Page 29 of The Guardian's Promise

A bowl clattered to the floor, startling him. He spun on his heel in time to see Joash pick it up.

He finished emptying the contents of the chest into one of the linen bags just as Joash disappeared into the hidden alcove. Mira’s feet seemed rooted to the cave floor. He grasped her hand and tugged her behind him. It was not until they reached the secret tunnel pass that she found her feet. And then it was only to come to a swift halt.

“Mira,” he whispered. “This is not the time for stubbornness.”

“What of my parents?”

He furrowed his brow, trying to concentrate on the noises coming from outside the cavern as well as on her question. “They are well, but we must make haste.” He tried once more to pull her toward the tunnel but her feet held firm. “I will tell you of their ordeals once we are safe, Mira.”

“I cannot go in there.” He felt her panic through the fingers clasped in his. Fingers rough and calloused from working alongside her mother and father.

“Why not?” This side of her puzzled him.

He had never seen her afraid. Not when she fought off a pack of wild dogs with a firebrand as he lay dying, and not when faced with menacing soldiers.

“I—I am scared.” She ripped her hand from his and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

He laid his palm on her shoulder, the wet linen cold beneath his touch. She shivered. There was no time for her to sit by the fire and dry. “Mira, do you trust me?”

Her hesitation was like vinegar poured over tiny cuts. But it was the glittering tears in her eyes that tugged on his heart.

There would be much ground to gain if he were to ever have her faith again. “Mira, you must listen to me.” He released her arm and adjusted the pack slung over his shoulder. “This,” he said, waving his hand. “Joash is much more than you and I could ever fathom. He is important to the good of Judah. Those men—” he pointed in the direction of the waterfall “—they know this. If they do not return with the child as their queen demands, they will lose their lives. If they capture us, we will lose ours.”

“It is dark,” she countered as if she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.

He sighed with a great deal of relief. Thankful that she fretted over the darkness, and not over her faith in his abilities to keep her safe. “Yes, I regret that I cannot light a torch. Not yet. I promise to keep you by my side, but you must listen to me.” He grasped her hand, so small and cold and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “All right?”

The sound of earthenware hitting the ground was like a sword thrust toward his chest. Without waiting for her to answer he jerked her forward. They raced through the hidden tunnels as fast as he dared to push them, all the while praying the Lord would keep them hidden within the bowels of the earth. Not that he thought Athaliah’s guards would find them in the maze.

After traveling through the dark for an hour, Mira tripped and stumbled behind him. He halted, taking her baggage from her.

“Are you hurt?” he asked. Their breaths ragged in the still, dark air. Her only answer was to squeeze his hand. If the walkways had been wide enough he would have carried her. “There is a hollow not much farther. I am confident in the Lord that we can stop for a rest.”

“How is it that you know this place so well, Ariel?”

He wanted to tell her the truth, the entire truth, especially when she reverted to his full name instead of the one she’d called him for the past several years. But he feared she would think he lied once again.

“A man does not survive without a way to escape his enemies,” he answered as simply as he could. He knew once Mira felt more like herself, she would continue with her questions. However, he never expected the one echoing off the cave walls to his ears.

“How did you become guardian to Joash?”

“Now is not the time, Mira. Soon, I promise you will have answers to your questions.”

After what seemed like another hour, an orange light began to filter through the walkway. Joash’s shadowy figure moved toward it. Ari’s faith wavered as he realized that the light could only be from a fire within. He tugged on Joash’s tunic and pulled him backward. He let go of Mira’s hand and knelt beside the child.

“If I do not return for you, you must go back twenty paces and turn north. And then forty paces to the east. There will be a blind man, his name is Seth. Tell him to take you high. He will know what to do. Do you understand, my young friend?” he whispered.

He hated causing the boy more stress, but no matter how much he willed it, if danger lurked in the cavern he wouldn’t be the one to take Joash back to Jerusalem. That job would be left to the priests of Manna. He kissed the boy on either side of the cheek and bowed his head before he rose.

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