Macro and Cato tethered their horses in the village square and helped Symeon down from his mount. The wound to his side was healing slowly, but the blow to his arm had severed too many muscles and tendons ever to recover fully and Symeon was coming to terms with the probability that he would never be able to wield a sword again. His fighting days were over. He sat heavily in the shade of a blackened wall and Cato went over to the trough to douse his head. Yusef made sure that Symeon was made comfortable when there was a sharp cry from the end of a street and the four new arrivals turned to the sound. Miriam was leaning one hand against a wall for support while she clasped the other to her mouth.As soon as he saw her Yusef sprang to his feet and sprinted across and threw himself into her arms. For a while they just held each other close, and then they continued into the square, walking arm in arm over to Symeon and the two Roman officers. Miriam bit her lip, struggling to hold back her tears as she spoke.

‘I-I don’t know how to thank you. I-’ She looked down and shook her head slightly. ‘I don’t know the words to say how happy I am. How grateful I am. May God bless you all and keep you safe for the hereafter.’

‘Well, thank you,’ Macro responded awkwardly. ‘I’m sure he will keep an eye on us, especially after all we’ve been through. We’ve earned it.’

‘There’s one more thing,’ Cato said. He walked over to his horse, unbuckled a large saddle pouch and carefully took out Miriam’s casket. ‘Here you are.’

Miriam took the casket and stroked a hand softly across the lid. ‘Again, thank you and bless you.’ She looked up at Cato. ‘I take it you have dealt with Bannus.’

‘Yes.’

‘Poor soul. Poor tormented soul.’

Macro looked at Cato in surprise and was about to open his mouth when Cato shook his head with a pleading expression.Then Cato looked round the village. ‘What happens now? Are you going to rebuild the destroyed houses? We could help you.’

‘No,’ Miriam replied. ‘I’ve been thinking things over since Yusef was taken from me.There’s no point. Heshaba will not survive in isolation. We cannot escape the world as I had hoped we could.There is no future for the vision of my son if we stay here. If we cannot escape the world, then we must re-join it.’ She smiled.’I suppose you might say that we cannot let the world escape us. Anyway, I’ve decided that we must go to the cities, and spread word of his teaching where there are ears to hear it.’