by Katie Clark
She shook her head.
Ezekiel looked back and forth between them. “You must know the ritual, for it is how you came.”
“The words,” Philip said. He turned to Skye. “We’ve tried them, but they haven’t worked. The tower must be the key.”
The tight lines on Skye’s forehead eased. “Yes, that has to be what makes it work.”
“We should leave right away,” Seth said quickly. “Ezekiel, may we use the tunnels?”
Whoa. Philip didn’t want Seth tagging along again.
But Ezekiel nodded and began speaking before Philip could argue. “The tunnels are the perfect method of gaining entry to the city without being seen. Seth, you will be a good guide.”
So Philip didn’t get a choice. “Can we leave right away?” he asked.
Skye glanced at the door. “I need to take care of a few things first.”
He raised his eyebrows at her. “Take care of things? We need to get out of here before the festival ends. Before the sacrifice starts.”
He expected a flash of her usual, modern-day anger, but she stayed calm. “I want to say goodbye to Leah.”
Philip relaxed. This was important to her. When Skye became a person’s friend, she was a friend to the end.
Unlike him.
Guilt filled him, but he would evaluate it later. “Fine. Let’s meet as soon as supper’s over. We’ll be better hidden if we travel at night, won’t we?”
Seth’s father shook his head. “On a normal night, yes, but this is no normal night. The festival rages. We saw it ourselves as we passed the city on our way here. The sacrifice nears, and the people grow wilder every minute.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “What if we wait for the festival to pass?”
Skye gasped. “We can’t just wait it out. What if they kill some girl in my place?”
He hated to say what was obvious. “Skye, they’ll probably do that anyway whether we’re here to know it or not.”
But being gone before it happened would make it feel much less real.
The horror on Skye’s face didn’t change, and he couldn’t stand being the one to upset her. “If you want to go tonight, we’ll go tonight.”
“Yes, I want to go tonight.” She seemed relieved that he’d offered.
Philip looked at their guide.
Seth nodded, his face solemn. “I am at your disposal.”
“Then it’s set,” he said. “Do whatever you need to do, Skye. Meet me at the shed out back as soon as supper ends.” She agreed and stood but then glanced between the men. Asking for permission to leave?
They were definitely in a weird situation.
Ezekiel stood, and bowed to her.
She practically ran from the room.
All eyes turned to Philip, and he shifted uncomfortably. What was he supposed to do between now and tonight? Did he have to return to the stable?
“Please, sit.” Ezekiel waved a hand at the spot left by Skye.
Philip swallowed his nerves. He needed to find the best way to do this. If it was up to him to keep Skye safe, he’d make sure the job got done. “So, what do I need to know?”
The men looked to each other before Seth’s dad started again. “Saul knows Skye is here. He will come, most likely soon.”
Philip hadn’t expected that. “How do you know?” And why hadn’t Saul come already?
Seth cleared his throat. “I was in the city before I joined my father. When I left you in the marketplace, I did not go back to Saul’s. I knew there was something wrong with your story and with the way Saul behaved. But I know many people in the city. Two different guards mentioned a raid on Ezekiel’s villa. We can only assume it is because he suspects the girl’s—Skye’s—location.”
“Yes,” Seth’s father said. “He will be looking vigilantly for her.”
“I assume he suspects his slave girl is here as well,” Ezekiel said.
Leah.
So, not only had Saul been embarrassed by having his glorious Hebat escape, Hebat herself had stolen one of his possessions. His slave girl.
The picture was becoming clear. “Saul won’t stop until he finds at least one of them.”
Ezekiel shook his head, his eyes sad. “No, he will not. He seeks revenge.”
“Then the tower is where we need to go,” Philip said. “But it’s heavily guarded. Not to mention, it’s where the sacrifice is being held, and if Skye is caught there, she will probably be sacrificed on the spot.”
Seth’s solemn face confirmed Philip’s words.
