Captive Heart (Truly Yours Digital Editions) (10 page)

He reached for her again, pulling her close against him. Grinning at her ineffectual squirming, he told her, “Now be a good little girl, huh?”

Shoving her arms upwards, Samah began to pummel him in the face with her fists. Surprised, he let go of her, and she fell to the ground. She glared up at him angrily.

“Why you little. . .I’ll teach you!”

Lifting the whip, he brought it down forcefully across her shoulder. The stinging pain brought a small cry from her, and covering her head, she tried to pull away from the fast raining blows.

When they ceased suddenly, she hesitantly raised her head. A man in a billowing black cape stood not more than twenty feet away watching them.

The trapper stood, mouth agape, watching the figure glide smoothly towards them. When the stranger was not more than ten feet away, he pulled a long curving knife from the sheath at his side.

The stranger’s eyes shone with intent through the dark burnous that surrounded his face and head. His look never wavered from the trapper.

“Go,” he hissed, and needing no further bidding, the trapper fled into the surrounding forest, leaving his cart behind.

The man in black looked at Samah, and she felt her insides coil at the coldness of his gaze. Returning the knife to its sheath, he moved slowly towards her. He reached down a hand to her, but she drew back as though stung.

“Come,” he commanded.

Samah crawled backwards away from him. “No! Stay away from me.”

He closed the distance between them. Reaching down again, he lifted her by the shoulders until her face was close to his. Though she couldn’t see his face, his eyes were lifeless. Cold. It was like looking into the face of death.

“Please. Let me go.”

“I have come for you, Samah, sister of Ramoth.”

Shocked, Samah hung limply in his arms. “Ramoth? You know Ramoth?”

He nodded.

“But how? I don’t understand. Ramoth is in Samaria.”

“I haven’t time to explain. You must come with me now. I have been watching you, waiting for the opportunity to reach you.”

The words caused Samah’s eyes to widen.
Watching me how? Where?
Slow tingles of fear spread across her body.

Confused, she didn’t know what to do.
Was this man really sent by my brother? And if so, was Ramoth here in Rome?
The thought brought terror to her heart.

Before she could decide, a snarling growl brought both their heads snapping around. Sentinel stood mere feet away, his lips curled back over his fangs. Cassius stood quietly at his side.

“Let her go.”

The command was quiet. Eerily so. The stranger measured his two opponents before slowly releasing Samah from his grip. He pulled a small knife from beneath his cloak, flipping it in the air and catching it by the blade.

Though Cassius was unarmed, he faced the dark stranger fearlessly. His blood raced through him hotly, readying him for battle.

Sentinel took a step forward, his growls intensifying. Never having seen the animal in such a state, Samah became alarmed. The dog was ready to kill.

It seemed an eternity that the three faced each other in an indecisive standoff. Finally, the stranger threw his knife.

Everything happened so fast that Samah was unclear exactly what transpired. She heard her own scream, saw Cassius turn swiftly to the side in time to keep the knife from hitting him in the chest, and saw Sentinel lunge forward.

Though the knife missed Cassius’s chest, it pierced his shoulder, sending him spinning to the ground.

“Sentinel!” he barked, and the dog froze, allowing the stranger to disappear into the darkening forest.

Samah rushed to his side. Dropping to the ground beside him, she reached for his shoulder, only to have him push her hand away.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled the knife from him, and Samah used her cloak to wrap the wound. She looked into his eyes, her own filled with fear.

“We have to get you to someone who can look after you.”

“What were you doing out here?” he asked angrily, noticing the ragged tears from where the whip had lashed her tunic. “Thank the deities Sentinel was able to pick up your scent. I wondered what had set him off.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” he exclaimed. “You could have been killed!”

“There’s no time for that now,” she argued hotly. “We have to get you to a physician. We can use the cart.”

“And where in Jupiter’s kingdom did you get a cart?”

Helping him to his feet, she allowed him to lean on her to get to the cart. Already the loss of blood was leaving him pale and weak.

