Jesus flinched at the beating of nearby drums. A dull ache pounded in his leg and stomach. He heard the voices of the jinn, singing a strange, high-pitched song. He turned his head and in the murky light saw a group of hooded figures.

Hooded, no doubt, to hide their headlessness.

The tempo of the drum increased. The pitch of the voices rose. A tambourine-like clanging joined the din. The crazy sounds echoed throughout the cave, scattering in every direction.

They are going to sacrifice me!

He remembered Simon’s warning that jinn were bloodthirsty for young boys. This new fear reinspired his need to escape. He tried to sit up, tried to locate the dagger Simon had given him, but found his wrists and ankles tethered to the stone slab with straps of goat gut.

The music’s tempo sped to a frenzy. The voices chanted and wailed. Jesus yelled for help. He panicked and struggled against the straps.

Then the music stopped. Jesus held his breath. He heard low whispers speaking in quick, ardent tones. The strange smell returned to the air. He craned his neck to look at the entrance. He saw a coven of jinn cloaked in long robes walk past carrying a figure draped in a white sheet. The sheet was stained with copious amounts of blood.

A corpse! A sacrifice!

Jesus thrashed in terror, knowing that he would be next. As the group disappeared into another chamber, they took the light with them. He was left, again, in the dark.

The next time he woke, Jesus found himself in the light. He could hear someone speaking in a distant chamber. It was a soft voice, but commanding, and though it rose and fell with strength, and a certain infallibility, there was compassion behind the words. The voice of a leader. “Go!” the spirit ordered. Someone sprinted past the entrance. The leader’s tone reminded him of another.

Solomon! he thought with a jolt. And Peter and the others. They were waiting for him—

“You are awake!” someone said, interrupting his thoughts.

Jesus stiffened. He could not see who had spoken. He twisted his wrists and found them still tied. His leg no longer ached, but his stomach felt swollen and tender. He looked down and saw that his lower body had been covered with a linen cloth. His upper body was naked. He saw the nubs of his breasts, fully exposed, and felt a mixture of fear and shame. His captors knew his secret. And would kill him.

A hooded figure walked alongside him. Jesus wanted to close his eyes, so as not to see the jinn’s face, or lack thereof. But he could not resist peeking into the emptiness.

“Calm yourself,” the spirit said. The voice was strange, warbling at a high pitch, more of an echo than a voice. “Drink this,” it said, holding out a clay cup.

Jesus closed his lips.