“No! We would have a village uprising if we did. No! we will let them be for now.”
“Okay . . . C’mon!” said the soldier yanking on the lead chain. Dismas lurched to his feet.
Unconvinced, the larger soldier reached into his satchel, pulled out a pile of coins, and handed them to his partner.
“We looked everywhere. No sign of the dagger,” the smaller one said, counting the coins smugly.
“I still don’t like it. These Hebrews are known liars.”
“Please. We’re not lying. My father was killed eight years ago, fighting in Germania. He defected from the Hebrew faith. We have to live with the shame of his infidelity to God and are just trying to make up for it.”
“Well, you don’t smell like someone who has come into money,” the large soldier quipped, making the smaller laugh out loud. In one swift motion, they grabbed Dismas and pulled him outside. Making him walk at the end of the chain was part of the humiliation.
Aaliyah held back tears until it was safe. Ezekiel didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. The sheer terror on his mother’s face said everything. They just stood there, each trying to process what had just happened.
______________
Ezekiel waited until the next day to go to the market. He let his fisherman have the day off with pay this time. They certainly earned it. I am just relieved we were not having a funeral for any of them, he thought. He made his way to Eliab’s stand.
“How are you doing my young friend?” asked Eliab.
“I need to buy the dagger back.”
“You mean the dagger that you sold me? It has been quite some time. I sold it already.”
“To who?”
“To a rich young lady. I have to say she was quite pretty. Why do you need it back?”
“That’s my business.”
“Well she asked where it came from as well. She threatened me and my family. It’s obvious she is a Roman citizen.”
Ezekiel grabbed him by the cloak. “Tell me you didn’t tell her who sold it to you?”
“I uh . . .” Ezekiel slammed him up against the wall.
“I couldn’t help it! I found out it was stolen and I would have lost everything. She paid me well for it.” Ezekiel pushed off of the old man. He knew the kind of family Abigail came from.
“You have just cursed my family!”
Ezekiel turned. Heat emanated from under his cloak as his anger burned. I have to get this dagger back, he thought. Everyone has a price.
CHAPTER 21
Elyam made the arrangements with Ester and Rina. They would live with him and Bathshua. He was willing to claim Rina as his granddaughter, so no one would think there was any impropriety.
The preparations for the move took only half a day. They made quick work of the tent and all their belongings. He knew Bathshua was grateful for the help. Rina and her mother were hard workers, making Bathshua’s life easier since she was getting on in years.
Elyam did his best to talk up the fact that his “granddaughter” was living with them. He even made up an elaborate story as to why she wasn’t married at her age. Each evening he practiced the story with Rina, so it would ring true if anyone asked. It would look bad before the Sanhedrin otherwise.
On this night, after he practiced the lie with Rina, he went to his room, said his prayers, and retired for the evening. He looked at the ceiling, his forehead creased with worry about Aaliyah and Ezekiel. He hadn’t heard from them in a while.
Bathshua, came to his room and blew out the oil lamp. “I’ve seen that look before.”
“I can’t help it. I keep worrying about them. I think it might be time for me to take a trip to Tiberias.”
“I would go with you, but it would leave our guests alone.”
“My dear, if you went with me, I would feel like a king showing off my queen to a foreign land.”
“Oh, stop it! I’m far from a queen. Just hold me for a little while. I’ll make preparations for your journey in the morning.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve a woman so elegant.” “You are a lying old fool. But I like the lies you tell.”
“It’s how I keep you interested.”
“It’s certainly never boring with you, Elyam.”
“My dear Bathshua, you have a way to put me at ease even when my soul is troubled.”
She cuddled even more and fell asleep but rest eluded Elyam. He began to shiver. Carefully, he pulled his arm from underneath his wife and stoked the embers in the clay stove nearby.
“God, please be with Ezekiel! He’s becoming a fine man, but I fear he’s falling away from you. Help him, please. He needs you now more than ever.”
