Watch Your Back

by William V Weeks

Two soldiers on patrol near North Tower left their post and walked up a side street away from the water into the night. Seconds later the troops further south disappeared from view. Tallis rubbed his neck as he watched from his rooftop. “Are you ready, Gad? It won’t be long now.”

  “We’ll find out soon enough. Tallis, do you think Bazak and his team were able to rescue Benson?”

  “If everything went as planned, they should be on their way home by now. But I must admit, I’m nervous, and I won’t feel better until tonight is over. Come with me. We need to check and see if our other soldiers are in their assigned positions.”

  The two men hurried down the stairs. “Do you think our tactics will work? I worry something will happen we didn’t prepare for, and we’ll end up losing some troops and the prisoners.”

  “It’s too late to fret, Gad, but worry can serve as a blessing sometimes. It keeps your mind working, always thinking. I keep reviewing our plans in my head, and ask myself, what did I miss? Is there something we still need to do? But tonight, we’ve done the best we can so everything is in God’s hands. This is the first time since I joined the army we’ve had an opportunity to plan for an attack. Sometimes, everything happens so fast we don’t have a chance to think. All you can do is react.”

  “I don’t see any of our men, Tallis. Do you think they’re in position?”

  “Let’s find out. We’ll check on the others as we head to Kiva’s house, he has a better view from his rooftop.”

  The Rabbi responded to the knock on his door. “Tallis, come in. I worried you wouldn’t get here in time. Four more boats joined the others a few minutes ago. What are they waiting for? They sit in the dark and don’t do anything. Strange.”

  “I hope they’re saying their prayers. They’ll need them tonight, but to answer your question, they may wait to make sure our soldiers have gone home, and we haven’t changed our patrol patterns. Are you ready?”

  Kiva replied with an apprehensive look on his face. “I am.”

  “Remember to make sure the attackers leave their boats and are heading in the direction of the main road. Give them enough time to enter the streets leading to the well before blowing your horn. Otherwise, our tactics may not work as planned.”

  “I won’t forget, Tallis, but I’m so nervous. This is the first time in my life doing something like this.”

  “Don’t worry, Rabbi. You have the easy job. Blow your horn as loud as you can, and make sure you secured your door with a solid bar after Gad and I leave.” Tallis patted Kiva’s shoulder. “You’ll do fine.”

  “Here come the boats, sir. We better get to our posts,” Gad said.

  The two soldiers descended Kiva’s stairs as fast as their feet would move with the Rabbi right behind. “Don’t forget to secure your door.”

  Tallis reached his observation post and watched Ula as he stood guard in front of the building housing the prisoners. The sentry turned and looked at his Triplicarious before waving his hand. Zamir’s men were coming for their friends. Ula continued to stand in the middle of the street so those charging would see him before he ran into the building. Once the soldier made his break, it would take him a few seconds to reach safety. Tallis wished he could see the expressions on the attackers’ faces when they entered the building and found it empty.

  The sound of Kiva’s horn floated over Hammath as the intruders rushed toward the village center. Tallis watched as the assailants opened the door to an empty building. Shouting and screaming filled the air as Priam and Gad led their soldiers into the center of town from the north, south, and west. Seconds later, an eerie silence replaced the hollering when the friends of Zamir realized Herod’s Army had surrounded them. The insurgents panicked and tried to make a quick retreat toward the lake and their boats, but fishermen of Hammath had blocked their path, limiting their options to fight or surrender. From Tallis’s vantage point, it appeared a few made the wrong decision.

  The soldiers used short swords and their shields to attack and control the combat. Their enemy had knives but didn’t know how to use them. The altercation didn’t last long, and by the time Tallis reached the center of town, several young men lay on the street with various injuries or dead, while a few others tried to escape in different directions. Hammath’s residents managed to hold their ground, keeping the intruders between them and the pursuing army.

  As quick as the battle began, the skirmish ended when Zamir’s friends dropped their weapons. Tallis figured they weren’t as dedicated to their cause as they were to save their necks. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hilarion and Dan slip behind some of the soldiers who’d rushed into the area from the south end of the village, and sprint down a street toward the western wall. With so many people milling around the center of town, The Triplicarious had trouble working his way through the chaos. He yelled at his men, but with so much noise and commotion, his troops couldn’t hear him. Priam’ and Gad’s troops secured their captives and forced them to sit against the walls of buildings lining the main road while Tallis began counting the prisoners.

  “I counted thirty-four prisoners, Priam. How many did you count?”

