Redemption at the Eleventh Hour by Andrew Crown

Author:Andrew Crown [Crown, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734279405
Published: 2020-04-02T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter XVI

The sun was fading quickly in the sky, but Dismas knew that he had to keep moving throughout the night and probably most of the next day to put as much distance between himself and what he believed to be an inevitable Roman pursuit. He could hardly believe that he had assaulted a couple of Roman officers. As justified as he felt in his actions, he knew that he would likely face death should they catch him.

He exhaled in short bursts as fatigue set in with each hurried step, occasionally glancing over his shoulder. In his panic, he thought he saw dust kick up on the horizon, signaling the charging of Roman cavalry. But upon blinking away the dirt and the sweat, he saw that there was nothing there, only the tall cypress trees on the side of the road swaying in the wind. Despite his exhaustion, rage and adrenaline kept Dismas moving. He was furious at Bricius. He had threatened Leah once before and had the audacity to track her down to do so again.

I should have killed him, Dismas definitively reasoned as he pushed Jesus’ message out of his mind. The Romans would probably not make a distinction between killing a military officer versus assaulting and robbing one. If caught, he was a dead man regardless.

Given this certainty, he considered returning to the village to meet the Romans head-on. The thought of finally being done with running and instead dying under their swords like a brave warrior was briefly appealing. He knew death was inevitable, but he might be able to bring that monster Bricius down with him. But Dismas had no weapon, and he realized that throwing his life away in anger accomplished nothing. Plus, the prospect of never seeing Leah again chilled his blood. This was perhaps the most troubling part of his current predicament.

These worries weighed heavily on his mind as the terrain became hillier the further away he got from the Sea of Galilee. The road followed the River Jordan on its meandering path southward. Dismas occasionally refilled his canteen in the cool river, never tarrying too long and always keeping an eye on the road.

He couldn’t stop replaying the incident in his head. Should he have grabbed Bricius’ sword? A weapon would certainly be useful out on the road. But a Roman sword in non-Roman hands would raise plenty of suspicion. And unlike the ring, it would be a difficult thing to hide. He had taken the prudent course of action—the ring could be sold, and along with the other stolen money, he could sustain himself for a while once he got to Jerusalem.

He also thought of Selig, his long-lost brother, whom he hoped to reach after his flight from the olive growers. He hadn’t thought of him much lately—meeting Leah had certainly distracted him—but some of his earliest memories were with Selig. He remembered standing on his brother’s back to get onto a small pony while he was learning to ride. Selig led the horse in small circle in a clearing near their house in Jerusalem.

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