“Your old friend Jehu’s got a list of new enemies, and you’re at the top. Angels had to drag Lot out of Sodom, and I smell fire and brimstone.” Zak yanked Obadiah to his feet.
46. Who Is On My Side?
842 BC
The Bakery, Fort Jezreel, Jezreel Valley, Israel
Obadiah scowled as Zak guided him down the stairs and over to the bakery. i
Instead of waiting like a customer, Zak hurried Obadiah and Yedidah around the bread counter and pounded on the door. “Let us in!” ii
The baker opened the door, brushed flour iiifrom his apron, and ushered them in. His wife pulled Yedidah to her in a hug, spilling her white locks over Yedidah’s shoulder. “My dear. Did you ever?” iv v
Obadiah stood behind the shuttervi and watched with the others through the slits. vii
The planks over the moat rattled, and chariots careened across the threshing floor. Several captains hitched their teams to the rails at the front of the compound. But General Jehu hung a hard right to the headquarters building across from the bakery.
The baker turned wrinkled cheeks toward Obadiah. “You know the general well, don’t you?”
“Yes. Yes. We rode together at Dibon.” Obadiah nodded.viii ix“The general’s a devout follower of the Lord. He hates Moloch and Asherah, yet he respected Ahab as a strong commander and effective king. I have to believe it hurt him to kill Ahab’s son.” [anguish?x]xi
Above the general in a second-floor window, Queen Jezebel appeared in a royal blue gown. [Well…xii] Fresh curls formed a jet black corona around her face. She studied her reflection in a small mirror then fixed Jehu with her stare. “Greetings, General.”xiii The icicles dripping from her voice cooled this end of the plaza and the bakery. [The chill from her voice dripped icicles across the plaza and into the bakery.] xiv
Yedidah shuddered.
The baker’s wife gawked. “She was born to rule.”
Zak snarled. “She’s the past.”
Yedidah lifted herxv fingers to her throat. “But doesn’t she just look so… so… regal?”
“She uses fourteen hairdressers.”xvi Obadiah stepped back from the shutter. “When that witch wants to lock more slaves in her brothels, she buys a string of little girls and boys stolen from distant backyards.”
A flush crept up Yedidah’s neck. “I can’t believe what I’m feeling. I’ve always called her that horrid woman. But seeing her there… Think of Ahab, a brother to you. You hated a lot of what he did, yet you fought by his side.”
“I loved Ahab, but I despise that woman.” Obadiah gave the shutter a light punch.[Beccaxvii][SSxviii][transition SDxix]
xxFrom the balcony, Jezebel smirked through gaudy makeup at General Jehu. “Remember Zimri, the chariot commander? Zimri murdered his master but found no peace.”
Zak nudged Obadiah. “The old bird knows where to insert the knife. Jehu respected Ahab as his master.”
General Jehu [detailxxi] wheeled his chariot up next to the wall. With his horses aimed at the pavement beneath Jezebel’s window, he yelled, “Who is on my side? Who?”xxii xxiii
[HERE]xxiv
Zak whispered, “That room behind her up there’s packed with servants. Afraid of the queen. Afraid of the general.”
In windows left and right of the queen, eunuchs in light gray robes appeared. xxv
Yedidah let out a loud breath. “Are the eunuchs afraid of Jehu or of Jezebel?”xxvi
Zak shook his head. “Ma’am, those guys have jumped at her command since they were tiny, but they’re shivering.xxvii The king is dead, and they don’t know who’s in charge.”
Jehu laughed. “Throw her down, boys!”
“Don’t touch me.” Jezebel held her chin high. “Animals.”
“Oh, just look.” Yedidah clenched her eyes shut and sniffled. [why?]
The baker’s wife slipped Yedidah a cloth for her nose. “I know, dear.”
The eunuchs disappeared from view.
Jezebel’s scream echoed off the walls as a blur of curls crossed the windowsill. She shot out headfirst onto the paving stones. Thud.
As Yedidah [flinched?]xxviii wiped her nose, she opened her eyes wide and blurted through the cloth, “The caves! The bubblers! They can all go free!”
Obadiah let out a gasp and pulled her to him in a side hug. “Yes!”
