Cavalier

Chapter Twenty-Four

Achish sets them up in one high rise condominium in the middle of Gath, for the time being. David doesn't ask where the government moved the people that had lived here before, if there even were any, because it's not his concern. His concern is convincing his four friends that he has a plan, and that his plan is good, but it won't be easy if they way that they're staring at him after he recaps his encounter with Achish in his condo (after a sweep for bugs, of which there are none) is any indication.

Benaiah says, "And I thought I was the crazy one." 

Uriah says, "We're working for him?"

Jashobeam says, "I agree with both of them." 

Eleazar just looks tired.

"It's okay," David says, both hands held up appeasingly. "I have a plan, I promise. It's pretty good."

"Well," Benaiah snorts, "I'm sure it can't be worse than the crock of bull that you just fed us, so come on. Lay it on."

"We've got a lot of freedom with this arrangement," David says. "We only go on the missions that I say we go on and we only do the jobs I say we do. In return, he's gonna pay us and give us a place to stay and I can promise you Saul won't come running."

Jash frowns. "I'm not seeing the plan, David."

"I—I know," David says. "I know. Just. So I pick the missions that we go on, and we go on the missions."

"We heard that bit," Uriah says, and wow, when did his best friends get so snarky?

This roundabout approach isn't working, anyways. It's been a long day, and he's fading fast. "Okay. For example. We go out and say we're raiding...I dunno, the Kenites or something. And I know," David says, holding his hands up to stop the protests, "I know that the Kenites are our own, but listen. We're only telling Achish that we're raiding them. In reality, we're raiding the Amalekites, or something. One of our enemies." He collapses in the armchair in the corner. "I know it's not my best, but it's pretty good, hey?"

They're staring at him again. There's only so much of the silence and the judging that he can take. "What?"

Uriah says, "How are we going to be sure that nobody recognizes us?"

"Stealth," David says. "Also, balaclavas. And," he clears his throat. "We kill everybody in the places we raid."

Benaiah hums. Uriah says, "Everyone?"

David swallows around the lump in his throat. "Everyone. Men, women, children. Everyone. I—I don't like it either, but it's the only way." That I can keep you safe, because if we leave here he's gonna come after me. After us.

Eleazar, who looks like he's going to be sick, clears his throat. "So, just to make sure that I've understood."

"Go ahead."

"You're asking us to lie to the man that's given us asylum and become terrorists." 

Terrorists. It's a strong word, and David doesn't like it because it's painting the wrong message. "I—no, Eleazar. It's more than that. We're—this is the exact same thing that we were doing under Saul, before all this. We're gonna go out and kill some Philistines. We'll be helping him—President Saul, that is—but we'll be safe. This is different than terrorism." Barely, though, if at all, and now that Eleazar has just come out and said it the differences are really hard to see. David swallows against the lump in his throat. "Guys," he says. "Guys, I need to know you have my back on this one." I can't do this alone. Please don't leave. I'm so sick of feeling alone.