Solomon held his tongue. He again observed the circle of men. Some were young, some old. All were the sons of women. Not one of them had begun life as a killer. And yet they had become so.

It never ceased to amaze him how easily ordinary people could be led into treachery. All that was required, it seemed, was teaching them from a young age what to see and think and feel—to believe, for example, that a flower was not a wonder of its own accord, but the act of a singular god. Taught, then, to stop looking and to rely instead on others for one’s perceptions, a person could be led to see—and believe—almost anything. No matter how destructive. No matter how divergent from their actual experience.

As his grandmother used to say, Divided from one’s own sight, a person is rendered a tool in the hands of another.

“But why must we gather in Kerek?” one of the younger men asked. “It is such a barren place and the villagers there are few in number.”

The old man opened his eyes and raised a hand as if to share a surprise. The others leaned in, listening intently.

“Kerek is not the final destination,” he told them. “Word has come that a father and son from that village stumbled upon a discovery, by chance, in the desolate corridor to the south.”

“But that would mean … The Narrows,” one of the men blurted.

The others drew back in fear.

“Yes,” the old man said with a nod. “And though I do not know the extent of the discovery, they say it is astonishing.”

Later that night, when the others had fallen asleep, Solomon gathered his provisions and fled into the dark. He traveled swiftly toward Kerek, his thoughts snagging on sharp edges of panic.

CHAPTER 18

Somewhere within The Narrows outside ancient Palestine—25 A.D.

“Anna. Anna! Get up! Get up!” Ruth called out, rushing into the cave.

“What? What is it?” she muttered through a daze.

“Have you not heard me calling?” Ruth asked, propping hands on hips. “They have prepared the Cloud Bath!” She tossed Anna her tunic. “Come now,” she insisted. “We should not be late.”

“But my sheep … will be hungry … I must take them out—”

“The animals will be fine. It is you who needs some tending to,” she said.

Ruth led Anna into the northernmost valley. Given its lack of vegetation, Anna rarely traveled through it.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Ruth smiled. “To a very special place,” she said.

“Will you still not tell me what it is?”

“Why do I not show you instead?” Ruth said, and with that turned toward a solid bank of rock. Anna stopped in her tracks, expecting her friend to crash headlong into stone. But, to her surprise, Ruth simply vanished—seeming to have passed straight through!

“Ruth?” Anna called out. “Where did you go?”