Antonius sat down on the bed, pulling the wrap from Diana’s body. Taking her firmly into his arms, he held her tightly and began to talk to her soothingly. Slowly she started to relax until her head rested against his shoulder, her eyes closed.
Decimus moved by Sara to fetch more water. She laid a hand on his arm.
“Decimus? You were praying?” she asked him in a soft whisper.
He looked at her in surprise. “Yes, my lady.”
“May I ask in whose name you were offering for Diana’s life?”
Decimus pressed his lips together, straightening his shoulders. “I asked in Jesus’ name,” he answered her just as quietly.
Sara smiled at him then, her eyes locking with his. “His will be done,” she agreed. They stared at each other several seconds, probing each other with their eyes, realizing that they had a common bond.
At a sound below, they turned to see Flavius ascending the stairs rapidly, the physician following in his steps. Sara felt her heart sink at the sight of the rotund man. She disliked him intensely, realizing that some of her dislike stemmed from her own prejudice. He was nothing like Ahaz. Ahaz cared for the people he ministered to. This man did little and charged exorbitant prices.
The physician pushed past Sara and Decimus, going to stand beside Antonius. He pulled back Diana’s eyelids and let them drop back into place. He was silent a long time. Finally he spoke.
“She’s too far gone,” he told Antonius. “There’s only one thing left for me to do.”
Chapter 7
The silence in the room was almost oppressive as each person tried to take in what the physician was trying to say. Sara’s eyes widened in alarm. She didn’t trust this physician.
“What can you do?” Antonius asked him quietly, his eyes never leaving Diana’s prostrate form. He cuddled her gently, burying his face in her golden hair.
“I can make a mixture of hemlock and allow her to die quietly and peacefully.” There was a total lack of emotion in the physician’s voice.
“No!” Four voices rose in unison, making the one word thunder through the room. The physician jumped in surprise.
“She would feel no pain,” he told them placatingly. “She is so far gone now that she probably doesn’t even know what’s going on around her.”
“My lord,” Decimus begged. “You cannot allow this!”
Sara’s eyes burned with anger, but she said nothing, allowing Antonius time to think. Surely he would not consider such a suggestion.
Flavius stepped closer to Antonius, reaching out a hand to Diana and running his fingers through her hair. His eyes roved her face, but he addressed himself to Antonius. “Think carefully, my friend. Life is too precious to be taken lightly.”
If anyone knew that, it was Antonius. Even though he was a trained soldier, he still had a difficult time taking a life.
“I know what you are saying, but I have to think of Diana.”
“Tribune,” Sara interrupted. “Surely there is another way.”
Antonius stared at her in anger. “What would you suggest? Praying to that caring God of yours?”
The physician started to unpack his bag. “There is one more thing I might try,” he told Antonius. Antonius’s eyes filled with hope. “I can try to bleed her heavier. If I remove enough fluid, then perhaps her humors will come into alignment.”
Antonius laid Diana back against the bed. He stared at her a long time before he finally stood and began pacing back and forth. He knew little about medicine, and what he had seen so far had not impressed him. But either way, Diana was going to die. Pain like he hadn’t experienced since his parents’ death many years ago clutched at his heart. He had been the sole caretaker for Diana since she was twelve years old. Had it only been five years since his parents’ death? It seemed so much longer. He felt much older than his thirty years.
Sara placed an urgent hand against his forearm. “Please, Tribune. Don’t let him bleed her anymore.”
“You have a better suggestion?” he snapped, jerking his arm from her.
She answered him quietly but firmly. “Our scriptures teach that life is in the blood. As a soldier, surely you know that to be true.”
Antonius hesitated. What she said made sense. When a soldier was weak, you tried to stop his bleeding, not inflict more. Still, Xanthus was one of the finest physicians in Rome.
“My lord, I must protest.” Xanthus threw Sara a murderous glance. “I am trying to keep her alive. What does a plebeian know of medicine?”
