“What’s the matter, Tallis? You look terrible this morning. Are you ill?”
“I had trouble sleeping last night, Habib. My entire family spent the Sabbath visiting Abigail and me.” Tallis couldn’t bear telling his soldiers Kaleb had come to his house the previous morning. “Follow me. We need to arrive in Tiberias on time. Today will be a good day.”
“Every day is good, Tallis. God is with us so nothing can stand against us, right?”
“If you say so, Habib. Let’s go so we’re not late.” Tallis questioned how his troops would react if they understood the pressure Kaleb had placed upon his Conturbenium to perform an impossible task? Are my superiors singling us out to serve as an example for others? Why do they want us to fail? My soldiers are good men, dedicated to their mission. How can my Centurion and Nikolaos hold us responsible for the insurrections occurring throughout the region? In Hammath, yes, but not around Tiberias, or in other parts of the province. Tallis vowed to shield his troops the best he could, but he resented having his hands bound by withholding the support his squad needed to do their job’s well. I’d love to know what pressures Kaleb and Nikolaos are placing on my fellow Decanuses. How did our Commander find out Kiva had an accident? Is he using spies to keep tabs on us? Lost in his thoughts, Tallis stopped walking and stood in the middle of the highway.
“Watch out, sir. We almost trampled you.”
“Sorry, Habib. I was thinking and lost track of—never mind.” Is Herod in bed with the Romans? The Tetrarch wants to hold on to his power and gain more with each new day.
“We’re not going to get to the fortress on time at this pace. We need to keep moving.”
“You’re right. Let’s march.” Would Herod stoop so low enough to hire a few of his enemies to work for him? “Anything’s possible.”
“What’s possible, sir? Are you talking to me?”
“Sorry. Don’t pay attention to me, Bazak. I’m trying to think as we march.” If we drive the Zealots from Galilee, Antipas will look like a hero to Rome. Then he can bargain for more favors from Caesar, and Pilate too. Herod might be too smart for his own good. The apple didn’t fall too far from the family tree.
As Tallis and his men entered the fortress courtyard, he wondered if his Conturbenium could make a quick getaway if they needed too. Where would they run? Could he and Abigail flee the area before Herod’s men or the Romans found them? The Decanus felt a heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders as his headache returned. Focus, Tallis. He could see Nikolaos standing across the way. Is the Commander going to address the troops? He looks angry.
Nikolaos stood in front of the assembled soldiers as Gavius and his Century marched into the courtyard through the fort’s north gate. “Yesterday morning I received a report of an incident occurring in Hammath on the Sabbath night.” Our Commander turned and stared at Tallis. “Four men attacked a Rabbi as he walked along the streets of his hometown. This is not acceptable. While I don’t place the blame on anyone, if similar attacks occur in the future those soldiers who fail to perform their duties with distinction will face severe discipline.” Nikolaos paced back and forth in front of his troops. “This morning I had my assistant write the name of every soldier on pieces of parchment. Should we call your name, you will step forward and serve as an example of what might happen if the troubles continue in Galilee.”
Six Roman soldiers stepped from their ranks. Each carried a whip. Gavius stood next to Nikolaos and reached into the container as a hush fell over the courtyard. Tallis asked God to spare his Conturbenium from this ordeal. Gavius stirred the contents before removing a slip and handing it to our Commander.
“Ektor!” Tallis didn’t recognize the name. “Ektor, step forward.” A scream rose somewhere across the courtyard. Several of Gavius’s men sprinted toward the location where the sound came from and dragged a young man forward.
