Empire's End by Jerry Jenkins, James S. MacDonald Read Free Book Online Page B

and peeked out, shaking her head at Corydon in my big sandals. I raised the hem of my tunic a fewinches so she could see his little ones on me. It warmed me to see her put a hand to her mouth over the veil as if to keep from laughing aloud.
    When she went back to her work, I kept Corydon giggling by acting as if I were shocked to have just discovered that we had on each other’s sandals. I began a long process of trading him one for the other where we kept ending up with one large and one small sandal each. He found this endlessly entertaining, and it dawned on me that I had not played with a child since I had been one myself.
    Nadav said he needed to get back to his family as he would be coming back for the elders’ meeting. I asked if I could chat with him as he walked, telling Corydon to tell his mother I would be back. “Can’t I go with you, Master Paul?”
    â€œNot this time, son. I’ll be back soon for supper. You tell Mama, okay?”
    As the boy ran back, Nadav whispered, “I believe she was pleased that you amused him.”
    I asked him all about the place, the elders, the well, who did what, where they got their fabrics, their clothes, their tools, everything. He told me of their communal garden, livestock, and how much of their diet consisted of fish from the Red Sea. “I’m sure Rabbi Alastor will explain much more tonight.”
    Back at Alastor’s tent, I was hesitant to enter, given that his daughter was alone with the child. I lingered outside as the sky blackened. Pulling my mantle off my shoulders, I gathered it at the neck against the cool breeze and gazed into the heavens to see what stars had begun to appear. Silently I said,
This is where You would have me meet You in the mornings?
    Not a temple, not a forest, not a meadow. A desert. A wilderness.
    Whether Corydon heard me or just noticed me when he came fromthe back to play, I do not know, but he immediately squealed, “Master Paul!” He knelt, slipped off a sandal, and came running, waving it over his head. “Look! Look! I found your shoe!”
    â€œIndeed you did!” I said, taking off one of my own. “And I found yours!”
    Leaping into my arms, he nearly bowled me over. “Corydon!” his mother called, appearing from behind the curtain. “Don’t bother our guest. Grandfather will be here soon, and it’s time to eat.”
    â€œIt’s entirely my fault, and he’s no bother. He’s a delight.”
    â€œThank you,” she said quietly. “Corydon, come now.”
    When the boy made no move, I set him down and nudged him toward his mother. Alastor startled me when he clapped me on the back and said, “How good of you to make him obey! She’ll appreciate that. I don’t do enough of it.”
    The four of us sat on mats across from each other, Taryn and the boy on one side, Alastor and I on the other, with the bread and steaming pot of stew between us. Corydon begged to sit next to me, but when I began to assure his mother it would be all right, Alastor stopped me with a touch, pronounced a blessing over the food, and changed the subject.
    The bread was nearly as warm as the stew, and while I was not hungry from what should’ve been an arduous journey, I found the repast more than satisfying. Taryn sat nearly motionless except to help her son, and she and Alastor kept the lad quiet the entire meal, though it was clear he very much wanted to talk.
    As soon as we were finished with the dessert of figs, Taryn excused herself to put the boy to bed. He protested only briefly and giggled when I told him that in the morning he must help me find my sandals. When I began to help clear the eating area, Alastor shook his head and led me into the front section of the tent where he drew out a Scripture scroll, cradledit in his lap, and suggested we talk about what to expect from the meeting of the elders.
    I was frankly more concerned with where I