A wind blew through the house at that moment and extinguished the embers of the fire. Elyam spent the rest of the night praying.
The next morning, he felt weary. He didn’t relish the long trip ahead. He waved goodbye to the women and left for his journey. His donkey was weighed down with gifts and provisions of dried lamb meat, wine, and grain.
He made it to midday before the effects of the sleepless night caught up with him. He found a shady spot behind a large boulder with a tree where he could tie up his donkey. No sooner had he done this when sleep overcame him.
Elyam walked among a garden of olive trees. Each tree was alive, with branches twisting into dreadful shapes. Each one became a Roman cross.
When he looked back, he saw all his loved ones hanging from them. He tried to run, but each cross had a Roman soldier blocking his way. He tried to scream, but his mouth wouldn’t open.
The circle of soldiers closed around him until he was unable to move. Elyam looked at his hands, and they were covered in blood. He looked up, and a column of fire descended from the heavens, consuming the crosses. Suddenly, his face felt like a warm cloth was wiping it from chin to forehead.
He woke, looking into the face of the donkey. The animal was about to lick his face a second time.
“Get off of me, you wretched beast!” Elyam sat up and let his eyes adjust to his surroundings. The sun was setting, displaying a fiery tapestry across the sky.
“I should get moving,” he said to the donkey. Even though his dream plagued him, the rest had helped somewhat. He walked through the night using an oil lamp. Fear kept him alert.
The new-moon sky was clear that night. The stars seemed so close you could touch them. But the light they provided wasn’t enough for Elyam’s tired eyes. His mind saw things that weren’t there. He jumped each time a branch swayed in the wind.
“I don’t know how many more times I can make this trip,” he said aloud, prompting a bray from his donkey.
“It’s alright. We’ll be there soon. If I know my daughter, she will be overjoyed to see us. I just hope they’re okay.”
Just then, a stench came upon them—a stench so strong it could have knocked him over if he weren’t expecting it. It was the dreaded stench of crucified prisoners. Their corpses were left to rot as a warning to others. The Romans didn’t crucify often, but they liked to leave the bodies up for weeks when they did.
He could see the bodies silhouetted against the stars. Some were only halfway on the crosses. The fear of crucifixion affected the community. Only the Zealots dared to defy the Romans. Most wanted peace, but the Zealots were making things harder for everyone else.
CHAPTER 22
Hadwin wandered through the Highlands region of Galilee just north of the Jezreel valley. The night he fled, he had been able to get more provisions from his house before moving to this region, a known hideout of the Zealots.
As he walked along, he came upon an encampment where several men were roasting a goat on a spit. The smell of the fresh meat was welcome to his starving belly. He hid in the shadows until sundown when the men were having their fill of wine and meat.
It wasn’t long before each of the drunkards fell asleep by the fire. Once he saw the last one drift away, he quietly crept to the half-eaten goat. He pulled off chunks of meat, wr
apped them in a cloth, and slipped into the night.
He kept walking until he had made his way to a stream.
He unwrapped his meal and dug in. Without any wine to wash down the meat, he felt as though he might choke. Kneeling beside the stream, he cupped a mouthful of water in his hands. But no sooner had the water slid down his throat did he feel the sharp edge of a sword at his neck.
“You thought you could steal our food without being noticed?”
Hadwin slowly stood up. “If you’re going to kill me, please do it quickly.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Hadwin. People think I’m dead. I wish you no harm. I’m just starving and needed food. I’m willing to work for it.”
“I’m going to back up now. Turn around slowly, so I can see your face.”
Hadwin turned as the flicker of a torch lit the faces of three men, all with swords drawn.
“As you can see, I have no weapons. If I wished harm on you, I would be heavily armed.”
“If you had asked, we would have freely given you a meal. We are Hebrews, after all.”
“I don’t know who a friend or enemy is anymore,” Hadwin responded.