Forgetting her position, Sara whirled toward him, her eyes shooting brown sparks. “You are killing her! You with your rich foods and bloodletting. You care not for Diana. You care only for your fat purse!”
“Sara!” Antonius’s eyes told her more than words that she had gone too far. Concluding that punishment was inevitable, she decided she had nothing to lose.
“Please, Antonius,” she begged. “Let me care for her.”
Antonius was as much surprised by Sara’s use of his name as the fact that she disobeyed his order for silence. Xanthus drew himself up angrily, spearing Sara with a daggered glance.
“You? What do you know about medicine?” he asked her scathingly.
“He has said she will die anyway,” Sara gritted. “What is there to lose?”
“I’ll tell you what there is to lose,” Xanthus argued. “The difference between dying with dignity and dying without pain.”
“Enough!” Antonius thundered, and Sara knew better than to disobey. She must let him decide for himself. His strong will and arrogant pride would never allow him to submit to a woman if he felt backed into a corner.
“Take Decimus and go to the garden,” he told her quietly.
Her eyes pleaded with him, but he turned away. Sara would have liked to slap the smirk from the physician’s face. Dropping her head, she quietly left the room, Decimus close on her heels.
“Flavius, take the physician to the bibliotheca and show him some of my manuscripts. I’ll be along shortly.”
“Of course. This way.”
Xanthus would have argued, but the strange glitter in Tribune Flavius’s eyes kept him silent. He could feel the rage emanating from the young soldier.
When Antonius was alone with Diana, he sat down beside her on the bed. She was so still. So pale. She looked as though a breath of wind would blow her away. He frowned. She hadn’t seemed so, just this morning. She had seemed lively, anticipating a visit from Flavius. Could Sara be right? He remembered how quickly Sara’s wound had healed. Was that why she had stopped to see the old healer today? Could she have been seeking his advice?
One thing was for certain. Xanthus had no love for Diana, and Sara did.
❧
When Sara left Diana’s room, her eyes were filled with tears. Decimus came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“He will not do it.”
Sara wished she could feel as certain. “How can you be so sure?”
“I know him. He’s not capable of such a thing.”
Sara sighed, lifting her eyes to the stars. “Decimus, Satan has many ways of making something evil seem right.”
“Then let us pray together that our Lord Jesus will not allow Satan to so deceive Tribune Antonius,” he answered confidently.
For several moments, all was quiet in the garden except for the soft petitioning voices of both Sara and Decimus. As always, when Sara took her troubles to the Lord, she felt a sense of peace envelop her. When they had finished praying, Decimus led Sara to the seat near the fountain. He sat down next to her, folding his hands between his legs. His head drooped, and he stared somberly at the ground.
“You love Diana, don’t you?” Sara asked him softly.
He nodded his head. “But not in the way you think. When I was brought to Ephesus as a captive seven years ago, I was only ten years old. The master’s parents were alive then.” He paused, picking a dried flower petal from the ground and twirling it through his fingers. �
��My lady was also ten at the time. Her father had come to the market to purchase a slave. He wanted someone strong. A man. My lady noticed me among the others and felt sorry for me. She pleaded with her father to choose me.” Here he stopped, a grin spreading across his face at the memory. “Her father could refuse her nothing. She was the light of his life. So. . . here I am.”
Sara smiled. She could imagine Diana being imperative and spoiled even at that age. “You became friends?”
Decimus nodded again. “She was the sister I left behind,” he told her quietly.
All was peaceful and quiet in the garden save for the rushing water of the fountain. Sara looked up at Diana’s door. It was hard to imagine that only a few feet away a battle was going on for the soul of a young girl. Sara began to pray harder.
❧
When Antonius entered the library, he found Xanthus warily watching Flavius, who was twisting his dagger in his hands. Antonius hid a grin. Flavius was making his feelings all too apparent.
“Flavius, will you bring Sara to me? And you may as well bring Decimus, too.”
