I acquiesced. I watched as they disappeared from view with worry clouding my thoughts.
CHAPTER 53
DOMINUS WENT OUTSIDE to tend to some horses, and my anxiousness deepened. I shuffled my feet as I paced back and forth.
Cynisca returned, smiling. “My father is very happy to see Daniel. I wanted to stay and eavesdrop, but business matters are only discussed between men.”
My heart relaxed. “I understand.”
Cynisca furrowed her brow. “Did Daniel tell you what happened that led to the charges against him?”
I bit my lip. “He said you went to Galilee to stay for a few days at my father’s. Your father never got that message, and so he didn’t know where you were. He believed Daniel had kidnapped the horses and you. That’s how the Romans got involved.”
Cynisca nodded. “I was too scared to stay in Caesarea. I was being followed by a woman who seemed like a demon. I know it sounds strange. When I heard about the Roman soldiers searching for Daniel, I knew I had to come back for my father’s sake.
“Once I returned to Caesarea with the horses and explained how Daniel had protected me, my father was thankful, even though my disappearance had caused him great consternation. Plus, runaway slaves are a problem for the Romans. They punish them severely. My father didn’t want to see Daniel prosecuted, not even for breaking the contract.”
“Hopefully your father will be kind,” I said.
Cynisca studied me thoughtfully. “You are worried about Daniel racing, aren’t you?”
I nodded. I was afraid if I said anything, I’d start crying.
Cynisca changed the subject. “Would you like to see the chariot horses?”
My heart lightened. “Sure.”
“Usually they would be outside in the pasture, but since it’s raining, we kept most of them in today.”
I followed Cynisca to two large stalls. She closed the gate behind us.
While I had been around horses at my father’s farm, being so close to them in a confined space made them seem even larger.
“This is Mosi, the lead horse, and the one in the stall next to him is Oni.”
I gently touched Mosi on his nose, and the horse whinnied. “Oh, that feels delightful. Can you massage a little higher, please?”
“Up here?”
Cynisca eyed me curiously. “What?”
I glanced at her. “I was talking to the horse. He likes being rubbed a little higher.”
Cynisca didn’t take me literally but laughed. “They are quite the talkers, especially when we bead their mane for the races. They like being fussed over, but when you don’t win it’s disheartening even for them.”
“Do you remember Daniel?” I asked Mosi. “He used to race you.”
The horse perked up at Daniel’s name. “Oh, Daniel, yes. I thought that was his voice, but it’s been a while. Is he going to race again?”
I glanced at Cynisca. “Do you think you could bring me a cup of water?” I pretended to sneeze and rubbed my eyes. “The stuffiness is making my allergies act up.”
“Oh, sure. Can I leave you with Mosi? He’s very gentle.”
“Yes, I love horses.”
I waited till Cynisca had left and whispered to Mosi. “Listen, fellow, I have a special gift. I can talk to animals. Daniel wants to help you win again. Do you know anything about the team that keeps beating you? Are they cheating?”
Mosi nudged me. “Daniel was kind. We wanted to win for him, but since he left, even though we try, they always beat us.”
I couldn’t accept there wasn’t some reason. “You don’t know why they keep beating you?”
Mosi shook his head. “No. Actually, though, there is one thing that seems strange.”
“What’s that?”
“We haven’t seen Nidal in a while, but Tariq won most of the races even when Nidal was racing. Tariq smells funny, and he has superhuman strength. He can take the turns faster than any human without falling off the chariot.”
I rubbed my nose. “He smells funny? What do you mean?”
“Humans have a certain smell. Even though each human smells differently, they still smell human. Tariq doesn’t smell like other humans.”
My heart skipped. “What does he smell like?”
The horse shook his head. “I’ve never smelled another human that smells like him. He doesn’t smell like a human or an animal.”
I heard Cynisca returning. “I’ll tell Daniel what you told me.”
Cynisca opened the gate and handed me a mug of water.
