The Queen's Handmaid

by Tracy L. Higley

  Salome writhed in Simon’s grasp and spit at Lydia. “You cannot get away. Not from me.”

  Lydia tilted her head to study the woman. A strange peace enveloped her. “Let her go, Simon.”

  Simon held her tighter. “She is fueled by the fires of Hades.”

  “Let her go.” She did not take her gaze from Salome, though she felt Simon’s hesitation and then his trust.

  He dropped his arms and took a step backward.

  Salome hurtled toward her, then straightened as though slapped.

  Lydia walked a slow circle around the woman. The futility of her dark magic hung like a visible shroud, and Lydia could see its vain efforts stretching back into the past and even into the future somehow.

  “What have you done to me?” Salome struggled as though still in Simon’s grip, though he had stepped away from them both. “What magic do you use against me, servant?”

  “No magic, Salome. It is not I who holds your life in His hand.” She stopped her circling to stand and speak before the king’s sister. “You would destroy the hopes of our Messiah, but I have been given a role as well. And no opinion of man, neither condemnation nor praise, bears any consequence in the face of this great destiny. It is a destiny offered to every man and every woman who would take it up, who would live a life of courage and risk because our future is secure in the hands of the One God.”

  Yes, risk. Like the scrolls, Lydia had kept her heart buried for ten years. And like the scrolls, her heart would never change the world as long as she kept it hidden.

  Still trapped in unseen bonds, Salome’s expression passed from hatred to fury to something else—something almost pitiful in its despair. Her face lowered and her chest heaved.

  “Kill me, then, servant girl. You would strip my power and leave me at your mercy. Why stop there?” The words were raw and hopeless, almost tearful. “Strike me down and end my humiliation.”

  “It is not for me to name the time and the season of your judgment, Salome.” Lydia crossed the space between them. Simon helped her back into the wagon, and once seated, she looked down on the woman, small and defeated and cowering in the dirt. “But know this. The One God sees you, as He sees us all. And you will never win.”

  Salome’s eyes were dead in their blackness, her arms limp at her sides, her tirades silenced at last.

  The goodness of the One God to give her this moment to see His victory swept over Lydia and brought healing tears as the wagon rolled to the Valley Gate, leaving Salome in the darkness behind.

  The gate opened with a salute to Simon from its keeper, and Lydia fell into Simon’s arms at last, exhausted. She bent her head to his and set her eyes eastward.

  A long journey awaited, a journey certain to come with hardships.

  But somewhere in Persia, a group of men awaited their arrival, living in faith that someone would come bearing the scrolls of promise, sealed until the time of the end.

  The Chakkiym. Strange Aramaic word. Here in Judea and around the world, it was spoken only in secret, passed down from father to son.

  But in Persia . . .

  In Persia, they would find this proud and ancient group thriving.

  The Chakkiym.

  Wise men.

  Watching the horizon from the east, for a sign that the Messiah was come at last.

  The Story Behind the Story . . . and Beyond

  Thank you for reading The Queen’s Handmaid. I hope you enjoyed Lydia’s tale. The story you have just finished has been my most ambitious to date, both in scope and in the amount of historical fact wedged between the lines of fiction.

  The idea for this book really began with my lifelong curiosity about the magi who came to Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus. Where did they come from? How did they know they sought a king? These are questions I still plan to address in another book, but I found myself wanting to take a step backward in time from that pivotal moment in history, to understand the religious and political climate in which it took place. When I happened upon the little-known fact that Herod the Great was a close friend of Marc Antony’s, and that he made an enemy of Cleopatra by refusing her manipulative advances, I had an episode for fiction that was too good to pass up.

  The meeting of Cleopatra and Herod the Great, both incredibly powerful world leaders, became a natural opening for the story. I traveled the length of their relationship, watched empire-shaking events take place over the course of a decade, and arrived at an ending point for my story with the death of Herod’s wife. Now I needed a pair of eyes through which to see these events. Casting about, it soon became clear that most of the major players in this drama were corrupt or dead by the end of it, so it became necessary to invent a character as my “witness.” I wanted to begin in Egypt, to meet the future Caesar Augustus in Rome, and to travel to Judea to focus on Herod, and thus Lydia was born as a servant in the palace of Alexandria, Egypt. I decided to make Lydia an orphan because I wanted to examine some issues of identity. What is it that makes us worthwhile and valued? Is it our parentage? Our own efforts at pleasing others and making ourselves needed? Our achievements? Or is it something else, a firmer foundation on which we can truly build a life?

