets down his face, soaking his hair and clothes. “We can’t stay here,” he said, nudging me forward. “We need to leave, and quickly.”

  I nodded and glanced back at the narrow passageway from where we had originated. Had I really wandered so far? The entrance to the corridor still loomed a great distance ahead, the path hidden by twists and turns of the narrow, sheer rock walls. Within seconds, the water was rising so rapidly I wasn’t sure we’d make it back to the entrance before we were engulfed.

  “It’s a flash flood!” Kadesh suddenly shouted. “Run—as fast as you can!”

  I obeyed, my knees pumping, feet stumbling across the rocky ground, hair whipping into my eyes.

  The rain continued to quickly fill the passageway. Too quickly.

  “I don’t think I can outrun it!” I gasped.

  Within moments, the water level was halfway up my legs, making it hard to even walk. My hands scraped against the rough sandstone as a sea of reddish-brown water pulled at my feet. I fell, banging my knees into the stony ground, swallowing a mouthful of dank water.

  Kadesh lifted me up by the waist and
I coughed so hard my lungs burned. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded and started forward again, willing myself to keep moving. Kadesh stayed right behind me, urging me forward, but by the time we reached the end, we were sloshing through water as high as our waists. The last few feet were painful, as though the ravine had created its own undertow, desperate to suck me down. Slogging forward, I burst out of the passageway, free at last, but the current was still strong and fast, although not as deep. My legs were on fire by the time we struggled up the steep slope and were safely out of the high water.

  Finally, I turned to look back.

  Behind us, the narrow gorge kept filling as thunder smashed overhead. Roaring floodwaters flowed down the cavern like a river had suddenly been created. If we’d stayed inside the passage a moment longer we would have surely drowned.

  “You aren’t hurt?” Kadesh asked. I shook my head, gulping in blessed air as rain soaked my skin, and I could tell his relief was immense.

  I sensed that he wished he could sweep me up and carry me onto even higher ground, but we both saw my father at the same moment, standing in the pouring rain scanning the horizon. As we ran, I purposely widened the space between us.

  “Keep going, Jayden,” Kadesh told me tenderly. “We still have to get to higher ground.”

  I was exhausted, but managed to keep climbing even though the red dirt had become a slog of mud, sucking at my feet.

  A puzzled expression crossed my father’s face when he saw us together, and he gripped my arms as soon as I reached him. “Did you know that people have drowned in that crevice when there are floodwaters?” he asked, his arms enclosing me. “As soon as it began to rain you should have left.”

  I shook my head, my teeth beginning to chatter. “Kadesh found me in the narrow ravine. He knew. That it wasn’t safe, I mean. With the rain, the flooding.” I stopped. I was beginning to sound guilty, like I’d done something wrong. But I wasn’t guilty of anything, was I?

  The rain continued to pour. Leila hung on to the harness of one of the pack camels, the shawl over her head dripping forlornly. The camels stood stoically, unfazed by the sudden inundation of the storm. My father and Kadesh rallied the animals, tying them together in their dwindling line as I mounted Meela.