Flavius sheathed his dagger with an extra-loud snap and left the room. Before long he returned, Sara and Decimus close behind. They searched Antonius’s face for some clue to his decision but found none.
“Xanthus,” Antonius began. “I respect your profession and have been pleased with your services,” he lied, “but I have decided to allow my sister to die on her own.” He swallowed hard.
Sara went limp with relief. Thank You, Lord!
The physician nodded his head in understanding. Not many people would choose such a hard way, but some simply could not let go. This he understood, and he found no offense.
“If you need me further, Tribune, you have only to call.”
“Thank you.” Antonius raised an eyebrow at Decimus, who interpreted his look correctly. “Will you see that Xanthus receives his payment?”
“Yes, my lord.”
When they left the room, Antonius turned to Sara. “If there’s anything you can do, do it. But I want you to understand that if she dies painfully, I will hold you personally responsible.”
“I understand. May I have total responsibility for Diana? Her diet, everything?”
Antonius sighed, pushing his hands through his hair. He looked at Flavius, who looked just as intently back at him. He nodded his head. As Sara was about to leave the room, Antonius took her by the arm. Although he held her lightly, his hand felt like a shackle of steel, his eyes menacing in their severity. “Remember what I said. I don’t want her to suffer.”
“I love her, too,” she reminded him quietly, and he loosened his hold. Nodding her head at Flavius, she left the room.
❧
Sara made a mixture from the herbs Ahaz had given her and added it to a bowl of water. After mixing it together, she then tried to spoon some into Diana’s mouth. Little by little, the brew went down her throat. Taking a cloth, she dipped it into the cool water Decimus had brought for her and placed it on Diana’s forehead. She then settled herself in a chair beside the bed, prepared for a long night’s vigil.
Periodically throughout the night, Diana would become restless and start to moan, rolling her head back and forth. Sara would then give her more of the herb mixture and replace the compress with a cool one. Then Diana would settle down again for several hours.
The sun was beginning to send its first fingers of light into the semidark room when Sara’s head started to nod. Diana hadn’t awakened in hours. Head dropping to her chest, Sara jerked awake. Blinking sleepy eyes, she got up and went to Diana, laying a hand against her cheek. Her breathing was deep and regular, and Sara could tell the fever had broken and the worst was over.
She opened the drapes wide to let in the morning light, knowing that it wouldn’t bother Diana. Her sleep was too sound. The herbs Ahaz had given her had helped to alleviate the fever, but she wouldn’t mention them to Antonius. She sensed that he would not approve.
Antonius had left word that he would sleep in the room next to Diana’s and that he should be called if there was any change. Sara went to the door and found Decimus asleep on the balcony in front of the threshold. She smiled softly. Let the boy sleep. She would go to Antonius herself.
Stepping over the sleeping lad, Sara moved carefully and quietly to the next door. She tapped lightly but got no response. Opening the door slowly, she found Antonius asleep, still sitting up on the couch, his head drooped to one side and his dark hair spilling across his forehead. He looked so childishly innocent that Sara felt her heart melt at the sight of him. Crossing the room, she lightly touched his shoulder.
In one quick movement, she found herself pinned beneath him on the couch, his eyes glittering strangely down into hers. Her eyes opened wide in fear, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.
“Tribune!” she squealed in fright. “It’s Sara!”
For a moment, his eyes remained unfocused, then slowly he relaxed. He shook his head slightly to clear it, releasing her wrist from his crushing grip.
“Sara?” He looked down into her face, one part of his mind registering the fear he saw there. “Sara.” His voice softened, and he lifted a hand to stroke down her cheek. Her wide eyes stared back at him, and Antonius felt himself move as if in a dream. He lowered his head, bringing his lips softly down on hers.
The moment his lips touched hers, Sara felt her mind begin to spin. Without realizing it, she returned his kiss, her lips telling him of her innocence. Antonius knew he should have pulled back, but a strange fire was beginning to warm his blood. He pressed closer, his lips becoming more demanding.