General Jehu whipped his horses forward and pranced them in place over the queen until blood splattered the wall and dripped on the horses’ legs. The snap of bones carried into the bakery. xxix
“Oh!” As Yedidah covered her face, the baker’s wife patted her on the shoulder. xxx
The general tied his team by the headquarters kitchen door. As he peeled off his gloves, he raised his chin toward the queen’s scattered pieces and strode inside.
Zak gripped Obadiah by the shoulders. “Jehu has been in that chariot for hours and won’t leave until his belly’s full. I’m taking you out of here.” xxxi
The baker raised his gentle voice. “Too dangerous. Wait until the city sleeps.”
Obadiah clutched Zak’s wrist and pulled Yedidah closer. “But our daughter.”
The baker’s wife opened her eyes as large as hen’s eggs.xxxii “The one who married the captain?”
“And their baby girl,” Obadiah whispered.
Zak took a deep breath and let it out. “We’re not leaving a hoof behind. Or a granddaughter.”
Obadiah fixed Zak with a stare. “And your wife. Your grandchildren.”
Zak closed his eyes. “Lord, help us.”
“Every one of our guards with their families. Plus, our families in Keslote and Megiddo.” Yedidah clutched Obadiah’s arm. “We’re dead.”
The baker raised a finger. “Not dead. My wife and I will hide you right here. At midnight, you can sneak out the cobbler’s tunnel.” He pursed his lips and gave a slow nod. “They’re only two doors down.”
“Yuck.” His wife hunched her shoulders. “We can’t let them crawl through that scary hole. You don’t know what creepy…”
Zak shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir, but General Jehu knows the tunnels and will post men there. We need a distraction, so everybody’s looking one way, while Biah and Yedidah go the other.”
“Distraction?” Obadiah frowned. “We can’t wait. I know the general. His men are searching our apartment this moment, and he’ll soon have them scouring every corner of the fort.”
Zak opened a slit in the shutter and squinted out at the threshing floor. “There’s gotta be a—”
The baker’s wife cupped Zak’s shoulder. “Now don’t you worry. Farmers will be loading up from the market and going home.”
Zak released the shutter. “Farmers?”
The baker’s wife replied, “We’ll lay Biah in a cart and let Yedidah lead the donkey.”
The baker shook his head. “But we haven’t a cart, dear. Or a donkey.”
“No, but Shiphrah does. And her chickens are so scrawny she hauls half of them home every evening. Why don’t you give our guests a few loaves of your famous bread and that mutton in the warming oven while I bring Shiphrah and her cart?”
As she pulled her headscarf around her neck, the baker’s wife touched the door handle. “There’s carrot soup as well.”
She turned toward the baker and waited.
Her husband looked up. “Yes, dear?”
“See how they’re dressed? Put our gardening robes on them and those old gray headscarves. Plus, Biah’s so long, I’ll need two blankets to cover him. Old and ragged.”xxxiii She marched out past the bread counter and turned left toward the market.xxxiv
Zak opened the oven. “Bread and soup sounds good. You got any red wine?”xxxv
Obadiah leaned against the window jamb. “I’m not hungry.”
“Eat,” Zak said. “You’re going on a trip. And don’t worry over the rest of us. Talk with the Lord about us, but work [??SSxxxvi] on getting you two out of here.”
Yedidah and the baker poured themselves large bowls of soup.
Obadiah picked at the mutton and pushed it away. [help me picture this more? Did he stay at the window? Is he sitting at a table?] xxxvii“How can you look at food?”
While Zak stood and watched through the slits, he sipped wine, nibbled bread, and spooned soup from a bowl on the windowsill. “Here shexxxviii comes.”xxxix
Background
Shutter – Proverbs 7:6-12
Jehu killing Ahab’s son – 2 King 9:24
Eye paint – Jeremiah 4:30
Zimri, the chariot commander – 1 Kings 16:15-20
“Who is on my side? Who?” – 2 Kings 9:32
Not a hoof left behind – Exodus 10:26
47. Shiphrah’s Cart
842 BC
The Bakery, Fort Jezreel, Jezreel Valley, Israel
Obadiah stood and set his plate on the table. The borrowed robe left his knees naked, so he stooped, then a draft cooled his legs from the back. xlHe slouched and gained a finger’s width of cover. xli
Yedidah stood next to him in full dignity with a mottled gray robe hiding her ankles.
“You don’t look so bad,” Obadiah said.
