Warring Desires (The Herod Chronicles Book 3)

by Wanda Ann Thomas

  She wasn’t sure which hurt worse—the brutal confession or the vulnerable look in his eyes. She moved closer to James and cupped his face. “You hate yourself because you want to be upright and respectable.”

  He tugged her hands away. “I want to be free of my father. That’s what I want. But you’re right. I can’t kill him.”

  She exhaled out a relieved breath. “I knew you’d see sense.”

  He flashed a lopsided smile. “Liar.”

  “Maybe I was just a little concerned.”

  “I haven’t changed my mind out of charity.” He held up the wax tablet. “I have to assume whoever delivered this might have read it first and sold the information to my father, or High Priest Hasmond, or both men. That changes the game.”

  “Game? You sound like your father.”

  The color drained from James’s face. “Don’t ever compare me to him.”

  “Don’t allow him to drag you down to his level and I won’t.”

  They stared at each other. The sound of laugher spilled from the house. Two young neighbor girls and little Helen were playing, full of spirit and vigor, despite the late hour.

  James’s shoulders dropped. “You already made it clear you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you,” she whispered. “You frighten me.”

  “You promised to always think kindly of me.”

  The dark shadows under his eyes offered proof of the stress that came from living under the same roof as his despicable father. An evil she had suffered firsthand. A fate he was enduring so she could remain with her family, when Simeon Onias had tried to have her sent into exile. She owed him the same loyalty. “I remember.”

  James’s scowl receded. He tapped the wax tablet against his palm. “How did the message come into your hands?”

  “Dorcas said a slave boy knocked at the back door.”

  “Did you show it to anyone else?”

  It pained her to admit she didn’t trust her father and Andrew because of their close ties to High Priest Hycranus. “I wanted you to see it first.”

  “I appreciate your caution, but I don’t know if it will make a difference. I’m sure many eyes have already seen it.”

  “The tablet was wrapped in linen, and my brother’s seal was intact.”

  “Tampering with seals is child’s play to spies.”

  “I suppose you would know,” she said, then covered her mouth.

  A hint of a smile curved his lips. “The real problem will be figuring out who knows what. Does my father know I was planning to kill him? Do he and High Priest Hasmond know I spy for Herod? I have the advantage of knowing Rahm is a spy. But does Rahm know I’m a spy?”

  The clop of horse hooves echoed in the distance. The royal cavalry making its nightly rounds of the city. Elizabeth fisted her hands in her tunic to keep from reaching for James’s hands. “Promise me you will be careful.”

  “I know how to watch out for myself.”

  She studied his earnest face. Noted again his solid chest and powerful limbs. He had grown into a capable man, one whose self-loathing was balanced with a healthy dose of self-confidence. “Promise me again you won’t kill your father.”

  James’s eyes darkened. “He’s safe from me unless he attempts to harm you.”

  “I won’t give him reason to.”

  “Are your food stores holding up? I can secure whatever you need.”

  James was an unsolvable puzzle. He talked calmly and coldly of murder one moment, then the next became tender. She chafed her arms against the chill of evening. “We have plenty. And my father and Andrew have been collecting grain, oils, nuts, and other foodstuffs from the wealthy to distribute to the poor.”

  “High Priest Hasmond continues to have supplies smuggled into the city. That’s most likely the route Gabriel’s message took. I should destroy the tablet before anyone else sees it.”

  Reluctant to part with this tangible link to Gabriel and Leonidas, Elizabeth nodded her agreement. “Do you think we will ever go back to living simple, peaceful lives...where our only cares are preparing for feast days and purchasing new clothes and sandals? And my brothers tease me and make jests about each other. I miss the love and joy we shared. I took it for granted.”

  James drew closer. “I want to say yes for your sake. But I fear it would be a lie.”

  She yearned to wrap herself in the warmth he radiated. “What will you do about your father?”

  “I will offer to make peace,” James said, grim-lipped.

  “What sort of peace?”

  “Ask him to make a vow stating he will end his deadly intentions toward you and I will promise to do the same.”

