Free Noah by Susan Korman Page A

for the babies, but Ila shook her head. “No.”
    Noah blinked in surprise. “You do not need to see this, Ila.”
    “No. I won’t hand them over. I will hold them,” she declared.
I am their mother
, she thought.
    Noah closed his eyes for a moment. Then he tightly gripped his knife. Behind them Ila could hear Naameh, maybe others on the roof now. But she kept her eyes pinned to Noah’s face.
    “Do it quickly!” she urged him.
    In his hand the knife blade glinted in the light. The babies both looked up at him, squinting and blinking.
    Tears filled his eyes.
    Beside him, Ila could feel something in him melt.
    Then he turned from her, unable to look at her or the babies anymore.
    Numbly, she watched him stumble to the edge of the Ark. He teetered there, as if he were about to fall or jump.
    Slowly, his eyes lifted up toward the heavens and theCreator. “I cannot do this.” His hand relaxed, and the knife plunged into the churning waters below.
    Ila heard footsteps behind her. “Shem!” she cried in joy. He scooped up his daughters. Ila hugged him, feeling the two babies’ tiny bodies between them.
    My husband. My children.
    Japheth and Naameh rushed over too. There was no sign of Ham.
    “Is Ham safe?” she asked Shem. He nodded. “I will explain everything later.”
    Ila saw Noah stumble off, heading back down the ladder.
    Just then her eyes landed on something in the sky.
    It’s a dove!
she realized in amazement. The white bird was flying toward the Ark, an olive branch in its beak.

10
SIX MONTHS LATER
    AT THE HEARTH ILA HELPED NAAMEH AND JAPHETH stack wood for their cooking fire. Tonight there would be fish for supper, and Ila thought she’d easily be able to find some more grapes or berries as well. The floodwaters had receded months ago, and already this island showed plenty of signs of new life—vines hanging heavy with fruit, young saplings sprouting up from the earth, and colorful wildflowers all around them. Birds nested in the trees and all manner of animals were grazing on the hillsides.
    Ila looked up and noticed Ham up on the hillside, gazing down at them from near where the Ark had come to rest.The grounded ship sat behind their camp on the hillside now, worn and decayed from its time at sea.
    Shem had caught sight of Ham too and suddenly called, “Japheth!” He and Japheth hurried up to the cliff that overlooked the sea, towards their brother.
    I wonder what is happening
, Ila thought. But there was no more time to wonder because her daughters were already awake from their nap and crying to be picked up and fed.
    She went into a tent to get them from their cradle, smiling at their sweet, still sleepy faces. Then she carried them outside, noticing how much progress Shem had already made on their home. It was a tall, sturdy-looking structure, constructed mainly from boards from the Ark.
    Ila fed her babies, the sun warm on her face.
Each day it is easier
, she thought. Each day she was able to release another terrible memory, and put the past a bit further behind them.
    But some of those memories would never be released, she knew. They were embedded in her family’s story now, like a thread woven inextricably through a garment.
    Over time, once she had recovered from the events, Shem and Ham had told her most of what had happened on the day of their daughters’ birth.
    According to Shem, Tubal-cain had managed to board the Ark during his troops’ battle with the Watchers. He was wounded badly, but Ham had found him and bandaged his wounds and brought him nourishment.
    “Tubal-cain and I… we had a strange bond,” Ham hadsaid. “From the first time we met. I thought I wanted a way to seek revenge on Father.”
    The two of them had waited for the right opportunity. Finally, on the day of Ila’s labor, Tubal-cain had instructed Ham to lure Noah to the mammal deck. He gave Ham a small knife and told him to wait.
    Tubal-cain and Noah battled. And then the Ark had smashed into land, ripping a