The Warrior (The Herod Chronicles Book 1)

by Wanda Ann Thomas

  A mix of fear and caution showed on the faces trained on them. People began to slip away. Herod grunted his approval. “This trial is a farce, and you know it. I’ve been found guilty before setting a foot in court. I brought my soldiers along to balance the scales. Those sour old men will think twice before convicting us now.”

  Nathan glanced ahead at Antipater and Herod’s brothers. “Your father told you to bring a band of bodyguards. He didn’t mean a whole army.”

  Herod’s smile faltered. “My father isn’t pleased, but he has confidence in me. I know what I’m doing. I’m asking you to trust me.”

  Nathan watched a small family dressed in their finest and bringing a lamb and turtledoves as offering to the Lord for the newborn babe cradled in the mother’s arm hurry across the courtyard, moving away from the trouble. The show of force would probably work, but at a cost of offending most of his fellow Jews. It was bad enough all of Galilee had turned against him. If he threw his support behind Herod, all of Judea would hate him too.

  Nathan’s eyes went back to Lex and Rhoda. “My wife and stepmother are here. I don’t want them to get caught in the middle of a fight.”

  “Trust me,” Herod repeated.

  Nathan looked past his friend’s gaudy clothes. Herod had offered up his home and help to Nathan. Whereas men he counted as brothers, Pinhas and Bartholomew and Hezekiah, had proved faithless. Nathan blew out a long breath. Loyalty deserved loyalty. “All right, you strutting peacock...we’ll do it your way.”

  Herod clapped him on the back. “You are a good man. Let’s go get this over with.”

  The temple guard escorted Nathan and Herod into the inner sanctum of the Hall of Hewn Stone. The seventy-one members of the Sanhedrin sat on stone benches arranged in a semicircle. Clerks stood off to one side, ready to record the proceedings. Three rows of scholars were on hand to give expert opinions on the Law. Nathan had always wondered what the hall looked like. If things went badly, he’d have the comfort of knowing the hideous, gray walls and worn, cedar floors were uglier than sin.

  The witnesses against Nathan and Herod entered the hall through a side door. Bartholomew and Pinhas and a few other men from Rumah filed past Nathan. His Galilean neighbors were too busy gawking at the men of wealth and prestige sitting as judges to notice the dirty look he gave them.

  High priest Hycranus, looking more tired and bedraggled than usual, opened the proceedings by addressing the witnesses, reminding them of their duty to speak the truth.

  “I’m going to kill the little weasel,” Herod grumbled.

  “Hycranus is caught between Antipater and the elders,” Nathan whispered.

  Herod’s lips curled with disgust.

  Nathan scanned the faces of the judges, searching for his father-in-law. Simeon Onias sat at the far end of a bench. The mean-hearted coward wore a self-satisfied smile. Nathan planned to have a word with the gutless man, once the proceedings were over.

  Herod swiped his hand through the air. “Sextus Caesar sent Hycranus a letter warning him against trying me. But the sniveling coward sided with my enemies.”

  Nathan arched a brow. “Hycranus has his own enemies to worry about.” As the letter more than likely contained a threat of death, the timid high priest earned a measure of respect from Nathan.

  “I’ll make him pay for betraying me,” Herod hissed.

  The pain and rage they carried between them ought to set the place on fire.

  John Hycranus called the court to order. Silence descended. The high priest coughed and righted his tunic. “Nathan of Rumah’s accuser will present his charges.”

  Simeon Onias stood. A loud buzzing filled the chamber.

  Nathan’s hands fisted. His conniving, hypocrite of a father-in-law was going to use the Law to do his dirty work.

  Simeon Onias raised his hands. The room quieted. The fastidious man smoothed the folds of his expensive robe. “Friends and brethren, I understand your surprise. Yes, Nathan of Rumah rescued my son and daughter. But Judas’s death was unnecessary. I put a large ransom into my son-in-law’s hands and instructed him to give the money to Judas. What happened, you ask yourselves?”

  Simeon gave Nathan a pitying look. Nathan gripped the edge of the stone bench, resisting the urge to go strangle the rotten liar.

