The Sounds of War (The Genesis Series Book 2) (18 page)

Shocked
Enmerkar found himself suddenly pushed to a kneeling position by Enki. Unable to protest, Enmerkar remained speechless as Enki greeted Ba’el, “My Lord, welcome to your kingdom. We welcome your return. All is in place and awaits your approval.”

Ba’el smirked and waved a hand toward Enki,
“It has been more than two hundred years since I stood on the soil of Earth. It’s good that you are prepared for me.” Ba’el turned and reentered the vessel, as he did he motioned, indicating that Enki and Enmerkar were to follow.

Enki grabbed
Enmerkar by the nape of his tunic and almost dragged him into the vessel. Enmerkar more dazed by the strangeness of the vessel than by the roughness of his treatment, followed complacently. In awe of the strength of Enki, and bewildered by the mystical Ba’el, he could not pull his wits together.

Ba’el, reading
Enmerkar thoughts, said, “You are yet naive, but you shall quickly learn.”

Weakly nodding Enmerkar
found his voice and asked, “My Lord, who are you?”

“I am Ba’el, master god of
the land in which you live. I’m from a place far and beyond the brilliance of your sun.”

“
From this night forward, you will be the one who is from Orion. I take you there, now. You shall be the builder of great cities and the hunter that knows no fear. The garments you have will become the color of gold. This will be a sign to you and others that you possess the prosperity I give. Tonight, I make you a demi-god as I put you on my altar to alter you.”

Ba’el laughed aloud at the play of his words and when his laughter sub
sided, he winked at Enki and continued. “The ability to succeed in purpose and plan is the prosperity I grant you. You will build for me great temples, and I shall grant you the affluence of a great ruler. You shall bow before me, and people will bow before you. Riches and success beyond your dreams await you when you wear the fleeces of gold. Even before Noah dies, you will become the Melek of Earth.” Ba’el paused and putting a hand upon Enmerkar’s shoulder, he looked deep into the soul of Cush’s son and said, “You have been chosen, but you must also choose. If you are willing, then tonight you become as one of the gods. If you choose to become as one of us, then tonight and for the entirety of your existence, you belong to me. Tell me now what you choose.”

Mesmerized, Enmerkar widened his eyes and replied without hesitation, “I choose you my Lord, of course!”

“Then when you return, you will begin to implement the plans I give you. I shall show you what shall be and how you shall accomplish all that I set before you. I shall equip you for war. There are great wars to come, but you will conquer all that oppose you. I shall give you the power to make war on your brothers and on the tribes of Shem, and indeed on all who rise against you.”

Nimrod
bowed at the waist, but before he could say anything Ba’el continued to speak, “I give you a warning and a command. Semiramis must remain a virgin. She will bear my child, not yours. How we mate is not for you to know, but it is not in the way you understand. You must protect and prepare her for that honor. All the same, I shall give you a son, and that son will inherit from you great wealth and power.”

Nimrod nodded, he did not know what else to do.

Telepathically Ba’el continued.
I give you Enki as your advisor. The two of you shall become one in the days to come. He is the enabler of all you shall do
. Ba’el stood,
Come, let me show you Orion, as you have never seen it. Then I will show you the plans for my city, which you shall call Babylon, for it is to be the gateway for the gods.

Nimrod, taken into an inner chamber
of the craft was placed upon a cold wedge of crystal. There he learned many things, none meant for mortals. Blueprints and plans, sciences and mathematics, his bandwidth increased as download after download expanded his knowledge.

Endowed by Ba’el with new abilities, many super
-natural, Nimrod became Nephilim. Nimrod from that time forward never considered himself a mortal. Rebelling against everything in him that was human, Nimrod became the spawn of the Prince of Babylon. Not birthed through a woman as the pre-flood offspring of fallen angels nevertheless, Nimrod was undeniably Nephilim.

When Nimrod disembarked from the starship, Enki returned him to his camp. Enki asked
to hold the lambskins. As Nimrod handed them over, the garments became the color of gold as foretold by Ba’el.

There is also another error of the demons, which they suggest to the senses of men … but they are not concealed from us, who know the mysteries of the creation, and for what reason it is permitted of the demons to do those things in the present world; how it is allowed them to transform themselves into what figures they please, and to suggest evil thoughts, and to convey themselves, by means of meats and of drink consecrated to them, into the minds or bodies of those who partake of it, and to concoct vain drams to further the worship of some idol. The Recognitions of Clement, chapter XIX, book IV

H
is appearance had changed, no one could state with certainty the difference, but all knew the man who had left their village was not the same young man who returned. Even the dogs barked as if he were a stranger, and when the lad who had grown so accustomed to caring for Raham came running to greet Nimrod he too stopped and backed away.

Alighting
from the horse and removing the saddle sack Nimrod turned to the boy and thumbing over his shoulder said, “Raham is hungry.” Giving the boy a quick glance as he intended to pass by, he noticed the strange look upon the boy’s face, “And pray tell, what is the matter with you?”

“Sorry sir I was not sure it was you, you are different and you have been gone so long
. Did you go far? We all worried…” The boy took the reins but kept his head down not wanting to stare at Nimrod.

