ALL ARE MORTAL. Greg Pius
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by the palace guard. In a breathless voice Amon said,
"Sorry it took so long mistress. That fool of an armorer cannot read. He had to get his slave to read out the Ruler's order."
To prove her point to Abram and assert her superior knowledge of the city Sarai asked,
"Tell us Amon my lovely boy were you hindered on your return trip in any way?"
A look of sheer scorn raced across the face of this young boy as he asserted,
"None would dare. My father would have their innards for his midday meal." A look of triumph now made Sarai's face look even more radiant, as she accepted the bundle from the hands of Amon.
That night Sarai got an invitation to the palace. It was from her birth mother. Sarai's father had two wives. Her mother was the senior wife so issued all the invitations. This one was for the celebration of the full moon festival. A big gathering of the city's richest and most powerful people would attend. As the eldest daughter of the ruler Sarai knew she was expected to attend. Besides she had not had a chance to have a long chat with her mother. So Sarai sent Amon with a note of acceptance.
Sari now called her dressers to help her chose an outfit. Usually she wore something demur so as not to excite the lust of her father's visitors. But this time she chose something revealing. Yet no one new would be at that celebration. So who could she be trying to impress with her physical charms? This is a question Sarai avoided answering even to herself.
Arriving at her father's palace, Sarai was flanked by her three bodyguards. Still not trusting Abram and his nephew, Azur took the front position. This left the two new men to walk behind their mistress. With her perfume filling the space between them, Abram did not mind his lowly placement one little bit. He walked taller in Sarai's presence with a puffed out chest that sent Lot into hysterics.
There to met their daughter was both her mother and father. She was her father's only daughter among his children. So when he said,
"My daughter you make a father's heart glad!"
There was no ironic twist to his words. The smile on her father's face warmed Sarai's heart so she replied,
"When I saw your face honorable father it was as if the sun rose in my eyes."
Not wanting to miss out, her mother now said,
"Sarai you are more lovely each time I look at you. There is a light in your eyes I have not seen for some time. We must talk on this in my garden. Forgive your senior wife a short absence from your side my esteemed husband."
Laughing at this mock timidity from a woman he knew to be a tigress in bed, her husband took advantage by saying,
"I have two wives. Surely I can let one leave my side especially to talk to my favorite daughter."
Now Sarai was in on the family joke, so she said in mock horror,
"Be careful my father. Your youngest son will hear and never let you forget those words."
Determined to have the last say for once in his time with these two powerful women, her father said in mock severity,
"Am I not master in my own palace. If he dares do such a thing I will have him banished to the farthest oasis."
Now mother and daughter were both laughing, knowing that the youngest son of which he directed this empty threat was the real favorite child. Just seven years old, Sarai's youngest step brother was as precocious as Sarai herself had been at that age. This was one reason why her father loved them both so much. A man used to the fawning attention of palace officials relished the displays of temper he saw from his children.
Chapter 4
In the private guardian that was reserved for the sole use of Sarai's mother, the two women spoke of many things. The loss of a husband is not forgotten easily. There were words of motherly comfort as well as advice on how to manage the dark hours of the night. But soon the talk move to more recent changes in Sarai's life. Her mother now adopted a playful tone when she asked,
"Wherever did you find those new bodyguards?"
Blushing with embarrassment Sarai replied,
"They were the gravediggers at the funeral. At least they were the biggest ones there when the hole was filled over."
Sensing that her daughter was attempting to hide something from her, Sarai's mother said,
"So you decided you needed more protection now that your husband is dead. That makes sense. His men will now return to their own tribal land. Your household has lost many swords. These two look very handy. But are they enough for what is to come I wonder?"
Confused by these cryptic words, Sarai realised that she was not the only one holding back something in this conversation. Being much younger, she was more direct than her mother so blurted out at once this question,
"What is it Mother? Do you foresee trouble?"
Now the smile that played on her mother's lip had no humor behind it. It was a smile of reservation. She said words of comfort to her daughter, but did not believe them even as she uttered them in all sincerity. Then she added this more honest statement,
"I always foresee trouble Sarai. It is my curse to have this gift that only allows me to see the dark possibilities of future events. Pray my child that you are never cursed with this affliction. In my dreams I see great danger for our family. Your uncle is plotting something that involves your father's younger wife. I can see no more than that but it is enough for me to warn you to seek more protection. "
Concerned at these words Sarai replied,
"Could he be after the jewel?"
A chill went down her mother's spine. She grasped her daughter's right hand. In a voice of doom she said,
"That's it! Now my dreams make sense. I dreamt of a Gin that gave power. It left my husband's side. Horses rode to capture it. A feeling of evil pervaded the intent in the faces of those horses...Alas that is when I wake up screaming. Luckily it is on the nights your father visit with his other wife. Sarai you always were the most intelligent of my children. I see now what I must do."
Still trying to take in all that her mother had said, Sarai sat there in the garden rubbing her mother's hand. Then she felt a prickling in her thumbs. All her life, this was a warning of evil. At that exact moment she heard the loud voice of her uncle's chief guard. Alerted in time, she placed a finger on her mother's lips stopping her from saying anything more. The two of them eavesdropped on the words being spoken just beyond the thin garden wall.
Those words were being uttered by a large man. He said,
"You there, are you the one called Abram?"
Looking into eyes of pure evil, Abram said without flinching,
"No I am called Lot. Abram is on guard at the other entrance to this garden."
The big gurad then said,
"Go and tell him to report to the uncle of your mistress. He has questions that must be answered."
Seeing the wicked smile on this man's face, Abram said.
"At once excellency."
Racing off to get to Lot before any more guards turned up. Abram came upon his nephew gazing at the flower picking girls of the palace. He said quietly.
"Nephew I just told an ugly guard that your name was Abram. You have to go to the uncle of our mistress to answer some questions. Use you 'dumb desert wanderer' routine on him. Azur is inside the garden watching over the two women. They should be safe but I will wait here to protect them from any surprise visitors."
Quickly sensing the seriousness of the situation by these final words, Lot raced off to do his uncle's bidding. Abram called out to the flower picking maidens these fake words,
"Your mistress commands your presence. You are to bring to her all the flowers you have gathered."
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