Noah by Tim Chaffey & K. Marie Adams

Author:Tim Chaffey & K. Marie Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042030, FIC026000
ISBN: 9781614585497
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc.
Published: 2016-08-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Land of Havilah — Noah’s 45th year

Naamah tucked her veil a little more over her face before leaving the relative safety of the tree trunk. The night was full of shadows and stars. Crossing the few paces between the edge of the forest and the clearing where the little house stood, she wished for just a few more clouds to aid in her concealment. She darted to the door and rapped lightly on the wood, huddling up against the cool mud exterior as if she might somehow be swallowed into the wall itself.

The door opened and an aged man stooped his head under the top of the frame and looked about. “Good sir. Could you help me?” Her voice was soft and held just as much of a plea as did her eyes.

“Come in. Tell me what you need,” he said in slow, measured tones.

“I need your help.”

“So you said.” He held out a hand, pointing at the small fireplace across the single, cozily lit room. “Sit. Be warmed and at peace. And tell me what you seek.”

She sat on the low, hard stool by the fire, twisting her hands in her lap before speaking, trying to figure out where to begin. “I need answers. I need to know what to do.”

“Sounds like you have a story to tell. I’m here to listen. Tell me your troubles, child.” His caring voice soothed her nerves and did more to comfort her than the friendly flames.

“My father is someone who’s very important to the city I come from. His —”

“I know who you are, Princess of Havil, and I know who your father is.” He settled into a high-backed wooden chair, its gnarled posts looking almost as if they had grown in their current position. Behind him, a glimmering figure caught her eye. A carving of the familiar Sepha tree rested on a shelf, but there was more. A golden serpent wrapped around the trunk and became entwined in some of the branches. “Don’t worry, daughter of Lamech, your words will not leave this place.”

How could he know me? I’m so far from home. Maybe he really can access the Creator’s knowledge. Naamah loosened her covering and lowered it behind her head. “No need for pretenses then. I have your word? Our meeting is secret?”

He raised his hands and pressed them together beneath his chin and nodded. “Always.”

She rubbed her arms to warm them. “Well, as I was about to say, my father’s power grows each year. And each year, I’m wounded by it. I’m his only daughter and will be of age when I turn 35 next year, and yet I’m just a means to an end. In his eyes, my existence only matters because of what power he might gain through me.” Her words tumbled out now as if compelled by the fears that had gripped her for so long.

“There have been about half a dozen suitors—warriors and important men—who have come, seeking his permission to take me as their wife.

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