Love Inspired Historical March 2014 Bundle: Winning Over the Wrangler\Wolf Creek Homecoming\A Bride for the Baron\The Guardian's Promise (88 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

A
ri handed his spear to the first temple guard he came across and wished him well. His cheeks hurt from the permanent smile on his face.

The people of Jerusalem crowded the streets, destroying the queen's man-made gods. They were more than ready for Joash to lead them with Jehoiada at his side and God at the command.

Seeing with his own eyes that his prayers had come to fruition was a soothing balm to his soul. A shadow moved across the sky and Ari looked up to find white puffy clouds moving over the city of Jerusalem. A drop of rain landed on his lips. He licked the salty sweetness.

Mira's fingers clenched into his hand and he glanced at her. She, too, looked up, and her face glowed. She wiped a drop from her cheek, and then another. Then the clouds opened upon them. The people of Jerusalem danced in circles singing praises to God, their arms raised in worship.

“Ari, God is pleased.”

He pulled her into his arms and danced her around in circles, just as those around them were doing. She laughed, her pleasure contagious. “I believe you are correct, Mira,” he said, spinning her around. Their feet splashed in the puddles soaking their sandals.

“Come, let us go home and wait out the rest of Shabbat with my family. Then we will leave for your father's house.”

The smile fell from her face, and she pulled from him. He reached for her, but she slipped from his touch. Ari watched helplessly as she pushed through the throng. Away from his home.

He gave chase, shoving the revelers out of his path. What had he said? His thoughts tumbled over in his head searching for any insensitivities, but he could not imagine...he thought she'd be happy to return home. Did she wish to stay in Jerusalem?

“Sh'mira!”

The woman did not know the curved and twisted streets. This was not her village where she could roam at will. Dangers lurked in the shadows, especially for an innocent such as her. He searched the streets, the shadowed alcoves and the marketplace but to no avail. He was about to turn home when Ianatos blocked his path. Ari glared at the giant.

“I have word,” he said.

Stretching to his full height, Ari peered around the man's shoulder and over the heads of those crowded around him. “I do not have the time. I need to find Sh'mira.”

“Your uncle has taken her.”

Ari grabbed the man's tunic at his neck and pressed his face close to his and then released him. He had no reason to distrust this Philistine. “How do you know this?”

“I saw him drag her through the eastern gate. I could not go after them.” He crossed his arms, his face solemn. “We were fighting those who surrounded Athaliah.”

A heavy hand dropped to his shoulder. Ari turned, prepared to fight. “Brother, it is I, Jesse.”

“I see it is you,” Ari growled.

“Whatever is the matter?”

“Elam has taken his woman from the city.” Ianatos rolled his shoulders.

Jesse scrutinized the man. “Then we shall go get her.”

Ari began walking toward his home. “You should stay until after Jubilee. It is enough that I ignore tradition.”

“I do not celebrate your Hebrew ways,” Ianatos grumbled.

“Bah! Tradition will always be here. I will go.” Jesse blocked Ari's path, halting his steps.

He assessed Ianatos. “You should stay. Guard our king. We would be remiss in thinking my uncle is the only one who wishes the boy dead. There may be uprisings among Athaliah's faithful.”

“Of course.” Ianatos nodded and then walked past them.

“Ianatos.” Ari waited for him to turn around. “Thank you, may God bless you greatly.”

“My thanks.” He pushed through the crowded streets toward the temple.

Jesse clapped his arm around Ari's shoulder as they neared their home, both were soaked from the rain, their feet caked with mud. “With the queen dead, there should be no problems.”

Ari glanced at his brother. “She's dead?”

Jesse smiled. “Saw to it myself, just as Jehoiada asked. When do we leave?”

“As soon as I gather supplies, and dry clothing for Mira.”

“I have horses. It shouldn't take us long to find her.”

Perhaps his brother did not notice the rain. “Any tracks would have been washed away. Besides, do those horses not belong to the temple?”