“Thank you.” I took a few sips. I was thirstier than I realized. “Can I say hi to Oni?”
“Of course,” Cynisca said. “I wish I had an apple. He loves apples.”
I dug into my bag. “I have one.”
After Cynisca opened his gate, I offered it to him. Oni whinnied. “Thank you.”
“You’ve made a friend for life,” Cynisca chuckled.
I handed another one to Cynisca. “Let’s give Mosi one, too.”
I heard Mosi chomping it down. “Thank you,” he nickered from the other stall.
Oni had heard my conversation with Mosi. He added, quite sincerely, “We would win again if Daniel was our gladiator.”
My heart fluttered. What could I say? I hoped his words weren’t foretelling that Daniel would race, but if he did, the horses had full confidence in my betrothed. That was frightening and reassuring at the same time.
After a few minutes, Cynisca was ready to leave. “I will shut the gate. It can be hard to close sometimes.”
When we reached the entrance to the barn, Daniel and Dominus were chatting.
“Did everything go well?” I asked.
Daniel smiled. “I’ll explain on the way back.” He held out his hand to Cynisca. “Theophilus sends his greetings.”
“Please reply in kind to him. We need to pay him a visit.”
Daniel put his hand on my shoulder. “Ready to go?”
I nodded. I couldn’t wait to hear what happened.
CHAPTER 54
I WAITED UNTIL we were on the cobblestone road to pepper Daniel with questions. “What happened?”
Daniel clasped my hand. “It went better than I expected. I apologized to him for everything and told him I wanted to race once more…”
Horrified, I stopped on a pin and stared at Daniel. “You offered to race again? You offered? How could you do that, knowing how terrified I am, and you promised…”
Daniel stopped midstride, as if fearing I might have a mental breakdown. “What did you expect me to do? He could turn me over to the Romans for breach of contract. He’s lost a fortune. He invested heavily in my training. He thought his daughter had been kidnapped, and he believed he had lost two valuable horses—essentially his livelihood. Did you expect me to walk in there and say a few words of apology, walk out, and pretend that would make up for months of financial ruin?”
My heart was breaking. I couldn’t believe Daniel volunteered. It was one thing to be forced to race, but to offer—Daniel had betrayed me. How could I forgive him for this?
“Besides that,” Daniel continued, “these are people I care about. It was more than a contract. I spent time with them, ate meals with them. It was my life for a period of time.”
Tears flowed. “Daniel, you betrayed me. You said you wouldn’t race unless you had to.”
Daniel’s shoulders drooped as if he suddenly realized he had hurt me. He edged away after seeing my tears, but he could never grasp the grief that he had inflicted.
There was a bench close by, and I ran over to it. Ripping my bag off my shoulder, I carelessly dropped it in the growing puddles. Then I collapsed on the bench, burying my face in my hands.
How could Daniel choose to race after my pleas? Tears rained down my cheeks like buckets from a monsoon.
The sun dipped behind some clouds and a sudden gush of wind pelted me with more freezing rain. I imagined the whole sky unleashing its fury on me. I never wanted to go b
ack to Theophilus’ house. I was convinced Daniel would die at the hands of Tariq.
How could I look Daniel in the eye? I didn’t want to face the future without him. How could I trust him? There was no way I had the strength—mentally, emotionally, or spiritually—to raise Shira on my own.
“Oh, God,” I cried. “Where are you?”
Daniel stood several feet away in the drizzle, like a shadow. Something had come between us. Perhaps I should share with Daniel what Mosi had told me. Was I spooked more than I realized?
I buried my face in my hands smothering my voice. “God, this isn’t fair. You’ve given Daniel impossible odds and me a burden I shouldn’t have to bear.”
I imagined the times Daniel beat Tariq and Nidal. I wanted to believe nothing was impossible. I wanted to trust God, to have the faith Daniel had. Now all I could see was defeat. The stakes were greater now. I wasn’t willing to risk it.
