Warring Desires (The Herod Chronicles Book 3)

by Wanda Ann Thomas

  Gabriel recalled yesterday’s conversation with the Young Isaac. “Your grandson mentioned something about a crooked contract. Have you taken the document to an expert on your laws?”

  Noach, Big Lev, and Jacob narrowed their eyes at Isaac. The boy rolled his eyes. “He asked why I wanted to read.”

  Noach rested his hand on Isaac’s head. “You and I will have a little talk later.”

  The boy heaved a resigned sigh and propped his chin on his knees. “Make me clean out the chicken pen for punishment. You know how I think it’s disgusting.”

  Noach ruffled Isaac’s hair, then turned back to Gabriel with a dejected look. “The contract is perfectly legal. I was the one who was unwise enough to sign it.”

  A frigid gust breached Gabriel's robes. Cold air slid over his arms and chest. How could anyone with half a conscience leave old men and young boys to struggle with the daunting labors of a mule train operation? How could any self-respecting husband send his wife unprotected into hostile territory overrun with bandits and soldiers? “Rahm’s the one who should be ashamed.”

  Big Lev stretched his long legs. “Rahm is a snake. Watch out for him.”

  Gabriel wasn’t worried for himself. “There must be something we can do to help.”

  “We could speak to Rahm on your behalf,” Leonidas offered.

  Shoshana paled. “Stay far away from Rahm. He plans to steal you blind. He ordered us to befriend you in hopes of worming his way into your good graces. He hopes to squeeze coins from you. We would have warned you before parting ways.” She winked at Isaac. “But my nephew hurried the conversation along. We don’t want to help him cheat you.”

  Gabriel knew the damnable man was up to something. “I don’t put any blame on you. What can we do to stop Rahm from taking advantage of you?”

  Shoshana shivered and rubbed her arms. “We’ve dealt with Rahm for twenty years now. He doesn’t like to part with his possessions. He won’t divorce me without a fight.”

  Twenty years? Gabriel studied her anew. That would make her at least five years older than he was. If anything, he’d thought she was a few years younger. Draped in sorrow, with harsh firelight lancing across her lovely face, he picked out the faintest of lines etching the corners of her mouth and eyes. His instinctive loathing for Rahm found teeth because of his mistreatment of Shoshana and her family.

  And he hated the idea of Shoshana having to beg Rahm for anything. “Surely something can be done. Allow us to help.”

  Shoshana cast the charred stick into the fire. “Rahm is more dangerous than he appears. Leave us to worry about our affairs.”

  Unhappy at the suggestion he wasn’t capable of dealing with Rahm, Gabriel opened his mouth to protest just as Leonidas drew his shiny dagger from its pristine sheath and jabbed it into the ground. “We’re not afraid of Rahm.”

  Embarrassed by the bold boast, Gabriel tucked his chin to his chest. The strip of purple peeking out from under Big Lev’s cloak stared him in the face. Jacob had said Gabriel held his sword like a girl. Herod had laughed when Gabriel asked to join the army as a soldier. James predicted he would be cut down before he took two steps on a battlefield. And Shoshana had saved him from bandits. Any threats or promises on his part, before he proved himself, would make him look as immature and boastful as Leonidas.

  And, much as he admired the family, their problems weren’t his. He had already taken on enough of a challenge. He needed to concern himself with retrieving supplies and delivering them safely to Herod so he could join the war to unseat Hasmond.

  Gabriel tucked the plum-colored garment behind the sturdy brown wool. “We will heed your warning. Thank you for being honest with us.”

  Shoshana and the others exchanged uncomfortable glances. Tempted to ask if they were keeping more secrets, Gabriel clamped his mouth shut and warmed frozen fingers over the fire.

  CHAPTER 12

  Less than an hour after the mule caravan arrived at her home on the outskirts of bustling Samaria, Shoshana gave her widowed sister-in-law Naomi a peck on the cheek, squared her shoulders, and slid out the scarred wooden door of the family’s cave home.

  She covered her eyes against the glow of the winter sun riding low on the horizon and surveyed the yard. Jacob lifted a pail of water from the well and poured it into the ancient stone trough. Isaac tossed armloads of hay into the rock enclosure penning the mules. Grandfather and Big Lev attended to the trio of mares who had pulled up lame on the wet journey. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Leonidas Onias adorned the rocky yard like a pair of misplaced Greek statues.