Jesse chuckled as they entered into their home. Ari began gathering weapons. He had not meant to joke, he meant all seriousness. The horses did not belong to them and they should not take them from the city.

“You think little of me.”

Ari stopped shoving necessities into the leather bags. “I did not mean offense, Jesse—”

“Of course not,” Jesse said. The hurt in his tone wounded Ari. “They were given to the priests of Manna.”

“I seek forgiveness.”

“It is given.” His brother smiled, but Ari knew he had hurt his brother deeper than he showed. “Come, we must make haste if we are to rescue your bride.”

“What have you done to the floors?” their grandmother asked.

Ari and Jesse looked to their feet even as their faces turned red with their grandmother's chastisement. “We are sorry,
Savta,
” Jesse offered.

“P'sh,” she breathed waving them off.

“Grandmother, Elam has taken Mira from the city,” Jesse sought to explain.

Her dark compassionate eyes lifted to Ari's. “What are you doing here, boy? Make haste, find your bride!”

* * *

She fell into another puddle of water. Wet strands of her hair clung to her face making it impossible for her to watch her footing. It was the third time she'd fallen since they'd left the city, and her tunic began to shred from the abuse. Her knees and the palms of her hands bled from their scrapes, tiny pebbles of sand bored into her wounds.

Fear should have consumed her. However, anger took precedence. If Elam had not bound her hands with twine and jerked on the lead as if she were a willful donkey, she would have been able to maintain her footing without issue.

“What a crippled beggar you are,” Elam said, looking down upon her.

With all her strength she jerked her wrists, pulling the twine from Elam's hands. She rose to her feet, bare and bloodied, since Elam had disposed of her sandals shortly after they departed Jerusalem. She cursed herself a fool for leaving Ari's side, for what reason she could not even remember. If she had stayed... “I have never been a beggar, Elam.”

He sneered and reached for the rope, but she pulled away. “Do you think to run from me? In your condition? I think not, scourge of Ari.”

She spat.

He slapped her. “You heathen.”

Raw emotion bubbled in her throat. “You should look at your reflection in the spring, Elam.”

“You speak of what you do not know.” He snarled, his eyes bulging.

“I know I have not betrayed my family, my people and my God.”

“Be quiet!” He grabbed the braided rope dangling from her wrists and tied it to his waist.

“What are your intentions, Elam? Your queen is dead. Her gods destroyed. You have no one to sacrifice me to.”

The rope jerked between them as he climbed onto another rocky path. “Come, the eve grows dark. I care naught for your comforts, I however do not wish to remain in the open lest my nephew comes after you.”

Mira did not say another word as he forced her along a slippery path with jagged rocks that cut into her feet. She bit her lip with each stab of pain. She lifted up her eyes to the heavens, even as they continued to rain.
Thanks be to You, Lord of creation, for the blessed rain.

She stumbled over a rock, landing on her hip. Elam did not wait for her to gain her footing before he tugged on the rope. They climbed farther up the jagged mountain. The last place she desired to be was within the dark confines of yet another cave, and something told her Elam would not risk lighting a fire to dry their clothing, if he even knew how to do so.

If only Ari were with them.... If Ari were here, Elam would not be, or at least she would not be the one bound. Elam shoved her into the mouth of a cave. “Are there any creatures in there?”

She tightened her hands into fists. “If there be, it has not eaten me alive yet,” she returned.

“You show disrespect to your elders, girl. Ariel should thank me for doing away with his intended bride,” he said, entering the cave behind her. He yanked a small lamp and oil from a bag tied at his waist. He poured the oil and lit it. The soft glow danced upon the walls.

“Sit, there.” He pointed to a small space away from the entrance. She obeyed and fought against the fears creeping along her limbs. Fought against the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She focused on what Elam had said. “Your nephew never intended to take me to wife.”

“Foolish girl,” he said. “He brought you to his home in Manna. And he brought you to his home in Jerusalem.”