[Worry BEATxlii] “Everyone knows you. Knees covered or uncovered, we’ll never make it to the gate.” xliii
The door opened, and the baker’s wife blew in, leading a tall woman with a wide, dark forehead. “This is Shiphrah. The farmers are heading home. We’ve got to move fast.”
Shiphrah stared at Obadiah and Yedidah then shook her head. “Lord, help us.”
Obadiah opened a slit in the blinds. Beside the bread counter a gray donkey swished its tail against the shafts of a cracked and weathered cart. Net bags of onions, melons, and apples sat in the cart next to a long, flimsy wicker cage holding three chickens. xliv
Zak stepped up to the window. “There’s too much daylight out there.” He pulled back and jerked the baker’s rolled-up headscarf off Obadiah. “Don’t move. I still smell fire and brimstone.” He draped the cloth [Oops!]xlv over Obadiah’s head and neck then tugged it forward, so it concealed most of his face. He gave Obadiah a gentle slap on the cheek. “There. Just don’t talk to anyone.”
The baker patted Obadiah’s shoulder and peeked out front. “That cart’s right out in plain sight. You’ll never—”
A pack of dogs barked. Men under Jezebel’s window yelled and kicked. “Git! Go on!”
The dogs yipped and howled.
Obadiah tipped a shutter open.
As three chariot captains crunched their feet into ribs, the dogs let out mournful cries but tugged at a piece of the dead queen. [the dogs let out mournful cries even as their teeth dug into a piece of the dead queen SS]
“Go ’way! Mangy beasts!”
A black and tan short-haired cur circled low to the ground then dashed under the captains’ noses. While the dog trotted off with blood dripping [GGxlvi] from something between his jaws, five more dodged the soldiers and lunged toward the fresh meat by the wall.
“Get him! There he goes.” The three captains dove on the fleeing mutt. They struggled on the far side of the plaza, a mound of yelps, curses, and growls.
“There’s your distraction.” The baker shoved Obadiah toward the door.
But Obadiah stiffened as the Goatskin Kid’s soft voice sounded in his head. Jezebel. xlviiDogs are going to tear her apart and devour the pieces right by the city wall. xlviii
Then Obadiah stumbled through the door and over to the bread counter. He hovered, sneaking glances at the dog fight while Yedidah and Shiphrah followed him out. The king’s right-hand man. In this skimpy robe. In that miserable cart. But how else to escape? And how to smuggle out his daughter’s family? Or their families in Keslote? Or those of his guards? Lord, it’s too much.
While captains cursed and dogs snarled, Shiphrah lifted the cage of chickens. “Get in.”
As Obadiah stretched himself and felt for a long spot between knots on the aged wood, Shiphrah nestled a bag of onions next to his nose. “Muh.” He couldn’t breathe. He covered his nose with his sleeve. xlix
Yedidah leaned in and laid a finger on her lips.l “I’ll be right here beside you.” She pulled the baker’s ragged blankets over Obadiah, reducing his world to scentsli and vibrations.
“Chickens next,” she said. “We shouldn’t talk now.”
As the wicker basket firmed the blankets over him, chickens fluttered, then purred like his mother’s hens in Keslote when he cuddledlii them under an arm. The odor of feathers and manure tickled his nose. The cart tipped and creaked. Wheels ground against the pavers, and hubs squeaked on the axle.
Across the plaza, blows struck canineliii bodies, followed by more yips and howls.
The cart bounced, and Obadiah hit the sideboard. Onionsliv toppled. The wicker struck his side. Chickens squawked. The odors of onions, feathers, and manure filled his mouth and nose. He pressed the sleeve tighter over his face.lv [Similar SSlvi]
Such a jumbled load might attract attention. Obadiah should throw off the blankets. Send the chickens flying. Grab Yedidah and dash for the gate. But he ground his teeth and clenched a fist. lvii lviii
From the unseen world above his ragged blanket came a friendly “Ma’am.” Some captain must have let the disorderly cart pass.
The wheels bounced. Onions settled against his neck, and the odor of chicken manure invaded his nostrilslix. He pinched his nose shut, desperate to hold back a sneeze.
The captain said nothing more, and the cart continued to roll.
No doubt Shiphrah gave a modest nod, while Yedidah, the farmer’s helper, stoodlx in her long robe and studied the ground. [Isn’t she in the cart too?lxi]
The grinding of wheels on paving stones gave way to the rattle of planks over an empty moat. Then several beats later, the crunch of gravel.