Saul was a dirty dude. If Dad had taught him anything, it was how to outsmart his enemy. Philip cracked his knuckles. “Let’s do it.” He wasn’t sure if he expected these guys to act like his friends back home with high fives and shouts of victory—but they only stared at him. “Right,” he said. “We’ll leave soon, then. What should we bring?”
~*~
Skye rushed through the villa, practically running toward the kitchen. Would Leah be safe here? She had mentioned knowing she couldn’t stay, but why?
Clatter from the kitchen calmed her. Kitchen duty was normal everyday life for these women. Nothing out of the ordinary like it had been for Skye.
Except one of Saul’s slaves had run away and come to Ezekiel. The other women didn’t know that. Leah’s actions had to be punishable, and Skye couldn’t bear that.
Fear took up a permanent place in her stomach as she approached Rachel. “I will return to the city tonight.”
Rachel turned, her eyebrows raised. Then, slowly, her shoulders slouched and she sighed. “Such a short visit. I will miss my Leah.”
Skye shook her head. “No, I don’t plan to take Leah with me. I want her to stay.”
Rachel sighed again as a tear slid down her cheek. “She cannot stay, dear girl. Leah belongs to Saul, and she must return.”
Anger boiled inside of Skye, but she managed to keep her mouth shut. She wanted to scream that a person couldn’t own another person, but in Sumer that wasn’t the case.
Rachel reached out and squeezed Skye’s hand. “Do not worry about us. We are allowed one visit each year. I will see her again. Now go and find her. She is with the chickens.”
Angry tears burned and Skye squeezed her eyes shut. This was so unfair. Finally, she hugged Rachel, then turned and headed for the chickens.
There had to be a way to keep Leah safe. To keep her away from Saul.
Would Saul beat Leah for running away? Would he lock her up? Starve her?
For all Skye knew, Lilla might feed the poor girl to her white tiger.
As Skye walked toward the chicken coop, she glanced toward the road leading from the city. A cloud of dust billowed. It moved fast, getting closer and closer to Ezekiel’s land.
Fear raced through her. She had to warn Ezekiel. It might be more council members, but the pounding of her heart told her it was something much worse.
Leah came out of the chicken coop. She spotted Skye and her face lit up. She skipped toward Skye. “Where have you been?” Her dark hair was swept back with a leather tie, but a strand had come loose and hung in her face.
Skye tucked it behind Leah’s ear. “I have to go back to the city tonight. I don’t think I’ll be back.”
Leah’s brown eyes grew large, but then her shoulders slumped just as Rachel’s had. “Oh.”
Skye looked back to the road. The dust cloud drew closer. “I think someone is coming,” she said, turning back to Leah. “I need to warn Ezekiel.”
Leah looked to the road, too. Her face paled, and she swallowed hard. “I should say goodbye to my mother.”
Skye wanted to refuse to allow Leah to come. She wanted to insist Leah stay. But she knew it was useless. She couldn’t change the way people lived four thousand years in the past.
“That’s a good idea,” she relented. “Meet me back here soon.” Skye’s throat tightened.
Leah didn’t want to leave her mother, but she had no choice. The love between them would h
ave to be enough. What would it be like to have that kind of love?
Leah hurried away, and Skye ran back to the villa. She maneuvered through the halls, getting disapproving looks from some of the house servants. The door to the meeting room from earlier was closed, and she pushed through without knocking.
The men still sat inside with Philip, and they all jumped to their feet when she stumbled in.
“Someone is coming,” she panted. “Fast.”
Ezekiel and Seth ran to the window.
Seth growled and shook his head. “We have to leave now. There’s no time to waste.”
Skye nodded. “Leah is already telling Rachel goodbye. Where are the tunnels?”
Seth moved quickly toward the door. “Under the shed in the back. We must hurry.”
Philip moved toward her and took her arm, but she stopped him and turned to Ezekiel. “Thank you for your help, Ezekiel. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Ezekiel smiled his kind, jovial smile. “You are most welcome, Mistress.”