“What do you mean I have been gone
for so long? I left yesterday.” As he disputed the boy’s words Nimrod looked about, everyone was staring, even several were pointing at him. Perplexed, he grabbed the boy’s arm, shook it, as he demanded to know, “What has happened?”

Without looking
into Nimrod’s eyes, the boy did his best to answer, “Sir, you have been gone for two months. A search party found your camp but not you or the horse. We believed you had left us, sir. What happened to you…the horse is the same…but you are different.”

Reactively Nimrod asked,
“Different, how so?” When the boy’s words penetrated into cognitive though he shook the boy’s arm again, “Two months? That is not possible, I left only yesterday.”

“Not so my lord, you have
been gone for two new moons,” the boy pointed toward the sky to make his point. “Sir for the first eight days and nights, men searched. They found your camp and followed the tracks of the horse to the ravine, but then sir, all trace of you and the horse disappeared. When after twenty more days of searching without a trace, they gave up.”

Shocked by this, Nimrod let go of the boy and went
directly to the house of Shushan.

 
        ************

Nimrod did not lie but neither did he tell the truth to Shushan. He simply said he had found Enki and had gone exploring with Enki. He apologized for the inconvenience and for the worry and concern his actions had caused. Then he simply avoided the subject. Several days passed and then Nimrod sought for and received the permission he needed to find ten strong able-bodied young men to help him implement his plan. The right artisans found, his bow was restrung, his knives balanced and calibrated, his spears and arrows shaped and fashioned to his specifications, and leather drums were made according to his demands.

He tested and re-tested the tension
in his bow until it was perfected. He drilled the drumbeaters until they performed without hesitation upon at his hand signals. Then he trained five of the young men in the art of throwing spears, lecturing them as to what to expect, and how to anticipate the behavior of the lions. He explained in detail the importance of standing their ground and watching for his signals. Each signal rehearsed, repeatedly, until both the drumbeaters and the spear throwers could all act as a unit of exacting precision.

C
onfident the ten would not be a detriment to the accomplishment of his goal, Nimrod announced he would leave the following morning after breakfast and not return until all of the lions were dead.

Two
weeks had passed since he had returned to the village, and yet the opportunity to inform Shushan he possessed the garments had not presented itself. But now, he could wait no longer; he had to announce he possessed the lambskins.

The morning
he was to leave, Nimrod excused himself from breakfast, withdrew to his room and pulling his rucksack from its hiding place behind a chest, he unrolled Adam and Eve’s lambskin garments. He put one of the lambskins over his blue tunic as a vest, and the other he laid across his shoulders as a mantle.

Se
curing lambskins by a leather girdle, he ran his hand over the nubby fur and debated whether to place his breastplate over the skins. Weighing the pros and cons, Nimrod decided the breastplate would weaken the effect he desired. The dark brown leather belt blending with the golden fleece of the lambskins was the imposing iconic image he wished for, all that was needed was the golden clasp of his father’s insignia. The clasp in place, the lambskins in place, Nimrod removed the quiver and detached his bow from the disregarded breastplate, then using a leather tie he fashioned the quiver onto his back and hung the bow over his shoulder. Satisfied, he cavalierly rejoined Shushan and his guests at the breakfast table.

Upon noticing Nimrod, Shushan jumped to his feet, unwontedly showing surprise he exclaimed, “You…you are wearing Adam’s lambskins!”

Throwing back his head in unbridled mirth Nimrod laughed at his host’s shock. His long black braid swung back and forth with the movement of his shaking head while he replied, “No, I’m wearing the provision of Ba’el.”

Shushan reached out to the intimidating figure of the younger man and ran his hands over the lambskins, “Do you mean those aren’t the lambskins given to Adam?”

Still chuckling, Nimrod shook his head again, “No… I mean Ba’el gave me the skins. As I told you Enki found me.” Nimrod stroked the soft wool splayed across his chest as he added, “Enki gave me these to empower me for the hunt. You can praise Ba’el. It was he, who made sure I would have the skins for this occasion. And yes, of course, they are the garments of Adam. Do they not have the markings of a melek upon them as well as the blessings of the gods?”

“Why are they gold, have they always been?” Shushan
felt the mystical charge when he touched the lambskins. He knew there was something he had not been told, but he also appreciated he had to precede with caution, he too had his secrets. Shaking his head he muttered, “I never knew they were gold.”

“No, that is Ba’el’s doing.”

Bowing slightly Shushan backed away and said, “Then Semiramis will be yours when you return, that is, if you kill all of the lions.”

Narrowing thick
black eyebrows Nimrod folded both arms across his chest, “You doubt that I can?”

“No…that’s not,” Shushan put out a hand in protest, “of course, when you return with proof that the lions are dead, she will be yours.”

“All right, I will bring you proof. And here’s something for you to think about while I am gone. Ba’el gave me a plan for a great city.” He rocked on his heels as he spoke, “A city that’s to be built here. I’ll discuss the matter with you when the lion’s skins are rugs before your fires. We will have a great many things to discuss when I return. I’ll send you word if, for some reason we cannot return by three to four days hence. Now, I must ride while the day is still young.”