“Only to protect me from those who would seek to harm me and his king.” She refrained from using Elam's name or the fact that it was his betrayal that had led to the danger.

“Why would he care for a cripple such as you? You are dispensable for the greater good of God's kingdom.” Elam sat and rummaged through his pack. He pulled out a chunk of bread and began to eat.

“You do not know your nephew well,” Mira argued.

“I know him. I know him well.”

“You love him?”

Elam looked at her with a startled expression. “Of course, I love Ariel. I love him as my own son.”

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose, confused at the man's confession. “Then why did you betray him?”

“I. Did. Not. Betray. Him,” he emphasized. “It was Jehoiada. You and that—that child were nothing but pawns. Everything I did I did for Ariel.” He broke off another chunk of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. Mira's stomach growled as he chewed.

He uncorked the stopper of a bladder skin and drank. It was obvious he did not intend to share with her so she waited patiently for him to speak again. “I have no sons of my own. Daughters, a quiver full of daughters, none of whom married well. Ariel was like a son. My only son. The day after the massacres I went to the temple to speak with him. He was gone.

“Ariel had worked hard for his position. He would not disappear without speaking to me. He held much promise.

“I had my suspicions. There had been rumors, and I had many of the villages searched.” He glared at her. “Even yours. No, do not look surprised. If Jehoiada was to hide the boy, he'd send him to your mother. The child was not there, but my nephew was. The men I hired tormented him, seeking information. My stupid nephew said nothing. We left him for dead. I figured the child was nothing but a rumor since Ari hadn't given him up.”

Mira remembered well the broken and beaten body. If she'd not found him, he would have died.

“A few moons ago I overheard Jehoiada speaking with his wife about the child. It was a ruse. It had to be. None of the heirs survived. None. Jehoiada had taken the high priesthood from me. He took my Jehosheba, too.” His eyes glazed over as if he were remembering, and Mira wondered how that was possible. “It was then I discovered Ari had survived. Jehoiada had intended on making a fool of me by using Ari.”

Elam turned his gaze full on her, his hatred evident in the blackness of his eyes even with only the small glow of his lamp. “Then he brought you to Manna. No priest brings a stranger into our midst without making his intentions clear.”

Elam was wrong. Ari had no choice but to bring her. “But you betrayed him before he brought us to Manna.”

“Yes. I had not seen my nephew in many years. My brother refused to share with me. Their lack of trust wounded me. I was the one who taught Ari the law while Ishiah taught him the sword. When I discovered Joash's existence, and that Ari survived, it did not take me long to reconsider the connection between Jehoiada and Joash's nurse. That would make you her cousin, yes?”

Mira nodded even though Elam had not expected an answer.

“I knew then without a doubt Jehoiada had hidden them away in your village or nearby. I went to the queen. She promised if I delivered the child into her hands, she would see to it Jehoiada was killed for his treason and I would become the high priest. I would take from the man all he'd stolen from me and my Ariel.”

Lord God, how can a man be so blind?

Had Ari ever wanted to remain in Jerusalem, or had he only wanted to please his uncle? Would Ari have been satisfied serving God no matter where?

Resting her head against the rock wall, she closed her eyes. One man's jealousy and ambitions had marred so many lives. Children had been killed for what he called the greater good. How could he be so deceived? Even her own mother had suffered abuse at the hands of this man.

She blew out a gentle sigh. What was done was done. Praise God that His will superseded Elam's twisted mind. Just as God's will would be victorious when Ari came for her.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“I
t should not take us long to catch up with them,” Jesse said from beside him. The good humor in his voice grated on Ari's nerves.

“If you had not noticed, brother, it is raining.”

“A blessed thing it is, too,” Jesse replied.

Rain poured and his beloved wandered the desert with a madman. No doubt she was soaked, if his own clothing was any indication. And his brother thought the rain a blessing? Every drop erased any trace of where they might have gone.

“Look, what is that?” Jesse pointed, catching Ari's immediate attention.