  A fresh wave of unease rippled through her. “Will he agree?”

  James stared past her. “I’ll find out soon enough.”

  CHAPTER 25

  James tramped through the stone tunnel entrance to the Temple compound. Cold shadows closed around him. His stomach refused to settle, but it wasn’t on account of the wax tablet Elizabeth had passed to him last evening. Or because he feared his father knew of his plot to poison him. No, his father’s mere presence was enough to make him ill.

  A few steps later, James and his father emerged into the white-walled Temple courtyard. Heavy gray clouds hung low in the sky. The daily crowd of Pharisees, Sadducees, and ordinary Jerusalemites jostled through the narrow gates leading to the inner precincts of the Temple. The suffocating smell of burnt animal and grain offerings assaulted.

  Temple life never varied. The same scenes and work repeated themselves every day, year in and year out. Some days James wanted to cry from boredom. At least today he had a new challenge to keep his mind busy. Broaching the subject of spies and poison required a subtle touch.

  James edged closer to his father. “Which part of Gabriel’s message shocked you the most?”

  His father smoothed his white robes and continued nodding to acquaintances. “Do we have to do this now?”

  “I thought you would be less likely to screech at me here.”

  His father’s perpetual scowl deepened. “I am aware of your murderous intentions and your work as a spy. Be thankful I haven’t informed High Priest Hasmond of your indiscretions.”

  They passed by stalls of cooing doves and baaing sheep waiting to be sacrificed for the sins of others. “I am willing to end hostilities,” James said casually.

  “We have bigger worries.”

  Leaving the Court of the Gentiles behind, they continued on through a set of tall gates. The Temple complex was a series of buildings nested within larger buildings, narrowing with each increment, with each court more exclusionary than the last. James glanced up at the balcony surrounding the Women’s Court. The wives, mothers, daughters, and nieces of the aristocracy watched the proceedings from the lofty perch, draped in jewels and fine garments.

  “We?” James asked.

  His father made a show of dropping coins into one of the thirteen crate-sized Temple Treasury boxes dominating the Women’s Court. “Parthia is finished in this part of the world.”

  James’s jaw went slack. “You believe the war is lost?”

  His father tucked his coin pouch under a belt woven of blue, purple, and scarlet threads. “Hasmond won’t consider surrendering. Not if he wants to remain alive. But he won’t be able to stave off Herod without reinforcements.”

  Jubilant over the news, James grinned. “You might want to practice saying “King” Herod.”

  His father wrinkled his nose. “I don’t need your insolent remarks to tell me the time has arrived to begin currying favor with Herod. Conveniently enough for me, you spy for the Idumean dog. I will start passing information on to you.”

  The image of rats jumping from sinking ships ran through James’s mind as they climbed the circular fan of steps leading to the Court of Priests. Solemn-faced supplicants clutching fat doves and bleating lambs waited in line to turn their gifts over to the Priests who toiled the entire day before the brazen altar and the b
razen basin resting on twelve bulls cast in bronze.

  James halted on the top step. “I doubt my work as a spy will be enough to save you from Herod’s wrath.”

  Worshippers bustled by. His father grasped James’s forearm. “Doesn’t Herod’s mother have a niece they hoped you’d marry?”

  “At one time,” James answered cautiously, pulling his arm free.

  “I’ve sent a missive to Parthia breaking off your engagement to the Parthian princess. You will be free to marry into Herod’s family. That should make you happy.”

  Visions of red-lipped Kitra intruded. James felt his face heat. Kitra knew how to please a man. The trouble was she had worked her charms on too many men. And she had a girlish laugh which set his teeth on edge, and she wore scandalous garments. His father’s heart would fail if he had to deal with a daughter-in-law such as Kitra. James nodded. “Kitra and I would be a good match.”

  His father’s pruned lips curled up. “I will leave arranging the matter to you. Offer the girl’s father a hefty bride gift and draw up a marriage contract as quickly as possible.”

