The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare [64]
Daniel caught on. "You mean—?"
"Of course." Joel interrupted him as he did his sister, without realizing it. "Thace wears my clothes, and with her hair back under the turban who's to know she's not a boy? Then you two go about together. I'll arrange for a dav off. You could go—oh—somewhere out of the city would be best—where we're not too well known."
"We'll go to visit Leah. I've been wanting to for days."
In the face of their enthusiasm, Daniel's scruples melted. Before he crept out of the passageway, and set out for the village, the three had agreed to meet next morning by the boats of Simon and Andrew.
Before dawn Daniel joined the farmers on the road to the city. At the harbor the usual crowd waited hopefully by the fishing boats. As he drew nearer, two boys moved from the rest and came to meet him. One was a sturdy barefoot fisherman in a rough cotton tunic, his throat and arms bare. The other made Daniel gasp. Beneath a close-bound turban was half hidden a second Joel, younger, smooth-faced, more finely-drawn, but with the same lustrous eyes. Thacia tipped back her head for Daniel's scrutiny in a gesture that reminded him of Leah.
"It's not quite so perfect as it used to be," she admitted cheerfully. "We'd better keep away from the marketplace. Once out of town I'll be safe."
Both brother and sister were relishing their conspiracy. Their high spirits made his own doubts seem niggardly. Joel had already arranged for a consignment of fish and had them hidden under a half-upturned boat, packed under fresh green leaves in a woven basket. Presently he set off with a swaggering step and a wide grin. Then Thacia took control with a brisk efficiency that surprised Daniel.
"We'll go this way," she directed. "We won't be so likely to meet anyone'."
"Aren't you going to wait?" Daniel asked, surprised. "Jesus will be here soon."
A slight cloud darkened her face. "No," she said. "Not this morning. I'd rather get out of the city."
"I thought you meant to be seen."
"Yes—well—I don't want to meet anyone face to face." She hurried him along unfamiliar streets toward the gates of the city. For a time they walked in silence, and then Thacia spoke. "It isn't really that I'm afraid to be seen," she said honestly. "I didn't want to wait for Jesus. I didn't want to see his face when he saw me like this."
Daniel was surprised. Then he remembered, dimly, the ancient law that forbade a man and woman to wear each other's garments. "Are you worried about the Law?" he asked. "I don't think Jesus—"
"Oh—the Law!" she replied. "Joel and I have broken so many laws lately that one more wouldn't matter." She paused, embarrassed, because he must know that any laws she and Joel had broken had to do with their visits to Daniel's house. Then she hurried on. "It's just that I don't want to face Jesus with a lie. I couldn't bear the way his eyes would look at me."
"If he understood the reason he wouldn't blame you."
"Yes, I think he would," she said thoughtfully. "I think that for Jesus a lie is impossible, no matter what the reason."
"In war a lie is a weapon," said Daniel. "We have to use what weapons we have. Even Jesus must see that."
"I don't think he would see it at all," said Thacia. She walked on a little way, then she spoke again. "Daniel, what makes you and Joel so sure that Jesus means to make war?"
"He says that the kingdom is at hand. What else can he mean?"
"Did you ever think he might mean that the kingdom will come some other way? Without any fighting?"
"You mean just wait—forever—like your father says?"
Thacia's forehead wrinkled in an effort to put her thoughts into words. "Not exactly. You see, Jesus has made me see that we don't need to wait for God to care for us. He does that now. Every one of us. Jesus says that God sees into our hearts and loves us. If everyone understood that—every man and woman—"
"Would that rid us of the Romans?"
"Suppose—the Romans too could understand?"
He stopped in the road and stared at her. "Romans? You think God loves the Romans?"
Thacia sighed. "That's impossible,