The Galilean Secret: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

other choice. By facing the wedding guests, you will win their respect—and your own. It takes more courage to live with suffering than to leap from the Temple wall. If you listen, the pain will become your wisest teacher, and you will find new life beyond it.”
     
    Gabriel forced a smile. “You speak with deep conviction. I hope you are right.”
     
    Nicodemus drew him close and lowered his voice. “My conviction comes from the heart, where Jesus of Nazareth changed me. He teaches that love, not the Zealots’ violence, is the hope of the future. He is gaining followers daily, and many of us believe he is the Messiah. Soon I will go to Galilee to see him. Perhaps you can come with me.”
     
    Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, mulling over Nicodemus’ invitation. He had heard that the rabbi called Jesus had offended some Pharisees in Jerusalem, that he had performed healings and that the Romans feared his growing popularity. Jesus’ opposition to the Zealots made Gabriel eager to help him. This murderous group had corrupted his brother. Now Dismas had run off with Judith and ruined Gabriel’s life. He wanted to settle the score. Perhaps the movement that Jesus was leading was the only force powerful enough to stop the Zealots. He said to Nicodemus, “I will travel with you to Galilee, but first I must go after my betrothed.” He reached inside his tunic and withdrew the dagger. “And I’ll take this with me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Dismas is not the only one who knows how to use one of these.”
     
    Nicodemus held up a hand, his expression grim. “Violence is justified only when you must defend yourself or another. Jesus teaches that those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”
     
    Gabriel studied the dagger for a moment. With the words of caution echoing in his thoughts, he put the dagger away and shook Nicodemus’ hand. He thanked him, said good-bye and hurried toward the gate, squinting against the sun’s expanding brilliance. At the street he turned south and walked briskly through Jerusalem, now bustling with merchants, tradesmen and pilgrims. He would face his parents and all their friends unafraid. It was not his fault that Judith had run away. She should be ashamed, not he. As for his rage at her and Dismas, it would embolden him to go after them, but he knew he must control it, or the rage would destroy him.
     
    Entering his neighborhood, he found the familiarity of the modest homes comforting, and his thoughts turned to Nicodemus. The possibility of seeing him again and meeting the rabbi from Nazareth set Gabriel’s heart racing.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    JUDITH HAD NEVER RIDDEN A HORSE BEFORE, LET ALONE GALLOPED ON ONE. She clung to Dismas and held her breath between strides, her heart pounding drumbeats in her ears. As they galloped through Jerusalem, he didn’t say a word. She pressed her cheek against his back. They sped through the Tyropoeon Valley and passed the Pool of Siloam.
    Everything is going to be all right , she told herself, squeezing him tighter. But she was choking on dust, hungry and exhausted. She had to fight the urge to turn back. Only the feel of Dismas’ strong body and the thought of making love to him kept her looking ahead.
     
    When they reached the Judean Desert, he slowed the supply-laden horse. Its charcoal coat, as black as midnight, glistened with sweat. Judith sat up and arched her back, the sound of the galloping hoofs still echoing in her mind. The horse was walking now, but Judith’s legs had become so accustomed to conforming to its body that she couldn’t relax them, and her arms ached from squeezing Dismas’ waist.
     
    She looked around and gasped. Never had she seen such jagged hillsides, the land pockmarked as if diseased with leprosy. Rocks—from enormous boulders that dwarfed the horse to pebbles sharp enough to cut leather—filled the landscape. Judith closed her eyes to escape the desert’s incandescent monotony. What have I done? How