Thorns of Glory Read online

  Marcos Alberto Sanchez—Former Gadianton robber, son of Jacob* of the Moon. Raised both in the modern day and in ancient America. Converted to Christianity in Book 4: The Feathered Serpent, Part Two. Served as a missionary for several years after Christ’s visitation to the New World. Returned to the modern day at the conclusion of Book 5: The Sacred Quest. Married Melody Hawkins.

  Martha*—Disciple of Jesus. Sister of Mary and Lazarus, close friends, and possibly relatives, of the Savior, who resided in Bethany.

  Mary (1) (Miriam)*—The mother of Jesus. First introduced in Book 7: The Golden Crown when she was about ninety years old.

  Mary (2) (Miriam)*—The oldest half sister of Jesus Christ.

  Mary (3) (Miriam) of Bethany*—Sister of Martha and Lazarus. Resident of Bethany and close friend of the Savior.

  Mary (4) (Miriam) Cleophas*—Cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Grandmother of Mary Symeon.

  Mary Magdalene (Miriam of Migdal)*—Significant New Testament figure. Her relation to members of the Savior’s inner circle is never fully explained in the Gospels. Luke 8:2–3 lists her as one of the women who traveled with Jesus and supported His ministry and that she was healed by Jesus who drove out of her seven demons. She is named as a witness of the Savior’s Crucifixion and is identified, either alone or as part of a larger group of women, as the first to witness Savior’s resurrected body at the empty tomb. Suggestions that she was once a prostitute or that she had a more personal or romantic relationship with Jesus are often batted about in extra-scriptural sources, but are not confirmed by the scriptures themselves.

  Mary (5) Symeon—First-century Jewish maiden, daughter of Symeon Cleophas,* who was bishop of Jerusalem at the time of the Roman conquest of Judea in a.d. 70–73. First introduced as a major character in Book 5: The Sacred Quest. Love interest of Harry Hawkins. Lived with the Hawkins family in the modern day while Harry served his mission in Greece.

  Meagan Sorenson—Daughter of Sabrina Sorenson. Stepdaughter of Jim Hawkins. Stepsister of Melody, Steffanie, and Harry. Half sister of Baby Gid. Engaged to Apollus Brutus Severillus, first-century Roman Centurion. Central modern-day character since Book 5: The Sacred Quest.

  Melody Hawkins Sanchez—Oldest child of Jim Hawkins. Married to Marcos Alberto Sanchez, whose character was first introduced in Book 3: The Feathered Serpent, Part One.

  Micah—Jewish Essene from the first century a.d. First introduced in Book 7: The Golden Crown. He first meets Harry Hawkins when they are prisoners aboard a slave ship in the Mediterranean. He spends nearly three years stranded on a Greek island with Harry, converts to Christianity, and finally joins with Gidgiddonihah and Jesse, who return to Gid’s time period among the Nephites. He rejoins the main characters in Book 9: Tower of Thunder and is killed by the Gadianton Ghosts in Book 11: Sorcerers and Seers.

  Mishima—One of several wives of Sa’abkan, Lamanite king of the people of the Earth-Stone.

  Mizerath—Second wife of Akish,* the Jaredite king and sorcerer. Mother of Akish’s five sons, including Hathrom and Elam.

  Mizor—Officer in the Fox Division, commanded by Captain Josh.

  Moriantumr—Judge and member of the Nephite Tribal Council.

  Mormon*—Supreme Commander of the Nephite armies. Prophet and compiler of the plates of the Book of Mormon. Father of Moroni.*

  Moroni*—Son of Mormon.* First rescued by Apollus, Lamanai, and others from imprisonment in Tikal. Companion of the main characters in their journey to Cumorah since Book 8: Warriors of Cumorah. Moroni is a Chief Captain in the Nephite army and the final abridger and contributor of the gold plates of the Book of Mormon.

  Moronihah*—Sixteen-year-old son of Moroni.* Grandson of Mormon.* Soldier in the Nephite army.

  Muskah—The mammoth (curelom) helmed by Akish the sorcerer.

  Nicodemus the Pharisee*—Member of the Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. Once approached the Savior to ask how a man might be “born again.”

  Nimrah*—Jaredite warrior. Youngest son of Akish* and Asherah.* Brother of Hamira, Uguleth, and Teshebel.

  Nompak—Snake Seeker or anti-sorcery advisor to Captain Josh* of the Fox Division of the Nephite army.

