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Mathan handed the cane to Athaliah, directing her hand with his hand. She soon discerned that stars’ position, and asked:
“D’you know what does that mean?”
He nodded. “I guess it’s weigning pros versus cons about something…”
“It hints me,” she said, “that I should organize a Trial - a Court Martial to the murderes of David’s dynasty. Ha Ha Ha! I’ve arranged that, according to the army commanders request.”
She saw that Mathan had become pale faced. She picked his belly by her finger.
“Are you worried, man?” she said, then dropped the cane and pointed on him with it: “You will be the Chief Judge there, Priest Mathan!”
“Thank you. You should invite,” he said, “some respectable and honorable men and women to sit within the audience.. Justice should be seen and heard. The commanders, as well as simple citizend should be convinced, that their queen’s hands are neat. She has to be thought as the most remarkable, pious and just queen - ever seen…”
“I will send my servants,” she remarked. “with small papyrus notes of invitation…to some God’s believers. They are the people most concerned. They are very bothered, with king David’s offspring death cases , Ha ha!” …
“Thank you,” Mathan said. He kissed her. Knowing that he should hurry to arrange the event, he asked her some gold coins for that.
“I can’t rescue myself nor you- without smearing many palms with rustling coins, queen. It’s self understandable.”
“You calculate and write every cost, “she said, “Create a coded nemenclature for that big opertaion.” He nodded, and hurried in a constructive enjoyable tension to his task.
Yehoyada and yehosheva were riding their donkeys in the way leading to the army camp ‘Headquarters.’ General Abner was waiting for them before the gate, as for twenty other leaders of the Jerusalemite community.
After the High Priest and Yehosheva had tied their donkeys reins to a tree, the general approached them and they shook hands.
“Commander,” asked him Yehoyada, severe faced, “do you still believe in God?”
“How could… your Highness,” said the General in a murmur of surprise, “doubt about that?”
“You have certainly heard about the queen’s burglary of the Temple. Has she brought that to your knowledge?”
“Yes,” said Abner, “I opposed that, but I can’t prevent her personal guard to confiscate property. She declared to me, that the gold will be used for the sake of …”
“Yes, Jerusalem’s defence. I can’t believe her…”
“Sir, she had already handed a part of the gold to me.” Said Abner, “It’s already in the army’s cash box. We have hired today hundred builders for repairing the citywall. Please, be calm. Not every step taken by her is evil.”
“God’s defiance has become her habit. Her rude behavior signifies to everbody, that our beliefs, traditions, and most sacred place - are worth nothing…You could have prevented her from breaking into our Holy of Holies. God dislikes the one who hesitate to fight for his name.”
“I would have expected Him…“ said Abner, pointing above- and his guests discerned on his face an expression of despair, “and prayed to Him- to show all of us… more of his signs. Why had our forefathers seen his marvellous acts? It seems, that for us - less and less has been left.”
“We know the Lord’s outrage about the wickedness of our people to each other. He knows their vicious Idols’ whorship…We can’t ask Him - to bow to our caprices and faults…We are sinful, and every God believer knows and believes in it! And you should too, sir!”
Abner became silent, while they were passing the camp’s gate. The guards saluted them, standing erect.
“I really think,” said Abner, while walking beside Yehosheva, “that God has his own time-table. We should be patient, like Him.”
“That’s well said,” remarked Yehosheva, “but this evil woman, my Mom, has already accumulated too much power. She should be limited. Arrested - or deported. I won’t interfere in the army’s business, but…”
“I am not a politician nor clergyman, my friends,” apologized Abner, “I have invited you here, by Athaliah’s order, to attend a trial. It would show, she said, her innocence regarding rumors, that had been flying in the air like dark ravens. They croack her satisfaction…from the recent killings, but we shall hear witnesses to the sad events, hopefully.”
The three visitors arrived at the Commanders’ large tent. They saw an audience of twenty people gathered there already. All were sitting on stone benches, facing a small table. Ahead of it were seated already five persons:
One of them was Mathan, and at his two sides – a priest of God, a priest of Baal, – in addition to himeself- a captain from the army. At the table’s side was seated a man, holding before him a feather and an inkwell.
One of God’s priests had been reading in silence from a scroll. He stopped, as he heard whispers coming from the crowd: “Look! Look!”- and saw already some audience( most of them army officers) pointing on the open entry curtain, where Yehoyada, Abner and Josabeth appeared. They soon took their seats in the first row of stone benches. A soldier served water to them from a brown jug.
“Now let’s begin,” said Mathan, rising from his seat. “I am honored to open this special Court, in order to investigate the murders of twelve innocent people, in the past week. Most of them were relating to King David’s dynasty….”
“Blasphemous Baal Priest!” interrupted him Yehoyada, rising on his place, “I want to protest. This trial’s procedure has been organized by the ruler, Lady Athaliah! How could she nominate you as chairman, Baal Priest? You are neither a judge - nor a policeman in this holy city.”
“Well, I simply obey my Queen,” said Mathan, pretending piety, “she has appointed this whole court, sir. Don’t you believe me? Please, ride your ass – and ask the queen. She's your mother-in-law, isn’t she?”
There was a break of laughter by the audience. Some young officers of the army burst in whistles. Mathan indicated the Scribe to stand up. The man was shyly bending to the audience, while signing a 'scroll document'.
“This trial’s procedure contradicts our holy tradition of justice,” continued Yehoyada, “Only the Elders should be judges in Judea. Not foreign priests, nor an army commander, nor even God’s priest!”
“This case is a special one, so had decided her Majesty,” said Mathan, “The assassinations had been so cruel and bloody…so that this special Court was constituted on the alert. It is an act of emergency, demanded by many citizens.”