  James gave his father a long look. “I will save your neck, but...if any accidents befall Elizabeth...” James hated bringing Elizabeth into discussions involving marriage to Kitra and distasteful deals with his father. Not that Elizabeth was ever far from his mind.

  His father gnashed his teeth. “The future of the family rests on you. You’ve failed miserably at your Gatekeeper duties. Try to do better with Herod.”

  A procession of rigid-backed Pharisees filed by, staring with open curiosity.

  His father stalked away.

  James fingered the hem of his black tunic and stared at a pair of towering columns guarding the way to the heart of the Temple. As a boy he would gaze with wonder at the curtain embroidered with a map of the world hanging over the entrance. He imagined the joy he would feel the day he was permitted to pass behind the curtain and view the golden altar of incense and the seven-branched candelabra and the table holding the twelve loaves of shewbread.

  The scar marring his cheek had ended those dreams. But his father had escaped his misdeeds unscathed. His father had schemed with criminals, treated his children abominably, lied and cheated, yet risen to the prestigious post of Temple Overseer.

  And if his father made peace with Herod, he might just find a way to be named the next High Priest of Israel. His father would do it again—escape without paying for his sins.

  James’s heart filled with icy hatred. Herod might forgive and forget, but James wouldn’t. He would kiss the feet of devils if that’s what it took to keep his father from succeeding.

  CHAPTER 26

  The kitchen of the White Dove smelled of steaming lentils and fresh bread. Shoshana warmed her cold hands over the oven. “Are you sure you want to be involved? We could find another place to meet with Rahm.”

  Anina dried a clay bowl with a sturdy towel. “Rahm is a fool for refusing to enter your cozy home.”

  Marriage to Rahm had been an uncomfortable union from the beginning. She’d been glad when Rahm stopped coming home. Most of their acquaintances believed they had already divorced. “He was embarrassed by our cave home. Later he detested it, but refuses to grant me a divorce.”

  Anina shook her head and found a spot for the chipped bowl in a crowded shelf. “I don’t know why I’m surprised, after the way he treated his poor parents, neglecting and abandoning them. He ought to be horsewhipped for deserting you and not having the decency to grant you a divorce.”

  Shoshana fiddled with a bowl filled with aromatic spices. “I was young when we married, and baffled by his anger at the least little thing I did. One day I realized the problem. He hated the fact that he needed our help. He resented us for it.”

  “Rahm isn’t worthy to kiss your feet. Have you heard anything from the scoundrel yet?”

  Two weeks had passed since her grandfather asked his fellow mule train drivers to pass on a message to Rahm. The wait was making Shoshana jumpy. “No, but at least we have a plan in place for when he comes.”

  Anina pointed a wooden spoon at the curtained-off pantry. “Five or six men can fit comfortably in my store room.”

  “Thank you for introducing us to Herod’s guardsmen.”

  Anina moved to the stove and stirred the lentil soup, filling the room with a comforting, earthy smell. “What did you tell the guards?”

  “Grandfather told them we had information that could gain them favor with Herod. He didn’t mention Rahm by name.” Shoshana clasped her hands and met Anina’s eyes. “Grandfather believes Herod will execute Rahm once he learns Rahm is a double spy. I want to put an end to the dangers we’ve faced, but not like this.”

  Anina patted her arm. “The blame is not yours. Rahm has doomed himself with his deceitful ways.”

  Determined to do whatever it took to protect her family, Shoshana gave Anina a quick hug. “That’s what grandfather says.”

  Anina hugged her back. “It will be over soon.”

  A knock sounded at the door, and a courier entered bearing a sealed letter. Gabriel’s notes had arrived almost daily via the couriers Herod used to correspond with his mother, sister, and betrothed wife, who happened to be quartered in Samaria.

  Shoshana accepted the small square of parchment sealed with a circle of red wax.

  The messenger departed. Shoshana brushed her thumb over the marks incised in the wax seal. She couldn’t read the raised words, but Anina told her what they said. “Gabriel Onias” circled by the words “The Work of the Lord”.

  “Gabriel is as thoughtful as his father,” Anina said. “I lived for Nehonya’s letters.”

