Warring Desires (The Herod Chronicles Book 3)

by Wanda Ann Thomas

Giving up on getting any more out of the boy, Gabriel gave the reins some slack, and Ahab raced toward the next pack of mules. Gabriel had planned to talk to Noach next, but the devil mule had other ideas. They charged past the old man and up the next hill, where Shoshana waited, her hair streaming like a pennant in the wind.

  Gabriel’s stomach tightened in anticipation. He’d wondered if he would ever stir at the sight of a woman again. The numbness in the wake of his lovely Talitha’s death had given way to a lonely ache. His sister and friends had started dropping hints, suggesting Little Helen needed a mother.

  When he remarried, he wanted a warm and loving wife like Talitha, and one who was brave and selfless like Shoshana. To appease the requirements of his prominent status, she must be a highborn woman of marriageable age, with spotless bloodlines and unquestionable virtue. The one hundred or so girls in Jerusalem who met the last requirements were bland at best and grasping shrews at worst.

  He’d been blessed in his marriage to Talitha. He knew that. It was foolish to expect he’d be as fortunate next time. But he hadn’t reached the point where he was ready to settle for less.

  Ahab crested the small knoll and came to a halt beside Shoshana. Rows of dung-colored tents blanketed the rolling valley below. Smoke curled up from dozens of campfires. Broad-chested war-horses and domestic livestock, fenced in by wagons, grazed on waist-high tufts of yellowing grass. Jerusalem crowned the distant hills.

  Blood rushed to Gabriel’s head the way it had when labor pains had overtaken Talitha. Frightened and elated by the prospect of fatherhood, his life had taken on new meaning the moment he cradled his precious, newborn daughter to his chest. Taking a sword in hand to join Herod’s army filled him with similar fear and anticipation.

  Did he have the talent and courage to wade into battle? Would Herod welcome his help? What of the rigors of a soldier’s life? Sleeping on the ground in the cold, heat, and rain. The foul food and hard labor. Mingling with the Romans and Herod’s Idumean troops. “How are you and Ahab getting along?” Shoshana asked.

  Gabriel slid to the ground, took a step, and rubbed his tender backside.

  Shoshana covered her smile with her hand.

  Proof of his softness mocking him, he pretended to grimace. “Laugh if you will, but I am seriously considering walking the rest of the way. Thank the heavens it’s downhill from here.”

  She shaded her eyes. The wind molded her tunic to her soft curves. “Herod’s army makes an impressive sight.”

  His mouth went dry. Holy angels in heaven, Gabriel had never come across a more desirable woman. “Have you had many dealings with Herod?”

  Her caution-filled eyes met his. “This is our third trip to Jeru—.” She pulled off her red and orange veil, and dabbed it to her dew-kissed forehead. “I mean to Herod’s camp. But I’ve never met Herod. I hear he is quite formidable.”

  He loathed the thought of her entering a camp full of crude soldiers. She ought to have better protectors than old men and boys. Regretting not taking the opportunity to ask Jacob and Isaac about her husband, he took a deep breath. “Are you a widow?”

  A frosty barrier went up. “My husband’s whereabouts are none of your concern.”

  Gabriel scrambled to cover the indiscreet question. “What region do you come from? Do you have a long homeward journey?”

  Her features softened. “We live in Samaria.”

  “Samaria?” His father’s mistress was a Samaritan woman.

  “Please call on us if you ever have reason to visit Samaria.” A vivid blush spread across her cheeks. “But, I don’t suppose you ever find a need to go to Samaria.”

  His father traveled north several times a year, ostensibly to oversee the running of the family farm in Galilee. But they’d learned he’d also set aside time to stop in Samaria to consort with his mistress.

  “What are you suggesting?” For all he knew Samaria abounded with wanton women. And a little voice in his head said if Shoshana was the prize, he’d be mightily tempted to accept the invitation.

  Her brow knit. “I hoped to make amends for snapping at you.”

  Gabriel’s stomach soured. He’d misjudged the situation. Misjudged her. If anyone had questionable morals, it was him. And he was a hypocrite besides. His family was suffering because his father had been weak and unprincipled. Yet here he was lusting after a married woman, making him no better than his father.