I couldn’t stop the negative thoughts, the worry, or the fear. A few minutes passed, and I felt Daniel approaching. I heard his footsteps and felt the warmth of his body beside me. He laid his hand on my shoulder but didn’t say anything.
I listened to his prayer, but believed it to be useless. I was heartbroken, and no prayer could rescue me from my depression.
Still, Daniel prayed. After a while, I couldn’t deny I appreciated the gentle touch of his hand.
Eventually, the rain stopped, but we were more wet than dry. Soon the sun’s rays began to melt away the raindrops, and I heard a rustling sound above us. I glanced up to see what it was.
Worldly Crow was circling as he dropped an object on the ground nearby. As quickly as he appeared, he took off, sending a cold chill to my face and arms.
I stood, and Daniel picked up the object. He wiped off the moisture with his robe and examined it.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a key.”
“To what?”
“A hotel room key, an apartment key. It looks like the key to the rented room I stayed at when I raced.”
Daniel handed it to me, and I flipped it over. “This is where you stayed before?”
Daniel nodded. “I think so. It has the same chariot inscription.”
I felt God speaking to me. “Daniel, I need time alone—to pray, to read my Bible, to learn what God is showing me.”
I picked at my tunic. “I almost hate to tell you this, but back there on the street, I was angry with you.”
Daniel nodded. “I know, because I let you down.”
“I can’t go back to Theophilus in this condition. I’m an emotional wreck. I need time with God, before I ruin my relationship with you, and Shira, and everybody else.”
I grabbed Daniel’s robe and pulled him towards me. “One night, Daniel—can I have one night alone with God?”
Daniel nodded. “Sure. I can take care of Shira. You don’t want to stay at your father’s? That way you wouldn’t be completely alone.”
I shook my head. “God sent me a key—and I think this is what he wants me to do. I need to be alone to pray and to figure this out.”
Daniel eyed me inquisitively, surprised by my strong reaction. “Just because a wicked crow gives you a key shouldn’t be used to validate what God is showing you. Besides that, we have no money.”
“He’s hasn’t always been wicked, Daniel. He only knows the ways of the world. Sometimes he’s done good things, too, like the time he gave me the key when Scylla locked me up.”
Daniel chuckled. “Worldly Crow must like keys. You’re the one who told me not to trust him. It’s not like I can talk to birds.”
“I know, but if you stayed there before, I’m sure the manager would remember you and give you one night’s credit. We can pay tomorrow.”
I glanced up at the heavens where Worldly Crow had disappeared. Would God use a bird to show me something? But then, did God ever do things in a way we could predict?
Daniel wrapped me in his arms. “I love you, Shale. Let’s see if this is God’s will.”
*~*~*~*
A few minutes later, we arrived. I looked up at the sky. It probably wasn’t later than two in the afternoon.
Daniel pointed to the bench in front of the steps leading to the entrance. “Let’s sit over there.”
I fumbled with the key and dropped it. He picked it up and handed it to me.
I clasped my fingers around it more securely. “Thanks.”
Daniel peered into my eyes. “Maybe it’s not a matter of spending the night but having a few hours to pray. You’ve been a saint through all of this. I mean, you’ve been a single parent to Shira. You’ve been faithful to me on this roller coaster ride to find out what happened to my father. You’ve even gone to the ends of the earth—to hell and back, and through it all, you’ve shown God’s grace.”
I stared at the ground, embarrassed by Daniel’s praise. I didn’t deserve it, not based on my vindictive feelings moments earlier.
Daniel continued to lift me up. “We know God’s return is near, and we know the Day of the Lord is imminent. God has shown us time is an illusion. Either of us could be back in our own time in a heartbeat, but God has put us here for a reason.”
I wrapped my robe around my hands, squeezing the cloth between my tired fingers. “I’m so emotionally drained.”
