Page 39 of The Guardian's Promise

“I know. You wanted to help with the preparations.” He tugged his fingers through his hair. “I’ll see what can be done.” Ari slipped by her and into the outer room.

She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest like a breastplate to keep her heart from falling to the stone floor and shattering. If only she could go home. Return to her father. Ay, she had already tried and it had nearly cost them their lives.

She sat in the middle of the cold floor, pulled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. Loneliness crept into her bones. She missed her family, even her sister.

“Sh’mira.”

She opened her eyes at the sound of her name. Tama knelt in front of her, her head bowed. “Will you forgive me?”

Mira drew her cousin into her arms. “There is nothing to forgive, Tama. You were brave to carry the infant from Jerusalem and to our home. Even more brave to keep him hidden all this time.” She squeezed her cousin’s hand. “If not for you and Ari, Judah would have no hope of turning from her wicked ways and back to the one true God.”

A tear slid down Tama’s cheek. Mira wiped it away with her thumb. “You have been a faithful servant, Tama. Faithful to Judah, faithful to God.”

“My thanks, Sh’mira.” Tama kissed her cheek and rose. “I must prepare Joash for bed.”

Mira smiled at her cousin as she left the alcove. What would it be like to sacrifice one’s life for her people like Tama had done? All Mira had done was feed a few sheep and pick a few pieces of fruit. Tasks far from serving the good of Judah.

“Ari said you needed something to do.” Anna swept into the room with calm assurance as if there hadn’t just been a battle. This woman’s entire family had sacrificed for Judah. How could she compare to such selflessness? Especially when she’d, only moments ago, been allowing thoughts of pity to enter her mind. A few days from her family was nothing compared to the years Anna had spent from her son.

“My thanks,” Mira responded, resolving to embrace her circumstances with contentment. If only she could banish Ari’s kiss from her mind.

“If you could lay out our bedding, I’ll turn down the lamps. The girls will be in soon.”

“Joash?”

Anna smiled. “You have a great fondness for the child?”

“He may have been Ari’s constant shadow while at my father’s, but we had our moments together, as well.” Mira realized that her words sounded too familiar. “My apologies, Anna. I do not wish to offend. Joash was raised as my brother.”

“No, do not apologize. Your days have been wrought with worry, not to mention things that were yesterday are no longer today.” Anna gazed past her shoulder as if she were thinking of another time. “The boy will sleep here with us and Tama if it will ease your mind.”

“My thanks.”

Anna left and came back moments later with Tama and a disgruntled Joash. Mira smiled at the scowling child. She took his hand and knelt beside him.

“Thank you for agreeing to protect me. After how well you’ve done, I did not think I could sleep without your presence.”

Joash straightened his shoulders and held his head high.

“Come, we must rest. Tomorrow will have burdens of its own. The travel will be long,” Anna said.

“How long before we reach Manna?” Mira asked, hoping that once they were there she could convince Ari to allow her to return home.

“By day’s end, however, much of it will be through the dark caves. The rest over the mountains.”

Mira unrolled the beds as the women filed into the cove. Removing their tunics and veils, they laid them in a hole in the wall. They each carried their short knives to their beds. Mira couldn’t help notice they had taken the beds closer to the exit, leaving her and Tama to sleep by Joash.

She lay down on her mat and closed her eyes, wishing she’d not given the dagger back to Ari.

“Rest, Sh’mira. My son lies outside the door. He’ll protect us.”

How could she tell Ari’s mother that her lack of sleep would not come from fear, but from the memory of her son’s kiss?

* * *

“Brother, drink?” Jesse offered him a cup of water as he sat cross-legged beside Ari. He didn’t know whether to curse his brother or bless him for distracting him from thoughts of Mira. Thoughts that had no place entering his mind until she agreed to be his wife, which she wouldn’t do until he asked, which he couldn’t do until Joash was safely in Jehoiada’s hands.

Ari took the cup. Pressing it to his lips, he sipped. “My thanks.”

The low firelight flickered off the walls, illuminating history, while hiding bits and pieces in the shadows. It was much like the Lord’s revelations, while certain things were clear, others were left unknown. Like when he had been sent from Jerusalem, he’d been upset at first, yet he had been humbled at being chosen. He never would have thought that the day he had left the gates of his beloved city that he’d never return permanently. And he never thought the reason would be his care for a woman.

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