  “Samaria is the last place in the world I would visit,” he said, disgusted with himself, and because he had a sneaking suspicion if he traveled within hailing distance of Shoshana he would find an excuse to behold her wild beauty and spend time in her company. He needed to demolish that bridge. “Nothing but the Lord catching me up in a whirlwind and vomiting me out in the heart of your city could induce me to visit Samaria.”

  She paled. “I thought you were different from most Judeans. But I can see I was wrong.”

  She believed Gabriel’s rude remark stemmed from the long-standing antagonism between the people of Judea and Samaria. He regretted the hurt he caused, but welcomed her anger. It was for the best if she viewed him as an arrogant jackass and avoided his company.

  Hooves crunching against rock announced the approach of the rest of the party.

  Head held high, Shoshana turned her back on him.

  Leonidas stopped beside Gabriel, blocking Shoshana from view.

  “Herod’s and the Romans’ combined camps appear almost as large as Jerusalem,” Leonidas said in awe.

  Gabriel dragged his hand through his hair, wondering why Noach’s family was traveling through the wilderness instead of on one of the well-traveled roadways. He and his brother had reason to avoid the main roads. “I was afraid we’d misjudged the distance in our attempt to circle in from the north and we’d wind up stumbling around here after dark.”

  Leonidas hitched his thumb toward Noach and Big Lev. “They’ve invited us to take our evening meal with them.”

  “We will part ways once we enter the camp,” Gabriel said. The family’s mysterious behavior wasn’t his problem. He planned to give the family a generous reward, then forget he ever met them. Especially Shoshana.

  Horns sounded in the distance, an urgent, ugly bellow. The encampment came alive. Thousands of soldiers snaked through the compound and poured into the open ground on the east side of the camp. The men assembled into block-like grids, forming a mighty hammer outside the walls of Jerusalem.

  Leonidas clicked his tongue, and his mule trotted forward. “Come on,” he called over his shoulder. “You don’t want to miss the fight, do you?”

  Herod had arrived in force six months ago. Every few weeks, his massive army lined up in formation and Herod invited Hasmond to surrender. And Hasmond answered by raining arrows down on Herod’s army. Gabriel doubted today would be any different. “The fight won’t be over in a day,” he called out, but the words drifted away unheeded.

  Gabriel couldn’t begin to guess how Herod would react to his request to join the fight. Gabriel had always followed the safe, sensible path. But his conscience wouldn’t allow for it now. He cinched his sword belt tighter and summoned courage for the challenge ahead.

  CHAPTER 6

  Traveling with the Samaritan mule train, headed straight into the glare of the afternoon sun, Gabriel and Leonidas passed under the watchful eyes of the grizzled soldiers guarding the outer defenses of Herod’s camp. Warm mule flesh brushed against Gabriel’s legs when the pack closed ranks. His heart beat faster. Nobody stopped or questioned them. They rode on in silence.

  The mule train clopped closer to the central command post. Unarmed men clothed in grimy tunics intercepted them. “Supplies to the left,” the leader instructed.

  Gabriel slid off his mule and addressed Noach. “My brother and I will part ways with you here.”

  Leonidas grinned from ear to ear and hopped to the ground. “We made it before the fight.”

  Gabriel elbowed his brother. “Stop acting like a fool.”

&n
bsp; Leonidas danced away. “I’ll go on ahead and return to tell you what’s happening.”

  “Don’t. We stay—”

  Not paying any attention to his elder brother, Leonidas raced off. Gabriel bit back an oath, untied his coin bag from his belt, and dug out a stack of coins. “Here,” he held them out to Noach Ehud. “For your trouble.”

  Shoshana gave him a hostile look and folded her arms.

  Regret sliced through Gabriel for the harsh things he’d said to her. It wasn’t like him to be disrespectful and hateful.

  Noach waved away the offer. “Travelers watch out for one another. That’s our way.”

  Worried what mischief his brother might fall into, Gabriel didn’t have time to argue. He dropped the coins back into the leather bag and backed away. “The Lord bless you and keep you safe.”

  Noach, Big Lev, Jacob, and Isaac waved farewell. Shoshana didn’t acknowledge him. Ahab gave a forlorn bray.

  “I know just how you feel, poor fellow,” Gabriel mumbled, turning and heading toward Herod’s assembled army.