  Shoshana’s grandfather had assigned her the task of escorting the rich, colorfully-clothed priests into the city to introduce them to the local mule train drivers and merchants. She wrinkled her nose, able to think of far more pleasant ways to spend her time, such as collecting dried dung for the fire or cleaning out the chicken pen.

  She joined Gabriel and Leonidas. The pair really did look out of place. She could almost pity them, especially if she dwelled on how sad and vulnerable Gabriel had looked when she wanted to rip his violet-colored cloak.

  Leonidas smiled wide. “I’ve always wanted to visit a cave house. How big is it?”

  She glanced back at her home burrowed into the face of the stony hillside, fronted by a rock and mud facade. It was one of many such dwellings favored by those who made their living with livestock.

  She tucked a loose tendril of hair back under her favorite scarf. “There are three chambers. The rooms become narrower the deeper you go. You’ll sleep in the outer chamber, near the oven.”

  “You have an oven?” Leonidas asked.

  Bless her grandfather’s generous heart, he’d insisted the Onias brothers stay at the farm as their guests. Gabriel had resisted at first, saying they’d go to an inn, but grandfather wouldn’t hear of it. At least one of the young princes was pleased at the prospect of sleeping under their humble roof.

  She smiled. “The chimney is to the right of the door.”

  “I thought the opening served to let the light in,” Leonidas said. “Very clever.”

  Convinced the brothers lived in one of the grand homes she’d seen when they delivered supplies to Jerusalem earlier in the month, she raised a brow. “Many find such houses suffocating.”

  Leonidas snatched up a smooth stone and tossed it hand to hand. “I can’t wait to throw down my blanket for the night.”

  Gabriel’s lips twitched with a smile. “I believe you are more excited about sleeping in the cave home than you were to spend your first night in the Temple.”

  Leonidas threw the stone high overhead and snatched it out of the air. “I will sleep at the Temple many times. But my friends will be envious when they learn I slept in a cave home. Here, catch,” Leonidas said tossing the stone to Gabriel.

  Gabriel juggled the rock before securing it in his grasp. “You are going to be the death of me.”

  Shoshana gave into the laugh burbling up, and they left the yard, heading east. “The large mule train holders live on the other side of the city,” she explained. “Most of the wine and grain merchants are there too.”

  The stone gates of Samaria beckoned in the distance, arms thrown wide open to the farmers, merchants, and families who came and went from a city flush with prosperity. Leonidas jogged ahead to greet a band of musicians heading into the city, engaged them in conversation, and took a turn beating on a drum.

  Shoshana smiled. “Your brother is the friendliest person I’ve ever met.”

  Gabriel made a face. “Give him time and you will wish he wasn’t quite so cheerful.”

  They edged to the side of the cobbled road, making room for an oxcart. Gabriel’s sleeve brushed her arm. “It feels good to laugh.”

  Unsettled by his gentle voice and a stirring deep inside, she stole a look at his handsome face. “Rahm used to get angry when I found amusement in life’s absurdities or unpredictable turns. I’ve never understood why people prefer to complain or grumble instead of taking j
oy where it’s to be found.”

  The breeze ruffled Gabriel’s dark brown mane of hair. “My daughter needs to see me smile.”

  Her heart softened some more toward him. “I hope you are able to return home soon.”

  “Me too.”

  Up until now Shoshana hadn’t cared who won the war to control Jerusalem. She loathed Rahm for forcing her family to deliver supplies to High Priest Hasmond in Jerusalem while collecting coins from Herod for the same supplies. The usual dangers alone worried her, but now the trip would be made with the added strain of knowing they had to work against Gabriel and Leonidas.

  Should she tell him the truth? The secret weighed heavily on the family. Especially on her grandfather, who prided himself on always dealing honestly with others. It would be a relief to confess everything.

  A cart rattled past. She picked at the hem of her shawl. “I pray the coming trip to Judea will be our last.”

  “I’m no better than Rahm,” Gabriel confessed with disgust. “Taking you and your nephews and grandfather into harm’s way for my own selfish reasons.”

