Watch Your Back

by William V Weeks

The next morning, Tallis still felt confused by Herod’s actions yesterday. Why did he stop questioning the prisoners after speaking with his advisers? Why didn’t the Tetrarch sentence them right then? Kadir said the behavior of Antipas was most unusual, but Herod isn’t always rational, so Kadir said he wasn’t surprised. Their conversation ended when the courtroom door opened and Herod and his counselors walked in. Antipas nodded, and a soldier reopened the door allowing Acaph, Mered, and Zamir to enter along with their guards. Once again the three men stood before the ruler who had the power of life and death.

  Tallis whispered as Herod rose from his chair. “What do you think will happen now, Kadir?”

  “Be quiet, Tallis, they’ll hear you talking.”

  Herod scowled down at the three prisoners he’d questioned the previous day. Then he ordered a guard to step forward and spoke to the man before returning to his seat and smiled. “Please, invite our friends to join us.”

  Kadir and Tallis both wondered what Herod was referring to as the guard opened the door, and Gavius strolled into the room with ten soldiers trailing their leader. The Roman Centurion stepped onto the platform and stood next to Herod. His troops positioned themselves behind the prisoners as our men moved to the far wall to observe the proceedings.

  Once everyone was in position, Herod stood. “Acaph, I find you guilty of desertion, theft of army weapons, and treason. For these crimes, I sentence you to death.”

  Acaph slumped to the floor, lying there like his life had left him. Two Roman Guards grabbed his arms and returned him to an upright position.

  “Mered, I find you guilty of desertion, theft, and treason. I also sentence you to death for your crimes.”

  Mered trembled but managed to maintain his composure. Tallis didn’t know if he would have handled the news as well as his former soldier.

  “Zamir, I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am with you. I find you guilty of receiving stolen property, and treason against my government. I sentence you to die also.”

  Herod turned to sit down when Zamir yelled. “You can’t kill me. I’m a Roman citizen, and yesterday I appealed my case to Caesar. You can do nothing to me.” Herod didn’t respond as Zamir stood there, head held high as if he’d won the battle, but his behavior failed to impress the Tetrarch.

  Then Herod spoke in a soft voice. “As I remember, young man, you claimed your mother was a Roman citizen, but I know Hebrew blood flows through her veins, like your father. If she is a Jew, then you are Hebrew too. Therefore, I will only kill the Jewish part of you. However, I don’t plan to execute you or anyone else this morning.” Antipas leaped to his feet, face red, wide-eyed, and screamed. “You are a fool, Zamir, and your attitude disgusts me.”

  Tallis and Kadir jumped at the quick change in the demeanor of the Tetrarch, but Zamir surprised everyone in the room, by managing to hold his tongue rather than responding to the Tetrarch’s comments.

  “Now,” Herod said, “I will turn the three of you over to Rome. Gavius and his men will escort the three of you outside the city walls where a cross awaits each of you. Zamir, Mered, and Acaph, you three will serve as examples to those traveling along the highway, so they think twice before deciding to commit treason and other crimes against my government or Rome’s. Gavius, take them away. Guards, fetch Ian and Ranan.” Zamir began shouting obscenities as the Roman soldiers grabbed the condemned.

  Tallis and Kadir stood up, stunned by what had happened, as the Romans dragged the judged from the room to the courtyard.

  “I hope Herod doesn’t want the two of us to observe the executions, Kadir.”

  “It’s my job to lead one of our Conturbeniums to the location where Ranan and Ian will die along with the other three. So to answer your question, Tallis. Where I go, you do too. Come with me.”

  Rain poured down on Tallis and Kadir when they left the building and headed toward the middle of the courtyard. The new Centurion adjusted his helmet, trying to keep the rain out of his eyes. Once the soldiers arrived with Ranan and Ian, the guards loaded the wagon. Kadir and the death squad fell in behind Gavius, and Tallis brought up the rear in his new chariot.

  The parade exited the fortress and traveled along the main road and on through the marketplace, heading toward the north gate of the city as the sixth hour arrived. Tallis felt sorry for the condemned, but they did commit the crimes charged against them. According to law, they must die for their wrongdoings, but he wished he didn’t have to watch any more people lose their lives in a cruel manner.

