After returning home, Tallis struggled to fall asleep. His stress level had increased with every new incident, and Abigail feared the pressure from his job was beginning to affect their lives. Tallis wondered what made some people act in such a cruel manner. Why did the runners knock over an old man and then flee the scene without stopping to help him? I wish my headaches would go away. Cowards ruled the night and threatened people’s security. How could he ease his wife’s fears?
Sunrise came much too early, but it was time for Tallis to patrol the streets of Hammath. He felt sluggish as he dressed and gathered his weapons, trying not to wake Abigail, without success. He heard his wife praying for his safety as he left to begin his morning rounds.
Tallis returned home an hour later and placed his weapons on the stool near the door. This morning the village remained quiet. As he kissed his wife, somebody began pounding on the courtyard door. “Kaleb. What brings you to my home on the Sabbath?” What does he want?
“Tallis, arm yourself and come with me. We need to talk.”
A Decanus and his Conturbenium waited for us outside his front door. “What are all these soldiers doing here, sir?”
“I received a report of trouble in Hammath. You and your men should be on patrol this morning.”
“I completed my rounds right before you arrived on my doorstep.”
“This can’t wait, young man. The word is your Rabbi came under attack last night by a few marauders who terrorized your village. Bad news travels fast when religious leaders become crime victims.”
Tallis stared at Kaleb and the other soldiers. “Kiva wasn’t attacked, sir. The Rabbi went for a walk last night. As he reached an intersection near the lake and turned the corner, four men happened to come running along the street. One of them bumped into Kiva, knocking him into a building wall. He suffered a cut on his forehead before falling to the roadway.”
“I hope there’s more to your story. Tell me we didn’t march to Hammath for something a trivial as this.”
“Last night, after finding the Rabbi lying on the road, I sent a soldier to fetch the doctor so he could tend to Kiva’s wound. Once we had permission to take him home, we did. Some of my other soldiers patrolled the streets of town again, but they didn’t find any other damage. Later, I found the location where the runners moored their boat, but by then, they were gone.” Kaleb’s stared at Tallis with a confused look on his face. “Why don’t you believe me? I told you the truth, sir.”
“Why should I not believe you? There’s no reason to do otherwise, but I don’t like what I’m hearing, and neither does Nikolaos. Trust me. I want to support you, but my Commander continues to pressure me to end the violence in this region of Galilee, and I find myself in an awkward situation. I don’t enjoy waking up to bad news in the morning. The suffering in Hammath continues to increase rather than subside. I depend on you and your men to maintain stability and harmony in your assigned area. Why, Tallis? Tell me why problems continue to occur in this village and not as much in the other communities?”
“I ask myself the same question, sir. I worry too, but I don’t have an answer to your question.” The group left the Decanus’s house and walked toward the lake. “Our troublemakers include at least five men, and one or more of them live inside these walls. Does their leader live in Hammath? I don’t know.” Reaching the road bordering the lake, the soldiers turned and headed south, toward the place where Kiva fell. Think Tallis. Where does this person live? Somewhere close to where Masa and Kush died, or an area nearer the water in the southern part of town? “This is where the accident occurred, Kaleb. You can still see traces of blood on the wall and the cobblestones.”
Kaleb wandered around inspecting the building and roadway. “How can you and your soldiers become more visible in Hammath and increase your patrols, Tallis. There must be something you’re not doing right.” The Centurion walked a few more feet down the street before returning to the group. “Nikolaos doesn’t like what’s happening here, young man. And what concerns my Commander, affects me. I don’t enjoy putting pressure on you either, but these incidents must stop. Do you understand me? No more excuses.”
“Understood, sir.” Tallis rubbed the back of his head. His headache had returned. He didn’t know what he and his troops could do. “Ten men can’t patrol a town with two hundred people twenty-four hours a day. I need more soldiers.” The Decanus began to pace, waving his arms. “My team and I patrol from sunrise to midnight. I let my soldiers rest on the Sabbath while I walk the streets alone. So far our vandals honor the day of rest.” Tallis turned and looked at his boss. “Help me figure out different strategies to increase your efficiency. I need help from you and Nikolaos to do the job you expect from us.”