  Omer*—Fourth king of the Jaredites. Son of Shule.* Father of Jared,* Esrom,* Coriantumr,* and Emer.* Grandfather of Asherah.* Great-grandfather of Teshebel, Uguleth, Hamira, and Nimrah.*

  Omrah—Physician in the Tarantula Division of Moronihah, son of Moroni.

  Onrom—Officer over one of the larger regiments of Joshua’s Fox Division.

  Ontium—A squad leader of the Eagle Division.

  Orihah—Cousin of Pagag,* son of Mahonri Moriancumr.*

  Ossrah—A daughter of King Omer.*

  Pagag*—Eldest son of Mahonri Moriancumr (Brother of Jared*) and a central character since Book 9: Tower of Thunder.

  Perpetua*—Wife of Simon Peter. This name is given to Peter’s wife by tradition and repeated in this novel. However, the name appears to have non-Hebrew or Aramaic origin. In Latin the name means “continuous” (perpetual). Some have suggested a possible Greek origin (“witness”).

  Rafa—Peregrine falcon, first owned by servants of King Nimrod* but later captured by Harry Hawkins. The bird of prey has been Harry’s traveling companion since Book 9: Tower of Thunder.

  Ramah—Brother of Pagag* and son of Mahonri Moriancumr.

  Rebecca (Becky) Plimpton—Daughter of Garth and Jenny Plimpton. Younger sister of Joshua Plimpton. About ten years old.

  Ryan Champion—Nineteen-year-old character from the twenty-first century. Short-time boyfriend of Meagan Sorenson, who became caught up in the family’s “ordeals” after the return of Apollus in Book 8: Warriors of Cumorah. Traveled back in time to a.d. 385 with Apollus and Meagan. Became close with a female warrior named Tz’ikin, who lost her life in Book 10: Kingdoms and Conquerors. He is very close to a Lamanite warrior, Jacobah, from the village of Seibalche.

  Sa’abkan—King of the tribe of Lamanites known as the people of the Earth-Stone.

  Sabrina Hawkins (formerly Sabrina Sorenson)—Mother of Meagan Sorenson and Baby Gid. Second wife of Jim Hawkins.

  SaKerra (Kerra)—Sister of Brock McConnell and mother of Kiddonihah. Her character was first introduced in the novel (and movie) Passage to Zarahemla, whose plotlines intertwined with the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series in the novel Escape from Zarahemla.

  Salomé (1)*—Youngest half sister of Jesus.

  Salomé (2) Zebedee*—Cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mother of John* and James,* Apostles of Christ.

  Salomé (3)*—Granddaughter of Herod the Great. Stepdaughter and niece of King Herod Antipas,* tetrarch of Galilee and Perea.

  Samgath—Soldier in the Fox Division of Captain Josh.

  Saul (Old Saul)—Secretary of Queen Herodias, member of King Herod’s guard.

  Setra—Sister of Pagag and daughter of Mahonri Moriancumr.

  Shem*—Member of the Nephite City Council. Recalled from retirement to become a Chief Captain of the Nephites under Commander Mormon.

  Shemnah—Son of Zenephi, Chief Judge of the Nephites.

  Shiblom*—Chief Captain of the Nephites under Commander Mormon.

  Shoalah—Female Jaredite warrior and princess among the followers of King Omer.

  Simon (1) (Shimon)*—Second oldest half brother of Jesus.

  Simon (2) (Shimon) the Leper*—Jewish disciple of Jesus. Owner of a house in Bethany where Jesus often resided when visiting Jerusalem.

  Simon (3) (Shimon) Peter*—Senior Apostle of Jesus Christ.

  Spearthrower Owl (Atlatl-Cauac)*—Emperor of Teotihuacán. He is an actual historical figure in Mesoamerica during the time period associated with the Nephite destruction at Cumorah.

  Steffanie Hawkins—Second-oldest daughter of Jim Hawkins. Central modern-day character since Book 3: The Feathered Serpent, Part One. Most natura
lly athletic of the Hawkins children.

  Stoop—Nickname of the plainly dressed attendant of the Nephite prophetess Dootapoo.

  Suri’kan—One of the wives of Sa’abkan, the Lamanite king of the people of the Earth-Stone.

  Tashlín—Sixteen-year-old daughter of Moroni. Sister of Lehi.

  Tem—Banner carrier of one of the companies in Joshua’s Fox Division.

  Teomnor—An officer in the Fox Division under the command of Captain Josh.