Mid-morning the following day, Nimrod and the young men
were still searching for signs of the lions when suddenly they came upon tracks. Even though the tracks were not fresh, feeling certain they were near the lions’ liar, Nimrod sent the ten back to their camp and he went on alone.

Raham catching the
smell of water began to prance. Nimrod knowing his mount well gave the animal its head, and   sure enough, Raham took him straight to water. Dismounting, Nimrod walked the perimeter of the small spring fed pond, in the tall bulrush, near the water’s edge, Nimrod found fresh tracts and a distinct trail. Climbing back in the saddle he stood in the stirrups and looked carefully in all directions. Upwind on a grassy knoll, due west, was a single lion basking in the midday’s sun.

Speaking gently to his horse,
Nimrod positioned Raham and released the reins, his mount would not move unless he signaled him with his knees. He removed the bow from where he had it attached to his shoulder and prepared for the kill. Slowly making only slight movements, he retrieved two arrows from the pouch on his back. Lifting the bow, he placed one arrow in his mouth, the other he laid across the bow. He eased the string back against his right shoulder until it was impossible for the string to give further. When he was confident he would hit his target, he whistled through the shank of the arrow in his mouth. The sound, a high ear piercing shrill startled the lioness. Leaping to her feet, she readied for attack, at that moment, Nimrod released the bowstring and the lioness fell where she stood.

Having
killed the first of the lionesses he prepared for the next. While two of the young men fetched the carcass of the dead lion, the remaining eight went to work digging a pit as instructed near to the pond. When satisfied the pit met to his specifications Nimrod sent several of the young men to capture three gazelles. Using the gazelles, he baited the trap and strategically placed the young men around the pit.

For two days, Nimrod armed and ready, waited
, the lads tired and bored, waited, the pit disguised by branches and leaves, waited, even the gazelles fighting against their restraints, waited. Yet nothing happened until the third day. Early the third day two lionesses driven by thirst and hunger sought the prey offered at the pit. Catching the scent of the approaching lions the gazelles panicked. Their cries accomplished what Nimrod had hoped. Coming from the north the unsuspecting lions broke into a run thinking they had trapped the gazelles. The bodyweight of the rushing lions collapsed the branches and the startled lionesses fell onto bamboo stakes. Unable to escape, the lions were easier to kill than the spearing of fish in a shallow pond.

After assigning the chore of removing the two dead lions from the pit,
Nimrod set out again, and as before, he went alone, backtracking the lionesses’ trail. It had stormed early, before daybreak and the ground was still moist. Going in the opposite direction of the paw prints was child’s play. Easily, he located the den and seven cubs of varying ages.

Male lions don’t hunt if the females are able to find prey
. Nimrod knowing this knew he had to make sure the male was not near the den in order to carry out his plan. The first time around the den, he walked his horse, and then thereafter, each time widening the loop he cantered Raham around the outer limits of the den, making the circle four times. Fortune with him, the male was nowhere that he could detect.

Nimrod
armed himself with a knife and his bow. Riding Ramah up to the lair’s craggy opening, he dismounted. As he got off Raham’s back, he took a hasty survey of the cubs. Easily counting seven cubs, ranging from three to four months to under a year of age, he deduced these cubs were the extent of the litter. Taking six arrows from his quiver, he prepared for the kill. As he inched forward toward the older two cubs he heard a mewing from behind, turning he looked over his shoulder and saw a white cub approaching. The cub, less than eight weeks old, would be the cub allowed to live.

Using arrows to kill the older cubs as they ran in fear of him, he waited until he was sure all were dead, and then turn
ing to the youngest he began slitting their throats. One by one and until all six had been drained of blood. Then he gathered the six carcasses and stuffed into two large pouches, which he laid across Ramah’s shoulders. Catching the white cub by the nape of its neck, he stared at his newly found treasure, and then gently tying the paws of the cub with a leather string, he mounted his horse and laid the cub across his thighs.

Making his way back to the pit he would sporadically remove one of the dead lion cubs and drop it on the trail. When he reached the pit, he found it uncovered with the young men nowhere in sight. Furious he returned to the camp and some minutes later, Nimrod and a newly disciplined entourage of young men trotted in a single file back to the pit. The white cub was gently lowered into the pit and then fresh branches laid down as cover. Nimrod took his place and waited, at dusk the wait ended.

Nimrod had planned for the adult male to seek vengeance
. Anticipating the animal would act on instinct and track the trail he had so cautiously laid he expected the lion to approach the pit from the south as he had. What he didn’t count on was the cunningness of the lion. The lion didn’t come from the south. He came from the north.

The lion had not tracked the dead cubs, but instead
tracked Raham. Not wanting to endanger his prized possession, Nimrod had left Raham at the camp grazing. He never thought the lion would outsmart him.

When Raham caught the scent of the approaching lion, he instinctively sought his master
. Running at full thundering force, he led the lion to the pit.

As Ramah sped toward him, Nimrod instantly deduced the reason and began to shout for the drummers to make noise. On the run, he gathered the needed arrows from his quiver and loaded his bow as he mentally prepared for the attack.