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Sons of the Flaming Throne 3 – Ch. 14 | KT OLLA

NOW all through the day and through the long night, Prince Adonijah took hold of the altar’s horns, and he screamed out his intent for every observer to know.

‘I call on King Solomon to show mercy as David our father does!  Let him have pity and spare Adonijah his servant!

‘Let the King swear to me this day that he will not put me to death. Or else, I shall not let go of this altar!’

Yes, Adonijah’s cries were disturbing to worshippers and passersby, but the man wasn’t going to stop or let go of the altar.

Instead, he requested anyone with concern to take the word to the king, and hurry. So no one was able to use the place of worship.

Indeed the Fourth One’s clamour soon became the talk of town. The word spread with the dusking day, and by morning light it had reached the palace.

Now it was Benaiah, governor over the outposts, who took the news to the king. The new crowned one, Solomon.

That morning when Solomon settled in his throne, he sat back to ponder. As Adonijah’s case was something of a tangled knot, and he needed to tread carefully to not abuse power.

The wise young king reasoned:

Adonijah made the attempt at my throne only when I haven’t been declared King. So his treachery wasn’t exactly against me, but only against our father David.

Now our father the King did nothing about his ambitious campaigns. And here I am, already crowned the King.

There was silence in the room and Benaiah lingered for the response.

But Solomon wasn’t through. He hit harder on the Fourth One’s case.

If Adonijah did not stop me from being crowned, then he should not suffer like he’d, in fact, stopped me.

Yet if this brother has coveted the throne once, he’ll remain a threat to it as long as he lives. And he would be my closest adversary.

He breathed a loud sigh at this point, and was lost in thought for moments.

Finally the king broke the silence, and the answer he gave surprised listeners.

‘Tell Adonijah this,’ he ordered his aide. ‘If he pledges to be loyal and no longer covets the throne, then I shall spare him through the length of his days.’

Benaiah bowed as the instruction fell on his ears. He found this too magnanimous and he wondered what the young king was doing.

But Solomon pardoned Adonijah. And the king’s pardon was both water and coals of fire.

***

Now as soon as the message reached Prince Adonijah, he mounted his horse and raced down to palace.

His heart was heavy with thought. It crossed his mind several times that he was giving up the chance, the chance to weild power like the great and powerful.

Even still, the middle-aged was quick to call himself back, each time that those thoughts crossed his mind. So he stumbled, and struggled to keep on going.

Yes, the man told himself this thing, that his dear life mattered more. So he was going to the palace to surrender, and then return to lead a quiet life.

Thus, that race to the king was both fast and slow. For every time Adonijah leapt, his aborted desire pulled him back.

So when the prince got to Solomon, a new bother filled his mind.

Adonijah walked into the palace and saw the room have a new face. It was a new reign within the palace of Israel, and everything old was quite done with.

The Fourth Son took note that the monarch’s servants there were new. For he’d bought the old ones to his own side, but the new king wouldn’t let the old wine be.

Yes, the Fourth One looked round and there was no one left that he could use. He also gazed on the ruler’s splendour as he confessed  that the throne was his.

Now Adonijah saw no home for him in that place, as  the throne seemed too high a hill to climb. And before King Solomon would say a thing, the middle-aged man went down and fell prostrate.

His noiseless bow only screamed this:

Please spare your servant, Your Royal Majesty!

Yes, the crowned one knew his older brother would save his life at any cost; but the way he cowered and bowed, surprised him.

He spoke up. ‘Get up, brother. Not a strand of your hair will be lost, as I can see you are no longer against the throne.

‘Yet if by tomorrow you turn a traitor by coveting the throne in any way, then be sure that I shall not spare you as I do now. You will definitely die that day.’

Adonijah was terrified that he couldn’t stand. He fell again and promised his surrender.

Solomon dismissed him. ‘Go to your house in peace.’

And Adonijah called the kindness of this king, Dreadful.

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