“If so - Why hasn’t my mother herself,” asked Yehosheva, “come to attend this Court? At least –open its first meeting?”
“The Queen has to rule the kingdom, madam. She has no idle time for us, I’m sorry.”
Mathan rang a bell, that was set before him on the table. Yehoyada and his wife looked around, decided to stay despite their protest, and sat down. They saw four Guards enter the court’s tent, bringing with them three persons, chained in their legs and hands. Mathan nodded to them, recognizing them as his hired assasines. His face remained frozen , while he turned to one of these prisoners in haste, pointing on him:
“You! Tell us where you are from,” he said.
“Abel, a small village in the morthern Galilee,” said the man.
“Why have you come here, to Jerusalem?”
“I was ordered by my commander to penetrate Judea. ”
“were you a soldier in Jehu’s army?” asked Mathjan. The condemned nodded.
“Whereto were you sent?”
“Town of Lakhish.”
“What was your task there?” asked Mathan.
“To Kill an offspring of King David: Malki-shua. In his own house. And…These men helped me.” He pointed on the two other prisoners.
“Did you escape, just after you’ve accomplished yo
ur mission?”
“We've tried, but were captured by Judea’s soldiers.”
“Can you prove to us,“ intervened one of the judges, who was a priest of God, “that you were in service- in Jehu’s army?”
The prisoner shook his head: No!
“Perhaps you’ve had with you some special weapon? Or a part of uniform, or dress, that would convince us about your identity?”
The prisoner shook again his head: “No! but you- sir, should know…” he pointed on Mathan, who rose from his seat, indicating him to stop talking. He turned to a guard and whispered to him: “Bring here the fourth prisoner.”
A shabby dressed man, elder than the others, had been dragged - from outside. He stood before the audience, only his legs chained, and bowed to them like an actor on a stage. Many raised their heads to have a better look at him. .
“Look at this man,” Mathan told the judges, pointing on him, “he has remained from another group sent by Jehu. All his comrades were killed by our border keepers…. Now,” he turned to the man, “show us the articles that Jehu has sent to us by you.”
The prisoner fumbled in a pocket of his torn cotton coat. He pulled out five worn out white beige bones. They had been dirty, like smeared by dirt.
“Put these on the table,” said the Chief Judge Mathan. The man threw the bones on the table with a noice. The audience were looking in surprise at the strange articles.
“Tell us what are these,” said Mathan.
”You see the fingers’ bones of Jezebel, ex-queen of Israel. Jezebel, who had been killed by Jehu order in Jezerel. ”
“My grandmother, Jezebel! O’ God!” shouted Yehosheva. Her husband tried to calm her.
“How had the bones come to you?’ asked him Mathan.
“Our commander had received them from king Jehu. He sent them with me.”
“To who?”
“To Judea’s ruler, Queen Athaliah! To frighten her, show her that Jehu would break her bones too… Long live Jehu!”
Mathan turned to the four condemned soldiers, and shouted at them:
“You bloody murderers! You wanted to incite Judea, to make our country fall as a ripe fruit in our enemy’s hands! You killed innocent families from the dynasty of king David, for what purpose? In order to make the people forget the family, that had ruled Judea hundred years and more? To forget its flashing crown?!”
The judges, including Mathan, bent down to get closer. They were whispering to each other, discussing what more should be heard, if at all. The audience remained seated, and even the High Priest was very impressed from the testimony they had all just listened to.
Mathan and the other judges rose to their feet, and the captives’ were ordered to stand erect.
“We announce our verdict,” said Mathan ,”is very clear: Death- to all.”
He stroke with his ornamented staff on the table. The other judges nodded and joined him by saying: “Yes, death by hanging, till their sould will emerge from their sinful bodies.!”
They judges put their signatures on a papirus that the writer handed them from his side seat.
The audience rose from their seats, and people began leaving the big tent.
The four ‘assassines' hanging process' was taking place in the same camp’s broad field: Yehoyada and his wife were staying nearby with Abner to look at the execution. They had known that the scene would be hard to watch, but wanted to verify that Mathan would not cheat in something. The gallows were simple trees, that ropes were tied to their thick branches.
Mathan himself was going to be the hanger. Before the condemned ‘bones prisoner’ was dragged thereby to be hanged, Mathan listened to him, while he was begging for his life:
“Why are you going to hang me, sir? I helped you so much! You had lied to me!”
Mathan kicked his testicles, and called a soldier standing by. He handed him two pieces of cloth, and the soldier sticked them into the mouth of the criminal.
“The investigation was too short,” whispered High Priest Yehoyada to Abner and Yehosheva, “No cross examination at all. It was a defective process.”
“The queen wrote to me a note,” said the General ,”that it should be a very quick, like a court martial, as we are on a verge of war with Jehu. The happenings were connected with Jehu’s conspiration…But dear High Priest, you have seen these condemned. They had admitted their crimes. To what more could we expect? My have captured those men, so they said.”
Yehoyada changed worried looks with his wife. At that time - four corpses had been already dangling on the gallows.
“Now we should pray to God, “ remarked the High Priest, “that He will strengthen us against Jehu! If that is the real situation.”
“Those bones are terrifying me,” said his wife,”They should be buried respcctfully…”
They drove their donkeys home in silence, their thoughts like sinking in deep water without an end.
At that night - Mathan and Athaliah became drunk from joy: Athaliah knew she had overcome the most dangerous obstacle that could have risen regarding her murderous crimes. She did not know how to thank her lover.
She rendered him one hundred gold Shekels, a part of the treasure she had confiscated in the Temple. She was now very encouraged, sure in her ability to win the rule over the country.
CHAPTER 15