A Torch in the Empire Series Book One: The Fire and the Trial

Chapter Three: To Caesar's Circus

 "I am here to see two prisoners: Micah ben James and his wife, Deborah," Uncle Aaron said.
   It was midmorning, and Uncle Aaron, Aunt Moriah, Jesse, and Abigail had gone to the Antonia Fortress. It was used both as a jail and to house some of the Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem. Now Abigail watched as her uncle looked the Roman guard square in the face and waited for his answer. 
   They stood in a small room, empty except for the soldier and the small table he sat at. The table had a large scroll on it, presumably with the names of the prisoners held there and information on them. 
   "Ah, yes," said the guard, looking over his scroll. "Christians. They are to be sent to Rome for Caesar's Circus." 
   Abigail felt a tremor run through her body. Her knees felt weak. Her worst fear was coming true. Her parents were to be killed in a Roman Circus. Oh, God, no! Not to Rome! Not to the Circus! Her thoughts cried out in a desperate silent prayer. 
   Abigail glanced at Jesse. She had never seen his face so pale or his eyes so frightened. There was a hippodrome in Jerusalem where chariot races and other contests and spectacles were held, but apparently, Nero wanted more people for his Circus in Rome. 
   Uncle Aaron's voice remained steady. "We would like to see them." 
   "Well," the guard began, "they're not really supposed to have visitors right now..." 
   Uncle Aaron sighed and pulled out a coin from a fold in his cloak. 
   The guard looked at the coin and said slowly, "I suppose a short visit wouldn't hurt." He took the coin and said, "Follow me." 
   Uncle Aaron, Aunt Moriah, Jesse, and Abigail followed the guard out of the room and into a long, narrow room lined with small cells. As they walked past the cells with their stone walls and barred doors, Abigail looked inside them. She felt a wave of pity for the prisoners inside. They were mostly men, Zealots, probably, but a few women, too. 
   And in one cell, Abigail saw her parents. Father and Mama had heard them coming and stood expectantly waiting for them. The guard stopped at the cell, fumbled about with his ring of keys, and when he found the right one, unlocked the door and opened it. 
   "There," he said, "I will call you when your time is up." 
   An unpleasant odor filled the cell, and in the dim light, Abigail could see the water stains on the stone wall and the dirt and grime on the stone floor. 
   "Mama," Abigail said, struggling to hold back tears. She stepped into her mother's hug.
   Mama held her tight and stroked her hair. "My sweet Abigail," she whispered. 
   "The guard said you are to be taken to Rome," Abigail choked, and she could not hold back her tears any longer or finish the sentence. 
   Mama finished for her, "To Caesar's Circus." Mama was crying now, too. "We will suffer for Christ," she said. "Jesus said, 'In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'" 
   Mama paused and squeezed Abigail tighter. "Don't ever lose hope, Abigail. Keep trusting Christ. Know that even if I do not see you again on this earth, we will be together with Jesus for all eternity. I love you, Abigail. I love you so much. Don't ever forget that." 
   "I won't," Abigail managed to say between her tears. "I love you, Mama." She buried her face in her mother's shoulder and sobbed. Mama held her tight. Abigail stayed there for some time, the coarse linen of Mama's tunic soaking up her tears. 
   Finally, Mama let go of her, looked her in the face, and gave her a kiss. Then she turned to Jesse, and Abigail went to her father. Like Mama, he held her tight, and Abigail felt his tears falling onto her hair. It was some time before either of them could speak. 
   "My precious daughter," Father finally said, "Remember what Jesus said. He said, 'I am with you always.' God will be with you no matter what trials you face." He stopped, brushed a hand across his face and looked into Abigail's eyes. With his pointer finger, he wiped a tear off her cheek. "I love you, Abigail," he said. He hugged her again. 
   "I love you, too, Father," Abigail whispered. 
   Letting go of Abigail, Father looked at each of them: Uncle Aaron, Aunt Moriah, Jesse, and Abigail. "We are going to Rome," he said, "We'll most likely die there. But if we die, we die for Christ, not to entertain a Roman crowd. God numbers our days, not the Romans. If we die, it will be because God has ordained it so." 
   Abigail glanced at Jesse. His face showed no feeling. He stared blankly at the dingy floor. She wondered what was going on behind his dark, emotionless eyes, what he was thinking now. 
   "We love all of you," Mama said. 
   "Time's up!" the guard called. Father and Mama each gave Abigail and Jesse one final hug. 
   As Father hugged Jesse, Abigail heard him say, "Take care of your sister." 