I rubbed my eyes, flipping the key over in my hand. “God must have meant for me to have a few hours to myself, if not the night. I want to pray. I must give this race to God because I have such fear.”
Daniel squeezed my hand. “You know, there is a parable in the Bible about the Pearl of Great Price.”
I hadn’t thought about that parable in a long time. I remembered the merchant sold all his belongings to buy one valuable pearl. “Are you saying this is my Pearl of Great Price?”
Daniel shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but it is my Pearl of Great Price. I must do this.”
I leaned my head on Daniel’s shoulder. “I must tell you what Mosi told me.”
Daniel’s eyes showed surprised. “You talked to Mosi?”
“I know why Tariq keeps winning.”
“Why?”
“The horse told me he didn’t smell like a human or an animal.”
“Are you serious?”
“Daniel, Tariq isn’t human.”
He shook his head. “If he isn’t human, what is he?”
“I think I know.”
“What?”
“I had a dream I’d forgotten about. I know you don’t like to hear about my dreams, like my dream that the ventriloquist came and told me you didn’t love me. I mean, that was not from God but the evil one’s attempt to get into my head. But sometimes dreams mean something.”
Daniel clarified. “It’s not that I don’t think dreams have meaning, but how do you know whether to believe them or how to interpret them?”
“Didn’t Peter quote at Pentecost that God’s sons and daughters would prophecy? Young men would see visions, and old men would dream dreams.”
Daniel nodded.
“A while back, I dreamed Rachel and I were questioned by government officials in Atlanta, but they weren’t human. They looked human, but they were different.”
“You think Tariq is a robot?”
“Daniel, suppose he’s a Nephilim? Remember, Jesus said as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. We know the Day of the Lord is near.”
“So part demon and part human?”
“That’s why I’m worried about you racing against him. You are racing against a demonic human.”
Daniel bit his lip. “Nidal only said he was evil.”
“Demons are evil, Daniel.”
“You really think he’s a Nephilim?”
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Well, whatever he is, I beat him before. I can beat him again, even if no one else can.”
I lowered my head. “Let me stay here a few hours, rest, and pray. I must come to terms with this, whether thi
s is my Pearl of Great Price or just plain ole trusting God. I need my own faith. You have yours.”
I stood and Daniel took me in his arms, briefly kissing me on the lips. “I wouldn’t race if I didn’t think I could win, with God helping me. I have a feeling Tariq knows more than Nidal. He was the person behind the kidnapping.”
The rain began to fall and Daniel motioned me towards the entrance.
We entered the lobby and I saw a young dark-complexioned man on duty. Daniel took the key from me and handed it to the attendant. “Are we checked in?”
“Name, please?”
“Shale Snyder,” I said.
The man nodded. “Yes, you are checked in. Your room was booked and paid for by a man named Jacob Sperling.”
Daniel and I exchanged glances.
“What is the room number?” Daniel asked.
“Room 107.” The attendant pointed. “It’s down the hall.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
Daniel accompanied me to my room. “It hasn’t changed since I was here.”
“So many statues,” I noted, “and most don’t have enough clothes.”
“That’s Caesarea. Greek culture, Hellenistic.”
“And it didn’t bother you when you were here before?”
“More than I hate to admit,” Daniel said. “God got my attention when I lost my money. My surrender and repentance brought me salvation.”
Daniel unlocked my door. The room was a standard motel room, with a bed, table, and chest of drawers. A purple rug covered the floor. I sat on my bed.
Daniel sat beside me. “I’ll be back at dusk. Read your Bible, take a nap, and pray. Remember, God has your back. He hasn’t abandoned you, and he hasn’t abandoned me. We are in this together, no matter what happens.”
I stared at the floor.
“Are you hearing me?” Daniel asked.
I looked into Daniel’s eyes. “You have so much more faith than I.”
Daniel reached for my hand and kissed it. “Don’t leave the room. I’ll come back before it gets dark.”
I nodded.
The Prescience Page 21