“It’s not
my
cart.” He lifted one eyebrow, but chose not to comment. He lay down, his breathing becoming more labored. Frightened, Samah turned the cart, ignoring the lifeless animal bodies within.

“Sentinel, come.”

The dog ran to her side, and even hurrying her steps, it took her some time to reach the city gates. A soldier stopped her.

“No carts allowed until sundown,” he told her.

Samah pointed to Cassius’s now unconscious form. “I know, but this man is hurt.”

Glancing at her skeptically, the soldier moved to the rear of the cart. He looked surprised, then he glared at Samah.

“It’s Commander Cassius. What happened?”

Wringing her hands, Samah pled, “Please, he needs a physician.”

The soldier noticed the blood-soaked wrap on Cassius’s shoulder. He started to reach out, but was stopped by Sentinel’s blood-curdling growl.

“Sentinel, stay,” Samah commanded, and the dog reluctantly obeyed. The soldier yelled to a compatriot, “Justus, come help me. Commander Cassius has been hurt.”

Justus hurried forward, his mouth opening in surprise when he saw Cassius. He looked from the soldier, back to Cassius.

“I’ll have to get help to carry him. We can’t take the cart inside the city.”

The soldier agreed. “Hurry.” He turned to Samah, his brown eyes full of suspicion. “You can come with me.”

Hoping that he would take her to Cassius, Samah quietly obeyed.

Samah sat on the bench outside the physician’s house watching as soldiers entered and left. Sentinel sat at her side, his alert head following the movements of those around him. The soldier named Justus stood nearby watching him warily.

After some time, Cassius stumbled out of the house, several soldiers following close behind.

“But Commander, you are not well enough to leave,” one man protested.

Cassius’s eyes searched until he found Samah and Sentinel. Relaxing slightly, he moved towards them.

“You are all right?” he asked quietly.

Samah got quickly to her feet. She frowned at Cassius’s pale face. “I am well, my lord, but you should not be up and about.”

He looked at her tattered clothes, and his eyes grew stormy. Moving the material to the side, he could see the sliced skin beneath.

“Who did this to you? The sicarii?”

Sicarii? Samah remembered the name for the political assassins in Palestine. The dagger men normally worked undercover among the crowds, using the great numbers of people as a shield to hide their swift murdering of victims with their concealed knives. They were revolutionaries who slew Jewish high priests and others who supported Roman rule.
But what would a sicarii be doing this far from home?
she wondered
. Do they believe I am somehow connected with those who supported Rome? Were they trying to kill me? And what of my brother Ramoth? What had he to do with such men?

Unable to make sense of her thoughts, she reluctantly told Cassius of her encounter with the trapper and the subsequent events, leaving out only the stranger’s mention of Ramoth.

Turning, he gave a description of the trapper and the stranger to the two soldiers behind him. “Find them and arrest them.”

Snapping a salute, they turned as one. “Aye, Commander.”

Cassius noticed the world begin to tip crazily around him. Leaning heavily on Samah, he told Justus, “Get me a litter.”

Justus hesitated, then swiftly turned to do as bid. Samah helped Cassius to the bench she had vacated earlier. Leaning his head back against the cool stone building, he sighed with relief. He turned to Samah.

“It would seem your God has watched over you again. I am grateful.”

Samah froze at his words.

“We should offer a sacrifice,” he muttered roughly, closing his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Samah murmured, “The only sacrifice He will accept is your life.”

His eyes flew open at that. “A little drastic, don’t you think?” he asked sarcastically.

She turned and looked him full in the face. “He watches over me because I have already given Him my life. He loves me, and wants to care for me.”

“It was not your God who took a blade for you today,” he argued angrily.

She looked away, watching the soldiers and people who moved about the streets before the physician’s door. Darkness was descending, and most were hurrying home to their suppers and bed.

“Why did you come after me?” she asked softly.

“Because you belong to me.”

His arrogance hurt. One corner of her mouth tilted into a sad smile. “But before I belong to you, I belong to Jehovah. You want to keep me safe because you own me, but He wants to keep me safe because He loves me.” She looked back at him, studying his now familiar features. “You took a knife for me, and that’s a serious thing, I’ll grant you; but the Son of Jehovah died on a cross for me. His back was torn apart by the scourging He received, His head pierced by a crown of thorns placed there in mockery. Nails were hammered into His hands and feet, and He was left on that cross to die. Alone.”

