The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn Read Online Free PDF Page B

Father Noah. All three tribes were very large
now, comprised of thousands of men, women, and children. But
recently, many had died at the hands of the Gideonites. Hundreds
had been sent to their eternal home, leaving behind their loved
ones to mourn their departure.
    He reached up with a free hand, brushing a
fresh tear away. His heart ached as he realized Samuel had paid the
ultimate price for defending his family and his beliefs, leaving
Jonathan alone in the world. Somber as he sat in quiet
contemplation, he stared into the glass rod for quite some
time.
    Growing uncomfortable under the mid-morning
light of the twin suns, he sighed and rolled the scepter back into
its protective cloth, then retired it to his shirt pocket. Jonathan
pulled himself up from his sitting position and yawned, stretching
his strong back muscles. He viewed the green trees below him and
prepared to climb onto the large, dead oak branch below.
    Just then, he heard the faint noise of
voices coming from the direction of the trail he had intended to
follow south. He fell prone onto the rock ledge, his feet inside
the cave entrance, and retrieved his spyglass from its belt pouch.
Inching to the edge, he searched the trail for signs of
movement.
    He lay very still, but the strain of
minimizing his movements and controlling his breathing caused him
to sweat. Through the ocular of the spyglass, he saw an army of
about two hundred soldiers coming from the south, all wearing
hardened leather breastplates adorned with a black raven. They
would soon pass directly below. Jonathan collapsed the small scope
so as not to cause a visible reflection, then cautiously pushed
himself back from the ledge and waited.
    The noise grew louder as the army
approached. Heavy sounds of marching feet on the shaded trail below
echoed against the face of the rocky cliff. Jonathan strained to
hear conversations, but could not discern any specific words from
the men. He heard only the occasional muffled shout of orders from
one section of the advancing army to another. Because of the speed
of their march, it did not take the Gideonites long to pass the
cliff and disappear over the rolling, wooded hills to the
north.
    Even though they were now gone, Jonathan was
disturbed. He moved back into the defenses of the cave and took a
squatting position a few feet into the shadows.
    Now what do I do? he thought, frustrated. If I leave now, I am sure to be caught. If they are still
sending large numbers of troops north, there will be more to
come.
    He puzzled over the predicament, then went
to his knees.
    “My Father and my God, what shall I do
now?”
    Jonathan listened with
eyes closed and his hands on his knees. After a brief moment, he
heard within his mind just one word from that familiar sweet
voice— wait. Rising from his knees, he retreated to the confines of the
cave and said audibly to himself, “Yes, I will wait until I feel
differently.”
    He busied himself in the cave for the rest
of the morning. Feeling he would be there for a while, he removed
his sword belt and shoulder sack and began to clean things up a
bit. He organized the items in the cave, then took time to inspect
his own clothing for frays or tears. The few he found he repaired
with the use of some ingenuity and threads painstakingly removed
from discarded cloth in the cave. The morning grew late, and
Jonathan ate a more substantial part of his provisions for lunch.
But as he finished his meal, he still did not feel it was time to
leave. On one other occasion during the morning, Jonathan had
stopped his activities to listen to what seemed to be another army
passing below.
    The much quieter afternoon relieved some of
his anxiety. Even the chirping and activity of birds in the forest
caused Jonathan to feel more relaxed. He decided to take the
opportunity for a brief nap.
    Although it seemed such a short time that he
slept, he awoke late. He sat up suddenly, alarmed that the light
outside was already dim with the onset