  “Nathan of Rumah and I had a falling out over the terms of the marriage contract,” Simeon confided. “My son-in-law became angry when he learned I wasn’t going to give him any more money.” The pious man smirked. “You might find it interesting to know the soldiers in Antipater’s army call Nathan the angel of death because he excels at killing. I think my son-in-law murdered Judas and kept the ransom.”

  The room erupted with noisy speculation.

  Blood rushed to Nathan’s head. He narrowed his eyes at Simeon. His father-in-law blanched and glanced toward the witnesses. Others would be called to back up his pack of lies. Pinhas and Bartholomew squirmed in place. They must have accepted bribes. Rot them! The traitors better hope the court reached a verdict of guilt, otherwise they were dead men.

  Simeon tilted his nose up and sat down.

  Chief Priest Hycranus called for Herod’s accusers to stand.

  Herod crossed his arms and puffed out his chest.

  Silence reigned.

  The members of the Sanhedrin shared uncomfortable looks and shifted in their seats, their hesitance, no doubt, due to the small army outside the Hall Of Hewn Stones. A word from Herod and the soldiers would wreak havoc on Jerusalem.

  Nervous coughs echoed off the walls.

  Finally, one man rose. Shemaiah. The elderly man was well-respected and principled.

  Shemaiah frowned at his fellow elders. “We have before us two men accused of murder. I will address Nathan of Rumah’s case first. Have you seen his wife’s bruises?”

  Caught by surprise, Nathan moaned out loud. The type of feral cry he had to stifle each time he looked at Lex’s injuries.

  Anguish filled Shemaiah’s kind eyes. “Forgive me, son. Your wife strikes me as a strong woman. I assume she won’t mind me speaking of these things to save you.”

  Nathan’s chest tightened. Of course Lex wouldn’t mind. He marveled at her inner strength. She’d already forgiven those who had wronged her.

  Shemaiah cleared his throat. “If someone beat my wife, I would kill the fiend and feed the worthless man’s remains to my dogs.”

  Audible gasps circled the room. Old and sprightly, Shemaiah fit everyone’s ideal of the kind-hearted grandfather. He narrowed his eyes at his fellow elders. “A man may kill, but it doesn’t make him a killer. Nathan of Rumah did what any of us would.”

  Nathan thought of his father. Though the gentlest of men, Joseph of Rumah would undoubtedly have acted brutally on behalf of his wife and children. But nobody would make the mistake of calling him a murderer.

  Lex’s words came back to him. The only times your blood sings is when someone you love or care for is in danger. Would he have spared Judas if the rebel had surrendered? Yes. Yes, he would have. It was Judas who refused to back down. It was kill or be killed. Nathan exhaled. He hated the title angel of death, and probably always would, but he needed to stop running from it. It might actually be for the good—others would think twice before lifting a hand to his loved ones.

  His chest tightened. What a fool he had been for refusing to touch Lex. If the Sanhedrin found him guilty, he’d be put to death immediately. Let me live, Lord. I want to hold my wife in my arms again.

  Shemaiah’s eyes shifted and turned frosty. “Herod of Idumea’s case is altogether different. He murdered a man to gain favor with Rome.”

  Herod jumped up and jabbed his finger at the elder. “You would have slapped Hezekiah’s hand and sent him home.”

  “Sit down,” Nathan said through gritted teeth.

  Shemaiah didn’t flinch. “Thanks to your high-handedness, we will never know what we might have done, will we?”

  “Ignorant fools,” Herod said, glaring around the h
all. “Sextus Caesar praised my action. Rome sent a rousing commendation.”

  Nathan flinched. Shemaiah spoke true. Herod cared more about pleasing Rome than securing the trust and respect of his countrymen.

  Shemaiah stood taller. “If we let this ox intimidate us, there will be no stopping him. Herod is far too ambitious. Let him go today, and he will come back someday as king and slay us.”

  “Amen. Amen,” several voices sang out.

  Emboldened, Shemaiah turned to High Priest Hycranus. “Call the witnesses, and we will put the matter to a vote.”

  A rumble of approval went up.

  Red-faced, Herod looked ready to explode.

