The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn by Daron Fraley Page A

gingerly stepped into the cold water, shivering as
they did. The water soon became bearable as they adjusted, and just
as suspected, the pool was a perfect depth.
    As they stood in the rolling river, Jonathan
asked if he could pray. He then implored the Great Creator to
accept the covenant Pekah was about to make, and asked that the
Holy Spirit would be present.
    He finished the prayer, took a deep breath,
and placed his left arm on his new friend’s shoulder.
    “Pekah,” Jonathan said with authority, after
raising his right arm. “Do you covenant to serve the Great King of
Heaven the remainder of your days upon Gan, and to keep His
commandments, that He might bless you with the Holy Spirit?”
    “Yes, I will, and I do,” Pekah answered.
    “Then, having authority from the Almighty
God of all the Heavens, and in accordance with the covenant which
you have made, I baptize you by water so that your sins may be
forgiven, and so you may eventually be granted eternal life,
through the redemptive power of the Great Sacrifice of the Great
King who will come, who was prepared for that purpose before the
foundation of this world.”
    Jonathan took Pekah by the hand, then
lowered him into the clear, cold pool of the river, bringing him up
again, wet from head to toe. Pekah sputtered from the shock of the
water, but glowed with joy. Tears joined the water streaming from
the black hair on his forehead. Eli grabbed him up, squeezing him
nearly to death and causing him to gasp. They laughed together.
    The three of them stumbled back to the bank
of the river amid the rocks and currents, Eli providing much of the
strength to keep the others from slipping. Pekah shivered almost
uncontrollably, yet grinned all the time with excitement. “You have
made me very happy,” he said. “I cannot recall the last time I felt
this wonderful!” His teeth chattered as he spoke.
    All three men removed their wet shirts and
pants and wrung out as much excess water as they could. Using large
rocks found along the bank, they laid the clothing out to dry in
the suns-light. Rays from Aqua and Azure chased away the cold
prickles on their skin and helped to dry their undergarments while
they took time to eat their mid-day meal.
    “I hope we’ll arrive in Ain before our food
supply runs out,” Jonathan mentioned as they ate. “It would be best
to be there by tomorrow evening.”
    “I don’t mind walking a little faster,” Eli
said.
    “And we have to find Rachel,” Jonathan said.
“Perhaps along the way we’ll find some game to replenish our
provisions. There are also farms all around the city. Surely we’ll
find someone who can share a meal.”
    Pekah’s blank expression made Jonathan
realize they had never mentioned Rachel in his presence. Choosing
now to share their true purpose for going to Ain, Jonathan
explained that Rachel was his betrothed wife and Eli’s sister, and
that they intended to find her.
    “How do you think we can locate her, without
being captured?” Pekah asked, concerned.
    “We have to try,” Jonathan replied. He
glanced over to see Eli looking off into the sky. Eli’s gaze
lowered when he noticed Jonathan staring.
    “Just thinking about Uzzah,” he replied to
Jonathan’s questioning look. “Father and Mother will both be
crushed if anything happens to Rachel.”
    Jonathan nodded sympathetically. Pekah
appeared to be confused once again, and asked who Uzzah was. Eli
cleared his throat, his eyes moist.
    “Uzzah is my little brother. When I was
thirteen, he was almost twelve. We were in the Hara Mountains with
my father looking for some sheep that had strayed from the flock.
We split up. I never saw my brother again.” Eli could say no
more.
    “Hundreds from the city helped the family
search for him,” Jonathan added. “They never found his body. To
this day, the family doesn’t know what happened to him. They assume
he fell into a ravine, or was taken by wolves.”
    “I am very sorry to hear it,”