Two large posts, driven into the ground, stood in front of Herod’s troops. The Romans had secured Ektor’s hands and tied them to the post above his head, before ripping off his shirt and tossing it to the ground. The visiting Centurion reached into the container a second time and stirred the contents. Sweat trickled down into the eyes of Tallis. Rumors of Roman atrocities had circulated over the years describing the brutality inflicted on their soldiers. Many times they killed the troops who failed to complete their assigned missions. Then they’d slaughter a few more to send the message, it’s better to die in battle than fail. Gavius drew the second slip, and Nikolaos called out, “Nava! Where are you, Nava?” You could hear the gasp sweep throughout the courtyard. Did the man faint? Once again, soldiers raced to the location where the unlucky fellow stood, hauled him forward, and secured him to the post next to Ector. Tallis said a quick prayer for his men’s safety. Next, the soldiers who had the whips formed two groups. Three positioned themselves behind Ektor’s exposed back. The other trio moved toward Nava’s location, a few feet away. Each Roman snapped their whip a few times to loosen their muscles, but more likely to intensify the fears of everyone present. Whose idea was this? What purpose did such action serve other than to turn Herod’s troops against the Army’s leadership? Desertions and violence may increase once the local citizens hear innocent men received punishment for the failure of others.
The first blow struck Ektor’s back causing a red welt to form, running from his right shoulder down toward his left hip. His body twitched when the blow struck, but he managed not to scream. It appeared the whip didn’t contain any bone or metal fragments woven into the thong or popper. Otherwise, blood would flow from the wound. A second soldier delivered the next lash with similar results. This time, a scream echoed off the fortress walls. Many of those observing this spectacle lowered their eyes rather than watch. The scenario repeated itself another nineteen times before Nava received an identical number of lashes.
Gavius issued another command, and two soldiers cut Ektor and Nava free. Both fell to the ground quivering and moaning. No one dared step forward to care for the men. Most of those observing trembled, knowing two comrades took a beating for something beyond their control, and Tallis realized Nikolaos wasn’t his only problem. There exists a serious disconnect between the Jewish people, the Romans, and their puppet, Herod Antipas. The animosity against them will continue to increase unless something changes.
Without warning, Gavius shouted at his soldiers, and they snapped to attention before moving into marching formation. Another order, the north gate opened, and the Romans, marching four-by-four left the fortress while Nikolaos scowled at his troops. Adolphus, the Commander’s assistant stepped forward holding a small basin containing water. Nikolaos dipped his fingers and washed his hands before speaking. “Tallis, you and your men help these two and then get them dressed. To the rest of you, let this serve as a warning. Failure is not an option. There will be peace in Galilee and Perea. Now, go home and do your job. Dismissed.”
Tallis and his men rushed forward while giving Shet and Ari orders to bring water and fetch something to dry the soldier’s backs once they cleaned their skin. Neither many suffered cuts, but they endured a horrific beating. Hammath’s Conturbenium became the scapegoats for something they failed to control, and every soldier present realized this could happen again. From this point forward, failure meant soldiers would die.
Tallis led his Conturbenium back to Hammath in silence. What could he say? Kaleb and Nikolaos blamed them for what happened to the Rabbi. Now, so did every other soldier stationed in Tiberias and the surrounding area. As the leader, Tallis pondered when and how the next attack on their village would occur. What was their agenda, and how could he get the information he needed to capture at least one of two of the Zealots bent on causing chaos. I have to find a solution. Our fate depends on my ability to stop the terrorists and protect my men from abuse like Ektor and Nava received. God, help me.
Approaching Hammath, Tallis commanded everyone to halt so he could address his soldiers. “Follow me to the olive grove, so we can discuss our situation.” His
soldiers looked beaten down, whipped. “I want to apologize for placing you in this position. You and I realize it is impossible for anyone to predict the future. We can’t read people’s minds though I would love to have the ability to do so on occasion.” All he saw was blank stares as he glanced at each man, searching for the right words to say. A leader can’t share too much information with the people he supervises, but his entire team had to work together if they were to have any hope of preventing more crime in their assigned territory.