She didn’t understand how he could be so calm. Wouldn’t Saul retaliate?
Philip tugged her arm again, and this time, she hurried out after him. There were tunnels under the shed where they’d hidden with Ezekiel. And they went all the way into the city. It seemed impossible.
They raced through the house and into the yard.
Skye threw a look behind her. The dust cloud was almost at the villa now. “We have to grab Leah!”
“There is no time,” Seth said. “If they catch her they’ll only take her back to Saul. If they catch you, they’ll sacrifice you.”
Panic and urgency swept through her at the thought of leaving Leah behind. “No, I have to get her!”
Philip squeezed her arm. “There is no time, Skye. She’ll be fine. We have to go.” He practically dragged her into the shed and slammed the door behind them.
Seth was already moving the old, rickety table and chairs out of the way.
Philip joined him.
Under the table was a trap door, and Seth pulled the handle. The door groaned as it opened, and Seth strained with the effort. “Hurry, Mistress. You go first.”
Skye glanced at the front door one last time, willing Leah to burst through. But it didn’t happen. She followed Seth’s orders and moved to the opening. Darkness glared at her from below, and she bit her lip. She had to go down there.
“Skye, go,” Philip whispered.
She sucked in a tight breath, nodded, and climbed down a frail ladder into the darkness of the tunnel below. The will to live pushed her forward, but sorrow wrapped around her. Leah was her friend, and she would never see her again. Leah had been kind to her, helped her, and Skye was leaving her behind. Skye gritted her teeth.
Philip and Seth climbed down behind her.
She would honor Leah’s memory by trying to make up with Mom. That would please Leah.
Seth pulled a torch from the wall next to the ladder, and a second later a flame sparked to life.
The three of them glanced at each other. Seth’s mouth was set in a firm, determined line.
Philip clasped her hand protectively, and Skye gave him a smile. She was ready. The next, and hopefully last, part of this journey was about to begin.
25
Philip brought up the rear of their group, while Seth led the charge through the tunnel. Seth knew where they were going, but it still irritated Philip to have him along. He wasn’t sure his grudge against the guy was fair. He didn’t have to be in charge all the time, but he needed to know that the person in charge knew what he was doing.
Philip didn’t know Seth from Saul.
The light of the torch cast shadows on the hard-packed dirt walls, and the cool air gave him chills. Philip shuddered. He hated heights, but he hated being trapped underground just as much. The smell of wet earth was strong, almost choking him, and panic filled him.
And this tunnel went all the way from Ezekiel’s villa to the city. Who would build something like that, and why?
Skye walked quickly in front of him, but she sniffled every few seconds. She hated leaving Leah behind, but when they got back to London, Leah would already be lost to them.
He would have hugged her—comforted her—but the small tunnel made it impossible. Losing people was harder on her than he’d ever realized. The guilt he’d been feeling off and on for the last few days came back full force. This time he didn’t push it away. He was done being a jerk to Skye and everyone else who didn’t bow down to him. From here on out he wanted to be better. More like Skye.
He might even go to church with her when they got back home. All the talk of a one true God versus the gods of the skies had him thinking about who he should be worshipping.
“There’s a large cavern ahead,” Seth said. “It has a small pool. We can stop and fill our water skins.”
Philip fingered the water pouch slung over his shoulder. Ezekiel had given it to him before Skye burst into the room. He’d also given him a small sack of food and other supplies.
They rounded a corner, and the pool gurgled in front of them. They would have to step over it to keep moving forward.
Seth moved to the water. He handed the torch to Philip, and Philip stepped around Skye to take it. The cavern was large with a high ceiling and a small hole at the top that let in a stream of sunlight. Thinking about the sun shining high above them while they walked in darkness below ground level was strange.
The water in the small underground spring was clear, running steadily from one side of the cavern to another, disappearing under a rocky ledge.
As Seth filled his water skin, Philip glanced at Skye.