The leader of the group lowered his sword and motioned for the others to do the same. They smelled of sweat and cheap wine.
“Well, you are either running from the Romans, or you’re a thief. Either way, we can accommodate you.” The men spat on the ground at the word Roman. Hadwin smiled. At least he knew where these men stood when it came to the Romans.
Back at their camp, he told them his story. All three listened intently. Hadwin left out the part about Yeshua and Luke by merely saying his injury was not life-threatening. As the wine dwindled, they fell asleep one by one.
The next morning, Hadwin helped the men by fixing some food. As they ate, he noticed they kept watch.
“I’ve told you my story. Now tell me yours.”
“We’re Zealots,” said Markeus, the leader. “We were overtaken by a band of Roman sympathizers. They ran their horses through our midst. All of us were able to move out of the way, except for Simeon. He’s in that tent over there. He cannot walk. We want to go see this Yeshua people speak of. Some say he has the power to heal the lame.”
“I’ve met this Yeshua and can attest to his healing power.”
“Well, I still say this is a fool’s errand,” Benjamin, the youngest of their group, said.
Hadwin admired the faith of this group. “I left something out of my story. I almost died from the sword wound. Yeshua came to where I was and healed me. I think he’s a friend of a physician there named Luke. “
“Then let’s go and find him. Did you say this happened in Tiberias?”
“Yes, however, I cannot go back there. The family of Asher thinks I’m dead. They cannot know I’m alive, or they’ll hunt my family down.”
“Then we’ll part ways in Nazareth. Surely you won’t be hunted there. That is, unless you have somewhere important you have to go?”
“No, not in particular. I know you need help with Simeon. I’ll go as far as Nazareth.”
“Good!” said Markeus.
Hadwin felt fortunate to have met this group. They evidently loved their comrade, and that kind of devotion couldn’t come from evil hearts. As they made their way to Nazareth, the men told jokes to ease Simeon’s pain. The going was slow and methodical. People handed them coins as they passed, which encouraged the men as they moved along. Hadwin relished the company. Losing his family felt like losing his soul.
Upon reaching Nazareth, they asked about Rabbi Yeshua, but no one seemed to know where the son of Joseph had gone. Some of the people in the market suggested he and his followers were headed for Capernaum. Still, it was a long journey to go on with only a hunch.
At the synagogue, one of the priests confirmed he saw a rabbi fitting Yeshua’s description with a band of followers headed in the direction of Capernaum. It was now midday. The men decided to press on.
The trip would take them two days, and their friend was getting worse.
Simeon had developed a fever and slipped into a deep sleep. They needed to find Yeshua soon. Hadwin carried the front of the platform which held Simeon. Though he was old, he seemed to relish the task, if only to show the younger men he still had what it took.
It was sundown on the second day of their journey when they reached Capernaum. The men, utterly exhausted, pitched a tent on the outskirts of the city. They sent Hadwin into town to decipher the whereabouts of Yeshua and his disciples.
“Excuse me. Excuse me,” he said to a young man who was carrying grain. “Do you know of this man called Yeshua?”
“There are many Yeshua’s in Galilee. I think they all migrated from Jerusalem. If you’re referring to the rabbi who claims to be the Messiah, he’ll be teaching in the morning at the house of Matthew, the tax collector.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“No, I can’t be bothered with the whereabouts of a tax collector. As far as I’m concerned, no self-respecting Hebrew would go near the place.”
“Thank you for your time.”
“Shalom.”
Hadwin returned to camp. It was a perfect spot beside a small stream. All the men had to eat was bread, but the water was a welcome sight. Simeon had spiked a fever, which worried Hadwin.
He had seen this before. When someone was injured in the vineyard, if a fever ensued, it meant death wasn’t far behind. He kept this sentiment to himself, for there was nothing he could do besides wet one of his garments and lay it over Simeon’s forehead.
“You seem to have the knowledge of a physician,” said Markeus.
