Queen of Sheba (30 page)

“You needn’t try to escape,” Hadad said. “I’ve everything carefully planned. I’ve already sent word to your caravan that you have changed your mind about going to Jerusalem. Instead, you are staying right here and marrying me.”

“But …” she tried to object.

Hadad leaned back among the cushions of his divan and smiled a slow, calculating smile. “You saw the Siq. No one can enter without my permission, and once someone is inside, they can’t leave against my will. If you are thinking of escaping, it is no use. My men are everywhere.”

“You pay tribute to Solomon, and he’ll see that I’m rescued,” she countered indignantly.

“Of course, if he knew, I suppose he could rescue you. But you’ll be married before word reaches him.”

“I’ve heard that Solomon knows everything. Even the evil Jinn, ghouls, and demons are supposed to obey him. Aren’t you afraid of him?”

Hadad’s face clouded over. “He’s my worst enemy and for years I’ve sworn to get even. Now with the coalition, Shishak of Egypt, Rezon of Syria, and you with your army from Sheba, we can utterly defeat him. I’ll not let anything stand in my way.”

“So you think that by marrying me you’ll have the support of Sheba?”

“At least you won’t be able to join him.”

“What makes you think I’d join him?”

At this Hadad appeared nervous. “It’s well-known that women can’t resist him. You’d be no different from the rest.”

“So you think to win me over by holding me captive in this disgraceful manner and marrying me against my will. Well you are wrong. Even if
Solomon doesn’t rescue me, certainly Ilumquh, the god of my people, will deliver me,” she said tossing her head with a bravado she didn’t feel.

Hadad laughed. “If he should try to rescue you, he would find the god of my people is greater and stronger.”

Bilqis was immediately alarmed. “And who is the god of your people?” she asked.

“Dusares,” he answered.

Bilqis’s eyes grew thoughtful. “Du means ‘Lord;’ but what does sares mean?”

Hadad glanced at her in astonishment. His women were not interested in such things. He didn’t like it that a woman should ask about the name of a god. She had no need to know such things. He remembered just in time, however, that he wanted to impress this queen, and so he answered, “Shara or Seir is what these mountains are called. He is Dusares, lord of all these mountains.”

“Our god is Ilumquh. He is the shining being that rises at dusk and gives us light in the darkness, brings seeds to life, and gives us a way of numbering our days.”

Hadad smirked. “I have studied the gods of Egypt. Ra is greatest of them all. Without his shining we would be in darkness all the time.” He said this in such a smug way that Bilqis felt he was dismissing Ilumquh as unimportant.

“If Ra is so great and powerful, why is he not the god of the Edomites?”

Hadad again shifted uneasily. “This isn’t a matter for one as beautiful as you. Don’t concern yourself. Leave it for the priests and tribal leaders.”

Now Bilqis felt insulted. “You speak to me as though I were only a woman,” she said trying to control her voice. “I’m not a woman, I assure you; I’m a queen.”

For a moment Hadad was taken aback. He looked at her closely and then broke out into a hearty laugh. “Of course you are a queen, and it is fitting for you to ask such things. Now I remember. You are supposed to be traveling to the all-wise king in Jerusalem to ask him questions that will tell you what is truth.”

Though he seemed to be saying the right things, Bilqis felt that underneath he was still amused that a woman should ask about one of the gods.
“Truth is important,” she said. “How can we worship until we know who is the true god?”

Hadad was amazed. He had never thought very deeply about such matters. “Why, it’s quite simple. In Egypt I worshiped Ra and now that I am here I worship Dusares.”

“Can I see this god of yours?”

Again Hadad shifted uneasily. “He is in the form of a white stone, very sacred. The priests guard him night and day. They may not let a stranger see him.”

Bilqis was now quite interested. “He is a white stone? Your god is a white stone? You can touch him and could even crush him if you wanted. Ilumquh is totally unreachable. He’s above the tallest trees and the highest building. He rules in every place. Each night I see him no matter how far from home I might be. He is much greater than your white stone.”

Now Hadad was angry. “Have you ever touched Ilumquh? No, of course not. Well I have touched Dusares. No matter what god or gods ride by in the sky, Dusares rules here in Seir.”

Bilqis felt a chill of fear. It was true that not only was she hemmed in by these mountains but Hadad’s god seemed to be in complete control.

In desperation she began to devise a plan of escape. Her only hope was somehow to get a message to Solomon in Jerusalem. Hadad was his vassal and still answerable to him.

She went over in her mind each person in her company and found that only Rydan could manage such a feat. He would not only have to escape from this stronghold but he would then have to find his way up to Jerusalem. She wondered also if she could trust him. It was entirely possible that he would join Il Hamd and together they would seize her throne and ride back to rule Sheba. The time was short and she would have to act quickly.

Once she had determined Rydan was her only hope, she had to figure out a way to see him alone long enough to devise a plan. Hadad or his servants were with her constantly, and it wasn’t until the night of an elaborate banquet held out under the stars that she was finally able to talk to her cousin.

Rydan seemed surprised when she singled him out to sit beside her. She noticed that he was nervous and could hardly eat. He answered her
questions with deference and was overly courteous. He no longer seemed to be the strong-willed, insolent young man she had so disliked in the past.

