The General's Treason: 1st Chronicle of the Gibborim

By William Charles Oakes

AMBUSHED, Book 1 in the 1st Chronicle of the Gibborim, tells of the treasonous attempt on the life of the young Prince Solomon. But when and how was this plan conceived? Who were the conspirators and how did they come to be? 

It all started fourteen years earlier when an infant child died in fulfillment of divine prophesy, a loyal General decided to depose his King, and when mysterious agents orchestrated the deception of the century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Oakes
• Release date: Apr 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524273613

Book preview

The General’s Treason

The Prequel to

Ambushed - Book 1

1st Chronicle of the Gibborim

by

William Charles Oakes

Published by EagleWing Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or the fictitious use of historical and Biblical sources. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is either purely coincidental or intentional for fictitious purposes.

1-885054-14-9 eBook Version

Copyright © 2016 William C. Oakes

Printed in the United States of America

Keywords: Jerusalem, Nephilim, Goliath, Star of David, King Solomon, King David, Bathsheba, Bronze Age, Regicide, Iron Age, Lion of Judah, Coming of Age, Hero's Journey, Ammonites, Hittite, Philistines, Canaanites, King Saul, fantasy, Secret Agent, Swords and Sorcery, Action books for boys, Alchemy and Mysticism, Supernatural Historical Books, Metaphysical fiction, Angels and Demons

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my wife Marcie (Anderson) Oakes. She encouraged me to write from my earliest days. In fact, our first conversation was in junior high school about her illustrating a Sci-Fi book I was writing. For well over forty years, Marcie has been my biggest fan and strongest advocate. And I will never understand what she sees in me.

I love you, Honey.

Author’s Note:

The General’s Treason is a prequel to Ambushed, Book 1 of The Chronicle of the Gibborim. It takes place fourteen years prior to the events in Ambushed. The events are important because they reveal the circumstances and deceptions of General Joab’s treason.

The General’s Treason also provides Prince Eliam’s back story. Is he truly who they say he is? If not, then who is he, and where did he come from?

A PROPHET’S DREAM

It was late when Nathan the Prophet finally lay down to sleep in his chamber under the Palace. His duties as High Commander of the Gibborim had kept him busy from very early that morning. There was a new cohort of Gibborim initiates starting their training, and it was Nathan’s duty to oversee the Initiation Ceremony. It was his last opportunity to watch each candidate march past him and winnow out those boys and young men the Lord GOD hadn’t truly called to serve. Serving in the warrior society known as the Mighty Men—the Gibborim—was one of the Lord GOD’s highest callings.

The ceremony, and the preparations preceding it, lasted all day. The initiation ceremony and the early stages of Gibborim training were conducted deep in the secret caves of a mountain west of the capital city of Jerusalem. When darkness set in, Nathan left to make the two-day journey back to Jerusalem. It was a long ride by horse over the rough terrain between the caves and the capital city. Most of the trail followed narrow paths through the countryside, a good distance from the main roadways. He traveled only at night in order to keep the Gibborim location secret and his whereabouts unknown.

Nathan entered the city in the quiet dark hours of the night, left his horse with a stableman, and quickly made his way to his chamber located in a cave below the Palace. Jerusalem was situated on a mountaintop above a honeycomb of natural and man-made caves and tunnels, living quarters, storage rooms, and armories. Nathan’s chamber was one of the larger rooms cut out of the mountain bedrock. It was small compared to even the meanest of living quarters within the Palace above.

Nathan’s bed was a simple, four-legged wooden cot set to one side of his chamber. It served as bed and chair. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a small table. Under the bed frame was a small chest with his undergarments and the few personal items he possessed. A row of metal pegs protruded from the stone wall on the west side, beside the single wooden door. There is where his outer garments hung.

Nathan entered his room and closed the door. Wearily shrugging out of his outer garment, he hung it on one of the metal pegs, not bothering to light a lamp. He immediately fell upon his bed, exhausted, and instantly fell asleep.

His slumber was deep and dreamless for a time. Then he entered a dream so vivid and real that one part of his mind knew it was not a dream at all, but a communication from the Lord GOD. Nathan saw himself standing outside a small cave in the side of a hill, the nearest town visible far off in the distance. In this cave lived a poor man and his small family. The man’s clothing was old and worn. His wife and children were dressed no better. The man had covered the mouth of the cave as best he could with brush and fallen trees.

Nathan flipped to his back on the squeaky cot, opening his eyes for just a moment. Then