  The abrupt parting left a sour taste. If he came out of his encounter with Herod whole, he would seek the family out to say a proper farewell and press the reward upon them and, much as the thought made him uncomfortable, he would offer an apology to Shoshana.

  Positive he’d find Leonidas in the thick of the excitement, Gabriel picked up his pace and weaved past brown hide tents and smoldering cook fires and gossiping camp slaves. Careful to give the reeking latrines a wide berth, he exited the eastern side of the camp.

  Gabriel halted. His heart beat harder.

  Awash in golden light, Jerusalem shone like the celestial city. Smoke from the sacrifices wreathed the Temple. His fellow priests were carrying out the age-old rituals without him. The morning’s upheaval over the drawing of the lots felt like it had happened a lifetime ago.

  Herod’s armor-clad soldiers stood at attention within hailing distance of the city walls. Herod and a group of stern-faced Romans stood atop a wooden, one-story observation platform. Pennants of red, yellow, and blue flapped overhead.

  Hasmond’s Jewish army lined the patched-together ribbon of stone walls and towers edging Jerusalem and capped by the Baris, the ancient fortress standing guard over the Temple compound. High Priest Hasmond and the Temple officers were standing atop the west tower, observing Herod’s display of power.

  Gabriel’s muscles tightened. His father, brother, and Cousin Simeon would be there. By now they’d know he and Leonidas planned to join Herod’s army. Part of him felt like a traitor.

  A dozen criers broke from the ranks of the Romans. “Give yourselves up,” voices echoed down the line. “King Herod is here for your good. To preserve Jerusalem. The King bears no grudges. He forgives his most ardent enemies.”

  King Herod? Gabriel frowned. Herod was half Idumean and half Nabatean, with no more claim to the kingship than a Roman magistrate or an Egyptian farmer.

  Arrows rained from the city’s walls in answer to Herod’s generous offer. High Priest Hasmond wouldn’t give up the city without a fight. The bolts fell harmlessly to the ground. Herod’s soldiers laughed.

  Shouted commands echoed through the ranks of the Romans, ordering the men to fall back into the camp.

  Disappointed but resigned to the fact there wouldn’t be a peaceful end to the standoff, Gabriel searched for Leonidas and spotted his brother chatting with an ugly, heavy-set man. The pair stood a short distance away from the wooden deck holding Herod and the Roman commanders.

  Gabriel hurried over to Leonidas. “What happened to our agreement to stay close together?”

  His brother flashed his winning grin. “I found just the fellow to help us.” He nodded toward the ugly man. “This is Rahm. He works for Herod.”

  The thick-set man combed fingers through a thin patch of hair swept over a balding head. “I can arrange a meeting with Herod.”

  Gabriel didn’t trust the dark, calculating eyes studying him. “I’m acquainted with Herod.” Gabriel had crossed paths with Herod a few times at royal banquets and functions. Exchanged greetings. That didn’t mean Herod remembered him.

  Rahm smiled, revealing yellow, horse-sized teeth with a wide gap between the front two. “Leonidas says you have important information regarding a spy.”

  Gabriel wanted to strangle his brother. “We won’t trust the matter to anyone but Herod.”

  “Rahm is a close adviser to Herod,” Leonidas said. “I didn’t see the harm.”

  Gabriel exhaled an exasperated breath.

  Crestfallen, Leonidas plucked at his red robe.

  Gabriel patted his brother’s shoulder. “You meant well.”

  Leonidas flashed a lop-sided grin. “Did your heart stop when the arrows flew through the air like a swarm of angry bees?”

  Mother of mercy. Biding his time until he could impress upon Leonidas the gravity of their situation, Gabriel turned his attention to the gap-toothed fellow. “You advise Herod?”

  Rahm donned a self-important look. “I travel far and wide, carrying messages for Herod and delivering or collecting the occasional bribe.”

  “Bribe?”

  Rahm pointed. “The man talking to Herod is Silo, the commander of the Roman army. Your High Priest is offering Silo a large sum of coins to withdraw his troops, and Herod is promising Silo the world to keep him here.”

  Gabriel winced. He’d assumed Herod held the advantage. “Who will prevail?”

  Rahm’s gravelly laugh set Gabriel’s teeth on edge. “The man with the most riches, of course. And for a few coins I can get you an audience with Herod.”

  Gabriel gave the slimy man a cold look. “We don’t want your type of help.”