  Like a battlefield on the brink of war, the air was thick with tension. Nathan’s breathing slowed. His eyes scanned the room. His fingers curled, itching to grip a sword. What if the soldiers waiting in the courtyard of the Temple started to cut people down? Lex and Rhoda were in the middle of that crowd.

  Truth be told, he wasn’t sure what he’d do if matters turned violent. The situation was impossible. The thought of drawing the sword against either the rulers of Israel or Herod made him sick.

  High Priest Hycranus stood and held up his chubby hands. “This session is hereby adjourned. We will take the matter up again tomorrow.” A loud uproar rocked the hall. Men jumped to their feet. The rotund priest beat a hasty path for the door. Passing Herod, he paused. “This delay is the best I can do. I advise you to use the reprieve to leave the country.”

  “Why, you—” Herod growled, but the high priest was already scurrying away.

  Bodies packed the aisles leading to the exit. The immediate danger over, Nathan rolled his tight shoulders. He and Herod fell into line.

  “What are you going to do?” Nathan asked.

  Herod cast a hate-filled look about the hall. “I’m going to Syria. Sextus Caesar will put these windbags in their place.” He laid a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “Come with me.”

  Nathan massaged his forehead. He didn’t want to see his good friend put to death. But Herod was going about this all wrong. “Give me time to think about it,” Nathan said, stalling. Actually, he wanted to talk the matter over with Lex and Rhoda.

  His gut twisted, remembering the sad look on Lex’s face when she asked him if he’d consulted her just to please his father. What a selfish idiot he’d become.

  Herod’s black eyes met Nathan’s. “I’m counting on you.”

  “You’ll hear from me soon.”

  A hand gripped Nathan’s elbow, holding him back. Simeon Onais’s bald-headed slave shoved a folded note into Nathan’s hand and fled.

  Nathan looked around. Was the message from Simeon or the slave? Sure he wasn’t going to like the contents, no matter the author, Nathan shoved the letter into his pocket. It could wait. All he cared about was finding Lex.

  CHAPTER 31

  A slave woman belonging to Antipater came to Rhoda and Lex after court was dismissed with a message from Nathan, instructing them to return to camp, and he would meet them there.

  Tight-lipped the whole walk back to the Mount of Olives, Rhoda continued to show her displeasure with Nathan by banging and clanging her way through the preparations for the evening meal. Thinking it best to stay out of the way, Alexandra sat under the ancient olive tree shading the tents, entertaining Mary and Timothy with a made-up game that involved tossing olive pits into a clay cup.

  The amusement required a minimum of her attention, which was good, as she couldn’t stop worrying over Nathan.

  “Lex.”

  She turned at the sound of the breathless voice. Nathan jogged toward her. His face was flushed and intent. She stood. Her hand went to her throat. Was he bringing good news or bad news?

  He raced the last of the way, caught her up in his arms, and buried his face in her neck. His warm lips moved against her flesh. “Lex, forgive me. Please forgive me.”

  She shuddered and rubbed his back. “What happened? What’s the matter?”

  His hot breath filled her ear. “I need you. I ache to lie with you.”

  Her pulse quickened and heat rushed through her. It had been weeks since they slept together as man and wife. She was starved for him.

  Rhoda announced her presence with several noisy coughs. “Come along, Mary and Timothy. I have some friends I want to visit before your brother drags us off to live in Antipater’s grand home. We will have our dinner elsewhere.” Her voice was purposely loud.” We won’t be back until dark.”

  Nathan’s low laugh curled through Alexandra.

  The older woman cleared her throat. “Be good to my Alexandra, or I will have something to say about it.”

  “I’ve been a fool,” Nathan confessed to his stepmother. “A mistake I hope to correct very soon.” His hands slid up and down Alexandra’s waist. “If you will have me,” he whispered, his voice thick.

  She pushed closer to him. “Always and forever.”

  He scooped her off her feet and crossed the camp with long, powerful strides. The small tent went dark as he closed the flap. Nathan’s desire filled the air. He laid her down, and his body covered her, pressing her into the ground. His hungry mouth devoured her mouth. Her blood heated. He’d never come to her like this. So desperate. So needy. His teeth nipped into her lower lip. Her insides contracted. She cried out.