The opportunity to speak privately to him came unexpectedly when Hadad was called away on business. “My cousin,” she said, “you know that we are all being held prisoner here. Hadad is now insisting on marrying me and forcing me not only to join him in the conspiracy against Solomon but to stay right here as his wife.” She could see by Rydan’s expression that he was horrified. “I must find someone who can escape and get word to Solomon. Can I trust you to do this?”

“There’s a camp of Solomon’s men just outside the Siq,” he whispered. “They’re stationed there to keep the Edomites from doing anything rash. Each day a small battery of mercenaries rides through the Siq to check on them. If I can get to them, maybe there is some hope.”

“There isn’t much time. Within three days Hadad has told me there will be a great sacrifice and immediately after that the wedding.”

The next morning as Solomon’s guard marched through the Siq into the city some of them noticed an old woman dressed in rags begging for alms. She held out her hand and kept her face covered as though she was embarrassed to be engaged in such a humble occupation. Several of the guards were incensed to find her sitting so close to their station, and they accosted her, insisting she leave and find someplace else to beg.

Strangely enough, no one seemed to notice that when the soldiers left and rode out through the Siq, the woman had also disappeared.

That night when Hadad again prepared a feast and entertainment, Bilqis noticed that Rydan was missing. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he must have found a way to leave the fortress, but she doubted that he could get help in time.

The sacrifice to Dusares was planned to assure the success of Hadad’s plans to defeat Solomon. He insisted that Bilqis be present. “Tomorrow,” he said, “you will come with the men of Edom to the high place, and there you will witness the power of Dusares. It has never been permitted before for a woman to witness this ceremony, but then, never before has a queen been my guest.”

Bilqis knew instinctively that he was taking her with him so there
would be no chance of her escape and to impress upon her his dedication and commitment to the coalition and their plans. “This sacrifice,” Bilqis asked, “what will it do for you?”

“You’ll see. After the sacrifice, the wedding, the victory over Solomon, everything will happen as I want it.”

“Can the god of a white stone do all of this?”

“I sacrifice to Ra of the Egyptians also. Ra and Dusares are stronger than the God of Israel.”

“And me. How do you think your god can force me to marry you?”

Hadad laughed. “That’s the easiest. You are here in Dusares’ territory. Your god has no power to protect you here.”

Bilqis was frightened but still curious. “What sacrifice will give you such power?”

“You’ll see. However, I must warn you,” he added, “if it were found out that you were a woman, even though you are a queen, it could cost you your life. I’ll give you a man’s garb, cloak, and head covering. You’ll stay near me, in my company. Of course you can’t speak or ask questions, and no matter what you see, you mustn’t cry out or object.” He looked at her as though he were enjoying her discomfort.

That night she slept fitfully as she wondered whether Rydan had succeeded in getting to Jerusalem and if he had been able to deliver the message. There wasn’t much time left. Once the sacrifice was carried out, the wedding would soon follow.

She wondered at the mysterious way in which Hadad had talked of the sacrifice. He seemed to be so sure his god would free Edom from Israel’s control. The very fact that women weren’t allowed made her suspicious. Could it be that she was about to see some dark horror? She would have to summon all her courage not to flinch or cry out no matter what was involved.

The altar of the Edomites was at the top of one of their high stone cliffs. Bilqis, standing beside Hadad, shivered in the predawn darkness and wondered how they were to scale this sheer cliff. As the priests began to light torches, she saw a narrow passage in between two rocks that led to steps cut in the rock.

The climb was steep and the steps worn. Bilqis had only gone halfway up when she felt exhausted. She saw Hadad and the rest only as dark shadows, and there was no sound but a steady chanting of magical phrases. She wished she had asked more questions. As this involved some vow Hadad was about to make, it could be something very serious. She knew that Hadad would be willing to pay almost any price for freedom from Israel.

They arrived at the top and fanned out in the space behind the altar. Remembering Hadad’s warning, she edged away from him and off to one side where she could see everything but wouldn’t be easily seen. As the sky brightened she saw that there were dark outlines of two men, bound, standing in the well-defined circle near the raised area that was entirely covered with gold. Four steps led up from the golden platform to a low but broad limestone altar.

She was vaguely aware of chanting and priestly rituals. Somewhere above them she could hear the flapping of giant wings, see exaggerated shadows on the rock face as huge birds circled and swooped and at times gave out the same wild call that had first startled her in the canyon.

Across the valley beyond the dark mountain peaks, the sky grew crimson. One of the captives had been drawn by lot and was then given a drink from a golden ewer. The chanting ceased. There was only the steady, low insistent beat of drums. Every eye rested on the dark form. He was still only an outline against the sky. His features were blurred and indistinct. Someone coughed nervously. It became evident that everything must be ready before the sun rose.

There was an audible sigh of relief as the victim sank into the priest’s hands and then was lowered to the altar. Just as the sun rose there was the glinting flash of a knife and the body lay motionless, head hanging over the altar’s side and a stream of blood flowing down into a catch basin.

Bilqis had not been able to take her eyes from the awful sight. She found her lip sore from biting into the edge of her cloak. In Marib, back in her father’s time, there had been a threat of famine, and a human being had been sacrificed. She had never really thought about it before, but now she wondered about many things. Would this really accomplish what Hadad wanted? Were the gods pleased with such devotion? Could they be bought with such sacrifices?