  Teshebel—Female Jaredite warrior. Eldest daughter of Akish* and Asherah.* Granddaughter of King Jared.* Great-granddaughter of King Omer.* Sister to Nimrah.*

  Tugaloth—Judge and member of the Nephite Tribal Council.

  Uguleth—Female Jaredite warrior. Second-oldest daughter of Akish* and Asherah.* Granddaughter of King Jared.* Great-granddaughter of King Omer.* Sister to Nimrah.*

  Ukiah—Officer, second-in-command, under Captain Gidgiddonihah’s Scorpion Division of the Nephite army.

  Yonatan (Jonathan Ben Ananas)*—Son of Annas.* Yonatan served as high priest in Israel after Caiaphas.*

  Zebulun—A servant of Nicodemus the Pharisee.

  Zenephi*—Chief judge of the Nephites, former Chief Captain under the command of Mormon.*

  Zo’akban—Half brother of King Sa’abkan of the Lamanites and new leader of the people of the Earth-Stone after the death of Sa’abkan in Book 12: Drums of Desolation.

  Prologue

  Harry

  This is usually where my dad starts off with some philosophic rambling. Just Dad’s way of doing things whenever he opens a story about our family adventures. I couldn’t say why it’s fallen to me to pen the opening of this particular narrative. My dad’s prologues are sometimes rather profound. He’s the Socrates; he’s the Confucius of the Hawkins clan. Truth is, I had no idea where my father was, so the task has fallen to me. I’ll do my best to frame the kinda thoughts that crossed my mind just before those heart-rending events that befell me and my family on that dreadful day at Cumorah.

  As a boy I experienced a terrible, crippling accident. It happened during the destruction in the city of Jacobugath in the New World, right after the Savior died in Jerusalem. My memory of some details is vague. According to Dad, I was standing under a stone wall. The earth shook; the wall collapsed. Heaps of stones crashed on top of me. I guess I almost died. When I came to my senses, there was no feeling in my legs. I couldn’t move them. Couldn’t budge. If somebody had sawed ’em off, I wouldn’t have felt a thing.

  I was like that for about a year. Yup, a whole year. No reason to think it would change. It was a long time ago, but I s’pose I went through all of the same stages of grief as anybody else: denial, anger, depression, etc. I remember the moment my mind settled into a kind of acceptance. It was a couple of months prior to the miraculous healing I received at the hands of Jesus Christ. Still, I really did come to accept that for the rest of my life I’d require the help of others to fully function and make my contribution to the world. I’d taught myself how to get around pretty well using my arms and hands. It drove Dad a little crazy when he’d find me several hundred yards from the spot he’d left me. I was starting to take distinct pride in the fact that, for the most part, I could take care of myself. Plus, my biceps and triceps became rock-solid.

  Don’t misunderstand. My gratitude overflowed when Jesus healed my broken body. I also remember that, for a couple days, I felt a strange sense of regret. It was weird. Maybe I regretted losing all the attention I’d been getting. Nah, that’s not it. I’d gained a certain self-esteem during that year. In some strange, nutty way, I feared that self-esteem would fizzle out. Didn’t happen, of course, and that feeling of regret was only fleeting. Before long I was running, jumping, and climbing for all I was worth. And inwardly praising God for His miracle. For His love.

  It might sound strange, but in the hours prior to the attack on Cumorah, I thought a lot about that year of my life. All those various stages of anger, denial, etc. Memories raced through my mind as I watched the citizens of Zenephi make their final preparations. After the attack commenced, most of them sorta froze in their tents and hovels, stricken with shock. Nearly all of ’em wore expressions of mortal terror. Fear appeared to burn like acid in their bone marrow. It was tough to witness the scenes before me: children clutching mothers’ robes, specters huddled around fires, sobbing, moaning, mumbling. I heard lots of inquiries about fathers or husbands or other loved ones manning the fortification walls, wondering when, or if, they’d ever see these people again.

  I heard other mutterings. The emotions were almost always negative and bitter—expressions of hatred against the Lamanites and Gadiantons. Curses against God, who, in their eyes, had failed to deliver them. And vicious complaints against Mormon and the Nephite Council. No one was above another’s contempt. Every apportionment of their misery was the fault of others. No one blamed themselves or felt a smidgen of responsibility. I listened for prayers, hymns . . . but heard none. Plenty criticized God, but few, if any, sought His protection, His power, His mercy. It seemed beyond all comprehension. How, I wondered, could so many hearts have grown so cold? I marveled and grieved that every vocalization was laced with blasphemy and blame.