  “The same, sir. Five others are dead, and one suffered life-threatening injuries. Two or three have scrapes and bruises. Gad is checking on them. The doctor will examine everyone when he arrives.”

  “I want you to get the name of every prisoner. Then find Ranan and Ian for me. Move them to the far side of the well and guard them. I want to meet the men who murdered Masa and Kush. I’m going after two others who managed to slip away during the battle.”

  Tallis ran from the village center toward the street used by Dan and Hilarion to make their escape. One hundred steps later, the street ended at the intersection with the road bordering the west wall. Tallis looked both directions but didn’t see anyone so he abandoned his pursuit knowing they could have turned either way and escaped by circling back to the lake. From there they could slip into the water and the wall to freedom.

  Overall the Army’s plan worked well but knowing his youngest brother and Dan escaped troubled him. The entire battle lasted no more than three minutes, less time than it took the troublemakers to come ashore and reach the center of town. Knowing none of his soldiers received injuries or died made Tallis smile. If I have time tomorrow, I’ll try to find the escapees.

  Tallis returned to the well and saw Priam walking toward him. “I found Ranan and Ian. You’ll find them leaning against the well as you requested. I assigned two of my soldiers to guard them.”

  “Thank you. I’m going to the synagogue to check on Deron and Label. I’ll take great pleasure in telling them we captured or killed their friends. By the way, did you happen to find Zamir amongst the prisoners?”

  “No sir, but we haven’t finished getting everyone’s name.”

  Paz opened the door after Tallis knocked four times. “Good news, my friend. Thirty-four attackers surrendered to us. Five died, and one is near death. Our soldiers survived without injury. How are Label and Deron doing?”

  “I haven’t heard a sound from either of them since we left the building near the well.”

  “Good. If nothing else, our prisoners learned how to follow directions.”

  “What do you want us to do with them, sir?”

  “We’ll leave them here, for now, Paz. I didn’t expect Zamir would send so many men to attack us. Ten, yes. Forty, not in my wildest dreams.”

  “We can’t keep them in the synagogue much longer, Tallis. The Rabbi will want his house of worship back before the Sabbath begins.”

  “I’ll track down Kiva and ask his permission to lodge the captives in the synagogue until sunrise.

  Tallis returned to the well and found Gad waiting for him. “What do you want me to do with all these men? For their own protection, we should move them someplace safe.”

  “Take Ian and Ranan inside the building where we held Deron and Label. Chain them to the wall. Then post a guard. Tomorrow we will deliver them to Herod
. I would think any of Zamir’s friends who remained with the boats left when the fight began and returned to Magdala. I can’t figure out why Zamir didn’t lead his comrades tonight.”

  “Do you want my soldiers to take the remaining prisoners to the synagogue? I’m not sure it’s a proper place to confine them.”

  “It’s okay for now, Gad. I spoke with Kiva on my way here, and he gave us permission to keep them overnight. We’ll move them in the morning.”

  “What do you want me to do with the dead, sir?”

  “Leave the bodies on the street for now. We can decide what to do with them later. … Listen. I hear yelling? … They sound like they’re coming from the lake. Follow me, Gad. Hurry.”

  Many of the citizens who helped the Army contain the insurgents stood on the shoreline staring into the darkness when Gad and Tallis arrived. Two boats, filled with men, sailed toward the attackers’ vessels as they attempted to leave.

  “Look, Tallis. Nosh and his crew, along with some of your soldiers are attacking the men who brought the troublemakers to Hammath.”

  “How can you tell, Jacob? It’s too dark, and the fighting is so far from the shore. I can’t see anything.”

  “Give your eyes time to adjust.”

  “All I see are shadows. How can you distinguish who’s on which side? I can’t.”

  “Most of the men on our side are still in their vessels, and those who came from Magdala are in the water. I saw Nosh hit someone with an oar and sent him flying. I hope he can swim. It looks like the people on our side are trying to fish the others out of the lake. If we let them drown, they wouldn’t bother us anymore.”

  “Jacob, would you want us to let you drown, or should we try to save your life if you in a similar predicament?”

  “Sorry. You’re right, Tallis.”

  Minutes later, Nosh and his crew managed to dock their boats at the pier, and Tallis began to work his way through the crowd to see his men. “Bazak, it good to see you. I hope everything went as planned. Where’s Benson?”

  “He went with Nuri to put on some dry clothes. When we came upon the men attempting to escape Benson was the first man to jump into one of their vessels and attack them. He struck one fellow so hard the lad flipped over backward into the water. So Benson is doing well, I’d say.”