“Each of you works hard to perform your duties, and you do your jobs well. I commend you for your efforts and thank you for your loyalty. But, there is more going on than any of us realize.” Tallis took a deep breath while deciding his next move. “Please don’t share what I’m going to tell you with anyone outside our Conturbenium.” He had their attention now. “Trust is the essential ingredient to completing our mission. I suspect Nikolaos is signaling us out as he attempts to save face for himself and the Tetrarch. … Let me explain. What if Rome wants Herod removed from power. Then Caesar can gain control over Perea and Galilee, instead of supporting a rich man who bought his office with a bribe.” Tallis had crossed a line. “Throughout the past week or two Kaleb has told me how proud he was of us and with his next breath announced our efforts needed to improve. Otherwise, he will need to take disciplinary action against us. What if we saw an example of what awaits us this morning?”
Tallis began to pace in front of his men as his nervousness increased. “Yesterday, Kaleb came to my door moments after I had returned from my morning patrol of Hammath. He brought an entire Conturbenium and their Decanus with him. Scared me to death.” A few soldiers smiled. “Everyone joined me as we patrolled our village again. Kaleb said he wanted to see the exact location where Kiva and one of the runners bumped into one another. I also showed him where their boat rested on the lakeshore. My Centurion believed me when I told him we didn’t find any evidence of foul play after checking the town after the incident.” Taking a deep breath, and exhaling through his mouth, Tallis began to. I’m on dangerous ground, but they need to understand the issues we face. “Kaleb told me his superiors are putting pressure on him to drive the Zealots from the region, but watching Nikolaos and Gavius this morning, I got the feeling the Romans would enjoy seeing these uprisings continue for some reason. This is my gut talking, nothing more, but I bet Rome tires of hearing complaints from the citizens living in Galilee and Perea regarding Herod. Again, this is only my opinion, not fact—”
Bazak stood and looked at his Decanus, then the others, before speaking. “Tallis, we support the decisions you make, and we know you are not responsible for the pressures brought to bear on us. We each stand behind you and your leadership, sir. Together, our troops will get through this and defeat our enemies.
Shet spoke next. “Thank you for supporting us, sir, and for serving as our leader. It’s an honor to work for a man we can trust. We’ve got your back like you have ours.”
Tallis didn’t know how to respond as he stood there with a smile on his face. Was Abigail right? Was God watching over them? “Let me share some ideas with everyone. I realize we need more troops to cover Hammath during the day and night. When Kaleb and I spoke yesterday morning, I shared my thoughts with him. He agrees we need more soldiers to protect our community. We need at least four soldiers on duty during the day and more during the night. But, with the extra help, no one would have an opportunity to celebrate the Sabbath or take time off from our own personal responsibilities. We need at least thirty troops or more to protect our village.” Everyone nodded as Tallis spoke. So far they’re with me. “When we’ve been on patrol these past few nights, I’ve assigned two-man teams to patrol specific areas of Hammath. What if we change our tactics and use random patterns, focusing more attention along the lakeshore? It caught me by surprise when I learned the men who bumped into Kiva entered our town by boat. I never gave the idea any thought. What do you think, Tam?”
The soldier stammered a couple of times as he struggled to overcome the shock of hearing his name called, as he tried to gather his thoughts. “You have good ideas, sir. Changing our strategies might surprise anyone wanting to create problems and destroy property.”
Tobin raised his hand. “People don’t need to know our every move, but they should realize we are nearby and working to prevent trouble. The insurgents must understand we may catch them the next time they attempt to enter Hammath.”
“Thank you, Tobin and Tam. Does anyone else care to comment or make a suggestion? … As much as I would love to give everyone the night off, we need to patrol the streets until midnight. This practice will continue until further notice. In the meantime, I want Shet and Bazak to develop one or more alternatives to our evening patrol patterns.” Tallis moved closer to where the pair sat. “Make sure your plans include coverage for the shoreline, baths, and the hot springs located inside the town walls. This will give us greater flexibility in protecting our homes and businesses. Any comments or questions? … No? Then it’s time to patrol Hammath before we tend to our personal responsibilities this afternoon. Tonight we will meet at sundown to listen and discuss the suggestions Bazak and Shet develop for us to consider. Thank you for listening to me and my ideas. I want to make you proud as I am of you. Keep your eyes open this afternoon. We don’t need any more surprises.”
Chapter 9
Watch Your Back Page 8
