little boy whose nose bled jumped up and yanked upon my scarf. I brought my hands hard against my head and held fast.
“Look!” the one-handed girl cried. “She has a mark upon her brow. Demon woman !”
I tried to hide behind Noah. I will be an exile among exiles, or perhaps they will burn me alive.
“You would be better off blind than seeing demons everywhere you look,” Javan said, taking a step toward the girl. Color had rushed to Javan’s cheeks. “Your sight is even worse than your skill as a thief. Careful your loose tongue does not cost you the hand that remains.”
Was this crude woman my ally? Her words had called people’s attention to her, and I had been able to pull my scarf lower without—I hoped—too much notice.
Noah did not let Javan have the last word. He turned his head toward the one-handed girl. “You will bring God’s fist down upon your back with talk of a demon.” To the whole crowd, he yelled, “You are all wicked, and the wicked do not know the difference between demons and angels. My good wife will earn her way to the Lord and His blessings through righteousness.”
The women’s laughter was a relief to me. They would not have laughed if they believed a demon woman were in their midst.
“While she is busy being righteous,” the black-eyed girl said, “I will take in your withered old branch for a handful of the fruit on your trees.”
I assumed the girl was taunting him when she spoke of the fruit on his trees. I had not seen a fruit-bearing tree in the last half day’s journey.
One giggling girl rushed forward to lift my tunic with a handthat looked as though it had not met with water or a clean animal skin in many rotations of the sun around the earth. She lowered her head to peer in. I kicked her in the eye, and her giggling turned to screams. She called me things I had never heard before.
We continued to make our way slowly westward through the rows of tents, and the women and children continued to follow along beside us. They grabbed at our tunics and legs with dirty hands and said vile things. I wondered if this was how Noah’s tunic had become frayed.
The donkey must have been used to the commotion, because he did not seem bothered enough by the mob to quicken his pace. I felt sick to my stomach, and not just because I worried that my honor would be taken from me. It was clear from the smell that the population of Noah’s town could not be troubled to wander any distance from the tents when they had to relieve themselves.
A man and woman peeked from one of the tents. “Look,” the man said, “the fool has found someone other than himself to talk to. Now he can stop pretending he is talking to a god.” They laughed and went back inside the tent.
I looked behind us for the tiny girl who had tickled my foot, but I did not see her. Her mother, Javan, was still beside us. The X upon her forehead was not fresh; all the color had faded from it, so that it was not red or brownish like some of the ones I had seen on dead men in the battlefields.
Hands yanked at my tunic, some attempting to lift it and some to pull it off. I was certain I would be naked by the time wereached Noah’s tent. I did not like to think of what might happen then.
The horde began to slow their pace and to go quiet. All except Javan, who yelled, “Welcome to the sweet teat of Sorum!”
“You are almost home,” Noah said. I had not yet heard him talk to his donkey, so he must have been speaking to me.
The neighbors slowed until none was beside us any longer. I looked back and saw that they had come to a complete stop. I could not think of what, besides one of the giants made from a son of God coupling with a daughter of man, could have caused this.
CHAPTER 6
GIANTS
When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, the divine beings saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them . . . It was then, and later too,
“Look!” the one-handed girl cried. “She has a mark upon her brow. Demon woman !”
I tried to hide behind Noah. I will be an exile among exiles, or perhaps they will burn me alive.
“You would be better off blind than seeing demons everywhere you look,” Javan said, taking a step toward the girl. Color had rushed to Javan’s cheeks. “Your sight is even worse than your skill as a thief. Careful your loose tongue does not cost you the hand that remains.”
Was this crude woman my ally? Her words had called people’s attention to her, and I had been able to pull my scarf lower without—I hoped—too much notice.
Noah did not let Javan have the last word. He turned his head toward the one-handed girl. “You will bring God’s fist down upon your back with talk of a demon.” To the whole crowd, he yelled, “You are all wicked, and the wicked do not know the difference between demons and angels. My good wife will earn her way to the Lord and His blessings through righteousness.”
The women’s laughter was a relief to me. They would not have laughed if they believed a demon woman were in their midst.
“While she is busy being righteous,” the black-eyed girl said, “I will take in your withered old branch for a handful of the fruit on your trees.”
I assumed the girl was taunting him when she spoke of the fruit on his trees. I had not seen a fruit-bearing tree in the last half day’s journey.
One giggling girl rushed forward to lift my tunic with a handthat looked as though it had not met with water or a clean animal skin in many rotations of the sun around the earth. She lowered her head to peer in. I kicked her in the eye, and her giggling turned to screams. She called me things I had never heard before.
We continued to make our way slowly westward through the rows of tents, and the women and children continued to follow along beside us. They grabbed at our tunics and legs with dirty hands and said vile things. I wondered if this was how Noah’s tunic had become frayed.
The donkey must have been used to the commotion, because he did not seem bothered enough by the mob to quicken his pace. I felt sick to my stomach, and not just because I worried that my honor would be taken from me. It was clear from the smell that the population of Noah’s town could not be troubled to wander any distance from the tents when they had to relieve themselves.
A man and woman peeked from one of the tents. “Look,” the man said, “the fool has found someone other than himself to talk to. Now he can stop pretending he is talking to a god.” They laughed and went back inside the tent.
I looked behind us for the tiny girl who had tickled my foot, but I did not see her. Her mother, Javan, was still beside us. The X upon her forehead was not fresh; all the color had faded from it, so that it was not red or brownish like some of the ones I had seen on dead men in the battlefields.
Hands yanked at my tunic, some attempting to lift it and some to pull it off. I was certain I would be naked by the time wereached Noah’s tent. I did not like to think of what might happen then.
The horde began to slow their pace and to go quiet. All except Javan, who yelled, “Welcome to the sweet teat of Sorum!”
“You are almost home,” Noah said. I had not yet heard him talk to his donkey, so he must have been speaking to me.
The neighbors slowed until none was beside us any longer. I looked back and saw that they had come to a complete stop. I could not think of what, besides one of the giants made from a son of God coupling with a daughter of man, could have caused this.
CHAPTER 6
GIANTS
When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, the divine beings saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them . . . It was then, and later too,
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