   Then the guard was there waiting for them to come out of the cell. Uncle Aaron and Aunt Moriah walked out. Jesse waited for Abigail to walk out before him, and then followed her. 
   "When will they be taken to Rome?" Uncle Aaron asked the guard. 
   "A caravan leaves for Caesarea Maritima in the morning," the guard said, and for the first time, Abigail thought he seemed to show a little compassion. Perhaps he had heard the grief-stricken exchanges in the cell. He continued, "From there, a ship will take them to Rome." 
   Uncle Aaron nodded. "I'm sorry," the guard said. So. Even Roman soldiers are capable of pity, Abigail mused. She walked with Uncle Aaron, Aunt Moriah, and Jesse out of the Antonia Fortress. 
   Abigail blinked in the brightness outside. It was sunny like it always was in the summer. You could be almost certain that it would not rain in the summer. It wasn't really any brighter than normal, though. But compared with the darkness of the prison, it was nearly blinding. How will I go on if—if Father and Mama are killed? Abigail thought, O, Lord Jesus, how am I to live without the parents I love so much? 
   The walk home was a quiet one. No one could think of anything to say. They walked past the temple and back into the lower city.
  At last, they reached Abigail's family's home. Once inside, Jesse sat down on a mat and stared at the floor. The goat let out a pathetic bleat, and Abigail walked over to it. She sat down and petted the goat. Uncle Aaron and Aunt Moriah remained standing. Abigail saw Uncle Aaron glance at Aunt Moriah, and Aunt Moriah nodded her head. 
   Uncle Aaron spoke, "Moriah and I are going to Rome. We will see if there is anything we can do for your parents, and if nothing else, we will at least be there for them." 
   Jesse raised his head and looked up at his uncle. "I want to go, too," he said. 
   "No, Jesse," Uncle Aaron said, and Abigail knew he was looking at her. "You must stay here." Jesse looked at Abigail, too, and she looked down at the floor. She knew she was the reason Uncle Aaron had said Jesse must not go. The Circus was no place for a young girl. She knew that Father and Mama and Uncle Aaron and Aunt Moriah would all agree on that. And Father had told Jesse he must look out for her. She hoped Jesse did not resent having to stay with her, but she did not want to be left alone. Abigail glanced up. No one was looking at her anymore. 
   "We'll have to set out for Caesarea right away in the morning," Uncle Aaron said. Caesarea Maritima, often simply called Caesarea, was some eighty miles northwest of Jerusalem. It was a thriving port city. The Romans favored it over the closer, predominantly Jewish port city of Joppa. 
   "Why don't you come over to our house?" Aunt Moriah asked. Jesse nodded, but neither he nor Abigail said anything. "Well," Aunt Moriah said, attempting to sound cheerful, "I must go home and start preparing food." 
   Abigail stood up. "I will help you," she said. Maybe having something to do will help me feel better, she thought. Maybe it would help her to stop dwelling on the one thought that pounded in her mind: Father and Mama are being taken to Rome. But then, she was not entirely sure she wanted to stop dwelling on it. She wanted to keep Father and Mama alive in her thoughts. Oh, what am I to do? She asked herself again. How am I to go on? 
   "Are you coming, Jesse?" Aunt Moriah asked. Jesse nodded again and stood up. 
    It was only a short walk to Uncle Aaron and Aunt Moriah's home. With the stone walls, hard mud floor, sparse furniture, clay oven, a loom, and a goat on the lower level, Uncle Aaron and Aunt Moriah's house was almost exactly like Jesse and Abigail's family's home.
   Abigail began to help Aunt Moriah make lentil stew. She chopped carrots and onions while Aunt Moriah added herbs and spices to a pot of broth. They added the vegetables and lentils to the pot of broth and placed it on top of the clay oven where it would simmer for several hours before they would eat it for their evening meal. The delicious aroma of the stew beginning to fill the house reminded Abigail of all the days spent cooking with her mother. She blinked and tried to stop tears from coming. 
   Now, for their midday meal, they ate some bread and cheese. Then Jesse and Abigail sat beside each other and quietly watched Uncle Aaron and Aunt Moriah gather some food, changes of clothing, and a few other items and put them into packs for their journey. This did not take very long, and when they were finished, Uncle Aaron went to do some work outside and Aunt Moriah began to work on weaving some fabric on her loom. That was just what Mama would be doing this time of day, Abigail thought. The thought brought tears to her eyes again. She realized Jesse was looking at her and tried to brush the tears away. Jesse surprised her by gently placing a hand on her shoulder. The two of them sat there the rest of the afternoon, too numb with shock and grief to think of doing anything else until it was time to eat the lentil stew.