The God Reborn

Chapter 3

"The daughter will bleed for her father's crimes," Achish said into the cold night air over the hiss of the bonfire that lit the center of the village with a flickering light. Naomi felt her heart sinking at the over-chieftain's words.

Only minutes before, Achish had stormed from his lodge into the central square, wrapped in a threadbare blanket to keep him warm. He had been furious at being disturbed at such a late hour, but Naomi had seen fear in his eyes, too.

Several sub-chiefs, leaders of towns and villages in Achish's territories, gathered across the flames from where Naomi stood bound with rough hemp ropes. The senior most among, a man with long, braided hair called Elon, gesticulated angrily and called out "She's worthless! We demand Daniel!"

Achish raised his hands to silence the sub-chiefs. "Elon, you know Daniel's frailty makes him unsuited to bear the punishment you demanded. The old law says a debt of blood must be paid in blood. But the old law also says the man and his blood are one. Daniel's daughter is of his blood. If I judge this blood debt valid, she will pay the debt on her father's behalf."

Achish ignored a wave of angry murmurs and turned to Naomi's father. "Daniel, what say you to this?"

Her father was also bound, and was kept a few feet away from her by two guards. He had been given no chance to change his tunic. Soaked in blood as it was, the fabric clung to his body, revealing his wiry frame. "There is no crime to punish. I was alone in my tent with Naomi when we were attacked."

Elon began to protest but Achish silenced him with a raised hand and a harsh stare. "The accused shall have a chance to defend himself, and it is I who sit in judgment here."

"As if we will receive a fair judgment from you. We all know Daniel is like a brother to you." Elon had his hand on his sword pommel and was stepping towards Achish's great chair. Two of Achish's body men raised their spears to block the sub-chief.

Elon raised his hands palms outward in submission and stepped backwards, and Naomi let out a silent sigh of relief. That the sub-chiefs were angry enough to threaten Achish with violence, even briefly, did not bode well for the outcome of the night's judgment.

Achish turned his attention back to her father. "Daniel, what happened? Why did you kill these men?"

"I was alone in my farmhouse with my daughter, when two men burst through the doorway with knives drawn. I know one of them as Baruch, but I don't know the name of the other. He wore the braids of Chief Elon's clan."

"Caleb. His name was Caleb," snarled Elon.

"They were drunk, and enraged. They said I had blood on my hands." Daniel looked down at his hands, which were indeed covered in blood. Even his crippled right hand had not avoided being stained during the melee.

"Is that why you killed them?" asked Achish. "Over an insult?"

"No. I told them to leave, that I would discuss their accusations in front of the chiefs. And I told Naomi to hide under our bed. At that moment, Caleb said that he would take my daughter as compensation for his dead son, and moved towards her." Daniel stared into the bonfire for a long moment before continuing, his face working as if to master some unwanted emotion. "It is due to my weakness that I killed them. I used to be quick enough with a spear that I could have disarmed two angry drunks without serious harm. But with this—" he used his left hand to gesture towards his withered right arm. "It is easier to kill a man with the point of a spear than to stun him with its shaft. My abilities are limited, and my daughter's life was in the balance. That is why I killed them."

Achish turned back to Elon. "The men were in Daniel's tent in the middle of the night. A man is entitled to self-defense. I see no crime here."

Elon broke in. "That is not the crime. His crime is treason, advising you to send a thousand men into what he said was a holy battle—"