He turned his glare from the horse's ears to a piece of fabric pooled in the mud. Ari jumped to the ground. He crouched beside the blue cloth and lifted it. It was heavy with rain, matching the heaviness in his heart. He buried his face in the sodden, soiled cloth and breathed in her scent.

“I wish I could kill him.” Even to his own ears his voice sounded not as his own, but the anger throbbing through his blood was very real.

“Do not say such things, Ariel. You have never been one to act brashly. That is I, if you remember.”

Ari rose. Turning on his heels he stared at his brother. “What did you say?”

“I said you have never behaved as such, why begin now? It is not in your character.”

He scrubbed his hand over his face as the fullness of the revelation smacked him in the chest. “Oh, God,” he cried, lifting his eyes heavenward. Raindrops splattered on his cheeks mixing with the salt of his tears. “What have I done? How will You ever forgive Thy servant for his sins?”

The skies closed, leaving not another drop to fall. Before he knew it, Jesse's hand was on his shoulder. “Of what do you speak, Ari? What have you done?”

He squeezed the veil in his fist. “All of this,” he said, holding the fabric for his brother to see. “All of it is because I have acted rashly.”

Jesse's brow furrowed. “I do not understand. You have always been an example of how your brothers should live.”

Ari laughed. “It is all an illusion, I tell you. For if it had not been for my rashness we would not now be standing in the muddied desert looking for a woman whose heart is purer than any I have ever known.”

“Enough with the riddles. Tell me if you will, but do not waste our time. Mira's life remains in danger.”

He shook the self-pity from his head. “You are correct. There is naught I can do about my past sins other than offer up sacrifice to the Lord.”

“What will we do?”

“We will rescue Mira, and then I'll take her to her father.” Ari said with a heavy heart.

“You intend to leave her there? I do not understand. If you love her—”

“The sins of a foolish man have brought this upon her and her family. Her neighbors' sons were killed. I should have taken Joash from the village when I realized the danger.” He shook his head. “How could she ever forgive that of me? I should have listened to my instincts and not remained planted by fear.”

“Ari, if she is as pure as you say, as pure as I have witnessed with my own eyes, she'll forgive you. How could she not?”

He pondered his brother's words of wisdom, knowing he was correct but unable to accept the truth of it in his heart. She would forgive him, there was no doubt in his mind, yet could he forgive himself for the pain he had caused her? Could he move beyond his sins without letting his guilt interfere with their future?

Obviously sensing his indecision, Jesse said, “Besides, the queen's men did not need an excuse for their terror. They thrived on causing fear. The only sin is believing you are guilty and in control of such matters.”

“You are correct, my brother.” Ari clasped him in a hug. “I will nonetheless rectify my conscience with a guilt offering.” He wrung out the veil and draped it around his neck, tucking it beneath his tunic. With all settled in his thoughts, he mounted his horse.

“You know, brother, perhaps God allowed all this to happen to purge the evil from Judah. You were one of many vessels to carry out His will, as was your Mira.”

“Perhaps you are right.” He flicked the reigns. “Nonetheless I will go back to Jerusalem and make my guilt offerings after I see Mira home.”

Jesse mounted his horse. “Offerings?”

“I'll beg forgiveness of Caleb for deceiving him all these years.”

“Shall we find your bride?”

Ari smiled. He liked the sound of Mira being his bride. He prayed they found her before Elam harmed her.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Only the click of their horses' hooves and the light patter of rain sounded on the rocky desert.

“Did you see that, brother?”

Ari shook his head. “I see naught but the darkness of shadows.”

“Look to the east near the top of the hills. Do you see the flickering of a light?”

Ari peered toward the direction his brother indicated. A faint glow brightened, and then disappeared before brightening once again. “Mira,” he whispered.

Ari did not say another word not even when they dismounted and began the climb up the hill. Only then did he lift up a prayer that their feet would be silent, and most of all that they would find Mira and not a shepherd seeking refuge from the rain.