  So I had lots of history and a sympathetic character through whom to witness it, but my character herself had no story. All of the considerable and factual excitement was happening around her. She needed something to be busy about herself. It was not long after this point in the story development that a closer reading of the book of Daniel showed me something I had never seen before. The last few chapters of the book are concerned chiefly with “the time of the end” and in chapter 12, verses 4 and 9, the angel Michael, speaking to Daniel, tells him to “roll up and seal” the words of the scroll until the time of the end. What were these words, I wondered. If only the book of Daniel itself, then it was apparently unsealed before the time of the end. Is it possible that other words, other scrolls, exist somewhere still sealed with unknown prophecies? It was enough of an intriguing idea that I decided to place these scrolls in Lydia’s hands, and charge her with returning them to the guardians who had lost them generations before.

  With the major elements in place, it was time to decide which historical events and characters to include. As I mentioned, this story relies more heavily on true events, of which there were many. The Maccabean revolt that placed the Hasmonean family on the throne occurred 120 years before the start of The Queen’s Handmaid, and eventually that feuding family invited Rome into the conflict in hopes of settling it. Instead, in 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey nearly destroyed Jerusalem and made Israel a client kingdom of the Roman Republic. Pompey restored the Hasmonean Hyrcanus (Alexandra’s father) as High Priest, but placed the Idumean Antipater (Herod’s father) on the throne as king. The Idumeans had been forced to convert and incorporated into Judaism years before but were still resented.

  Antipater was a shrewd politician, a friend to Julius Caesar, and he paved the way for his son Herod to eventually become king. Factions within Jerusalem were still supporting the dethroned Hasmoneans, in the person of Hyrcanus’s nephew Antigonus. In 37 BC, with the help of the Romans who had already declared him king, Herod defeated Antigonus in Jerusalem and took Judea for himself, hated by nearly everyone but his close friend Marc Antony.

  Meanwhile, back in Rome, Marc Antony and Octavian, two of the three members of the Second Triumvirate, were falling out. The marriages and divorces outlined in my story are factual, but in the end these alliances solved nothing, and Marc Antony’s growing allegiance to Cleopatra alienated him from Octavian and from Rome. By the summer of 30 BC, he and Cleopatra were both dead at their own hands.

  There are too many incidents of history woven through The Queen’s Handmaid to detail here. Suffice it to say that much of the story, like the attempted escape of Aristobolus and Alexandra in coffins, the drowning of Aristobolus in Herod’s swimming pool, the murder of Cleopatra’s various family members, the murder of the Sanhedrin members, the deaths of Cleopatra,
Marc Antony, Hyrcanus, Joseph, Sohemus, Caesarion, and Mariamme are all factual. The circumstances of the death of Ptolemy’s brother, king of Cyprus, is factual, but details of his wife’s identity are unknown, and I fictionalized her connection with Judea.

  I have taken one liberty, which I hope my readers will forgive for the sake of the story. It concerns the timeline. From the start of the story in 39 BC, through to the point where Lydia’s identity becomes known, the story follows a strict timeline. At that point, however, I needed to account for four years until the death of Mariamme. Originally, I wrote a chapter to cover this span, in which Lydia hides out in Rome with Antony’s wife Octavia, biding her time while the major players battle it out. But my editors and I agreed that it slowed the story too much, and needed to be trimmed. So in that section you will find Lydia impatiently waiting for history to unfold, with the amount of passing time unspecified, but nothing like four years implied. During these four years a major earthquake occurred in Judea, but I needed to skip that event as well. By the time of her death, Mariamme had given Herod four children, but in my truncated version, I was only able to fit in two.

  I have been privileged to travel to most of the locations in this story—Alexandria, Rome, Jerusalem, Masada. I hope you’ll join me on my website, www.TracyHigley.com, to read more about the locations of the book, to see travel photos, and to read stories of my adventures. There is also a place for you to check up on my next story and even give input to what you’d like to see included!