“Nikolaos tells me there are no available troops to give you, Tallis. I would love to help you, but I don’t know what more I can do. I’ll do my best to provide you with more support, but I won’t give up on you.”
Tallis continued to stare at his Centurion, hands on hips. At least Kaleb understood the challenges he and his soldiers faced. “Our Commander needs to take control of the situation and begin recruiting more men into the Army. Someone must convince the Tetrarch to take action. We can’t wait until the Zealots become more aggressive and they start killing us.” Tallis turned and walked away.
“Come back here, young man. I understand the situation you and your troops find yourselves in, but if you force my hand, you may end up serving as an example to your colleagues. This isn’t a threat. It’s a promise I must keep.” Tallis saw the fire in Kaleb’s eyes. His Commander’s voice had pierced his heart. “Follow me, Tallis. I want you to show me where the boat came ashore, and the place where Kush and Masa died. Then we’ll patrol the streets of Hammath one more time so the two of us can come up with a scheme to capture the fools who think they can drive Herod from power.”
Kaleb’s words startled the Conturbenium leader. He and his men worked hard to perform their duties well, but Tallis didn’t think this registered with his Superiors. Did Nikolaos have a role in the events happening in Hammath? The man appears to know when something had occurred in their village when nobody notified him. My fellow Decanuses don’t discuss any extra pressures placed upon them by Kaleb, and where is Nikolaos getting his information?
“Come with me, sir. I’ll show you where the runners moored their boat last night. The entire group followed Tallis as he headed north along the lakeshore. “Over here.” Tallis pointed to the sand near the water. “You can still see the footprints in the sand when they shoved their craft back into the water.”
“They picked a perfect place to leave their boat. They chose to come ashore next to where your local fishermen beach their vessels. Nobody would pay attention unless a person wanted to find a particular craft.”
Tallis felt Kaleb’s excitement. He’s smiling. This is a good sign. “I agree with your observation. Until last night, we’ve had no issues with people entering Hammath from the water, sir. I don’t understand their motives. Do you believe the purpose of their visit was to meet a friend or bring him home? I would think our troublemakers would want to create havoc in Tiberias where their actions might have a greater affect public opinion on Herod’s leadership and policies. How much sympathy can they create by disrupting the lives of a few people living in a tiny village on the edge of civilization?”
“I don’t know the answer, Tallis. Show me where you found Masa and Kush. I want to create a mental picture of the scene so I can share everything I learn with Nikolaos. Whoever he’s listening to isn’t providing him with reliable information.”
Tallis couldn’t figure out how the Commander received his information on the Rabbi’s accident either. “My two soldiers died near the center of Hammath, a little east of the main road.” Will observing the crime scene do any good? I hope it won’t hurt. I’m tired of people yelling at me.
“So this is where your men died. I can still see their blood. Do you think their killers caught them off guard when they e
xited one of these houses and surprised them? This is a narrow street, nothing more than an alley. How did Kush and Masa have enough time or room to defend themselves?”
“What if they recognized their killers, Kaleb? Or did they exit a house closer to the water, walking toward my soldiers, and then attacked them as they passed by? The men who killed Masa and Kush may have appeared harmless to them. There are so many questions I don’t have the answers to.”
Kaleb walked away from the group, heading toward the water. He passed several houses before stopping to study the ancient buildings while rubbing his forehead with a perplexed look on his face. “Let’s continue our patrol.”
Tallis wished he could read his Centurion’s mind. He’s not a man to share information. Is he counting the days until retirement? He’s earned his pension and some land in exchange for serving twenty-five years in Herod’s Army. I hope I live long enough to retire, but who knows what my future holds.