  She stepped over a pothole and glanced up at Gabriel. “You’re nothing like Rahm.”

  His eyes met hers. “Once the Roman army is well supplied for winter, I will give you funds to return home and stay here. You can tell Rahm to go to Hades.”

  “We couldn’t accept your coins. You hardly know us.”

  “I have enough coins and more to spare.”

  Shoshana’s family knew what they were up against, but it was clear their warning to Gabriel concerning Rahm hadn’t gone far enough. “Even if we accept your coins, it wouldn’t help. Rahm will gladly take his share of the earnings, then send us and the mule train back into the fray, all the while gloating over besting a pair of rich priests. I beg you to go back to your life in Judea and forget you ever met us.”

  A glint of flint showed in Gabriel’s amber-flecked eyes. “You came to my and Leonidas’s aid with nothing more than a club in your hand. I can’t turn my back on you. I won’t.”

  She hated to insult Gabriel, but she would hate it more if he got caught up in Rahm’s web of lies. “Rahm started cheating people when you were still a boy sitting on your father’s lap.”

  “You are that sure Rahm will best me?”

  A ball of ice formed in her stomach. She unleashed the harsh truth, one many years of unhappiness had taught her too well. “Rahm always wins.”

  A wounded expression crossed Gabriel’s face. He gripped the handle of his sword. “He’s due to lose then, isn’t he?”

  Gabriel’s sincerity washed through her like the faint memories of a dream. She was once young and hopeful, sure wrong could be overturned by diligence, sure goodness would prevail over evil. But her innocence had long since been scrubbed away. “Keep your eye on the battle you came to fight. We don’t want your help.”

  “You are giving up too—.”

  “What took you so long?” Leonidas called out from the shadows of the city wall.

  She hurried forward. Grateful, for once, for the crush of people bustling through the gates, she squeezed in line behind a group of herders smelling of sheep. She used the brief respite from Gabriel and Leonidas to recover her composure.

  She wouldn’t allow the young prince from Judea to awaken her hopes. They had begged, threatened, and cajoled many times, but Rahm would not divorce her. Even if they succeeded in extracting a bill of divorce, she was no longer a young woman. She’d made peace with her losses—no sweet children of her own to love and care for, no comfort to be found in the arms of a loving husband—and she did not want to suffer the excruciating pain of mourning again over what she couldn’t have.

  ***

  Gabriel followed Leonidas and Shoshana down a thoroughfare crowded with multi-storied stone buildings. Dried grime clung to the lower half of the brown and gray walls. A patchwork of colorful signs hung from the crumbling plaster, announcing the nature of goods or services available. A squat green dome loomed ahead. Heaps of reeking trash littered the alleys surrounding a dilapidated temple honoring one of the lesser Greek gods.

  Gabriel turned his nose up at the stench and promised himself the next time he was blessed to walk the holy streets of Jerusalem, he’d make sure to stop and thank the street sweepers who worked daily to keep the sacred city free of filth.

  They turned a corner and came upon a sprawling market. Though dirty, Samaria was far from destitute. It was more like the Samaritans were so busy exchanging goods and coins they couldn't be bothered with slowing down to clean up after themselves.

  Shoshana directed them down a narrow alley. “This way is quicker.” Shoulders back and head up, she walked at a brisk pace, still angry with him for pushing the matter with Rahm. Gabriel would have a word with Rahm. He just wouldn’t make the mistake of mentioning it again to Shoshana. Rahm always wins...a boy on his father’s lap. He ground his teeth and marched on.

  They weaved around broken crates and piles of shattered pottery. The smell of rotten fish spilled out a half-open door. A knot of brutes waited outside a door with lewd drawings painted on the wall next to it. Sharing a jar of wine, they swayed on their feet and leered openly at Shoshana.

  “Put your eyes back in your heads,” Gabriel growled, tempted to punch at least one of the drunkards.

  Leonidas gawked open-mouthed at the pictures. Gabriel grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him along, wondering where the overpowering need to protect Shoshana and prove himself to her was coming from? Keep your eye on the battle you came to fight, she had said. The advice was sound. He wholeheartedly agreed. Sensible was his creed.