The cart tipped forward, sliding Obadiah into the headboard. They were descending the grade. Were they turning toward Megiddo or Beitshan? Wheels squeaked. A strange woman said, “Hello,” her voice like any farmer passing on the road. lxii
Hoofs clip-clopped. Fast rolling wheels crunched pebbles. A chariot? A farmer in a hurry? This will never do. No bodyguards. No horse or chariot. Isolated with no way to rescue his family or those of his guards. A search party was going to root him out and this Shiphrah person would toss his head over the wall to Jehu. Just as the wise woman of Abel threw the head of Sheba to Joab.
Background
Shiphrah – Exodus 1:15
The wise woman of Abel – 2 Samuel 20:21
48. Heads
842 BC
Megiddo-Beitshan Road, Jezreel Valley, Israel
Obadiah held his nose and breathed through his mouth for what seemed two weeks.
The cart stopped, and Yedidah lifted the wicker cage. “We’re here.”
Chickens squawked.
Obadiah peeked out and sneezed.lxiii He sneezed again. And again. His normal three.
So, the mysterious Shiphrah lived in tiny En-Gannim within sight of Megiddo.
Instead of throwing Obadiah’s head over the village wall, she showed Yedidah the ladder to her veranda. While Shiphrah mixed cornmeal, Yedidah sliced figs, and Obadiah built a fire under the pot.lxiv Shiphrah’s husband and seven children came home from the field to bowls of steaming cornmeal mush flavored with figs.
In the family’s only room, Shiphrah spread soft, thick rugs. She and her husband curled up on one, their children on others, and Obadiah and Yedidah on one.
In the morning, Shiphrah’s husband, a man taller than most, put his best robe on Obadiah. “This will keep your ankles warm. But don’t leave our place. Everybody in the village knows the king’s right-hand man.” He returned to the field with the children, and Shiphrah hauled chickens and onions to market.
Obadiah swept the veranda while Yedidah picked figs. When she mounted the ladder, he clung to her. “What’s to become of us? Where’s our daughter?”
“We have to trust the Lord a step at a time, dear.”
Shiphrah came in from the market and stepped over the parapet. “The general piled the heads of King Ahab’s children at the gate of the fort.”
Yedidah gasped.
Obadiah frowned into her face. “But those children are in Samaria. How—?”
Shiphrah’s face was drained of blood. She rested a hand on Yedidah’s shoulder. “The general told the… the elders… to come out and fight. Or send him the heads.”
Obadiah moaned.
Shiphrah turned left and right in a slow sweep. “So the elders carried the heads of seventy children and grandchildren to the gate of Fort Jezreel.”
Yedidah’s eyes grew wide. “How could the citizens of Samaria kill grandchildren?”
Obadiah shrugged.lxv “Either kill Ahab’s children or die with your own.”
“And General Jehu declared those heads are to stay at the gate until morning.” Shiphrah put a hand to her throat.
Obadiah held her eyes with his own. “I need to be there.”
###
When the sun broke over Gilead, Obadiah stood with Yedidah and Shiphrah’s family on a hillside facing the fort.
Two piles of heads stood at the gate. Dark clouds—flies, perhaps—surged around them.
People covered the road east and west.
Shiphrah’s husband said, “You never saw lines this thick even on market day.”
The crowd faced the heads and backed up the hillside toward Obadiah.
Shiphrah’s husband whispered, “Somebody’s bound to recognize the king’s right-hand man.”
Obadiah shivered and tugged his headscarf over his cheeks. lxvi
The gate opened.
General Jehu marched out between the two piles.
Fifty bodyguards lined up behind him.
Shopkeepers and chariot drivers, cooks and foot soldiers flooded through the gate and stood back, facing the general and his two piles of heads.
Obadiah searched the faces. His voice trembled. “Our daughter’s not there.” Had she hidden with their granddaughter? Had Jehu’s men killed them both? He pulled Yedidah closer.
As fort residents jostled for places, two friends from Gibbethon strolled out of the back of the crowd toward the corner of the fort—the head of stables and a Philistine cook.
Obadiah raised a hand to his chin and wiggled his fingers. The Lord be with you, boys. He tweaked a corner of his mouth into a smile. lxvii
As they disappeared behind the fort, an old man shuffled after them. A basket swung from his shoulder to the rhythm of Fish. Fresh fish. lxviii [Imagine?lxix]
Obadiah gasped, then stood on tiptoe and stared. Thank you, old friend. Fare you well.