As the soldiers continued toward the south gate, the Decanus recounted the events of the night Kush and Masa died, and the desertions of Acaph and Mered. When Kaleb didn’t ask more questions, Tallis continued. “If you have any suggestions on how I can station my men, so we can improve our effectiveness, please tell me, sir. Our citizens deserve better security, and I take pride in doing a good job, and so do the soldiers under my command.”
“Like I said before, I don’t have any answers for you, Tallis, but what you’re doing isn’t meeting the needs of the townsfolks. Each of your soldiers received the required training, and your Conturbenium contains ten men, like all the others. Get the job done. How much clearer can I make this to you? Losing control isn’t an option either of us can live with. No more trouble or you become my problem. Do you understand me? Go home and think over what we’ve discussed this morning. I’ll do the same. Come see me in the morning. I want you to tell me how you plan to resolve the situation in Hammath. Good day.”
Tallis stood in the middle of the road watching Kaleb and the other eleven soldiers march toward Tiberias. So now, I’m the problem. Doesn’t he care what happens in Hammath, or does he only want Nikolaos off his back, and what is the Commander’s role in all this is?
As Tallis approached his house, he heard Ya-el’s screeching voice as if flowed over the courtyard walls. Why did Abigail invite her and Zosimos to our house for the Sabbath? The army could use someone like my sister-in-law to project orders to distant troops. The woman has the ability to torture our enemies with a voice like hers.
When the courtyard door opened, Abigail ran to her husband’s side and kissed him. “Welcome home, Tallis. I missed you.”
“How many people did you invite today? This is the Sabbath. Did our family members break the law by traveling from Tiberias to our house?”
“They made the decision to spend the day with us, dear. It’s on their shoulders, not mine, and I invited eleven people to join us.”
“So you didn’t contribute to their sin?”
Abigail glared at her husband. “Watch yourself. Come with me.” Ignoring the question, she took Tallis’s hand, “I want you to meet your brother’s new girlfriend. You may like her. She’s a perfect match for Hilarion.”
“Her name means ‘gloomy.’ How does Efa’s name match my brother’s? His name means “happy.””
“Behave yourself, my love.”
A charming young maiden sat next to my youngest sibling. She smiled as we drew near. Hilarion grinned, stood, and said, “Tallis, I want to introduce you to Efa.”
“Welcome to our home, young lady. It’s an honor to meet you. I hope you enjoy your day with our family.” My brother’s not ready for marriage. He’s eighteen, but working as an apprentice for Zosimos doesn’t provide enough money to support a wife, and it will take him years to master the trade. They have an unusual situation since neither one of them have fathers to arrange their marriage. Hard work was something Hilarion didn’t care for, and he needed to develop a better work ethic, according to Zosimos.
Tallis turned to greet his mother as she stood to hug her eldest son. At six and a half feet tall, he had to lean forward to accommodate her as she’s the same height as Abigail, an inch over five feet. Kissing his mother’s cheek, he heard Abigail call out to both their mothers, “Nammi, Odelia, would you help me set the food out for our guests, please?”
Zosimos approached Tallis, placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Tallis. May I have a moment to share my news with everyone?”
“Please, go ahead. Tell the family. May I have your attention? Zosimos would like to share something with us.” The room quieted down. “Go ahead.”
Zosimos had the biggest grin Tallis had ever seen him make before he spoke. “Shalom. I am pleased to announce Commander Nikolaos visited my shop the other afternoon. He asked me to sign a contract to perform all the repair work for the Army headquartered in Tiberias. The job includes making new weapons, armor, and chariots. I accepted his offer. I’m so excited. I may need to find a larger building and hire more men to help me when I have the time.”
The entire family rejoiced, and our mother caused him to stumble when she pulled him down to kiss her middle son. Ya-el smiled and blessed us by not letting out one of her shrieking noises. We spent the rest of the afternoon feasting, celebrating, and counting our blessings while Tallis pondered his future and rehashed the conversation he’d had with Kaleb earlier in the morning.
Chapter 8
Watch Your Back Page 7