Christ the Lord - Anne Rice [21]
Suddenly the crowd at the door was broken open by a band of men, clothed for the road, with their wineskins over their shoulders. Two I knew from Cana, one from Sepphoris.
“We go to Caesarea, tonight. We go to stand before the Governor's palace until he removes the ensigns!” cried one of the men.
Joseph gestured for me to help him. He reached for Cleopas. We managed to get him up on the bench. Menachim stepped down to make way for him, and even Jason stepped aside, as well he might.
Joseph stood for a moment staring at the maddened crowd. He threw up his hands. The noise rolled on like a flood that would drown him, but slowly it began to subside, and then at the sight of this white-haired man, saying nothing, merely gesturing with both arms raised as if he meant to part the Red Sea, they all fell quiet.
“Very well then, my children,” he said. Even the smallest murmurs died away. “You must learn for yourselves what we know so well, we who saw Judas the Galilean and his men running rampant through these hills, we who have seen the legions more than once come into this land to restore order. Yes, yes. Very well, then. You learn for yourselves what you won't learn from us.”
James went to protest. He held tight to Isaac who struggled against him.
“No, my son,” said Joseph to James. “Don't put temptation before them. You forbid this, and they will do it anyway.”
At that a soft respecting applause filled the room. Then murmurs and finally roars of approbation.
Joseph went on, arms still raised.
“Show the Governor your fervor, yes. Jason, show your eloquence, if you will, yes. Speak to this man in your perfect Latin, yes. But walk and talk in peace, do you hear me? I tell you once the glittering swords of the Romans are unsheathed, they will cut down all of us. A Roman army will make the way straight to this village.”
Jason turned to face him and then clutched Joseph's right hand as if they were in agreement.
“As the Lord lives,” Jason cried out. “They will take down those ensigns or drink our blood. It's their decision.”
One voice of wild accord rose to answer him.
Jason jumped down from the bench and marched forward, pushing everyone out of his path, and soon the whole assembly was trying to get out of the door and into the street to follow him.
Benches rattled and clattered and babies sobbed.
The Rabbi sat down wearily and leant his head against my shoulder. My nephews Shabi and Isaac escaped from James' hands and squeezed past others to run after their brother Menachim.
I thought James would go mad.
Jason turned in the door, reemerging from the angry sea of those around him. He looked back as all streamed past him.
“And will you not come with us, you above all?” he demanded. He flung out his pointing finger.
“No,” I said. I shook my head and looked away.
The sound of my answer hadn't carried in the din, but the shape of it did, and he was gone and all the younger men with him.
The street was so full of torches it might as well have been the night of the Exodus from Egypt. Men were now laughing and hollering as they dodged in and out of their houses to get their heavy woolen robes and wineskins for the trek.
James caught his young son, Isaac, and when Isaac, a boy of no more than ten, struggled, Avigail suddenly seized him and demanded fiercely, “What, would you leave me here alone? Do you think no one has to take care of this village?”
She held fast to him in a way that his father could never have done, because Isaac wouldn't fight her. And she rallied to herself the other young boys, all that she could see. “You come here, Yaqim, and you too, Little Levi. And you, Benjamin!” Silent Hannah took up the exhortations.
Of course other women, young and old, were doing the same, each dragging out of the march any whom they could handle.
And into the village came more men from the countryside,