Cassius could see the tears in her eyes and felt himself go cold all over at her hideous description. Though he had seen many people die in such a way, something about the way she described the scene left him feeling ashamed and distressed.

“Could He not have saved Himself if He was the Son of this God of yours?”

“Yes,” she replied quietly, looking up at the darkening sky. “But if He had, we would all be lost. From the beginning of time, through eternity.”

He eased himself away from the building and leaned forward. Dizziness assailed him momentarily, then quickly subsided. He found himself caught up in the things she was saying. Something about her words filled him with a hopeful yearning.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by
lost
?”

“Jehovah is light,” she told him. “In Him there is no darkness. Sin is darkness. He can have no fellowship with the things of darkness.” When they met his, her eyes were filled with entreaty. “We are full of darkness, full of sin; therefore, we are separate from Him. Lost.”

He reached out, gently stroking a finger down her cheek. “What great sin could you have committed?”

Her eyes darkened perceptibly, and she moved away from his touch.

“There is no such thing as a great sin. Sin is sin. A lie will send you to Gehenna as quickly as murder.”

He smiled a lopsided smile. “And have you lied, Samah?”

Flushing, she cast her eyes to the ground. “When I was younger, many times.”

“But no more?”

She shook her head. “No, not since having received Jesus as my Savior.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “If there is a truly great sin, it would be to reject what Jehovah has done for you by rejecting His Son.”

“I see.” Narrowing his eyes, he contemplated her meditatively. “But if everyone is full of sin, and this God of yours can have no fellowship with such, then how has this Jesus saved you?”

Samah looked for any sign of mockery but could find none. He seemed to genuinely want to understand.

“The blood that I told you about is what saves us. When Jehovah looks at us, He sees us not as we are, but perfect through the blood of His Son.”

“Ah, so you do think you’re perfect.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. But Jehovah does.”

Tramping feet interrupted their conversation. Justus returned with a litter carried by eight slaves.

“Both of you can fit,” he suggested to Cassius. “I will go along and see that nothing happens to you.”

Too weak to argue, Cassius allowed Justus to help him onto the litter. Samah was then lifted in next to him, and he felt his heart hammering against his chest at her proximity. The mere scent of her made his blood rush swiftly through his veins.

Using his iron will to subject his feelings, he lay back against the cushions and tried to ignore her. Her words kept echoing through his mind.
Sin. Darkness. Blood. Light.

He fell into a light doze, dreaming of a cross and blood flowing from it into a river. The river surrounded him, and he felt himself drowning. Samah stood next to him, and he could hear her words spoken in Aramaic.
You will be clean. You will be legitimate.

“My lord?”

Cassius raised heavy lids to find himself staring into a pair of worried blue-green eyes. He lifted a shaking hand to his throbbing forehead and rubbed gently. Slowly, the sensation of being drugged ebbed until he could once again think clearly.

“We are home,” Samah told him.

Justus ordered two of the litter carriers to help Cassius
inside. Samah followed closely, with Sentinel on her heels.

Democritus met them in the hall, eyes widening in amazement.

“My lord, what has happened?”

“Later, Democritus,” Cassius growled. “Just get me to my room.”

Leading the way, Democritus hurried into the bedroom and lit the braziers and torches. Democritus gave orders to one of the servants to make certain that the fires in the cellar were kept burning so that the warmth from the radiating heat of the floor would take the chill from the room.

Justus stood at the foot of Cassius’s sleeping couch and grinned wryly. “The physician was not particularly pleased with you, Commander.”

Cassius snorted. “That the man dares to call himself a physician is a wonder.”

“Still, he was right. You have lost a lot of blood.”

“And he wanted me to lose more! The next time a physician tries to allow insects to gorge themselves on my blood, I will split the man apart with my sword!”

Justus chuckled. “I agree. I think I will take my chances with the gods.”