  After leaving the city, the caravan stopped some five hundred paces beyond the north gate. By the time the entourage arrived at this location, the storm began to abate. Tallis could hear thunder in the distance, drawing nearer, as the winds swirled into the area, making it difficult for him to control his cape. Gavius shouted an order and his troops grabbed the prisoners and jerked them from the wagon. Zamir, Mered, and Acaph found themselves standing along the west side of the highway with their backs turned toward three crosses lying on the ground. While they shivered and waited, four of Kadir’s soldiers seized Ian and Ranan, forcing them to kneel facing their three comrades. A fifth soldier stepped forward and swung his sword. Ian never knew what happened, while Ranan’s eyeballs bulged from their sockets, his face frozen with fear. With a second swing, Ranan joined his friend wherever murderers go once their life on earth comes to an end.

  Tallis’s anger didn’t end when the killers lost their lives. They got their due. To this day, Tallis still missed Masa and Kush. They were respectable men and two of the best soldiers he’d had the privilege to work with and lead.

  Zamir staggered when Ian’s head rolled through the mud toward him. The faces of Mered and Acaph lost color, and both screamed. After Ranan lost his head, all three could no longer control their trembling. Kadir spoke to his men again, and two soldiers walked back to the wagon. Each returned carrying a long stake which they drove into the soft earth in front of the condemned and their crosses. Another man retrieved Ian’s head, which had rolled several feet away from the body. The soldier returned to the first stake and jammed the skull down with the face toward the three awaiting their fate. Then the fourth soldier repeated the process. Tallis could hear the whimpers of Zamir, Mered, and Acaph, and wondered why they hadn’t fainted from fright.

  Zamir screamed, as his face lost color and he closed his eyes. He jerked and twisted, trying to break free from his captors. The Roman soldiers had grabbed Zamir along with Mered and Acaph and threw the convicted to the ground, before tearing the clothes off and dragging each man to his own cross. The screams intensified as nails tore the flesh on the palms of their hands, and broke bones as they penetrated the wood. Tallis resisted the urge to cry out as he watched the spectacle. Blood flowed everywhere. Tallis wanted to run as he felt his heart pounding. His body shook, and his ears ached due to the screeching sounds filling the air. Lord help me. The soldiers grabbed the legs of Zamir, crossed them and held them together above the ankles as another trooper drove a spike through his feet, securing him to the post as his screams intensified. Tallis wanted to yell “stop,” but couldn’t form the words. They moved to Mered next and repeated the process. The sound of thunder exploded over their heads. By the time the soldiers reached Acaph he had passed out due to the pain, making the process of securing him to the post easier. The skies opened up, thunder filled the air, and lightning danced through the heavens.

  The Roman troops hoisted each cross and dropped the post into the respective hole dug next to the highway before adding dirt, turning to mud, trying to stabilize the beams pointing skyward. As the onlookers watched the dying, their screams began to subside as the bodies continued to convulse, and breathing became more difficult for the dying.

  Gavius left his troops and approached Kadir and Tallis. “The storm isn’t letting up, and what light remains will disappear soon. I’m going to have my men end their suffering with your permission, Kadir.”

  “Do what you must, but make it
fast. We need to leave before someone gets hit by lightning.”

  Gavius returned to the crosses where his soldiers waited. Tallis and Kadir couldn’t hear what they said as the thunder continued, but three of the Romans drew their short swords, and each one drove their weapon into the abdomen into the quivering bodies. Acaph, Mered, and Zamir went limp while what blood remained flowed from their wounds.

  Tallis couldn’t bear to watch any longer and closed his eyes, wishing he was someplace else, and wondering how Herod and he would manage to work together. Eighteen more years and the Tetrarch’s newest Centurion could retire.

  Kadir tapped the shoulder of Tallis. “It’s time to go home, young man. The Romans will post a guard, so no one will steal the bodies. We’re finished here.”

  Tallis returned to his chariot and grabbed the reigns before taking one last look at the crucified. As he rode back to the fortress, he noticed the downpour changed to a drizzle, and sun breaks began to appear over the hills west of Tiberias. I never want to witness another crucifixion again.

  Chapter 32