Noah by Susan Korman Read Free Book Online

army, marching toward us. I tried pulling at the trap as hard as I could but I couldn’t get it open. Her leg was badly hurt and I didn’t see a way to rescue her.
    “By now Tubal-cain’s men had almost reached us. I knew it was over. I had found a wife myself, but soon both of uswould be killed by Tubal-cain’s troops.
    “Then I heard someone else crashing through the woods toward us. It was Father!”
    “He went to search for you when Shem and I returned without you,” Ila explained. “The rain had come, and we didn’t know where you were.”
    “At first I was so relieved to see him, Ila,” he went on. “There was Father, in time to rescue us both.”
    “But what happened?” Ila wanted to know. “You returned alone. Where is she?”
    “Father,” Ham spat out the word. “Na’el was holding onto me. Father grabbed me and tore me away from her.”
    “What?” Ila couldn’t believe her ears.
    Ham went on, his fury rising with each word. “I begged him to save her, and Na’el was begging him too. I tried to fight him, to go back to her. If she was going to be killed, I wanted to die with her.
    “But he didn’t care about what I wanted or about saving her. He just yanked me away from her and forced me to come back without her.”
    Ila shook her head, trying to understand. How could Noah—who had saved her own life long ago—have acted like this today? He’d let a young girl die at the hands of Tubal-cain’s men? For what reason?
    “He thinks he saved me,” Ham was saying, “but he didn’t. He has doomed me. It’s as if I’ve died.”
    “Oh Ham,” Ila murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
    He let her hug him again, but then he quickly pulled away from her.
    “I’ll never forget her, Ila.” His face darkened. “And I’ll never forgive Father. Not for as long as I live. This cannot be the Creator’s will.”
    * * *
    Ila hurried back to Shem. He stood at the hatch with his parents, anxiously watching the battle outside.
    Ila looked for herself. The Watchers were still holding the chains, doing their best to keep back the swarm of soldiers and people. But Tubal-cain and his hordes were driving relentlessly forward through the pounding rain. As the soldiers marched, warlords fired pipe guns filled with tzohar.
    “Advance!” Tubal-cain suddenly called out to his troops. “Now!”
    Noah whirled toward Shem. “Protect your mother!” he ordered. “Protect them all!”
    Shem nodded and held up his spear. Noah ran out, closing the hatch behind him.
    Ila stood near a porthole, clutching Naameh’s hand as they both tried to comfort Japheth.
    Peering out, Ila saw a blast from a tzohar gun strike Samyaza in the chest. The giant staggered back.
    “Oh no…” Ila murmured.
    Now she could see Tubal-cain burst through the swarm of soldiers. The massive leader of the warlords was movingswiftly with a pike in his hand, charging toward Samyaza!
    Samyaza swung his massive arms, trying to protect himself. But Tubal-cain lunged fast, thrusting his pike in the wound in Samyaza’s chest.
    “No!” Ila gasped as the giant crumpled to the ground. “No…” Then, to her astonishment, there was a loud crackle, and with a burst of flame, Samyaza exploded.
    Stunned, Ila turned to Naameh, who held a hand over her mouth in horror.
    Ila looked out again. A single bolt of lightning seemed to rise from Samyaza’s body. The bolt hung in the air like a rope of light, almost as if it were connecting earth to Heaven.
    “His heavenly form is renewed,” Naameh whispered. “He is back where he belongs.”
    The lightning bolt vanished, and from outside, there were shouts and cries, a deafening roar.
    “The Creator brings him home!” someone shouted triumphantly. More Watchers joined his cry.
    Ila remembered the story Og had relayed long ago—about how the Watchers had yearned to return to heaven after coming to earth, but the Creator had not heeded their prayers. But now…
    “Step back!” Shem yelled suddenly. Ila