Europa Conspiracy (Babylon Rising 3) (7 page)

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THIRTEEN

Jerusalem, 605 B.C.

BLOOD-CURDLING CRIES could be heard everywhere when Nebuchadnezzar's final assault began. With his archers focusing on the soldiers protecting the wall, hundreds of men were dropping in place.

He had not been successful in the direct use of siege ladders, catapults, or battering rams. His change of strategy took almost a year to complete. Now a dirt ramp up to the lowest part of the wall surrounding Jerusalem provided the breach that was needed.

His well-trained soldiers ran up the ramp, pouring over the wall and into the city. Women and children ran screaming for protection. The army of Jehoiakim fell back as hundreds more were slain. They were no match for the battle-hardened Babylonians. Within half a day it was over.

The smell of death was everywhere. Soldiers stripped the dead of any valuables and left them lying where they had
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fallen. The living were herded into the temple courtyard. There the elderly, handicapped, and wounded were separated from the women, children, and teenagers. The able-bodied men were killed where they stood.

Nebuchadnezzar and his soldiers looted the city. He let his men take anything they wanted. He kept only the gold and tapestries from the temple. He would bring these trophies back to the treasure house of his god.

Nebuchadnezzar then went to examine the captives. He instructed Ashpenaz, his master of eunuchs, to select young men fourteen to seventeen years of age to be trained as aides for the king's court.

"I want you to pick out only those who are children of King Jehoiakim or the nobles of the city. They must be healthy and without any blemishes. Make sure that they have wisdom, are quick learners, and are widely read in many fields. They must have poise enough to keep silent and still look good in the palace. The women and children who remain are to become servants for the nobles of the court. Leave the elderly, crippled, and wounded to clean up the city. They pose no threat."

Daniel, along with many other lads, was chained together for the long march back to Babylon. During a water stop at the second oasis Daniel had opportunity to talk to others shackled near him.

"My name is Daniel," he murmured. "I am the son of Malkia, the chief judge of the king's court. The barbarians have killed my brother and my parents."

"My name is Hananiah," said the teen standing nearest Daniel. "These are my two brothers, Mishael and Azariah. We are sons of Zephathah. Our father was keeper of the king's
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treasury. We too have lost our parents. Do you know where they're taking us?"

"I overheard someone say that we were to become slaves in King Nebuchadnezzar's palace."

Mishael nodded toward the man overseeing the slaves. "Do you know anything about him?"

"The soldiers call him Ashpenaz," Daniel explained. "He is master of the king's eunuchs."

Azariah said fearfully, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"I am afraid so," said Daniel. "But at least they're not going to kill us."

"But, Daniel, don't you want to someday marry and have sons and daughters of your own? How can you stay so calm?"

"Yes, Azariah, I do, but we both know that will never happen now. We must trust ourselves to God. I don't like the idea of becoming a eunuch any more than you do."

Daniel was jolted from his memories when he felt the brushing of soft fur on his face. One of the lions stopped, looked back at him, and sniffed. Daniel froze. He was holding his breath when the lion turned and collapsed right next to him like an overgrown pet. Confused and curious, Daniel slowly reached out his hand and touched the animal's back. It did not move.

I wonder what would happen if I petted it.

Daniel smiled when the large male seemed to enjoy the caress.

I must still be dreaming. This cannot be real.

But it was. He could feel the warmth of the cat's body and the rising and lowering of its chest as it breathed. The heat of the
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cat's body was almost comforting. Slowly Daniel began to relax. As he started to pray, his memories returned.

Hananiah was the first to see it. "Look!" he exclaimed, nodding toward the north. The other boys turned to see the majestic city of Babylon in the distance.

As they approached, they could see a wide moat circling the city. Merchant boats sailed in the waters that were fed by the great Euphrates River. The wall surrounding Babylon was three hundred feet tall and ran for as far as the eye could see. One of the other captured boys said he heard that the four walls surrounding the city were each fifteen miles long. Never before had any of them seen anything like it.

The farmers in the fields outside the city walls stopped their work as the prisoners in chains marched slowly by. All types of fruits and crops seemed to be growing. Daniel could see workers dipping water jugs into canals. They stopped and pointed at the prisoners, whispering.
Were they slaves too?
Daniel wondered.

The large bridge crossing the moat was covered with wooden beams. The beams could be removed in case the city came under siege. Anyone attacking the city would have to swim the moat, then climb the huge wall. Babylon was impossible to conquer.

The massive gate at the end of the bridge was open. As the prisoners walked forward, Daniel could see that there was an inner wall some distance from the outer wall. The gap between the two huge walls was filled with rubble. No one could cross the gap easily. If invaders somehow scaled the outer wall, they still would have to cross the rubble and scale the inner wall.

Pretty smart,
Daniel thought.

After passing through a second large gate, the four boys
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entered the city and gasped. There were wide streets filled with people and carts and chariots with soldiers. They entered on Aa-ibursabu, the festival street, which ran right next to the Arahtu canal Buildings on either side of the tree-covered avenues rose to over one hundred fifty feet high.

"It looks like they touch the sky," said Hananiah. "They're enormous."

Soon they passed the small temple of Ninip, which extended over both sides of the canal. Next they beheld E-sagila, the magnificently decorated great temple of Belus, dedicated to the god Merodach.

"One of the other slaves told me that the temple treasury holds wondrous articles made from gold and silver. Most of them have been captured by Nebuchadnezzar during his many wars," Mishael said.

They strained their necks as they saw the pyramid-like temple rise to over three hundred feet.

"Can you believe these streets?" Daniel asked. "They're paved with three-foot-square stone slabs. It must have taken many slaves to lift them into place."

