“No one. It is time to leave,” Peter said and trotted for the gate.

Having arrived at the gathering spot early, the two shepherds sat in the shade of the great wall to wait for Solomon and the others. To pass the time, they made a game of counting camels.

“There is one!” Jesus shouted.

“Look over there!” Peter countered. “That makes two for me!”

Without warning, a sharp cry rang out behind them. Those standing nearby turned their heads to see what had happened. In that same instant, a man with a mask burst through the crowds and headed straight for the gate. Behind him, a mob of angry men gave chase, howling like a pack of wild dogs. Startled, the boys leapt back as the man ran past, close enough that they could hear him panting. As he fled, the fugitive threw down his dagger, its blade smeared with blood.

When the clouds of dust settled, the two boys stared down at the weapon. Though it had been trampled halfway into the ground by the mob, there was no mistaking the distinct sickle shape of its handle.

When Judas did not return in time for the appointed departure, Solomon grew worried and dispatched the shepherds to search the city. One group overheard gossip that the shepherd had killed a man. Another heard he had killed three. Solomon himself was escorted to a lightless den by a shopkeeper who claimed Judas had smoked bad opium and run screaming into the night.

Despite the number of witnesses claiming to have knowledge, no one could tell the shepherds where to find their missing man. It was as if he had vanished.

Having delayed their departure as long as he reasonably could, Solomon finally relented, and the shepherds made their way out the gates. Gathering their remaining sheep, they drove them on toward open terrain.

As the din of the city faded, Solomon trailed behind, his step halting, reluctant. Later, at mealtime, he maintained his distance from the others, refusing to eat, his face drawn and strained.

For weeks afterward, the shepherds often found their leader staring expectantly into the distance. Seeing Solomon’s acute distress, and fearful that it might jeopardize their safety, the men decided among themselves never to speak of the incident in Jerusalem, or of Judas, again.

CHAPTER 7

Somewhere outside the Great Desert—16 A.D.

Peter helped Akbar roll the boulders away from the cave’s mouth to release the herd from its nightly shelter. The animals tumbled out and lined up along a stagnant tributary, pressing their noses into the warm water. The season had brought an exceptional lack of rain; some waterways and streams had evaporated entirely leaving only tepid puddles thick with mud and pollen.