  The sword James had given him was to blame. Gabriel could almost forget he was a priest when he wrapped the sword belt about his waist. He felt more of a man with the weight of the blade bumping against his leg. Resting his hand on the hilt or drawing the sword from the scabbard made his chest swell. He remembered the first time he’d put on his priest’s clothes, feeling the weight of duty entrusted to him. The elation and pride when he caught the blood of a bull in a golden bowl, or when he laid wood on the bronze altar, or sprinkled the sweet incense over the holy fire. Wearing a sword was equally heady and empowering.

  But he couldn’t allow a chunk of metal to turn his mind to porridge. Especially when it came to Shoshana.

  A door banged open opposite them. Gray wash water flew through the air. Gabriel and Leonidas jumped sideways. A few tepid drops splashed against their tunics and heels.

  “Watch what you’re doing,” Leonidas complained indignantly.

  “Go to Hades,” a gravelly voice yelled. The door thumped shut.

  “Mother of mercy,” Gabriel grumbled, lengthening his stride. “Does your grandfather know you walk this way?”

  Shoshana spun around. Brown, copper-hued hair swished over slender shoulders. Cinnamon eyes flashed. “Don’t you dare tell me Jerusalem is free of harlots and low places. I camped in the Hinnom Valley. I saw the hovels huddled in the shadows of the smoking fires of Gehenna.”

  Leonidas brightened. “James and Winebibber the Weak gamble on dice near Gehenna and smirk at each other over a harlot named Morta.”

  Gabriel jabbed Leonidas. “I warned you to not keep company with James.”

  Leonidas coughed. “It was just talk.”

  Shoshana rolled her eyes and strode off.

  Gabriel caught up to her. “I know many Judeans hate Samaria or Samaritans. But I'm not one of them.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You said Samaria was the last place in the world you wanted to visit.”

  Not about to confess his attraction to her rocked him, prompting the ugly remark, he rubbed the back of his neck and shifted in place. “You caught me at a weak moment. My rudeness shames me. I hope you can forgive me?”

  Her hostility dimmed. “Jerusalem is a clean, tidy city.”

  Transfixed by the sprinkle of light brown freckles crossing her pretty nose, he swallowed. “Truth be told, I’d never given much
thought to Samaria or Samaritans, until...” Their eyes met and held. Awareness prickled between them.

  His face heated. She blushed.

  “Samaria is interesting, but I wouldn’t want to live here,” Leonidas said, blithely unaware of the incendiary turn of the conversation.

  Shoshana turned and rushed onward.

  Tempted to stare at her graceful curves, Gabriel tucked his chin to his chest. The mottled brown stains covering his purple cloak winked in accusation. Lusting after a married woman while wearing the garment Talitha had lovingly chosen felt like a betrayal or a dirtying of what had been pure and good.

  Leonidas stretched and yawned. “I’m famished. Do you mind if I backtrack to the market? I smelled something wonderful in passing. Roast meat, I believe.”

  Gabriel hid his self-disgust behind mock irritation. “When aren’t you hungry?”

  “There is an inn just ahead that sells food,” Shoshana said over her shoulder.

  Leonidas bolted after her. “Do they sell roasted meat?”

  Gabriel scrubbed his face and followed. “He can wait.”

  Shoshana didn’t acknowledge them, instead she disappeared inside an open doorway.

  A childish drawing of a dove and the word Inn painted in large blue letters greeted Gabriel and Leonidas as they ducked under a weathered, wooden lintel.

  The White Dove.

  Gabriel’s father had made mention of the inn in connection with his thrice yearly trips he made to Galilee to oversee the operations of the family farm.

  Enormous jars of grain and wine filled one corner. Bundles of dried herbs hung from pegs over a worn wooden table coated with flour. Lumps of dough sat ready for kneading. Shoshana talked animatedly with a broad-faced, middle-aged woman wiping reddened hands on a coarse rag. Two pink-cheeked girls about the same age as Jacob and Isaac worked together to ladle a steaming mix of leeks, turnip, and lamb chunks into serviceable earthen bowls.

  The warm glow of an oil lamp flickering across her face, Shoshana waved for Gabriel and Leonidas to step closer. “Come meet Anina, and eat your fill.”