* * *

Elam's loud snores shattered the silence, leaving her to consider her options. She could stay and see what he had planned for her, or she could take the opportunity and flee into the night. At least she knew the threat before her inside this cave, whereas she hadn't a clue what might lie in wait for her out there in the dark.

Could she remain with Elam when the opportunity to escape had so easily presented itself? Mira scooted away from the wall and watched for any hint of movement from Elam. Certain he continued to sleep, she lifted her wrists and bit at the twine binding them together.

It was of no use.

She glanced around for something that might cut her binding. If she held her wrists above the flames she risked more than a simple loosening of the twine andshe didn't relish the thought of having them burned. She pressed her face into the palms of her hands. With her hands bound she could not easily climb down the rocky outcrop. Even now, her hands were raw from the cuts and scrapes she had received when Elam had forced her up the rocky hill. If she could not brace herself when she fell, she'd more than likely tumble to her death.

At least she'd no longer be in Elam's grasp.
God, what will You have me do?

She heard a slight inhale of breath, which could not be one of Elam's snores, and lifted her face from her hands. Silhouetted in the mouth of the cave stood her answer. Even in the glow of the firelight, she could see the ticking of Ari's jaw as he ground his teeth. His gaze flicked to her eyes and his lips parted, relaxing, until his eyes roamed over the rest of her.

He glared and in one fluid motion, he bent at the waist, grasped Elam's tunic and lifted him from his feet.

“What—what,” Elam sputtered, and then his eyes focused on his attacker. “Ariel, my nephew.”

“It is I, Uncle,” Ari growled, his anger evident in the way he shook.

“You would not hurt me. The law demands you honor your elders.”

“Honor is not for cowards,” Jesse said, pushing his way past Ari. “Hello, Sh'mira, I trust all is well with you.”

“All is well,” she responded, her eyes pleading with Ari not to do something he would later regret.

“Here, brother, allow me.” Jesse peeled Ari's fingers from their uncle's garment. “Unbind Mira.”

Ari rolled his shoulders as if to release the tension, and then stepped deeper into the cave. She curled her feet beneath her tunic lest he see their condition. He knelt beside her, and she prayed he would not see her wounds, for she feared Ari's rage would ignite to an inferno.

“Never. Leave. My. Side. Again,” he spoke, his voice hard and raw with emotion.

Since she did not know what the future between them held, she refused to acknowledge his command. Instead, once he loosened the twine from her wrists, she wrapped her arms around his nape and hugged him close.

“What now?” Jesse asked.

Mira released Ari as he turned on his heel. She peered around his shoulder and saw that Elam was bound hand and foot and tied to Jesse's belt.

“We wait until the sun rises. We'll go south. You'll take him,” Ari said with disgust, and then added, “to Jerusalem to the tribal elders for his judgment.”

“Have you no mercy?” Elam squealed.

He ignored his uncle and turned back to her. “Are you sure all is well?”

She curled her fingers into fists, biting back the cry of pain the cuts caused. “I am fine, Ari.”

He released a breath of air and then removed his cloak. He laid it out next to the fire. Grasping her hand he helped her to her feet and drew her into his arms, tucking her head beneath his chin. His breath warmed as he spoke. “I have brought you dry clothing. Tomorrow, I will take you to your father's house.”

She wanted to ask how they would achieve such a feat since it was several days walk, and with her lack of footing, she'd make their travels even slower, but the steady pounding of his heart, along with the rise and fall of each of his breaths, lulled her into a peaceful security. He pressed his lips to her brow, released her and moved toward the entrance of the cave, taking with him the warmth and comfort she'd felt in his arms. He returned with a bundle and handed it to her. Without another word, he and Jesse, along with a bound Elam, left her alone.

Soon she was dry and laying on a cloak that smelled like Ari. And tomorrow, if what Ari said was true, she'd be back within her father's house. Alone, much as she was now. How would she ever let him go?
Why, God, why would You even ask this of me?
A tear slid down her cheek. How was she going to survive the heartache of letting him go?