Obadiah kept one eye on the corner of the fort. Would their daughter come out next?
General Jehu scanned the crowd.
Shiphrah and her husband pulled Yedidah and Obadiah behind them and stood tall. Obadiah’s hands shook.
The general called to the assembly, “I’m the guilty one. Not you. I conspired against my master and killed him.” Tapping the heads with his sword, he disturbed their swirling clouds. “But who killed these?”
Yedidah gagged and pointed at her own throat.
The general raised a hand. “The Lord has carried out the words he gave through his servant Elijah. Pay attention. Nothing the Lord said concerning the house of Ahab will fail.”
Obadiah whispered in Yedidah’s ear, “That’s how you blame murder on the Lord.”lxx
As Jehu turned to the gate, he poked at a pile with his sword. A head rolled off and faced the sky. The general raised his chin and marched inside with his bodyguards, leaving the residents to mill and push their way into the fort.
Obadiah pulled Yedidah closer. “Where’s our daughter?”
She took a long breath. “Our son-in-law is a resourceful boy. Let’s hope he’s hidden them.”
“Lord, protect our kids!” Obadiah shook his head.lxxi
Back at Shiphrah’s house, after dark, the ladder rattled against the parapet. lxxii
Shiphrah put her finger to her lips.
The children turned and gawked.
Obadiah stared. Had Jehu’s men discovered them?
Shiphrah’s husband tiptoed toward the ladder, his field hoe circling high as if he were about to chop the head off a snake.
Background
En-Gannim, Jezreel Valley, Israel – Joshua 21:29
Jehu’s seventy heads and speech – 2 Kings 10:1-17
i[Is this an outdoor booth or a room in the palace? Maybe you’ve showed us in earlier chapters and I’ve forgot.]
ii[How big is this space behind the counter?]
iiiWondering if he’d usher them in before brushing crumbs.
iv[Not following her question. Ever what? What’s Yedidah’s response?]
vI’m not sure what she’s asking here. We may need more context clues, or maybe it’s just something I’m missing since I missed a couple of chapters last week. Becca
vi[Is this latticework or actual shutters?]
vii[Sounds like latticework.]
viiiShouldn’t this be at the beginning of the sentence? Otherwise, he’s nodding at what he just said. Just me…
ixDoes this memory hurt Obadiah as well? If so, you could add an action tag or thought to show emotion along with (or instead of) the “Obadiah nodded” tag in this paragraph. Becca
xDoesn’t Biah feel any more anguish than this?
xi[How does the baker respond? Does he agree or disagree?]
xiiWell there she was all these years. As a friend of her husband he’d heard of her and seen the damage she’d done. But had never seen her face. He’d avoided her. Content to know her by reputation. And here she was, the queen herself, freshly coifed and painted.
xiiiHow can they see her and hear her so quickly from where they are listening in the bakery? Perhaps I need a clearer picture of the distance between them and the spatial relationship here. Becca
xiv reached all the way [I think it needs something here, but I’m not sure my suggestion is working]
xv SD-I added a “her” because it could be taken in more of a horror story way– Yedidah looked at the bread table where a pile of fingers rested and lifted several to her throat.
Maybe I’m weird for thinking of it that way. 😊
xvi[I like this, because it reminds me of his earlier conversation with Ahab years before.]
xvii Becca – I love this conversation. Shows a lot of depth and makes us consider the good and bad in people
xviiiI don’t know about this. As much as Yedidah has done to support the bubblers and hide them Jezebel’s henchmen, I’m not for sure that she’d fall into admiring the woman regardless of how regal she looks. maybe the relationship between Ahab and Biah was different because they had known each other as boys and had been good friends before Ahab hardened and gave into evil. Yedidah doesn’t have any relationship with Jezebel to cloud her judgment. Maybe she’d briefly comment on her appearance but quickly say something disparaging to show that she isn’t beguiled for a moment. SS
xixMaybe a transition sentence here showing someone looking out again, so it doesn’t sound like Jezebel’s in the room with them. SD
xxFrom the balcony, SS
xxi SS appearance detail?