  On the surface Gabriel’s letters were addressed to her grandfather and related tales about Gabriel and Leonidas’s training, and stories about Leonidas’s misadventures. But Gabriel always ended by saying, I long to spend time in your home and to be among you as speedily as possible. Her heart warmed every time Anina read the words aloud to her.

  “Nehonya taught you to read?”

  “He was a very patient teacher. And kind-hearted, like Gabriel.”

  Shoshana hadn’t understood why a strong woman like Anina would settle for occasional visits and letters when she could have enjoyed a real marriage. The tangle of emotions she felt for Gabriel gave her new compassion for Anina’s difficult choices.

  The silence stretching out, Shoshana realized she was gnawing her lip. “Gabriel and I have no future.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “A union between us would be impossible. Gabriel moves in exalted circles. Can you imagine me at a rich man’s banquet? And the introductions...‘meet my wife, the mule train driver, who happens to be a Samaritan.’ ” She gave a pained laugh. “The stunned looks might be entertaining, but...”

  Anina's brow creased. “Nehonya doesn’t have a high-and-mighty bone in his body. And neither do his sons. Maybe the problem is you can’t see past Gabriel’s rich robes and beautiful face.”

  Shoshana wanted to deny the charge, but the protest died in her mouth. Gabriel’s letters arrived every day, assuring her he was well and his thoughts were with her, but she hadn’t sent any replies. Which might explain the graver tone of his last post. Anina had written a few notes on behalf of Shoshana’s grandfather, and asked if Shoshana wanted to add a message. She’d told herself she was doing it for Gabriel’s sake, so he wouldn’t get hurt. But what if her misgivings rose from the fear that he would reject her or break his promises? Had Rahm’s innumerable lies and taunts left her defensive and cynical?

  Shoshana clutched Gabriel’s letter to her heart. “Anina, will you show me how to write? I want to tell Gabriel we are well and I am praying the days will speed by until we meet again.

  ***

  An hour later Shoshana exited the back door of the White Dove and walked with a lighter step down the deserted alley. The cold snap had given way to pleasant warmth. The pieces were in place to trap Rahm in his lies. She wouldn’t have to f
ear for her grandfather and Jacob and Isaac anymore. The Parthian army had deserted the country, promising a speedier end to the war, freeing Gabriel to spend more time with them. And she would stop pushing him away and—. She hugged her arms. The future looked brighter than she ever thought possible.

  The sun glistened off a diamond-shaped spider web clinging between a stack of crates. A walnut-sized hairy black spider scaled the web.

  She veered wide around the crates. A man stepped from the shadows, blocking her path. “Well, don’t you look happy?”

  She jumped and cried out, then grabbed her pounding heart. “Rahm! When did you arrive in Samaria?”

  “I’ve been here long enough to learn you hoped to trick me.”

  Her mind raced. “Grandfather meant what he said. We won’t take our mules back to Jerusalem.”

  Rahm’s smile turned mean. “Do you think I’m feeble-minded? I know about your meeting with Herod’s guardsmen. Did you actually believe you could outwit me?”

  She swallowed. “How did you learn...who told you?”

  “That isn’t important. What you need to remember is there’s no secret you can keep from me, so don’t even try.”

  The memory of Gabriel’s mouth skimming her jaw flashed through her mind. Her face heated. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

  “To remind you who you are dealing with.”

  “We won’t give you the use of the mule train, no matter what you threaten.”

  Rahm advanced, backing her against the crates. His fish-breath spilled over her face. “I don’t need your damnable mules. I have something Gabriel Onias will pay a king’s ransom for.”

  “We warned Gabriel about you.”

  Rahm pulled a sheet of parchment from the folds of his tunic and waved it in her face. “Do you know what this is?”

  “A bill of divorce?” she said, loathing the idea that Rahm was using her to extort coins from Gabriel.

  He rolled the parchment up and tapped the end of her nose. “I will sign this after the Onias whelp gives me what I want.”

  She batted the scroll away. “I won’t allow you to cheat Gabriel.”