His words struck a sour chord with Cassius.
What have the gods ever done for me?
he wondered. He glanced across the room and saw Samah standing in the doorway, Sentinel sitting at her side. He almost grinned, for they had the same worried expressions on their faces.

Seeing the two in the doorway, he knew what the gods had done for him. They had brought him love. A love such as he had never expected to receive. But which god—or gods—was responsible?

He caught Samah’s eye.
Was it her God that brought us together? And what of Sentinel? Sentinel came into my life long before any Jewish God.

There were things he needed to think about. To do. But it was becoming increasingly hard to remember.

❧

Samah watched Cassius’s eyes close and remain so. She sighed, moving away from the doorway and back to the atrium. She sat on the edge of the rainwater pool and stared at her reflection.

“Please, Lord,” she begged. “Let my seed fall on fertile ground. Open his eyes to Your truth. Let him believe.”

Justus came into the atrium. He glanced at the door, but crossed the room to stand beside Samah. He noticed her wooden foot, and his eyes clouded with pity.

He was an imposing figure in his Roman uniform, but unlike many she had encountered, his eyes were gentle.

“The Commander will be much better after a few days rest.”

“I know.”

He cocked his head slightly, wondering at her certainty. Smiling, he bid her farewell and left.

Democritus peeked his head in the doorway. “The master will most certainly sleep until morning. If you wish, you may take the time to do as you please. I will not need you.” He frowned. “And if you could get Sentinel to leave the master’s room, I would be most grateful.”

Samah hid a grin. It was well known that Democritus was terrified of the dog. Having Sentinel watching him move about Cassius’s room would more than likely put the Greek on edge.

Samah entered Cassius’s room and crossed to the bed. The peaceful look on his face reminded her of a sleeping infant. Smiling, she pushed his dark hair away from his forehead, noting that his forehead was still cool. Thankful that no fever had set in, she praised Jehovah silently.

Turning to Sentinel lying at the foot of Cassius’s bed, she commanded him softly, “Come, Sentinel. Your master is safe, and you are only in the way.”

At first, she thought he wouldn’t obey, but then he rose reluctantly to his feet. He followed her out of the room, stopping on the threshold to look back at Cassius’s sleeping form.

Samah knelt beside the huge beast. Rubbing his ears, she told him, “He will be all right. Democritus will look after him.”

When Democritus saw them enter the atrium, his face registered his relief.

“I will be going out, Democritus,” Samah stated. “I will take Sentinel with me.”

“At this late hour?” he asked, his surprise obvious.

“There is something I must do. I will be safe with Sentinel along.”

She pulled her cloak from the hook on the wall, wrapping it snugly around her. Democritus was frowning at her.

“I don’t think the master would approve.”

Samah smiled at his obvious distress. “I will be fine.” She hastily exited the villa before he could change his mind about letting her go. Slipping through the dark streets, she made her way to a familiar dwelling. Though most houses around were already dark, this one spilled light from its small windows. She knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened a crack, and then when she was recognized, much wider. Jonah smiled at her.

“Welcome, little sister. We didn’t think you were going to make it tonight.”

Samah took his outstretched hand. “I didn’t think so, either. My master has been injured, and I needed your prayers on his behalf.”

Instantly concerned, he pulled her into the room. “Come in. We’ll tell the others.” He noticed Sentinel sitting in the doorway. Having grown accustomed to the dog’s presence, he motioned with his hand.

“You, too, my friend.”

Samah entered the small apartment, her eyes widening at the roomful of people. There were more men, women, and
children than before, and she realized that Jehovah was mak
ing use of this small body of believers to reap in the harvest of those looking for a savior. Almost all were Gentiles.

Some were ragged, others wore the purple-trimmed robes of the aristocracy, but one thing they all had in common: They welcomed her with smiling faces. She felt the tension slide from her body. Being with other believers had been what had helped her to keep her sanity through the past months.

“Samah has something she wants to say,” Jonah told them.

Samah told them what had happened to her on the hill just outside the city limits, only with them, she included mention of her brother.