xxii[2 kgs 9:32]
xxiiiIf they could hear Jezebel speak so clearly, why does the general have to yell for them to hear him? And can anyone hear the conversation happening in the bakery? Becca
xxiv[HERE]
xxvNice sentence!!!! Tight, concise!!!
xxvi“Who are they afraid of?” Becca
xxviiHe’d probably have to guess at this. I don’t believe he could see this from the bakery window. SS
xxviiiMaybe she’d also flinch from the sight. SS
xxixYikes! Definitely a vivid description here – Becca
xxx[Is the baker’s wife unaffected? That would be hard to see and hear.]
xxxi[Maybe a brief sentence for readers who don’t understand why Jehu will hunt down Obadiah and his family.]
xxxii[Creative way to say her eyes bulged.]
xxxiiiI’m interested to hear what Obadiah and Yedidah think of this plan. Are they nervous? Hopeful? Thankful? Etc. – Becca
xxxivDoes her husband follow her out to help prepare and follow her instructions? becca
xxxvHe’s asking the baker, right? Does the baker respond? becca
xxxviBiah is supposed to work on getting himself and Yedidah out of there? SS
xxxviiCould you help me picture this more? Did he stay at the window? Is he sitting at a table?
xxxviiiBecca Does she refer to the baker’s wife, I’m guessing? Not sure it needs to be specified, but if you do want to be clearer, you could show her coming back as well as having Zak mention it. Or, is it two women if Shiphrah is following her?
xxxix[Good dialogue and reactions to Jezebel’s death. I like the urgency around Obadiah and Yedidiah’s new predicament.]
xl[Great way to show how uncomfortable he is. Nice!]
xliSeems like this should include the location he’d gained the cover but without saying knees again. hmmm
xlii [Is she worried? A beat to show us?]
xliiiThis is our first indication of the nervousness Yedidah is feeling. And what about Obadiah? Becca
xliv[Great picture of this donkey and cart.]
xlv[Wouldn’t turban material be different? Would this be obvious to anyone looking, if he wears a turban like a headscarf?]
xlviwith something bloody [if it works. I think the dripping blood is a little dramatic.]
xlviiGreat call back Becca
xlviii[Didn’t they leave her head and hands and feet?]
xlixDo the onions made his eyes water? becca
l[This is where I thought she climbs in beside him, but now I see it doesn’t say that. So does she ride next to Shiphrah?]
liBecca Does he smell Yedidah, and that comforts him? Just trying to continue the thread of sensory details you have here, and any specifics are always great!
liiHow can he cuddle them with blankets over him?]
liiibecca
liv[Maybe he wouldn’t know that these vegetables are onions?]
lv[Great description of this awful ride, but Maybe cut one or two of these onions and manure details.]
lviGood details, but it is a little similar to a couple paragraphs above. Consider working to make it a little more different. SS
lvii[Great job with his anxiety.]
lviiiI like how you are showing his feelings through his thoughts here. becca
lixSD I highlighted in blue three times where this same idea was given.
lx[Isn’t Yedidah in the cart right next to Obadiah? I’m confused to see her standing.] [So I need to really show her walking when they start out] I got a little confused over where Yedidah was riding, but you could easily tweak that by a detail or two of sound and/or movement as Yedidah takes her place beside Shiphrah.
lxiIsn’t she in the cart too?
lxii[Great job of showing what he’s feeling and hearing.]
lxiiiStare him around awaiting third sneeze
lxivBecca I’m sure these are welcome smells compared to the stenches of the cart ride.
lxvBecca Ahab was Obadiah’s friend, so I’m guessing he knew many of his children and grandchildren, right? Even though this is wartime and Obadiah is probably growing numb to all these tragedies, I’m surprised he doesn’t react with at least a little more sadness. A shrug shows resignation or sometimes can even indicate apathy.
lxvi[His height isn’t a giveaway?]
lxvii SD I don’t understand why he did this. Are they particular friends of his? It confused me.
lxviii[He believes this is the same man he ran into when he was a kid?]
lxixMaybe have Obadiah see the old fishmonger at first, but upon a second look, it’s someone else? Or the fishmonger disappears? Just some ideas to show Obadiah may be imagining him.
lxxSD Hah. Nice.
lxxi (Obadiah shook his head) Better BEAT?
lxxii[Maybe specify that this is not Shiphrah’s family, Yedidah, or Obadiah so the reader immediately understands why they’d be worried.]