Azariah pointed. "Look at the beautiful houses and walls made of sun-dried bricks. The mortar looks like black bitumen. And look! All of the bricks have the names and titles of Nebuchadnezzar imprinted on them."

They marched on toward Qasr, a richly decorated building that covered eleven acres.

Throughout the city they could see enormous colored reliefs of lions, bulls, dragons, and giant serpents. Huge hunting scenes depicted the chase of the lion and the leopard.

They must have many talented craftsmen,
thought Daniel.

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Eventually they passed the Ishtar Gate and the enormous Middle Palace, decorated with cedar and costly woods. The many doors were made of palm, cypress, ebony, and ivory and framed in silver and gold and plated with copper. The thresholds and hinges were of brass.

As the boys passed large statues of Ninus, Semiramis, and Jupiter-belus, Daniel said, "How sad. The Babylonians worship idols made by human hands and not Jehovah, the true God of heaven and earth."

Hananiah and his brothers were awed by the magnificent hanging gardens. Flowers, vines, and trees covered the rising terraces in a breathtaking display.

"I wish our mother was alive," Hananiah said sadly. "Remember how she could coax life out of the sickliest-looking plant?"

"How did they ever figure out the irrigation system?" Mishael asked in wonder. "Those engines that raise the water from the canal to the top of the terraces are unbelievable."

As the days passed, the changes in the boys' lives seemed incredible. Now they were eunuchs. The four boys were grateful, however, that they had had each other to cope with the difficult experience. With the pain behind them, they had to learn how to survive, how to adjust.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah soon began their education in the wisdom of the Chaldeans. The first step took place when Mukhtar, the superintendent in charge of their training, changed their names.

"You will no longer be known by your Hebrew names. You
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must forget your past. I am going to name you after our Babylonian gods."

Oh, great,
thought Daniel.

"Daniel, you will be called Belteshaigar. Hananiah, I will name you Shadrach. Mishael, you shall be known as Meshach. Azariah, you will be addressed as Abednego. The sooner you realize that you are Babylonians, the happier will be your life. Service in the king's court is better than working in the fields. I too am a slave, you know."

"Mukhtar, will you please grant us a request?" Daniel asked respectfully.

"What do you want?"

"It is the food from the king's table."

"Are you not getting enough?"

"No, no. That is not it. There is too much to eat. It is not what we are used to. It is too rich for us. Is it possible for us to be fed vegetables and water instead?"

"What! You will become sickly and weak. If you lose your health, I will lose my head. The king will kill me for neglecting my responsibilities."

"Would you consider a test for ten days?"

"What kind of test?"

"Feed us only vegetables and water for ten days, and then compare us to the other youths eating from the king's rich food. If we look sickly, then we will eat their food also."

One of the lions roared and swatted a female. She cowered as he yawned and strutted around. Daniel could see his sharp white teeth even in the dim light.

"Jehovah, what is happening?"
he asked aloud.
"Why

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are you allowing me to live? Is there something you want me to do?"

Daniel's mind began to drift

"I cannot believe that three years have passed," said Mukhtar. "When you first asked me to feed you only vegetables, I thought you were crazy. But you've been healthier than all of the other youths."

"Our God has given us strength," replied Daniel.

"It must be so. He has also given you wisdom. You have mastered our literature and science. You have shown yourselves to have understanding of dreams and visions. This is good...for you will stand before the king this day to be tested. He will ask you many questions to see what you have learned. I know that you will do well, for you are ten times smarter than the other youths I have trained. I am confident that the king will have you join his staff of skilled magicians and wise astrologers."

"We will serve wherever you place us, Mukhtar," Daniel told him. "But if we have any wisdom at all, it has been given to us by Jehovah."

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FOURTEEN

"I'M SORRY, SIR, but you'll have to take off your belt and shoes. We're a little backed up today. The terrorist warning is high."

Murphy bit his lower lip and didn't say anything. It had taken him almost an hour to get through the security check.

Oh, boy. Now I get to wait for another hour and forty-five minutes before the flight.
Patience was not one of his virtues. He didn't like to wait in lines or sit around the airport. It bothered him not to be active, doing something productive. He reached for his cell phone, dialed 411, and asked for the phone number of the Orlando Police Department.

As he waited for the automated voice to give him the number, Murphy watched people in the waiting room. He could see a young mother struggling with two rowdy little boys. Other people were also frustrated at having to wait.
The events of 9/11 have certainly changed the entire world
, he thought grimly.

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He got the number, then selected the option to be connected automatically. Murphy gave the officer who answered his name and asked to be connected to Sergeant Owen East.

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

"Yes, we are." Murphy smiled at Isis. Her green eyes were sparkling, and her beautiful red hair framed her delicate features. She looked like a supermodel who had just stepped, off a fashion runway. Who would have thought that she was an academic? Murphy felt like a schoolboy on his first date.

"It's good to see you, Isis," he said in an understatement. "You look great."

Her slight smile and her look almost melted him.

"Oh, by the way, I've got some great news," Murphy told her. "Vern will be returning to the States next week. The doctors in Turkey say that he's almost fully recovered. I talked to him on the phone from the airport."

"That's wonderful! I hope you don't have any more life-and-death adventures planned. I think Ararat was enough excitement to last for a lifetime," Isis said.

Murphy paused.

At his look, she narrowed her eyes. "Does your hesitation mean what I think it means?"

Murphy looked a little sheepish. "I know. I know. But this is a possible archaeological discovery that would help verify the Bible... like finding the ark did."

For the rest of the meal, Murphy explained his most recent episode with Methuselah and the contents of the