  The breeze tugged at the flap of hair covering Rahm’s bald pate. “Suit yourself.”

  Herod and Silo descended the stairs of the observation deck and headed toward them. A contingent of ten or so officers fell in line behind Herod.

  Rahm inclined his head, daring Gabriel to address the formidable entourage.

  Gabriel swallowed his doubts, and stepped into Herod’s path. “My brother and I would like to have a word with you in private.”

  A thirty-five-year-old man in the prime of health and strength, Herod carried himself with the confidence and canniness of a much older man. “You’re Nehonya Onias’s sons?”

  Gabriel took a deep breath. “We’ve come to join your army.”

  Brutal eyes swept over him. A derisive smile followed. “You’ve ventured in over your head, priest. Go back where you belong. Return to the safe confines of the Temple.”

  Sure his face was turning the same shade of purple as his cursed cloak, Gabriel dragged the heavy sword from the scabbard, clasped the handle with both hands, and drove the tip into the ground. The violence of metal hitting stones reverberated through his bunched muscles.

  Foul oaths arose. Swords and knives slid free from sheaths. Leonidas stared gap-mouthed. Rahm backed out of the way. Silo frowned with distaste. Herod’s personal guard recovered from their surprise, and rushed to circle Gabriel.

  Stomach churning, Gabriel stood his ground. “If you want me gone, you’ll have to cut me down.”

  The guards closed on him.

  Herod raised his hand. “Hold on.”

  Thousands of eyes fixed on Gabriel. Their weight paled compared to Herod’s dark, assessing gaze. Gabriel’s gut roiled like the molten pits of hell. He prayed he’d guessed correctly. Prayed boldness would win the day.

  A wry grin spread across Herod’s face. He brushed past Gabriel. “Follow me, priest.” He pointed at Rahm. “You too.”

  The gaped-tooth man flashed a smug smile, joined the officers, and engaged them in friendly chat.

  Able to breathe again, Gabriel directed Leonidas to the rear of the small procession.

  Bursting with vigor, Leonidas cracked the knuckles of one hand, then the other. “I hope Herod gives us a place among his horsemen. Rahm says they are formidable.”

  H
olding onto his patience, Gabriel spoke into his brother’s ear. “We’re on tentative ground. Guard your mouth.”

  “What did I say?” Slender and of average height, Leonidas was still growing and adding muscle, but at this moment he seemed more boy than man.

  “You realize, if matters go badly, Herod could decide to arrest us or take us hostage,” Gabriel exhaled a shaky breath. “I didn’t take all the risks into account.”

  Leonidas brushed away the warning. “You’ll make Herod see the wisdom of taking us in. Father and Mother always listen to you.”

  The safe confines of home felt a world away. Gabriel patted his brother’s back. “I appreciate your confidence, but settling squabbles between you and Andrew doesn’t count for anything out here.”

  They left the parade ground behind and entered the working innards of the camp. A monstrous war horse reared, kicking his hoofs at a red-faced groom. Gabriel and Leonidas gave the horse a wide berth. Slaves swarmed over the returning soldiers. A boy only a few years younger than Leonidas peeled armor off a grizzled soldier. A hideous scar from some previous battle marred one side of the soldier’s face.

  “What’s this I hear?” Herod called out to the maimed man.

  The veteran grinned. “My camp woman nearly burst her innards pushing my brawny son into the world.”

  Herod shook his head. “Your wife will break a platter over your thick skull if she learns your wages are supporting a camp woman and a bastard son.”

  Soldiers hooted and howled.

  The maimed man made a face. “My wife wouldn’t waste her good platters on me.”

  “Feed the boy well,” Herod said. “So he grows to be a big, ornery soldier like you.”

  The scarred veteran sobered. “I named the bastard Herod in your honor.”

  Herod flashed a white-toothed smile. “I’ll make sure not to lose this war. Wouldn’t want the child to go through his life being called that losing bastard rather than Herod.”

  The soldiers surrounding them cheered and slapped each other on the back, and Herod moved on with a bit more swagger in his step.

  Gabriel glanced down at his and Leonidas’s colorful robes. Their attire had nothing to do with them not fitting in here. They’d entered a foreign world. Did he and Leonidas have what it would take to survive? Gabriel couldn’t help but wonder if he was making the biggest mistake of his life.