  “Good for him. How did your plan work?”

  “Far better than I anticipated. Only one man guarded Benson, and like the other night, he was asleep. One blow knocked him unconscious. No one else was around to engage us.”

  “One more question, Bazak. Did you find Zamir?”

  “We never saw another person. Our plan worked so well, Tallis. We were in and out in less than three minutes. Four tops. Didn’t Zamir lead his friends here?”

  “Nobody’s seen the man. He might be cowering with Acaph and Mered.”

  “I don’t have any information on those who remained in their boats during the fighting, but it sounds like the battle went well.”

  “Whoever planned the attack on our village wasn’t very smart. Zamir sent some dumb young men thinking they were on a great adventure. Our troublemakers moved from their boats to the street leading from the pier to the well and the empty building where they believed we held their friends. Those fools didn’t bother to split into smaller groups so they could attack us from different directions. Instead, they began a slow run on their approach to their destination. By the time they reached the well they were in a full sprint. Ula turned and ran into the building as planned and climbed the stairs. He’d leaped the alleyway and landed on the roof of the house on the other side. Can’t you imagine their surprise when they rushed in and found the building empty? Seconds later they found themselves surrounded by soldiers on three sides. Some attempted to retreat, but our village fishermen blocked their escape route. A few chose to fight and paid a terrible price. Most dropped their weapons and surrendered. The battle ended in minutes. I saw Dan, and my brother as they worked their way behind our soldiers and run up one of the streets toward the west wall. By the time I arrived, they were gone. I didn’t have a chance to chase them.”

  “What will you do with your prisoners, Tallis?”

  “My plans are to march all the prisoners to Tiberias in the morning and present them to Herod. He can deal with them any way he pleases.”

  “You realize the Tetrarch will kill them. You can’t let him.”

  Bazak and Tallis continued to discuss Herod’s authority and how it was not their place to judge or moralize over the events of the past three weeks. They agreed Herod was a ruthless leader, and these were young men. Most not married, but in the end, Antipas will deliver what he considers an appropriate message.”

  “It’s not our problem Bazak. Come with me. I want to find Benson and welcome him home. I thought I would never see him again.”

  An hour before sunrise, Tallis arrived at the synagogue and gave an order to Gad who repeated the command. “Up! Everybody up. Time to move. The sun will rise soon, and the Rabbi wants his building back. Let’s go.” Several soldiers maneuvered through the prisoners lying on the floor, yanking them to their feet. Some moaned, and others attempted to shake free from the grip on their arms without success.

  With everyone standing, Tallis addressed his prisoners. “This morning you will march to Tiberias where I will hand you over to Herod. He will deal you as he sees fit. I would advise you not to attempt an escape while in our custody. My troops will kill you, and you can’t run with shackles on your ankles. If you cooperate, you will arrive at your new destination alive. Fight us, and you may have your neck slit. Gad, line the prisoners up two abreast.” Tallis watched the captives struggle to move their hands and feet while wearing chains. Did these men ever imagine Zamir’s plan would fail? Where was their leader? Does he tremble in fear or continue on like nothing happened? Could the rich boy be looking for new friends to help him on his next adventure? Zamir might not know the attack on Hammath failed last night. “Gad, are the prisoners ready to move out?”

  “They are, sir.”

  “Paz, let’s get these troublemakers out of the synagogue and on their way to the fortress. We don’t want this to take the entire morning.”

  Walking in shackles, two men abreast, along a narrow cobblestone street, meant for a donkey pulling a cart, is a challenge, and something Tallis hoped he’d never experience. But the soldiers and prisoners managed to reach the main road in less than a quarter of an hour. Thirty-six men in chains. Five corpses and a dying prisoner rode on the Triplicarious’ wagon. A second wagon hauled the bodies of those who drowned in the lake attempting to escape. Herod would rejoice when the entourage paraded through the fortress gates, and the captives’ fate became the Tetrarch’s problem.

  Eight fortress guards removed the dead from the wagons, piling the bodies in a heap near the center of the courtyard. The other prisoners watched from a distance. One of Kadir’s assistants ran his sword through the dying young man before adding his body to the heap. A second soldier stepped forward and poured oil on the stack before setting a torch to the pile while their comrades looked on in horror.

  Kadir came and stood next to Tallis while the bodies burned. “I need to talk with you.” Tallis thought Herod’s second in command planned to compliment him for a job well done. “I want to inform you Nikolaos escaped from his cell during the night. Some soldiers loyal to the Commander helped him slip out of the fortress without detection.”

  Chapter 28