Warning bells went off in Sara’s mind. She tried to push Antonius away, but his strength was too much for her. She tried to turn her head away but found herself unable to move. Using the only weapon available to her, she began to fervently pray.
“My lord?” Decimus’s voice from the doorway brought Antonius back from the yawning precipice he had so nearly tumbled into. He pulled back quickly, running a hand through his hair in agitation.
“Sara!” Antonius was at a loss for words. He leaned back, and Sara hastily climbed from the couch. She would have just as hastily exited the room, but Antonius stopped her.
“Wait!” Sara froze with her back still to him. “What is it, Decimus?” he wanted to know.
Decimus glanced from one to the other, casting his eyes to the floor. “I was looking for Sara,” he answered quietly. “I couldn’t find her in my lady’s room and wanted to find out how my lady was doing.”
Both men fixed their attention on Sara. “The fever has broken, and she is sleeping quietly. That is what I came to tell you, Tribune.” Sara’s eyes were also cast downward but flew up at Decimus’s whoop of joy. She had to smile when she saw the joy that radiated from his face.
“I will go and bring you something to eat,” he told her happily, skipping across the balcony.
Sara would have followed, but again Antonius stopped her. “I would have a word with you.” She heard him move behind her and felt herself tense up. Antonius saw her body stiffen and clenched his jaw in frustration.
“Sara.” He laid a hand on her shoulder and felt her jump slightly. Gritting his teeth, he dropped his hand. “I’m sorry about what happened just now. I didn’t know what I was doing. I would never hurt you. Surely you know that.”
She didn’t answer him for a moment, and when she did, it was to change the subject. “Diana is much better this morning. Her fever is gone, and she was sleeping peacefully when I left.”
“I heard you tell Decimus.”
“Is there anything else, Tribune?”
Antonius sighed, turning away. “Not for the moment. I will be along to see Diana as soon as I have visited the baths and cleaned up some.”
“Yes, Tribune.”
For the rest of the day, Sara attended to Diana. Her lack of sleep was beginning to tell on her, and she started to droop wearily. Decimus found her patting water onto her face to keep
awake and convinced her to lie down on the other sleeping couch to rest. At first she protested, but when Decimus told her he would stay in the room also, she relented. Within moments, she was asleep.
Although Diana awakened periodically, she was awake for only minutes at a time. Sara knew that what her body needed the most was time to recuperate from all the bloodletting, so she didn’t worry too much about Diana’s diet. She did, however, send word to Bacchus to prepare some broth for Diana’s nourishment. Decimus returned with a tray holding a bowl of broth, and resting in a small urn was a blue hyacinth. Sara laughed aloud.
“What is so funny?” Decimus was clearly puzzled.
“Bacchus is letting me know that he approves of Diana’s diet,” Sara told him.
Decimus raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “I hope this works.”
Sara took his face between her hands and smiled into his eyes. “What I want from you, my brother, are your faithful prayers.”
He grinned back at her. “I have never stopped.”
Releasing him, she stepped back. “Someday, Decimus, I would like to learn how you came to know the Lord.”
“And I you.”
They smiled at each other before parting company, and although Decimus stayed close by, Sara had no need of him again that day.
The next three days followed a pattern. Diana would awaken periodically, and Sara would give her some broth, bathe her, brush her hair, and let her go back to sleep. Antonius would come in the evening to check up on her, and Sara’s heart never failed to miss a beat whenever he entered the room.
He would sit and hold Diana’s hand, even when she was asleep, and talk to her about many things. Sometimes he would bring some of his Greek manuscripts and read her poetry. Sara would sit enthralled, though she didn’t think anything could compare with the psalms of David.
Color was beginning to come back to Diana’s cheeks, and Sara attributed that to Bacchus’s cooking. He truly did know how to feed an invalid.
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