  Every Nephite man, woman, and child—even those barely old enough to walk—was armed with weapons. I saw one kid, no older than four or five, gripping an obsidian sword. He could barely lift it. How could anyone think this boy could effectively defend himself?—that he’d present the slightest advantage when the Lamanites finally spilled over the walls and spread across the bowl like locusts, hacking and chopping whatever moved and breathed? Still, every weapon was distributed; every soul was expected to fight.

  Around sunset I watched a young boy and girl spar ruthlessly with each other. They took their duel as seriously as any other pair of combatants. Dodges and parries weren’t pretty, but if their instructors had let ’em, those strikes would’ve been lethal. Trainers were usually women. Mothers. Yeah, it was usually Mom who taught these tykes how to deliver a deathblow. If a child was older, he or she was taught the fine art of slashing the jugular or femoral artery. I winced and shuddered as I watched these sessions. How long had I been on this adventure? One month? Was it November? December? It occurred to me that children in my own century were decorating Christmas trees or sitting on Santa’s lap and telling him their wish lists. Nephite children, on the other hand, were learning how to gouge out a Lamanite’s eyes.

  I shouldn’t have felt so judgmental. My own circumstances were no better than theirs. Not only was my family threatened by Lamanite invaders outside the settlement but also Gadianton Ghosts who might attack out of the gloom. Trying to anticipate threats from so many directions sapped the nerves of everyone in our company.

  Except me. It may seem weird, but in those initial hours, as the first stages of the assault unfolded, I felt inexplicably calm. Such inner peace was almost abnormal. I did not fear death. Not that I was gonna roll over and let me or any of my family’s throats get slashed. However, if today was my day to die, I could live with that (pardon the pun), meaning I could accept it. It was my memory of being crippled for a year and meeting the Savior that I credited for my state of mind. Adding to my sense of well-being were those lonely years I’d spent on Lincoln Island in the Aegean, honing my skills with a sling, mastering ways to survive.

  Most recently, my perceptions were affected by the hour I’d spent—less than a day ago, though it seemed like weeks—with Jonas, one of the three disciples who would never taste of death. He’d visited me while I was in the clutches of King Sa’abkan of the Lamanites. It was Jonas—and my faith in God—that had created a chance for me to escape and rejoin our company. Well, that and two extraordinary animals—a jaguar, Huracan, and my falcon, Rafa. They were just another component of the outpouring of miracles.

  Jonas delivered a message to me of breathtaking confidence. Everything, he assure
d me, was in the Lord’s hands. Even the events of this horrible day—every nuance and variation—were to be viewed in the same way they were understood by the Grand Designer. Maybe this seems contradictory to some: How could a God of love sanction the bloody events about to unfold? How could He allow so many thousands of women and children, including infants—babies!—so many innocent people, to be slaughtered? I was seeing it, Jonas explained, through the perspective of the living—us poor blokes stuck here in mortality. On the other side of the veil, the perception was different. Homecomings were about to transpire—reunions with the Father, concourses of angels, as well as long-separated family and friends. Many who wallowed in terror were on the cusp of relishing embraces of unspeakable joy, a sweet reward to those now enduring the unendurable. Before this day drew to a close, countless souls who’d forgotten whatever names or identities they’d possessed in pre-mortality would have such memories restored in an eye-blink. They’d remember everything. How was it that mortal men had transformed death into a dreaded thing? To thoughtful, intelligent, spiritual souls, dying should’ve been a welcome phenomenon. Yet our fear of this “great unknown” was as deeply ingrained as hunger or thirst.

  Who was able to view a disaster like this in its truest terms? Our worldly perceptions relied on instinct. Although, for some—that is, spirits entangled in the coils of sin and degeneracy—I suppose a twinge of terror was justified. Tomorrow would be a day of reckoning. A day of descent into purgatory’s flames. What percentage of the Nephite nation would experience joy and ecstasy, and how many would find themselves in hell? Not for me to judge. I only knew it had been forewarned. Foretold. For decades, God had stretched out to these people His hand, a welcoming hand of redemption. That hand got bit too often. Now God’s judgment would be felt, the only judgment that counted.

  Eh, I doubted many Nephites felt the solemnity I did. I wasn’t sure how many members of my own family felt it. All evening, Mary had clutched my hands so tightly it’d practically turned my fingers white. Still, I basked in reassurance. I felt deeply blessed that my soul was encompassed by a warming blanket of peace.