She’d wiped her tears away and moved to dip her hands in the water. She dipped water out and sipped it from her cupped hands.
When Seth finished, he took back the torch, and Philip hurried to fill his own water pouch. He squatted, drinking water and letting his pounding heart go quiet.
Had they made it away undetected? They had no way of knowing, but it didn’t look as if anyone had followed them into the tunnel.
“Seth.” Skye’s voice echoed in the cavern, breaking the silence. “Why are you helping us?”
Philip twisted around and peered up at Seth. Skye had asked a good question. Why should he care what happened to two outsiders?
Seth frowned. He shifted in the dusty, rocky ground of the cavern.
Skye took a deep breath. “Leah had become my friend. She helped me, and it cost her. Now you are helping me, and I can’t stand the thought of losing someone else. So I need to know why you’re doing this.”
Seth’s raised brows mirrored Philip’s feelings. Skye never stopped surprising him. He hadn’t even looked at it the way Skye was presenting, but it made sense for her to be apprehensive.
Seth stepped closer. “At first, I believed you must be Hebat.” He spoke to the ground, and his words came slowly. “My father believes in one true God, but I have not been sure of this. However, when I helped you in the streets of the city, I knew you could not be Hebat. It made no sense for Hebat to wander through the city. I did not know why you should run away from Saul, but something deep inside me warned me to keep your secret. The next day I heard about the plans to raid Ezekiel’s villa, and my father sent word for me. My father explained that Saul’s plans were wicked. My father’s words resonated within me.
“Someday I will take my father’s place on the council. We need council members who are wise and trustworthy. I aspire to this, and it is why I help you now. We cannot allow Saul to do the thing he plans.”
His answer satisfied Philip, but Skye bit her lip. Philip stood from his crouched position as Skye answered.
“And what about now? Have you decided what you believe about God?”
Seth’s frown deepened. “I do not know. Saul is willing to sacrifice an innocent girl in order to advance his own greed. He is not working to please these gods he claims to believe in. How can I believe in them?”
Skye
stepped closer to him. Closer to the flame.
Philip watched, curious. He didn’t think like her, and he had no clue what she was up to.
“The gods aren’t real, Seth. I hope you’ll follow your father’s path.”
Seth studied her in a different way than Philip had noticed him doing the other night on the streets of the city. He wasn’t a guy filled with awe and admiration anymore. Now he was listening. “You say this because you know the future.”
“Yes and no. A Messiah will come and save mankind from their sins. His name will be Jesus, and He will be God’s son. He’ll be God’s own spotless lamb. A sacrifice to end all sacrifices. He’ll happily pay the price for us.” She stopped and sighed. “I’ve never seen Jesus, but I know He came—or will come. I just have to believe.”
Seth looked away, toward the cavern’s exit. After a few seconds, he took a step away. “We should keep moving.”
Skye met Philip’s eye, and he shrugged. She gave him a small smile then followed Seth, and Philip brought up the rear again. He hadn’t ever heard Skye talk like that, but she did things like helping the poor and attending church services at the soup kitchen. His admiration for her grew even deeper.
They walked for what seemed hours, but Seth led them on. They stopped once to eat before moving on again. They were silent, until Seth stopped at a rickety ladder.
Seth motioned for Skye to go first, but Skye pulled away. “Wait.” She glanced nervously between them.
Philip didn’t like the looks of this. “What?”
“I don’t want to go right to the tower.”
Not go to the tower? She wanted to rescue the girl who was being sacrificed in her place. He should have known.
“Skye, the longer we’re in the city, the higher the chance of being caught.”
“I just want to see her. See if we can help her,” Skye pleaded. He’d never seen her want something so badly. He’d never seen her eyes so sincere, so desperate.
He swallowed the emotions building in his throat. “It’s too dangerous. All of this has already happened, don’t forget.” He paused. What he was about to say was probably way too cruel, but it had to be said. “Skye, in our time, she’s already dead anyway.”
