Among the Gods Read Online Free PDF

not knowing where Joshua is or what he’s planning to do next.”
    Zerah gave a grunt of exasperation. “You shouldn’t allow your enemy to rob you of a night of pleasure.”
    “He’s plotting against me, I know he is. He has my brother, the Ark of the Covenant, my concubine … What more does he need?”
    “We have informants watching all the borders, Your Majesty. We would know about it the moment his forces crossed into Judean territory.”
    Manasseh gripped Zerah’s arm, pulling him closer until their faces were just inches apart. “How? You can’t guard every road. And what if he doesn’t use the roads? What if he cuts through the Judean wilderness? How are you going to guard against that?”
    “We’ll know it. The omens will warn us.”
    “We didn’t know it the last time!” He pushed Zerah away again. “Besides, for all we know, my guards might be part of their conspiracy. How did Joshua get past them before? He came right into my palace and left his calling card!”
    Zerah spread his hands in a soothing gesture. “You’re right. We need an advantage. The gods know everything, Your Majesty, so we will seek their help. Then we’ll perform a curse to—”
    “Your curses haven’t been working.”
    “Maybe we need stronger, more powerful magic on our side.” Zerah’s close-set eyes narrowed in thought. Manasseh knew the look. He was measuring his words, searching for a way to propose something shocking. “There are deeper levels of sorcery, Your Majesty. I know their mysteries … but I’m not certain you’re ready for them.”
    Fear crawled up Manasseh’s spine. The spirits Zerah already had conjured up for him seemed powerful and barely under the priest’s control. Manasseh could scarcely imagine even deeper levels of witchcraft. But he couldn’t deny the spirits’ power or his own fascination with it. He would do anything to defeat Joshua.
    “I’m ready,” Manasseh said. “Tell me how and when.”

    Dinah sat in the courtyard of her home, surrounded by her bridesmaids, waiting for her groom, Prince Amariah, to appear. Their wedding had all the trappings that Dinah had dreamed about as a girl, yet she was barely able to hold back her tears. This wasn’t a celebration but a somber, joyless affair. Each time she glanced at her mother or her brother Jerimoth, she saw dismay and disapproval in their averted eyes and lowered heads. They had tried to talk Dinah out of marrying Amariah right up until the moment she had dressed in her finest gown.
    “This marriage won’t change anything,” Jerusha had said, pleading with her. “It won’t bring any of our loved ones back.”
    “Manasseh has to pay for what he did,” Dinah insisted.
    “Then let God avenge his crimes,” Jerimoth said. “He’s the Judge of all the earth.”
    “Leave her alone,” Joshua said. “This is God’s plan for vengeance.” He was the only one who supported Dinah’s decision, and he had set all these plans in motion. But now that the day had finally arrived, Joshua didn’t seem very joyful, either. He was continually on edge, and Dinah knew he was watching for Hadad, worrying about the threats he had made.
    “I have soldiers guarding all the docks in case he tries to return to the island,” Joshua told her.
    “I’m not going to change my mind,” she assured him, “even if Hadad does come back.” Each time she’d thought of Hadad, Dinah had nearly lost her nerve, wondering how she could live the rest of her life without the man she loved. But then she would force herself to relive each moment of her year with Manasseh, remembering how his soldiers had beaten her grandfather to death, picturing her son’s tiny face. She resolved to pledge her life to Manasseh’s brother in revenge.
    The evening air felt warm as Dinah waited, the sky above the courtyard dotted with the first few stars. Suddenly a shout went up. “The bridegroom comes!” She saw torches bobbing and heard the music of flutes and