  Nathan pulled back. He was panting. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t stop.” She reached for him. “Please don’t stop.”

  Concern and yearning warred on his face. “I am burning up for you. I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.”

  She licked her swollen lip. “Come. Come lose yourself in me.”

  His brown eyes flared and his full weight crashed down on her. “I love you, Lex.”

  She wrapped her arms tight around him.

  ***

  Sparkling sunlight danced over the tent entrance. A gentle breeze caressed Alexandra’s arms. “I’ve missed this,” she whispered.

  Nathan wound a lock of her hair around his finger. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I already did. You are too good to me. Especially after the way I treated you.”

  Gloriously content, she traced her finger over his bare chest. “What happened to bring on this...ah...change?”

  She felt a tremble go through him. “I died a thousand times while Judas held you captive, imagining I’d lost you. I died a thousand more deaths this morning, thinking I might never get to hold you in my arms again.”

  She touched his face. “I wept for joy when I heard the charges against you had been dropped.”

  His fingers stroked the sensitive skin along her jaw. “All I could think about when I left the Hall of Hewn Stones was getting to you. But I knew if I saw you, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you, so I sent the slave woman to tell you to go without me and I went to the bazaars to give you and Rhoda time to reach the camp. I bought you a gift.”

  She smiled. “You did?”

  He stretched out his free arm, grabbed his tunic and pulled an ivory-colored scarf from one pocket. Something else dropped out. Nathan draped the cloth over her head. “To replace the one we plan to burn.”

  Her breath caught. “It’s beautiful.” Short and light, the scalloped edge of the linen head cover was decorated with the finest embroidery she’d ever seen. “I thought you forgot.”

  “No, but I did forget about this.” He held a folded note between his fingers.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “Goda gave it to me.”

  She frowned. “What does it say?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t read it.”

  She helped him open the note.

  “Twenty silver pieces will buy you free passage into a hated Pharisee’s home,” Nathan read.

  Her inside turned cold. She was tired of hate, death, and revenge. “I know my father deserves to be punished, but—”

  Nathan placed his finger to her lips. “Shh, you don’t have to worry. Your father is safe from
me. I sat in court this morning, watching Herod’s rage turn him into something ugly. Disgusted with him and with myself, my anger burst like rotten fruit under a boot. I realized what a fool I had been for wasting my time hating, when I could use it to love you.”

  She took Goda’s letter from him, tossed it aside, and drew his hands to her stomach. “You’ll soon have more reason to choose love. I am with child.” She’d been waiting for a good time to tell him. She held her breath.

  Nathan’s face lit up. “Lex.” He sat up and pulled her onto his lap. His smile faltered. “How are you? Have you been sick?”

  “No. Well, I’m tired, but otherwise I feel good.” She sighed. “Are you happy about the baby? Truly happy?”

  Nathan pulled her to his chest and stroked her hair. “Aside from our wedding night, this is the happiest day of my life.”

  Joy bubbled through her.

  “I am going to move you to Antipater’s house, today,” Nathan said. “You deserve a real home. A real bed.”

  Her elation waned, Alexandra squeezed her eyes closed. “Whenever I imagine our child. I see us sitting under the shade of an olive tree with the baby. I see the farm.”

  Nathan’s hand stilled. “It’s a hard life.”

  He hadn’t said no. She took it as a good sign. “Are you determined to sell the farm and rejoin the army?”

  Nathan kissed her forehead. “No. I’d like to talk it over with you and Rhoda and decide together what’s best for the family.”

  She hugged him. “You are going to make a wonderful father.”

  ***

  Come nightfall Nathan and Lex sat holding hands by a small fire. Rhoda had returned to the campsite a short time earlier with Mary and Timothy. They hadn’t stopped smiling since hearing about the baby. Their happy chatter soothed Nathan’s raw soul. Anger and hatred lingered, shouting to be fed and nurtured, but he was determined to master it for the sake of his family, wife, and child. He wanted them to know the love of a good, kind, wise father.

  Lex released his hand. “I’ll be right back,” she said, getting to her feet. She went inside the small tent and came back out carrying the heavy, ugly veil they hated. A beautiful smile lit her face as she balled up the long garment and tossed it into the fire.