“The men in my charge at the vineyard looked to me when there was an accident. We need to see Yeshua soon.”
Markeus nodded in agreement. The rest of the night was spent in silence. Each of the men stoked the hypnotic flames of their campfire.
CHAPTER 23
Abigail wanted to feel something other than rage. When she learned Hadwin was still alive, she ordered her servants to stone Jeremiah to death. It was a sickening thrill to watch the life drain from his face.
A feeling of power came with having the servants stone their comrade. All were afraid for their families’ lives if they disobeyed.
She left his corpse by the side of the road. The remaining servants were forced to take an oath under the Hebrew God to never speak of the event.
As she settled back at home, she relished the feeling of revenge against men. It was men who made her this way. It was men who abused her. It was men who treated her like property. Now she needed a plan. She needed to find Ezekiel’s family. She would make them pay. They must know where Hadwin was.
She had everything taken from the house that reminded her of her brother and father. Each statue was defaced and crumbled. Abigail saw to it that each one was removed and buried in a rubble heap behind the house. The mead coffers were drained and turned back into wine storage. The Hebrews didn’t go for the strong-tasting liquid. They loved their traditions as much as their ridiculous holidays. She had enough money to live the rest of her days in luxury, but that didn’t appease the torture in her soul. She needed revenge. With a goblet of wine in one hand, she reclined on her Roman dining couch. Her sandals were killing her feet, so they came off.
She dismissed her servants to be alone.
She needed companionship, but not the commitment of being someone’s wife. In the morning, she would find a good-looking servant to fill her needs. Ezekiel would not do. He smelled of fish all the time, and he had too much integrity to be a manservant. No, he hadn’t taken the bait of the dagger.
She would just have to hold onto it and wait. Let guilt enter Ezekiel’s mind until he was ready to save his father’s life. She needed him to fill her need to punish all men. He was good. Too good. Men like that appealed to her compassion then took advantage of her.
Strangely, she was attracted to him. Her rage needed a target. And for that, Ezekiel wou
ld do nicely.
CHAPTER 24
Elyam was glad to have passed the crucifixions. The air smelled cleaner as he neared the center of Tiberias. Even the fish market was better than the stench of rotting human flesh. At one of the stands, he bought some cheese and pickled sardines—a welcomed meal after such a long journey. It was strange to return to the place he once called home. Nostalgia would have been more potent had it not been for the nature of his visit.
The Sea of Galilee was peaceful in the late morning hours. Fishermen were casting nets and pulling in the tilapia and freshwater sardines. It was different here. The work was difficult, but life seemed to move at a slower pace than in Jerusalem. As he neared his daughter’s house, he tried to make himself more presentable. Aaliyah ran out to greet him.
“Abba! You came to see us.” She hugged her father.
“Yes, my child, I did. And I brought gifts. Where’s my favorite grandson?”
“At the moment, I don’t know. But I’m sure he’ll be home soon. Please come inside. I have so much to tell you.”
“I heard about Hadwin.”
“Yes, us too. I’m worried about Ester and Rina. We don’t know where they went.”
“Then I have some good news for you. They’re with Bathshua in Jerusalem. They’re safe.”
“Is it true Hadwin killed Asher?”
“If so, then he’ll bring shame to his family.”
“I don’t know if that’s true. Hadwin was a good man and wouldn’t harm someone without good reason. May God have mercy on his soul.”
“Is Ezekiel taking good care of you?”
“Yes, he is. But I fear he’s losing faith in Yahweh. He hints at disbelief and the way of the Sadducees.”
“He’s been through a lot. Enough for two lifetimes.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be home soon. Lay down and get some sleep. I’ll get the basin for you to wash up first.”
Elyam wasn’t used to sleeping during the day, but it wasn’t long before the heaviness of his eyelids took over. When he woke, the sun painted the sky with red and orange. Outside the house, Ezekiel was staring out over the water.
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