They turned toward the ragged entranceway only to find it blocked by a man peering inside. Tabitha gasped and fell back. Ruth held her ground, though her legs shook like boiling water.

“Do not be afraid,” the man said. He pushed into the hollow. Ruth glanced at the fire.

It was the light that had given them away!

She berated herself for setting the blaze.

The man knelt, sturdy and broad-shouldered beneath his tunic. His face remained hidden within his keffiyeh.

Like a cat, Ruth pounced and lifted a burning branch. She swung it at the man’s face with all her strength. Having anticipated her move, he caught her wrist in the clamp of his hand and held the branch inches from his face. It was then that Ruth saw his eyes. They shimmered like heated emeralds before the flame. Her hand released its hold. The man held her eyes as he removed his keffiyeh.

Tears of recognition streamed down Ruth’s cheeks.

“Do not cry,” the man said. His voice was strong and kind. He took her hands in his and held them steady. He then took a deep breath as if anticipating a long and arduous journey. “Sometimes,” he said, “if they are to survive, the sheep must dress as wolves.”

PART FOUR
HEALER

CHAPTER 30

Somewhere within ancient Palestine—33 A.D.

When they arrived at the village, Jesus approached a farmer’s wife and asked if she could provide him and his sisters with shelter for the night. The woman eyed the handsome brother with suspicion. He and the women were desperately thin, their bones protruding from their faces. Jesus told her that they were making a long journey back to the place of their birth and needed rest. Too tired to listen further, the wife agreed to let them stay in the storage shed. The year’s harvest had been scarce, she explained, so there would be room for them inside. She decided, however, not to tell her husband about the visitors.

The shed’s interior echoed with the timbre of stone. By the light of a single oil lamp, Jesus and his sisters divided the small meal provided by the wife—a crust of bread and some olives. They gave thanks to the Mother and the work of human hands. Then they ate. Despite the danger that hovered nearby, a smile passed among them—they were glad to be alive.

Through the flicker of lamplight, Ruth marveled at Anna’s transformation. Having cut her long black hair and donned a shepherd’s tunic, she looked as handsome and confident as any man. The shorter length of her hair accentuated the square ridgeline of her jaw. Her green stare blazed out from her dark skin, heightening the air of self-assurance and intensifying her masculine charade.

But beyond the obvious physical alteration, Ruth sensed another more profound change.

Was there not a new vibration emanating from Anna? Were not her thoughts and intentions fully aligned and unshakable?