Read Noah for Free Online Page B

raced when she noticed something else. Marching behind Noah and Japheth was a massive army—hundreds, maybe thousands, of soldiers holding weaponsand covered in armor. Just as he’d threatened, Tubal-cain had returned with his legions!
    Ham suddenly wrenched free of Noah.
    Noah was shouting at him, but his frantic words were swallowed up by the raging storm. It swirled around them ferociously, winds gusting and rain pelting down like nothing Ila had ever seen.
    By now the Watchers had also spotted Tubal-cain’s hordes marching toward the clearing. With a loud bellow, Samyaza rose. The other Watchers stood too, roaring, and reaching for the long iron chains that lay on the ground. They pulled the chains tightly, forming a long, unbreakable barrier to keep the army back.
    Samyaza raised two arms, ready to strike. In another hand, he held a war hammer.
    “Samyaza!” Noah was still yelling frantically. “Where is Ham?”
    “He’s fine. He got through,” Samyaza shouted, gesturing toward the other side of the Watchers’ chain.
    And Ila could see for herself—Ham was racing toward them and had almost reached the ramp. Behind Noah, Tubal-cain’s men were forming a huge protective wedge in front of their leader, to shield him. The ground thundered as the army came closer and closer.
    Ila closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer. Surely the giant Watchers could keep the army back. But there were so many soldiers…
    Just then Ham burst onto the ship. Naameh rushed toward him. “Ham! Thank goodness…” She tried to hug him, but he pushed past her, rushing away toward the interior of the Ark.
    Ila chased after him, following him to the reptile deck. “I searched for you for hours!” she burst out. “So did Shem. Where were you?”
    He stood looking at her, water dripping from his soaked clothing and hair. His face was cold with fury.
    “What happened?” she asked softly. “You can tell me.”
    He shook his head, turning away. Ila could see tears in his eyes. “Ham…” she said gently. “Tell me.”
    “It was terrible,” Ham managed to say finally. “The refugee camp… I…”
    Ila waited for him to finish.
    He shook his head again. “I just ran and ran, to get away from Father. I was so angry about not having a wife, all I wanted was to get away. I walked for a long time until I heard voices. They were from the refugee camp.
    “It was full of people, Ila. You can’t believe how many people. And how bad things were. Filthy conditions with people starving and fighting. So much suffering and violence. Suddenly some guards appeared in the crowd, and I tried to get away. But then I fell into a trench.” He shuddered, remembering. “It was horrible… it was a mass grave!”
    Ila took his hand. “Oh, Ham… how awful.”
    “I tried to climb out, but it was deep and the dirt was loose.Then I heard somebody among the corpses. It was a girl.”
    “She was still alive?”
    “Yes.” He looked at Ila. “She was still alive but left for dead. It was like…”
    “Like me,” she finished for him. “Exactly like me.”
    He nodded. “She was terrified. About my age and filthy. But her face… so beautiful,” he whispered.
    “She didn’t trust me at first, but I gave her some food, and she told me her story. The soldiers had taken her sisters.” Ham’s face darkened. “Her father tried to stop the men, but they killed him. She pretended to be dead too, and they threw both bodies in the trench. I’m not sure how long she’d been there before I came along.”
    Ham bit his lip. “Her name is… Her name was Na’el.”
    Ila listened closely to the rest of the story. When the rain started, Ham knew there wasn’t much time left; they had to go. He and Na’el raced through the forest, splashing through puddles and mud. Suddenly Na’el tripped, her leg caught in an animal trap, probably one set by the refugees or Tubal-cain’s soldiers.
    Ham had rushed to her side.
    “In the distance I could hear the