  And what of the story beyond the story? As hinted in the final pages, after Mariamme’s execution, Herod’s obsession with her led to increasing insanity. Historians tell us that Herod had been a master politician, charming, and well-liked. The madness we see in him twenty-five years later at the birth of Jesus apparently began in this moment, at the death of Mariamme. Not long after, he has Mariamme’s mother, Alexandra, executed as well. Herod will continue to terrorize Judea for many years to come, his sister, Salome, at his side, and come to be known as “Herod the Great,” mostly due to his extensive building projects in Judea, including the Temple Mount that still stands today. Octavian becomes Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the newly forming Roman Empire. The New Testament contains a confusing mix of Herodians, but of highest interest are probably one of Herod’s sons (by a wife after Mariamme), Herod Antipas, who kills John the Baptist; Herod Agrippa, his grandson, who arrests Peter; and Herod’s great-grandson, Agrippa II, who listens to Paul’s defense in Acts.

  So I leave this story in 29 BC with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and zealots arguing and the city in poverty under the reign of a madman. With the prophets silent for centuries and the rabbis despairing that their Redeemer will ever come to break their bondage. With a star, rising unknown on the horizon and the Chakkiym watching in the East. There will still be two decades of sorrow, suffering, and questions. But the darkness will not last forever.

  Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

  Reading Group Guide

  1. This story contains a wealth of historical anecdotes and facts. Did you enjoy learning some of the history of Cleopatra, Marc Antony, Octavian, and Herod as you read? What were some new things you learned?

  2. Lydia struggles throughout the book with issues of identity and feelings of worthlessness. Do you relate to her struggle? In what way?

  3. The story references the scrolls of Daniel mentioned in Daniel 12, which the angel told Daniel to seal up until the “time of the end.” Had you ever considered what this passage might mean? What did you think of the author’s speculation that these scrolls may still have been sealed hundreds of years later? Do you think it’s possible they still exist somewhere?

  4. This story spans the globe, taking in Egypt, Rome, and Israel. What did you learn about these locations?

  5. In what ways do you feel the author’s travels through these countries and other ancient lands have informed her writing? Which of these locations would you most like to visit? Why?

  6. How did you feel about the relationship between Simon and Lydia, which took years to develop?

  7. With what character did you most identify? Why?

  8. The story did not end happily for everyone. How do you feel about this? Did the ending leave you thinking about the coming of the Messiah not many years later?

  9. How do you feel about the author’s portrayal of spiritual darkness in the story? Do you believe that people like Salome may have been in touch with evil powers at this time in history? How about now?

  10. Lydia enjoys feeling needed by others in her life, but she also learns that she can’t center her life around what others think. Is this a struggle in your life?

  Acknowledgments

  Once again, an idea has made its way from a tiny seed in my often-strange brain to the story you hold in your hands. And once again, the evolution of that first idea did not happen without the help, support, and encouragement of many.

  First, a thank you to my readers. Many of you joined me on my website to give input into this book as it was taking shape—asking questions and inspiring me with ideas. I am, of course, hard at work on something new, so please visit again and share!

  The fiction team at Thomas Nelson has been a joy. Thank you to Ami McConnell for such wise guidance in the writing and editing phases. Thanks to Kristen Vasgaard for the fabulous cover, and for all the folks there that work so hard to bring a book to print and get it out to readers.

  Julee Schwarzburg, you are amazing. As I read the final product I know that it is my story and my voice, somehow made much better by your skillful editing.

  To my agent, Steve Laube, the dedication of this book is heartfelt. I have loved having you in my corner on this publishing journey. Thank you.

  And as always, my family continues to support, cheer, roll their eyes at my insecurities, and make me feel they are proud of the work I do. Ron, Rachel, Sarah, Jake, and Noah—I’d probably be a crazy person without all of you to keep me sane. I love you all very much.

  About the Author

  Photo courtesy of Mary DeMuth

  Tracy L. Higley started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored nine novels, including Garden of Madness and So Shines the Night. Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. See her travel journals and more at TracyHigley.com.